The vast majority of video games on the market take places on solid ground, whether that be the surface of a planet or the decks of a ship; games like Subnautica, in contrast, let players explore the depths of the ocean and dive deep beneath the sea to discover the strange life-forms lurking under the waves. The titles listed below are notable example of video games built around the concept of exploring the ocean and sea, each of them treating the ocean as both a source of beauty and alien horror alike.
Ever since diving bells and breathing apparatuses let people dive beyond the limits of their lungs, humanity has been fascinated with the ocean and the fast array of life-forms lurking in its depths. There are those who look at the ocean as an alien world of wonder and beauty, focusing on the exotic fish, pearls, coral, and bioluminescent lifeforms found within it. Others treat the ocean as an abode for wriggling, inhuman monsters - real-life creatures such as giant squid, angler fish, and sharks, along with fictional creatures such as Krakens, Sea Serpents, or the Deep Ones from H.P. Lovecraft stories.
Some of the games below focus more on on the beautiful aspects of the ocean - the colorful fish and brightly lit coral reefs. Others focus more on the scary deep-sea monsters and crushing, dark depths of the ocean. What all of these games have in common is an emphasis on exploring these undersea environments in diving suits or in submarines (a la Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea), with players experiencing both the joy of discovery and terror of the unknown as they progress through the game.
Subnautica & Subnautica: Below Zero
In Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero, player take on the role of an astronaut whose spaceship crash-lands on an alien world - not on land, as is often the case, but in the middle of an ocean teaming with life. As with survival games like Rust, the initial goal of players is to scavenge supplies, harvest resources, and build the vehicles, equipment, and habitats they need to survive. As they construct streamlined submarines, armored diving suits and underwater deep-sea stations, players of Subnautica are then able to explore the darker corners of the ocean, confronting scary underwater creatures and uncovering the mystery behind the underwater ruins left by a long-vanished civilization.
Sunless Sea
The Roguelike exploration/ship management game Sunless Sea, a spin-off of the critically acclaimed Fallen London browser game, puts players in the shoes of a novice captain from an alternate-history London dragged from the surface down into a massive underground world called the 'Neath. Having recently come into possession of a used steamship, or "zubmarine," players set out into the dark and deep underground ocean known only as the "Unterzee" to seek their fortune...although the prospects of getting blown up by pirates, devoured by "Zee" monsters, or driven mad by cosmic horrors is far more likely. The biggest strength of Sunless Sea by far is its clever and twisted writing, immersing players in scenarios where stuffy Victorian ship crews must confront vexing issues such as abandoned islands filled with monsters, clockwork suns, flirtatious devils from hell, and whether cannibalism in the appropriate response to short supplies.
Abzu
Like Subnautica, the third-person exploration game Abzu puts players in the shoes of a scuba-diving explorer who travels through verdant ocean environments, swimming between schools of colorful fish and exploring underwater ruins.
Unlike Subnautica, the initial gameplay of Abzu focuses less on survival crafting and evading monsters, and more on the ambiance of roaming through oceanic wonderlands and among vividly designed sea creatures, the product of the sam art director behind Journey, among others.
Barotrauma
The co-op submarine simulator Barotrauma combines the ocean-planet exploration of Subnautica with the "spot-the-imposter" gameplay of Among Us. Teams of players form the crew of a deep-sea submarine exploring the dark oceans beneath the ice-y surface of Europa, working together to steer their submarine through dark waters, repair malfunctioning sub-systems, complete mission objectives, and deploy weapons to fight off the chitinous alien horrors trying to chew through the hull. In certain gameplay modes, one or more players can take on the role of saboteurs with secret missions to break equipment or assassinate other players, adding an extra level of tension to the deep-sea exploration gameplay.