Since that time, and the sandbox gameplay has set the videogames world on fire with the release of some of the biggest franchises in the industry. Without further ado, We here at VGarabia.com present to you top 10 most anticipated sandbox games in 2010 to 2012:
 

- Mafia II:
 
 

 
 

Mafia II is an upcoming sandbox-style third-person shooter video game which is the sequel to Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. It is being developed by 2K Czech, previously known as Illusion Softworks, and will be published by 2K Games.
 

Thee game will be set from 1945 and 1955 in Empire Bay (originally called Empire City earlier in the game’s development), a fictional city based on San Francisco and New York City, with influences from Chicago and Detroit. The name is a reference to New York’s state nickname “The Empire State”. The game will feature a completely open-ended game map of 10 square miles. No restrictions are included from the start of the game.
 

The game is looking pretty amazing with some of the best graphics you will ever see in an open world game. The game is scheduled for a 2010 release date on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
 

- GTA 5:
 
 

While Xbox360 owners are still enjoying the recently released exclusive Episodes from Liberty City, gamers around the world are looking forward at what will the next iteration of the hugely popular franchise will introduce to the open world formula.
 

It’s a no brainer that Rockstar North are currently working on the fifth installment. The Ad featured in the pic above from The Ballad of Guy Tony ” Liberty City it’s over, next stop..” is pointing that the next GTA game will be set in a different location, could be Europe? Who knows.

- Agent:
 
 

Agent is an upcoming open world game from Rockstar North, the studio that brought to us the highly acclaimed Grand Theft Auto IV. While details about this exclusive PS3 are slim, publisher Take-Two’s CEO Ben Feder said that the game will offer a very different experience from the GTA series “It’s a completely different storyline, there is completely different character development. It’s a game about espionage, set in the 1970s. GTA is obviously more about an urban experience, a typically rags to riches experience. Very, very different storylines, very different character development. It’s going to be very fresh for gamers.”
 

Maybe we will see more info about the game in the next few months, or at next year’s E3.
 

- L.A Noire:
 
 

L.A Noire is an open world game developed by Team Bondi and to be published by Rockstar Games. The game has been officially announced only for the PS3 console, but a spokesperson for Take Two implied that both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 releases are likely and that “LA Noire is being developed for next-generation systems.”.
 

The game is rumored to be using global illumination technology, the same tech used in Killzone 2. But the truth is: there are a lot of controversial about this game, and the silence regarding the development of the game are making us a bit suspicious about if the game will ever come out. I Hope that Team Bondi to release some new info to remove all of the suspiciousness looming around the game.
 

- Red Dead Redemption:
 
 

Red Dead Redemption is the follow up video game to the under appreciated game from last generation, Red Dead Revolver. The game is being developed by Rockstar San Diego.
 

The game is set in 1908; it focuses around a former outlaw, John Marston, who is sent across the troubled American Frontiers to help in bringing the rule of law. The game will use open world gameplay similar to the Grand Theft Auto series with sandbox environments and a free-roaming ability. The environments will include frontier towns, prairies, and mountain passes.
 

The game wild west setting will make this game a unique open world experience. It will feature over 40 different types of animals that can be hunted and realistic weather changes including seasons and the ability to ride trains.The game is Powered by the same engine as Grand Theft Auto IV, the open-world cowboy lifestyle game is due out on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 during the first half of 2010.
 

- Infamous 2:
 
 

Infamous is one of the best super hero games ever made, right there with Batman: Arkham Asylum and Prototype. Anybody who has beaten Infamous know that a sequel is likely, at least from a story standpoint. Also, David Sullivan who has starred as “Abe” in the 2004 independent film Primer has tweeted last month that he is doing a recast for Cole McGrath, the hero (or anti hero) of the original game.
 

Expect to see the sequel in late 2011, or early 2012.
 

- Prototype 2:
 
 

Alexa Mercer is a badass character, and his abilities in creating mass destruction is spot on. The shapeshifting powers and over the top action made this game an enjoyable ride to take. The game ending was great, as it answers all your questions, but at the same time gives the developers a starting point to make a sequel. Also, the game has sold more than 1.5 million on both Xbox360 and PS3, which make the sequel a good investment for Radical Entertainment.
 

- Yakuza 3:
 
 

Yakuza 3 is one of the best selling games for PS3 in Japan. The game is so popular in Japan to a degree that a fourth entry is currently under development at Sega. Japan is getting Yakuza 4 in Spring 2010, and we still don’t have the third one? Don’t worry as there are a lot of sources saying that Yakuza 3 is being localized for the western market, but might be developed by another company.
 

Yakuza 3 takes a departure from the first two games with its choice of setting; instead of focusing on the gritty cityscape of Tokyo, it switches gears and sends Kiryu to the Ryukyu Islands, where he runs the Asagao orphanage with his adoptive daughter Haruka who accompanied him in both Yakuza, Yakuza 2.
 

While the game is being localized as we speak, it doesn’t have a solid release date. But it highly targeted for a 2010 release.

- APB:
 
 

APB (All Points Bulletin) is an upcoming massively multiplayer online video game for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360. The game design is led by David Jones, creator of the original Grand Theft Auto and Crackdown, and is being developed by Realtime Worlds.
 

The game takes place in a modern day, fictional city where there is a constant battle between “Enforcement” and “Criminals”, and the player will need to decide to which Faction they want to belong. Side quests involving missions within the game allowing the player to earn extra money, which then can be used to upgrade weapons, vehicles, and their character appearances. The game release date is yet to be confirmed, but it has a rumored release date on May 2010 for PC and the Xbox360 version will probably follow in 2010.
 

- Crackdown 2:
 
 

Crackdown 2 is a direct sequel for the Xbox360 exclusive open world game, Crackdown. The player character is a super human officer for the city funded “Agency”, known simply as the “Agent”. The game will feature the same enjoyable gameplay presented in the original, but with some tweaks to the whole formula.
 

This time, a new studio (Ruffian Games) will take the helm in developing the sequel. The game is expected for release in 2010 exclusively on Xbox360.
 

We think that this is the best list possible, but if there is an open world game you are looking forward to and it’s not listed here, let us know by leaving a comment. One more thing, vote then discuss your choice.
 
 

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
 

Free Mode:
 

Free Mode is a long-running fan favorite mode that is truly the sandbox equivalent of Multiplayer. No rules, no guidelines, just all out mayhem and anarchy. Join in and go nuts rampaging amongst other Grand Theft Auto lunatics. Or get together with friends and and create your own original game in this wide open freeform mode. Now made more insane than ever with the addition of the nimble Buzzard attack helicopter, the devastating N.O.O.S.E. APC and even parachutes to enable you to skydive down from the top of Rotterdam Tower blasting fools from up above.
 

Death Match:
 

In Deathmatch, with up to 16 players online, your objective is to have the most kills within the set time. Players are awarded contract money for each kill, and can also loot casualties for their dropped cash. The player with the most cash when the game ends wins. In Team Deathmatch, players work as a team to rub out other teams for money – and the crew with the most cash at the end of the round wins.
 

The Ballad of Gay Tony takes these classic multiplayer modes and gives them a high-powered bump with the addition of new weapons like the Assault SMG, the Explosive Shotgun, the Advanced Sniper Rifle, Sticky Bombs and more.
 

To see screenshots and more details about these two multiplayer modes click here.
 

Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony is the second of the two episodic expansion packs for the Xbox 360 version of the video game Grand Theft Auto IV, the game will be released on 29 October 2009.
 

The only thing that PS3 owners should be so much sure about is that GOWIII will be a bloody fantastic game and that it will raise the bar for its competitors on every aspect, GOWIII will undoubtedly show a different face than the one we saw on the last E3 trailer and it will be on a much more improved level by the upcoming March.

The other thing that I’m really not sure about is “Why PS3 owners are so much sure that the game will be a sales monster!” and PS3 owners count on GOW3 as the game that can be multi-million (consoles) seller!

Ok, No one can urges the fact that GOWIII will be the final installment of the multi-million unit-selling trilogy, but in the same time a quick check to the previous sales chart for the original GOW and GOWII can tell us so much about the real situation.

GOW II sold over 2.5 million copies even it was an option for more than 120,000,000 PS2 owners at that time, I know some people will say that the game had 17+ ESRB, but that can’t be the real reason, let’s say 50,000,000 of the PS2 owners were 17 or above, so I think it’s still not that great record for such a game,and keeping in mind that the upcoming GOWIII will have even less than 20% of its prequels consoles installed base or let’s say “possible buyers” the game may even struggle to match its prequels records.

GOWIII will be a fantastic game for sure and undoubtedly it will do just fine in the market but let’s be real and far from any fanboisem which causing “Gamers Blindness” illness for some of us, GOWIII will never be a match for top sellers like GTA or HALO series, even though if you asked me I know the game will be more than a match for them technically.