As you know, we believe deeply in the open development process at Unknown Worlds. All of our games, from Natural Selection to Subnautica, have been fully committed to that process. The first phase of open development on Subnautica 2 was a series of playtests that recently happened behind the scenes with our community. We got some great feedback about Subnautica 2 during those playtests. The community was responding well to the environment, creatures, and story, and felt positive about the general direction of the game. It gave us a great indication that we're swimming in the right direction.

It also provided some insight that there are a few areas where we needed to improve before launching the first version of Subnautica 2 to the world. Our community is at the heart of how we develop, so we want to give ourselves a little extra time to respond to more of that feedback before releasing the game into Early Access. With that in mind, we've made the decision to delay Subnautica 2's Early Access release to 2026.

Welcome Aboard, Captain! We're kicking off the Road to Subnautica 2 Early Access with our first Dev Vlog, as well as an exciting sneak-peek at some early game footage. Subnautica 2's Design Lead, Anthony Gallegos, invites you to join us on the Road to Early Access, as we share some enticing glimpses at what you can expect from the game later in 2025. Immerse yourself in a new adventure with Subnautica 2; an open-water survival game from the creators of the Subnautica series. Play alone or with friends as you explore alluring biomes and discover fascinating creatures. Craft vehicles, tools, and bases to survive this mysterious alien world.

Catch a glimpse of what's to come, with some incredible in-development footage of Subnautica 2, teasing parts of this all-new world, biomes, creatures, and vehicles you're set to encounter. You can speculate and discuss everything shown in the video on our official Discord server. Join the community and share your thoughts with your fellow Subnauts!

Unknown Worlds has finally announced the next sequel to its popular indie survival game franchise, Subnautica, and released a teaser trailer alongside the reveal. While details are still scant, the first trailer divulges some key information about the upcoming game. For starters, and likely the biggest divergence from Subnautica and the Subnautica: Below Zero expansion, is the addition of multiplayer gameplay, supporting teams of up to four players. For now, it looks like gameplay will either be single-player or online co-op, although it's unclear whether teams will be able to mix the two, popping into four-player sessions alone or with one or two players sitting it out.

Just judging from the trailer and Steam Store page, it looks like Subnautica 2 will take many of the same game mechanics—crafting, resource management, and an open-world sandbox—as the other games in the franchise, and build on them, instead of trying to rewrite the story. Likewise, it looks to be leaning into the Lovecraftian horror themes earlier on in the game. There also seems to be a new upgrade mechanic that will allow players to augment the biology of their characters, which should add an extra layer of depth to the game. Unknown Worlds has not yet published the full retail price for Subnautica 2 or pinned an exact release date, but it will release as an Early Access game sometime in 2025. Fans of the genre and franchise can wishlist and follow the game on Steam, Epic Games, or Xbox or join the Discord community.