Sinking Ship BUT WITH AIR POCKETS Guide: How flooding works
About
OverviewSinking Ship BUT WITH AIR POCKETS! is a survival game by GroovyDominoes52 where you ride a ship as it floods, room by room, and try to make it out alive. Every door you open matters, because water outside will rush straight in. This guide covers how flooding works, the four escape routes, settings that help you see, and how to rack up round badges.
What is on this page
Contents
How flooding works
Step
Rooms flood one at a time rather than all at once, which gives you room to think. The danger is that opening a door into a flooded corridor lets all that water in instantly. On top of that, glass and doors can break under water pressure on their own, sending water rushing in with no way to stop it.
- Watch the corridor before opening any door, look through or around it to judge whether the other side is already underwater.
- Spot your air pocket any room that still has air above the waterline is a safe place to breathe and regroup.
The four ways to survive
Table
After the ship sinks you have four distinct outcomes. Getting each one at least once will fill out your badge collection, and they play very differently from each other.
| Lifeboat | reach the ocean surface and ride a lifeboat to its destination to earn the ocean survival badge. |
| Tugboat | board the tugboat for a first-class escape and the tugboat survival badge. |
| Island | make it to the island to unlock the island survival badge. |
| Stay inside | remain in the wreck until rescuers arrive after two to three days and earn the badge for surviving stuck inside. |
Settings that help you see
Tips
The settings menu has two toggles that change how much you can see during a flood. Neither changes how the game plays, but both make it easier to judge water levels at a glance.
- Toggle the walls off to see through the ship's structure and track which rooms are flooding.
- Turn off underwater fog to make the water level and its movement much clearer.
Staying alive when you feel trapped
Check
If every path seems blocked, work through this list before giving up on a round. Low health is not the end — the Close call badge is awarded for surviving with under 20 health, so keep moving even when things look bad.
- Check for a second door or hatch in the room you are already in.
- Look for which wall or window broke and figure out where the water is coming from.
- Find an air pocket a room still holding air — and rest there rather than swimming blindly.
Round-count badges
Table
Each badge below unlocks automatically once you hit its total. There is no shortcut — every badge requires that exact number of completed rounds.
| Rounds survived | What you need to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Finish your first round |
| 5 | Survive five rounds total |
| 10 | Survive ten rounds total |
| 50 | Survive fifty rounds total |
| 100 | Survive one hundred rounds total |
| 250 | Survive two hundred and fifty rounds total |
| 500 | Survive five hundred rounds total |
| 1000+ | Survive one thousand or more rounds total |
Glossary
Glossary- Air pocket
- A pocket of air that remains trapped in a room even as surrounding areas fill with water, letting you breathe and plan your next move.
- Flooding
- The process of water entering a room when a door is opened onto a flooded space outside.
- Pressure break
- When water pressure causes a door or glass panel to shatter on its own, sending an unstoppable flow of water into the room.
- Round
- One full cycle of play, from the ship starting to sink through to either surviving or not.
- Lifeboat
- A small boat that takes survivors to a destination after the ship goes under, unlocking its own badge on arrival.
Common questions
FAQI opened a door and water flooded in instantly — what should I have done?
Before opening any door, check whether the corridor or room on the other side is already underwater. If it is, that water will rush in the moment you open the door. Look for another route or stay in your current air pocket.
Can I see the water levels more clearly?
Yes. Open the settings menu and toggle off the walls and the underwater fog. With both off, you can see exactly where the water is and how fast it is rising.
How many escape routes are there?
There are four: the lifeboat, the tugboat, the island, and staying inside the wreck until rescue arrives. Each one gives you a separate badge.
Does surviving with almost no health count as a win?
Yes. If you survive a round with under 20 health remaining, you earn the Close call badge.
Game updates can change what is on this page. If you spot something, get in touch and let us know.
