Most of us have absolutely no business operating heavy machinery, let alone a multi million dollar, highly pressurized military submarine. But, you can now drag your friends to the bottom of the ocean to do exactly that.
If you’ve been looking for a reason to yell at your gaming group in real time, the wait is over. The doors are officially swinging open, and you can now sign up to join the S.O.N.A.R. (Submarine Operators Not Actually Ready) playtest on Steam.
Here is everything you need to know about getting your hands on a key, testing your survival instincts, and inevitably sinking to the ocean floor.
What is S.O.N.A.R. Anyway?
Think of it as the ultimate test of friendship, communication, and panic management. S.O.N.A.R. is a chaotic 1–4 player online coop submarine simulator where you and your crew have to manage nine critical stations, like navigation, sonar, engineering, and weapon systems, in a first-person view.
The catch? When the engine room catches fire and the hull starts leaking from twelve different places at once, you’ll have to use the game’s proximity chat to figure out who is supposed to be fixing it. More often than not, you’ll find out your designated engineer got distracted customizing their character’s hat or eating the crew’s emergency food rations.
When is the Playtest Happening?
This is a highly limited first look at the game. You’ll be notified once you join the playtest, and you can check the events on our Steam page for more detailed info on the availability of this playtest.
We want you to break things, push the machinery to its absolute limits, and tell us exactly what you love. Feedback is highly appreciated.
How to Get Your Playtest Key on Steam
Securing your spot in the underwater madness is incredibly simple. You don’t need a secret code or a military clearance level. Just follow these steps:
- Head over to the official S.O.N.A.R. Submarine Operators Not Actually Ready page on Steam.
- Scroll down to the section that says “Join the S.O.N.A.R. Playtest.”
- Click the “Request Access” button.
- Keep an eye on your inbox! Steam will notify you as soon as your access is granted and the build is ready to download.
Don’t forget to hit that Wishlist button while you’re there. It helps our small team at Abylight Barcelona immensely, and it ensures you won’t miss a single update as we head toward our full release in 2027.
Grab your friends, request your keys, and we’ll see you in the deep blue!
