--- key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-swimming type: mechanic id: game-mechanics--gm-swimming lang: en title: Swimming summary: >- In water, the player controls movement direction and depth. Vertical landmarks and readable speed help navigation through three-dimensional space. updatedAt: '2026-10-21' status: active url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-swimming/' jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-swimming.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-swimming.md aliases: [] tags: - Game design techniques - Movement sourceIds: - source-0532b681644ff292 - source-a380b3775331c928 - source-1bddff01005a8332 - source-4cdc0ccbaa4ac7ff - source-1f000dfe0be7c416 - source-563a576fb4645b69 - source-b50d40392d477f17 - source-9319b6fe039767bd - source-9166e5655a501a09 - source-4e22a7f341a5d0ce sources: - id: source-0532b681644ff292 title: 'Game Mechanics: Swimming' url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming' verifiedAt: null - id: source-a380b3775331c928 title: Gothic (2001) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/gothic' verifiedAt: null - id: source-1bddff01005a8332 title: 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)' url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt' verifiedAt: null - id: source-4cdc0ccbaa4ac7ff title: Watch Dogs 2 (2016) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/watch_dogs-2' verifiedAt: null - id: source-1f000dfe0be7c416 title: Battlefield 1 (2016) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/battlefield-1' verifiedAt: null - id: source-563a576fb4645b69 title: Sea of Thieves (2018) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/sea-of-thieves' verifiedAt: null - id: source-b50d40392d477f17 title: 'Tom Clancy''s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (2019)' url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-breakpoint verifiedAt: null - id: source-9319b6fe039767bd title: Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 (2021) url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/sniper-ghost-warrior-contracts-2 verifiedAt: null - id: source-9166e5655a501a09 title: Sons of the Forest (2023) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/sons-of-the-forest' verifiedAt: null - id: source-4e22a7f341a5d0ce title: Subnautica url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/' verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: game-mechanics id: gm-swimming title: Game design techniques url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-swimming' categoryIds: - gm-category-movement supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-21' title: Swimming description: >- In water, the player controls movement direction and depth. Vertical landmarks and readable speed help navigation through three-dimensional space. image: src: images/mechanics/subnautica-scanner.webp width: 1440 height: 810 game: Subnautica sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/' originalUrl: >- https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/264710/ss_e182b6b20bb797500f9f63c561586d920d44e37c.1920x1080.jpg?t=1777456112 credit: Unknown Worlds Entertainment rights: © Unknown Worlds Entertainment. All rights reserved. caption: Moving among reefs alt: >- Subnautica: a swimmer’s mask frames underwater rocks, fish and coral; a hand is visible on the left and a scanner on the right. markers: - x: 11 'y': 79 label: The swimmer’s hand - x: 47 'y': 48 label: A passage between underwater rocks tips: - 'Make ascent, descent and forward motion distinct.' - Use the environment to communicate speed and depth. examples: - title: Subnautica url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/' endsAt: null provenance: >- Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification. license: CC-BY-4.0 codeLicense: MIT attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors catalogKey: catalog/game-mechanics --- # Swimming id: game-mechanics--gm-swimming type: mechanic key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-swimming lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-swimming/ In water, the player controls movement direction and depth. Vertical landmarks and readable speed help navigation through three-dimensional space. ## At a glance ![Subnautica: a swimmer’s mask frames underwater rocks, fish and coral; a hand is visible on the left and a scanner on the right.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/subnautica-scanner.webp) [Subnautica](https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/) · © Unknown Worlds Entertainment. All rights reserved. 1. The swimmer’s hand 2. A passage between underwater rocks - Make ascent, descent and forward motion distinct. - Use the environment to communicate speed and depth. - [Subnautica](https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/) ## How it works Water supports a distinct character movement mode. ## Variants ### How the technique works - Water supports a distinct character movement mode. ## Context and limits All 199 Game Mechanics entries at the check date: player actions, systems, presentation techniques and contested patterns. Entries are grouped by their first source-card category; all categories appear in their descriptions. Definitions use original wording. References link to game-specific galleries; images and videos remain at the source. ## Connected materials ## Sources and provenance Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification. - [Game Mechanics: Swimming](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming) (id: source-0532b681644ff292) - [Gothic (2001)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/gothic) (id: source-a380b3775331c928) - [The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt) (id: source-1bddff01005a8332) - [Watch Dogs 2 (2016)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/watch_dogs-2) (id: source-4cdc0ccbaa4ac7ff) - [Battlefield 1 (2016)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/battlefield-1) (id: source-1f000dfe0be7c416) - [Sea of Thieves (2018)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/sea-of-thieves) (id: source-563a576fb4645b69) - [Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (2019)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-breakpoint) (id: source-b50d40392d477f17) - [Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 (2021)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/sniper-ghost-warrior-contracts-2) (id: source-9319b6fe039767bd) - [Sons of the Forest (2023)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/swimming/game/sons-of-the-forest) (id: source-9166e5655a501a09) - [Subnautica](https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/) (id: source-4e22a7f341a5d0ce) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors