5 Best Games Like Age of Water

Three Whales Studio’s Age of Water is but a hop, skip, and a stone’s throw away, which means fledgling voyagers and nautical-loving pioneers won’t have to wait all that long to get their hands on the brand-new MMO. If, however, you happen to fall under that umbrella of like-minded users, and aren’t entirely willing to wait for the game’s debut, then don’t fret — we’ve got a few close alternatives that’ll keep you busy for the next several months.

5. Sea of Thieves

If it’s a swashbuckling life out on the high seas that you’re after, and not to mention a pirate one, to boot, then you ought to walk the plank that is Sea of Thieves’ enormous aquatic sandbox world. Like Age of Water, Sea of Thieves is an MMORPG, and one that features a wide variation of customizable vessels, as well as obtainable loot, artifacts, and upgrades. It’s also in possession of an entire anthology of Tall Tales, too—episodic campaigns in which characters such as Jack Sparrow play crucial roles in each of the overarching narratives.

Sea of Thieves comes loaded with a literal ocean of content, which not only includes epic quests across vast biomes, but a mixture of secret locations, as well as high-octane naval missions and PvP battles. Suffice it to say, there’s more than enough to sift through in Rare’s ever-popular pirate-centric MMO, so if you’re on the hunt for something with a great deal of depth, then be sure to onboard Sea of Thieves the next time you’re out scrubbing the barrel.

4. Sunkenland

Sunkenland doesn’t stray all that far from the core setup that Age of Water employs, in the fact that players are tasked with learning how to survive in a world that’s overrun with water. As one of the few remaining citizens of the sunken planet, you must gather resources, hunt animals, and above all, figure out how to develop a base that’ll keep you afloat for when the going gets tough. Easier said than done, of course, what with most supplies being well out of reach and what have you.

At its core, Sunkenland is a survival-crafting game, and one that primarily infuses base-building into other traditional components, such as tower-defense, as well as role-playing. The goal, in short, is to carve a base out of the world’s watery remains, and establish a foothold in a society that’s already struggling to keep its head above water. Literally.

3. Raft

Raft slots you into the shoes of a scout—a brave soul who’s only purpose is to venture out into the depths of a post-apocalyptic sea and forage for resources and, with any luck, a new settlement to build on. Like Age of Water, the game tasks players with exploring vast open seas and searching for valuable tools to use for building, crafting, and developing pivotal blueprints to aid humanity’s quest for survival.

Like a lot of survival-crafting games, Raft has an admirable share of crafting options, as well as a good amount of base-building (or raft-building, in this case) options, too. Also like a lot of survival-crafting games on the market, Raft also comes with its share of obstacles, including but not limited to the sharks that roam the seas in search of their next meal. Aside from all that, there are also hazardous weather conditions to endure, and not to mention a boatload of environmental issues to wade through, too.

2. Stranded Deep

Stranded Deep may not have the same amount of raft-building components as Age of Water, but it does, more or less, have a healthy amount of customizable elements, few of which revolve around the actual building of a boat. Aside from that, however, the bulk of the game sets itself around a remote island, as well as a lone survivor’s desperate attempts to stay afloat in a world that’s cast him aside to the sharks.

In Stranded Deep, you get to play as a person who, in the aftermath of a fateful plane collision, is left to roam a seemingly empty island locale—a distant place in which resources are scarce, and the only form of civilization is hundreds, if not thousands of miles away. Your goal: smash a few coconuts, and figure out how to survive without so much as a flask of water to keep you from succumbing to dehydration. And not only that, but also learning how to deal with the heat, and not to mention the poisonous creatures that patrol the shores.

1. Under the Waves

If you’d much rather delve into the bottomless depths of the ocean than simply meander around the surface, then you ought to give Under the Waves some thought. As a story-driven game at heart, it doesn’t necessarily provide all that many opportunities to flesh out a vessel, but it does cough up plenty of exploration, crafting, and even a rather compelling narrative, too. And while it isn’t the longest game in the world, it does manage to churn out a few good beats and tug on all the right heartstrings.

Under the Waves transports you to an underwater realm, of which you are given the duty of clearing debris, fixing machinery, and keeping tabs on the sea critters that call the depths of the ocean their home. Think Firewatch, but with less lookout points and wildfires, and you’ll have a rough idea of what Under the Waves’ premise is all about. To put it simply, it’s all about the beauty of isolation, as well as the trials and tribulations one person must go through to find inner peace. It’s touching, to say the least, and the slightest bit eerie, even — provided you have an underlying fear of what looms beneath the surface, that is.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up any of the above five Age of Water alternatives this month? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.