Sandbox VR
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2016
- Employees
- 501-1000
- Offices
- 9
About Sandbox VR
Sandbox VR develops and operates location-based virtual reality entertainment, combining multiplayer games with physical spaces where groups can move together through shared virtual worlds. Founded in Hong Kong in 2016 by game designer and entrepreneur Steve Zhao, the business originally traded as Glostation before expanding internationally. Its corporate headquarters are in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, with internal game development teams in Hong Kong and Vancouver.
The company builds its gaming portfolio in-house and delivers experiences through corporate-owned and franchised venues. Its model brings together software development, tracking technology, physical equipment and venue operations. As of late 2026, the network spans more than 100 locations across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, welcoming more than 150,000 guests each month.
Shared physical play
Experiences accommodate groups of up to six players in purpose-built arenas. Full-body motion capture and real-time tracking represent participants’ movements inside the game, allowing players to see their companions moving alongside them. Haptic vests provide physical sensations associated with impacts, recoil and environmental effects. The format supports cooperative adventures and competitive encounters designed around social, room-scale play.
Visitors can book private VR rooms, while the venue business also serves corporate team-building events, birthdays and other private celebrations. Franchise licensing and operational support extend the company’s entertainment platform into additional markets.
Original worlds and licensed experiences
The portfolio combines original adventures with adaptations developed through entertainment partnerships. Its games cover zombie survival, fantasy exploration, science-fiction action, pirate adventures and competitive combat. Collaborations with Netflix have brought established screen properties into group VR experiences, while work with London’s Natural History Museum adds a scientific collaboration to its prehistoric adventure offering.
Sandbox VR underwent a Chapter 11 debt restructuring during the pandemic in 2020 and subsequently resumed expansion. Its development and venue operations remain active, with proprietary content production supporting the wider entertainment network.
More about Sandbox VR
Production technology
- Players wear wrist and ankle sensors as part of the proprietary inverse-kinematics tracking system.
- The automated Dynamic Gameplay Experience (DGE) engine combines real-world and in-game footage into cinematic highlight reels delivered to visitors’ mobile phones.
Origins and backing
- Steve Zhao financed the initial tracking prototype and Hong Kong venue with his life savings.
- The report identifies more than $100 million in capital raised, with backing from Andreessen Horowitz, Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Gobi Partners and Craft Ventures. Celebrity investors include Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Kevin Durant and Will Smith.
Scientific collaboration
Paleontologists from London’s Natural History Museum contributed to the development of the company’s prehistoric expedition experience.
Notable credits
13 creditsOffices
Where Sandbox VR is based
- 4685 Chabot Drive, Suite 200, Pleasanton, CA 94588, United StatesPleasanton, California, United States
Global Corporate Headquarters
HeadquartersOverall corporate headquarters supporting executive leadership, global legal administration, and software/hardware platform development.
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
In-House Game Development Studio
North American game development and VR content production studio.
- 2nd Floor, Central Plaza, 381 Huaihai Middle Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai, ChinaShanghai, China
Shanghai office
Entertainment venue at Central Plaza.
- Tamara-Danz-Straße 11, 10243 Berlin, GermanyBerlin, Germany
Berlin office
Entertainment venue in Berlin-Friedrichshain, adjacent to the Uber Arena.
- Hong Kong
Hong Kong offices
About this office
**In-House Game Development Studio** Status: active Internal VR software development, creative content design and Asia-Pacific regional management hub. A precise premises address is not established. --- **Tsim Sha Tsui Venue** Status: active Address: 4th Floor, Tern Plaza, 5 Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong Phone: +852 2311 9995 Office webpage: https://sandboxvr.com/hk/hong-kong --- **Causeway Bay Venue** Status: active Address: 23/F, Soundwill Plaza II - Midtown, 1 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong Phone: +852 3751 7922 Office webpage: https://sandboxvr.com/hk/hong-kong
- Space GF, Wadi Al Tumama Plaza, Riyadh 13413, Saudi ArabiaRiyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia
Riyadh office
Entertainment venue adjacent to Wingstop.
- 181 Orchard Road, #05-31 Orchard Central, Singapore 238896Singapore
Orchard Central
- London, England, United Kingdom
London offices
About this office
**Covent Garden Flagship** Status: active Address: The Post Building, Museum Street, London WC1A 1PB Phone: +44 20 7082 3001 Office webpage: https://sandboxvr.com/uk/london --- **Wandsworth** Status: active Address: Top Floor Gravity MAX, Southside Shopping Centre, Wandsworth High Street, London SW18 4TF Phone: +44 20 3670 7303 Office webpage: https://sandboxvr.com/uk/london --- **White City** Status: active Address: TOCA Social Westfield London, Ariel Way, London W12 7GD Phone: +44 20 3725 1183 Office webpage: https://sandboxvr.com/uk/london
- 777 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10019, USANew York, United States
Times Square Flagship
Opened 2026
Times Square entertainment venue opened in late October 2026 in partnership with JLG Ventures, marking the network’s 100th location.
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