Many open-world games are all about exploration, allowing players the chance to visit vast worlds in both fantastical and recognizable locations. From New York City to fictional versions of California and even alien planets, open-world games can be found nowadays by gamers who wish to explore any kind of map.
However, an unusual idea even for today’s open-world games is getting to do a lot of exploring underwater. Whilemany realistic survival games require wateras one of the main keys to surviving in harsh environments, not a lot of games give players the opportunity to really make water areas a part of the map that can be traversed and explored.
Updated on June 13, 2025, by Chris Harkin:The idea of an underwater game is eternally exciting and terrifying in equal measure. Though the genres may differ wildly, gamers have loved checking out all types of games that allow them to explore large oceanic worlds. With the official announcement of a third Subnautica game and several major and indie releases in the recent past that have given players more freedom to explore ocean-based games at their own pace, there is no end in sight to the number of great oceanic exploration games on the horizon, especially as more great indie games tread into the open-world territory.
12Death In The Water 2
Metacritic Score: N/A
Created by a team of just two developers,Death In The Water 2is a survival horror game that features a huge Kraken. Players must hunt down this creature while exploring a wide world underwater that’s filled with all sorts of other creatures, all encouraged to attack by the Kraken which is controlling them.
Featuring a wonderful depiction of how terrifying the ocean can be,Death in The Water 2gives players a wide arsenal of weapons to use in their battles against the strange mixture of real and fantasy creatures. They must battle through these creatures on their way to the Kraken, making for a highly enjoyable indie adventure.
WHERE TO PLAY
Sunkenland is an exciting post-apocalyptic survival and exploration game set in the near future when water covered most of the Earth. Explore sunken cities, scavenge resources and valuable technologies, build your base, trade, fight and survive.Features:Diving: Explore the sunken skyscrapers, nuclear powerplants and subway tunnel. Gather resources, seek out lost technologies, and collect rare pre-apocalypse items. Build diving devices to assist your underwater journey. And be wary of the unknown danger awaiting you in the depths of this planet.Base Building: Build your base anywhere you want. Will it be a water stronghold, an abandoned ship base or an island penthouse? You need it to keep yourself refreshed, craft items, farm, store items, and stay protected. With the modular building system, you’re able to create your ideal enclave and stylize it with decorations found throughout your journey.Base Defense: Defend your base against clans of pirates and mutants. Build high walls, barbed wire, traps, surveillance system, and artillery to keep the enemies out of your territory!Crafting: Build everything you need, tools, weapons, a jetski, and even a helicopter. You will need different workstations and blueprints to craft complex items.Survival: Gather food, hunt sharks, grow plants, and manage supplies. Make your base sustainable as resources are scarce in Sunkenland.Vehicles: Build and upgrade many types of vehicles including sailboat, jetski and gyrocopters. They will make your exploration much more convenient.Fighting: Fight mutants and pirates. Raid enemy atolls and steal their resources. Use melee weapons, firearms and explosives. Fight on ocean and land. Operate mounted heavy weapons to destroy enemy boats.Trading: Trade with friendly atolls for supplies, weapons, armor and rare items. There is no universal currency, only item for item.Co-op: Cooperate with friends and survive this oceanic apocalypse as a group. Build bases, dive, explore and fight pirates together!
Set in the near future after an apocalypse,Sunkenlandtakes place in a world that has been mostly covered by water. Players get to focus on a mixture of exploration and survival mechanics, getting to investigate entire cities buried in the depths as well as trying to find ways to continue living on what is left of the surface.
Sunkenlandis a great game that mixes some of the underwater exploration elements that players love about games likeSubnauticaand adds more common survival mechanics with the base-building being primarily on the surface. Players can also join together with friends to play in either single-player or co-op, makingSunkenlandone of the best underwater exploration games and an excellent modern survival game experience.
10Koral
Metacritic Score: 64
Another shorter indie game, developed entirely by one man named Carlos Coronado,Koralis a game where players take control of an unusual force: a sea current. Players have to control the current as it romps around different underwater ecosystems, bringing life back to them.
This beautiful game, which supports the conservation of the oceans, shows gamers the true beauty of underwater life. The developer clearly wants players to see as much of it as possible, encouraging exploration of a wide variety of biomes that can be found beneath the waves.
9Diluvion
Metacritic Score: 66
As opposed to the absolute terror of being completely alone in an open sea,Diluvionpresents players with the opportunity to form a budding crew that can be continually grown as players explore a hauntingly beautiful world, inspired by the books of Jules Verne.
With a huge focus on exploration in a fantastically built open world under the ocean,Diluvionallows players to participate in RPG elements as well Players can continue increasing their crew while engaging in some great submarine combat. With fantastic world-building and a shockingly in-depth world,Diluvionis a great game for the exploration of the deep ocean.
A game that is unusual for allowing the player to actually take on the role of an underwater creature,Maneateris set in a beautiful underwater open world that players can explore at their own pace, as a shark. This shark is out to become stronger and more evolved, so it can exact vengeance on the fisherman who attacked her and killed her mother a long time ago.
Maneateris an unusual but very fun game, which encourages players to explore as they continue to grow their capabilities throughout. The oceanic setting focuses more on the uninviting sides than on the beauty of the waters, but the thrill of getting to properly swim around as a creature of the water instead of as a human who needs to return to the surface for air is a very fun and different experience for gamers, which deservesmore popularity than it is left with today.
7Mythic Ocean
Metacritic Score: 71
A very different, and totally charming game,Mythic Oceanis a very chilled and relaxed indie game with a relatively short runtime. In spite of this, it was critically acclaimed, as the player attempts to influence the creation of a new world by speaking to each of the Gods that is setting out to create it.
This strange adventure involves some exploration of thebeautiful, atmospheric open worldthat makes up the map forMythic Ocean. Getting to speak to each God in turn, while relaxing and also intermittently seeing different parts of the underwater world, make for a very relaxing evening spent in a fun, strange game.
6Endless Ocean
Metacritic Score: 72
One of the earliest attempts by a video game to explore the real-world oceans in a beautiful, relaxed manner,Endless Oceanwas released in 2007 to critical acclaim. It was set in the Manaurai Sea, a fictional South Pacific location, and cast the player as a new diver on a ship. Their job was to learn more about the ocean life below their feet.
The ocean is filled with a large variety of creatures and players can take their time, exploration and discovery being the main aspects of the game as there is no combat whatsoever.Endless Oceanhas a beautiful soundtrack which helps create an atmosphere oftotal relaxation and gentle explorationfor players.
Loddlenaut
Loddlenaut is an ocean cleanup adventure set on a vibrant alien planet. Play as an interstellar custodian who is tasked with cleaning up the pollution left behind by a spacefaring mega-corporation. Befriend local axolotl-like creatures and explore sunken corporate ruins as you revive the planet’s lush ecosystems.Your mission: Clean up the ocean planet of GUP-14 after it was abandoned by GUPPI, a mega-corporation that makes and sells everything from soda to spaceships. When you first arrive on the planet, you’ll find yourself amid murky waters, oil spills, and scattered junk.Within the polluted environments, you’ll find remnants of GUPPI’s buildings, ships, and machinery all sunken to the ocean floor. Discover clues about the planet’s past inhabitants as you clean up the mess they left behind using an assortment of high-tech gadgets.BEFRIEND ALL THE LODDLES: As you clean up the planet, you’ll run into axolotl-like aliens known as “loddles.” Protect them from the polluted waters and feed them aquatic fruits while you make their planet habitable again. Depending on their diet, loddles will grow in different ways and develop unique traits and abilities that will further enable them to survive on this polluted planet.When the loddles are strong enough and the waters are cleaner, release them back into the wild and watch them thrive!
One of the most adorable underwater exploration games available right now,Loddlenaut, allows players to check out an oceanic open world, based on an alien planet, where players must adventure, explore, and clean up the planet, surrounded by colorful, joyful graphics.
Loddlenautis a simple sort of game, peaceful and hopeful. Raising animals, and exploring the planet as players get the chance to clean it and revive the planet. Though there is nothing complex or massive about the scale ofLoddlenaut, it is a game well worth playing for the simplistic open world of water and the satisfying nature of the gameplay.
Another open-world indie gamewith a huge amount of beauty to it,Abzuis another underwater-focused game that can be completed quickly. Another game that focuses on restoring life to the oceans,Abzuchooses to draw on ideas about the cosmic ocean myth and Sumerian Mythology in order to create a beautiful world and a very fun indie adventure.
Players control a diver who is attempting to bring parts of the ocean back to life via sonar calls. The player character can freely explore a variety of beautiful ocean landscapes throughout the game, taking it at their own pace and allowing themselves to freely see as much of the ocean as possible.
3Subnautica: Below Zero
Metacritic Score: 82
The sequel to the hit open-world oceanic survival game took things to a separate area on the same planet as the first game. This section of the surface of 4546B is completely frozen, making survival in this zone even more difficult.
Below Zerointroduces all sorts of new ideas. Players have to avoid freezing, there is more exploration on land, and there are plenty of new and terrifying creatures to face within the depths of the open world beneath the sea. Though not as beloved as the first game in the franchise, this game expanded upon the lore, creating a totally different experience for players. It delivered a great game that allowed the series to continue.
