Summary
- The ocean is an underexplored environment in survival games, but there are some games that take place on open waters, providing a unique seafaring survival experience.
- These games offer a variety of challenges, from managing resources and crew in a scientific facility at the bottom of the ocean, to surviving as a pirate captain or building a shelter in a water-covered world.
- Popular survival games like Raft and Subnautica allow players to build, explore, and survive in beautifully crafted open-water environments, providing hours of engaging gameplay.
The ocean is one of the most harsh environments for survival. There aren't usually many resources around, and the water is undrinkable. Because of this, it's an environment which is ripe for survival games. However, this environment is not one of the most explored in the genre as many games focus on environments entirely devoid of even water for survival, such as icy wastelands or deserts.
This can be frustrating, as there is so much potential for danger on the water. Still, there are some survival games which take place either partly or entirely on open waters, including the ocean. For players seeking a seafaring survival experience, look no further.
10 Feed And Grow: Fish
Survive underwater as a fish
- Platforms: Windows
- Developer: Old B1ood
- Release Date: 2016-01-08
In Feed and Grow: Fish, players begin as a small fish in a large ocean and must eat other fish to survive and become bigger. The game is simple yet enjoyable, and any player can get the hang of it, but becoming as big as possible will take a long time and will require being strategic to succeed.
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Feed And Grow: Fish is a beautifully simplistic take on the open-water survival genre, making it perfect for players who have never delved into the genre before.
9 Surviving The Abyss
Manage a scientific facility at the bottom of the ocean
- Platforms: Windows
- Developer: Rocket Flair Studios
- Release Date: 2023-01-17
Surviving The Abyss combines the management genre with the survival genre. Players must manage a scientific facility at the bottom of the ocean in the year 1976 to perfect cloning technology. For the facility to survive, players must keep enough power, oxygen, and food for their crew and should remember to place enough lights to stave off the horrors of the dark which are always closing in.
Surviving The Abyss is a challenge even for experienced survival gamers, as there is a lot to manage to ensure the survival of the team.
8 Under A New Sun
Explore the seas on a new planet
- Platforms: Windows
- Developer: New Horizon Games
- Release Date: 2023-11-13
Under a New Sun combines the base building and survival genres on another planet, as players take on the role of a lone survivor from a shipwreck. The planet is very similar to Earth, including its open waters. From there, players can explore the world and sail the seas to find out what happened to the crew and find more resources for survival to build a life under a new sky.
Under A New Sun is an exciting and unique survival game set on an intergalactic sea very similar to those on Earth.
7 Stranded Deep
Survive and explore on an island in the Pacific
Stranded Deep
- Released
- April 21, 2020
- Developer(s)
- Beam Team Games
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Survival
Stranded Deep is another game which begins with a shipwreck in which the player is the lone survivor, only this time it's set in the Pacific Ocean. Players must find their way to shore first before they can even begin to work on their survival plan. Setting up on an island can be difficult, and players might struggle at first, but once they get the hang of it, this is a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Stranded Deep allows players to explore one of the world's great oceans, and forces them to adapt to survive.
6 Harmonic Depths
A more relaxing take on open-water survival
- Platforms: Windows
- Developer: Override
- Release Date: 2023-12-8
Harmonic Depths is a lighter take on the survival genre, but it still takes place in the depths of an ocean. Players take on the role of a shark and must keep their health up and feed on nearby fish to stay strong and survive. The game is truly a relaxing experience even as the player character's health is constantly going down, as its not too difficult to replenish health.
Harmonic Depths allows players to experience a relaxing ocean environment, even as they need to keep an eye on things for their survival.
5 Captain Bones: A Pirate's Journey
Survive as a pirate captain
- Platforms: Windows
- Developer: World Of Poly
- Release Date: 2022-7-27
Captain Bones: A Pirate's Journey allows players to live out life on the seas as a pirate captain. Survival will be difficult, as Captain Bones is a sought after pirate and troops will be trying to kill him on nearly every island. Along with that, players will also need to manage crew needs and build improvements for the ship, meaning this game has a lot more to it than some other games in the genre.
Captain Bones: A Pirate's Journey allows players to explore the sea, but challenges them with the survival of their ship and crew.
4 Sunkenland
Build a shelter to survive in this water-covered world
- Platforms: Windows
- Developer: Vector3 Game Studios
- Release Date: 2023-8-25
Sunkenland is a base-building survival game with a twist. It all takes place on a version of earth which is completely covered in water, so players need to be quick and efficient in order to survive the ocean. Players can explore the world and find other bases to trade with or even attack if they feel so inclined. Diving is a key part of the gameplay, as players can find artifacts of the past world beneath the waves, and can find resources to sustain their base.
Sunkenland is a unique take on survival in gaming, and there's a lot to explore in its drowned world.
3 Salt 2: Shores Of Gold
Explore the seas in this pirate survival game
- Platforms: Windows
- Developer: Lavaboots Studios
- Release Date: 2022-9-20
Salt 2: Shores Of Gold is another pirate survival game which offers players a wide open and ocean-based world to explore. Players can sail anywhere they want to in this procedurally generated world, but they need to hunt and fish for food to ensure survival. The world is not entirely peaceful either, as there are enemy pirates at every turn.
Salt 2: Shores Of Gold offers players the chance to become a pirate and live a peaceful (or not so peaceful) life on the open seas.
2 Raft
Build a raft solo or with friends
Raft
Raft is one of the most well known and acclaimed games within the survival genre, and for good reason. Players must build a raft and set sail, continuing to build their raft as parts get destroyed by sharks in the water. There are a lot of crafting options in the game as well, so players can build essentially a self-sustaining community on their raft, even as the raft gets slowly destroyed by sharks.
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Raft is a fantastic survival game which can be played alone or as a co-op experience and asks players to build a raft from scratch to survive.
1 Subnautica
Survive underwater on an alien planet
Subnautica
- Released
- January 23, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Finally, Subnautica is the best survival game set in open waters available for players today. The world here is beautiful, as players explore underwater on a strange alien planet with a dark underside. Players must explore the world to find resources and uncover the secrets of the planet they find themselves on. Survival can be a challenge, as there is wildlife around which can harm the player if they're not careful.
Subnautica encourages players to dive and explore underwater, and there is a lot for players to do to stay occupied in this game.
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