Completely agree, I never download a link if isn't posted by a trusted member like most of the members with special labels like moderators, compressors, uploaders, developers or modders for example. That is always a sensible way to act. I tried sandboxie before but I'm honest I uninstalled it after a while but I'm always extra careful anyway and place other security measures and from what I'm aware my PC is clean since I often run scans. But I advise also like you to use sandboxes to play this games specially if you are careless on how you "act" on the web.
I think Sandboxie is pretty well made. It can be a bit confusing at first, mainly because it’s full of settings that take some time to learn. But since then, I’ve found it really useful. It blocks unwanted internet connections and lets you run files in a safe, controlled environment isolated from the rest of your PC.
Once it’s properly set up, it’s also very easy to launch. Sometimes there are a few lags or slowdowns, especially when saving or loading in some games, but that varies. So far, it’s pretty rare for me since most games run smoothly.
Like you, I recommend regularly scanning suspicious files or new downloads. Many free apps online allow analyzing and comparing results from different antivirus tools and quickly checking file reputations on the internet.
