Best Games With Realistic Swimming

Highlights

Water in games adds vertical exploration, and realistic swimming mechanics can enhance immersion.
Games like London 2012 and Subnautica prioritize swimming mechanics to create realistic experiences.
Titles like ABZU and Grand Theft Auto 5 showcase beautiful swimming animations for players to enjoy.

As a seasoned gamer with over three decades under my belt, I can confidently say that I’ve dived into more virtual oceans than Captain Jack Sparrow himself! Swimming mechanics have always been a crucial aspect of immersion for me, and these games I’m about to mention have truly outshone the rest.

If land offers players the chance to move in two planes (horizontal and vertical), water introduces an additional dimension – depth – through diving capabilities. While not every game incorporates swimming into its gameplay, it can be a delightful addition that breaks up routine land navigation. And when swimming mechanics are accurately portrayed, it enhances the sense of immersion.

While it may seem straightforward to mimic swimming in video games like its real-life equivalent, it’s actually quite challenging for most games to prioritize this. However, some exceptional titles have mastered the art of water traversal, offering swimming mechanics that are hard to beat. These range from executing various strokes such as backstroke and breaststroke, to delving into underwater exploration and combats. Such games demonstrate that the potential for realistic swimming mechanics in video games is virtually boundless.

8 London 2012: The Official Game

Allows Players To Use Different Swimming Techniques

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Android, iOS, PC
Released: June 2012
Developer: Sega
Genre: Simulation

Approximately every four years, the Olympic Games are hosted globally, with many nations participating across various sporting categories. To enhance the Olympic experience for spectators and give them a taste of these sports, an authorized Olympic video game is launched in conjunction with the event.

The London 2012: The Official Game served as the last Olympic video game that maintained a realistic appearance before it transitioned into more cartoonish versions, complete with unrealistic features such as perks and power-ups. This game offers Olympic fans an opportunity to participate in numerous Olympic sports, including swimming, which is particularly enjoyable. In this game, players can compete against AI opponents in freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke competitions. The character movements are skillfully executed, and there’s a remarkable level of detail in each action, given the game’s age.

7 Stranded Deep

Impressive Swimming Animations And Realistic-Looking Water

Drawing inspiration from Tom Hanks’ film “Cast Away,” the title reflects a solitary survivor stranded on an island, surrounded by vast oceans in every direction. In this survival game without combat, players must gather food, create essential supplies, and constantly monitor their health to endure and survive.

1. In this game, swimming plays a crucial role, and the creators went all out in their depiction. The animations are superb, with lifelike lighting effects in the water adding a touch of realism, while players should be vigilant for hazardous marine life when exploring the expansive ocean.

6 ABZU

Provides A Beautiful Scuba Diving Adventure

Abzu, undeniably, is one of the most visually appealing games released lately. The game primarily focuses on underwater exploration and boasts some of the most fluid swimming mechanics and animations ever showcased in a video game. Sound and music are instrumental in drawing players into this underwater utopia as they embark on a quest to reintroduce marine life to barren parts of the ocean, thereby restoring balance.

In the immersive world of Abzu, every moment unfolds below the surface. The game’s focus lies on crafting an intricate underwater environment and challenging puzzle-solving elements that dive enthusiasts will find irresistible. Once you’ve experienced Abzu, its stunningly beautiful and vivid seascape is likely to linger in your memory for quite some time.

5 Subnautica

A Scary Yet Beautiful Underwater Journey

Individuals suffering from thalassophobia might want to avoid the captivating game, Subnautica. While 4546B is a breathtakingly beautiful planet, it also harbors an unsettling and intimidating atmosphere. The central character of this game, Ryley, is a castaway from a crashed spacecraft, stranded on a submerged planet with minimal land areas. The world of Subnautica extends much further than one would initially perceive. It’s sectioned into distinct biomes and teems with plant and animal life unique to each zone. Initially, players traverse this planet using only their limbs to swim around until they can craft advanced mobility devices to facilitate faster movement.

In Subnautica, the swimming feels remarkable thanks to its attention to detail. The design of the character’s goggles and the sounds of their oxygen mask as they breathe underwater create an incredibly immersive experience. As players venture deeper, Ryley starts breathing faster, a detail that enhances the game’s realism.

4 Grand Theft Auto 5

Incredibly Realistic Swimming Mechanics And Visuals

Despite being released years ago, Grand Theft Auto V boasts more authentic swimming mechanics than numerous games that debuted later. In this game, players have the freedom to swim anywhere, and some exceptional missions are set entirely underwater, emphasizing the importance of swimming in the gameplay experience.

The detailed depictions of water movement during swimming, character interactions with water leading to realistic fabric distortions, and the accurate representation of clothing getting wet upon entry into water and drying when exposed to air all showcase a high level of realism.

3 Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

A Bright And Vivid Ocean For Players To Get Lost In

When talking about realistic swimming games, a pirate game has to make it into the list. Within that category, there could be no better game than Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, with Edward Kenway taking charge in the fight against the templars.

For the very first time in an “Assassin’s Creed” title, players have the opportunity to traverse the game’s rendition of the Mediterranean Sea and engage in naval combat using a variety of vessels, from small boats to large ships. When the excitement of sea battles wanes, Edward Kenway is free to swim the vast ocean at his convenience, discovering underwater shipwrecks hidden within the expansive open world.

2 Shadow Of The Tomb Raider

Features Believable Swimming And Diving Mechanics

In her latest escapade, Lara Croft encounters an abundance of thrilling adventures, intense action sequences, and extensive exploration, not forgetting the inevitable layer of dirt and grime. To cleanse herself of the mud, Lara often seeks refuge in the water, as the game reintroduces underwater movement and, at times, even underwater combat.

In the reboot trilogy of Tomb Raider, the earlier games were known for their top-notch animations and graphics. However, Eidos Montreal took it to a whole new level in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The game’s focus on Lara’s swimming and diving is particularly noteworthy, as they’ve paid meticulous attention to details such as how Lara moves differently in still vs. moving water, and how her clothing wrinkles realistically with each stroke.

1 The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt

Great Swimming Animations And Convincing Water Physics

In the acclaim garnered by The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, aspects such as its compelling narrative, captivating characters, immersive world, outstanding side quests, and overall game quality are frequently highlighted. Yet, a less prominent yet still noteworthy aspect is the engaging swimming sequences it offers.

Geralt has the ability to leap from a boat and swim in lakes or plunge beneath the surface as he battles against the water’s resistance due to his armor’s weight. The animations and underwater physics are remarkable, suggesting that CD Projekt Red devoted much attention to detail when creating the aquatic features.

2024-08-08 09:04