If you’re a fan of Unknown Worlds Entertainment’s library, you’ve almost certainly stumbled across the question online: are Natural Selection 2 and Subnautica connected. I’ve put hundreds of hours into both games over the last decade, dug through old dev interviews, scoured forum threads, and even hunted for Easter eggs during replay runs to get a concrete answer. The line between official canon, fun studio nods, and fan headcanon can get blurry fast, so I’m breaking down everything you need to know about links between the two titles in this guide.
Are Natural Selection 2 and Subnautica Connected? The Official Developer Word First
Let’s start with the clear, confirmed answer straight from the studio that made both games. The official stance from Unknown Worlds is clear: there is no canonical shared universe between the two games as of now. Studio lead Charlie Cleveland addressed the question directly in a 2023 community Q&A, stating that any overlaps between the two titles are intentional Easter eggs for long-time fans, not hints at a connected story.
That doesn’t mean the overlaps are accidental, though. The same core team worked on both games, with many devs spending 10+ years at the studio across the development of both titles. It’s only natural that they’d slip in little references to their past work for players who notice small details. I asked a senior designer about the links at PAX East a few years back, and they laughed and said they add those nods just to see how long it takes the community to find them.
You don’t have to dig very deep to spot those nods, either. Some are so obvious that it’s no wonder fans have spent years speculating about a shared canon. The biggest one by far is the shared name for hostile alien life across both games, which we’ll break down in more detail next.
Shared Naming and Easter Eggs That Spark Fan Theories
The most talked about overlap between the two games is the name “Kharaa”. In Natural Selection 2, Kharaa is the official name for the hostile, fast-evolving alien race that players can control or fight against in competitive multiplayer matches. In Subnautica, Kharaa is the name of the deadly, highly adaptive bacterium that wiped out the Precursor civilization on planet 4546B, and the main threat you’re trying to cure during the game’s main story.
That’s far from the only reference, though. Over the years, the community has uncovered dozens of small, intentional nods between the two games, from asset reuse to sound effect tweaks. Here are the confirmed, verified Easter eggs you can spot yourself:
These little nods are more than enough to spark fan theories, and the community has run wild with them over the years. The most popular theory argues that the Kharaa bacteria from Subnautica’s 4546B was eventually recovered by a human research team after the events of the game, escaped containment, and evolved over hundreds of years into the sentient, hive-minded Kharaa race featured in Natural Selection 2.
It’s a really solid theory that lines up with the little details we have, but again, it’s not official canon. The devs have even said they love reading those theories, but they’ve never had plans to make the link official.
Why Fans Keep Looking for Connections Between the Two Games
It’s not just the Easter eggs that make fans hunt for links between the two titles. A lot of it comes down to the shared thematic core of both games, even if their gameplay is completely different. The shared thematic core of both games makes lore links feel natural, even if they’re not written into official canon. Both games focus heavily on hostile alien ecosystems, human survival against overwhelming odds, and the consequences of humanity expanding into uncharted space without proper preparation.
A huge portion of the fanbase plays both games, too. I first got into Unknown Worlds’ work through Natural Selection 2 back in 2012, and I was already hyped for Subnautica years before it hit early access just because it was made by the same team. Most long-time fans have a similar experience, so we’re already primed to look for connections between two properties we already love.
Unknown Worlds has leaned into the fan speculation over the years, too. They keep adding new little Easter eggs with every major update for both games, which only fuels more speculation. Modders have also gotten in on the fun, with hundreds of mods that explicitly connect the two worlds: you can find Subnautica mods that add NS2 Kharaa creatures as new hostile fauna, and NS2 mods that build entire maps around Subnautica biomes. Those mods make the connection feel even more real for players who use them.
Can You Treat the Games as a Shared Universe for Headcanon?
Absolutely! The devs have repeatedly said they love fan headcanon, and there’s no rule stopping you from connecting the two games’ stories however you want for your own personal enjoyment. If you want to adopt the popular “Kharaa evolution” theory as your personal headcanon, there’s almost nothing in either game’s lore that contradicts it.
There are a few small timeline gaps you’ll have to fill in, of course. Natural Selection 2 is set thousands of years in the future, in a galaxy where humanity has a sprawling interstellar empire and has been fighting the Kharaa for decades. Subnautica is set in the late 22nd century, when humanity is just starting to explore deep space outside of our solar system. That said, it’s easy to fill that gap with a story about the Kharaa bacteria being spread across the galaxy over thousands of years before evolving into the sentient race from NS2.
You don’t need to have played both games to enjoy either one, too. None of the Easter eggs are required to understand the main story of either title, and you won’t miss any key lore beats if you only play one. If you’re a Subnautica fan who’s never touched NS2, you can still fully enjoy every part of Subnautica’s story without any context for the Kharaa name reference, and vice versa.
The studio has not ruled out a shared universe in the future, either. Cleveland mentioned in that same 2023 Q&A that if they ever make a new game that fits between the two timelines, they’d consider making the connection official. For now, though, it’s all just fun fan content and little studio nods for long-time players to spot.
At the end of the day, are Natural Selection 2 and Subnautica connected? Officially, no, there’s no confirmed canonical shared universe between the two games. But they’re made by the same team, packed full of fun little references to each other, and supported by a community that’s built tons of amazing headcanon and mods to link the two worlds together. I still spot new little references every time I replay either game, and I love that the studio puts those small touches in just for fans who pay attention. If you haven’t checked out either title yet, give them a shot – you won’t regret it, even if you don’t care about lore connections at all.
