Barotrauma

Barotrauma asks a group of players to operate a submarine under the ice of Jupiter's moon Europa. FakeFish and Undertow Games built a two-dimensional vessel that feels like a place with real systems, not a moving backdrop. There are doors, pumps, wiring, medical supplies, weapons, and a reactor that somebody has to monitor. Outside is a hostile ocean. Inside is a crew whose idea of a routine trip is usually about to be corrected.

Players can take different jobs: captain, engineer, mechanic, medic, security, or assistant. Each role can help the vessel survive, but no one is exempt from emergencies. A breach floods compartments while creatures push from outside; someone repairs the hull, someone treats injuries, and someone else tries to keep the submarine off the seabed. The memorable part is how these jobs collide. A good decision in one room can become a problem in another if nobody explains what they are doing.

The campaign gives that pressure a longer shape. Crews take missions, buy supplies, improve equipment, and move between outposts. The workshop and custom submarine tools create plenty of room to reshape a voyage. A dedicated server can host a crew of up to sixteen, although a smaller group is often easier to manage while everyone learns the machinery. Online multiplayer is the heart of the game; it is not a promise of couch play or native gamepad support.

The learning curve is real. The controls are dense, the systems can fail together, and a new player may spend their first voyage unsure where to put a wrench. Some groups enjoy the possibility of sabotage; others should set clear expectations before starting. Barotrauma is at its best when the crew is willing to communicate and treat a disaster as part of the evening rather than a wasted run.

Custom submarines make that cooperation feel even more personal. A layout can be optimized for a disciplined crew or become a maze that new recruits will need to learn under pressure. The submarine's design changes where a breach is most dangerous, how quickly supplies can reach an injured teammate, and whether the captain can get useful information before giving an order. Building or choosing the right vessel is part of preparing the whole group, not just picking a cosmetic skin.

We keep it here because a cooperative game should give everyone agency. Barotrauma makes a mechanic's quick repair as dramatic as a captain's order, and it gives a party stories that would be impossible to plan.