Excellent subnautical society sim Barotrauma just announced its first expansion, and it looks like we’ll be able to build Rapture

Nothing bad can happen in a submarine. History bears this out and, no, I won’t be doing further research into the matter, thank you. So consider me excited to experience the carefree good-times that are sure to come in the upcoming expansion for co-op sub sim Barotrauma, which just got its world premiere during the PC Gaming Show 2025.

It’s called Home and Harbor, and brings with it the possibility of building your own, player-managed base deep beneath the sea. A bit like Rapture. Rapture went well, right? It’s been a while since I played BioShock.

I’m anticipating all the regular chaos of Barotrauma—the leaks, the monsters, the unbearable and suffocating pressure of the ocean—with all the stressors of homeownership. The trailer doesn’t give too much away, but we get glimpses of shifty figures pickpocketing zonked-out security guards, ripperdocs at work on their clients, and botanists hard at work keeping the harvest alive down where the sun can’t reach.

So expect more of the chaotic co-operation and cutthroat competition, I reckon, with the added complexity that comes from trying to keep a base running and expanding without somehow catching fire despite all the water. To make matters more complicated, Home and Harbor is introducing a new faction of NPCs called The Descendants. I have no idea what they want and the trailer is keeping schtum, but I have a sinking feeling it won’t be to the benefit of my undersea utopia.

Still, at least you’ll be able to rely on your hardy comrades—the players and friends you drag with you down to the deep—to help you out as you design and run your new kingdom ‘neat the waves, right? Well, maybe. In my experience, whether your co-op partners are a help or an all-destroying hindrance depends on the toss of a coin and how badly your friends want to keep being your friends. Maybe the responsibilities of owning a stationary home will straighten out your pals? Stranger things happen at sea.

If you’ve yet to sample Barotrauma, you can check it out on Steam.