Barotrauma

About

Barotrauma is a submarine survival simulator set in a distant future where humans mine resources from the frozen ocean of Jupiter’s moon Europa. Players manage a crew aboard a deep-sea vessel, balancing mechanical repairs, resource gathering, and fending off alien sea creatures that can crush hulls with a single bite. Tasks range from fixing oxygen systems to navigating icy trenches, with every decision impacting the crew’s chances of staying alive. The game supports solo play or co-op with friends, adding layers of chaos when teamwork falters or sabotage creeps in. Inspired by classic sci-fi simulations, Barotrauma has built a dedicated following since its 2023 release. Its mix of tense base management and unpredictable underwater threats earned it over 100,000 concurrent players on Steam within a year. The game’s focus on emergent gameplay, like fending off a massive leviathan while dealing with a malfunctioning reactor, keeps each run fresh. Available on PC, Linux, and Mac, it thrives on community-modded content and regular developer updates, making it a long-lasting pick for fans of high-stakes teamwork and survival.

Storyline

Barotrauma takes place several hundred years in the future. In this time, humanity has established several colonies on Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons. Due to the deadly amounts of radiation on the surface of the moon, the colonies are constructed under its icy crust. The vast subsurface ocean under the crust is used as a transport route between the colonies and a source of natural resources. In Barotrauma, the player will step into the boots of a recruit on board a submarine traveling in the subsurface ocean. The player’s job is to keep the submarine operational, while carrying out various tasks to earn funds for buying supplies and hiring new crew members. Maintaining and operating the submarine itself isn’t the only challenge, as the ocean is filled with bizarre creatures ranging from harmless small fish to gigantic horrors more than capable of destroying the entire vessel.