Subnautica 2 Preview
I’d wager that if you’re a fan of survival and crafting games, you’ve dipped your toes into 2018’s Subnautica. With a near perfect balance of exploration, survival, and ingenious building, Subnautica and its expansion have found their way onto nearly 19 million PCs and consoles. It’s not surprising that there’s a sequel, but thanks to a few rocky years of development, it’s a little surprising that Subnautica 2 is finally about to set sail. I had the chance to attend a hands-off demo of Subnautica 2 and listen to the developers reveal a few more details of the game’s upcoming release into Early Access.
More of the Same in the Best Way Possible
By the time Subnautica made its way out of Early Access into final release and onto consoles, it was a polished and addictive game. Subnautica 2 evolves the first game’s engaging mechanics and presentation but the basics are very similar. You play as someone who has come to an oceanic planet to find the remains of a failed human colony. It’s not entirely unlike the first game’s narrative hook, of course, but that’s ok. The story is there to literally guide you deeper into the oceanic depths.
Those depths are now rendered in Unreal Engine 5. Although the game retains the same stylized, slightly cartoon-ified art direction, the detail and lighting are very impressive and the array of imaginative ocean life is even more incredibly creative. With a whole new planet comes new biomes — 10 as the game launches — and new Leviathans.
Don’t Shoot!
Speaking of Leviathans, Subnautica 2 retains the same approach to combat as in the first game: there isn’t any. Well, not exactly. The developer has been very explicit about this. The Subnautica series is not about destroying undersea life, but learning to live with it, adapt to it, and possibly exploit its resources. In Subnautica, an encounter with a Leviathan was most often deadly. The developers said that for the sequel there will be new tools and methods for avoiding, distracting, or manipulating the Leviathans. Encounters might not be entirely avoidable, but perhaps more survivable.
Aside from the visual upgrade, Subnautica 2 supercharges the game play options. The game now supports four person co-op, so that resource gathering, base building, and exploration duties can be split more efficiently. Of course, the game is still entirely playable solo, too. There’s no forced co-op.
While we’re on the subject of base building, the developers were excited to highlight Subnautica 2’s new “sculptural” construction system. While we didn’t get a deep dive — pun intended — it’s clear that it will be possible to move far beyond the bland, copy-paste look of prior bases. New tools, new blueprints, and new materials are just the start.
Finally, there’s the Tadpole. It’s a zippy new single-seater submersible. The Tadpole is the smallest in a wide range of transport options, each one taking players a little deeper.
Chart the Course
Subnautica was one of those games I returned to over and over, just to see what was new and to get lost in the addictive loop. Subnautica 2’s combination of unguided exploration, tense survival, and satisfying building looks to be even better. Releasing on May 14, 2026, Subnautica 2’s Early Access build includes between 14-20 hours of content, with several years’ worth of awesome new features waiting to be added. I’m looking forward to diving in again.
