One of the best things to ever come about in video games is simulated physics and destruction mechanics. Sometimes after a stressful day, it feels good to sit down and destroy a bunch of random objects in a game.
This also happens to be one of my favorite genres to play, though the good ones are hard to find. Even harder to find are the ones that are completely free to play, so it took me a while to find good ones for this list.
I will way that all these games vary wildly in their mechanics. Not every game is a sandbox destruction game, but all of them feature some sort of destructible environments or objects.
These are some of the best free destruction games on Steam.
Art of Destruction Demo
Starting off this list is a demo for a full game called Art of Destruction. I have to stress this is only a demo, and when you go to the Steam page you need to scroll down and click download demo. If I don’t say that then tons of people will tell me how the game isn’t free.
Anyway, the entire point of the game is to use a bunch of random destructive tools to destroy buildings and environments. There isn’t any goal or objective, but rather a pure sandbox to destroy as much as you want.
The maps are mostly white areas with a few trees and buildings places everywhere, and things don’t respawn after being destroyed. My personal favorite tool to use is the meteor, but you can use things like fire, tornadoes, black holes, and wind to wipe out everything on the map.
The full game has many more tools to use, but for a free demo it really doesn’t have a bad selection. The demo has a few maps with really cool buildings to destroy, and some of those have a lot of small physics pieces that can cause your PC to lag.
Despite the lag, it’s very enjoyable for a mindless sandbox game, and I recommend checking it out.
Steam Link: Art of Destruction
Chaos
Chaos is a first-person shooter featuring destruction mechanics and several really cool weapons. The game supposedly is multiplayer, but I never could get it to work with a bunch of friends. There is an AI survival mode though, so that’s what I played for this list.
The map has a simplistic testing lab design, with buildings made of destructible panels. You can use your main weapon by left clicking, and your right click throws some sort of timed mines on the ground.
The explosive weapons are a ton of fun to use against enemies, as pieces of the buildings break and cause chaos everywhere. As the map gets destroyed and enemies bombard you, the game truly live up to it’s name.
There’s not a lot to do, but few things you can do are a lot of fun. If you don’t have any other games to play, you can always mess around in this game.
Steam Link: Chaos
Sector’s Edge
Sector’s Edge isn’t exactly a pure destruction game, but rather a first person shooter with building and destruction mechanics. The game came out a couple years ago and the multiplayer has pretty much died out, but you’re still able to play games with bots.
You start each match by dropping out of the sky in a pod, and then you run into battle. You can quick build premade structures for cover, or use weapons and explosives to destroy the enemy’s cover. It’s very satisfying to strategically destroy areas to force your opponents out into the open.
It’s also enjoyable to simply mess around and blow stuff up. There was one multiplayer game I played where everyone made peace and worked together to destroy a large part of the map.
There are quite a few weapons to use and a ton of awesome maps to play on. It’s really a shame that Sector’s Edge doesn’t have more players, because the game has a lot of potential.
Another thing that I really love about this game is that the maps seem like a lot of time was put into them. Every map has a really fun feel to it, and the destructible blocks add another layer of fun.
If you don’t mind playing with bots, then Sector’s Edge is a great game to play.
Steam Link: Sector's Edge
Expendabros
The Expendabros is a free spin off of a larger game called Broforce.
For regulars of the site, I know you’ve seen me cover this game a million times, but I enjoy it so I’m gonna keep recommending it.
The larger game, Broforce, is a parody of over the top action movies, complete with ultra buff characters and explosions all over the screen. The Expendabros is a parody of The Expendables Movies, with each character being a character from the movies.
While there is a very thin story, the gameplay is why everyone buys this game. The maps are filled to the brim with enemies and explosives, and the main goal is to make it to the end and escape on a helicopter. As you progress, you’ll find cages with new heroes, and rescuing one will change you into another character.
Each character has their own set of special abilities and weapons, with some of them being a lot more powerful than others. You can play every level at your own pace, whether that be taking out enemies with stealth or just blowing everything up.
There is the option to play local co-op, though I find that the game is much harder with multiple people.
The Expendabros is a game that you shouldn’t take too seriously. If you enjoy blowing everything up in a fun pixel environment, then you’re going to love this game.
Steam Link: The Expendabros
Kill It with Fire: HEATWAVE
Kill it With Fire is a game about exterminating spiders in the most over the top way possible. You can use weapons, random objects, and even a homemade flame thrower to destroy every spider you find.
Heatwave is only the first chapter in the larger paid game, but it’s still a significant amount of the game to get for free.
The way the game works is you start off in a room with several locked doors, with each door having a number on it. The number is the number of spiders destroyed, and once you hit the target you can unlock the door.
Behind each door is new tools, spiders, and locations to explore. All of the maps have really cool secrets to find and challenged to complete. If you find that the spiders are hard to locate, you can simply burn everything in the room with a bottle of hair spray and a lighter.
Everything about it is over the top, and that’s exactly why I love it. It’s not often that you get a uniquely creative game like this, but the fact that it’s free makes it even better.
If you want to destroy things or just hate spiders, then you’re going to love this game.
Steam Link: Kill It With Fire: HEATWAVE
Outro
None of these games are really groundbreaking in any way, but they’ll always be there when you’re bored. When you have some free time and want to break some stuff, these destruction games will definitely help with that.
