2022’s Beloved Survival Adventure 'Stranded Deep' Is Free This Weekend

Stranded Deep, a survival crafting game released in Early Access in 2015, continues to garner attention and a dedicated fanbase. With more than 20,000 Steam reviews, it's no wonder that gamers are flocking to play it during this weekend, as it's free to play on Steam until 1 p.m. ET on October 19. The game is set in an open-world, multiplayer environment, where players find themselves stranded on an island in the Pacific Ocean after a plane crash.

Players can utilize resources like wood to construct huts, spears, axes, bows, and even spearguns for hunting fish and giant crabs. As players hunt, cook, and craft, their skills level up, allowing them to improve their chances of survival. Unlike many survival games, Stranded Deep has a definitive ending, requiring players to manage their health, hunger, thirst, and avoid sunstroke to be rescued.

While the game received praise for its unique features and co-op mode, some reviews have criticized it for having more bugs since its release, with one user reporting that two-player local co-op no longer functions. Despite the bugs, Stranded Deep has earned a Mostly Positive user score on Steam, with 74% of players leaving positive reviews.

The game's Metacritic score was mediocre at launch on PS4 and Xbox One in 2020, with an average rating of 65. However, it officially launched on Steam in 2022. Recently, Beam Team Games announced Stranded Deep 2, set to debut in Early Access on Steam in 2027. Unlike its predecessor, Stranded Deep 2 will be an open-world survival crafting experience in a desert wasteland, featuring alligators and murderous hippos.

The game will be set in an "endless river world," where players can discover new canyons, dunes, and valleys by kayak.