Sandbox Game

Sandbox Game is a falling-sand toy: you pour elements onto a pixel grid and watch simple physics take over. Sand piles into dunes, water spreads into pools, oil floats on top, fire eats through wood and lava hardens into stone when it hits water. Play this sandbox game free online in your browser, with no download or sign-up, on a computer or a phone. There is no score to chase and no way to lose; you build, break and experiment, with six optional challenges if you want a goal.

How to play

Choose an element from the buttons under the box, then drag on the box to pour it. The brush slider sets how wide the stream is. The eraser removes anything it touches, and on a computer a right-click drag erases too.

• Sand falls and piles up in slopes. It also sinks through water and oil, and it is never destroyed, so the amount of sand you pour stays the same.
• Water falls and spreads sideways until it finds its level. Oil flows the same way but more slowly and is lighter, so it ends up floating on top of water.
• Stone, wood, ice and plant stay where you draw them, so use them for walls, ledges and tanks.
• Fire flickers upward and dies out on its own. It sets wood, oil and plants alight, and burning cells turn into smoke. Water touching fire puts it out with a puff of steam.
• Lava is a slow, heavy liquid. It ignites anything that burns, melts ice into water, and when it touches water both cool into stone and steam.
• Ice melts into water only when fire or lava is next to it. Plants creep into any water they touch, turning it into more plant.
• Smoke drifts upward and fades away.
• The Egg button places one small dino egg that falls like sand. Keep it next to fire or lava for a moment and it hatches into a tiny dinosaur that wanders around.

Pause freezes everything so you can draw carefully, and Step advances one frame at a time. Clear empties the box. Save stores your current scene in your browser and Load brings it back, even after you close the page. PNG downloads a picture of the scene.

The six challenges

The checklist under the controls ticks off as you go, and your progress is saved in your browser:

• Make a waterfall: build a reservoir on a ledge and let a big stream of water pour off the edge for about a second.
• Put out the fire: get a large fire going, then douse it with water until no flames are left. A fire that simply burns itself out does not count.
• Float oil on water: pour a layer of oil onto a pool of water.
• Make stone from lava: pour lava into water until a good amount of stone has formed.
• Grow a garden in water: plant something in a pool and let it spread.
• Hatch a dino egg: keep an egg warm next to fire or lava.

Finish all six and the game congratulates you. You can then reset the checklist and do them again.

Tips

• Build containers first. Draw stone walls before you pour liquids, or the water simply spreads across the whole floor.
• Use a wide brush for liquids. A brush of 5 or more fills a pool quickly; a small brush is better for walls and single details.
• Waterfalls need volume. A thin trickle is not enough. Fill a deep tank on a ledge and leave a gap at the end so it all pours out at once.
• Oil and fire is a fast burn. A puddle of oil goes up almost instantly, while a wooden block smolders for a long time.
• Lava is slow, so drop it from height. Pour it straight onto the water to make stone fast, and keep it away from your wooden builds.
• Lay the egg on a stone shelf next to lava so it stays put while it warms.
• Pause, draw a full scene, then unpause to watch everything happen at once.

FAQ

Is Sandbox Game free?

Yes. It is completely free, with no account and nothing to install.

Can I play it on my phone?

Yes. Drag with your finger to pour elements; the box does not scroll the page while you draw. Tap the element buttons to switch.

Does it save my creations?

Press Save to store one scene in your browser and Load to bring it back later. Your challenge progress is saved automatically. Clearing your browser data removes both. Use PNG to keep a picture of a scene.

Can I win or lose?

No. It is an open sandbox. The six challenges are optional goals, and nothing ends the game.

Why does my fire go out on its own?

Flames only last a short time unless they have fuel. Draw fire next to wood, oil or plants to keep it burning.

What does the dino egg do?

It is a small surprise: an egg that hatches into a tiny dinosaur when it stays warm next to fire or lava for long enough. Cold eggs never hatch.

If you like making pictures pixel by pixel, try Pixel Art, or sketch freely in the Draw and Guess.