Aphotic Descent

Aphotic Descent

Broiled Squid Studios · May 5, 2023 · Underwater, Adventure, Atmospheric, Action, Action-Adventure

Aphotic Descent is free to play — no purchase needed. We track it so you know if that ever changes.

PC
Mixed63% · 79
This game is free to play. Get it on Steam →

Screenshots

Aphotic Descent price

Aphotic Descent is free to play — there is no purchase price, on Steam or anywhere else we track. We keep watching it, so if it ever stops being free the price history on this page will show when that happened and what it changed to.

About Aphotic Descent

A mobile research facility exists deep down in the ocean where scientists from all over the world study the ecology of creatures ranging from the euphotic zone down to the aphotic zone to carve the path open to deep sea exploration and understanding. After not hearing from the facility for months, a rescue team is sent by submarine to investigate. When the team finds a lead, the submarine is hit by a sudden force. A lone diver manages to escape through a bathysphere and crashes down onto the sea floor...

Explore the Depths

Descend into the ocean, where you’ll journey through various zones, from the sunlit surface zone to the twilight zone and finally the aphotic zone where monstrosities of the deep exist.

Revelations from Within

Your only company are the scattered documents found throughout revealing the true nature of the world engulfing you. Gather information about the horrific experiments conducted and creatures lurking in the dark watching your every move.

Suit Up

Equipped with a powerful flashlight and your trusty diving knife, you’ll illuminate the dark waters around you, while using the blacklight feature to reveal hidden clues and solve puzzles, and destroy key objects to complete encounters.

Prey vs Predator

Face a diverse range of creatures, where every encounter presents a unique challenge that requires you to adapt your skills and equipment in order to survive in tense environments and escape the pursuit of aggressive predators. NOTE: Aphotic Descent was developed by a team of students, and we greatly appreciate any feedback you may have!

Aphotic Descent — game info

Platforms
Windows
Player modes
Single-player
PC Game Pass
Not included

What Steam players say

Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.

Recommended Jan 11, 2026
game is a BANGER, subnautica for real men with girlfriends and hot wives with cars
2 found this helpful
Recommended Jun 1, 2025
Best souls-like I've played in a minute. solid 7.5/10. Love the artwork and atmosphere but bosses can be gigajank 1shot machines at times and some aspects were visually unclear, though with enough trial and death, I figured things out. Played it in 768x1024 and was abit strange on UI elements but those mosaics! Overall great work guys! Here is a link to me playing the game on my stream > https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2474700691
2 found this helpful
Recommended Sep 1, 2026
Game Complexity: Underwater horror game. Game Difficulty: Avoid the monsters and complete every chapter's mission. Achievements Complexity: Complete the game and find all the collectables. Achievements Difficulty: Easy when you figure out what you need to do and you should read a guide for the collectables.
1 found this helpful
Not recommended Apr 11, 2026
Review after 100% ♡♡♡ Clunky controls and clipping. "Don't waste your life, I did. Go home," -John Rambo ⣴⣿⣦⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣼⣿⣿⣿⣷⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⣤⣤⣶⣶⣿⣿⡗ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠟⠀ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠃ ⣿⣿⡇⠜⠙⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀Got a cat here ⣿⣿⣿⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠋⡹⠙⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀ Friends passing ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⣾⣿⣿⠛⠀⠀by can touch her ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠛⠁⠀⠀and click Like to pet ♡ ⣿⣿⡿⠻⠿⠿⠿⠿⠛⠹⠑⠀⠀ Award for good luck, Take My Points for infinite pets ♡ ⠟⠁⠀
1 found this helpful
Not recommended Sep 6, 2025
Good atmosphere and plot, but the enemies in the maze are too quick, and the eel around the generators is damn near impossible to kill. It's a free game, and others may enjoy it better, but for me, it missed the mark.
1 found this helpful
Recommended Jul 11, 2025
This was a great indie water based horror game that really brought it all into the game, really liked this one 7/10

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