Anchor - Big FAQ
Anchor is a large-scale underwater survival game. A nuclear holocaust drove what was left of humanity into the sea, and you wake as part of a race genetically engineered to live there, in a stretch of ocean called The Anchor. From there it's build, craft, defend and survive acros
Anchor is a large-scale underwater survival game. A nuclear holocaust drove what was left of humanity into the sea, and you wake as part of a race genetically engineered to live there, in a stretch of ocean called The Anchor. From there it's build, craft, defend and survive across a 16km² open world, with 150+ players sharing one persistent server that keeps evolving even while you're offline.
The catch is that everything down there wants what you have. Other players can raid your base while you sleep, and the sharks follow the blood. Play it hardcore on a full server, or take on the ocean itself in solo or co-op.
Since the announcement we've been asked a lot of questions. Here are the ones that come up the most. If yours isn't here, drop it in the comments and we'll do our best to reply asap.
How is it different from Subnautica?
The underwater setting is where the similarity ends. Subnautica is a single-player exploration and crafting adventure with a story to follow, set on an alien planet. Anchor is a true blooded survival game put underwater: a gloomy, realistic earth ocean, predator-prey systems, base building and raiding, and a sandbox built around other players being a real threat. Different atmosphere, different goals, different game. Even in singleplayer it'll feel very different. Brutal at times, beautiful at others.
How is it different from Rust?
Rust is the closer comparison, and honestly we take that as a compliment. The core loop is the same: gather, craft, build, defend, raid. But putting it underwater changes a lot. You move and fight in full 3D, so danger comes from above and below, not just across the map. Bases sit on the ocean floor, flooded like everything else. And the ocean isn't just a backdrop, the wildlife and the environment are a real threat on their own, always in the mix. Same kind of game at its core, but a very different one to actually play.
Are there sea monsters, or just real animals? Where's the kraken?
Grounded and real-ocean for now. We don't want to tip into a full fantasy world. Sharks are one of the major focuses and we intend them to be among the best in any game, but they're part of the ecosystem, not scripted enemies. A shark might pass you by, hunt a tuna next to you, or come after you, and blood in the water shifts the odds. We do have GMO threats planned that we're not showing yet, and special-event cryptids are something we didn't rule out.
Can you go to the surface?
Yes, and it's an integral part of the late game. Surface monuments hold high-value loot, but reaching them takes proper equipment, preparation and the right steps to make sure you can actually bring that loot back. The surface is also heavily irradiated, so staying up there too long isn't an option.
Are there underwater caves and other natural formations?
Yes. The game already features underwater cave systems, and we'll keep expanding and refining them as development continues. They're not just scenery either: players will be able to tuck a base away inside them, and we're thinking about certain elements of the game only being present in the caves too. More on that as we go.
How big is the map? How deep does it go? What biomes?
One single contiguous world, up to 16km². We're planning to start out with around four natural biomes (rocky, sand, coral, arctic) and expand from there. On depth: we may build some genuinely deep localized spots, but we won't stretch big empty vertical voids across the whole map, because that just leaves players floating in the dark with no one to find.
Do you breathe underwater? Is there an oxygen mechanic?
You play as an underwater race that breathes water, so there's no oxygen bar and no constant surfacing. Having to go up every few minutes is just an annoyance that fights the experience, so we cut it. Risk in Anchor is still real, it just comes from hunger, predators, the environment, and a couple of things we're not talking about yet, not from an air meter.
Do bases have air inside them, or are they always flooded with water?
Water. You play as an underwater civilization, so air-filled bases serve no purpose for the people living in them. It doesn't hold up from a gameplay standpoint either: an air-filled base is impossible to defend properly, since you couldn't shoot out through a window or an opening without breaking the logic of the whole space. Anchor is built around a fully submerged world, bases included.
Is there a day/night cycle?
Yes. The time-of-day system is already in the game. Down the line it may also influence certain wildlife behaviours, and bring advantages or disadvantages to players depending on what they're trying to do at the time.
What are the schools of fish for, gameplay or atmosphere?
They exist to make the ocean feel alive. Fish populate the whole 16km² world and react to marine life and to players swimming through them. As we advance in development, they might become important gameplay-wise.
Is it PvP only, or can I play solo / co-op?
Both. PvP multiplayer is at the core, but there are dedicated SOLO and CO-OP modes. A lot of players love the underwater setting and have no interest in babysitting a base against raiders, and that's fair. Solo is sandbox-style, closest in spirit to The Forest, with real pressure of its own: predators, environmental threats, AI-defended monuments, and some stuff we don't want to spoil yet. If the game is fun solo, it's only better on a full server.
Will there be PvE servers, or protection from offline raiding?
PvP servers are full on hardcore, open raiding, open combat, all of it. If you want the world without that, co-op is basically solo with your friends: you build and explore together and nobody tears down your progress. Whether we also do bigger dedicated PvE servers (lots of players, no raiding or damage to others) is something we're still figuring out. Alpha testing and player sentiment will help us decide.
Will there be wipes?
On multiplayer and PvP servers, the current plan is yes. We think wipes are a healthy thing: they give everyone a fresh start every now and again, and they keep the playing field from getting stale. Games like this split naturally into phases, early, mid and late game, and each one has its own flavor and its own kind of fun. A wipe lets you go through that whole arc again rather than everything settling into one fixed state forever.
It also keeps things fresh for you personally. One wipe you might hole up in a cave base, the next you might build out in the coral biome. One run you go big with a sprawling base that's a pain to maintain but worth it, another you're feeling low-key and just want a small solo spot. Every wipe is a chance to play differently. We might rethink the system down the line, but for now that's the plan.
How are you able to support so many players on one server?
We have our own proprietary server-authoritative networking tech, built to handle hundreds of players on a single server. We've worked on multiplayer games for years, both our own projects and client work, and we've spent that time building up the tech to handle scale like this. The same setup also lets us flip between singleplayer and multiplayer seamlessly, and lets the project scale cleanly.
How do guns work underwater?
This is a question we get a lot, so let me break it down.
First, real firearms do fire underwater. It's worth a quick YouTube search if you doubt it, so a gun going off below the surface isn't the stretch people assume.
That said, water kills a normal bullet's range and speed fast, and we use that instead of ignoring it. We have three types of ammo: underwater-effective, air-effective, and ones that work in both. The high-end underwater weapons use supercavitating rounds, which form a gas bubble around the bullet that cuts water drag and lets them carry real distance and punch. So your loadout actually matters depending on whether you're fighting in open water or pushing up toward the surface.
Guns are only part of it. There's a whole arsenal of primitive and spear-powered weapons too: spearguns, darts, shafts and more, which is where a lot of the early game lives.
Why does the character swim holding a gun out in front like that?
A big part of it is that divers move mainly with their legs and fins, not their arms. The arms stay fairly still, so they're free to hold something. We think that's what reads as odd to some people at first glance. On top of that, a readied weapon is held out in front and pointed forward, which is how you'd actually carry a speargun or firearm when you expect to use it, and it keeps combat easy to read. It's an area we may keep refining as development continues.
Where can I wishlist? Is it on Steam?
Yes. The steam page is here:
View game pageWhen does it release?
Currently planned for 2027. We'll share more as we get closer. It's a big, ambitious game and we'd rather take the time to ship it right than rush it. Alpha applications are open at playanchor.com.
Console? Controller? VR?
Console port is planned down the line. Controller support is in the plans, for both Xbox and PlayStation. VR is not on the priority roadmap right now. The concept suits it well though, so we may test it eventually.
How do I get into the alpha?
Apply at playanchor.com. The alpha isn't live yet, but applications are open now, and we'll keep everyone posted as it gets closer. Feedback during testing matters a lot to us, we think games like this turn out best when the community is involved.
Anchor is still in active development. Plans can change as we test things internally, and some of what's here might change along the way. But we'll always tell you when something does. Keeping the community in the loop is one of our main goals.
If this sounds like your kind of game:
Wishlist Anchor so you don't miss the Early Access launch
Apply for alpha access on our website
Join our Discord for regular dev updates
More devlog posts coming soon. Stay tuned!
– Fearem Team
