Open-world video games have become popular due to their immersive nature, which puts players in a breathable, lifelike world. Series such asGrand Theft Auto, The Legend of Zelda, andFar Cryhave cementedopen-world gamesas staples in most gaming libraries.
While most open-world games contain water elements in some capacity, surprisingly few offer any depth to swimming and underwater gameplay mechanics. However, this is not the case for a few standout titles with excellent underwater mechanics that lean on combat to make exploring underwater environments fresh and exciting.
The hit PlayStation franchiseHorizongot a blockbuster sequel in 2022 with the release ofHorizon Forbidden West.Set in the lands of the ‘Forbidden West,’ players must discover the mysteries behind why Earth is undergoing a rapid extinction.
Traversing vast open-world landscapes, new environments, and technical monstrosities, Aloy, the main protagonist, must overcome all odds to stop Earth from dying. One of the new features ofForbidden Westis theability to traverse underwaterand explore its vast depths.
Players must avoid machines such as Tide Rippers and Snapmaws (even scarier underwater) in intense stealth scenarios that require Aloy to hide within collapsed, ruined buildings and copious amounts of seaweed. Although Aloy doesn’t have any underwater combat abilities of her own, enemies can attack her while she’s submerged and vulnerable, making for some tense chases and stealth encounters. It’s not all stealth avoidance, though; there are several points in the game where Aloy can discover a ballista hidden underwater, allowing her cathartic moments of fighting back in an otherwise very vulnerable position.
Fans love the famedAssassin’s Creed 4: Black Flagbecause of its excellent story, gameplay, and underwater mechanics. Set during the golden age of piracy in the West Indies, the game follows Edward Kenway as he journeys to become king of the seas as a pirate using assassin tactics.Black Flagfeatures real-life historical pirates such as Black Beard (Edward Thatch) and Benjamin Hornigold, expertly woven into the game’s story.
Regarding underwater combat mechanics,Black Flagdoes not disappoint — players can control Edward in exploring certain underwater locations, such as ship wreckages and ruins of ancient sunken cities.
These underwater areas are often extensive, with plenty of loot to uncover. Players can also fight Sharks in epic close-quarter combat and witness secrets, such as a fight between a Kraken and a Sperm Whale. While the underwater combat inAssassin’s Creed 4: Black Flagis not extensive, it is still some of the best, with intense, up-close-and-personal fight sequences with the deadliest creatures of the sea.
Whilemany games in theFar Cryseriesfeature underwater combat,Far Cry 4is arguably the best open-world game in the series to feature underwater combat mechanics. InFar Cry 4, players take control of the protagonist, Ajay Ghale, who looks to spread his mother’s ashes in the land of Kyrat.
Upon landing in the country, players find themselves caught up in a brutal civil war between a freedom fighter organization known as the Golden Path and the flamboyant dictator Pagan Min’s Royal Army. Set in Asia, the land of Kyrat is a dense, beautiful paradise with manyinteresting biomesto explore and people to meet.
Far Cry 4has great underwater combat, with players able to defeat enemies underwater, fight demon fish (inspired by the Goliath Tiger Fish) that plague the rivers and oceans, and even explore underwater caves such as Yalung’s Maw, containing rare loot. The fight with the demon fish is notable, with the fish being one of the game’s most elusive and dangerous freshwater fish. Players can hunt the fish using weapons and even go after the legendary black water dragon fish.
Other underwater creatures to encounter include the mugger crocodile.Far Cry 4— due to its great variety of unique creatures you can hunt underwater and weapon assortment — is one of the best open-world games in terms of underwater combat mechanics.
2025-06-05
Publisher(s)
Lighthouse Game Studio
Death In The Water 2is an open-world underwaterexploration gamethat puts you in the shoes of a diver who must traverse a vast open map filled with dangerous creatures that are controlled by Death. One, in particular, is the Kracken that stalks you as you explore to find lost treasure and loot. The game gives players access to a vast arsenal of weapons, such as a harpoon gun, to fight these beasts.
Death In The Water 2is this list’s most terrifying open-world game, featuring exhilarating but fearsome underwater combat with both real and fictional beasts. Players can also play different modes, likeopen-world survivaland a campaign.
Subnauticahas the best open-world underwater combat mechanics in gaming.Subnauticais set on an alien underwater planet, whereby players must do all that is necessary to survive the danger of living at sea. Players cancraft, build their own base, and even hunt for wildlife in an epic underwater open-world environment.
Players fight large, powerful enemies such as the sea dragon and reaper leviathan using knives and torpedos. The game even lets players wield a Prawn Suit, which they can pair with a drill arm to attack monsters.Subnauticais one of the few open-world games that focuses on providing underwater combat with a degree of depth and sophistication.
Across the board,Subnauticais the best open world for underwater combat mechanics.Subnauticalater got a sequel namedSubnautica, Below Zero,featuring a freezing environment and new monsters to defeat.
