Open now · By request
Thirst or Bust playtest
by XiaoFei
A multiplayer sailing and party strategy game for up to 8 players. Share supplies and compete at sea, bluff through Pirate Dice and Rum before departure, or disguise yourself as scenery in Hide and Seek. Download the free Demo and make every crewmate's choice count.
It's free to ask. The developer chooses who gets in.
- Access
- By request
- Planned release
- To be announced
- Developer
- XiaoFei
- Platforms
- Windows
- Players
- Multiplayer, Online PvP, PvP
- Languages
- English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
How to join the Thirst or Bust playtest
- Open the game's Steam page with the Request access button. Sign in to Steam if it asks.
- Request access to the Thirst or Bust playtest there. It's free and doesn't commit you to anything.
- The developer lets players in, often in batches, so it can take a while. Steam emails you when you're in, and the playtest appears in your library.
New to playtests? How Steam playtests work
How AI is used
Pre-generated generative AI was used in the development of game code, visual assets, character portraits, promotional artwork, and portions of text and localization.
The developer's own words, from Steam.
About Thirst or Bust
One boat. Different agendas.
Thirst or Bust is a multiplayer sailing survival and party strategy game for up to 8 players. Board a ship with friends and decide how to use limited fresh water, supplies, and actions. Cooperation keeps the voyage moving, while disagreements can turn the deck into a battlefield. Play a minigame before departure, or switch modes and hide in plain sight as an ordinary scene prop.
Open Ocean: cooperate, compete, and rescue animals
Divide the work, compete for supplies, and manage your inventory and equipment. React to events at sea and bring rescued animals aboard. Rescues and lost animals change the progress of the voyage, so weigh immediate survival against your final rewards. Open Ocean requires at least 4 ready players to set sail.
Your crewmates have goals of their own
Protect a secret escort target and try to outscore your rival. Negotiate jobs, exchange supplies, or contest resources and positions. When a battle begins, the teams start at opposite ends of the ship. Spectators and eliminated fighters can switch between first-person views of either team and see public health and equipped-item information.
Gather around for shipboard minigames
While your Open Ocean crew gathers before departure, play Pirate Dice and Rum aboard the ship. Watch your friends' choices, test your judgment, and enjoy a little rivalry before setting sail together.
Hide and Seek: that prop might be a player
Hiders can transform into scene props and blend into their surroundings, while seekers try to spot and find them. Choose from small, medium, and large play areas and disguise yourself as crates, buckets, small rocks, coconuts, and other props for a game of hiding and pursuit with friends.
Download the free Demo and play with friends
The free Demo is available now and includes Open Ocean, the Pirate Dice and Rum minigames before departure, and Hide and Seek. Rooms support up to 8 players, with Steam online play, in-game voice chat, and English and Simplified Chinese interfaces. Click "Download Demo" on this page, then install and launch Thirst or Bust Demo from your Steam library. No access request is needed. The earlier Playtest is temporarily disabled; please install the Demo to play.
Help shape the voyage
This free Demo is still in development. Content, rules, and balance may change as we gather feedback, and you may encounter bugs. Details of a future Early Access or 1.0 release will be announced separately. Wishlist Thirst or Bust to follow its development.
From the game's Steam page.
