SHIPS AT WAR similar games & best alternatives

SHIPS AT WAR

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2021

Should you play it?

Sink player-made battleships, aircraft carriers and submarines in this physics-based game. Use pre-built ships and sink the enemy by deploying aircraft, torpedoes, depth charges or shells. Or built your own ships in the extensive ship-editor.

What works
  • Creative ship building
  • Fun naval combat
  • Potential for growth
  • Active early access development
  • Community sharing creations
Things to keep in mind
  • Many bugs and crashes
  • Clunky ship editor
  • Lack of tutorials
  • Long matches can be boring
  • Game appears abandoned with few updates

What to play next

Similar games, hidden gems, and fresh directions from this game.

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Wooden Battles

  • Rising Front

  • Maximum Action

  • Arms Trade Tycoon: Tanks

  • Voor De Kroon

  • Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator 2

  • DEAD OR ALIVE 6

  • Sprocket

  • Gladiator Guild Manager: Prologue
Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Voor De Kroon

  • ACTION SANDBOX

  • TOKYO WARFARE
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Creativity

    Final Upgrade
  • Autonomy

    Sector Six
  • Experimenting

    Star Valor

Similarity map

Explore nearby similar games and see why they’re close.

How to use the graph
Similarity map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Why this game works” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

  • Purple star: this page’s game — everything on the map is relative to it.
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot for a screenshot preview, score, and top score gaps; click to compare in the panel on the right.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers (hidden on purpose).

SHIPS AT WAR: Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Expression, Fellowship, Cooperation, Status. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Expression. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Story, Value.

Why this game works

A motivational profile of the game, with the closest similar game for each player motivation.

  • Autonomy

    Game with the same Autonomy vibe

    4

    "Players have extensive freedom to customize and build their own ships with many parts and abilities, allowing personal playstyle and strategic choices."

    Capsule for Sector Six Sector Six

    "Players have freedom to build custom ships and choose their own strategies in combat, though some limitations and bugs restrict full autonomy."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    2

    "Game involves skillful navigation, puzzle solving, and combat, but some bugs and inconsistent mechanics reduce the sense of mastery."

    Capsule for SCP: Ground Zero SCP: Ground Zero

    "Building ships and combat require skill and experimentation, but buggy physics and inconsistent mechanics reduce the feeling of mastery."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    1

    "Battles and leaderboards exist but are mostly AI-driven and lack deep player-vs-player competition; some comparison to others but limited."

    Capsule for Monster Lab Simulator Monster Lab Simulator

    "There is combat against AI and other ships, but no strong evidence of ranked or leaderboard competition."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    -2

    "Many reviews mention low replayability, repetitive gameplay, and abandonment by developers leading to limited long-term engagement."

    Capsule for PRINCIPIA: Master of Science PRINCIPIA: Master of Science

    "Many reviews mention bugs, crashes, and lack of updates leading to boredom and abandonment, reducing long-term engagement."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -3

    "Gameplay focuses on individual fleet design and solo play; limited or no cooperative multiplayer elements mentioned."

    Capsule for Gratuitous Space Battles Gratuitous Space Battles

    "Gameplay focuses on individual ship building and combat; no clear cooperative multiplayer or teamwork features reported."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    5

    "Strong emphasis on creating and customizing ships, stations, and production blueprints, allowing personal flair and unique designs."

    Capsule for Final Upgrade Final Upgrade

    "Strong emphasis on creating and customizing ships, with a detailed ship editor and community sharing creations."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -1

    "Interactions appear mostly balanced and friendly; no strong evidence of domination or toxic behavior."

    Capsule for Cube Racer Cube Racer

    "Some combat involves overpowering opponents, but no reports of toxic behavior or social dominance."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    3

    "Players use the game to relax and escape, enjoying historical naval battles and tactical challenges as a distraction."

    Capsule for Battle Fleet 2 Battle Fleet 2

    "Players enjoy the naval combat and ship building as a fun distraction and stress relief."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and enjoyment, not due to obligation or external pressure."

    Capsule for Resident Evil 2 Resident Evil 2

    "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and enjoyment, not due to obligation or external pressure."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    4

    "Players experiment with different ships, builds, skills, and strategies; game encourages trying new things."

    Capsule for Star Valor Star Valor

    "Players frequently try new ship designs and tactics, exploring game mechanics despite bugs."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    -2

    "Game focuses on known arenas and strategic programming rather than discovering new areas or secrets."

    Capsule for GLADIABOTS - AI Combat Arena GLADIABOTS - AI Combat Arena

    "Game is focused on battles and ship design rather than exploring new environments or secrets."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    4

    "Ship customization and modding enable personal expression; players can create unique fleets and visual styles."

    Capsule for Stellar Warfare Stellar Warfare

    "Customization of ships allows for personal expression, though limited by editor usability issues."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    1

    "Light fictional narrative with stylized military setting, but grounded in plausible naval combat."

    Capsule for Battle Group 2 Battle Group 2

    "Game features historical and fictional naval combat with some unrealistic physics, blending fantasy and realism."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -3

    "Small, not very active community; social interaction limited mostly to sharing levels rather than strong group identity."

    Capsule for Inertia Inertia

    "Limited social interaction; community exists but is described as unresponsive and small."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    2

    "Players learn map layouts, puzzle solutions, and combat tactics, though bugs limit consistent progression."

    Capsule for SCP: Ground Zero SCP: Ground Zero

    "Players learn ship building and combat mechanics, though bugs and lack of tutorials hinder smooth progression."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -5

    "No physical activity involved; sedentary gameplay."

    Capsule for Human Fall Flat Human Fall Flat

    "No physical activity involved; sedentary gameplay."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires focused attention during matches; gameplay is active and engaging rather than background or idle."

    Capsule for Sirocco Sirocco

    "Gameplay requires active attention; matches can be long but not background or idle play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    -4

    "Minimal social or emotional connections; mostly individual play."

    Capsule for MXGP 2020 - The Official Motocross Videogame MXGP 2020 - The Official Motocross Videogame

    "Minimal social or emotional connections; mostly solo play and limited community engagement."

  • Leadership
    Insufficient data

    No nearest game available

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    3

    "Players accumulate ships, weapons, and upgrades; progression is a key gameplay element."

    Capsule for Corsairs Legacy - Pirate Action RPG & Sea Battles Corsairs Legacy - Pirate Action RPG & Sea Battles

    "Players accumulate ships, upgrades, and parts; progression is present but limited by bugs."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    1

    "Some players find the game relaxing and fun, but others experience frustration and tension from challenges and bugs."

    Capsule for Granny Simulator Granny Simulator

    "Some players find the game relaxing despite bugs, but others report frustration and tension."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    2

    "Visual and auditory feedback from battles and ship designs provide moderate sensory stimulation."

    Capsule for Sword of the Stars: Complete Collection Sword of the Stars: Complete Collection

    "Visual and auditory feedback from ship combat provides sensory stimulation, though graphics are basic."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -3

    "No strong social recognition or status seeking reported."

    Capsule for Quake II RTX Quake II RTX

    "No strong social recognition or status systems reported."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    -4

    "No narrative or plot; gameplay is context-free sandbox and building."

    Capsule for SimplePlanes 2 SimplePlanes 2

    "No narrative or campaign; gameplay is context-free battles and sandbox building."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    3

    "Ship design, resource management, and tactical combat require planning and problem solving."

    Capsule for Starcom: Unknown Space Starcom: Unknown Space

    "Combat and ship design require planning and problem solving, though simplified by bugs and AI limitations."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    2

    "Combat offers some tension and excitement, but repetitive fights and bugs lessen thrill for some players."

    Capsule for Swords and Sandals 2 Redux Swords and Sandals 2 Redux

    "Combat provides some excitement and suspense, but unpredictability due to bugs reduces consistent thrill."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    -3

    "Many players feel the game is overpriced for content and features offered."

    Capsule for I am an Air Traffic Controller 4 I am an Air Traffic Controller 4

    "Many players feel the game is overpriced for its current content and buggy state."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    4

    "Core gameplay involves combat, shooting, and destruction of enemy ships."

    Capsule for Enemy Mind Enemy Mind

    "Core gameplay involves naval combat with destruction of ships and weapons."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    2

    "Players manage ship systems and avoid destruction; some resource and damage management."

    Capsule for Quintet Quintet

    "Players manage ship damage and avoid sinking, involving resource and damage management."

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Last update: 01/06/2026