Stranded Deep Is Free on Steam This Weekend

October 17, 2026

Stranded Deep is free to try this weekend

Survival crafting game Stranded Deep is available to play at no cost on Steam until 1 p.m. ET on 19 October. The game first entered Early Access in 2015 and has since developed a substantial audience, including more than 20,000 Steam reviews.

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Survive a Pacific island disaster

In Stranded Deep, a plane crash leaves your character stranded on an island in the Pacific Ocean. It is an open-world multiplayer survival game built around gathering resources, crafting equipment and staying alive.

Players can cut down trees and use the timber to construct huts and other structures. Craftable equipment includes spears, axes, bows and spearguns, which can help with hunting fish and giant crabs. Hunting, cooking and crafting improve as those activities are performed.

The game requires careful management of health, hunger and thirst, while exposure to the sun can cause sunstroke. Unlike many survival games, it also has a defined conclusion: the objective is to survive long enough to be rescued.

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What players should know

Stranded Deep holds a Mostly Positive user rating on Steam, with 74% of players leaving positive reviews. However, some recent feedback has raised concerns about bugs, including a report that two-player local co-op no longer works.

Critical reception has been more reserved. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions, which launched in 2020, received a combined average Metacritic score of 65. After its Early Access period began in 2015, the game officially launched on Steam in 2022.

Players interested in building a dedicated gaming setup can browse RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide or explore the range of arcade machines.

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Is Stranded Deep 2 coming?

Beam Team Games announced Stranded Deep 2 in September 2026. The follow-up will retain the open-world survival-crafting format but move the action from a tropical island to a desert wasteland.

The sequel is centred on an “endless river world”, where players will travel by kayak to discover new canyons, dunes and valleys. Its hazards include alligators and murderous hippos.

Stranded Deep 2 is set to release in Early Access on Steam in 2027.