Arabian Gulf

About

Arabian Gulf is a single player and multiplayer shooter game with horror, medieval and historical themes. It was developed by IVDev and was released on May 30, 2025. It received neutral reviews from players.

Arabian Gulf is a single-player survival action game set in a harsh desert. Face relentless enemies, endure tough conditions, and fight through dangerous terrain using basic tools and weapons. Survive, overcome each challenge, reach the distant castle, and claim the hidden treasure.

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44%

Audience ScoreBased on 367 reviews

gameplay17 positive mentions

optimization7 negative mentions

Unique and immersive desert setting with visually appealing environments and atmospheric sound design.
Accessible gameplay that is easy to pick up, with some players finding it engaging and fun.
Compact and focused survival-action experience that can be completed quickly, suitable for short play sessions.

Extremely short gameplay with only three levels, often completed within minutes, lacking depth and meaningful content.
Technical issues including poor optimization, frequent crashes, and bugs that disrupt the experience.
Weak combat mechanics and AI, repetitive gameplay, unclear goals, and lack of story or narrative development.

gameplay
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
51%
13%
The gameplay offers a mix of engaging, immersive, and accessible mechanics with a unique regional setting, appealing to both casual and hardcore players. However, it is notably short, unbalanced at times, and occasionally marred by technical issues like crashes and simplistic enemy AI. While some praise its passion and smoothness, others find the experience lacking depth and replay value.
- “The gameplay is super engaging and I was always on the edge of my seat when playing. The gameplay is unique, completely balanced, and works so well!”
- “The game has a difficult and unforgiving gameplay, and on the other hand it allows you to play by examining, planning, and strategizing slowly, which satisfies every type of player—hardcore, casual, and even non-gamers.”
- “The mechanics are easy to understand at first, but as you progress, the difficulty scales in a way that keeps things interesting.”
- “For being a free game, this is worth it. It has about 5 minutes of playtime as long as you're smart and don't die; even if you do, there are only 3 levels, so it's not that hard. One thing I would like is if it wasn't permadeath and made you restart. I would at least like a level select. I saw the save option, but it seems pointless in a game like this because why would I save halfway through a level that takes 30 seconds to get through? Really only worth it if it's free or a gift. At its core, it's an FPS against AI with bare-bones mechanics, graphics, and weapons. I'd put this game on my wishlist and get it if you can, just not for full price.”
- “Enemy AI is too stupid and gameplay is short, not fun at all.”
- “The game graphics are very nice, I liked them, but the gameplay is just bad. The animations and the bots are very bad, and I finished it in 10 minutes. Everything is bad except the graphics.”
story
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
64%
15%
The story aspect of the game is highly divisive, with many users criticizing it for being either nonexistent, unclear, or overly simplistic, consisting mainly of short, disjointed missions with little narrative cohesion. However, some players praise the game for its emotional impact, unique tone, and memorable characters, highlighting a rich, story-driven experience despite the minimal exposition. Overall, the story is seen as either a weak point or a surprisingly strong element depending on individual expectations.
- “Don't get me started on the story, it's just phenomenal. I was so eager to see where the story went and it did not disappoint whatsoever!”
- “The story made me cry, and the levels, although few, are peak.”
- “Impossible odds make the ending so much more worth it. I still reminisce on the colourful cast this game had throughout the story, easily pushing its story above that of most Ubisoft games.”
- “The game is too short and there is no clear story in the game.”
- “It is even smaller than the Blood II demo back in 1998, which had only two levels but had a story... in this game, there is no story, no right way of doing things, nothing.”
- “Controls are wonky; 'story' is a joke if you can even call it a story - the mission goals are unclear (reach the pot of gold); for whatever reason there are zombies?!”
graphics
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
60%
9%
The game features visually striking and immersive graphics, with realistic lighting, detailed environments, and a unique art style praised by many users. However, optimization issues cause significant lag and stuttering on some systems, and some find the graphics inconsistent due to the use of free assets. Overall, while the visuals are impressive and praised, technical performance may hinder the experience for some players.
- “The gameplay is breathtaking and the visuals are to die for.”
- “Stunning visuals bring the desert to life with realistic lighting and sand effects.”
- “The visuals are striking, capturing the vastness of desert environments and the intricate details of bustling cities.”
- “Unoptimized graphics and unplayable due to stuttering and big lag spikes.”
- “Getting experience is good, but the graphics look like they're made with free assets with varying art styles and really don't belong on Steam.”
- “Despite the simplistic graphics, the game made my gaming laptop overheat without any significant effects.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
9%
64%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with common issues including severe stuttering, lag spikes, and poor performance even on high-end hardware. Many players find it unplayable due to these technical problems and consider it poorly optimized overall.
- “➤ PC performance”
- “Depending on the platform, players may encounter minor performance issues or moments where gameplay feels slightly unbalanced.”
- “Depending on the platform, players may encounter minor performance issues or moments where gameplay feels slightly unbalanced.”
- “Unoptimized graphics and unplayable performance, with constant stuttering and big lag spikes even after adjusting settings.”
- “This game has the worst optimization and feels like an asset flip.”
- “I made the mistake of losing five minutes of my life playing this unoptimized 3 GB trash so you don't have to.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
62%
The game excels in creating a stark, minimalistic atmosphere inspired by the culture and landscapes of the Gulf region, using muted colors and simple details to evoke a sense of desolation. This immersive setting effectively reinforces the themes of survival and persistence, offering a compelling experience for fans of atmospheric, survival-action titles.
- “From the start, the game stands out with its setting—drawing inspiration from the culture, landscapes, and atmosphere of the Gulf region.”
- “The atmosphere is stark and minimalistic, with muted color palettes and simple environmental details reinforcing the theme of desolation.”
- “One of the game’s strengths is its atmosphere.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
43%
14%
The music in the game is generally praised for enhancing immersion and complementing the setting, with some users finding the soundtrack memorable and emotionally impactful. However, a few note that the music can become repetitive or is absent, slightly detracting from the overall experience.
- “The soundtrack and sound design complement the setting well, adding to the immersion.”
- “It’s weird how a bunch of pixels and music can quietly fix parts of you that you didn’t even know were broken.”
- “The controls are smoother than my life has ever been, the soundtrack lives rent-free in my head, and the vibes?”
- “The game does not have music”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely unintentional, with many finding it amusing due to how bad or awkward certain elements are, like t-posing enemies. While some moments evoke genuine laughter or emotional response, overall the humor tends to stem from the game's flaws rather than deliberate comedic intent.
- “I didn't realize this was a shooter roguelike, probably because I was too busy laughing at the T-posing enemies in the distance just waiting for action.”
- “And honestly, this game is hilariously bad.”
- “Suddenly I had something that made me laugh, think, cry a little, and actually look forward to waking up.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is plagued by numerous bugs, glitches, and frequent crashes, impacting its overall stability. However, despite these technical flaws, many players find its unique charm and gameplay highly enjoyable.
- “The characters have only 2 voice lines, you can't deal damage while running, the AI is absolutely broken, the game is buggy and looks terribly ugly.”
- “And to top it all off, the game freezes and crashes an obnoxious amount of times.”
- “One missed jump causes full damage, half the buildings are fake and out in the open, the enemies are broken, and glitches appear for no reason.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised for its gripping, wholesome, and deeply moving narrative that evokes strong feelings and immersion. Players highlight its rich storytelling and emotionally charged gameplay as standout features that surpass many AAA titles.
- “The story made me cry, and the levels, although few, are peak.”
- “Rich story-driven narrative with heavily emotionally permeated gameplay design.”
- “What I got was emotional damage, peak immersion, and gameplay so good it made AAA studios look like they're running a money-laundering operation.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Users criticize the game's monetization as possibly a quick cash grab or exploitative scheme, expressing distrust due to misleading advertising and suspicions of unethical practices like crypto mining.
- “I'm assuming this is a quick asset flip cash grab, a crypto miner, or something else.”
- “Fake advertising”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players acknowledge that grinding requires significant time and effort, often calling for extended play sessions or a "second life," but many find the process engaging and rewarding in the end.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “They're just there for aura farming.”