Subnautica 2 Steam Charts & Stats

Its so good I stopped playing after a few hours just so I can experience the full game and story on release

I love that the base building is easier and that you don't have to worry about repairing due to lack of integrity/beams. I really hope in recent updates we will get some kind of large submarine option back- it was so cool and fun to have a mobile base. It was also neat that you could have music playing in it of your choice. Can we get some alien-life that we can tame & more species of alien fish? LOVE the farming, but can we also bring back breeding? I also wish there was more content/story in the launch of the game - hopefully large updates aren't too far out.

The EULA is simply inacceptable for a game like this, do better. "Company may terminate the Liscence or the User's access to the Game, the Documentation or Services at any time, for any reason or no reason at all" get out.

Words from another review but fits exactly my opinion on the current EULA change, with the addition to Krafton. Keep your corporate greed out of a good game. This review is negative for one reason: The EULA, End User License Agreement, is unacceptable. The agreement states that I don't own the game after having purchased it, and that I have no right to speak inside the game, or to criticize the game outside of the game. Doing so violates the agreement

Subnautica (Beta) – Player Review Let me start by saying this clearly: I fully understand the game is in beta, and I’m sure many things will change as development continues. These are simply my current thoughts as someone who’s played the previous Subnautica titles and cares about where this series goes next. What I Love Story & Atmosphere The story and graphics are genuinely impressive. I like that the narrative isn’t just a repeat of Subnautica 1 or Below Zero — it’s doing its own thing. That said, I would’ve appreciated at least a small reference or connection to the earlier games, just to help tie the universe together. Multiplayer Multiplayer is a massive win. Not having to rely on mods to play with friends is a game‑changer. Yes, I’ve noticed a few desync issues, but nowhere near as bad as the old modded experience. And considering it’s peer‑to‑peer, it could be far worse than it is. What’s Not Working for Me Lack of Defensive Options My biggest issue right now is the lack of defensive abilities. At the moment, the only real defensive tool is the flare. I get that Leviathans are meant to be avoided — that’s always been part of Subnautica’s identity — and the ability to out‑maneuver them is great. But we also have multiple aggressive or semi‑aggressive creatures, and most of our tools don’t work on them at all. Our options are basically: Use a flare Run Get out and use the sonic resonator manually I understand the game is leaning into a more passive survival style, but in Subnautica 1 and Below Zero we at least had a knife, and we could ram creatures with vehicles. Now it feels like we can’t even do that. There’s a difference between “avoid combat” and “have zero ways to defend yourself,” and right now the balance leans too far toward the latter. Map Issues I appreciate that the team is actively working on the map and expanding the story. However, right now the map feels noticeably smaller than Below Zero, and the depth range is nowhere near what we had in Subnautica 1. I understand this is still early beta and things will grow over time, but there’s one issue that stands out more than the size itself. The border/wall system is frustrating. I get the early‑access message that pops up — the reminder that content isn’t final and bugs may exist. That’s fine. But the way the border works right now is misleading. It looks like you can go out there, and then suddenly a Leviathan appears and kills you instantly. You can’t outrun it, you can’t outmaneuver it, and there’s no warning beyond the message that most players stop noticing after a while. If the intention is to keep players out of that area, then a solid, unmistakable barrier would be far better. When you’re following the border, it’s easy to lose track of which side you’re on and accidentally drift too far into the restricted zone. Getting one‑shot by an unavoidable Leviathan because you crossed an invisible line doesn’t feel fair — it feels cheap. A clearer boundary would solve this without breaking immersion or punishing players for exploring. Inventory Issues Inventory has always been a challenge in the Subnautica series, but in this beta it feels even more restrictive. I would really appreciate either more personal inventory space or stackable items, because even collecting basic food or water becomes a chore. Managing resources across multiple bases also becomes tedious. If one base has a material I need, I have to physically travel back and forth just to grab it. A system that lets bases share or link inventory supplies would massively improve the experience. Even a late‑game upgrade or shared storage network would help without breaking the survival balance. Right now, the inventory limitations feel more frustrating than immersive. Overall The foundation is strong — great visuals, promising story direction, and multiplayer that already works better than expected for a beta. But the defensive toolkit, border system, and inventory limitations need attention. Even small improvements in these areas would make exploration and progression feel far more enjoyable and fair. I’m excited to see how the game evolves, and I hope the devs take feedback like this into account as they continue shaping the experience.

Subnautica 2 is the first game in the series I've played, and while my experience was enjoyable, it definitely had its moments of frustration. So I've decided to leave a review for all those interested in playing and some feedback for the developers. I'm huge on early access games; they're fun, and it's always a good opportunity as a community member to provide feedback and be involved more than the average gamer. With that being said, all of this should be taken with a grain of salt. I know it's early access; I know there's more to come and lots of different thought processes the developers may have. Food and Water Consumption: It may just be me, but it felt like every 15 minutes you needed to eat or drink. This was followed by the PDA announcement "Seek… intake," which always felt like salt being rubbed in the wound when it became annoying. The only way I felt this issue was manageable was to use a passive biomod to reduce how often you needed to eat. However, I also noticed there was no passive biomod for water intake. YES, there were water-related biomods, but none that would increase the time between needing to drink. More utilities and vehicles: This is definitely a personal take, but the tadpole and changeable chassis approach is unique, and I really like it and encourage the developers to continue down that path. However, I wish there was more. When you make the basic tadpole, it's an awesome feat you get to celebrate by cruising around the alien ocean. But as soon as you upgrade, there's literally no need for it anymore (it's either the scout or haul, never JUST the tadpole). If you wanted to have a different chassis, you would need to build a tadpole to dock, and at that point you would never detach it moving forward. This was simply our experience with four players; I'm sure you could swap the chassis around with the same tadpole and leave your chassis floating somewhere, but it felt awkward to do that without building a little garage to keep everything in your base. Additionally, there were absolutely no usable utilities. Antennas and vents did nothing but act as cosmetics for your base, despite sometimes having descriptions of genuinely useful functionalities that aren't implemented / used. Once you build your base, it simply becomes a giant storage unit and nothing more. There are no consoles other than the scanner that would benefit you outside of the base. Fighting Back: I know the developers have said they don't want to recreate the issue the first game had, and they disapprove of the idea of players fighting back against predators. To be fair, that's fine—it makes sense, and I understand the mentality. However, there needs to be a deterrent. I should not have a base (on two separate saves) built in the starting zone and be pestered by a group of 12 nibblers. There was no way to make them go away; anytime you tried to build outside your base, they'd, of course, nibble you. I wish there was something like a "predator hum beacon" that, when activated, would disperse predatory wildlife that the player couldn't hear. Or if you annoyed the nubblers enough with a resonator, they'd think, "This doesn't feel good; I'm going to go away now." It was annoying and constantly made me feel helpless. I can figure out how to restart a giant alien power plant, but can't make the mean fish go away—that's silly in my opinion. Overall, these were my biggest complaints. There were small things too, like crashing into invisible barriers that would damage your tadpole. Constantly being barraged by predators when collecting enamel. So on and so forth… I would recommend new players give this game a little more time to develop, especially for the $30 price tag. Otherwise, this game will have so much potential, and I look forward to it; it just needs some time to iron out the little issues and add more content.

Fix the EULA please. If I buy a game, I own it, but even if I speak badly about the game per social norms(?). "The agreement states that I don't own the game after having purchased it, and that I have no right to speak inside the game, or to criticize the game outside of the game." So, yeah. It's like the CEO is using ChatGPT to create the legal EULA over this? Has other silly parts like 'You are not allowed to spam content from the game', 'not allowed to USE A VPN or any technology that masks your location', 'they can harvest your personal data (email, phone number, IP, birth date, gender, country etc.) as well as device information (including the unique ID of your device)', 'they pass this data on to third party providers such as cloud services or marketing agencies', 'they do not guarantee that your data is kept safe with them lmao' all the good stuff... BESIDES that, the game is much like the 1st Subnautica. Which was mega enjoyable. Enjoyed that one tons with a VR mod. Aiming to do the same for this one. The new additions like the WakeMaker is so great to easily fly in-out of the base without it being a large vehicle. (no doors too on your base! so nice). The new Biomods and Adaptations are really cool tool. I do wish this one was creepier like 1st. Where are the giant creature sounds in the distance? Loved that in the 1st. Also runs really well on a 3080ti. Steam Deck though it does not. :( It's Early Access so it's not perfect. But a great game! Can't wait for further updates.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend this game because of the Krafton EULA. And no, I'm not going to enter into a debate: This is simply my perspective. *Licence, not ownership — The game is explicitly licensed to you, not sold. You gain no title or ownership whatsoever (Section 1). *(Revocation at any time, for any reason — Krafton or the user can terminate your access "for any reason or no reason at all, without prior notice" (Section 9). *No refund on termination — If your access is terminated, you are not entitled to a refund, even if the termination wasn't your fault (Section 9). *Remote access to your device — Krafton can remotely access and modify game software on your device without needing separate consent each time (Section 2c). *VPN prohibition — Using any IP-masking tool for any purpose while playing is prohibited, not just for circumventing geo-restrictions (Section 3z). *Terms can change at any time — Krafton decides what counts as "material" changes and how to notify you. *Otherwise, it's your responsibility to check for updates (Section 2a–b). *You own nothing you create or submit — Any content you submit to Krafton via the game is assigned to them outright, including a waiver of your moral rights (Section 6a). *AI training clause — Your gameplay data and any content cannot be used for AI training, but notably this restriction only runs against you, not against Krafton (Section 3ai). *Mandatory arbitration, no jury trial — Disputes must go to private arbitration in California, waiving your right to a judge or jury (Section 11). *Class action waiver — You cannot join a collective or class action against Krafton, meaning you must fight any dispute entirely alone (Section 14). *Liability capped at $50 — Even if Krafton causes you significant harm, their maximum financial liability to you is $50 regardless of what you paid (Section 8). *Single-device restriction — Playing on more than one device simultaneously requires a separate licence purchase (Section 3c).

The only signs this game is early access is some glitchy behaviour around building and a little janky behaviour here and there such as with the scanner. Honestly, this game is huge already - far more advanced than the beta stages of Subnautica 1. I've played over 50 hours into the first shipped build (with one do-over) and I haven't finished the provided story as yet. I'd estimate there's a good 25 hours play-time built already for a single play-through. Subnautica 2 is much more faithful to the original world in the first game (I didn't enjoy Below Zero so much because of the cramped water spaces and all that land) but just about everything has been expanded upon in some way: better recipes, more minerals, buildings you can resize (and better building modules), and even inventory management has taken a 100% improvement with the fabricator now able to use ingredients straight from your storage. Right now, there is probably some fine-tuning to be done: marine life can be a bit too brutal at times, and thirst especially seems to be a rampant irritation. The scanner continues to find resources and such after it has already been depleted, and probably the worst bug of all: building modules can sometimes refuse to be removed, stating 'attachments' when there are none whatsoever (a common bug). But for a first release early-access title, these are small things and don't destroy the playability to be had. Brilliant game already, at a great price. No need to wait for the final release - it's a fantastic start and I'm excited to see what's to come next.

So, talking about the game itself, what I like the most is that the atmosphere brings a lot of that vibe that Subnautica had. Most developers don't really manage to make the second game as or nearly as successful as the first, but I would say that this is not the case. It has the same fear factor as the first game: the sounds in the distance that you don't know where they're coming from, the fear of the depths, the creatures that are part of the ecosystem and are also dangerous instead of being put there just for cheap jump scares, that constant feeling of the unknown which becomes even stronger at night. I also like the fact that there aren't any guides or tutorials at the moment and that's cool because discovering things on your own is something that puts you more into the lonely vibe that Subnautica has. Some of these feelings go away after you get past the beginning and you're not as vulnerable anymore, but that's normal and it was the same in the first game. So as a short summary of the game, it's really cool because it resembles the first one in vibe but the graphics are much cooler and modern, you can build more complex bases and be much more creative on this side, the storyline is engaging, the addition of co-op and being able to play with friends, the vehicles are fine but honestly I miss Cyclops a little, the map and biomes are interesting and currently still have that new and unknown factor, the audio is really cool just like in the first game, and with the optimization I haven't had any problems so far but I also have a higher-end PC, but anyway I have no concerns about optimization because I'm sure it will only improve until the game comes out of early access. Now about Krafton, which I'm glad isn't on the publisher or developer list next to Unknown Worlds Entertainment. I think they wanted to help us get into the game's atmosphere a little and they decided to do their best Alterra roleplay :)) I'm not surprised that this EULA is trying to limit the user's rights and that the company is trying to grant itself powers that it may not actually have, because it reminds me of what happened between Krafton and the original Unknown Worlds leadership shortly before the Early Access launch, when many people believed the company was trying to avoid paying the $250 million earnout bonus (which I hope they'll receive now based on the number of sales at launch), but I'm glad that in the end it came to light that Krafton violated certain contractual obligations when it took control of the Unknown Worlds studio and that the court mostly ruled in the developers' favor. Regarding the EULA itself, Krafton is neither the first nor the only company to have such an aggressive EULA, but I think the previous discussions have made people read the terms more carefully and probably since we were already angry with Krafton, this EULA only made us angrier. Anyway, I'm not really stressed out by all the nonsense they wrote there because in the EU at least where we have stronger consumer protections, I could say that many of those clauses may not be enforceable, and clicking 'Accept' does not make local laws disappear, nor does it automatically remove rights that consumers are legally entitled to. And finally, I rated the game positively because Unknown Worlds deserves it. My issues are with Krafton, not with the developers who put years of work into making a worthy successor to the original Subnautica.