S.O.N.A.R. is a six-player submarine where the most dangerous thing aboard is the person next to you pressing buttons at random.

The name stands for Submarine Operators Not Actually Ready, which tells you precisely how seriously it takes the simulation.

Chart credential: entered the Steam 250 weekly chart as a new entry at #30, scoring 7.43 from 56 reviews at 100% positive. Released 29 October 2026 by Abylight Barcelona, published by Abylight Studios.

Key features

Stations nobody is qualified to run

Someone runs sonar, someone pilots, someone fights, someone repairs. Catastrophic malfunctions need fixing and systems need recalibrating while all of this happens.

The reason crew sims like this work is that the submarine is a single shared fail state. In most co-op games a bad player costs you efficiency; here they sink everyone, which converts a game into a social situation.

Three mission types that want different things

Hunt hostile vessels, escort cargo ships, or search the ocean floor for treasure. There are also stealth infiltrations where staying quiet matters more than firepower.

Mixing stealth into a game whose premise is panic is a sharp choice — it means the loudest crew member becomes a liability in a way the game can actually model.

PvP as well as co-op

Online PvP sits alongside the co-op, so two crews can meet. That is an unusual addition for this genre and considerably raises the ceiling on a group that has learned the systems.

What to expect

56 reviews at 100% is a very small sample, and a 1–6 player game needs people — solo is supported but it is not what this is for.

At $8.49 for up to six, it is among the cheapest ways to get a full group into one shared disaster. Windows only.

Where to find S.O.N.A.R.

• Buy on Steam — $8.49 (15% off)
• Windows only. Online co-op and PvP for 1–6 players, full controller support

Frequently asked questions

How many players is S.O.N.A.R.?

One to six, in online co-op, with online PvP also supported.

Can you play S.O.N.A.R. solo?

It is possible, but the game is built around a crew dividing stations between them.

What do you do in S.O.N.A.R.?

Operate a submarine across combat, stealth and treasure-recovery missions — running sonar, piloting, fighting and repairing malfunctions as a crew.

How much does S.O.N.A.R. cost?

$8.49, discounted 15% from $9.99 at the time of writing.

Who made S.O.N.A.R.?

Abylight Barcelona, published by Abylight Studios.