In Barotrauma, up to 16 players manage intricate submarine systems to survive in sub-zero temperatures and explore an alien ocean. The co-op multiplayer simulation will go into Steam Early Access this spring.

Barotrauma is set in the near future where intrepid adventurers have fled Earth and settled on Jupiter's watery moon Europa. In this inhospitable environment, human life is only possible in the ocean deep below the moon’s frozen surface, and this is where you and your (hopefully) brave crew come in. But it’s not just humans who fight for survival in the depths…

As a member of a submarine crew, you are tasked with directing your vessel through dangerous surroundings, exploring alien ruins and completing difficult missions. Players must manage all kinds of on-board systems, such as the nuclear reactor, sonar, guns, machines and more. Thanks to a complex crafting system, the crew can create tools, medicines and weapons to aid their survival.

It is important to act quickly and strategically, especially when faced with unexpected catastrophes. Including the role of captain, there are five different classes, and up to 16 players can join the crew of one submarine. Procedurally generated levels and events make for almost endless adrenaline-filled fun – whether you dive into the depths with your friends or just watch other players’ struggle against the dangers lurking below.

After an Early Access journey filled to the brim with updates, the sci-fi u-boat sim Barotrauma is finally going to emerge into version 1.0 on Steam on March 13th, with lots of new features and a wonderful community on board. The game is on track to entice even more brave submariners to dive into Europa’s depths with its huge variety of u-boats and missions, disgusting enemies, varied biomes and hilarious ragdoll physics. As Barotrauma is approaching its 1.0 release, the game is nearing another major milestone: Almost 2.5 million players already call this superb submarine spectacle their own.

Developers FakeFish and Undertow Games have greatly expanded and improved the game since its Early Access launch in summer 2019: They overhauled the campaign and tutorials, added new monsters, missions and outposts, improved graphics and environments, implemented a scripted event system and much much more. All of this was made possible with the feedback and support of more than 30,000 Discord members as well as 60,000 player-made entries on the Steam Workshop. To show their deep devotion to their players and their fanbase the devs even added a player-made submarine to the base-game as part of a community competition.

Full list of updates since EA launch:

• New graphics and environments
• Campaign overhaul
• Explorable outposts
• Wrecked submarines, abandoned outposts and improved alien ruins
• Submarine upgrading and switching
• More and new monsters and missions
• New scripted event system
• Talent system for character progression
• Reworked tutorials

The community is especially looking forward to the introduction of rival factions with version 1.0 and the new ending of the campaign. Joonas Rikkonen, Barotrauma's lead developer, states: “Barotrauma has been a great community-assisted effort for almost a decade now, and we’re thrilled to be reaching 1.0 after all these years. We can’t wait to hear what our players think about the faction overhaul and the real ending of the campaign, and look forward to making more updates even after this release.”

Key Features

• Manage intricate submarine systems to survive in the depths below Europa, one of Jupiter’s frozen moons.
• Five classes: submarine captain, engineer, mechanic, medic, and assistant.
• Explore a vast ocean filled with alien life, ruins and other secrets daring to be explored.
• Work together in adrenaline-filled 2D co-op multiplayer with up to 16 players. Or betray your crew and bury them in the depths...
• Complex management and crafting systems.
• Procedurally created levels and events ensure no two games are the same.
• Distinct animation style and ragdoll physics.
• Monster Maker: Transform the game via Steam workshop and create your own sprites, submarines, levels – or alien monsters – for other players to download.

Currently available through Steam Early Access, Barotrauma is coming to PC (Steam) in early 2023.