An original editorial scene of a container ship entering a working Northern European harbor at dawn with a tug nearby; not an in-game screenshot.

SEAFARER / FIELD GUIDE

Unofficial captain's guide

Seafarer: The Ship Sim

Clear routes through your first contracts, career systems, harbor work and crew missions.

Start with your first watch Browse all guides

01 / WATERS

Northern European harbors and open water

02 / OPERATIONS

Cargo, patrol, rescue and firefighting

03 / CREW

Take selected jobs solo or with up to four players

04 / CAREER

Build port Reputation and unlock ships and opportunities

FIELD ROUTES

Start your career

An original editorial scene of a container vessel leaving a Northern European harbor at dawn with a pilot boat astern; not an in-game screenshot.

DEPARTURE / 01

Your First Watch in Seafarer

A calm first-contract routine built around the briefing, vessel and objective list.

Open field guideUpdated 2026-09-27

An original editorial harbor panorama with working vessels and a ship setting out toward new routes; not an in-game screenshot.

CAREER / 02

Career and Reputation

How missions, Free Trade and Reputation fit into your long-term captain career.

Open field guideUpdated 2026-09-27

An original editorial scene of a bulk carrier being loaded at a commercial quay; not an in-game screenshot.

CARGO & SHIFT WORK / 03

Free Trade and Work Shifts

Separate cargo trading, shift pay and the extra Reputation tied to claiming completed work.

Open field guideUpdated 2026-09-27

What kind of game is Seafarer: The Ship Sim?

Seafarer: The Ship Sim is a maritime career and vessel simulator. You take jobs across a Northern European-inspired sea, operate different ships, and work through cargo, rescue, firefighting, patrol and story missions. A voyage can be a short job or one step in a longer career built around port Reputation, ships and new opportunities.

You can sail alone or take selected missions with a crew of up to four. The game also has a story mode and Quickplay. If you want a direct route into a job, begin with the first-watch guide; if you want to understand long-term unlocks, start with Career and Reputation.

Platforms and release date

Seafarer: The Ship Sim reached full release on September 24, 2026. It is available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The official game page lists current stores and editions, while the September 24 update details the new missions and balance changes.

What changed in the full release?

The September 24 update added eight missions: four begin in harbors and four appear while traveling the open sea. It also moved Fast Travel to career Level 1 and Crew to Level 2, raised rewards for special and campaign missions, and added Quickplay replay for eligible missions after a single-player completion. If you are returning from Early Access, check your current unlock panels and mission list before following an older route. Career and Reputation has the mission locations and unlock conditions.

Free Trade also received another balance pass. The price for automatically completing a Free Trade operation now depends on the cargo remaining; the game gives clearer feedback when another trade or shift blocks a new one. See Free Trade and Work Shifts before committing to a cargo purchase or a paid completion. Co-op inspection, docking, Free Trade rewards and late joining received fixes; use the Co-op Crew Guide to plan a crew job.

If you want to…	Start here
Get oriented before your first contract	Your First Watch
Understand unlocks and long-term progression	Career and Reputation
Trade cargo or claim shift rewards	Free Trade and Work Shifts
Prepare for patrol inspections	Ship Inspections
Request a berth or get unstuck in port	Docking and Towing
Coordinate a multiplayer job	Co-op Crew Guide

A useful first-watch routine

Before leaving the harbor, identify the mission type and the ship assigned to it. Read the objective text and any on-screen prompts before taking an interaction; cargo handling, inspections and rescue work ask for different tools and actions. While underway, check the sea map and the route objective when the weather or currents make a direct approach difficult. In harbor, use the radio options the game provides if you need to request a mooring slot or towing help.

At mission end, review the result screen and any completed Work Shifts. Since the August 2026 update, a completed shift pays after that shift, while claiming completed shifts at mission end can add Reputation for shifts you manually completed. See the Free Trade and Work Shifts guide for the distinction.

Common questions

How many players can sail together?

The official site and the Co-op Crew Update describe crews of up to four players on selected missions. That does not mean every mission or ship interaction is available to every crew member.

Is this an official wiki?

No. This is an independent fan guide and is not affiliated with astragon Development or astragon Entertainment. The harbor scenes are original editorial artwork, not game screenshots.

Can controls or rewards change after an update?

Yes. The full release changed mission rewards and added separate steering and throttle dead-zone settings. Check the prompts and values in your current game, especially when using advice from an earlier build or a different platform.

Guide update note

If a prompt or reward behaves differently after an update, check the official update history for the latest changes.

Patch 1.1 is live (October 12, 2026)

The studio closed the Open Beta phase and shipped Patch 1.1 on October 12, 2026. The release notes list these changes that touch the pages on this site:

Harbour fast travel buttons added, and fast travel disabled inside harbour areas — so a harbour-to-harbour jump is a menu button now, not a wheelhouse action.
Resource consumption and restrictions adjusted, and several tutorial cards added for guidance.
Campaign bonuses folded into regular mission rewards. Single-shift jobs no longer offer a separate claimable bonus, which changes how a short session pays.
Binocular camera improved, harbour icons updated for smaller harbours, and achievement/trophy descriptions rewritten.
Campaign chapters 1, 2 and 6 re-paced, with missing, duplicate or misleading markers fixed across several missions, world markers added for ship transfers, and harbourmaster tasks added to transport missions.

Crashes, ship-handling problems and cargo bugs identified during the Open Beta are listed as fixed in the same notes. Everything on this site now describes the live Patch 1.1 build. (Checked October 20, 2026.)

FIELD ROUTES

Work the harbor

An original editorial scene of a maritime inspector checking a cargo ship beside a patrol vessel; not an in-game screenshot.

INSPECTION / 01

Ship Inspection Guide

Understand the inspection categories and the information the game confirms.

Open field guideUpdated 2026-09-27

An original editorial scene of a harbor tug guiding a container vessel toward its berth; not an in-game screenshot.

HARBOR OPERATIONS / 02

Docking and Towing

Use the radio tools the game provides when entering or leaving a harbor.

Open field guideUpdated 2026-10-20

An original editorial scene of four crew members coordinating a harbor approach from a ship bridge; not an in-game screenshot.

CREW OPERATIONS / 03

Co-op Crew Guide

What is confirmed about crew size and co-op missions, plus a simple teamwork plan.

Open field guideUpdated 2026-10-10