If you’ve spent dozens of hours scanning alien fish, building underwater bases, and outrunning leviathans in the original Subnautica and Below Zero, you’ve almost certainly wondered is there going to be a Subnautica 2 at some point. The first two games set an insanely high bar for atmospheric survival gameplay, blending tense exploration with heartfelt story beats that stick with you long after you finish the final mission. I’ve been a diehard Subnautica fan since the first early access build dropped, so I’ve dug through every developer comment, leak, and official update to pull together everything we know right now about a potential third mainline entry in the franchise.
Is There Going to Be a Subnautica 2? Official Developer Comments First
Let’s cut straight to the most important info first, straight from the team at Unknown Worlds Entertainment, the studio behind the entire Subnautica series. For years after Below Zero launched, the team dodged direct questions about a third entry, but they’ve dropped consistent hints that they have no plans to abandon the IP anytime soon. Unknown Worlds has repeatedly confirmed they are not done with the Subnautica IP, even as they work on other projects like the upcoming first-person shooter Moonbreaker.
In 2023, the studio posted multiple job listings for roles on an “unannounced underwater survival game” that lines up perfectly with the Subnautica formula. Roles listed included senior 3D artists for alien creature design, level designers for open ocean biomes, and narrative writers with experience working on sci-fi survival stories. The team hasn’t formally named the project Subnautica 2 yet, but all the pieces fit too well to be a coincidence. They’ve also said they don’t plan to announce any new Subnautica content until they’re far enough in development to show meaningful gameplay, so don’t expect a big trailer drop out of nowhere in the next few months.
It’s also worth noting that the studio has a strict “no crunch” policy, so development will move at a steady, unrushed pace. That means we might be waiting a few more years for a full release, but the final product will be polished and free of the broken launches that plague so many modern AAA games.
What We Can Guess About Subnautica 2’s Setting and Core Gameplay
Nothing is confirmed yet, but we can make a lot of educated guesses about what the next Subnautica game will look like based on past entries, fan feedback, and small details from the job listings. The first two games are both set on the alien planet 4546B, so there’s a good chance the next entry will stick to the same world, but explore a totally new region we haven’t seen before. Some fans think we might head to the deep ocean trenches that were only hinted at in the first game, while others guess we’ll go to a completely different planet with entirely new alien ecosystems.
Leaked job listings mention "new biomes, alien creatures, and survival mechanics" for an unannounced underwater survival project, so we can expect the core loop of exploring, gathering resources, building bases, and uncovering lore to stay intact. If the rumored Subnautica 2 follows the same formula, we can expect even more creative alien life that feels both dangerous and fascinating to study. There’s also been heavy speculation that the game will expand on the lore of the precursor alien race and the Alterra corporation, which played small but important roles in the first two stories.
Over the years, the Subnautica community has shared hundreds of requests for features they want to see in the next entry. The most popular requests include:
- Full cooperative multiplayer for up to 4 players, so you can build bases and explore with friends
- Larger, more varied biomes with less linear progression than the first two entries
- More customizable base building options, including underwater farms and mobile base modules
- Deeper lore connections to the Alterra corporation and the precursor alien race
Many fans also hope for less hand-holding in the next entry, with more optional environmental clues instead of explicit waypoints. The first game already did a great job of guiding players without feeling restrictive, but there’s plenty of room to make exploration even more rewarding for players who like to figure things out on their own. Many of the features fans are begging for would fit perfectly into Subnautica 2’s core design without taking away from the lonely, atmospheric tone that makes the series so special.
Potential Release Timeline and Platform Availability
Since the studio hasn’t formally announced the game yet, we don’t have an official release date, but we can make a rough estimate based on their past development cycles. The original Subnautica spent about three years in early access before its full launch, and Below Zero spent about two years in early access. If the team started active development on the new entry in 2023 when they posted the first job listings, we could see an early access launch as early as late 2025, with a full release coming a year after that.
The studio has a track record of releasing early access builds 1-2 years before full launch, so keep an eye on official channels for playtest signups. Unknown Worlds often recruits regular fans to test early builds and give feedback, so signing up for their official mailing list or joining the Subnautica Discord is the best way to get early access if you want to try the game before its full release.
As for platforms, we can almost certainly expect the game to launch first on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, followed by console releases on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch a few months after the full PC launch. Cross-platform play support is still unconfirmed, but it’s a highly requested feature that the team has mentioned they’re looking into for future projects. Don’t expect the game to launch on last-generation consoles like the PS4 or Xbox One, as the team will likely build the game for newer hardware to support larger biomes and more detailed creature designs.
What to Do While You Wait for Subnautica 2
Even if we have a few years to wait for the next official Subnautica entry, there’s plenty of content to keep you occupied in the meantime. If you haven’t played Below Zero yet, it’s a perfect follow-up to the original game with a darker, more personal story and a ton of creative new biomes and creatures to discover. It’s a bit shorter than the first game, but it’s still well worth playing if you’re a fan of the series.
If you’ve already played both games multiple times, you can check out the massive modding scene for both titles. Modding communities have created hundreds of custom maps, creatures, and gameplay overhauls that make replaying the original games feel like a brand new experience. Some popular mods add entire new story campaigns, while others make the game harder, add new base building features, or even add limited multiplayer support to the original game.
You can also check out other underwater survival games if you’re craving more ocean exploration. Titles like Barotrauma, Raft, and Abzu all capture parts of the Subnautica magic while adding their own unique twists. If you want to get more involved with the community, you can join the official Subnautica Discord to share fan theories, show off your base builds, and get the latest news about upcoming projects from the dev team.
At the end of the day, while we don’t have a formal release date or full announcement yet, all signs point to a resounding yes when you ask is there going to be a Subnautica 2. The franchise has a massive, loyal fanbase, and the developers have made it clear they have plenty more stories to tell in the alien underwater world they’ve built. For now, keep an eye on official developer updates, and don’t be afraid to dive back into the original games to pass the time while we wait for more news.
