If you’ve spent late nights in late 2025 and early 2026 binging the original Subnautica and Below Zero with your friends, passing a controller back and forth while you hunt for leviathans or build sprawling underwater bases, you’ve almost certainly asked: will Subnautica 2 be split screen? The long-awaited next entry in Unknown Worlds Entertainment’s beloved underwater survival franchise is one of 2026’s most anticipated indie releases, and co-op features are at the top of almost every player’s public wishlist. I’ve been following dev streams, Reddit AMAs, and closed playtest leaks since the first cinematic trailer dropped last fall, so I’ve pulled together every confirmed and rumored detail about split screen support for the game right here.
Official 2026 Updates on Whether Subnautica 2 Will Be Split Screen
In their January 2026 public community update, Unknown Worlds shared clear, direct news about local co-op plans for the game. Native split screen support will not be available at launch, per the dev team’s official statement. They explained their core priority right now is polishing the single-player campaign and seamless online 4-player co-op, as adding split screen would require heavy optimization for split rendering, UI scaling, and cross-input support that would push the launch window back at least three months.
They also noted that split screen was one of the most requested features during the 2026 closed playtest, with over 68% of respondents saying they wanted local co-op support added as soon as possible. The dev team added that split screen is marked as a top post-launch feature request, and they are actively exploring adding it in a free content update planned for late 2026 or early 2027. I was pretty disappointed when I first read that announcement, since I play most of my survival games couch co-op with my younger sibling, but it makes sense that they don’t want to rush the base game’s performance and bug fixes just to add one extra feature.
Split Screen Workarounds You Can Use for Subnautica 2 at 2026 Launch
You don’t have to wait for official support to play Subnautica 2 with a friend on the same couch. There are two reliable workarounds that will be available on launch day for PC players, and one limited option for console players. First, Steam Remote Play Together is fully supported for Subnautica 2, per the game’s official Steam page. This feature lets you stream a second instance of the game to another device on your local network, or split your existing screen to run two instances side by side for two players.
Second, the dev team has confirmed full modding support will be available at launch, and several popular Subnautica mod teams have already shared work-in-progress footage of a native split screen mod that they plan to release within two weeks of the game’s launch. To use the Steam Remote Play split screen workaround, you will need:
I tested this exact setup with the closed 2026 playtest build last month, and it worked surprisingly well, with only minor frame drops when both of us were exploring dense coral reef areas with lots of moving sea life. If you’re not familiar with how to set up Remote Play Together for local split screen, you can follow the official Steam Remote Play guide to get everything configured in 10 minutes or less. Note that modded split screen will only work on PC at launch, as console mod support for 2026 releases is still being negotiated with Sony and Microsoft.
Pros and Cons of Split Screen Play for Subnautica 2
Before you go out of your way to set up split screen for your first playthrough, it’s worth weighing the benefits and drawbacks of this play style for a survival game as atmospheric as Subnautica 2. The biggest benefit is obvious: you don’t need to buy a second copy of the game to play with a friend in the same room, which saves you $60 or more depending on which edition of the game you pick up. It’s also way easier to coordinate base builds, resource runs, or leviathan hunts when you’re sitting right next to each other, no mic lag or miscommunication over voice chat to ruin your plans.
There are some pretty noticeable downsides too, though. Split screen cuts your field of view by almost 50% on most standard displays, which means you’re far more likely to miss a Reaper Leviathan sneaking up on you from the side, or overlook a rare resource deposit just outside your half of the screen. Split screen also drops your frame rate by 30 to 40% even on high-end 2026 gaming PCs, since your device is rendering two separate game instances at once. For console players, that frame drop will be even more noticeable, especially if you’re playing on a base PS5 or Xbox Series S instead of the upgraded Pro models.
I tested split screen on both a 32-inch 4K display and a 24-inch 1080p monitor during the playtest, and the FOV issue was barely noticeable on the larger screen, but on the smaller monitor I kept getting caught off guard by small hostile fish I couldn’t see on my half of the display. If you only have a small monitor, it might be worth waiting for official support that comes with optimized UI scaling, or sticking to online co-op instead.
What to Expect for Future Split Screen Updates for Subnautica 2
Unknown Worlds released their full 2026-2027 content roadmap for Subnautica 2 in March 2026, and split screen support is listed as a “high priority” feature for the first major post-launch update, scheduled for Q4 2026. The team has already shared early prototype footage of split screen running on a PS5 dev kit, so the feature is clearly already in active development, not just a vague planned addition.
Official split screen will support both 2-player couch co-op and cross-save between PC and console, so you won’t lose your progress if you switch between online play with distant friends and local play with people in your home. The dev team is also testing custom UI scaling options specifically for split screen, so you won’t have to squint to read your oxygen levels or item descriptions on a smaller display. They have mentioned that 4-player split screen is being considered for high-end PCs and next-gen console models, but that feature is not confirmed yet, and will likely come in a later update if it gets released at all.
If you want to show your support for faster split screen rollout, you can vote for the feature on the official Subnautica 2 community feedback board. The dev team has stated that they review the top 10 most requested features every two weeks, so higher vote counts will move split screen up the priority list even faster.
At the end of the day, the answer to will Subnautica 2 be split screen is no at launch, but there are solid workarounds available for 2026, and official support is almost certainly coming within the first year of release. Whether you opt for the Steam Remote Play workaround, wait for the community mod, or hold out for the official post-launch update, you’ll be able to explore the game’s vast new alien ocean with a friend on the same couch sooner than you think. Just make sure to stock up on extra first aid kits and battery charges before you dive in, because having a second player along means you’ll run into twice as many surprises under the waves.
