I’ve always loved creating characters in games! When I was little, I spent hours in the old LEGO Star Wars games just making characters and playing as them. Nowadays, I’ll write a little story and then hop into Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, but instead of playing, I just create characters and factions. I have over 80 hours in the game, but barely any of it is spent actually playing. It’s the same with a lot of games like BG3 (my favorite game ever). I love the character creation there, but I only make one character and then focus on playing the game, which is not exactly what I’m after. I want to create tons of characters and actually do something with all of them. I’ve done this with The Sims too — I’ll make a whole house, but then get bored and not want to play. I’m ecstatic during the creation part, but when it’s time to actually play the game, the fun fades. I even fill all the maps with my own NPCs and just avoid the actual gameplay. Here are a few games I’ve tried that are close but not exactly what I’m looking for:
Skyrim
Spore
Ghost Recon Wildlands
Soul Caliber
Shadow of War
WWE Games
TLDR: I’m looking for sandbox games where I can create lots of characters and mess around with them, with some cool game mechanics to go with it.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 has one of the best character creators I can think of. Plus, it has a separate demo that lets you transfer your creations to the full game if you buy it.
Black Desert Online also has an insane character creator.
Age of Wonders 4 has a beautiful character editor where you can create your leader and troops with tons of fantasy races. The only downside is that it has a lot of DLCs and can be a bit pricey. Also, the gameplay takes some time to get used to.
If you’re into more active gameplay, Nioh 2 and Wo-Long offer fantastic third-person action character creators.
Ever tried Dynasty Warriors Empire? It’s not exactly a sandbox, but in the Empire version, there’s no main story mode. The world progresses based on your choices, and you can use your own character or a hero. You start as a mercenary and work your way up, joining a kingdom or going independent to create your own.
Fallout 4 is another one you might like. Unlike Skyrim, it has a settlement system where you build houses, assign NPCs to shops, and take care of food and water. Mods can make it even better by removing weight from materials.
You said you didn’t like Skyrim, but what did you like about the customisation? If you liked it but not the fantasy part, try Fallout 4. It has similar customisation options. If you thought Skyrim’s customisation was limited, remember Skyrim is one of the most modded games ever, and the character customisation can be expanded a ton with mods. You might want to give that a try.
@Blakeley
I love Skyrim and its character creation, but I’m looking for something where I can make multiple characters and mess around with them in the same game.
Oaklee said: @Blakeley
I love Skyrim and its character creation, but I’m looking for something where I can make multiple characters and mess around with them in the same game.
Check out Proteus. It lets you create multiple characters and share your progress between them. You can even turn them into NPCs you can recruit as followers when they’re not active in the game.
If you’re into sandbox games, Conan: Exiles is a great pick. It lets you customize things that most character creators don’t let you change, if you know what I mean.
Have you tried Miitopia? It’s so fun to create a bunch of characters and put them in an adventuring party, watching them interact in funny ways. You can even customize NPCs however you want! If realistic graphics aren’t a dealbreaker, this might be exactly what you’re looking for.
@Peyton
This sounds like a lot of fun! It kind of reminds me of Tomodachi Life, which I loved as a kid. I’ll definitely check it out, thanks for the suggestion!
@Peyton
The Mii creator is way more detailed than the standard one. There are tons of colors, hairstyles, and you can even add shapes to your character’s face for personal touches. The level of detail you can get to in this game is honestly impressive.
