Modern Naval Warfare

About

Modern Naval Warfare is a single player open world real-time strategy game. It was developed by Wave Ops and was released on May 26, 2026. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

The Next Generation of Naval CombatCommand the most advanced nuclear-powered submarines in the world. Modern Naval Warfare is the ultimate tactical simulation, offering unparalleled depth in graphics, physics, and authentic combat systems. From the pressure-crushed depths of the ocean to the high-stakes politics of the South China Sea, every bolt, frequency, and sonar ping is simulated with uncomp…

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67%Audience ScoreBased on 101 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

optimization14 negative mentions

Offers an in-depth, high-fidelity simulation of Virginia class submarines with complex systems and stations, appealing strongly to hardcore submarine simulation fans.
Graphics and 3D models of the submarine and its interiors are highly detailed and immersive, providing a believable experience.
The game has a very steep learning curve that is rewarding for players who invest time and effort; it captures the atmosphere and slow, tactical gameplay typical of submarine warfare.

Currently suffers from poor optimization and performance issues, requiring high-end PCs and resulting in frequent lag and even crashes for many players.
AI is severely lacking, with no offensive enemy response and very basic, static behaviors, which eliminates stakes and dynamic gameplay.
Lacks sufficient tutorials, documentation, and onboarding, making it very difficult for new or even experienced sub sim players to understand and operate the complex systems effectively.

optimization
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
38%
48%
Optimization is widely criticized for poor performance, frequent frame rate drops, and issues like memory leaks, especially during extended play or when using higher settings. While some users with mid-to-high-end PCs report acceptable performance on medium settings, the overall experience is hampered by lag, demanding hardware requirements, and unaddressed bugs. Developers acknowledge these problems and have prioritized improving optimization in future updates.
- “The developers have stated that performance and optimization are one of the first things they are going to tackle in this game.”
- “On my modest-ish RTX 3070, I get good graphics and good enough performance despite being early access with bugs and missing features.”
- “I've had no issues with optimization despite some people reporting problems.”
- “Performance optimization is terrible, and I have a very capable machine. This is the most disappointing aspect so far.”
- “This game on Windows has a major memory leak or progressive performance loss issue.”
- “Unfortunately, I cannot recommend the game in its current state. Sixty dollars is absolutely absurd. The AI are just static entities moving along a path. There was promise for a dynamic campaign, but that was scrapped. The game was delayed, and the devs took no blame. There's no onboarding, and optimization is awful.”
story
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
78%
11%
The story aspect is criticized for being minimal and underdeveloped, featuring only a handful of simplistic, quickly assembled missions with brief briefings and no mission editor. Players frequently encounter bugs that disrupt mission progress, lack of enemy AI response, and long periods of uneventful gameplay, leading to a shallow and unstable narrative experience that requires significant improvement.
- “With more extensive missions and an enemy AI to match the depth of detail, it will be a real monster.”
- “It comes with about half a dozen missions, and two linear campaigns.”
- “Third: gameplay is what we could expect, missions like wipe the convoy, destroy something on a surface or sub vs sub duels.”
- “The AI is anemic, the missions are sterile, and the briefings are just a sentence or two.”
- “There is no mission editor, and like 5 quickly cobbled together missions.”
- “First mission attempting to play was critically bugged (game time frozen and all systems bricked after a few minutes of just surfacing the sub).”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
43%
19%
The graphics receive mixed feedback, praised for their quality and detail at medium to ultra settings, especially in interior views and sensor suites, but criticized for poor optimization, inconsistent external visuals, and lack of realism and polish in effects like motion blur. Performance issues and low frame rates on certain rigs also impact the overall experience.
- “The graphics are amazing even at medium settings.”
- “The download went great, install went great, I set all graphics to ultra and the game is running great.”
- “The graphics are good, both the external views and interior.”
- “I have a pretty decent rig and I had to switch down to medium graphics because this game cannot run at high unless you fancy yourself some slide shows and whatnot.”
- “First: optimization is shocking, I can't increase the time because game is too demanding, on medium settings I can get 70fps with drops to 2... graphics let's say is 4/10 purchased it for cinema effects but for realism and immersion.”
- “Zero sound design outside of the command room (not even your own propulsion), pretty poor optimization with some very weird graphics when it comes to effects like motion blur (which you can't even turn on or off).”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The gameplay offers a slow, tactical submarine simulator experience focused on stealth, positioning, and strategic thinking, with immersive sonar mechanics and atmosphere. However, it currently lacks advanced AI and in-game tutorials, making some missions repetitive and limiting enemy engagement, which may hinder enjoyment for those seeking more action or guidance. Overall, it delivers satisfying simulation gameplay but requires patience and a preference for methodical play.
- “Great sonar mechanics, immersive atmosphere, and tactical gameplay that actually makes you think.”
- “The gameplay of submarine simulators is to be more quiet, to place yourself in an advantageous position, to trick the enemy and obscure your location, otherwise, you lose.”
- “Gameplay wise, it can be slow I guess, but that's part of the job; simulators (even more submarine ones) can be slow and you have to be patient. If you intend to shoot at something every 10 minutes, that's not the game. It's a cat and mouse game (but both are blindfolded and have guns).”
- “Let's get the obvious complaints about gameplay out of the way - there is none.”
- “Crew AI mechanics are virtually non-existent so manual variable input is required.”
- “What there is of submarine gameplay like Silent Hunter lacks in-game tutorials and enemy ship AI is lackluster in offense but can only evade and go defensive; I don't think they can shoot back.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is currently hindered by frequent bugs, including crashes, freezes, and performance issues, making it feel like an early tech demo. While these issues detract from the experience, players recognize the strong foundation and potential for improvement as development continues.
- “I've had 2 freezes (watch the clocks) and one crash to desktop just after start up.”
- “The sub (maybe randomly) freezes, and it doesn't show.”
- “This is a buggy tech demo at best.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted more for unintentional moments, such as blurry visuals and technical quirks, rather than deliberate comedic content. Players find some situations amusing, like performance issues on high-end hardware, adding a lighthearted element despite underlying frustrations.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is praised for its immersive and engaging qualities, enhanced by great sonar mechanics and thoughtful tactical gameplay that encourages strategic thinking.
- “Great sonar mechanics, immersive atmosphere, and tactical gameplay that actually makes you think.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Replayability is currently limited due to the game's unfinished state, and it's recommended to wait for improvements or a sale before diving in.

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