Ultra-realistic boat game Seafarer is Microsoft Flight Simulator for sailing

Picture this: a clear blue sky, the sea breeze in your hair, standing at the helm of an impressive ship. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, you're in luck, because that dream is within reach from the cozy confines of your home thanks to the new boat game, Seafarer: The Ship Sim. It's essentially Microsoft Flight Simulator but with oceans instead of skies and boats instead of planes, and it's set to release later this year.

An exact release date for Seafarer: The Ship Sim hasn't been confirmed yet, but a fresh trailer has revealed the fleet you can expect to set sail on when the game finally launches into early access on Steam. With a diverse range of ships at your fingertips, it looks like this boat game may be set to stand amongst some of the best simulation games available.

Prepare to take the helm of six diverse ships, including the tugboat Bernhard and the cargo ferry Herbert. For those more inclined to set sail with emergency response, there's also the police boat Rigid and the police ship Density, as well as the fire boat Archer and the fire ship Lancer. More ships are expected to be added to the game at a later date.

Time to prepare your sea legs, captain. All six ships will be fully walkable and equipped with interactive systems that allow you to personally make repairs and get to grips with your chosen ship. There are, of course, plenty of maritime factions to choose between, and each ship comes with its own unique gameplay depending on your chosen role.

A variety of missions, challenges and rewards can also be experienced depending on the faction you choose, with deeper personalization available in the character editor. In story mode you can experience all of the factions over several missions, or decide to take to the high seas solo in quick play mode; regardless of your choice, there should always be something new to discover.

Set your own course in this boat game where an open world awaits full of maritime adventure; explore an expansive map to uncover new missions, sail to the rescue and help put out fires, or retrieve lost cargo.

Seafarer: The Ship Sim doesn't have a set release date, but it is expected to make port sometime this year. You can check it out on Steam.

As we wait for more info, you can read our guide on the best strategy games. Or if you're looking for other soon-to-be released titles, our guide on the best upcoming PC games should have everything you need to tide you over.

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