Games Like Roblox (2026): 10 Sandbox Games for Families

Roblox is less a single game and more a giant playground, where players make their own games and everyone else hops between them. That mix of playing, building and chatting is why children love it, and also why some parents start looking for other options. Sometimes it's about wanting a calmer space, sometimes it's about a different style of building, and sometimes your child has simply played everything they wanted to.

This page lists ten games like Roblox in no particular order, sorted alphabetically. I've included sandbox builders, creation tools, social worlds and a couple of quieter picks for younger children, and more than half come from smaller or independent studios. Every detail comes from each game's own website, App Store page or Steam page. If your child plays on a school laptop, my guide to playing Roblox on a Chromebook covers that set-up.

Roblox alternatives compared

In the free to play column, Yes means the game's own site or store page lists it as free to download or play, and No means it isn't free to download. Platforms are the ones each game's own page lists, so check for your device before you install.

Game	Platforms	Good for	Free to play
Avakin Life	iPhone, Android, PC (Steam)	Avatar dressing, home decorating and hanging out	Yes
Brick Rigs	PC (Steam)	Building brick vehicles and smashing them in a physics sandbox	No
Fortnite	PC, consoles	Playing and making player-built islands	Yes
Garry's Mod	PC and Mac (Steam)	Free-form physics play and community game modes	No
Hytale	PC	Block building with creator tools and community servers	No
Minecraft	Consoles, mobile, PC, Chromebook	Building anything from blocks, alone or with friends	No
PK XD	iPhone, iPad	A colourful open world for younger players	Yes
Terraria	PC and Mac (Steam)	Digging, building and exploring in 2D	No
Toca Boca World	iPhone, iPad	Calm roleplay and design with no chat	Yes
Trove	PC (Steam)	Voxel adventures with dungeons built by players	Yes

Ten sandbox and creation games like Roblox, A to Z

Avakin Life

Best for: Teens and adults who love the social side of virtual worlds, from styling an avatar to decorating a home and meeting people.

Brick Rigs

Best for: Builders who like making cars, tanks and contraptions out of bricks, then testing them in chaotic physics with friends.

Fortnite

Best for: Older children and teens who want to play islands made by other players, or build their own with the creative tools.

Garry's Mod

Best for: Older players who like open-ended tinkering, welding objects together and joining modes made by the community.

Hytale

Best for: Players who want a block-building adventure with tools for making minigames and running community servers, while it's in Early Access.

Minecraft

Best for: Families who want the classic block-building game, with survival and creative play across lots of devices.

PK XD

Best for: Younger children who want a bright social world with houses, pets and minigames, on a listing rated for young ages.

Terraria

Best for: Players who enjoy crafting and exploring, and like a side-on world full of caves, bosses and things to build.

Toca Boca World

Best for: Young children who love pretend play and designing homes and characters, in a single-player world with no strangers.

Trove

Best for: Players who want action and loot in a blocky world where some dungeons and items come from the community.

What your child likes about Roblox, and where else to find it

Roblox does several jobs at once, so the best swap depends on which job matters to your child. A quick chat about their most-played experiences usually tells you a lot.

• Building and making. Children who love creating should look at block builders and creator tools, where making things is the main event.
• Playing other people's games. If they hop between player-made games, look for worlds with community islands, modes or servers.
• Hanging out with friends. Social worlds with avatars and homes suit children who mostly log on to chat and dress up.
• Physics and chaos. Some children mainly like crashing things together. Physics sandboxes deliver that in spades.
• Pretend play. Younger children often just want to roleplay. A single-player world with no chat can give them that without strangers.

Safety settings to check in any Roblox style game

Games built around other players bring the same questions Roblox does. Before your child starts, sit down together and look at these:

• Age rating. Read the rating on the game's own store page. On the App Store listings I read, ratings for the mobile games here ran from 4+ to 13+.
• Chat. Find out whether there's text or voice chat, whether it can be turned off, and whether children can talk to strangers.
• Friend requests. Check who can send them and whether you can limit friends to people your child knows.
• Player-made content. Community creations vary in tone, so ask what your child is playing and look at it with them now and then.
• Purchase approvals. Use your device or console's family settings so extras and downloads need a parent's approval first.
• Screen time. Agree session lengths and use the device's own limits to back them up.

One option on this list is a single-player world with no chat and no strangers, according to its store listing, which makes Toca Boca World a calmer place for very young children to start.

Matching a game like Roblox to your child's age

• Under eights often do best with single-player pretend play and simple social worlds that carry young age ratings.
• Eight to twelves tend to enjoy block building and making their own creations, with chat switched off or limited to friends.
• Teens may want bigger sandboxes, community servers and player-made modes, along with open conversations about who they're meeting online.

If your family uses an older or low-powered phone, my list of offline block-building games for low-end phones covers lighter options that don't need a connection.

Setting up a Roblox alternative on a family device

1. Read the store page together, including the age rating and any chat features.
2. Create the account with your own email and turn on the family or parental settings first.
3. Switch off chat or limit it to friends, depending on your child's age.
4. Turn on approval requests at device level so nothing gets added without you knowing.
5. Play the first session together so you see what the game is like.
6. Check in after a week to see what they're building and who they're playing with.

Mistakes families make when moving away from Roblox

• Assuming a game is suitable because it looks cartoony, without checking the rating.
• Forgetting that player-made worlds can bring the same content worries as Roblox.
• Leaving voice chat on by default for a younger child.
• Picking a game that doesn't run on the device your child uses most.
• Banning one game without offering anything that scratches the same itch.

Do you make mobile or PC games? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

Choosing your next game like Roblox together

Ask your child what they love most about Roblox, then pick two options from this list that match it. Check the store pages, set up the safety settings, and let them try both for a week. Keep the one that holds their interest and still lets you feel comfortable about who they're playing with.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a safer game like Roblox for young children?

Single-player pretend-play apps with no chat are usually the calmest choice for young children. Check each game's age rating on its store page and turn on your device's parental controls.

Are games like Roblox free?

Some of the games on this list are listed as free to download or play, and others aren't free to download. The table shows which is which, based on each game's own store page.

Can children make their own games outside Roblox?

Yes. Several sandbox games include creator tools, building modes or community servers where players make their own worlds and minigames.

Do Roblox alternatives have chat?

Many do, including text and voice chat. Look for settings that turn chat off or limit it to friends, and check those settings before a child plays.

What age is right for sandbox games?

It depends on the game and the child. Use the store age rating as your starting point, then decide based on chat features and how your child handles playing with others online.