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Titles that prioritize intricate combat systems & submarine exploration have opened up the medium in major ways and made the sea seem less impenetrable. Accordingly, here are some of the best video games to play if you love submarines and naval combat.
Updated on October 5, 2021, by Reyadh Rahaman: Games set in mostly aquatic environments have evolved along with water physics and other technological advancements in the gaming industry. This has thankfully alleviated a lot of the traditional disdain many gamers have for water levels (looking at you, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the NES). As such, each of these games has received different feedback from players when released that were likely partially, or fully, impacted by the era.
15 Adventure Time: Pirates Of The Enchiridion
Fans of the animated series Adventure Time will likely want to check this one out. Pirates Of The Enchiridion takes place in the land of Ooo, though it has been massively flooded. It is up to Finn, Jake, and a few of their friends to find out why.
In usual fashion, they bust out some awesome inventions and galavant forth onto the newly formed waves seeking adventures and answers. Armed with a massive cannon and excellent ship maneuverability, the squad sets out upon the seas with little fear of foes they cannot defeat.
Release Date & Platform Availability
Adventure Time: Pirates Of The Enchiridion was released on July 17, 2018, and is available on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Game Reception
The game received mostly mixed reviews, with many complaining that it felt very empty. There is a lot of exploring to be done, however, the lack of treasure hunting and equipment mechanics very much seems like a wasted opportunity when the lore and setting of Adventure Time would lend themselves very well to these fun gameplay elements.
14 Maneater
This brutal game takes a different approach to ’naval combat.’ Maneater lets players slip into the skin of a shark and live out all of their secret underwater shark-related fantasies. As a great white shark, gamers start out as a small pup and must grow strong by killing and feeding upon marine, and eventually terrestrial, life.
The combat is tricky to get used to at first, but once players get in touch with their inner shark, they’ll have a blast fighting crocodiles, orcas, and even armored boats laden with gun-totting humans.
Release Date & Platform Availability
Maneater was released on May 22, 2020, and is available on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.
Game Reception
As a game in a genre that virtually didn’t exist before, both critics and consumers were not quite sure what to make of this shark simulator at first, however, most found the novel mechanics and perspective to be mostly enjoyable. There is a learning curve when getting into the game, which hindered a few players, however, most find this difficulty ramp to be fair.
13 Sid Meier’s Pirates!
The famed game designer delivered another classic to the world with this swashbuckling and cannon-firing adventure. With a variety of gameplay, including deadly duels, intricate ship combat, and much more, Sid Meier’s Pirates! is one of the best seafaring games of all time.
Each aspect of this game is refined and varied enough to let hours slip by before one notices how long they’ve been playing for.
Release Date & Platform Availability
Sid Meier’s Pirates! was released in 1987 and is available on Commodore 64, IBM PC, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Apple IIGS, Macintosh, PC-88/98, Atari ST, Amiga, NES, MS-DOS, Genesis, CD32, and Windows 3.1x.
Game Reception
Loved by fans since its release in the late ’80s, this swashbuckling adventure did quite a lot to define the pirate game genre by giving players tons of freedom and leaving a lot of quests and storylines open-ended in order to increase replay value.
12 Sunless Sea
Sailing with a top-down perspective adds some unique traits to the combat in this genre. Sunless Sea gives the player much greater scope as a helmsman, though provides many unusual challenges. Taking place across a constantly changing underground sea, one must sail forth through dark and dangerous waters to explore a world full of strange and eldritch encounters.
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One can come across many horrors of the abyss like mutated sharks and less describable abominations that can only spawn and survive in the dankest, deepest parts of the world. Though there are enemy ships to be found as well, and most of the time they are better equipped than the player’s vessel. At least, in the beginning, before one finds better ships, weapons, and other secrets of the depths.
Release Date & Platform Availability
Sunless Sea was released on February 6, 2015, and is available on Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, iOS, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.
Game Reception
Widely received by players as an innovative and unique game, Sunless Sea gained a lot of compliments due to its focus on immersive storytelling as well as the novel ways in which one must make progress. The freedom and untraditional nature of this title allow gamers to feel like they’re truly entering a sinister yet interesting world.
11 Sea Of Thieves
As a multiplayer game, Sea of Thieves has infinite replay value depending on who you play with. This is a perfect game for those looking to explore wide-open oceans with their friends in search of treasure and glory. With many updates added since the game’s release, there is a wealth of content to enjoy.
Be warned, however, as there are dangers upon the high seas. Some have criticized the game’s community for rampant trolling that goes uncontested by the developers. Such is the downside of many online gaming communities, though this does not stop decking out a cool ship and slaying sea monsters from being fun.
Release Date & Platform Availability
Sea of Thieves was released on March 20, 2018, and is available on Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.
Game Reception
Despite a successful transition from early access into being a full-priced game, Sea of Thieves received some criticism for being somewhat repetitive and lacking diversity. Years later, however, the many updates and bonus content added to the title have changed opinions greatly and it now is considered by many to be the best multiplayer pirate game on the market.
10 Cold Waters
Cold Waters is the prototypical submarine combat video game that’s perfect for beginners of the genre as well as seasoned pros. The game cuts out the excess and delivers a tight game about naval stealth & combat.
Players are in control of a lone US submarine that has to find and take out a Soviet ship, but without being detected during the mission. Cold Waters is simple, but it’s a game that does everything that it sets out to do very well. It’s also available on Steam, making it quite accessible to audiences.
Release Date & Platform Availability
Cold Waters was released on July 5, 2017, and is available on Microsoft Windows and MacOS.
Game Reception
With the majority of the feedback about this game being positive, players are all but guaranteed to have a good time with Cold Waters if they enjoy naval combat and submarine warfare. The beautiful graphics and refined mechanics make the gameplay experience satisfying.
9 The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda titles are some of the company’s most iconic and satisfying action-adventure series, but the GameCube entry, Wind Waker, takes some major risks that set Link on the high seas.
Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was a controversial title upon its release, but it’s since found great appreciation and seen a fantastic HD release. The game isn’t set entirely on water, but the frequent travel, combat, and treasure hunting that’s done at sea will definitely scratch that itch in gamers and possibly induce seasickness.
Release Date & Platform Availability
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker was released on December 13, 2002, and is available on the GameCube, however, an HD re-release is available on the Wii U.
Game Reception
After obtaining unanimously positive reviews, Wind Waker went down in history as one of the best gambles Nintendo has ever taken when trying out new things in an old franchise. The art style was inspirational enough to allow some future LoZ games to be created with similar aesthetics and the traveling system pretty much paved the way for vehicle-based travel in the following series titles.
8 SOMA
Games like Amnesia have helped Frictional Games become a premier name in the survival horror scene and SOMA is another exceptional entry from the team. SOMA may be a bit of a stretch for those that crave naval combat, but the game is set entirely within an underwater research facility and taps into that same isolating atmosphere that many submarine games explore.
SOMA deals with deep ideas like lost identity and the dangers of artificial intelligence but uses them to create a deeply unsettling & unique experience.
Release Date & Platform Availability
SOMA was released on September 22, 2015, and is available on Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Game Reception
Gaining excellent reviews all around, this terrifying underwater experience truly spooked players in the best ways possible. The subject matter was interesting enough to draw in fans of Frictional Games’ previous titles as well as new players, and, it delivered with horrifying situations and incredible writing in equal parts.
7 BioShock 2
The BioShock titles are some of the closest examples of video games achieving the status of art. They’re masterful in every department, whether that’s combat, storytelling, enemies, or atmosphere. There’s no poor entry in the series, but BioShock 2 still may be the most satisfying.
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Out of everything the game does right, it’s the immersive underwater society of Rapture that really stands out the most. It’s a world like no other from video games and this alternate take on history is so rich & prescient in certain ways.
Release Date & Platform Availability
Bioshock 2 was released on February 9, 2010, and is available on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Mac OS X, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Game Reception
Despite often being branded as the ‘awkward middle child’ of the trilogy, like in many other franchises, Bioshock 2 innovated and expanded on the original enough to receive many positive reviews. Put simply, the developers took everything that was great about this first Bioshock and enhanced everything, from the weapons and plasmids to the storytelling elements players could uncover in Rapture.
6 Cold Fear
There haven’t been a lot of survival horror games that are set at sea, but the entries that attempt to run with the idea usually come up with a special experience. Horror games such as Cold Fear that are confined to a submarine or similar underwater environment are especially claustrophobic and bleak.
Cold Fear is a title from the PlayStation 2 era and while it’s very much a survival horror title of its time, its unique setting and departure from the standard horror enemies still make the game memorable.
Release Date & Platform Availability
Cold Fear was released on March 15, 2005, and is available on PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Microsoft Windows.
Game Reception
Much like other horror games of the era, Cold Fear forces players into uncomfortable and outright horrifying situations, but on a ship instead of in a creepy abandoned house or while wandering around in the woods at night. The confined space makes players feel trapped in a way that allows the fact that there is no escape to sink in.
5 Steel Battalion: Line of Contact
Steel Battalion has a tough reputation in the video game world because it’s an original Xbox game that’s known more for its absurdly complex and expensive controller than for its actual gameplay. Steel Battalion is a definite oddity, but it’s still a title that naval and submarine fans can appreciate.
Admittedly, the game operates more like a mech simulation, but the immersion into the cockpit and use of controls still creates a feeling that’s not unlike being at the helm of a giant ship. One thing that any naval fight could use more of is giant robots.
Release Date & Platform Availability
Steel Battalion: Line of Contact was released on February 26, 2004, and is available on Xbox.
Game Reception
Being mostly well-received by both consumers and critics, everyone seems to be a huge fan of the highly detailed combat and mechanics. The movement and pacing of the game allow many to immerse themselves totally into the seafaring world with few issues.
4 Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
The Assassin’s Creed franchise has had its up & downs over the years, but it’s done a good job with its attempts to listen to the fanbase and pivot to new time periods or ideas to find a fresh angle on the series.
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The Assassin’s Creed franchise eventually added naval combat to the formula and the fourth numbered entry, Black Flag, goes all-in on the idea with a larger theme of pirates.Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag may take place far before submarines were invented, but it offers up a creative and robust take on naval combat.
Release Date & Platform Availability
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag was released on October 29, 2013, and is available on, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia.
Game Reception
Gaining reviews and ratings that were mostly positive truly validated all of the decisions that went into making Black Flag. While a few gamers complained about the complexity of sailing a ship, the detail and control were perfectly implemented, albeit with a somewhat steep learning curve.
3 Subnautica
Subnautica applies a unique slant to the typical underwater exploration and combat experience by how it sets itself within the foreign waters of an alien planet. This allows Subnautica to feel both familiar and surprising with the creatures that are encountered.
Itis a fun journey that’s evolved a lot since its inception. It’s genuinely tense to collect and manage resources while this potentially dangerous environment is invaded. It offers a much more personal level of combat than many of the other games on this list.
Release Date & Platform Availability
Subnautica was released on January 23, 2018, and is available on macOS, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.
Game Reception
In addition to receiving great reviews all-around, Subnautica even won a few awards, including the Gamers’ Choice Awards’ “Fan Favorite Indie Game” of 2018. The balance between exploring and crafting felt intuitive and fun while still providing exciting horror elements resulting from the terrifying leviathans that can be encountered in open water.
2 Silent Hunter 3
There are many games in Ubisoft’s Silent Hunter submarine simulator series and it’s provided PC gamers with a reliable home for retro naval combat. Silent Hunter 3 focuses specifically on World War II and has players pilot German U-Boats that are under attack.
Something that the game does very well illustrating is the increasing dangers of war. The threats force gamers to continually devise new strategies and lean into new tactics in order to stay afloat. There have been later entries in the Silent Hunter franchise, but 2005’s Silent Hunter 3 remains a high point.
Release Date & Platform Availability
Silent Hunter 3 was released on March 15, 2005, and is available on Microsoft Windows.
Game Reception
Arguably the best title in the franchise, Silent Hunter 3 is considered by critics and consumers alike to be one of the best submarine simulation games to ever be created. The attention to detail allows gamers to set sail for intense and amazing voyages.
1 Battlefield 4: Naval Strike
The Battlefield series continually provides tense and chaotic multiplayer combat experiences. There may be diminishing returns on a lot of the Battlefield games, despite how the technology continues to improve. That being said, Battlefield 4 takes an encouraging shift with their Naval Strike DLC content.
The new expansion allows players to focus their aggression on naval combat, whether that’s at sea or attacking the waters from above. It’s a deep expansion that actually changes the game’s scope and doesn’t just feel like a coat of paint.
Release Date & Platform Availability
Battlefield 4 was released on October 29, 2013, and is available on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Game Reception
With a ton of content across all of its DLC content, including the in-depth Naval Strike expansion, anyone who enjoys military action will get a thrill out of this title. Gamers can even play Battlefield 4 as if it was solely a naval combat game, if that’s what one really wants.
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