NavalArt (v1.52.1906 & ALL DLC)

Warship design takes center stage in a sandbox that treats every hull, turret, armor plate, and anchor chain as part of a functional fighting machine. NavalArt spans the industrial age of steel battleships and asks players to think like a naval architect before they ever fire a gun. Its mood sits somewhere between a meticulous engineering workshop and a naval combat simulator: calm while you refine a blueprint, then tense once shells start landing around your fleet.

Construction begins in the dockyard, where ships are assembled piece by piece using built-in components and community-made mods. Players shape hulls, position guns, arrange armor belts, balance weight, and configure details that range from broad silhouettes to small deck fittings; bad decisions have practical consequences when a vessel handles poorly or fails under fire. Sea trials let you test designs before committing them to battle, while Quick Battle and Campaign modes turn successful creations into active warships armed with torpedoes, armor-piercing ammunition, and heavy naval artillery. Combat rewards planning as much as aggression, since firing angles, protection layouts, and fleet composition all matter when opposing ships begin trading volleys.

What makes NavalArt compelling is the freedom to move between roles: designer, engineer, commander, and even observer. Few naval games allow such granular custom construction while also letting you deploy those creations in battles, then inspect them on foot in Gallery Mode or arrange a ceremonial fleet parade from a flagship. The mod community expands the available parts and gives dedicated builders plenty of room to recreate historical vessels, invent alternate-history dreadnoughts, or produce wildly impractical experiments. Players who enjoy the construction depth of Besiege or From the Depths, but prefer the focused spectacle of warships, find a rewarding creative sandbox here; newcomers can start with simple builds, while naval enthusiasts can spend hours perfecting a single deck layout.