Summary
- Sharks add thrill and danger to open-world games set in vast oceans, keeping players on edge.
- Games like Raft and Stranded Deep feature sharks as persistent threats, necessitating repairs and survival tactics.
- Maneater offers a unique twist by allowing players to become the apex predator as a shark in the open world.
Open-world games offer vast landscapes to explore, and as technology has advanced, the genre has allowed players to explore vast oceans, which can be equally beautiful and scary. When developers add sharks into the mix, the thrill reaches a whole new level, ensuring the player never truly feels safe when exploring oceans, even when playing as the deadly hunter.
Sharks can play a vital role in a game’s concept or simply serve as adversaries that players might encounter during their journey. From intense encounters to stunning underwater landscapes, these games provide a unique and immersive open-world experience unlike any other, thanks in large part to the sharks lurking in the water.
8 Sea Of Thieves
A Pirate’s Life Is Filled With Aquatic Dangers
Sea of Thieves
- Released
- March 20, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Crude Humor, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
In Rare’s Sea of Thieves, players can live out their dream pirate life, either alone or in co-op. They can embark on simple treasure hunts or engage in epic voyages in a fully explorable open world alongside other players who can become their greatest allies or fiercest enemies. Additional threats include risen skeletons and the creatures that lurk beneath the ocean's surface.
Sharks are often on the hunt and can easily take out a player, frequently appearing at shipwreck sites. They may also spawn alongside their terrifying larger relative: the Megalodon. Like the Kraken, the Megalodon can rival even the largest ships at sea, destroying them in seconds and leaving lasting impressions on players.
7 Raft
Sharks Are Always Munching On The Raft
Raft
- Released
- June 20, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Survival
Raft puts one or more players together in the middle of an endless sea with nothing but a hook to grab any debris floating by, forcing them to work hard to expand their raft into a giant floating base to survive. From the start, the biggest threat are the sharks that sporadically arrive to tear off pieces of the raft, thus forcing players to work on repairs.
On land and sea, there are other threats to come across in Raft, from bears to angler fish. There is even another breed of shark known as the Rhino Shark, and it does exactly what it sounds like it does. Crafting and surviving these various threats can be stressful, but roaming the oceans for different islands and structures can also be a relaxing experience.
6 Stranded Deep
If Cast Away And Jaws Were Fused Together
Stranded Deep
- Released
- April 21, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Crude Humor, Mild Violence
- Genre(s)
- Survival
Since its initial launch as an Early Access title, Stranded Deep has upheld its identity as the closest experience to a Cast Away game. It begins with the protagonist surviving a horrific plane crash in the ocean, ultimately finding themselves on an island with a life raft. The twist is a randomly generated world featuring multiple islands to explore, where players can gather resources and craft equipment.
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In addition to managing hunger, thirst, and sun damage, players must contend with various sea creatures that pose threats, including massive crabs, lionfish, sea snakes, tiger sharks, hammerhead sharks, and great white sharks. A notable adversary is a boss known as the Great Shark, which resembles a Megalodon and is over twice the size of regular sharks.
5 ARK: Survival Ascended
Prehistoric Sharks Can Be Slain Or Tamed
Ark: Survival Ascended
- Released
- October 26, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Game Experience May Change During Online Play, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Survival, Open-World
In a world filled with dozens of prehistoric creatures, from the Tyrannosaurus Rex to the Ankylosaurus, it should come as no surprise that ARK: Survival Ascended has Megalodon sharks as well. Encountering them in the ocean is enough to make anyone regret going into the water, but like all dinosaurs in ARK, the Megalodon can be tamed and even bred.
ARK: Survival Evolved Ascended blends the crafting and survival mechanics of games like Stranded Deep with a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, resulting in outlandish designs for the creatures, which all possess unique abilities and passives. For example, another giant shark breed is the Helicoprion, which can stun all creatures in its vicinity using its tail whip.
4 Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
Even Assassins Have To Fight Sharks
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
- Released
- October 29, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Open-World
The Caribbean is filled to the brim with content for Edward Kenway to discover while on his journey from scruffy pirate to heroic assassin of the Brotherhood. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag takes full advantage of its pirate setting by allowing the player to meet famous figures like Blackbeard and Mary Read or by exploring different islands for loot.
In Black Flag, players can dive underwater to collect treasure and complete challenges, which often leads to encounters with dangerous sharks. Even when on lifeboats, sharks can still attack. Additionally, players have the option to hunt sea creatures for self-defense, as these foes can be both troublesome to avoid and difficult to fight.
3 Far Cry 3
Animals Are Scarier Than Humans On The Rook Islands
Far Cry 3
- Released
- November 29, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
- Genre(s)
- FPS, Open-World
There are numerous ways to navigate the Rook Islands in Far Cry 3: driving around on an ATV, using cars, gliding through the air, and utilizing various watercraft in the ocean. Not only do players have to contend with pirates, but they'll also face bull sharks, which can make entering the water a terrifying experience.
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For those who are too fearful to face them, sharks can be avoided; however, certain equipment can only be crafted using shark skins. Even years later, the realistic movements of the bull shark still impress, and, like other animals on the expansive islands, they can transform Far Cry 3 from an action game into a horror experience.
2 Death In The Water 2
A Kraken Controls The Legions Of The Deep
Death In The Water 2
- Released
- January 26, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
Sharks are just the beginning of what players encounter when they explore the open underwater map in Death in the Water 2, which goes above and beyond its predecessor. Waves of underwater beasts come at the player as they scavenge for treasure and unlock more powerful weapons to take on the final challenge: a Kraken known only as Death.
Death uses telepathic powers to control the legions of underwater creatures: multiple breeds of sharks, eels, mermaids, hydra, and finally, Death itself. It’s a simple game, but one that features polished visuals, making the underwater map as beautiful as it is terrifying, especially for those who may have thalassophobia.
1 Maneater
What If The Shark Was The Hero Of The Story?
Maneater
- Released
- May 22, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Mild Language
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
In most games, the shark is the scary enemy that makes the player want to stay out of the water, but that all changes with Maneater, which reverses the roles. Humans are the villains of the story, while the protagonist is an orphaned bull shark who gradually grows and evolves into the apex predator of the ocean in the open-world map of Port Clovis.
A shark RPG is not what many would expect, but Maneater pulls it off by making the shark as fun to play as possible, especially as there are more superpowers unlocked for her. She is not the only shark in the game, however, and to be the apex predator, she has to fight makos, hammerheads, great whites, and even other mutated sharks.
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