Ocean Game

Ocean Game is a deep-sea exploration game where you pilot a small yellow research submarine from a ship on the surface all the way down into an ocean trench. The water darkens as you sink, so your headlight becomes your eyes. Find sea creatures, catch them in the beam and photograph them to fill an ocean guidebook with 24 species and a short fact about each one. You can play Ocean Game online free in your browser with no download, using a keyboard, a mouse or a phone’s touch screen.

How to play

Each dive starts beside the research ship. Find the animals your mission asks for and photograph them before your oxygen runs out.

• Steer the sub: use the arrow keys or WASD. With a mouse or on a phone, press and hold on the water and the sub moves toward that spot. The headlight always points the way you steer.
• Take photos: press Space, F or Enter, or tap the Photo button. A photo only counts if a creature is inside your light beam and in range. Each new species earns points, and deeper animals are worth more.
• Watch your gauges: oxygen lasts two minutes per dive. The battery powers the motor, the light and the camera flash, and an empty battery leaves the sub weak and slowly floating upward. Rising back to the surface ends the dive.
• Protect the hull: ramming rocks or the seafloor knocks off one of your three hull points. Diving deeper than your hull’s rating causes pressure damage, shown by the red line on the depth gauge at the right edge.
• Mind the currents: streaks in the water mark strong currents that push the sub sideways or, in the trench, upward.

Photos are always kept, even if a dive ends early, and your guidebook, points, upgrades and finished missions are saved in your browser.

Depth zones and creatures

The ocean is split into the zones scientists use. The sunlit zone (0 to 200 m) is bright, with a reef full of clownfish, a green sea turtle, a blue tang, a moon jellyfish, a manta ray and a common octopus. The twilight zone (200 to 1,000 m) fades to deep blue, home to lanternfish, hatchetfish, a swordfish, a strawberry squid and a barreleye. Below 1,000 m the midnight zone is completely dark apart from animals that make their own light, like the anglerfish and the Atolla jellyfish, with a vampire squid, a gulper eel, a sperm whale and a giant isopod nearby. The abyss (4,000 to 6,000 m) is a muddy plain with sea pigs, a tripod fish, a dumbo octopus and grenadiers. At the bottom, a trench below 6,000 m hides snailfish, swarms of amphipods and a xenophyophore.

A yellow arrow at the edge of the screen points toward the nearest animal you still need. Some animals are shy. The barreleye, vampire squid, dumbo octopus and snailfish dart away if a bright beam reaches them from close by, so you have to photograph them from farther back with a stronger headlight.

Missions and upgrades

There are 8 dive missions, and each one unlocks the next: survey the reef, reach the twilight zone, find an anglerfish, track down midnight giants, cross the abyssal plain, photograph shy swimmers and finally reach 10,000 m in the trench. Free dive lets you explore anywhere your hull can go.

Points from photos and mission bonuses buy three kinds of upgrades, each with three levels:

• Battery: more charge for longer, deeper dives.
• Headlight: a longer, wider beam, needed for shy animals.
• Hull: a deeper safe rating, from 1,000 m to 4,000 m, 6,000 m and finally 11,000 m.

Tips

• Upgrade the hull first. You need a 4,000 m rating for the midnight missions and the full 11,000 m rating for the trench.
• Save power. The motor uses the most battery, so don’t waste flashes on empty water.
• Hang back from shy animals. If one darts away, back off, wait a moment and try again from the edge of your beam.

FAQ

Is Ocean Game free?

Yes. It is free to play with no account and nothing to install.

Are the sea creatures real?

Yes. All 24 are real animals or organisms, placed in the depth zone where they live, and each guidebook entry has a short fact about it.

Does it work on phones and Chromebooks?

Yes. On a phone or tablet, hold on the water to steer and tap Photo to take pictures. Touching the game won’t scroll the page.

Can I pause?

Press P or Esc, or use the Pause button. The game also pauses when you switch tabs.

Love the sea? Try Fishing to reel in catches from different depths, or Dolphin Game to leap through the waves as a wild dolphin.