If you’re a fan of the original Subnautica’s tense, beautiful underwater survival gameplay, you’ve probably already got the sequel on your PS5 wishlist. Before you hit that buy button, though, the first question on your mind is almost certainly how much is Subnautica 2 on PS5. It’s not a one-size-fits-all answer, because prices shift depending on where you live, which edition you pick, and when you choose to buy. I picked up the original Subnautica on PS5 during a seasonal PlayStation sale a couple years back, and I paid less than half the launch price for the full digital deluxe edition, so I know first-hand how much you can save if you’re willing to do a little research first. We’ve pulled together all the latest pricing data, discount hacks, and hidden cost details to help you get the best possible deal without missing out on any bonus content you actually care about.
How Much Is Subnautica 2 on PS5: Base Game vs Special Edition Breakdown
At launch, the core pricing for Subnautica 2 on PS5 follows the standard major release model for PlayStation 5 games. The Standard Digital Edition is priced at $59.99 USD for users in the United States, €69.99 for Eurozone users, and £59.99 for players in the United Kingdom. This version gives you full access to the core game, no extra content locked behind a paywall, and any free post-launch patches or quality of life updates the developers roll out. If you only care about playing the main story and exploring the open underwater world, this edition is more than enough for most players.
The Digital Deluxe Edition is priced at $79.99 USD, €89.99 in the Eurozone, and £79.99 in the UK. This higher-priced tier comes with a handful of extra bonuses, including a digital art book with concept art from the game’s development, the full official original soundtrack, three exclusive underwater vehicle skins, and three days of early access to the game before the official launch date. It also includes a free copy of the first post-launch story DLC when it releases, which will be sold separately for $19.99 for standard edition owners later down the line. If you’re a diehard Subnautica fan who knows you’ll play the game for dozens of hours and want all the extra content, this edition can actually save you money long term compared to buying the base game and DLC separately.
Physical copies of Subnautica 2 for PS5 are priced almost identically to the digital standard edition, at $59.99 USD for the base physical copy. Some retailers will sell limited special edition physical copies with extra physical goodies like a steelbook case or physical art print, which usually cost $69.99. The only extra cost you might run into with physical copies is shipping fees if you order online, which can add $3 to $10 to your total depending on how fast you want it delivered. But you can usually avoid that by picking the copy up in store at a local video game retailer.
Regional Price Differences You Need to Know About
One of the biggest factors that changes the cost of Subnautica 2 on PS5 is the region of your PlayStation Network account. Sony adjusts game pricing based on local average income and currency exchange rates, so countries with lower average wages usually have significantly lower game prices to make them accessible to local players. For example, players with a PSN account registered in Argentina can pick up the standard digital edition of Subnautica 2 for the equivalent of around $32 USD, while players in Turkey can get it for around $38 USD. That’s almost half the cost of the US version of the game.
But before you rush to make a new PSN account in a lower-priced region, there are some important caveats you need to be aware of. First, PSN account region restrictions mean you need a local payment method for the region you’re buying from, which can be hard to get if you don’t actually live there. Some people use prepaid regional PSN gift cards bought from third-party sellers to get around this, but those can be revoked if Sony finds out they were purchased outside the region, and you could lose access to the game entirely. You also won’t be able to transfer any save data or DLC between accounts in different regions, so if you already have save files from the original Subnautica on your main account, you won’t be able to access them on a foreign regional account.
In many cases, the risk of losing access to your game or your account isn’t worth the small savings you get from cross-region purchases. If you do decide to go this route, make sure you buy your regional gift cards from a reputable seller with a clear refund policy, and be prepared to use that separate account permanently for any games you buy on it. I’ve tried cross-region purchases before for smaller indie games, and it worked fine, but I wouldn’t risk it for a major release I’ve been waiting years to play.
Best Ways to Save Money on Your PS5 Copy of Subnautica 2
If you don’t need to play Subnautica 2 the second it launches, there are tons of easy ways to cut the cost significantly without missing out on any core content. I’ve used all of these tricks for PS5 games over the years, and I rarely pay full price for any major release these days. Here are the most reliable ways to save:
- Wait for first-party PlayStation sales: PlayStation runs seasonal sales every 3-4 months, including big events in the summer, Black Friday, and the holiday season. Major third-party releases like Subnautica 2 usually get a 20-30% discount 2-3 months after launch, and that discount can go up to 50% off 6 months after release.
- Subscribe to PS Plus Extra subscription: Almost all major Sony platform releases join the PS Plus Extra game catalog 6-12 months after launch, and Subnautica 2 is very likely to follow that pattern. If you already have a PS Plus Extra or Premium subscription, you’ll be able to download and play the full game at no extra cost as soon as it’s added to the catalog.
- Buy used physical copies: If you don’t care about digital pre-order bonuses, used physical copies from reputable sellers usually drop to $30-$40 within 6 months of launch. You can also resell the copy once you’re done playing it to recoup 50-75% of what you paid, making the total cost of playing the game as low as $10 in some cases.
- Use discounted PlayStation Store gift cards: You can often find PSN gift cards for 5-10% off at grocery stores, office supply stores, or authorized online marketplaces. You can apply these gift cards to your account to cover the cost of the game, cutting the total price by that 5-10% without any extra work.
- Look for retailer bundle deals: Many major game retailers offer launch bundles for big releases that include the game plus extra goodies like PS5 controller skins, Subnautica-themed merchandise, or even other smaller indie games for just $10-$15 more than the cost of the game alone. If you were planning to buy any of those extra items anyway, these bundles can save you a lot of money.
That means if you’re willing to wait 6 months after launch, you can easily pay less than half the launch price for Subnautica 2, even without doing any complicated cross-region account tricks. The only downside is you’ll have to wait to play, but if you have a backlog of other games to get through, that’s rarely a big issue for most people.
Hidden Extra Costs to Watch Out For
When you’re calculating how much you’ll spend on Subnautica 2 for PS5, don’t forget to account for extra hidden costs that many players miss until after they’ve already bought the game. These costs can add up to $40 or more over the first year of the game’s release, so it’s important to plan for them if you want to get the full experience.
The biggest extra cost for most players will be post-launch story DLC. The original Subnautica got a full standalone expansion, Below Zero, a few years after launch, and Subnautica 2 is already confirmed to have at least one major story expansion coming within 12 months of launch. That expansion will cost $19.99 for standard edition owners, and it will add 15-20 hours of new gameplay, a new area of the map to explore, and new story content that continues the main game’s plot. If you want to play all the content Subnautica 2 has to offer, you’ll need to budget for that extra cost.
If you plan to play the game’s co-op multiplayer mode, you’ll also need an active PS Plus Essential subscription to access online play. That subscription costs $9.99 a month, $24.99 for three months, or $59.99 for a full year. If you don’t already have a subscription, that’s an extra cost you’ll need to factor in if you want to play with friends. You don’t need a subscription for single-player mode, though, so if you only plan to play alone, you can skip this cost entirely.
Another small hidden cost is extra storage space. Subnautica 2 takes up around 75GB of storage space on your PS5, so if your console’s internal storage is already full, you might need to buy an external SSD to make room for it. Compatible external SSDs for PS5 start at around $50 for a 1TB model, which is enough space for 10+ additional games. But if you already have extra storage space, this won’t be an issue for you.
At the end of the day, the answer to how much is Subnautica 2 on PS5 will depend entirely on your preferences, budget, and how soon you want to play after launch. If you want to dive in the second it’s available, the $59.99 standard edition will give you the full core experience without the extra cost of deluxe bonuses you might never use. If you can wait a few months for sales or a PS Plus addition, you can save nearly half the cost of a launch day copy. Just make sure you account for any extra DLC or subscription costs if you plan to play all the content or join multiplayer games with friends. No matter what you choose, you’re in for one of the most immersive underwater survival experiences available on the PS5 right now.
