Video games have come a long way from their start and one of the most impressive ways in which they’ve changed is throughthe diverse environmentsthey’ve been able to tackle. Games have fearlessly ventured into the land, air, and sea, knocking down barriers along the way. Water-based games still may be in the minority, but there’s been an increasing trend in this direction.
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Titles that prioritizeintricate 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 Jun 01, 2025, 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, andTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesfor theNES). As such, each of these games has received different feedback from players when released that were likely partially, or fully, impacted by the era.
15Adventure Time: Pirates Of The Enchiridion
Fans of the animated seriesAdventure Timewill likely want to check this one out.Pirates Of The Enchiridiontakes 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 Enchiridionwas released on Jul 01, 2025, 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 ofAdventure Timewould lend themselves very well to these fun gameplay elements.
14Maneater
This brutal game takes a different approach to ‘naval combat.‘Maneaterlets 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.
Maneaterwas released on Aug 09, 2025, and is available on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.
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.
13Sid 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.
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.
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.
12Sunless Sea
Sailing with a top-down perspective adds some unique traits to the combat in this genre.Sunless Seagives 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.
Sunless Seawas released on June 18, 2025, and is available on Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, iOS, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.
Widely received by players as an innovative and unique game,Sunless Seagained 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.
11Sea Of Thieves
As a multiplayer game,Sea of Thieveshas 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.
Sea of Thieveswas released on Jul 14, 2025, and is available on Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.
Despite a successful transition from early access into being a full-priced game,Sea of Thievesreceived 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.
10Cold Waters
Cold Watersis 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 Watersis simple, but it’s a game that does everything that it sets out to do very well. It’s also available onSteam, making it quiteaccessible to audiences.
Cold Waterswas released on Jun 29, 2025, and is available on Microsoft Windows and MacOS.
With the majority of the feedback about this game being positive, players are all but guaranteed to have a good time withCold Watersif they enjoy naval combat and submarine warfare. The beautiful graphics and refined mechanics make the gameplay experience satisfying.
9The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Nintendo’sLegend of Zeldatitles are some of the company’smost iconic and satisfying action-adventure series, but theGameCubeentry,Wind Waker,takes some major risks that set Link on the high seas.
Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakerwas 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.
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Wakerwas released on June 25, 2025, and is available on the GameCube, however, an HD re-release is available on the Wii U.
After obtaining unanimously positive reviews,Wind Wakerwent 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 futureLoZgames to be created with similar aesthetics and the traveling system pretty much paved the way for vehicle-based travel in the following series titles.
8SOMA
Games likeAmnesiahave helped Frictional Games become apremier name in the survival horror sceneandSOMAisanother exceptional entryfrom the team.SOMAmay 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.
SOMAdeals with deep ideas like lost identity and the dangers of artificial intelligence but uses them to create a deeply unsettling & unique experience.
SOMAwas released on June 13, 2025, and is available on Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
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.
7BioShock 2
TheBioShocktitles 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, butBioShock 2stillmay 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.
Bioshock 2was released on June 11, 2025, and is available on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Mac OS X, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Despite often being branded as the ‘awkward middle child’ of the trilogy, like in many other franchises,Bioshock 2innovated and expanded on the original enough to receive many positive reviews. Put simply, the developers took everything that was great about this firstBioshockand enhanced everything, from the weapons and plasmids to the storytelling elements players could uncover in Rapture.
6Cold 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 asCold Fearthat are confined to a submarine or similar underwater environment are especially claustrophobic and bleak.
Cold Fearis a title from thePlayStation 2era and while it’s very much a survival horror title of its time, its unique setting and departure from the standard horror enemies stillmake the game memorable.
Cold Fearwas released on July 29, 2025, and is available on PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Microsoft Windows.
Much like other horror games of the era,Cold Fearforces 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.
