Hide & Hold Out - H2o
Early access since Apr 2016
Hide & Hold Out is a multiplayer survival game taking place in a devastated water world. Gather, build, team up with your friends and establish the foundations of your future floating empire utilizing the heavy guns of your battle ships!
53% positive · 630 reviews
Not yet
In early access, content planned but development status unclear
Low confidence
Content Planned
Development Uncertain
Not yet
In early access, content planned but development status unclear
Low confidence
Content Planned
Development Uncertain
Where to buy
Steam $17.99
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Evaluation
Hide & Hold Out - H2o entered Steam Early Access on April 9, 2016. The developer shipped updates fairly regularly through mid-2018, but the situation has been troubled for years. In September 2017, the developer posted a candid message acknowledging they had run out of money and could no longer work on the game full-time, recommending that people not buy it until things improved. Development activity continued at a reduced pace through April 7, 2018 — the date of the last news post — and then went silent entirely.
The most significant signal is a 2024 edit to the store page, in which the developer states directly that "H2o is not playable in its current state" and that they have been working since 2020 on a completely new version of the game that will eventually come as an update to this title. They caution that "it will likely take many more years to get there," but say they are "still trying as much as we can."
This means the game remains in Early Access with a promised overhaul still in progress, but there have been no developer news posts or patch updates since April 7, 2018. The 2024 store edit is the only public communication in roughly six years, and it contains no timeline, no roadmap, and no evidence of publicly visible development progress. The combination of a 2017 funding crisis, years of silence, and a game described as currently unplayable makes the status of the promised new version deeply uncertain — the developer's intent appears genuine, but there is no way to verify that meaningful progress is being made.
Evidence
Developer added a 2024 note to the store page stating the game is not playable in its current state, that a completely new version has been in development since 2020, and that it will likely take many more years to release. Recommends following and wishlisting to be notified.
Developer posted that they had run out of money and could no longer work on the game full-time. Recommended against purchasing. Mentioned the possibility of a future big update or remake but could not guarantee it.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Red Abyss Software
Achievements
1
Platform
Windows, Linux
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Not rated
Players
Multiplayer · Co-op · PvP
About this game
2024 EDIT - H2o is not playable in its current state, we are working hard since 2020 on a completely new version that will eventually come as an update to this title. If you want to know when things become interesting again, please follow and add the game to your wishlist. It will likely take many more years to get there, but we are still trying as much as we can to make H2o what it ought to be.
In the world of Hide & Hold Out, you are one of the survivors of the cataclysm which happened near the end of the 20th century.
This cataclysm has led to a brutal elevation of the sea level all around the globe. Today, you don't really know if there is still a true "land" somewhere, but you know that this reef saved you after the disaster. Well... not only you, actually, and that's more of the problem.
You will have to find by yourself something to eat, materials and fuel to stay alive, to build yourself a home and to start building boats and weapons.
The other players can be a curse in H2o, but they can also be a blessing as working with other survivors will give you the key to both safety and power.
H2o is still far from its final form, but we really wants to give a specific importance to the interactions between the players. Giving you the means to deploy large ships to fight as a team, merchant boats to trade...
We plan to add a skill tree in the near future, so that each player in a group can choose a specific role. Such as scout, driver, gunner, or even a kind of doctor who could craft specific drugs to cure diseases and poisonings.
We want to develop this part of the game with the community, once that the classical structure of a survival game will be properly set, balanced and stable.
In the world of Hide & Hold Out, you are one of the survivors of the cataclysm which happened near the end of the 20th century.
This cataclysm has led to a brutal elevation of the sea level all around the globe. Today, you don't really know if there is still a true "land" somewhere, but you know that this reef saved you after the disaster. Well... not only you, actually, and that's more of the problem.
You will have to find by yourself something to eat, materials and fuel to stay alive, to build yourself a home and to start building boats and weapons.
The other players can be a curse in H2o, but they can also be a blessing as working with other survivors will give you the key to both safety and power.
H2o is still far from its final form, but we really wants to give a specific importance to the interactions between the players. Giving you the means to deploy large ships to fight as a team, merchant boats to trade...
We plan to add a skill tree in the near future, so that each player in a group can choose a specific role. Such as scout, driver, gunner, or even a kind of doctor who could craft specific drugs to cure diseases and poisonings.
We want to develop this part of the game with the community, once that the classical structure of a survival game will be properly set, balanced and stable.
- Multiplayer
- Open world
- Player Constructions
- Fuel & Electricity
- Crafting & Resource processing
- Fishing, Farming, Gathering
- In-game map
- VoIP
- Clan system
- Vehicles
- Aircrafts
- Ships
- Modular Turrets
COMING DURING EARLY ACCESS:
- Advanced exploration (especially underwater)
- a bigger map (sized for 80 players and not ~40 as currently)
- More wild life, Gathering and advanced farming
- Ghosting & Random events
- Skills & Specialisation
- Diseases & Injuries management
- Bounty system
- Battle Mode (coming as a free update at the end of the early access)
- And many others... (Check Trello!)
PRESENT:
Follow the development:
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Jun 27, 2026
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