''Subnautica 2'' is an upcoming

action-adventure An action-adventure game is a video game genre, video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Definition An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements f ...

survival game Survival games are a subgenre of action games which are often set in hostile, intense, open-world environments. Players generally start with minimal equipment and are required to survive as long as possible by finding the resources necessary t ...

under development by

Unknown Worlds Entertainment Unknown Worlds Entertainment is an American video game developer based in San Francisco. The studio is best known for the ''Natural Selection (video game), Natural Selection'' and ''Subnautica'' series. In October 2021, the studio was acquired by ...

. It is a sequel to 2018's ''

Subnautica ''Subnautica'' is a 2018 action-adventure survival game developed and published by Unknown Worlds Entertainment. The player controls Ryley Robinson, a survivor of a spaceship crash on an alien oceanic planet, which they are free to explore. The ...

'' and the third game in the series after 2021's '' Subnautica: Below Zero''.

Gameplay

Set on a new planet, ''Subnautica 2'' will support

single-player A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the gameplay. Video games in general can feature several game modes, including single-player modes designed to be played by a single player in add ...

and co-op gameplay with a total of up to four players, the first time

multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

gameplay is present in the series. A cinematic trailer showed a new vehicle, new creatures and environments and hinted at the introduction of a current mechanic that can drag the player to another area. Players will be able to modify their own DNA to acquire abilities, a feature that was originally cut from ''Subnautica''.

Development

The game was initially confirmed to be in the works on April 7, 2022, as "the next game in the ''Subnautica'' universe". In November 2023, publisher

Krafton Krafton Inc. () is a South Korean video game publisher and holding company based in Bundang District, Seongnam. It was created in November 2018 to serve as the parent company for Bluehole, founded by Chang Byung-gyu in Seoul in March 2007, and ...

revealed in a financial report that it was to be released sometime in 2025. This was followed by another report on February 8, 2024, that described it as a "multiplayer live-service game", creating fan backlash that prompted the developers to clarify that it would have "no season passes, no battle passes, no subscription". The first

screenshots A screenshot (also known as screen capture or screen grab) is an analog or digital image that shows the contents of a computer display. A screenshot is created by a (film) camera shooting the screen or the operating system or software running o ...

of the game were also published in 2024, some of which were hidden within ''Subnautica'' itself. A cinematic trailer for the game was released on October 17, 2024, during the Xbox Partner Showcase. On April 23, 2025, a dev blog was posted on YouTube showing new content and early gameplay footage. It is planned to be released as an

early access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release Software release life cycle, developm ...

title and will be available on PC and

Xbox Series X and S The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...

. Unlike its predecessors, ''Subnautica 2'' is made with

Unreal Engine 5 Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) is the latest version of Unreal Engine developed by Epic Games. It was revealed in May 2020 and officially released in April 2022. Unreal Engine 5 includes multiple upgrades and new features, including Nanite, a system that ...

References

External links

* {{Unknown Worlds Action-adventure games Video games developed in the United States Fiction set on ocean planets Windows games Survival video games First-person video games Unknown Worlds Entertainment games Video games set on fictional planets Video games set underwater Scuba diving video games Underwater civilizations in fiction Cooperative video games Upcoming video games Unreal Engine 5 games