Drink the Ocean
How to play in three steps
- Drink. Walk over to the water with the straw and use the drink control to take in seawater. Keep drinking until you are ready to carry the water in your belly to the PRESS.
- Press. Walk to the PRESS with the water you have collected. The PRESS squeezes that water into salt, which gives you something to spend at the shop.
- Buy. Take the salt to the blue SHOP and choose a belly, straw or tool upgrade. Use that upgrade on the next trip from the water to the PRESS.
The three locations to keep in mind are the water, the PRESS and the blue SHOP. Start at the water and follow the loop in that order. The water in your belly is what you carry, and the salt from the PRESS is what you spend. Once you have bought an upgrade, you can make the same trip again and see how the change fits into your run.
Pay attention to which part of a trip takes most of your time. If you are heading back to the PRESS often because your belly fills quickly, look at capacity. If you spend most of the trip standing at the water with the straw, look at the straw upgrades. Tools are the third option, and 1, 2 and 3 let you switch between tools during play.
Follow the step-by-step straw and PRESS guide, or compare the options in the belly, straw and tool upgrade guide.
Controls
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Move | WASD |
| Look around | Mouse |
| Drink | Left click |
| Jump | Space |
| Switch tools | 1 / 2 / 3 |
| Open the duck's gift | E |
| Return to the island | T |
| Free the mouse | Tab |
| Open settings | P |
Use the mouse to look toward the sea while moving with WASD. Left click is the drink input with the straw, and Space is the jump input. When you want to stop directing your view with the mouse, use Tab to free it. If your next step is to check the settings, use P. These are separate actions, so use the key that matches what you are trying to do.
The keyboard and mouse controls describe desktop play. On a phone, turn the device sideways so the game is in landscape, then hold the DRINK button when you want to drink. The objective on the phone is still to collect water, take it to the PRESS, and spend the salt at the blue SHOP.
Read the browser access and phone play guide if you need help opening the game.
What you can find underwater
- Shipwreck. Look for a shipwreck as you uncover the seabed. As the water recedes, take time to explore the parts of the ocean floor you can see.
- Whale skeleton. There is a whale skeleton beneath the water. It gives you another reason to look around between trips to the PRESS and the blue SHOP.
- Sunken city. The ocean also hides a sunken city. Keep looking at the area exposed by the falling water as you repeat the drinking and pressing loop.
- The plug. The plug is at the very bottom of the ocean. Pulling it replaces the ocean with a new one, such as cola, lemonade, slime or lava.
Watch what happens to the seabed as you drink. The ocean floor gives you a second thing to look at while you are working through the upgrades. The shipwreck, the skeleton and the city are places or objects you can look for as the water drops. The plug gives that exploration a clear destination at the bottom.
Pulling the plug changes which ocean you are working on. Cola and lemonade are two examples, alongside slime and lava. While you are still looking for the plug, keep the usual route in mind. Drink at the water, turn the water into salt, and use the shop when you want to change your equipment or capacity.
Frequently asked questions
Is Drink the Ocean free to play?
Yes. It runs in the browser, with no download and no account.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Open the page, press play, and the game starts in the browser.
How do I make salt?
Fill your belly by drinking with the straw, walk to the PRESS, squeeze the water into salt, then spend the salt at the blue SHOP.
Should I upgrade my belly or my straw first?
It depends on whether you spend more time standing still drinking or walking back and forth.
What are the controls?
WASD to move, the mouse to look, left click to drink, space to jump, 1/2/3 to switch tools, E to open the duck's gift, T to return to the island, Tab to free the mouse, and P for settings.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. Turn the device to landscape and hold the DRINK button.
Read the Steam store page and release status for the confirmed information about that version.
More browser games to try
These three links point to reserved entries in the browser game list. Each entry has a place for a game link once a recommendation is selected.