5 Best Submarine Video Games Of All Time, Ranked

Across the medium's history, there is no shortage of video games that have players controlling planes, spaceships, and automotive vehicles. What is more of a niche within the video game industry are titles that place players in control of a submarine cruising underwater. That said, submarine simulators have a surprisingly long-running history in the industry, one that dates back to its formative years. This includes the 1976 title "Sea Wolf," a hit '70s video game that no one remembers today.

Of course, submarine games didn't stop getting made after the '70s, with the genre continuing on 50 years later. This ranges from tactical action experiences to ones that put a stronger emphasis on deep-sea exploration. We're taking a look at the standout submarine-centric video games that aficionados should try next, across a variety of tones and experiences. These are the five best submarine video games of all time ranked, each putting their own twist on undersea action.

1990 saw the release of two different fantastic submarine simulators on PC with "Silent Service II" and "Wolfpack." The latter was developed by NovaLogic and published by Broderbund Software, revolving around naval combat in the Atlantic between the Allied and Axis forces during World War II. Players are given the option to either play as German U-boats hunting Allied convoys traversing the ocean or as the Allied ships defending the convoys from Axis submarines. Combat unfolds in real-time, with players getting access to different vessels and features as they progress through the missions.

"Silent Service II" is a bit more technical in how it approaches its own WWII submarine action, while also being set in the Pacific theater of the war. What I appreciate about "Wolfpack," by direct comparison, is how relatively straightforward and accessible it is with its approach to naval combat. The Atlantic setting is also richly developed and the option to play as Allied patrols adds to the gameplay variety and scope. One of the best naval combat PC games of the early '90s, "Wolfpack" brings the WWII intrigue to its hunter-hunted dynamic on the high seas.

When it comes to long-running submarine simulators, there's really no topping Ubisoft's "Silent Hunter" franchise. Among the series' best is its 2007 release, "Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific" for PC. As the subtitle suggests, the game is set throughout the Pacific theater of World War II, while its subsequent DLC expansion adds German U-boats to the mix. The game features an ambitious campaign mode, with playthroughs informed by how players handle the various objectives and mission conditions as the story proceeds.

"Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific" stands far superior to its 2010 sequel, largely because of its accessibility. The game is easy to pick up and play while lending itself well to overall immersion, including improved technical presentation in comparison to its predecessors. At the time of this writing, both "Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific" and its DLC are currently available for purchase on Steam. That makes now the perfect time to check out Ubisoft's underrated submarine series if you missed it the first time around.

The 1988 game "Red Storm Rising" capitalized on Cold War anxieties as it adapted Tom Clancy's novel of the same name, depicting NATO and the Soviet Union going to war. That submarine simulator serves as the key inspiration behind the 2017 Cold War naval combat game "Cold Waters." Developed and published by Killerfish Games, the game has the Soviet Union and NATO fight for supremacy of the oceans when World War III breaks out. Players can choose from dozens of ships as the conflict unfolds on the high seas between the superpowers.

"Cold Waters" isn't just the heir apparent to "Red Storm Rising," but also "Silent Hunter" while that series continues to lie dormant. Like the Ubisoft franchise, the game features a dynamic campaign, affected by player decisions and objectives completed in each mission. This adds to a healthy amount of replayability, while the overall experience dials up the naval simulator realism. A must-play for fans of naval tactical action games, "Cold Waters" helps fill the void that "Silent Hunter" left behind.

The very first free game offered by the Epic Games Store was "Subnautica," when one doesn't count titles that were free-to-play to begin with. The 2018 game placed players on an alien world covered in expansive oceans teeming with exotic flora and fauna for players to document. This was followed by a direct sequel, "Subnautica 2," in 2026, with the player character investigating what became of a colony on an oceanic moon. Like the original game, players get access to a set of submersibles to venture deeper underwater as they continue to explore their otherworldly surroundings.

The original "Subnautica" was one of the best PC open-world games that flew under the radar and its sequel doubles down on the underwater scope. What gives the 2026 game the edge over its predecessor, in addition to its superior technical presentation, is its inclusion of cooperative multiplayer. Friends can now face the terrors of the deep together and, believe me, there are plenty of leviathans lurking in the depths. A worthy sequel that does indeed go bigger and better with its exploratory experience, "Subnautica 2" is a lot of fun.

As mentioned before, Ubisoft's "Silent Hunter" series has been a consistent source of engaging submarine action on PC. The pinnacle of the series is its 2005 installment, "Silent Hunter III," continuing the World War II action of its predecessors. Like "Silent Hunter II," the game is set primarily in the Atlantic Ocean during the conflict, with players controlling a U-boat as the war rages on. Players target Allied convoys and warships throughout the ocean on a generated map or can relive historical missions in campaign mode.

"Silent Hunter III" really captures the core appeal of its series and submarine video game combat in general, letting players toggle with how realistic they want the gameplay to be. Unfortunately, "Silent Hunter" has become a dead video game franchise, with its last title released in 2010 and the series showing no signs of being revived. But in the meantime, as with "Silent Hunter 4," "Silent Hunter III" is still currently available for purchase on Steam. That means if you're looking for a peak submarine video game experience on PC, "Silent Hunter III" is ready and waiting.