Before launch day was even over, Subnautica 2 had already crossed 2 million sales, with concurrent player count records just as impressive. Now, less than a week after launch, Unknown Worlds has revealed (via Gematsu) that the survival crafting game has sold over 4 million units. The game's executive producer also commented that "We're incredibly grateful for the response from players around the world," and that "Community feedback continues to help shape the future of Subnautica 2, and we're excited to keep building the experience together with our players."

The performance of Subnautica 2 is in spite of recent dramas that popped up relating to the game developer's reluctance to add weapons or the ability to kill the game's creatures as well as some verbiage in the EULA that players deemed over-reaching. In a letter responding to an outcry from gamers asking Unknown Worlds to let players kill the virtual sea creatures, Unknown Worlds said that "we understand that creature balance needs work. Right now, some predator encounters feel more frustrating than tense or exciting," adding that it is "actively working on improvements to creature behavior and player mitigation tools," but that "Subnautica has always been built around vulnerability, exploration, and survival rather than traditional weapon-based combat. We believe that this is part of what makes the game unique."The EULA terms that players took exception to include Krafton taking ownership of fan art, disallowing monetized content about the game, forbidding mods and bug exploits, and disallowing the use of VPNs, to name a few. Some have even questioned the legality of the EULA in regions like the EU, where strong buyer protections exist.