Raft is a game that places the player in the middle of an ocean with nothing but a small wooden platform and a hook. From this moment on, survival becomes the priority. Every piece of floating debris becomes valuable, whether it’s wood, plastic, leaves, or barrels filled with essential materials. Players must act quickly to gather resources, build simple tools, and expand their raft into a sustainable floating base. The gameplay combines real-time resource management with building mechanics, forcing the player to constantly make decisions about what to collect, what to craft, and how to survive. The ocean provides everything, but it gives nothing easily.

Expanding the Raft and Crafting Tools

As players make progress, they gain access to new crafting recipes and building opportunities. At first, the raft is just a few planks held together, but with time it can become a full base with multiple levels, protected edges, cooking stations, storage units, and even steering equipment. The crafting system is central to gameplay and becomes more complex as players unlock blueprints and research new technologies. Every upgrade requires thoughtful planning because materials are limited, and poor decisions can leave players without food or clean water. The threat of sharks constantly attacking the raft also adds pressure, making maintenance just as important as expansion.

Key mechanics in Raft include:

•         Collecting debris from the water using a throwing hook
•         Constructing purifiers and grills to meet basic needs
•         Crafting and placing nets to passively collect resources
•         Creating storage, tools, and weapons to survive longer
•         Unlocking radio towers and islands to progress the story

Exploration and Environmental Challenges

Raft does not confine the player to the starting location. As navigation tools are developed, players can sail toward larger islands, underwater caves, and abandoned structures that contain rare materials and hidden story elements. These destinations provide an opportunity to gather food, find animals, and complete objectives that gradually reveal the background of the world. The game blends open-world exploration with moments of tension, as venturing too far from the raft can result in being stranded or attacked. This constant trade-off between safety and discovery keeps the gameplay loop engaging and unpredictable.

Cooperative Survival and Long-Term Play

While Raft can be played solo, it becomes a more strategic and social experience in multiplayer mode. Friends can divide tasks, optimize workflows, and explore more effectively as a team. One player might fish and cook while another manages construction or directs the raft using navigation tools. Communication becomes essential as players decide when to anchor, when to move on, or how to react to unexpected dangers.