Let’s be honest for a second. Most online co-op games test your friendships. You argue over who gets the loot, who missed the jump, or who triggered the alarm. But nothing says “true bonding experience” quite like being trapped inside a pressurized metal tube thousands of feet below sea level, watching your best friend panic press glowing red buttons while the engine room actively fills with water.
Welcome to S.O.N.A.R. (Submarine Operators Not Actually Ready), a hilariously chaotic 1–4 player online coop submarine simulator coming soon to Steam. If you love proximity chat coop games where communication immediately devolves into screaming, this might just be your next favorite digital disaster.
What is S.O.N.A.R.?
Developed by Abylight Barcelona, S.O.N.A.R. puts you and up to three friends in command of a cutting edge combat submarine. The catch? None of you actually know how to run a submarine.
Your crew must work in perfect (or highly dysfunctional) harmony to manage nine critical stations, including navigation, diving, sonar, periscope operations, engineering, and damage control. Sinking is always just one miscommunication away. When a pipe bursts, the sonar goes blind, and the kitchen catches fire all at once, your only hope of survival is coordination. Or, you know, to yell at the engineer who was supposed to be fixing the leaks but got distracted.
High-Stakes Underwater Missions
The oceans are under hostile control, and apparently, the military was desperate enough to hire you. You’ll have to gather a crew of highly trained specialists, or at least three people who claim they read the manual, to tackle dangerous underwater operations:
- Seek and Destroy: Track down hostile vessels using your sonar and send them to the bottom of the sea. Ideally, do this before they do the exact same thing to you.
- Stealth Infiltration: Slip past enemy destroyers undetected. The rules of stealth are simple: stay quiet, stay dark, and whatever you do, do not sneeze.
- Escort Duties: Protect valuable cargo ships through dangerous waters.
- Salvage and Treasure Hunts: Scan the murky ocean floor for lost riches, forgotten artifacts, and depressing evidence of previous crews’ terrible decisions.
Survive the Machine (and Your Friends)
In S.O.N.A.R. [LINK STEAM], mechanical failures are only half the battle. You also have to manage the fragile human beings running them. You’ll need to keep an eye on your crew’s food supplies, rest schedules, and well being. If you neglect them for too long, they’ll become exhausted, severely seasick, delirious, or simply incapable of following basic directions.
But hey, if you’re going to make awful life choices at the bottom of the sea, you might as well look fantastic doing it. The game features deep character customization, letting you choose from dozens of uniforms, accessories, and incredibly questionable fashion statements.
Join the Madness on Steam
If you are looking for one of the best cooperative multiplayer games to ruin your friendships in 2027, look no further. S.O.N.A.R. is officially coming to Steam.
Are you ready to captain a submarine, or are you just ready to sink trying? Head over to the Steam page right now, add it to your wishlist, and sign up for the upcoming playtests to prove your total lack of maritime readiness!
