Subnautica 2

Subnautica 2 is an upcoming action-adventure survival game under development by Unknown Worlds Entertainment. It is a sequel to 2018's Subnautica and the third game in the series after 2021's Subnautica: Below Zero. The game is set to release in early access in 2026.

Subnautica 2
Developer(s)	Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Krafton
Composer(s)	Ben Prunty
Series	Subnautica
Engine	Unreal Engine 5
Platform(s)	Windows Xbox Series X/S
Release	2026 (early access)
Genre(s)	Action-adventure, survival
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

Set on a new planet, Subnautica 2 will support single-player and co-op gameplay with a total of up to four players, the first time multiplayer gameplay is present in the series.^[1] 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.^[2] Players will be able to modify their own DNA to acquire abilities, a feature that was originally cut from Subnautica.^[3]

Development

The game was initially confirmed to be in the works on April 7, 2022, as "the next game in the Subnautica universe".^[4] In November 2023, publisher Krafton revealed in a financial report that it was to be released sometime in 2025.^[5] 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".^[6][7]

It is planned to be released as an early access title and will be available on PC and Xbox Series X and S.^[8] Unlike its predecessors, Subnautica 2 is made with Unreal Engine 5.^[9]

The first screenshots of the game were also published in 2024, some of which were hidden within Subnautica itself.^[10] A cinematic trailer for the game was released on October 17, 2024, during the Xbox Partner Showcase, with the early access release slated for 2025.^[8] On April 23, 2025, the first in a series of dev blogs was posted on YouTube showing new content and early gameplay footage.^[11]

Several major changes to the development team took place in July 2025 causing a number of lawsuits involving Krafton and the former development leads, with Krafton also announcing that the early access release was delayed to 2026. A gameplay trailer was released alongside the delay announcement.^[12]

Staff firings and lawsuits

In July 2025, Krafton announced it had replaced Unknown Worlds' CEO Ted Gill—as well as studio co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire—with Steve Papoutsis. Steve Papoutsis had previously served as executive and senior producer at Striking Distance Studios, the developer of The Callisto Protocol.^[13] Following community backlash to the leadership change, Unknown Worlds reiterated that the game would have "no subscriptions. No loot boxes. No battle pass. No microtransactions."^[14] Krafton also stated that the original leadership were removed as they had abandoned their responsibilities at the studio, leading to significant delays in Subnautica 2's development. Anonymous leaks of development slides showing content changes were leaked to the media during July in an apparent attempt to defend the firings and quell a rising playerbase backlash against Krafton.^[15]

Cleveland, McGuile, and Gill filed a lawsuit against Krafton related to their firings that same month. It had also come to light that the firings and delayed release had come months before Krafton was due to pay the development team a bonus worth up to $250 million USD based on revenue targets that a release into Early Access would have helped achieve.^[16] Cleveland also stated that the game was ready for an early‑access release.^[17]