If you’ve ever spent hours scanning alien fish and building sprawling underwater bases in Subnautica, you’ve probably wondered if you can bring a friend along for the ride. A common question new and returning players ask is is Subnautica 2 player on PS4, especially since co-op makes survival games far more fun for most people. The answer isn’t as straightforward as a simple yes or no, because it depends on which version of the game you own, and whether you’re willing to try a few workarounds to play with a friend. We’ve tested all the available options on PS4 and PS5 to give you the most accurate, up-to-date info so you don’t waste time fiddling with settings when you could be exploring the depths.
Is Subnautica 2 Player on PS4 by Default?
The first thing you need to know is that official native co-op support does not come pre-installed with any PS4 version of Subnautica or its sequel, Subnautica: Below Zero. The development team at Unknown Worlds Entertainment built the original game to be a deeply immersive single-player experience first, where the sense of isolation on an alien ocean planet is a core part of the story and tone. Adding native 2 player support would have required reworking everything from resource spawn rates to story pacing, so the team chose to prioritize polishing the solo experience before exploring multiplayer options.
The base PS4 versions of both original Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero have no official, built-in 2 player co-op support as of the latest game patch. A lot of players get confused about this because the PC version of the game has a very popular community-made co-op mod called Nitrox, but PS4 does not allow user-created mods the same way PC does. That doesn’t mean you can’t play with a friend at all, though – you just have to use built-in PlayStation platform features to make it work.
Unknown Worlds did launch a closed beta for official Subnautica co-op in 2023 for PC players, but there has been no announcement about when or if this co-op update will roll out to PS4 or other console platforms. For now, you’ll have to use the workarounds we outline below to play with a friend on PS4.
How to Play 2 Player Subnautica on PS4 Using Share Play
The only official, supported way to play Subnautica with a friend on PS4 is using Sony’s Share Play feature. This tool lets you stream your game screen to a friend on your PlayStation friends list, and even give them control of your game, even if they don’t own a copy of Subnautica themselves. It’s not a perfect full co-op experience, but it works well for casual play with friends.
Before you set up Share Play for Subnautica, make sure you meet all of these requirements:
- An active PlayStation Plus subscription for both you and the friend you want to play with
- A stable internet connection with at least 5 Mbps upload speed for the host player
- Both players must be running PS4 system software version 7.0 or later
- You both need to be on each other’s PlayStation Friends list to send and accept invites
Once you meet these requirements, setting up a session takes less than a minute. Launch Subnautica on your PS4, press the PS button to open the quick menu, navigate to your friend’s name in your friends list, select “Share Play” from the options, and send the invite. Once they accept, you can choose to either just share your screen for them to watch, or give them full control of your game.
Share Play only lets one player control the game at a time, so you’ll have to take turns exploring, building, and fighting off leviathans if you use this method. Sessions have a 60 minute time limit, but once the timer runs out you can just send a new invite to restart the session for free, with no limit to how many times you can do this. I’ve used this method to play with my little cousin who’s new to survival games, and it works great for casual play where you take turns tackling tricky parts of the map like the Aurora wreck or the Lost River biome.
Can You Play Simultaneous 2 Player Subnautica on PS4?
A lot of players ask if there’s a way to both control separate characters at the same time in Subnautica on PS4, similar to the co-op experience you get with games like Minecraft or Valheim. The short answer is no, there’s no official way to do this right now.
There is no way to run simultaneous 2 player co-op with separate characters on PS4 natively, as of the latest game updates. A lot of sketchy third-party sites will claim they have a mod or custom firmware hack that lets you enable co-op on PS4, but these almost always carry a high risk of malware, or will get your PSN account permanently banned if Sony detects you using modified game files. It’s never worth risking your account or your console for a co-op mod, especially when there are safer alternatives.
If you own a PS5, you can play the backwards compatible version of Subnautica on PS5, and the Share Play feature there has no 60 minute session limit, plus slightly lower input lag for the visiting player. But you still won’t get simultaneous co-op with separate characters. If simultaneous co-op is a non-negotiable for you, your best bet is to pick up a copy of Subnautica on PC during a sale, where the free Nitrox co-op mod is fully supported by the community and lets up to 100 players explore the map together at the same time.
Tips for the Best 2 Player Subnautica Experience on PS4
If you’re planning to use Share Play to play Subnautica with a friend on PS4, these tips will help you avoid common headaches and make your playthrough as smooth as possible. First, decide who is going to host the session before you start. Always host the Share Play session on the PS4 with the fastest internet connection to cut down on input lag for the visiting player. Even a small amount of input lag can make it hard to avoid aggressive creatures like Reaper Leviathans or Crashfish, so a fast host connection makes a huge difference.
Next, set clear roles and goals for each play session so you don’t waste time arguing about what to do next. For example, one player can be in charge of gathering resources and building base components, while the other acts as a scout to explore new biomes and mark important locations with beacons. If you do plan to take turns playing, set clear goals for each session, like finding the Aurora or building a base in the Lost River, to keep your playthrough focused and fun. It’s easy to get distracted by all the weird and wonderful creatures in the game, so having a loose plan helps you make progress.
Make sure you save your game every 15 to 20 minutes, especially if you’re exploring dangerous biomes. Share Play can disconnect randomly if either player’s internet cuts out, and you don’t want to lose hours of progress because you forgot to save. Make sure both players are familiar with the basic survival mechanics before you start playing together, so you don’t spend half your session explaining how to craft oxygen tanks or avoid getting blown up by Crashfish. If your friend has never played Subnautica before, have them play the first 30 minutes of the tutorial on their own first to get comfortable with the controls.
Finally, don’t be afraid to mess around. Half the fun of playing survival games with friends is the silly, unplanned moments, like accidentally luring a Reaper Leviathan back to your base, or forgetting to bring extra oxygen and drowning 100 meters below the surface. The turn-based nature of Share Play makes these moments even more fun, because you can react to what the other player is doing in real time.
At the end of the day, asking is Subnautica 2 player on PS4 comes down to what kind of co-op experience you’re looking for. If you don’t mind taking turns playing with a friend, Share Play is a free, easy option that works with every copy of the game on PS4. If you want simultaneous co-op with separate characters, you’ll have to wait for an official console co-op update, or switch to the PC version of the game to use community mods. Either way, Subnautica is just as fun when you’re sharing the experience with a friend, even if you have to get a little creative to make it work on PS4.
