Subnautica Reviews

Fantastic work of love with amazing mod community. Vanilla is great for casual players while Death Run mode is for the hardcore challenge seeking souls. Highly recommended.

Great game.. originally.. However.. why would you update a game after 11 years.. if only to break every mod, and you added nothing! Conspicuously, when the new game is coming out next year. While the brass might think they're so smart.. it's a great way of alienating the gaming community. I have over 300 games and 14 years on steam.. Pay attention UWE.. someone will fix your bs update.. and an easy fix for the consumer is to just make the file read only.. Way to shoot yourself in the foot with a loyal audience.. F-off.. My feelings still stand.. I found that reverting to the 3.23 version allowed mods to work.. However, keep in mind.. a simple message saying.. "Hey everyone, we're going to release a bullsh** update, that ruins all your mods.. so if you have a save or playthrough.. make the appropriate adjustments.. Even though I reverted to the 3.23 version.. most of my mod items disappeared.. and I would have had to remake them.. fine, if not for resources are finite.. Just be fair with your fan-base.. don't be d-bags about it.

One of the best games of my life, the best survival game of my life and the most beautiful game of my life. I am a VERY big fan of this game, but there is one but.... Recently the original developers of this game were fired, and now in August they added a new patch that in fact no one asked for and there is nothing significant in it. Of course the new patch is cool, but... WHAT ABOUT THE UPDATE OF THE GAME MODE IN VR? Just because of this incredibly useful patch (it is not) all mods on VR with controllers do not work. Maybe it is better to spend your time and budget on updating the VR mode, creating part 2 of the game that you ported and bringing back the original developers of this game? And so many people do not start the game after the patch. This company cosplays Altera perfectly

An update after 3 years just to brick all our mods, conveniently around the time the early access for Subnautica 2 would've dropped. They for real pulled an ARK Aquatica just to try and get us to jump to the sequel and forgot they pushed the release for the sequel back. Scumbag move, never buying anything from y'all again.

Woooooow. Amazing job, guys. To everyone out here negative bombing this game... if you used that one brain cell rattling around in your head, you'd be review bombing PUBG, not this masterpiece made and published by Unknown Worlds. Wrong target, geniuses.

Company that owns the game is scummy, won't support anything by them and suggest you don't either. Krafton deserves it.

I truly feel bad for refunding this game for the second time now but I just can't overcome my thalassophobia. It seems like I'm never going to be able to finish this game. Although I can definitely recommend it as I've watched multiple playtroughs and always enjoyed it.

I've been playing this game for years, on a variety of platforms. I recently purchased it again on Steam, so it's about time I left a review. This right here is one of the best survival games I've ever played, which is surprising, as I usually stray away from single player survival games because there is no social aspect involved for them to keep my attention. However, in the case of Subnautica, the "lonely" and isolated aspects are part of the reason I love it so much. It is really immersive and illustrates the feeling of being stranded by yourself, in an alien planet, perfectly. There is really no way to describe being at the bottom of the ocean, nothing but pitch black around you, and then seeing the silhouette of a giant sea creature in the distance. It really rattled my bones the first few times I had to make my way to the Aurora. Graphics are great, considering that it is a game from 2018. Incredibly optimized, and I can run it with ease even on my Steam Deck. On the other hand, something that really impressed me was the detail and attention that went into the sound design. The soundtrack and general eeriness of the underwater sounds make this one of the most immersive games I've ever played (headphones recommended). The progression system is also extremely satisfying, and at no point did I feel that the crafting was too tedious or overwhelming. You can literally play for hours and not get bored, only problem being that good things come to an end (expect 30-40 hours). I honestly wish that I could wipe my memory of this game, just so that I can experience it blindly once again! Overall, this is definitely one of my favorite games of all time, with one of the most interesting concepts I've ever seen. I would give it a 9.5/10

When Subnautica entered Early Access in 2014, it was a rough experience. Several essential features hadn’t been implemented and technically it was a little shaky. Yet one thing was immediately clear: the game had enormous potential. At the time Unknown Worlds was a small studio facing serious financial pressure, but instead of collapsing, they leaned into the strength of their growing fanbase, by listening closely and working hand in hand with the community and they gradually built an underwater world that would become one of the most atmospheric, beautiful and mysterious in the entire genre. I had a genuinely intense and enjoyable time with Subnautica and I want to thank Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, Ted Gill and the other members of the original team. The reason I'm giving the game a thumbs down has nothing to do with the fact that I did encounter some very unpleasant and disruptive bugs, texture glitches or other visual issues, but solely with the situation that the publisher Krafton fired the three founding members and has stripped their work of the integrity it once had. At this point in time, it's utterly impossible to say with absolute certainty what exactly happened, but all signs point to classic evil-corporate behavior. Krafton’s reputation was already controversial even before the Subnautica drama (aggressive monetization strategies, unprofessional communication and production pressure). What’s unfolding now isn’t just legally intriguing; it also serves as yet another reminder of how fragile the balance between creative freedom and commercial pressure can be in the gaming industry. It reminds me a bit of what happened around the game Disco Elysium. Looking back I wish I had already played the game or picked up Below Zero as well, and as much as I was excited for Subnautica 2 it’s painfully obvious that Krafton shouldn’t receive another cent from us. My heartfelt support goes to the devs and I truly hope the legal outcome brings justice and recognition. Edit (07/31/2025) It’s extremely important to me to make a few things absolutely crystal clear, especially because over the past few days I’ve seen a few videos and comments where some people said things like: “I’m not interested in the drama, I just want to play the game” “Boycotting Subnautica 2 only hurts the developers” “Krafton has already backed down” “Review bombing is stupid” To me these kinds of comments are just as shallow and uncritical as: “Spotify isn’t that bad, I like using it” “In Springfield they eat pets” “AI makes inexperienced people better developers” When the founders were apparently fired in early July, and as it seems without any legally valid reason, I was in the final stages of the story. Shortly afterward I was planning to jump straight into Below Zero while looking forward to Subnautica 2 and also preparing what was meant to be a completely positive review. But I made a personal decision to give the game a thumbs down and also not because I had read somewhere that people were calling for a boycott (those posts only started appearing several days later) but simply because my own research showed that Unknown Worlds is not really Unknown Worlds anymore. And Krafton’s contradictory and questionable actions made them seem much more like a Sea Dragon Leviathan to me than the idea that the founders had suddenly turned into money-hungry Warpers, which frankly just doesn’t seem plausible. And honestly for me it’s quite simple: whether Krafton deliberately delayed the release, breached agreements, spread lies and created the whole drama, or the founders themselves messed up in terms of timeline, quality or whatever, either way it’s absolutely legitimate to give the game a thumbs down in response to the whole mess. BUT and I’ll gladly say it again: everything suggests that Krafton acted in shady ways. And if it turns out to be true, then (in a perfect world) they shouldn't get a single cent from us, also supporting the founders was the right move, rather than doing nothing or worse attacking and insulting others. Because a rational discussion never only goes one way.

Massive shout out to the original devs—Subnautica is one of the most terrifyingly beautiful games I’ve ever touched. As someone with a genuine fear of the ocean, this wasn’t just survival—it was a full-blown anxiety simulator on steroids. I gave it 25+ hours. Unlimited health, infinite oxygen, no creature damage—every safety net activated. Still, that vast, silent, dark-blue abyss had me sweating bullets. The pressure, the darkness, the Reapers? Pure dread. Eventually, I had to use console commands to push through the story—because the alternative was a trip to the hospital. And honestly? No shame. The story deserved to be seen. The world design? Breathtaking. The tension? Absolute masterclass. The modding community? Heroes—adding life-saving QoL tweaks, epic gear, and base tools galore. Reaper Leviathans? Hate them. Their roars, hate it even more. Gargantuan Leviathan mods? I can only watch others face them on YouTube—and even that gives me palpitations. Did I survive the deep? Technically not. Did I conquer my fear? Absolutely not. But this game? Unforgettable.