Barotrauma
2023 · Undertow Games
Has it aged?Why ↓
Barotrauma is a co-op sci-fi submarine sim where you play a crewmember exploring Europa's oceans, piloting, wiring equipment and treating monster wounds. Keeping the vessel and its humans alive is the pleasure: hull-piercing creatures outside and a possible saboteur aboard make survival a wonderfully messy team effort.
Barotrauma is a 2D co-op submarine simulator – in space, with survival horror and RPG elements. Steer your submarine, complete missions, fight monsters, fix leaks, operate machinery, man the guns and craft items, and stay alert: danger in Barotrauma doesn’t announce itself!
The publisher’s description, from its Steam store page.
What it looks like
the trailer, then the store's own shots
The verdict
Play it with people who find rescuing a disastrous expedition more satisfying than completing a flawless one. Repairing the submarine, treating injuries and watching for sabotage give everyone something consequential to do. The 2024 Blood in the Water update increased opiate addiction and overdose risks: even the medicine can compound your mistakes. That precariousness is the attraction, not something to smooth away.
Play it if
You volunteer to rewire equipment, enjoy learning which medicine treats which injury, or relish working out whether your friend's suspicious behaviour is incompetence or sabotage.
Skip it if
You would quit over a teammate deliberately sabotaging the mission, or you cannot stand nursing injuries and managing drug side effects while creatures attack the submarine.
Common questions
- Why would someone aboard try to kill the crew?
- Barotrauma includes traitor missions, so a crewmate can be working against everyone else. Don't assume every suspicious mishap is simply bad teamwork.
- Can I treat every injury with morphine?
- Don't treat it as a universal fix. The 2024 Blood in the Water update slowed morphine's healing and increased opiates' addiction and overdose risks, making repeated doses a dangerous response to combat injuries.
- Can I build my own submarine?
- You can edit the submarine, not just operate it. Electrical wiring also supports mathematical operations, giving dedicated tinkerers more to work with than a fixed set of controls.
What everyone else said
we link, we don't reprintHas it aged?
How does it hold up today? Based on recent reviews, how opinions have changed since launch, player activity and updates.
% positive each month, last 4 years.
Reviews via Steam ↗Peak: 5.5k in Mar 2023.
Player counts via SteamCharts ↗As well liked as at launch.
Updated within the last year, so still looked after.