Departure board
- Publisher
- Trophy Games
- Where it runs
- Browser; Steam (Windows, SteamOS and Linux)
- How it is paid for
- Free to start; optional in-game purchases
- Pace
- Your own pace
- Best for
- Players who prefer cargo and ports
- Browser
- Steam
What it is
Shipping Manager is the sea entry in the Trophy Games transport series. You build a shipping company and move cargo from one real port to another, with the stated ambition of growing larger than the big real-world container lines. The web client loads directly on shippingmanager.cc, and the same game has been on Steam since 2023 for Windows and for SteamOS and Linux.
If you have played Airline Manager, the structure will feel familiar: a world map, live tracking, a company layer and two difficulty modes. The difference is the cargo-first focus and the hazards of the sea.
The competitive frame is a leaderboard. The publisher invites you to play with or against friends and other real shipping enthusiasts and to climb the rankings by running the most efficient empire. Its official website says very little beyond loading the game, so most of the detail on this page comes from the publisher's own Steam store text.
How the game moves
The Steam description lists more than 400 real ports and docks, with examples such as Shanghai, Los Angeles, Rotterdam, Singapore, Dubai, Hamburg and New York. You can buy real ship types, build new vessels or pick up used ones, and refit ships to carry more cargo or sail faster. Routes are created, scheduled and tracked live on the map.
The company side covers staff, marketing and the stock market, including investing in other shipping companies. And there is one hazard you will not meet on the rail or air lines: pirates. Part of the job is stopping them from hijacking your ships.
As with its siblings, you pick EASY or REALISM. EASY lowers prices and raises profits. REALISM brings in the small costs that decide real shipping margins, with fuel prices and canal usage tax as the publisher's examples.
Time on the clock
Nothing on the official pages ties you to a group schedule, so the tempo is yours. Our read of the design: voyages take time to complete, which suits short visits to dispatch, check and adjust rather than long sittings.
As with Train Manager, the live map is the main temptation. Ships crossing an ocean are easy to watch for longer than you planned.
REALISM mode adds a little more upkeep: when fuel prices and canal fees count, the route you choose through a canal or around a continent becomes a decision worth a minute of thought rather than a default.
Fare structure
Shipping Manager is free to play, and its Steam page lists in-app purchases. The plain description: free to start, optional in-game purchases.
Board if…
- You want freight and ports rather than passengers and timetables.
- You liked the approach of Airline Manager and want it at sea.
- You want both a browser version and a Steam client.
Wait on the platform if…
- You want a deep economic model; the dedicated airline sims go further.
- You want a strong cooperative layer; alliances are not mentioned on the official pages.
- You want a phone app confirmed on the official pages.
Plus
- The only shipping game on our map, with real ports worldwide.
- New and used ships, refits and pirates add variety.
- EASY and REALISM modes for two levels of detail.
Minus
- The official website says very little; most detail is on Steam.
- Optional purchases are part of the design.
- Close in structure to Airline Manager, so less novel if you know it.
Checked at the publisher, October 2026
We checked the facts on this page against the publisher's own pages on 27 October 2026: that the game is live, where it runs, how it is paid for and the features named above. If anything has changed since, the publisher's site is the authority.
shippingmanager.cc
Go to the official site (opens in a new tab)