Subnautica 2
The Early Access sequel to Subnautica, on a new alien ocean world with rebuilt base building, optional co-op, and a controversial no-weapons stance -- genuinely good already, with real, known gaps versus the finished original.
- //Sold 2 million copies in its first 12 hours and peaked at 460,000 concurrent Steam players on day one.
- //Does not let you harm aggressive creatures at all -- a deliberate Unknown Worlds design decision, defended on philosophical grounds but acknowledged by the developers as needing better execution.
- //Base building was rebuilt from scratch using techniques the lead engineer said 'haven't been used in games this way before' -- widely considered already better than the original's system.
- //Krafton, the publisher, tried to avoid a contractually owed $250 million earnout to the founders by fabricating grounds to fire them -- a Delaware court ruled it a breach of contract and reinstated them weeks before this launch.
- //Currently has one vehicle (the Tadpole, in two chassis variants) versus the original's three -- the Cyclops and Prawn Suit equivalents are confirmed but not yet in the game.
Subnautica 2 drops you on Zazura, an alien ocean planet, following the crash of the colony ship CICADA -- gathering resources, building bases, and diving deeper with the help of a DNA modification system that lets you absorb alien biology to survive hostile environments, rather than gating progress purely through tech upgrades. It launched into Early Access May 2026 with 6 biomes and a 12-15 hour story arc, base building substantially improved over the original, and optional co-op for up to 4 players built in from the start. It does not let you harm aggressive creatures at all -- a deliberate design choice Unknown Worlds has defended on philosophical grounds, though the current defensive toolkit (throw a flare, run) resolves creature tension faster than it should.
Not yet better than the finished original, and the comparison is unfair given Subnautica 2 is seven weeks into Early Access. Base building, visual fidelity, and co-op already surpass the first game. Vehicle roster, creature tension, and the ship AI talking too much in the opening hours are real, acknowledged gaps. Buy it now if you can live with the vehicle situation -- the price increases at 1.0.