I grew up in love with swimming, but have always found something a little scary about the water. While I’ve never been afraid of thriller or horror movies that take place underwater, video games that involve underwater foes have gotten under my skin. With the release of 47 Meters Down: Uncaged coming out this summer, I thought it might be fun to highlight some of the most intriguing and scariest shark encounters in gaming.

Whale Shark – World of Warcraft

These underwater creatures can range in size, with some being monstrous. The challenge with Whale Sharks is the danger of taking on one big one, or a group of smaller ones (either way you are going to have your hands full). It is best to take these beasts on with a group of friends, covering all your angels and attempting to protect yourself from all the damage they can deal.

Tiny – Batman: Arkham City

During a sequence in the game where you are tracking down Penguin, you enter a room where, between you and where you need to be, there is a large body of water. You’ll notice a raft nearby, and with the precision of your grappling hook, you can latch onto an object and pull yourself across the water. As you pull yourself across this water, all seems too easy; it is only when a gigantic ass shark springs out of nowhere that you realize the dangerous and hidden threat below you.

This shark is Tiny, and the sequence with him not only makes for awesome gameplay, but does a splendid job keeping the player on their toes.

Arctic Sharks – Tomb Raider: Underworld

As badass as Lara Croft is, these sharks are quite intimidating. As Croft descends deep underwater to explore ancient ruins, she will come across sharks that will aggressively hunt her. While one can take on a single shark, more may arrive and make survival a little more difficult. These sharks move fast, able to swim far away enough to avoid damage, but also able to move in just at the right time and sink their teeth in.

Cyber-Shark – Far Cry: Blood Dragon

Given the game’s striking colors and surreal presentation, Blood Dragon offers plenty of visuals to soak in before you get to the cyber-shark. A little hunting is required on the players part, but with enough skill, you will be able to discover this menacing creature. The best approach is to stay in whatever boat you have and blast away at it; by no means do you want to be in the water with this thing. With its sleek metallic body and glowing eyes, the cyber-shark is quite the sight.

Neptunes – Resident Evil (remake)

To me, the sharks from the first Resident Evil will always be my favorite video game sharks. At one point in the game, you enter a room known as the “Aqua Ring;” the room was once a tank of sorts, the water having risen above the observation deck. With said water above that of the avatar’s knees, it doesn’t take long for the player to realize they are not alone. Rising from the water come sharks who follow the player around the room; while you can hang around and shoot them, it’s best to haul it as fast as you can and escape.

Among the sharks is that of the Mother Neptune; a gigantic shark that can insta-kill the player. To defeat her, you’ll have to endure a tense puzzle where you attempt to control water pressure and drain the tank; during this time, the Mother Neptune will bash at a nearby window, causing one to panic in fear she’ll break through. Once you’ve successfully got things under control and drained all the water away, you can locate the Mother Neptune and electrocute her.

The sequence as a whole makes for one of the most thrilling shark encounters in all of video games. The little room between you and the sharks, as well as the advantage they have with the water level, makes the Resident Evil shark experience one of thrills and all-out tension.

What are some other awesome shark encounters in video games that you enjoy? Sound off in the comments!