Crash Dive
This is the most glitchy cheating game I have ever played! The number of escorts or cargo ships is never what it says it is. It will say 3 escorting ships and when it loads there are always far more! As soon as your first torpedo hits, the escorts shove all the ship around and scatter them so multiple torpedo shots at multiple targets will not hit. Any ships left warp speed away at speeds ranging from 35 knot to Mach 7! Especially battleships. If you are spotted, a large battleship magically blasts off to at least 50 knots leaving no chance of sinking it. The escorts cheat like crazy, they ghost through other ships to intercept you and suffer no damage from colliding with other ships. To top it all off just as you get out of range of sonar dectection of enemy ships, the damnest thing happens detect you again resetting the alarm timer. Cheating a player in a game is no way to increase difficulty! SCREW THIS GAME!! No wonder people still play old games from way back when! I AM NEVER PLAYING ANOTHER GAME ON STEAM AGAIN!
– Real player with 185.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Naval Combat Simulation Games.
I’m a huge modded SHIII and SHIV player so I initially scoffed at this one, given how arcady it is, but I caved and bought it because it has to do with subs and let’s face it, there aren’t many sub games around. Shockingly… I don’t hate it. In fact, it’s pretty damn entertaining for short stretches. It’s not a sim by any means, but it doesn’t really pretend to be either. It’s a bit like Aces of the Deep, which, when it came out (10 billion years ago), felt like a Sim because of the immersion factor, but deep down had mechanics that were not far from Crash Dive’s. I feel like the devs left out a lot of immersion to save on costs and also probably from Political Correctness concerns, but that’s really not a huge deal in the end. If you want to play Aces it runs fine under dosbox if you find the right version, but this gives you fairly similar gameplay with passable graphics and a laser focus on quickly resolving encounters so you can go do something else without giving the whole thing too much thought. It’s bite size, and it’s good. Get it if you like WWII sub stuff.
– Real player with 87.0 hrs in game
Silent Hunter 5®: Battle of the Atlantic
So, Just to preface my positive review, you MUST get the Wolves of Steel mega-modset for this game off of the Subsim(dot)com for it to work right. A quick google search will direct you to the forum to find it.
With the modset, the game is amazing. Manually inputting info into the TDC, customizing the game-play to the level of realism you want (within reason), and sinking tonnage. There is nothing more satisfying than sneaking a volley of torpedoes through a destroyer screen to sink a Queen Elizabeth-class Battleship, and get away with it, or hit a 7km torpedo shot because you did the proper calculations and they never even knew you were there. (personal experiences, yours may vary) There are still a few bugs here and there in the modset, but once you recognize them, a quick save and reload will fix them up.
– Real player with 267.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Naval Combat Simulation Games.
This game had so much promise. You can get around the hell of Uplay, but the game is really really, really buggy. And the fact that most mods dont work with the steam version, your just sol. The game is visually beautiful, and there is something inertly great about being stealthy in the sea and then evaiding capture, but the bugs will have you ripping your hair out. Radar contacts sometimes dont work, and you’ll be searching for multiple hours real time waiting to run into someone. AA gunners wont attack planes that are VERY relentless, let alone actually kill them. 6/10 times they wont even shoot at the plane when you have the gun armed, manned and ready; and when they do attack, 8/10 times even an experienced gunner wont bring them down.
– Real player with 239.6 hrs in game
Silent Hunter®: Wolves of the Pacific U-Boat Missions
First, let me say this is NOT a first person shooter. This is a detailed, “all the widgets are under your control” submarine simulation.
The learning curve on this game can be prohibitively steep but there are some great tutorials and let’s play videos on you-tube that can get you up and running.
The game is actively supported by the folks over at subsim.com and there are more MODS than you’ll ever need.
The game can be manageable but enjoyable if you go for auto-targeting but the manual targeting option is a bit daunting. I wish that it were more granular. For instance, I could see separating the task of ship recognition from the trigonometry of torpedo aiming.
– Real player with 191.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Naval Combat Simulation Games.
A Type XVIII U-Boat at 116knts speed with H2O2 boost activated. Not exactly realistic, but really hilarious.
The base game itself already has a plethora of content to explore and play around; the singleplayer campaigns for the Germans and Americans are sufficient for many hours of gameplay. It is also possible to mod the game to expand game content or enhance realism. Otherwise, you could tinker with the submarine files in S3D Editor, handy if you want to become the uber submarine as aforementioned.
– Real player with 117.3 hrs in game
Silent Hunter® III
Silent Hunter III …. a 2005 game but….. Remember what i already tell you before…..
Old but gold…
SH III is the best of the series….. !
Why ?? I will tell you why.
Because Silent Hunter III is very close to whats happen in 39 45 under the water…..
Yeah i am a big u-boat fan, i live close to the sea in a place where still WW II Bunker.
88 Canon, S Boot base and more………
I collect WW I and WW II insignia, u-boat insignia, badge, eitterkreuz, bayonet bullet….
This dont make me a nazist x)
– Real player with 238.3 hrs in game
SH3 is one of those games that you need to invest time in. It is a perfect example of a “Dad game,” as Yahtzee Crowshaw once put it. It’s meticulously detailed, and you must learn all of the different eccentricities of the sub to be a great captain.
It uses the real-life technological limitations from WWII to define the gameplay. Want to fire off a torpedo? A standard gas-powered torpedo leaves a trail of bubbles in the water, which ships can detect in advance and will swerve to avoid your torpedo. You can fire an electric torpedo, but you’ll need to be close, or else the battery in the torpedo will die and it won’t reach your target. SH3 is filled with these sorts of tactical nuances that really make it satisfying to play.
– Real player with 201.3 hrs in game
Silent Service 2
For those who say the keyboard controls don’t work: There are a few keys that are different from what’s listed in the manual. For the F1-12 keys, you have to hold the fn button while you press them. LIkewise, press alt + a to toggle animation (in an ambush on multiple warships or when evading multiple depth charges, the animation will quickly fuck with your program, so.) and alt +s to toggle slow speed/save game. As far as I can tell all other keys work as described in the manual. The full manual is available here but even if it weren’t, you can find the PDF online.
– Real player with 238.2 hrs in game
LOOOK! It’s an old Game, but a beeutiey! Bought DEARLY, in an era of i.b.m,, ( I.B.M. WITHOUT Steroids). Consoles were withering, after much Success, in the Ei8ghties, and a bugeoning Legacy of Mouse, Joystick, Graphic SURFACE experience, and Pixels, was there for those with the Money. So S.S.II. options are somewhat to be considered. At least Steam offers options, that may only allow “‘best fit " , particularilly for those that complain about the Price.
NO!!!! I’sa no lover of the BUY - as - you - RENT, in lieu of genuine ownership of a game, that hopefully has “BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY” for decent generational duration, that exists only in “THUNDERSTORM " clouds.
– Real player with 174.5 hrs in game
Uboat Commander
“U-boat Commander” is an upcoming strategy game in which players take a Wolfpack commander role in the Second World War. Their task is to plan, synchronize, and execute u-boat attacks on Allied convoys in the Atlantic Ocean.
Use the tactical map to give orders to your u-boats. Find enemy convoys and plan your ambush.
Use existing Wolfpack tactics and synchronize attacks for maximum effect.
If you wish, you can take direct control over any of your u-boats and execute the attack yourself. Load and flood torpedos, manage the crew, aim with observation or attack periscope, fire, and watch enemies sink.
Recruit crewmembers, assign and manage crew roles to optimize the performance of your u-boats.
Use the Enigma machine to send encoded messages to your Wolfpacks.
Evade being discovered, try to escape or obey “Standing War Order 483” and fight off enemy aircraft.
Assure the safe return of your ships and become a real u-boat commander!
Wolfpack
As a sub sim enthusiast since 688 attack sub (1989) I can tell you that Wolfpack is the next sub sim you’re going to want to play and will probably continue to play for years to come. This game is truly a profound experience!
To those with some familiarity with this genre you can expect this title to fall on the opposite end of the spectrum that the recent release UBOAT is on. Uboat is a crew management simulation. For perspective, Silent Hunter III would fall somewhere in the middle, as there is time compression and crew management but the player orders their crew to perform the individual functions on the boat.
– Real player with 266.1 hrs in game
First off, if you are looking for single player experience, go back and grab yourself SH5 and The wolves of steel modpack.
That is, in my opinion, the best submarine simulator there is.
That being said, Wolfpack has unique hands on approach with controlling the boat itself, and it really is the best aspect of the whole game, that and the ability to play with other people.
After all the good things (two things) to say about this “sim”, I would NOT recommend the game for anybody. Not on the regular price at the very least. The game is really buggy (graphic glitches, sound bugs of massive forest fire starting on your boat, being able to drive too deep with diesel engines running, AI only caring about the boat that has done the most damage. to mention a few)
– Real player with 180.2 hrs in game
Cold Waters
After playing Cold Waters for a little over 110 hours, I regret that despite giving the game its due diligence, I must award it with a strong down-vote. When I purchased Cold Waters, I was expecting a reasonable successor to Sub Command. Unfortunately, with exception to the Unity engine and visuals, it falls short across all categories.
First, problem set up is well, a problem. When beginning a battle, the player never finds himself in a favorable position in front of the target(s). In fact, the player will always be placed slightly forward or aft of abeam the mission objective, several thousand yards out. This forces the player to increase speed, to close distance, to increase the effectiveness of his already ineffective weapons. This will always result in detection, and ambushes are thus made impossible. Even during a campaign, if a commander sets himself in front of a strike group or landing force, when the engagement begins, he will be placed as previously stated, normally sailing at 10 knots, instead of all stop or rigged for ultra quiet.
– Real player with 151.7 hrs in game
As a big fan of air and naval warfare simulation and strategy\tactical titles, I was naturally drawn to Cold Waters.
I came to this from a DW\SH background like many others it seems. However I was under no illusion that this is a successor\replacement\copy, this is new title doing things it’s own ways. Which is excellent, Coming to Cold Waters with any assumption that this replaces “Insert your favorite subsim here” will probably lead to disappointment. An open mind is needed blinkered to the past as much as possible and you can see CW for the little masterpiece that it is.
– Real player with 143.5 hrs in game
Silent Hunter®: Wolves of the Pacific
This game is perhaps the best submarine simulator out there. It HAS it’s problems and I sometimes think that the Ubisoft people should be shot for the bugs they left in the game. But the bugs are avoidable/fixable for the most part and there’s an active support community at SUBSIM.COM that make it lovable. After a hiatus of two years I’m back at it playing the Fall of the Rising Sun mod and loving it.
This is NOT the arcade game that allows you to plink at ships from your submarine. If your emphasis is on realism, you can make it very challenging and still be fun.
– Real player with 474.6 hrs in game
I was hesitant to purchase a 12 year old game. But all indications and articles I read was that this game was the defacto best simulation game for a submarine.
I also wanted a WWII American side war game.
This game delivers on both, aged as it is.
The graphics are not 2019 standards by any means but in general they are pretty darn good.
The mechanics of the gameplay and submarine simulation are amazing.
There is plenty to keep you interested.
I have been playing for about 40 days straight and have gone through a WWII career from 1941 to 1945. Lots of fun.
– Real player with 360.8 hrs in game
Submarine War
Hello/Bonjour Developer Deyin Song,
When I was a kid back in the sixties, my mom would let me play “Periscope” at Montréal Bonaventure train station.
The big arcade style machine, had it’s inner workings all in electric and mechanical systems.
No fancy electronics here, synchronized luminous bulbs, and immersive sound effects.
Of course Submarine War is not a U-Boat style complex game, but it triggered my nostalgia memories big time.
It runs smoothly, pretty good graphics, and a little strategy towards the middle of the levels.
– Real player with 3.6 hrs in game
19/10 would get free achievements again
– Real player with 2.3 hrs in game