10 Best Sandbox Games on Xbox Game Pass (January 2026)

If you feel like games are too structured with objectives and quests, boy do I have news for you. A standalone genre called sandbox games gives you all the freedom you want, to go anywhere you please, talk to whoever you choose, and complete tasks that are most important to you.

There are no rules or restrictions on how to play. Just to have carefree fun like you’re in a time machine, transported to a literal sandbox playground. So, which are the best sandbox games on Xbox Game Pass this month?

What is a Sandbox Game?

A sandbox game is any title with no rules or objectives to complete. The sky’s the limit on how you choose to play the game, with practically no end in sight for the most creative and ambitious folks.

Best Sandbox Games on Xbox Game Pass

Do subscribe to Xbox Game Pass if you can, and as a result, you’ll gain access to hundreds of games, including the best sandbox games on Xbox Game Pass below.

10. ARK: Survival Evolved

Fancy hunting and taming dinosaurs? More than 50 different species await you in ARK: Survival Evolved. The mechanics are pretty hands-on, from taking gigantic dinosaurs down, to nursing them to health. And then taming them by teaching them commands and training them to complete different tasks within your park.

Dinosaurs can help gather and carry resources for you. Or they can be your rideable mounts. Breeding is also in-depth, allowing you to create new generations with stronger traits.

9. No Man’s Sky

In No Man’s Sky, you explore a practically infinite universe, where every new planet brings with it new experiences. This is possibly the biggest sandbox game you’ll play, set in space, allowing you to adopt different roles, whether scavenger, fighter, or pirate. 

You’ll embark on epic adventures, orbiting different planets, and then choosing random places to set up camp and colonize. Notably, the game has no loading screens, creating a smooth and seamless playthrough.

8. Grounded 2

Mind you, Grounded 2 is just the preview of what’s to come in the final version. And so far, so good. This is very much the first game, “Honey, I shrunk the kids again,” type of vibe. You still engage in thrilling co-op survival adventures with friends, learning to survive using makeshift grass and sticks as weapons. 

But the sequel intends to take your experience to the next level, with a bigger world to explore, more streamlined crafting, new gear, and improved gameplay systems all-around.

7. Astroneer

First stepping foot on an alien planet, you have no idea what you’ll find. But your mission is clear: to research and discover the mysteries of this new, foreign place. Astroneer is an indulging space adventure for curious minds. 

Even with three other friends in online co-op, you’ll enjoy building custom bases, crafting vehicles, and manipulating the terrain to create wild technologies and innovations.

6. Minecraft

In the next addition to the best sandbox games on Xbox Game Pass, we have an obvious choice you’ve likely already played before Minecraft. Yet, the allure of the game’s blocky universe never dies, does it? It’s simply one of the most dynamic places you can bend to your will, creating your own unique adventures with the blocks, creatures, and community.

5. Palworld

When taking a pause from Pokemon, you can try out Palworld. Players catch “Pals” and train them to serve different roles in a tight-knit community. Pals can do battle, farm, or even feed your growing population. It’s all up to you how you’d like to allocate roles and run your camp.

4. DayZ

In truth, law and order will be far from our minds during a zombie outbreak. And that fact couldn’t be truer in DayZ. It’s survival of the fittest in this chaotic world overrun by the undead, where being ruthless might just be your saving grace. 

Yet, making friends can also be beneficial: having people watch your back and all. It’s the freedom, though, to decide how you might react to an apocalypse that’s exciting. Whatever you imagine you’ll be like, my advice is to throw preconceived assumptions out the window and just have fun.

3. Terraria

Next up is Terraria, which kicks off arming players with pickaxes and drills. Deep underground lies treasure and fortune, needed to jumpstart your base. Gradually, you’ll build a community specializing in farming, combat, or simply survival. 

The resources here are overwhelming: over 5,000 items, 25+ NPCs, and more than 400 enemies to beat. Essentially, running out of content is a pipe’s dream, as you dive back, over and over again, into spearheading a new adventure. Quite like modern-day Minecraft, qualifying it among the best sandbox games on Xbox Game Pass.

2. Trailmakers

It all starts with building a robot or automobile that you think can handle anything thrown at it. Then, the competition rolls in from all around the world, challenging you to the most intense all-or-nothing race for the books.

There are different challenges in Trailmakers to switch things up. And also to test your creativity relative to different scenarios. Still, some challenges take you in space or water, resulting in fun skirmishes, hella addictive among friends.

I love that weapons are encouraged to attach to your build, with 14 different types, including rocket launchers and EMPs. It makes races truly chaotic when everything goes.

1. Forza Horizon 5

Think sandbox gaming in cars. That’s Forza Horizon 5 in a nutshell. The core remains racing for the ultimate prize of unlocking hundreds of the world’s fastest cars. But it’s all free-form, cruising around the ever-evolving, open world of Mexico.

The game looks absolutely breathtaking, with diverse regions of vast deserts and lush forests. There are sandy beaches and snow-capped volcanoes you can leisurely drive around, or challenge friends to head-to-head races. 

Hundreds of challenges await that help keep you busy, along with new events, collectibles, rewards, and areas to explore, consistently added to the game nearly every other week.