GunFleet
GunFleet was a free-to-play naval combat title that put players in control of warship designs inspired by the WWI and WWII eras, ranging from fast gunboats to stealthy submarines. Battles emphasized positioning and coordinated play, with unlockable ships representing Japan, the USSR, Germany, and the United States.
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Publisher: Areo Gaming Playerbase: Low Type: Naval Combat Release Date: February 06, 2017 Shut Down Date: May 27, 2017 Pros: +Large roster of ship types to unlock. +Encourages squad and fleet coordination. +Plenty of loadout choices via crews, weapons, consumables, and equipment. Cons: -Visuals look behind the times. -Leans heavily on familiar ideas from similar games. |
GunFleet Overview
GunFleet aimed to deliver approachable, match-based naval warfare with a historical flavor. Players worked through a growing hangar of ships tied to several major nations, including Germany, the USSR, the United States, and Japan, then took those vessels into PvP battles across maps set in a range of climates and regions.
Moment to moment, the game focused on learning how each class moves and fights. Submarines brought a different rhythm by diving beneath the surface to reposition and set up torpedo attacks, while smaller surface ships relied more on speed, angles, and sustained gunfire. Progression came from playing matches and completing missions, which awarded experience and currency used to push research and development forward.
Customization was a big part of the loop. Ships could be outfitted with crew members and tuned with weapons, equipment, and consumables to better fit a role, whether that meant leaning into survivability, damage output, or utility. On the mode side, GunFleet supported Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill, plus scenario-style missions described as envoy events, and it generally played best when teams operated as coordinated squadrons rather than as lone hunters. GunFleet shut down in May, 2017.
GunFleet Key Features:
- Variety of Ships – unlock multiple ship types from different nations, numbering over 40 unique vessels.
- Naval Combat – manage surface and submerged play, acquire targets, launch torpedoes, and trade gunfire in fights where smart maneuvering decides who sinks first.
- Customize Ships – build out your vessel with crew selections, equipment, weapon options, and consumable choices.
- Game Modes – queue for Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill, and special envoy scenarios.
- Teamwork Emphasized – success typically comes from fleet-level coordination and squad tactics, not solo play.
GunFleet Screenshots
GunFleet Featured Video
GunFleet Review
GunFleet arrived on Steam as a free-to-play Early Access project with a clear pitch, quick naval battles using recognizable ship archetypes and a progression system built around unlocking and upgrading a wide selection of vessels. In practice, the game’s strongest moments came when teams leaned into coordinated movement and focused fire, because even small advantages in positioning could quickly turn into a sinking.
The core gameplay revolved around readable roles. Submarines offered the most distinct playstyle, built around choosing when to submerge, when to surface, and how to line up torpedo runs without getting pinned down. Surface ships, particularly lighter craft, were more about staying mobile and maintaining pressure with guns while avoiding being isolated. That contrast gave matches a nice tactical texture, especially in objective modes like King of the Hill where control of space mattered as much as raw damage.
Progression and customization were designed to keep players experimenting. Earning experience and currency from matches and missions fed back into research and development, unlocking more ships and letting you adjust your loadout with crew, equipment, weapons, and consumables. The system encouraged specialization, but it also meant balance could feel uneven from match to match depending on how upgraded opponents were, a common issue for PvP games that mix progression with competitive matchmaking.
Presentation was functional rather than impressive. The visuals were serviceable but clearly dated even for the time, and the overall feel leaned on familiar conventions seen in other naval combat titles. That said, the game’s emphasis on squad and fleet play gave it a distinct identity when the playerbase supported consistent matchmaking.
Ultimately, GunFleet is best remembered as a short-lived attempt to blend arcade naval action with light simulation touches and team tactics. With the shutdown in May 2017, it is no longer playable, but the design still serves as an example of how much naval combat games benefit from coordinated roles and objective-focused pacing.
GunFleet Links
GunFleet Official Site
GunFleet Forums [Official]
GunFleet Steam Page
GunFleet Steam Greenlight Community
GunFleet Facebook Page
GunFleet System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: Windows 7 / 8 / 10
CPU: 2.0 GHz
RAM: 2 GB
Video Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible, with 1024 MB of VRAM
Hard Disk Space: 2 GB
Recommended Requirements:
Operating System: Windows 7 / 8 / 10
CPU: 2.0 GHz with at least 4 cores
RAM: 4 GB RAM
Video Card: DirectX 10 compatible, with 1024 MB of VRAM
Hard Disk Space: 4 GB
Internet connection required to play.
GunFleet Music & Soundtrack
While GunFleet did not leave behind a widely documented standalone soundtrack release, its audio design followed the expected naval combat mix, engine noise and water movement as the baseline, punctuated by gunfire, explosions, and torpedo impacts. In matches where multiple ships converged on an objective, the soundscape helped sell the chaos even when the visuals were on the simpler side.
GunFleet Additional Information
Developer(s): Areo Gaming
Publisher(s): Areo Gaming
Language(s): English, Russian
Platform(s): PC
Steam Greenlight Post Date: November 18, 2016
Steam Greenlight Award Date: December 6, 2016
Open Beta: 2016
Early Access: February 06, 2017
Shut Down Date: May 27, 2017
Development History / Background:
GunFleet was developed and published by Areo Gaming, a game studio based in Russia. The project appeared on Valve’s Steam Greenlight in November 2016 and received approval in December 2016. After an open beta period during 2016, it launched on Steam in Early Access on February 06, 2017.
GunFleet shut down on May 27th, 2017.