The Wii U is a video game console developed by the giant of the gaming industry, Nintendo. It was released in late 2012, and since then, many players have enjoyed this platform.
The Wii U is compatible with most Wii games and accessories, improving the gaming experience. You can download content and choose from a great range of games with Nintendo Selects.
There are many sandbox games on the Wii U, but only a few can compete with the best of them. In this article, we’ve listed our top picks for the best sandbox games for the Wii U, and we’ll be breaking down each one so you can decide if it’s the next one you want to play for yourself!
- Best Overall: emXenoblade Chronicles X/em
- Best Adventure Game: emThe Legend of Zelda: Breath the Wild/em
- Best Open-World: emMinecraft: Wii U Edition/em
- Best Racing Game: emNeed for Speed: Most Wanted U/em
- Best Action Game: emAssassin's Creed III/em
- Best Single Player: emDarksiders II/em
Best Overall: emXenoblade Chronicles X/em
- Genre: Action
- Game Mode: Single/multiplayer
- Developer: Monolith Soft, Inc.
- Released: December 4th, 2015
emXenoblade Chronicles X/em is an action sandbox game for teens, developed by Monolith Soft, Inc. and published by Nintendo. The game takes place on Mira planet, where a few Earth survivors try to live there after an intergalactic war.
You’ll explore the Mira planet and fight against unusual creatures. As a player, you will attack your enemies, build strategies to defend from them, improve your character skills, and many more. You will play with your avatar, which you can customize its gender, voice, build, and facial features.
Check out emXenoblade Chronicles X/em on Amazon here.
Best Adventure Game: emThe Legend of Zelda: Breath the Wild/em
- Explore the wilds of Hyrule any way you like Climb up towers and mountain peaks in search of new destinations, then set your own path to get there and plunge into the wilderness. Along the way, you'll...
- More than 100 Shrines of Trials to discover and explore Shrines dot the landscape, waiting to be discovered in any order you want. Search for them in various ways, and solve a variety of puzzles...
- Be prepared and properly equipped With an entire world waiting to be explored, you'll need a variety of outfits and gear to reach every corner. You may need to bundle up with warmer clothes or change...
- Battling enemies requires strategy The world is inhabited with enemies of all shapes and sizes. Each one has its own attack method and weaponry, so you must think quickly and develop the right...
- amiibo compatibility Tap the Wolf Link amiibo (sold separately) to make Wolf Link appear in game. Wolf Link will attack enemies on his own and help you find items you're searching for. We will also...
- Genre: Action
- Game Mode: Single player
- Developer: Nintendo EPD
- Released: March 3rd, 2017
emThe Legend of Zelda: Breath the Wild/em is an action and adventure sandbox game. It was developed by Nintendo EPD and published by Nintendo. Everyone aged ten or older can play this game.
This classic game involves exploring, discovering, and enjoying adventures. Along the exploring journey, you will battle with enemies, hunt beasts, and collect food to survive and have the energy to continue exploring.
You will never know what you get along this path. But one thing is sure: you will love discovering a world you have never seen before.
You can find emThe Legend of Zelda: Breath the Wild/em on Amazon here.

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Best Open-World: emMinecraft: Wii U Edition/em
- Explore randomly-generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles.
- Play in Creative Mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs.
- Craft, create, and explore alone, or with up to four players in split-screen and up to eight online. To experience split-screen functionality a high-definition television is required.
- Includes Super Mario Mash-up Pack! Mario meets Minecraft!
- “E10+” Fantasy Violence
- Genre: Action
- Game Mode: Single/multiplayer
- Developer: 4J Studios
- Released: December 17th, 2015
emMinecraft: Wii U Edition/em is an action and adventure sandbox game developed by 4J Studios. Everyone aged ten or more can play this game.
In this game, you will explore, collect resources, and create great things from basic to more complicated such as castles and cities. You can play in creative mode and get most of the resources, or if you like to try something even more challenging, you can play in survival mode.
emMinecraft: Wii U Edition/em has action, adventure, strategy, and simulation combined. You can build your own city, design houses just as you like, and let your creative juices flow.
Check out emMinecraft: Wii U Edition/em on Amazon here.

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Best Racing Game: emNeed for Speed: Most Wanted U/em
is a racing sandbox game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts.
In this game, you will play as you have never played before. You will drive your car without borders and limitations, experiencing fast speeds, crashes, and drifts. This game has impressive graphics, fantastic open-world design, and a variety of cars and races.
You can play this racing game with your friends and compete with them. The Wii U introduced for the first time the Co-Driver mode that allows one player to drive with the Wii Remote while the other use Wii U GamePad to assist.
Grab a copy of emNeed for Speed: Most Wanted U/em on Amazon right here.

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Best Action Game: emAssassin's Creed III/em
- Take on the role of a Native American assassin
- Set during the events of the American Revolution
- Features the Ubisoft-Anvil Next game engine with enhanced graphics, animations, and combat
- Use the Wii U GamePad to help you locate enemies
- Genre: Action
- Game Mode: Single/multiplayer
- Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
- Released: November 18th, 2012
emAssassin's Creed III/em is an action-adventure sandbox game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. This game is recommended for mature ages only.
The events take place in 1775, the time of the American Revolution. You will play as Connor, the assassin who will fight enemies with bows, guns, and more, to protect his land and people’s freedom.
You will absolutely love the powerful graphics, animations, and combat thanks to the Ubisoft-AnvilNext game engine technology.
Check out emAssassin's Creed III/em on Amazon here.
Best Single Player: emDarksiders II/em
- Take on the role of Death, the most frightening of the Four Horsemen, as he attempts to undo Armageddon
- Create your own Death character with thousands of customization options
- Get immediate access to inventory and skills using the WiiU DRC screen
- Includes hours of bonus content
- Genre: RPG, Action
- Game Mode: Single-player
- Developer: Vigil Games
- Released: November 18th, 2012
emDarksiders II/em is an action-adventure sandbox game developed by Vigil Games and published by THQ. This game is recommended for a mature audience only.
In this game, you will take control of Death and make him the strongest and most feared of the Four Horsemen. You can create your own Death by customizing weapons, armor, and more. The game frequently shows interesting puzzle elements to solve and reach the main goals. Overall, this game has a good story, graphics, and moves.
Check out emDarksiders II/em on Amazon right here.
Final Thoughts
It’s time to break out your Wii U and rally your friends to play these games. If you’re interested in seeing more lists like this, please let us know in the comments below!
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Tinxi/Shutterstock.com.
Last update on 2023-11-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API