Ship Graveyard Simulator casts players as workers in a massive shipbreaking yard set along a coastline littered with rusty, abandoned vessels. The objective is to salvage materials, dismantle ship parts, sell the scrap and upgrade equipment. Along the way, players must contend with hazardous conditions – from rust and toxic waste to sharp metal and heavy tools such as cutting torches, hammers and welding gear.

According to the review by German gaming outlet Gamers Palace, Ship Graveyard Simulator stands out with its straightforward gameplay that instantly draws players into dismantling wrecks and collecting resources. Steam user demiurgent summed it up: “Sometimes you just need the opportunity to chop a few things up. It’s incredibly satisfying.” New tools, upgrades and a skill tree add a sense of progress, while changing market prices and daily missions keep the experience engaging over time.

Despite its seemingly mundane premise, the testers found Ship Graveyard Simulator surprisingly calming – almost like a virtual beach escape. On the technical side, however, the game shows clear weaknesses, with blurry textures, screen tearing and at times clunky controls. Immersion also suffers from minor bugs and a largely lifeless open world where even the village offers little interaction. Gamers Palace awarded the game 78/100, praising its relaxing atmosphere and gameplay loop. On Steam, by contrast, feedback is more mixed, with only 65% of roughly 1,900 reviews being positive. Reception on Metacritic is even more restrained, with a Metascore of 53 and a User Score of 5.3.

Ship Graveyard Simulator was developed by Games Incubator and published by PlayWay S.A. in November 2021. The game normally retails for around $15 on Steam, but is free to play until September 15. For those who enjoy dismantling ships despite the mixed reviews, it will be available afterward for about $1 thanks to a steep 93% discount. Steam lists the title as “Playable” on the Steam Deck (available on Amazon for $455).

By the way: There’s also Ship Graveyard Simulator 2, which recently received a new DLC. It is currently 46% off, available for around $13 instead of $25.

Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.

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As a child in the 90s, my Gameboy was my steady companion. After school, the PlayStation was fired up. When I finally got my first PC, I was completely hooked. My passion for gaming has never waned since. For me, writing for Notebookcheck means reporting on topics that are really close to my heart – in addition to gaming, I also like to write about e-mobility, photovoltaics and innovative gadgets. When I’m not sitting at my computer, I’m probably on water rescue duty on the Baltic coast or trying to counteract the downsides of my geek life – namely sitting for long periods – at the local swimming pool.