A brand-new survival game is making waves in the gaming community. Anchor, the latest project from Croatian indie studio Fearem, has officially been revealed as an open-world underwater survival experience designed to combine the large-scale multiplayer chaos of Rust with the deep-sea atmosphere of Subnautica. Featuring persistent 150-player servers, immersive ecosystems, and extensive base-building mechanics, Anchor aims to redefine the multiplayer survival genre when it launches on PC.
🌊 From Horror to Hardcore Survival
Based in Zagreb, Croatia, Fearem describes itself as a “tech-focused indie developer” that has spent the past decade creating multiplayer systems and backend technologies for other studios. The team’s previous title, Daemonical, was an asymmetrical horror experience released via Steam Early Access in 2018. Although it didn’t gain widespread traction, it demonstrated Fearem’s focus on networked multiplayer design — something the team is now expanding upon massively with Anchor.
This time, Fearem is building something much more ambitious: a living, breathing underwater world designed to stay online even when you’re not. The studio claims that Anchor’s servers will operate continuously and evolve over time, ensuring that player-built structures, ecosystems, and resource distributions remain persistent.
⚓ A World Reborn Beneath the Waves
Set after a nuclear apocalypse that devastated the planet’s surface, Anchor takes place in a future where the remnants of humanity have been genetically modified to survive underwater. The titular “Anchor” refers to the main playable region, a sprawling 16-square-kilometer oceanic map filled with ruins, coral forests, and frozen wastelands.
For comparison, Fearem says Anchor’s world is roughly 33% larger than the original Subnautica map, giving players plenty of room to explore, build, and battle for resources. Biomes confirmed so far include tropical coral reefs, volcanic trenches, arctic zones, and sunken industrial complexes — each with unique hazards, wildlife, and materials.
While exploration and survival are central, Anchor’s multiplayer backbone promises to set it apart. Players can join persistent servers supporting up to 150 people, engaging in PvE cooperation or PvP conflict. There’s also a solo mode for those who prefer to brave the depths alone.
🧱 Survival, Crafting, and Base Building
At its core, Anchor is built around a familiar yet ambitious survival-crafting loop: gather resources, build shelters, hunt for food, and craft the tools you need to survive. Players will be able to construct underwater bases, establish air pockets, and create networks of domes and tunnels for safety and storage.
Crafting appears to be deep and modular, with early footage teasing customizable gear, diving suits, oxygen systems, and aquatic vehicles designed to handle the immense pressures of the deep sea. Managing oxygen, pressure, and temperature will all play major roles in how players explore and survive — adding layers of tension to every dive.
🦈 Dynamic Predator Ecosystem Inspired by Real Marine Life
One of Anchor’s standout features is its realistic predator-prey system, inspired by actual marine biology. Fearem revealed that sharks will serve as key predators within the ecosystem, responding to stimuli such as blood, vibrations, and movement rather than acting as mindless enemies.
Sharks in Anchor will actively hunt and feed based on their environment, creating unpredictable encounters. For instance, they might circle a wounded player, follow trails of blood, or ignore you entirely if satiated. The developer’s goal is to replicate natural predator behaviors, creating a world that feels alive and reactive rather than scripted.
If executed well, this system could make Anchor’s underwater world one of the most immersive in the survival genre — where every sound or movement could draw unwanted attention from the depths.
💻 PC First, But With Big Ambitions
So far, Anchor has only been confirmed for PC, with its official Steam page already live and open for wishlisting. The page showcases a few early screenshots of the game’s aquatic environments and hints at its unique blend of survival realism and large-scale multiplayer systems.
Fearem hasn’t yet revealed details about pricing, early access plans, or release timing. However, given the game’s scale, it’s possible that Anchor will enter Early Access first, allowing the studio to refine its multiplayer balance and ecosystem systems over time — much like Rust and Subnautica before it.
🌐 A New Contender in the Survival Genre
The survival genre has grown increasingly crowded over the past decade, but Anchor stands out thanks to its persistent multiplayer focus and post-apocalyptic oceanic setting. While many survival games explore forests, islands, or alien planets, few have attempted to build a large-scale shared world beneath the sea.
By blending Rust’s player-driven chaos with Subnautica’s atmospheric exploration and adding MMO-like persistence, Anchor could become one of 2026’s most intriguing indie titles. If Fearem can deliver on its ambitious systems — from realistic marine AI to 150-player underwater servers — it may well find a deep niche among survival fans looking for something truly new.
For now, players can follow Anchor’s development through its Steam page and official Discord server, where Fearem is sharing behind-the-scenes updates and accepting community feedback as development continues.