For as long as there have been video games, there have been vehicles in video games for you to control. From blasting away baddies in Galaga to rolling through Blood Gulch on a Warthog in Halo, vehicular experiences are some of the most exhilarating available across all genres of gaming. However, some games give you options that dwarf others. Veritable behemoths for you to control either alone or with friends as you dominate the landscape.
While driving a standard-sized vehicle is always fun, there's a level of tactile satisfaction that comes with piloting something larger. Moving about within building-sized machines, tinkering around with the inner workings to make sure everything is ship-shape, and successfully navigating the challenges ahead of you provides a wholly unique experience. Whether you're flying solo or managing a crew of your friends, these gameplay experiences are sure to scratch your mammoth vehicular itch.
10 FAR: Changing Tides
FAR: Changing Tides and its predecessor FAR: Lone Sails add a vehicular twist to the indie puzzle-platformer genre. Unlike its contemporaries, FAR sees you piloting a massive steampunk vessel through a flooded world on top of the usual puzzle-platforming fare.
As you sail the desolate seas of FAR's world, you'll have to work creatively to find ways to keep your ship moving through the various obstacles presented by the ruined world. The diorama view of your ship's interior lends the game a toylike feel as you maneuver throughout it and interact with its various systems. If you're a fan of cozy spaces, you're sure to feel at home here as the ship will also act as your safe haven, providing a sense of constant comfort in your journey to the game's end.
9 Barotrauma
This eldritch horror nautical adventure will take you and a crew of up to 16 players deep beneath the icy surface of Europa. If you're a fan of simulators you'll find a lot to love in Barotrauma which is inspired by games like FTL and Space Station 13.
You and your crew will work together (or against each other) as you navigate the depths, fight abyssal monsters, and learn the complicated ins and outs of your submarine. Maps are procedurally generated, meaning Barotrauma will provide you and your friends with hours of highly replayable content within your gigantic vessel.
8 Sea Of Thieves
Sea Of Thieves puts you in the middle of your personal pirate-themed fantasy as you and up to three crewmates sail the seas in search of treasure. There are currently three sizes of ships to choose from, with the largest being the titanic Galleon. As you sail about you'll need to coordinate with your crewmates to effectively steer, adjust the sails, and keep an eye out for rival crews and all other manners of nautical threats.
The best part of your ship in Sea Of Thieves is the way it functions as your mobile home base, a safe space to return to after each adventure and spend some time relaxing before setting out again. With its multiple floors to explore and little details, like the ability to fill up on grog and get absolutely plastered, it exceeds in its role as the centerpiece of your seafaring adventure.
7 Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime
Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime is the perfect game to pick up for an evening of chaotic couch coop with a group of friends. You and your co-pilots will find yourselves trying to steer a large ship through increasingly treacherous environments with the catch being that you can only man one station at a time. This leads to hilarity as you scramble from place to place doing your best to scrape by while avoiding hazards and battling enemy vessels.
Eventually, you'll be navigating conflicts that wouldn't feel out of place in a bullet hell as you upgrade your vessel and come across increasingly difficult foes. Each run is also entirely random making it super replayable from run to run.
6 PULSAR: Lost Colony
PULSAR is an Early Access sci-fi epic where you can live out your dreams of manning a station on the bridge of a starship. Whether you choose to be a captain, pilot, weapons specialist, scientist, or engineer, you'll take control of a vital part of your ship's systems as you fly and fight your way through the galaxy.
There is no shortage of ships to choose from, all with fully explorable interiors and even a dice table to pass the time while jumping through hyperspace. Choose anything from smaller stealth vessels like The Intrepid to goliath vessels like The Roland and begin your journey through the stars to uncover the location of the titular Lost Colony.
5 Subnautica: Below Zero
While its predecessor, Subnautica, featured the respectably sized Cyclops submarine, Subnautica: Below Zero takes things a step further with the gigantic Seatruck. While the cab is relatively small, the size factor is increased astronomically by attaching containers to the back, eventually turning it into less of a truck and more of a deep-sea train.
Whether you're using it to explore or hauling your resources from one place to another, the Seatruck is a reliable option that, despite its size, will serve you well as you delve deeper and deeper into the abyss.
4 Volcanoids
Volcanoids is a steampunk survival game in which you and up to three friends will fight for your life on an island infested with hostile robots. The twist here is that every 20 minutes or so, the active volcano located at the island's center will erupt, wiping out every living thing on its surface.
This is where the vehicular element comes in as you need to use a gigantic train affixed with a drill to burrow underground and wait out the eruption. This train will serve as your home base and is fully modular, meaning you and your crew can upgrade it as you see fit with storage containers, weapon systems, and crafting stations. Eventually, you'll be rolling about the island in a tricked-out battle station as you work to uncover the mystery at the heart of the game's narrative.
3 Iron Lung
This indie horror game from David Szymanski sees you isolated and submerged in a submarine that has had its windows welded shut to protect you from the gaze of eldritch monstrosities lurking outside. Despite the size of the vehicle, it provides a claustrophobic atmosphere as you navigate the depths without sight, documenting the ocean floor through grainy black and white images.
Iron Lung excels at providing you with a sense of place, making the submarine feel both like your only safe haven, and a deeply dangerous place to be. As the tension mounts in this underwater adventure, you'll be grateful for the protection your submersible base of operations provides, but also deeply unsettled by the lack of escape available to you.
2 Battlefield 1
The Battlefield series has no shortage of massive vehicles, but Battlefield 1 cranks things up a notch with the introduction of Behemoths, massive vehicles that live up to their namesake and appear to aid losing teams in the game's multiplayer mode.
Depending on the map, you could be in command of a massive zeppelin, a battleship, or an armored train, all of which have turret placements that can be operated by players as they wreak havoc on the battle around them. While these gargantuan crafts have yet to make a return in the series, the mark they left on Battlefield 1 as a tide-turning force reflects their massive size.
1 Guns Of Icarus Alliance
Guns Of Icarus Alliance is your go-to game for intense player versus player airship combat. You and your crew will create your own steampunk airship from hundreds of parts then take to the skies and battle it out with other crews.
Each player will have a vital role on the ship, from the pilot to gunners and engineers, and will work together to keep everything running like a fine-tuned clock while under heavy fire from your opponents. The community may not be as active as it once was, but if you can organize a group there's more than enough vehicular madness to keep you entertained for hours.