AquaNox 2: Revelation

2003 Massive Development Action

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxPlatinum

Steam DeckUnsupported

Gamicality score

Metacritic 594

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 711

How it’s combined

Playability today

Runs today3.5/5

Design today2.5/5

Steam user reviews

Mostly Positive

75%

265 reviews1

Get it on Steam Watch the trailer

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does AquaNox 2: Revelation run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11With a fix

Runs with a fix. See the steps below.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not sold

No Mac version is sold.

LinuxPlatinum

Through Proton. ProtonDB: Platinum, runs perfectly out of the box.3

Steam DeckUnsupported

Unsupported, as rated by Valve.1

Played AquaNox 2: Revelation lately?

One click, no account, so the next player knows. How we check where it runs

How to get AquaNox 2: Revelation running today

If the game shows a black screen or crashes when changing resolution, disable or unplug every monitor except the one used to play (PCGamingWiki; Steam Discussions).
For a native widescreen resolution, set dsp_width and dsp_height at the end of Documents\AquaNox2\Config.txt to the screen's resolution (PCGamingWiki).

Synopsis

An underwater combat sim set in 2666, when humanity lives in cities on the ocean floor. Players are William Drake, a young freighter pilot who joins the salvage crew of the Harvester while searching for the truth about his ancestor. Between dialogue-heavy stops aboard ship and in undersea cities, they fly about 30 missions of escorts, dogfights and exploration, buying and swapping ships and weapons along the way.

Developer: Massive Development
Released: 2003
Genre: Action
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

Reviews in 2003 were middling: critics liked the solid underwater dogfighting, ship variety, sound and steady performance, but called the missions repetitive, the environments dark and bland, the writing clumsy and the controls a little sluggish. German press were warmer about the atmosphere and story staging. Current Steam players are split, with some praising the long story and calling it timeless while others find the plot overwrought, the gameplay boring and the pacing smothered by lore.

Trailer from Steam

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

3.5/5

Sold or given away today by an official source
Needs fan patches to run well on Windows 11
?Not confirmed yetSingle-player works without an internet connection
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
All of its content still works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
A single-player game with no online features; some localizations are missing from the GOG.com build only (PCGamingWiki).
No proper support for modern resolutions and widescreen
Widescreen resolutions need a configuration file edit (PCGamingWiki).
Full controller support or remappable controls
Controller support is built in, with an adjustable auto-aim slider (PCGamingWiki).
Not Steam Deck Verified or Playable
No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
No known game-breaking bugs in the current version
PCGamingWiki lists the black screen problem as fixed and a 2025 review reports it running on Windows 11, though one October 2026 review reports a crash when returning to the freighter after the first mission (PCGamingWiki, Steam reviews).

Design today

2.5/5

Controls feel awkward on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Ship handling feels slightly sluggish, and climbing or diving requires angling the craft and accelerating rather than moving vertically, even though remappable keys and controller support are included. Source: worthplaying.com, pcgamingwiki.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
Widescreen, ultrawide and 4K resolutions are not offered in the menu and must be set by editing the configuration file. Source: pcgamingwiki.com.
Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
Saving is blocked during missions and allowed only at city docks and aboard the Harvester, but missions are short enough that a failure rarely costs much. Source: gameswelt.de.
It teaches itself: no guide needed to make progress
Radio messages steer the player from waypoint to waypoint through large levels, and mission briefings on the map often suggest suitable equipment. Source: gameswelt.de.
Pacing drags: grind, filler or forced backtracking
Missions repeat the same pattern of crossing an area or escorting a vessel, and long dialogue scenes between them slow the game, a complaint current players still raise. Source: worthplaying.com, steamcommunity.com.
Camera or movement fights the player
Every level has an invisible ceiling that stops the player's ship while enemy craft can fly above it, which undercuts the freedom of a 3D underwater space. Source: worthplaying.com.