Stranded Deep

as someone who played a lot of survival games, this game has nothing that it makes it special. in opposite, what should make this game special only makes the game more suffering. getting to an island from a different island is so challanging, and takes time. the envitory system is trash, literally. you can only stack things upto 4, literally just 4. you'll never will be able to organize your stuff, becuse the only way stack stuff is one type of chest, and it is easy to find, but expensive to make. let's say you have like 30 chests, becuse i did, the only way to stock them is a shelf, which is expensive to make. considering you did craft the shelf, you can only stack 3 chests, which is i'm not talking about you can't put names on it. that's right, you have to memorize which chest contains what you want, and that is a pain in the "bum". the last part is a summary of the whole game, it is a pain in the "bum".

i play this game when The Forest was getting popular so many years has pass and yeah this game idk what happen but it didnt run badly before and the menu for crafting and checking inventory sucks now i m suprise that they fumble so hard also idk was up with the title screen like they wanted to make it similar to subnautica but horror style then after a few minutes the real main menu appear and is this weird windows 7 wallpaper, the ones that where super trippy, on the background feeling shiny and sunny idk wtf is happening i think someone inside decided to change everything at the last stage which as we can see was a bad idea or maybe the lead dev was chasing trends instead of focusing making the game fun i mean this game is The Forest but they wanted subnautica feel about it cuz......there is ......ocean?????

The game aint turning on if try to turn it on normaly.So to turn it on u have to browse the game files and double click on stranded deep BUT not stranded deep x64 cuz its gonna tell you that u have to install some sort of program wich in most cases fails to be downloaded.The disadvantage of this whole thing is that u wont be able to play multiplyer.In rest its a GOOD game.

the idea is really nice but it's awfully optimized... a lottt of bugs, things disappear randomly, in multiplayer you need to wait between 3 minutes and 4 hours just to connect to the server, it disconnects you for no reason, the boars fly for some reason... and there's more! so if you want to rage quit and then do it all over again, play this amazing* game. all i can say is... hopefully sd2 will be better.

amazing game expect the price 30 dollars Australia but everything about it is so good amazing story line good plot twist the best survival game on steam i recommend this if your bored or if you want a fun game

Items keep disappearing I had 2 different rafts which were pulled up on the island ... dry land .... no where near the water and they are just gone and not enough trees left on this one to build another raft .... this sucks

Now have 88 hrs in game the problem above was probably just a glitch anyway I learned to ad the anchor and that seems to have fixed the issue

i love the graphics, especially how i can turn the resolution down barely, and still run 60 frames on my old mac

Clunky as hell. multiplayer requires you to save constantly or risk all progress being lost when a disconnect occurs. inventory management feels bad. maybe the second game will have these issues fixed

its near impossible to get a good start, like near impossible and the bugs are pretty bad sometimes and dont play it unless you wanna play co-op, otherwise just dont get it

its a great game if it works well. I have tried everything and the crafting menu will not open at all leaning the game unplayable, since you need to craft in order to survive let alone save your progress, if fixed then I would recommend.

The crafting can be a bit awkward sometimes but its still a good game and fun to play. also might need a somewhat stronger pc to run it smoothly. it does have laptop settings that really help but i recommend atleast 8gb ram and decent cpu. the game doesnt despawn witch later in the game can make it bit laggy at times

regardless i recommend giving it a shot and if you dont think computer can handle it it is also on console (my brother plays on ps5 and doesnt really have these issues)

Massive changes need to be made. Need to introduce a way of mapping out the islands, and make it possible to see lights from a distance.
I've tried countless ways to find my way back to my own island, after leaving to explore, but there's not way, unless you're a cartographer, of finding your way back a lot of the time.
Clipping in to things is also an issue, through floors, waves in a storm clipping through my buildings is rife.

The game is great despite that, and I do love it, I can spend hours building and gathering materials, but after all this time, it still needs a lot of work, rather than working on a sequel.

+ I had some fun playing the game and exploring it,
- but exploring gets boring in a few hours as there's limited amount of useful items you could scavenge for.
+ It's exciting to find the most picturesque island to build your base on,
- but all of them are generated, hence look the same: not bad, not good - pick any island and you're good to go.
+ Craft system implies upgrading your tools and inventory, it gives you a sense of getting stronger,
- but only for a short amount of time as there are two levels of tools max, there's no armour and basically you'll max everything out in half an hour when get to grips with the local craft system
+ There's an RPG levels system,
- but why? All it does is increase your passive stats, which you don't even notice

Summary - the reviews on Steam don't lie: it looks raw as if it were abandoned in the middle of development process. It lacks features, core gameplay mechanics that would make the game really fun and replayable. Doesn't look like it's gonna get better

I really love this game, but there are a few downsides to the game, and I hope the developers will actually take action and fix it before making a new Stranded Deep 2.

A few downsides that I experienced:

1.) Joining a session takes longer.

2.) We always got disconnected (multiplayer).

3.) Floating plants and animals

For a buggy old game it's pretty fun I do recommend it, though I can't wait for SD2. It should be miles better and the team probably learned a lot from this game to make the second one even greater.

Very buggy game. Tried it and got a refund.

How can the developers make a stranded deep 2 when they never fixed the issues in this game?

I'd love to recommend this game, but quite frankly the controls for doing basic things like starting a fire are so clunky that I can't keep any long term interest in this game. Cool idea, not a great execution, although it is gorgeous

Not immersive enough.

I love crafters, and this seemed like the thing to scratch my itch for castaway style gameplay. But it's not immersive enough. My tools are held in an awkward manner that makes my arm ache just looking at it and also obstructs my field of view. I slash at a crab and red blood spurts out. Tutorial is minimal but what there is, is frustrating. Maybe the next one will be better.

Great game. Compared to the console version, this game doesn't even look like the same game. The graphics are much better; to the point that this game looks absolutely gorgeous. As far as the gameplay goes, SO much better. The console version of this game is a buggy mess, but I haven't had a single problem with the pc version. The animations are much smoother, probably because this game goes up to 240 fps. If I had to nitpick, the only critique I have with this is that the tool belt is basically useless, but other than that an absolutely fantastic experience.

This game is an amazing way to go camping when you cant in real life. It is incredibly enjoyable and if you like a game that takes time, construction and survival, then this game is for you!!!

this games concept is great but the amount of bugs,the whole inventory management being terrible and the fact that you have to log out of the game to use an map also there is no real way to heal other than being full on food and water and not to mention water being the hardest thing to get an constant form of.

This game couples simulation with survival. It's a great progressive game. I give it a 10/10 would recommend

Great game to play alone or with a friend, it has a few bugs as this game was developed by a small studio, but it is inmersive and fun. I bought it on a sale and it was totally worth it. I recommend it if you like chill and survival games.

First-Time Experience in Survival Gaming

I recently dove into my first survival genre game, "Stranded Deep," and it quickly became one of my favorites. From the moment I started playing, I was drawn into a harsh yet captivating environment filled with challenges.

The game mechanics are engaging and intuitive. You begin with minimal resources, which forces you to explore shipwrecks and islands for supplies. Crafting items is essential, as it enhances your attributes for specific classes, such as hunting, physical skills, and cooking. Whether it’s building a shelter or crafting weapons for hunting, every decision matters. The balance between survival necessities like food and water and defending against animals is well-executed, creating a constant sense of awareness and caution.

Visually, "Stranded Deep" is stunning. The environments are beautifully designed, with each area presenting its own unique atmosphere. The graphics enhance immersion, allowing you to truly feel the isolation that comes with survival. The sound design is equally impressive, with ambient ocean sounds making you feel as if you’re really there.

One of the game's strongest aspects is its survival challenge. It punishes a lack of patience but rewards strategic thinking. The game encourages you to think ahead about resource management and make tough decisions that can significantly impact your survival.

Overall, "Stranded Deep" is a fantastic survival game. It effectively combines challenging gameplay, stunning visuals, and immersive sound design to create a memorable experience. If you’re looking for a break from PvP games, "Stranded Deep" will keep you on your toes and test your ingenuity.

Pro's:

Great graphics

Gameplay is okay

Easy to run

------------------------------------------

Con's

There's no story line whatsoever

The beginning of the game is extremely boring

The game is honestly very repetitive

The beginning no where near easy at all or atleast time consuming

The Hud is absolutely horrible and should be reworked

The AI is extremely horrible

There's no NPC'S of what i know of

and more


and the game is pretty expensive for this type of content, overall i recommend buying this on sale, which is what i did, and i would recommend sunkenland a 1000 times more over this game, no offence to any of the dev's or anyone who published or helped in this game, this is my personal opinion.

Its fun to troll around but its such a buggy mess. I wouldnt pay more then maybe 5€

GREAT GAME but a lil buggy id say but amazing 10/10

The game is pretty fun and challenging. I am not recommending this if you plan to play with friends. The disconnects are frequent. Each time a player gets disconnected, you have to wait for the world to sync (pauses the host and player for several minutes). It's a big deal breaker for me- uninstalled.

It's crazy I've had this game since 2015 and It's crazy how many bugs are still here in multiplayer but in single player I relatively dealt with no problems except physics with the built rafts.

loaded back into the game me and my friend been grinding on could not move are raft then it glitches out and starts flying everywhere needs to be fixed please contact me

decent game. storage inventory slot and stack sizes are too small. crop growth is too slow.
it felt clunky and confusing years ago.
it took me a few tries for the game to actually click.
it's much easier than i remember.
the gyro is pretty much useless, unless you find the ship early on.
there is little to no need to build an actual base on an island. a 5x5 raft is the most you need.
4 or 5 stacks of stone spear runs through everything including the bosses.

Clunky inventory and interaction system. Needs a rework that allows direct interaction with constructed equipment without needing to hold items in hands. Storage is very limiting and cumbersome. Requires many round trips to move materials around due to low backpack and box storage capacity. Building system is also buggy. Has potential but needs more work.

Good games make you feel sad when you finish them and this one really hit that spot.
Even though the game feels a little rushed or not very polished it still made me reach 100 hours on it.
9/10 Absolutely recommend

This is such a great survival game, it allows players to know the rules and world quickly, and it has clear goals for the players. However the most challenging task to do is probably finding plants that are the ingredient for strings.

Lovely game. Buggy multiplayer.

You can really enjoy this game with beer.

Game was fun. BUT after you leave the first few islands and you build a few things the game starts de-syncing from your friends game nonstop. you and your friend can build stuff and it doesn't show for the other person, same with items you craft. the entire game just starts to mess up with everything. Not worth it.

Stranded Deep - A Survival Gem with Untapped Potential

After spending countless hours in Stranded Deep, I can confidently say that it is one of the most immersive survival experiences available. The game offers a unique setting, throwing you into the heart of the Pacific Ocean after a harrowing plane crash, leaving you stranded on a deserted island with nothing but your wits to survive. The premise is fantastic, the mechanics are solid, and the sense of isolation is incredibly well executed. However, despite all of its strengths, Stranded Deep suffers from a lack of continued development, leaving vast amounts of untapped potential.

The Survival Experience

One of Stranded Deep’s greatest strengths is its atmosphere. From the moment you wake up in your life raft, the game does an excellent job of making you feel truly alone and vulnerable. The dynamic weather, the day/night cycle, and the beautifully rendered ocean waves create an ever-changing environment that keeps you on your toes. The need to scavenge for food, water, and shelter adds a constant layer of tension, and the crafting system allows you to build everything from basic tools to elaborate rafts.

The procedural generation of islands keeps exploration fresh, and the variety of sea creatures, including sharks, whales, and the elusive giant squid, ensures that you’re always wary of what lurks beneath the surface. The survival elements are well-balanced, requiring players to carefully manage their resources while encouraging them to explore further to progress.

The Thrill of Exploration

Exploration is one of the game’s strongest points. Each island holds new discoveries, whether it’s shipwrecks filled with valuable loot, hidden caves, or dangerous sea creatures waiting to ambush you. The addition of deep-sea diving and underwater wrecks adds an extra layer of tension, as the treasures you seek often come with high risks. The thrill of setting sail on a makeshift raft, navigating treacherous waters, and discovering new islands is one of the most satisfying parts of Stranded Deep.

Where Stranded Deep Falls Short

Unfortunately, despite its impressive survival mechanics and atmosphere, Stranded Deep feels incomplete in many ways. The lack of ongoing development and meaningful updates has left many players, including myself, feeling as though the game has stagnated. The developers have introduced some features over time, but many promised or highly requested mechanics remain absent.

For example, the game world, while beautiful, often feels empty. The islands lack diversity beyond their size and slight terrain variations, and after a while, the excitement of discovering new locations starts to fade. More unique landmarks, deeper lore, or even NPC encounters could have added an extra layer of depth to exploration.

Additionally, the crafting and building systems, while functional, feel somewhat limited. Compared to other survival games, Stranded Deep’s base-building options are quite restricted, making it difficult to create truly impressive settlements. The ability to construct more complex structures, utilize advanced tools, or introduce additional survival elements (such as more diverse farming, animal domestication, or expanded weather effects) could greatly enhance the game’s long-term appeal.

A Stagnant Endgame

One of my biggest frustrations with Stranded Deep is its lack of a compelling endgame. Once you’ve built a stable base, crafted all the necessary tools, and explored most of the islands, there’s very little left to do. The game does feature a final escape mechanic, where players can attempt to leave the archipelago, but it lacks the emotional weight or depth that could make it feel truly satisfying.

Survival games thrive on giving players long-term goals to work toward, whether it’s developing an elaborate home base, uncovering deep lore, or facing increasingly difficult challenges. Stranded Deep fails to capitalize on this, leaving players with an impressive but ultimately shallow experience.

The Verdict: A Great Foundation, But Needs More

Stranded Deep is an enjoyable and immersive survival experience that does a fantastic job of capturing the raw desperation of being stranded at sea. The atmosphere, exploration, and survival mechanics are engaging, and the game provides many hours of entertainment. However, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the game feels unfinished. The lack of updates and expanded mechanics leaves a lot of potential untapped, making it difficult to recommend for players who crave deep, evolving survival gameplay.

If you love survival games and are willing to embrace its limitations, Stranded Deep offers a solid experience. But for those looking for a game with continued development, long-term goals, and a deeper endgame, it may leave you wanting more. 7/10 – Great concept, but still stranded in development.

Awful gameplay, the inventory management is terrible, crafting is terrible.. Do not waste your time on it

So cozy and enjoyable game. Thank you, and can't wait for SD2! ♥

The UI is awful. The animations are awful. If you die in multiplayer it will kick you out to the main menu so you have to redo hosting the session. It takes 3 minutes to load the map. The game lacks any helpful direction, the mechanics are stale. The models are just asset flips it feels like and lack any decent animations. Apparently, this game is finished. I refunded, but do yourself the service of not buying in the first place.

This game is now dead. Such a pity. I loved this game when it first released and I have been waiting for updates for this game but I guess this one's already been abandoned. And so if you haven't bought the game yet save it for some other games. No longer worth it.

Its your standard mid 2010's early access that never really got fixed and was abandoned.

Good game with nice graphics and not too hard survival gameplay.
Islands are spaced a good way apart, however they are mostly the same so I didn't really feel the point in going to explore much.
Nice and relaxing and cool game but not worth more than 5 pounds.
Also odd as I've never had this with any other game but it kept opening on my 2nd monitor so I used my steam deck to play instead.
Got 60 FPS locked at 800p with low volumetric clouds, high view distance and all other settings were at medium.
Overall for price I payed 8.00
5/10

Glitchy, buggy, no clear tutorial during multiplayer

Glitchy, Buggy mess. I played this game long enough to not recommend. Spend you're money somewhere else.

I would say the game is a solid 8/10, i need some longer survival games, and it was a bit boring sometimes, i need a faster raft, more unique islands, better ending, harder bosses, new mechanics, etc.

Every time me and my fiance try to play this game, it has never gone well.

We played this game a few years ago and the bugs and glitches were irritating to say the least.
Back then if you died in multiplayer, you could not be revived at all, you would have to start and entirely new world just to be able to have everyone play again.
We just brushed it off and decided to give the game a little break thinking that it was maybe just early game bugs. NO.

We just opened the game again after a several year break, AND IT IS STILL BROKEN! After picking up enough items to fill your inventory, it doesn't matter if you drop them out of your inventory, the item presents itself as invisible taking up an inventory spot making it impossible to get the materials you need to progress!

I just don't understand how the developers can start on a sequel of this game, WHEN THIS ONE CLEARLY ISN'T FINISHED!

If they're leaving Stranded Deep like this, I can not imagine the second one is going to be any better!

This was by far the most disappointing game I have ever played. My fiance and I wanted a deep sea survival game and wandered across this, what looked like an amazing game with insanely positive reviews. However, once we got into the game however, we realized that these reviews were as blinding loving as Taylor Swifts fan base. From loading in for 15 minutes to picking up one dropped item that proceeded to bug my entire inventory, this game is will make you feel like you blew your money. Beam Team you guys are jokes, thanks for getting my hopes up clowns.

You survive a plane crash only to lose a fistfight with a crab five minutes later. The sharks? They’re less “wildlife” and more “ocean hitmen” sent to ruin your day. And crafting? It’s like trying to build IKEA furniture, but your tools are just sticks and disappointment.

Quite a good survival game that is 10 years old in 2025! Start was literally confusing but then it made sense.
Loved the raft, crafting and building part. Also the initial island grind and hunting.
After visiting more than 6 island, it was quite repetitive and that took the fun away esp in Solo. (I actually got all the things I needed from those 6 and grinding more just didn't make sense later on)
Also, some extra achievements are unnecessary like Craft all items and spend 10 days without eating this and that.
Absolutely unnecessary. Should have kept it to the point like Subnautica. (at least Subnautica shows in the perfect games)
Stranded Deep 2 should improve on these.
Otherwise, a 4/5 for me.