Release 5.0
The biggest update Sandbox Simulator has ever had. Take the controls yourself, play online with friends, and watch every match in full 3D stadiums and arenas. American football joins the lineup, car ball is rebuilt from the ground up, and the Office, MyPlayer, Home and match summaries are all redesigned.
140 notes · 21 sections83NEW38CHANGE19FIX
Sandbox Simulator 5.0: hundreds of changes across every game type
New in Sandbox Pro
- Play your own matches in 3D, solo and online
- American football, football and basketball worlds
- The rebuilt car ball
- Play in 3D from the Simulator
- 10 cloud saves, no ads and Pro cosmetics
Play it yourself#
You no longer only watch your MyPlayer matches. Choose Play before a match and take direct control of your player in the shooter modes, battle royale, hero modes, car ball and all three sports.
- NEWPlay your own matches in first person or over the shoulder, with an animated weapon, aiming down sights, recoil, reloads, tracers, muzzle flash and impacts. When you are eliminated, the camera shows who got you.
- NEWA full action HUD: health and shields, an ammo plate with a reload ring, hit and headshot markers with damage numbers, arrows showing where damage came from, kill medals, a minimap, a kill feed and round announcements. Hold Tab (or tap the scoreboard button on touch) for the full scoreboard.
- NEWCrouch, slide, jump and mantle over cover. Your shots land where you aimed, headshots hit harder and damage drops off at long range.
- NEWPlay the objective yourself. Plant the bomb on whichever site you are standing on, take the defuse, climb stairs and ramps to a hill, and step onto teleporters.
- NEWSave up to five arcade classes, each with a primary, a secondary, a tactical and a lethal. Your class applies when you respawn, and you can switch it from the pause menu.
- NEWGrenades fly in a real arc and bounce. Hold to aim with a preview, release to throw, and cook a frag if you dare. Flashes blind you depending on where you are looking, and smoke hides exactly what it looks like it hides.
- NEWBots behave like players. They need to see you before they shoot, take a moment to react and can miss. Pick Easy, Medium or Hard in the pause menu.
- NEWIn football, basketball and American football the camera sits behind you looking down the field, and your next pass target is marked. Charge shots and passes, time your release, tackle, steal, block, catch and call for the ball.
- NEWFootball goalkeepers dive with Space, a skill button helps you beat the defender in front of you, and you take free kicks, corners and throw-ins yourself. Your shot goes where you are facing, and the power meter decides between placed, driven and overhit.
- NEWIn car ball, drive, boost, jump, dodge and fly, with a car camera, ball cam and a boost gauge.
- NEWDesktop and touch controls. Touch gets a floating stick, a fire button that aims while held and light aim assist, and fits screens as narrow as 320 pixels. The pause menu has camera, sensitivity, field of view and invert settings.
- CHANGEThe match intro now plays when you control a player too, and the play HUD wears the same broadcast look as watching.
Play online#
Host a lobby, send your friends the code and play the same match together in 3D.
ProTaking a player in an online match needs Sandbox Pro. Anyone signed in can host, join and spectate.Get Pro
- NEWHost a lobby or join one with a code, an invite link or the public lobby list. Pick the world, mode, map, clubs and size, from a 1v1 up to a full lineup, then take a player, play as yourself or spectate.
- NEWQuick matches give both sides identical players, slot for slot, so the result comes down to the people playing. Club matches are still available, and an "AI fills empty spots" switch lets bots take any open seats.
- NEWTeam Deathmatch is a new arcade mode with no objective. Every kill scores and the first team to the kill limit wins. New lobbies open on a quick 1v1 Team Deathmatch.
- NEWThe Arena is a compact map built for one to three players a side, and the default for new lobbies.
- CHANGEA versus screen shows both sides facing each other, with each player's ready state, connection quality and who is hosting.
- CHANGEPlayers behind strict home or office networks can connect, and matches use much less bandwidth.
Weapons, characters and buy rounds#
Guns and abilities are now part of every shooter world, whether you watch, sim or play.
- NEWEvery world has an arsenal. Arcade and battle royale carry eight named guns, tactical adds five guns and five characters, and hero gives every role its own weapons and a third hero. Every gun has its own original design, stats and handling.
- NEWCharacters with abilities: smoke, walls, flashes, fire, heals, shields, reveals and dashes. The AI uses its kit, and the quick sim weighs each side's abilities, so characters matter even when you don't watch.
- NEWSearch and Destroy has a real economy. Every player has credits, survivors keep their guns, halves reset to pistol rounds, and you can buy light and heavy shields. Watchers see each player's gun, credits and the team's buy call every round.
- NEW ProWhen you play, you buy for yourself from a shop laid out as shelves, with an auto-buy switch. Character select shows each character's abilities and stays open until you press Lock In.
- NEWWorld creators get Weapons and Characters tabs in the world editor to build arsenals, role loadouts, the buy economy and their own character roster.
- CHANGEStat rows and scoreboards show each player's character and gun.
American football#
A brand new sport, playable in Manager and MyPlayer.
- NEWThe Gridiron League: sixteen original franchises with 35-player rosters, a seventeen-game season and a win-or-go-home postseason.
- NEWSeparate offence and defence units across nine positions, with depth charts, snap shares and special teams.
- NEWGames play out down by down. Huddles, snaps, blocking, routes, sacks, turnovers, kickoffs, punts, field goals, two-point tries, penalty flags, challenges, timeouts, the two-minute drill and overtime are all here.
- NEWIts own stadiums in four styles, with end zones in club colours, a chain crew, team areas on each sideline and a down-and-distance banner during live games.
- NEWNew stats for sacks, field goals and blocks won, so linemen and kickers build careers too. Uniforms and a helmet are available for your avatar.
Football and basketball#
Both sports are deeper on and off the pitch, and play at real speed with real physics.
- NEWFootball has 23 real positions such as centre back, wing back, defensive midfielder and winger, with fifteen formations. Players perform according to how well they fit their position, and existing saves are converted automatically.
- NEWLineup screens for every sport: a Starting XI on a pitch with a bench and planned substitutions, a basketball rotation with minutes, and American football depth charts. Players out of position are marked.
- NEWEach sports world has its own rulebook: periods, overtime, draws, home advantage, substitutions, timeouts, fouls, suspensions and the draft. World creators can edit it.
- NEWA yearly draft with a lottery, a trade deadline, a basketball All-Star break and a football domestic cup with two-legged ties and a final.
- NEWPlayers tire during matches and can be injured, and the injury carries into your career. Box scores track each sport's own stats across matches, seasons and careers, and more awards can be won.
- NEWA Bench and Tactics sheet during live matches: condition bars, tap-to-swap substitutions, timeouts, challenges, team calls and an Auto, Suggest or Manual assistant.
- NEWA computer coach runs the other bench. It makes substitutions, calls timeouts to stop runs, counters your tactics and chases or protects a lead late on.
- CHANGETactics are a real matchup. Your plan is weighed against the opponent's and against how well your squad suits it, and the rebuilt Tactics tab explains the verdict.
- CHANGEFootball players settle the ball, dribble into space, use skill moves, win headers and shoot from distance. Keepers dive, catch and read penalties. Goals count the moment the ball crosses the line.
- CHANGEBasketball players spread the floor, help on drives and shoot on real arcs where the rim decides makes. Fouls, free throws, foul-outs, momentum and a hot hand are all in. Better teams win more convincingly, and upsets still happen.
- NEWMyPlayer actions in sports: ask to come on or off, demand the ball, call a timeout or an audible. The coach answers based on how much they trust you.
Live matches in 3D#
Every live match is now a broadcast. Stadiums, crowds, officials, intros and replays bring each game type to life.
- NEWFootball stadiums in four styles, a full pro basketball arena and American football grounds, with stands, animated crowds, floodlights, LED boards and live scoreboards.
- NEWCinematic intros: the tunnel walkout and line-up in football, starters called to centre court in basketball, the coin toss in American football, revving engines in car ball and a flyover of each squad in shooter modes. Skip any time, or turn them off in settings.
- NEWFootball goals get a slow-motion replay, and nets bag around the ball where the shot actually went in.
- NEWOfficials on the field: a referee and assistants in football with yellow and red cards, three officials in basketball and a five-person crew in American football.
- NEWEvery map sits in a landscape at a time of day: towns and big skylines, countryside, desert, snow, coast, forest, industrial, wasteland or open ocean, with landmarks like lighthouses, windmills and cranes.
- NEWHills glow with a beacon, bomb sites have a case to plant on and a blinking charge, the Overload core rides on the carrier's back and capture flags wave on a pole.
- NEWCombat looks the part: muzzle flashes, tracers, impact sparks, billowing smoke and scorching fire. Players flinch from hits, fall away from the shot, lean, crouch, reload and kneel to plant.
- NEWA broadcast camera for shooter matches cuts between the objective, fights, players on a streak and wide shots.
- NEWA broadcast scorebug with team plates, series pips and a live strip for the bomb fuse, hill timer or capture meter, plus a kill feed and a map result screen with the MVP.
- CHANGEPlayers move more like people: natural posture, varied running styles, weight shifts when standing, heads turning to the ball and pointing for passes.
- CHANGESearch and Destroy and Overload use the same full-screen match screen as Hardpoint, and update four times a second, so players move smoothly.
- NEWGraphics quality settings for live 3D, with an Auto setting that adjusts to your device.
Car ball, rebuilt#
Car ball is now played in full 3D, in closed arenas where cars ride the walls and ceiling.
- NEWCars drive, jump, double jump, flip, fly and ride the walls and ceiling. The ball bounces and spins, and the AI uses the same controls to go for ground, wall and aerial touches.
- NEWFour arenas with their own identity: Meridian Dome indoors, Sunset Coliseum at dusk in the desert, Harbour Bowl by the water and Neon Yard at night in the city.
- NEWDetailed cars in four body styles with liveries and working suspension, boost flames, drift smoke, demolitions and a supersonic trail.
- NEWGoal replays with a "Scored by" card, an exploding ball that knocks nearby cars flying, and a live scoreboard for goals, assists, saves and shots.
- NEWBoost is a resource. Tanks drain and refill from small and big pads, and cars low on boost lose speed and challenges.
- NEWA rulebook for each car ball mode: game length, golden-goal overtime, demolitions, boost pads, kickoff countdown and a mercy rule.
- NEWBox scores track demos, clears, boost, aerial goals and kickoffs, with MVPs, highlight plays and season awards including Demo King.
- NEWMatch controls for rotation, boost plan, kickoff plan and an all-in call, and substitutions between games.
- CHANGEDemolitions matter: a demolished car sits out its respawn in sims and live matches. Fairer 50/50s, better defending and cleaner landings.
- CHANGEMetal knocks, landing clunks and a crowd that swells near goal and roars when one goes in.
Maps#
New arcade maps, redesigned tactical maps and battle royale islands more than a kilometre across.
- NEWSeven new arcade maps: Afterglow, Railhead, Sunfall, Tidewater, Whiteridge, Exhibit (a two-floor museum) and Boardroom (an office floor).
- NEWTactical maps redesigned: Saffron is a hilltop spice city, Verdigris a jungle observatory with three bomb sites, Altitude a ski resort, Crucible a steelworks split by a molten channel, and Meridian a railway terminus.
- NEWSearch and Destroy plays on maps with multiple floors. Players climb stairs and fight for the high ground.
- NEWThe battle royale islands Ashfall, Meridian Basin and Saltwind Reach each have 30 named places: towns, docks, airfields, farms, army camps and power plants, all linked by roads.
- CHANGEOfficial worlds play on their real maps in live matches instead of generated arenas, and every map has a 3D preview card, including on the map veto.
Match summaries and player ratings#
Every result now reads like a TV broadcast, and ratings are fairer and easier to explain.
- NEWA broadcast match summary: a scoreboard banner in both clubs' colours, maps landing one by one, a spotlight on the MVP, head-to-head team bars and colour-coded box scores.
- NEWA chart for every mode: the race to 250 in Hardpoint, the climb to 8 in Overload, round-by-round cards in Search and Destroy and goal timelines and quarter bars in sports.
- CHANGEShooter and hero players are rated against the rest of the lobby on K/D, kills, damage, objective play and assists, and hero players are compared with others in the same role. Simmed and watched matches rate players the same way.
- CHANGEOne MVP rule everywhere: the MVP of a series, single game or tournament is the best-rated player on the winning side.
- CHANGEPlaystyles and roles count the same whether a match is simmed or watched, and simmed, watched and played matches always field the same players.
The Simulator#
Set up any match between any two clubs in any world, then play it, watch it or get the result instantly.
- NEWThe Simulator supports every game type. Choose a world, two clubs, the mode, series length and maps, and see the win odds on the face-off bar.
- NEW ProPlay in 3D: take the controls of any match you set up.
- NEWWatch live or get an Instant result. A full-time banner shows each game, the MVP and the scoreboard.
- NEWPut any player on any club with the lineup editor, and install a community world without leaving the page.
Manager career#
The Office, Scrims, Sponsors and Operations are all redesigned, and you can now sim a series one map at a time.
- CHANGEThe Office is one colour-coded board: your next opponent, the week's fixtures, headline tiles for record and budget, a roster spotlight, the standings and a season road. New desk panels cover board trust, squad status, inbox highlights and finances.
- NEWPlay or sim a single series from the Office. Your own series goes through the map veto first.
- NEWSim a series map by map. Each map is dealt face down and flips to show its result, and leaving early never changes what happened.
- NEWThe Scrims tab is a scrim room with a scouting board, a session sheet and results that stamp in live, followed by a debrief.
- NEWThe Sponsors tab is a commercial office. Hover a partner to try their logo on your club's kit, and watch the deal get signed. Rep replies reflect your real odds.
- NEWOperations has five rooms: a trade table with an odds dial and the other GM's mood, a deadline-day transfer board, a contract desk, a Chem Lab showing which players pair well, and a recruiting desk.
- NEWA transfer window. Trades and AI roster moves happen in the off-season, during breaks and around each Major. It shows on the calendar and can be turned off in settings.
- NEWWinning the title replays the final map by map, the two crests collide on the deciding map, and your 3D trophy rises into the light.
- NEWA first-season guide docked on screen walks new managers through the weekly loop in their own save.
- CHANGERookie classes are built against the league they join, so every class has a headline prospect worth fighting for. AI clubs short of players only fill empty spots instead of panicking.
- CHANGEThe dashboard uses season terms like "Week 7, Split 1" instead of made-up calendar dates, and the exit screen tells you your next match.
- CHANGEWorld and club pickers are browsers. Worlds are grouped next to a large preview, and clubs are grouped as Contender, Mid-table and Underdog with a difficulty label, a club profile and a "Good first pick" suggestion.
- CHANGEManager setup is a single screen: your name, where to save, and league settings tucked under Customize.
- CHANGECreating a MyPlayer takes three short steps: World, Role and Name. You can explore Pro game types for free.
- NEWYour agent introduces themselves by texting your in-game phone. Each of the five agents has their own voice, with versions for esports and sports worlds.
- NEWAsk Agent is a phone call: it rings, a call timer and trust meter run, and your requests appear as lines you can say, each with its cost.
- CHANGEThe phone looks like a real phone, with a status bar, contact pictures and unread dots. The phone button buzzes when a message arrives.
- CHANGEThe MyPlayer dashboard is redesigned: your club against the next opponent with Watch live and Sim, a fixtures ticker, a player panel with a rating ring, and a "next step" bar.
- NEWA first-season guide for new players: earn a roster spot, play, train and grow.
- NEWA transfer window in MyPlayer. Call-ups and offers wait for the window while you are signed. Free agents are never held up.
- CHANGEA clearer match day prompt to play live or sim, and a redesigned match prep screen.
- NEWEvery trophy and award is rebuilt as real-looking silverware, both as an icon and as a studio-lit 3D model.
- NEWEight shelves, one for each game type and sport, with 15 trophies and 11 awards each: 208 unique pieces. Weekly podium trophies you already won switch to the closest new design.
- NEWNew face shapes, hair styles and beards, with hair that sits properly on the head.
- NEWThe avatar editor has undo and redo, framing controls and a 2D or 3D preview. Try marketplace items on your own character from a quick view.
- NEWYour animated 3D character can appear on the live match stage.
- NEW ProGoalkeeper kits, referee kits and American football gear to wear, alongside the other Pro cosmetics.
- CHANGEAvatar saves are faster and only show as saved once they really are.
- NEWCreate your own positions and formations in the world builder, with job weights and a live pitch preview.
- NEWA Surroundings section in the map editor with a live 3D preview for picking a map's landscape and time of day.
- NEWCommunity map listings show a 3D render of the map, and a map's page can switch between its 3D card and its 2D plan. Maps you publish get a 3D card automatically, unless you choose your own cover.
- FIXRestored season calendars, tournaments and awards that had gone missing from several bundled worlds.
- FIXThin walls no longer let players see, shoot or walk through them.
- CHANGEMatch sound is overhauled with 80 recorded samples for gunfire, footsteps, reloads, abilities and sports contact, each with variations so repeats don't sound identical.
- CHANGEStadium crowds murmur, swell and cheer once per goal. Reload sounds line up with the animation.
- CHANGE3D matches run noticeably smoother and lighter on your graphics card. Distant players use simpler models, players off screen cost far less, and most stutters at goals, first kills and map changes are gone.
- CHANGELong matches and skipped-through matches no longer slow down or stall at full time, and battle royale lobbies run much better with lots of players.
- CHANGEThe Auto graphics setting starts lower on built-in and mobile graphics chips, adapts in low power mode, and no longer mistakes a 30 Hz screen for a slow device.
- CHANGEOn the desktop app, the system title bar is replaced by a slim dark strip with the window buttons on top.
- FIXThe league no longer overwrites your playoff and final series lengths at the start of a new season.
- FIXWhen a rival bids for a player you are negotiating with, you get the chance to counter.
- FIXA match set to a fixed number of maps plays that many whether you watch it or sim it.
- FIXAn injury after a trade no longer makes a fixture unplayable; the bench fills the gap.
- FIXGenerated football rookies are spread across all positions instead of being mostly goalkeepers.
- FIXBasketball and American football turnovers no longer count as cards, and a second yellow card correctly becomes a red.
- FIXSmall football sides, such as an online 1v1, play outfield instead of keeper against keeper.
- FIXCar ball steering matches the screen, and car ball and battle royale matches no longer replay after the final whistle.
- FIX"Sim the rest and exit" no longer hangs at 96%, and Control no longer crashes at the end of round one.
- FIXEach career visits host cities in its own order without repeats.
- FIXIf a world fails to load, a new career refuses to start instead of quietly using a different league.
- FIXImporting a player tells you if the save failed instead of reporting success.
- FIXEvery agent introduces themselves by their own name.
- FIXWalls no longer show what is behind them, and floor markings no longer flicker.
- FIXOn phones, the saves header on Home no longer pushes Manage saves off screen.
- FIXTrade fairness colours show correctly in French, and the rebuilt Scrims, Operations and Sponsors tabs are translated.
Social feed#