Sandbox VR selects Gilbert for its first permanent Arizona venue

Sandbox VR says it will open its first permanent Arizona location at SanTan Village in Gilbert on May 15, positioning the East Valley site as a social indoor entertainment option ahead of summer. The company is promoting the launch with online prebooking discounts and a lineup of 11 immersive group experiences.

Sandbox VR has chosen Gilbert for its first permanent location in Arizona, with a grand opening planned for May 15 at SanTan Village. The company says guests who reserve online before the launch date will receive a 30% discount, an early push to introduce the brand to local residents before the hottest part of the year arrives.

The concept is built around group-based virtual reality experiences that go beyond typical home headsets. Sandbox VR says it combines full-body motion capture with haptics and other high-end hardware so participants can move through the same digital environment together. The company argues that setup creates a more social and more physically immersive version of VR than what most people can access at home.

Executives tied to the Gilbert opening described the venue as an answer to multiple needs at once: family entertainment, friend-group outings, team events, and a weather-proof indoor activity during the Arizona summer. The site is expected to offer 11 different experiences, widening its appeal beyond a one-time novelty visit.

For Gilbert and the broader East Valley, the opening fits a larger pattern in which shopping and lifestyle centers are leaning harder into experience-based tenants. Adding a permanent Sandbox VR location gives SanTan Village another draw that is less about traditional retail and more about repeat traffic, social outings, and destination entertainment.