Subnautica 2 gained practically 500,000 concurrent gamers on Steam within the first hour of launch. As of this text’s publication, Subnautica 2 boasts a formidable 467,000 concurrent gamers on Valve’s platform, and developer Unknown Worlds has confirmed that the sport bought 1 million copies inside an hour of launch. That is a reasonably enormous quantity for an early entry recreation launched on PC and Xbox Sequence X and S throughout weekday daytime hours. It should in all probability proceed to develop as phrase of mouth spreads and extra gamers be a part of on-line.
Critics of the sport appear to have been constructive. We gave Subnautica 2’s Early Entry launch a 7/10 in our assessment, noting that it was enjoyable, but it surely’s clear the sport remains to be in growth. “It is fairly spectacular that wading by means of shallow water is as enjoyable as it’s in Subnautica 2’s Early Entry debut, and that ought to be an ideal signal of issues to come back, however we additionally do not blame anybody for ready for the water to rise a bit earlier than getting their toes moist,” we mentioned.
Subnautica 2 was probably the most anticipated video games and was probably the most wishlisted recreation on Steam earlier than its launch. The primary recreation was an indie favourite that captivated followers with its extremely calm but mysterious setting. The participant takes on the position of a survivor of a spaceship crash after touchdown within the ocean of a mysterious alien planet. They have to benefit from no matter they will to outlive and uncover the secrets and techniques of their environment. It was an extremely highly effective expertise, however one which may be expanded upon.
Subnautica 2 has had a troublesome highway to launch, with growth beginning round 2022. The sport was initially focused for launch in 2025, however was delayed following hassle with writer Krafton. In July 2025, Crafton eliminated Unknown World’s administration from the corporate, together with CEO Ted Gill. This led to a authorized battle, with the fired staff claiming that Kraft had delayed the sport by firing them to keep away from paying a hefty $250 million bonus in the event that they met key targets and deadlines. A decide reinstated Gill and his colleagues earlier this yr, and the sport was again on observe for launch.
Nonetheless, there was one remaining hurdle earlier than launch. Subnautica 2 was leaked on-line simply days earlier than its launch. Nonetheless, there does not appear to be any noticeable unfavourable affect on the sport. The launch of Subnautica 2 is only the start and can be up to date over time with new content material. For now, the sport packs a wealthy story, co-op play, and an enormous ocean to discover.
Cade Onder is a freelancer on videogameaddicted’s information workforce. Covers all points of leisure, together with video games and flicks. You’ll find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.