The Sinking City
In the 1920s, on the East Coast of the United States, the half-submerged city of Oakmont is gripped by supernatural forces. You're a private investigator, uncovering the truth of what has possessed the city and corrupted the minds of its inhabitants… and yours. The Sinking City is an adventure and investigation game set in an open world inspired by the universe of H.P. Lovecraft, the master of Horror. The half-submerged city of Oakmont is gripped by supernatural forces. You're a private investigator, and you have to uncover the truth of what has possessed the city… and the minds of its inhabitants. An oppressive atmosphere and story inspired by the universe of H.P. Lovecraft. A vast open world that can be explored on foot, by boat, in a diving suit… High replay value thanks to an open investigation system: each case can be solved in a number of ways, with different possible endings depending on your actions.
Game Discussion
Steam User 33
Amazing but flawed.
While it starts with an unpleasant first impression, with a janky camera, animations and unimpressive combat, it develops into a well-made, unique detective mystery game based on Lovecraftian lore.
The writing is excellent and is probably the main reason to pick this game up. I like how the morality of every choice is always called into question, and how there is no 'correct' choice — every decision you make has its own shade of grey.
Also the way you solve cases by adding evidence into your "Mind Palace" is really unique and well done.
One thing I especially want to mention is the empty, useless open world, which unfortunately detracts from the overall experience.
As for the remastered version of the game, it runs exceptionally badly for a game that doesn't even look particularly good and, if you enable ray-traced reflections, enjoy stuttering every two seconds. Plus, for some reason, there is no motion blur toggle, which is completely insane for a remaster of a video game released in 2025.
If you enjoy good Lovecraftian stories, this game is definitely for you and I would recommend it.
Steam User 22
TLDR
The Sinking City feels like a game created by authors and artists, then coded by monkeys. If you’re looking for a Lovecraftian detective experience, it’s absolutely worth playing. The atmosphere, story, character dialogue, and voice acting are all phenomenal. The moral choices are genuine dilemmas rather than simple good/evil prompts. If Lovecraft is what you’re here for, buy it.
That said, the positives end there. The game objectively feels terrible to play. Your character controls like a tank on ice skates. Combat is easily the worst part: the moment you engage an “enemy,” your sanity drops and you’re hit with a disorienting fisheye lens effect. As someone who does not get motion sickness, the effect is extremely nauseating and cannot be disabled.
The resource management system makes no sense and feels like a chore. Rather than make crafting resources scarce, they are abundant, as chests refill when you walk away. You just have an extremely limited inventory, making it a minor inconvenience in between fights rather than something you actually have to manage.
Environments also suffer from repetition. There are basically three interior layout templates, all some variation of a three-story building; but the interior design team does impressive work disguising the sameness and making each space feel distinct.
All of these negatives only highlight how well the game nails its story and atmosphere. The Sinking City is clunky, jank, and at times outright annoying to play… yet its narrative and world-building are so good that it’s still worth it for fans of cosmic horror.
Steam User 25
What happens when Lovecraft's works collide into one comprehensive universe, then mix with further occult myths like the Golem of Prague and undead Mayan? The Sinking City is exactly that, a rough but charming melting pot of cosmic horror and esotericism by the underfunded AA Ukrainian studio Frogwares.
There are so many problems with its gameplay, especially repetitive combat against the same 4 types of enemy, the over-reliance on the crafting system and the overused repetitive level layouts. Yet despite all that, the city of Oakmont and its eerie but memorable stories carry such a great atmosphere that I'd recommend this game to anyone who loves the weird fiction genre. There's something truly special about being thrown into a bizarre, decaying but fully believable world and stumbling upon its strange characters and moments that make you pause and question things. And that's why The Sinking City is one of the most authentic Lovecraft games for me, an imperfect but truly unforgettable experience.
Steam User 18
I almost got put off from the start by slightly wonky combat, but decided to power through and see what this game is really about - because killing things clearly isn't the main attraction here. I'm very glad I did, because it turned out to be one of the most atmospheric, chilling horrors/thrillers I've had the pleasure to play.
There's an omnipresent sense of dread in it, which is why I find the name so fitting - it's a "sinking feeling" of things going from bad to increasingly harrowing levels of "WORSE". Fear of the Unknown is the strongest of them all, according to Lovecraft - and this game capitalizes on that pretty damn well. It doesn't shock you with predictable gore or jump-scares. Instead - it seeps into your being as something you can't quite identify, yet find delightfully terrifying.
Unraveling the threads of its story while playing detective is the core gameplay thing here, and is quite gripping, just because of how original and unpredictable the writing is.
This was an entirely random find which turned out as a hidden gem !
Steam User 14
The Sinking City Remastered is a fascinating detective horror game that shines thanks to its eerie atmosphere, unsettling Lovecraft inspired world, and rewarding investigation mechanics. Exploring the flooded city of Oakmont feels genuinely mysterious, and piecing together clues yourself is far more engaging than simply following map markers.
That said, the game still carries some of the rough edges of the original release. Combat can feel repetitive and clunky, enemy encounters often become more of an annoyance than a source of tension, and some animations and side activities lack polish compared to modern AAA titles.
Overall, The Sinking City Remastered is at its best when it leans into investigation and cosmic horror
Steam User 15
Yeah, I get it *sigh*
Yes , the game sure is not a technical masterpiece.
Yes , the 2019 version (still playable) is more stable than the remastered version.
Yes , the 2019 version's graphics on default look better than the remastered version's.
Yes , the remastered version missed the opporunity to get rid of some bugs.
BUT
I still love this game. Let me explain why. Lets start with the technical perspective.
You can decide whether you play the 2019 or remastered version.
With some easy tweaks in the .ini file(s) both versions can become quite goodlooking.
On my last playthrough the remastered version only crashed once.
The autosave feature is pretty usefull. Never experienced a true setback when the game crashed.
Now it does not sound that bad anymore, does it?
But what is far more important (to me): the story & setting!
I am pretty sure the story will appeal to anyone who at least has a somewhat positiv affiliation to HP Lovecraft's universe. Even if you don't and are just looking for a detective shooter in an eerie and weird setting, you wont be disappointed by it's lore. It fits right in. Sometimes gives you the chills. Sometimes makes your brain go "WTF?!". Sometimes makes you shiver. Ans sometimes even lets you make some (not so easy) choices. For game developers Lovecraft and his works still seem to be pretty niche. Thus it is hard for us Lovecraft fans to get supplied with videogames that fit his mind (and ours). When it comes to egoperspective we have Dagon, Still Wakes The Deep, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakend, Darkness Within that are pretty damn close to be considered authentic and immersive. And it is right this authenticity and immersion that makes me come back to it from time to time. As for now I just have started another playthrough again.
Sure, the game definitely is NOT free of flaws. It has it's bugs and quirks. But it sure is far away from an unplayable state. Further it is not like there is a truckload of great Lovecraft games that catch the vibe and give it back to the player. I dont need (and dont want!) a AAA game to get sucked into Lovecraft's world. With that in mind, my oh my, The Sinking City truely is a great game to love(craft)!
Steam User 12
A pretty cool open-world detective game heavily inspired by Lovecraftian horror. You play as a private investigator in a flooded, creepy city trying to solve a bunch of supernatural mysteries. I absolutely loved the clue-finding mechanics and connecting the different pieces of evidence in your mind palace to solve cases. Unfortunately, the game becomes very repetitive in the second half, with a lot of back-and-forth travel and clunky combat. Other than that, solid atmosphere and really cool investigation gameplay.