Sandbox VR franchise
A Sandbox VR franchisee operates a venue offering full-body virtual reality adventures. At the end of 2025 there were 43 Sandbox VR locations in the US, 10 franchised and 33 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
- Cost to open
- $1.44M–$2.48M
- Franchise fee
- $50,000
- Royalty
- 5% + minimum
- Locations, 2025
- 43+9 in 3 yrs
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Company snapshot
- SBA loans
- On the SBA Franchise Directory
From GloStation Franchising USA, Inc’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
How much a Sandbox VR franchise costs
Opening one business costs an estimated $1,439,616 to $2,476,698. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: GloStation Franchising USA, Inc, 2026 filing, page 24
Sandbox VR franchise fee
The franchise fee is $50,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: GloStation Franchising USA, Inc, 2026 filing, page 13
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales, with a minimum of $1,000 per Holodeck that may rise to $2,000 after periodic review. |
|---|
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: GloStation Franchising USA, Inc, 2026 filing, page 15
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Sandbox VR publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations: 2025 US location results; the rent and financial tables use a smaller subset than the full store count. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: GloStation Franchising USA, Inc, 2026 filing, page 59
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 (+1) | 31 | 0 |
| 2024 | 3 (+1) | 33 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 (+7) | 33 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
Sandbox VR passes four of the five tests on our list of the best franchises to own; it had fewer than 100 US locations three years ago.
Source: GloStation Franchising USA, Inc, 2026 filing, page 63
How Sandbox VR compares
Of the 19 entertainment franchises on this site, Sandbox VR is the 12th cheapest to open and the 9th largest by number of locations.
| Measure | Sandbox VR | Typical entertainment |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.44M | $809K |
| Royalty | 5% | 6% |
| Closed or left per year | 0% | 3% |
| Change in franchised locations, 3 yrs | +900% | +24.1% |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 18 of 19 |
Typical is the median across the 19 brands in entertainment franchises.
