History Main / QuicksandBox

** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'', after you get the four main runes (bombs and [[MagnetismManipulation the power to manipulate metal objects]], [[TimeStandsStill paralyze objects]] and [[AnIcePerson turn water into ice]]) and learn the basic backstory and goal of the game, you're able to do whatever you wish to do, with the only limitation on where you can travel being your own skill and resourcefulness. You learn what your main goals are early on, but once you've left the Great Plateau there is ''zero'' hand-holding as to how you're supposed to go about achieving them (and there's usually more than one way to do just about anything that needs doing). Once you've found a side-quest, the game does keep track of your current objectives and pinpoints where you're supposed to go to complete them, so at least you're not ''completely'' lost in doing them.

** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'', after you get the four main runes (bombs and [[MagnetismManipulation the power to manipulate metal objects]], [[TimeStandsStill paralyze objects]] and [[AnIcePerson turn water into ice]]) and learn the basic backstory and goal of the game, you're able to do whatever you wish to do, with the only limitation on where you can travel being your own skill and resourcefulness. You learn what your main goals are early on, but once you've left the Great Plateau there is ''zero'' hand-holding as to how you're supposed to go about achieving them. The game does keep track of your current objectives and pinpoints where you're supposed to go to complete them, so you're not ''completely'' lost in doing them.

* ''VideoGame/NoMansSky'' features a game world so large (specifically, a universe with [[UpToEleven 18 quintillion procedurally-generated worlds to explore]] that will take 585 '''billion''' years to fully discover) that you might just take your small ship, fly to the nearest planet, land, and stay there.

* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' is Creator/FromSoftware's truly open world Main/SoulsLikeRPG. Combining the nebulous nature of the ''Dark Souls'' games with a massive world to explore means players can spend hours combing Limgrave, the game's starting area, for equipment, collectables, and levels. This is by design, however, [[BeefGate as Margit is an extremely difficult first (required) boss to fell,]] and your time in Limgrave will prepare you for him.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' series drops you off in a major city, puts the next story location on your map, and then leaves you to it.

* ''VideoGame/TheDeadLinger'' throws you into a zombie-infested world, gives you a small prompt on how the controls work...and that's pretty much it. The game has no definitive end, but since your goal is to survive the ZombieApocalypse, you're probably always on the run, evading zombies and trying to scavenge food. But still, if you get lucky with the random world and item generation, you could just find the biggest backpack, fill it to the brim with food and stay in the town you probably started in (or near), without ever going out to explore the more interesting places in the procedurally generated world.

* The Space Stage in ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'' conveys the sheer immensity of space very well. Possibly too well. Mods make the game even more fun (infinite Staff of Life, for one). Also, nothing beats watching a binary sunrise (Find a binary -two star- star system. Go to a non-dangerous, and preferably with a thin atmosphere, planet. Watch the suns rise.) Or, watch them set, preferably with the appropriate [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEUGF3NGbPg music.]]

* ''Degrees of Lewdity'' is a [[HGame lewd]] text-based sandbox game in which you can do, well, whatever you please or tickles your fancy and that anything can happen to your character or the characters around you.

[[folder:Wide Open Sandbox]]

* ''VideoGame/NoMansSky'' features a game world so large (specifically, a universe with [[UpToEleven 18 quintillion procedurally-generated worlds to explore]] that will take 585 ''billion'' years to fully discover) that you might just take your small ship, fly to the nearest planet, land, and stay there.

* Contrary to the ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' page image, ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' averts this problem for the most part. You go through a few training missions before getting the [[CoolSpaceship Normandy]] to freely fly around the universe, only to be restricted to one ship/planet/asteroid to explore within each star system. Story progression is rather straightforward, despite you being able to play a trio of core missions in whatever order you wish, and a clear goal in mind. In addition, all active missions are logged in the pause menu -- even separated to required and optional missions -- so you never have to wonder what you're supposed to be doing. ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' is also an aversion in spite of more missions and a wider scope of freedom. It's still linear.

* ''VideoGame/{{Riven}}'', the sequel to ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' was intentionally designed this way to satisfy two kinds of gamers. The sightseer can get to four of the five CD discs in the set without difficulty, but only the insanely dedicated puzzle solver can get to the fifth disc. And if they weren't insane before, they certainly will beafter.

* ''VideoGame/{{Riven}}'', the sequel to ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' was intentionally designed this way to satisfy two kinds of gamers. The sightseer could get to four of the five CD discs in the set without difficulty, but only the insanely dedicated puzzle solver could get to the fifth disc. And if they weren't insane before, they certainly were after.

** VideoGame/Metroid1'': In the original game, [[CopyAndPasteEnvironments all the rooms look the same]] and there is no map feature. Back in the day, games of this kind expected players to draw their own maps as they played them -- something that isn't the norm for more modern games, leading to lots of complaints from younger players about getting lost.

* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' is FromSoftware's truly open world SoulsLikeRPG. Combining the nebulous nature of the ''Dark Souls'' games with a massive world to explore means players can spend hours combing Limgrave, the game's starting area, for equipment, collectables, and levels. This is by design, however, [[BeefGate as Margit is an extremely difficult first (required) boss to fell,]] and your time in Limgrave will prepare you for him.

* The scripted missions in the ''VideoGame/EuropaUniversalisIV'' are an attempt to reduce this by giving players defined goals whilst not detracting from the WideOpenSandbox nature of the game.

* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' throws you into the land of Lordran with no clear goal beyond "ring the two Bells of Awakening". You don't know what will happen when you do, or even where their locations are. At the very first stages you can find yourself in locations that have enemies you can't possibly damage without fulfilling special conditions that you're not told. (The most common advice to new players is, "If you're fighting skeletons, you went the wrong way.") Generally the game doesn't give the player any hand holding, expecting them to read through item descriptions to get hints of where to go next.

** It becomes very easy to become lost in the game world, even in the newer games which tend to be a bit more linear. ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' is probably the most well-known for this, which, due to bugs, intentional design decisions and underestimating players' abilities, gives the player several different routes through the game, and many weapons and items are [[SequenceBreaking skippable]] with some ingenuity. Because there's no clear indication of what to do or where to go, putting the game down for even a day can either leave you with no idea how to progress, or stumbling in the right direction.

** [[VideoGame/Metroid1 The first game]] also deserves note because [[CopyAndPasteEnvironments all the rooms look the same]] and there is no map feature. Back in the day, games of this kind expected players to draw their own maps as they played them -- something that isn't the norm for more modern games, leading to lots of complaints from younger players about getting lost.
* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCircleOfTheMoon'': The game starts off by dropping you into Dracula's Castle; and not telling the player where to go. The hints you get are few and far in between, and even then they just give you a broad goal.
** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow'' takes a step to avert this trope by having a screen where you can consult a character who gives you a hint on what you can probably do next.

** [[VideoGame/Metroid1 The first game]] also deserves note because [[CopyAndPasteEnvironments all the rooms look the same]] and there is no map feature. Back in the day, games of this kind expected players to draw their own maps as they played them. This isn't the norm for more modern games, leading to lots of complaints from younger players who got lost.

** [[VideoGame/Metroid1 The first game]] also deserves note because [[CopyAndPasteEnvironments all the rooms look the same]] and there is no map feature, so not knowing where you are and where to go is dowright expected.

** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'', after you get the four main runes (bombs and [[MagnetismManipulation the power to manipulate metal objects]], [[TimeStandsStill paralyze objects]] and [[AnIcePerson turn water into ice]]) and learn the basic backstory and goal of the game, you're able to do whatever you wish to do, with the only limitation on where you can travel being your own skill and resourcefulness. You learn what your main goals are early on, but once you've left the Great Plateau there is ''zero'' hand-holding as to how you're supposed to go about achieving them.

* For the people who love to complete everything, ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' can be like this. Beat the Gym Leaders, unlock the [=NationalDex=], explore the world, and [[GottaCatchEmAll catch them all!]]

* The ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'' may have started with a relatively linear {{Metroidvania}}, but the future games opened up immensely. Gotham tends to be filled with side content, but the most notable is probably the Riddler collectibles. The Riddler in each game can distract you for a good percentage of the game's playtime, something that can be extremely daunting if you want to achieve OneHundredPercentCompletion, or at least just see the resolution of his plot.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'': The game becomes wide open as soon as you collect four party members and [[spoiler: the new airship]] in the second half of the game...in fact, absolutely nothing stops you from tackling TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon except the ridiculously tough battles that you would face along the way.

* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' throws you into the land of Lordran with no clear goal beyond "ring the two Bells of Awakening". You don't know what will happen when you do, or even where their locations are. At the very first stages you can find yourself in locations that have enemies you can't possibly damage without fulfilling special conditions that you're not told. Generally the game doesn't give the player any hand holding, expecting them to read through item descriptions to get hints of where to go next.

* The ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' series has this, particularly since ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII''. It gets marginally better in San Andreas with the introduction of the cell phone, and much better with the smartphone in GTA IV. In the original GTA III though, having the option to do police, ambulance, and taxi side missions (all with valuable rewards), search for and collect hidden packages, find vans or weapons with rampage side missions, doing ''actual'' side missions for gangs or the mob, and finally progressing the story, all with little guidance from the interface...things get paralyzing quickly.

** Gameplay-wise it's actually averted, with possible exception of ''Videogame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'' where it isn't indicated that you have to complete the asset of many businesses to trigger the final missions, as quest markers are generally available to advance the plot.

* In the rather obscure FPS sandbox ''[[VideoGame/BoilingPointRoadtoHell Boiling Point]]'' the main quest is laid out pretty clearly. However, the story missions are all blocked by sizable [[CashGate cash gates]], leaving the player to wander around aimlessly until they figure out how to get a hold of some money.

* Back in 2007, Capcom's Keiji Inafune suggested that the effect of this trope, combined with his perception of the Japanese desire to be guided, explains the relative lack of success that WideOpenSandbox titles have had in Japan. There was mention of Western attitudes towards free-roaming gameplay being similar to going deer hunting and bagging a bear instead.

* The ''[[VideoGame/JustCause Just Cause]]'' series. It's very easy to get lost, but the sheer amount of non-story related things makes it possible to have oodles of fun while completely ignoring the story. A multiplayer mod was created for the second game before becoming a trend, which left in only the open world and still proved to be popular enough to become officially supported.

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' is this to a rather good degree. The game starts with the requisite tutorial missions, but then to progress in the story, you are required to earn "respect". It does tell you how to earn respect, but the various methods are so numerous it can lead some players to being distracted before even attempting any of the many mini games to earn said respect. The story itself can actually be this as it is very non-linear in its progression, allowing you to start any of the three basic gang story events at any time (with enough respect). And that doesn't even count the "stronghold missions" that have elements of story in them as well.
* ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' on the other hand is much better. With rare exceptions you usually have only one story quest to select at a time, and the game will periodically remind you to do it. You no longer need Respect to unlock missions. Side activities and collectibles are also clearly introduced in story quests so you know what you are supposed to do.