A navy is more than just a collection of ships. It's strategy. It's firepower. And it’s a healthy dose of pure, unadulterated swagger, all rolled into one glorious fleet. These are the games that let players do it all: design their own warships from the keel up, engage in tense, cat-and-mouse naval battles, or just relive some of history's most epic conflicts on the high seas.
10 Best Open-World Games With Ship Combat, Ranked
For any fan of piracy-themed open-world naval combat games, these titles shouldn't be overlooked.
Whether fans prefer the satisfying crunch of a ship-to-ship broadside, the cold, clinical tension of a modern missile duel, or a glorious sandbox where their own imagination can build the ultimate dreadnought, these are the titles that give the chance to feel like a proper admiral, with the fate of nations hanging on their every single order.
Sid Meier's Pirates!
The Original, and Still Untouchable, High Seas Sandbox
Sid Meier's Pirates!
- Released
- November 22, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Alcohol Reference, Mild Language, Mild Violence, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Firaxis Games
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Action-Adventure
Few games have ever managed to capture the pure, swashbuckling romance of the Age of Sail quite like this one. Players are not just controlling a ship, but enacting a force of nature, roaming the beautiful, sun-drenched Caribbean as a privateer, capturing entire towns, hunting for buried treasure, and building a mighty armada that can challenge the Spanish Main itself, all while trying to woo a few governors’ daughters on the side.
Every choice made, every ship captured, feels like another step on the journey to becoming a legendary captain. The sheer, unbridled freedom to just live a swashbuckling life and command ships of every conceivable size is exactly what makesSid Meier’s Pirates!Endure as one of gaming’s great, timeless naval adventures.
Atlantic Fleet
Where Submarines, Destroyers,And Tense Duels Reign Supreme
Atlantic Fleet
- Released
- February 25, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
Atlantic Fleet takes a much slower, more methodical, more tactical approach to naval warfare. Set during the brutal naval campaigns of World War II, it puts players in command of either Allied or Axis forces in tense turn-based engagements where every single torpedo, every single depth charge, counts. The game's incredible focus on historical accuracy makes every hard-won victory feel so incredibly satisfying.
Its campaign mode lets players gradually build a powerful navy through hard-won strategic victories, forcing them to choose which precious vessels to bring into battle and, more importantly, when to risk them. There's nothing quite like the tense, beautiful satisfaction of landing a perfect, crippling shot on an enemy cruiser after carefully calculating a firing solution.
Ultimate Admiral: Dreadnoughts
Build Your Own Perfect, Glorious Warship
Ultimate Admiral Dreadnoughts
- Released
- January 25, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Real-Time Strategy, Simulation, RPG, Indie Games
- Platform(s)
- PC
If players ever dreamed of designing their own battleship, down to the very calibre of the main guns, thenUltimate Admiral: Dreadnoughtsis where those dreams become a glorious, steel-plated reality. The game’s ridiculously robust ship designer allows tweaking everything, from armor layouts and engine power to weapon placements, until a creation feels like the player's very own, perfect, floating fortress.
Best Naval RTS Games, Ranked
There are plenty of great RTS titles out there, but not all of them offer naval-based experiences. Here are the best ones that do.
And the battles are these large-scale, slow-burning affairs, giving plenty of time to sit back and watch the custom glorious behemoths actually perform in battle as players outmaneuver and outgun the enemy fleets. Watching custom-built dreadnoughts just tear through the enemy lines is the ultimate reward for the hours of meticulous naval engineering.
From the Depths
Where Pure Creativity Meets Unpredictable Chaos
From The Depths
- Released
- August 7, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
Part simulator, part sandbox, From the Depths is just as much about engineering as it is about combat. And players can build absolutely anything that floats, or flies, or even goes into space.From realistic, modern battleships to the most absurd, experimental craft, and then players can take their glorious creations into massive naval wars.
Its voxel-based construction system allows for wonderful levels of customization, which means fans can create a fleet that feels truly, uniquely theirs. And there is justan incredible sense of wonder when a bizarre, over-engineered monstrosity actually works, and begins to dominate the seas.
Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age
Modern Warfare at Sea
No broadsides here. This is the cold, tense, terrifying world of modern naval warfare.Set against the tense backdrop of a Cold War that's gone hot,Sea Power trades the romance of cannons for the cold, clinical reality of long-range missile duels and sonar pings. It's a highly detailed, incredibly deep simulation of modern naval combat, a world where positioning and the ability to detect the enemy are often so much more important than raw firepower.
8 Best Open-World Games With A Focus On Pirate Gameplay
Open-world games give players the freedom to explore vast landscapes, but for those who dream of sailing the high seas, certain titles focus on ship-based adventures. Whether it's commanding a pirate crew, engaging in naval battles, or exploring uncharted waters, these are the 8 best open-world games with a focus on ship and pirate exploration.
Commanders have to coordinate everything: their aircraft, their submarines, their surface vessels across huge, wide-open ocean maps, turning every single battle into a mix of deep strategy and a high-stakes game of poker. One single, well-timed missile strike can decide an entire conflict.
War on the Sea
The Entire Pacific, Right In Your Hands
War On The Sea
- Released
- February 2, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- Simulation, Real-Time Strategy
- Platform(s)
- PC
This game is a love letter to the classic naval sims of old, letting players relive the entire, sprawling Pacific Theater of World War II. Players will manage precious supply lines, position task forces on a grand, strategic map, and then take direct, personal control of their ships in these real-time battles that feel wonderfully cinematic in their scale.
Every single decision has real, tangible weight, from which islands to reinforce to when to commit the fleet to a decisive, all-or-nothing engagement with the enemy. Slowly, painstakingly, players can assemble a naval juggernaut that is capable of dominating the seas, and that journey is both deeply strategic and incredibly rewarding. A must-play for fans of proper, old-school naval command.
10 Best Submarine Games
Players who love exploring the depths of the sea should find plenty to keep them occupied in these games.