S&box’s “Netflix for games” approach hasn’t helped players find enough worthwhile experiences, Garry Newman has acknowledged. Facepunch Studios now plans to prioritize curation and the core sandbox over its development-platform ambitions, with a free-to-play switch expected toward the end of 2026.
In a blog post titled “Rethinking,” the Garry’s Mod creator gave a blunt assessment of how its spiritual successor has performed since its April launch. “The platform is not well liked, it doesn’t have good retention,” he wrote. “I’m embarrassed by our reviews, I am ashamed.” S&box has struggled to attract an audience, and its Steam reviews were roughly 47% positive.
Facepunch developed S&box using Valve’s Source 2 engine as a planned successor to Garry’s Mod, the physics sandbox that has sold more than 25 million copies. Newman said the studio had focused too heavily on development tools rather than what people actually experience when they play. “We’re not selling an engine, we’re selling a game,” he wrote.
That mismatch extends to how players discover user-created games. Newman’s “Netflix for games” vision offered a broad selection of experiences to browse, but he acknowledged that it hasn’t worked as intended. An abundance of low-quality games, including AI-generated projects, has made worthwhile experiences harder to find. The problem isn’t simply the presence of AI content; the catalogue hasn’t reliably guided players toward good games.
Facepunch plans to respond by promoting the best and most popular games rather than prioritizing the largest possible selection. The studio also intends to shift more of its infrastructure toward Steam Workshop instead of continuing to build its own alternatives.
Alongside those discovery changes, the studio will prioritize the sandbox itself. Plans include adding more NPCs and vehicles and improving multiplayer, add-on support, and customization. Newman said the goal is to bring that experience up to parity with Garry’s Mod and eventually surpass it.
The proposed free-to-play move addresses another possible barrier. Newman said charging an entry fee alongside paid cosmetics could discourage potential players. “We don’t need the entrance fee, we need players,” he wrote.
Newman said he loves the engine and its creative possibilities but understands why players have been unhappy. “We’re making some big sweeping changes to try to improve things,” he wrote. “Please bear with us while we make these changes.”
When S&box becomes free-to-play, existing owners will receive exclusive Steam inventory items. Those who paid $20 rather than $10 will receive additional items, with the transition currently expected toward the end of 2026.
