Subnautica 2 has offered 2 million copies inside 12 hours of its early entry launch, developer Unknown Worlds has introduced. It’s a big begin for the underwater survival and crafting journey sport after a turbulent highway to launch.
Peak concurrent gamers throughout all platforms Subnautica 2 launched on (PC through Steam and the Epic Video games Retailer, and Xbox Sequence X and S), exceeded 651,000, with Steam alone reaching a peak of greater than 467,000 concurrent gamers. That’s practically 9 occasions the all-time peak concurrent participant rely of the unique Subnautica, which launched in 2018, Unknown Worlds mentioned.
Subnautica 2 was probably the most wishlisted sport on Steam forward of launch, and had huge momentum off the again of 18.5 million gross sales throughout the sequence. This sequel, developed utilizing Unreal Engine 5, has optionally available co-op for as much as 4 gamers, fuelling multiplayer virality. IGN’s Subnautica 2 early entry assessment returned a 7/10. We mentioned: “It’s fairly spectacular that wading in the shallow tides of Subnautica 2’s early entry debut is as enjoyable as it’s already, and that ought to be a nice signal of issues to come back, however I additionally wouldn’t blame anybody for ready for these waters to rise a bit earlier than getting their ft moist.”
Subnautica 2 had a bumpy highway to launch, with growth starting round 2022. The sport was initially focusing on a 2025 launch, however was delayed following drama with writer Krafton. In July 2025, Krafton eliminated Unknown World’s management from the corporate, together with CEO Ted Gill. This spawned a authorized battle, with the fired workers claiming Krafton allow them to go and delayed the sport to keep away from paying out a large $250 million bonus for hitting key targets and deadlines. A decide had Gill and his colleagues reinstated earlier this 12 months, which then put the sport again on monitor for launch.
There was one final impediment earlier than launch, nonetheless. Subnautica 2 leaked on-line days earlier than its launch. Nevertheless, it does not appear to have harm the sport in any notable method. Subnautica 2’s launch is only the start, as it will likely be up to date over time with new content material. For now, the sport packs a meaty narrative, co-op, and an expansive sea to discover.
We’ve bought a Issues to Do First in Subnautica 2 information to take a look at earlier than you dive in, plus useful resource location guides that will help you discover Titanium, Silver, and extra. Uncover blackbox and provide crate places on our interactive Subnautica 2 map, and be sure to don’t miss any Angel Comb Variations or Blueprints.
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You’ll be able to attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.