Subnautica (2018)
Android · Mac · Nintendo Switch · Nintendo Switch 2 · Oculus Rift · PC (Microsoft Windows) · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · SteamVR · Xbox One · Xbox Series X|S · iOS
4.09 from 1752 ratings
5758 members have it in their collection · 302 playing now · 2025 backlogged · 648 wish listed
How long? Main story 40h · with extras 49h · 100% 47h (from 76 logged playthroughs)
Details
- Developers
- Unknown Worlds
- Publishers
- Gearbox Publishing, Unknown Worlds
- Genres
- Adventure, Indie
- Themes
- Open world, Science fiction, Survival
- Series
- Subnautica
- Steam
- View on Steam
Release dates
- Dec 16, 2014 (Early Access) (Worldwide) PC (Microsoft Windows)
- Jun 2015 (Early Access) (Worldwide) Mac
- May 2016 (Early Access) (Worldwide) Xbox One
- Jan 23, 2018 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Mac, Oculus Rift, PC (Microsoft Windows), SteamVR
- Dec 04, 2018 (Full Release) (Worldwide) PlayStation 4
- May 13, 2021 (Full Release) (Worldwide) PlayStation 5
- May 14, 2021 (Full Release) (Europe) Nintendo Switch
- May 14, 2021 (Full Release) (North_America) Nintendo Switch
- May 14, 2021 (Full Release) (Japan) Nintendo Switch
- May 14, 2021 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Xbox Series X|S
- Jul 08, 2025 (Worldwide) Android, iOS
- Feb 17, 2026 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Nintendo Switch 2
Related
Bundled in
- Subnautica + Subnautica Below Zero Double Pack (May 2021) · NSW, PC, PS4, PS5, XONE
- Subnautica Deep Ocean Bundle (May 2026) · PC
Standalone expansions
- Subnautica: Below Zero (May 2021) · MAC, NSW, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSX
Featured in lists
Rating distribution
5 stars
681
4 stars
671
3 stars
295
2 stars
83
1 star
22
Community All Reviews Statuses
Status Bigdaddyred Mar 6, 2025
It's short and sweet. It played great on Steam Deck. It managed not to overstay its welcome. I had fun with it, but by the end, it was definitely time to shelve.
Status scoopings Jan 28, 2024
Starting in about 15 mins, streaming this. I’m actually playing a game released after 1990, let alone 2010 lol. It’s my first time playing through this game, apparently I'm moving slow. https://www.twitch.tv/instazome1234
Status dutifuldoe Dec 18, 2023
This game is fantastic, but my fear of open water has impeded my ability to play 😅 A DNF for me, but I was able to watch others play, and it's a good one!
Status Moterboot Aug 21, 2023
Unfortunately, I didn't; finish this game because it often wastes my time with minor mechanics that are incredibly prevalent, such as looting, dumping said loot in containers with limited storage, and of course the survival mechanics. Honestly, the latter became grading toward the end of the playthrough. that being said, the underwater vibes are often incredible, and the lack of …
Read moreUnfortunately, I didn't; finish this game because it often wastes my time with minor mechanics that are incredibly prevalent, such as looting, dumping said loot in containers with limited storage, and of course the survival mechanics. Honestly, the latter became grading toward the end of the playthrough. that being said, the underwater vibes are often incredible, and the lack of a map makes exploration incredibly tense and atmospheric. It forced me to pay attention to the ocean floor's design, leading to some terrifying and unexpected discoveries. in many ways, this game reminds me of my favorite game of all time, Outer Wilds. However, whereas that game is elevated by its simplicity; where every mechanic has clear emotional resonance and functions to elevate the emotions the creators aim to evoke, Subnautica is often dragged down (no pun intended) by its inclusions. maybe it was just too long, or maybe I was simply meandering too much and consequently progressing too slowly. Either way, at a certain point, I realized I was done with the game. Perhaps the expectations laid on me by Outer Wilds has spoiled me, as I desperately try to find an experience that captures those same emotional peaks.
Read less
Status TheresaBoBisa Dec 22, 2021
I started playing and was liking it but then this enormous creature jump-scared me so bad I screamed bloody murder and immediately turned the game off. I'm a baby...but I need to pick it back up.
Status XanderCat Oct 26, 2021
Currently back on playing this a bit. I was looking for a survival game to play. I thought about playing Stranded Deep because I still want to finish everything there is to do in that game. (Find the boss monsters etc.) But I'm kind of annoyed that it is in Early Access for like forever with no updates for almost …
Currently back on playing this a bit. I was looking for a survival game to play. I thought about playing Stranded Deep because I still want to finish everything there is to do in that game. (Find the boss monsters etc.) But I'm kind of annoyed that it is in Early Access for like forever with no updates for almost a year now... makes me think updates will not come. I wish games would just release or not and definitely not be in early access limbo for years. I know some great games have that going on, Factorio was in early access for like 10 years.
I also want to play Minecraft but big updates are coming to that too which makes me just want to wait for them before I start a new world. But then more updates will come for that! So I don't know if I will never not have that problem.
I downloaded ARK but it seemed so weird and janky and crude that I am uninstalling it today, I only played for about an hour but I just can't see myself trying to play the game more..
Anyways, Subnautica it is! I like that the game is not in early access, it is "complete" and it even has an ending. Maybe someday I'll actually manage to finish it and even play the next game.
Status NikiPlayzzz Apr 29, 2021
The atmosphere is just beautiful and the reaper are a great and horrific contrast to that
Status Yaru Apr 17, 2021
Dropped after about two hours and drowning like thirty times.
(Disclaimer: The following are my opinions after playing for an self-admitely small amount of time. Some of my complaints may be invalid once you progress enough in the game. However, having those complaints since the beginning made me uninterested on playing further. As such, I'm writing this as an status …
Dropped after about two hours and drowning like thirty times.
(Disclaimer: The following are my opinions after playing for an self-admitely small amount of time. Some of my complaints may be invalid once you progress enough in the game. However, having those complaints since the beginning made me uninterested on playing further. As such, I'm writing this as an status instead of a review so I don't have to give it a star number, as it wouldn't be fair. Also please don't scream at me on the internets I am soft.)
The very basis of a survival game is that the player needs to want to risk his life instead of just staying in the safest place available. You need to reward exploration, resource searching and creativity. The player needs to get interested on their surroundings, wanting to see what is in the other side of that mountain even it it would mean risking resources and health for an unknown.
Subnautica fails at this at every single point. It isn't fun to play, it isn't interesting to explore, it isn't rewarding to manage resources.
The world layout feels generic and repetitive, with no uniqueness or landmarks, and I'd believe it is randomly generated except for reading otherwise in TVTropes while I was waiting for it to download. Resource placement feels random and nonsensical, as elements that feel important turn out to be background elements or pure decor, but of course an important resource at the beginning is inside of a tiny round flower that only opens when you get close to it but then you have to move away before a fish explodes in your face.
Also don't expect you can explore too much, because you need to surface every few seconds before drowning. While this system makes sense, it is way too limiting at the start, when you are supposed to want to explore everything and make a sense of your surroundings and finding out where you can find the resources you need.
There's no sense of progress, either. After checking the wiki twice to find out where the macaronni Cave Sulfur was, I finally managed to build the repair tool and fix the damage on the lifeboat. The reward for this was a message stealing a joke from Portal 2, and an ambiguous request to "keep searching for messages". Is that something it does by itself? Is that something I have to do? Who knows! Mystery!
On the bright side, the music is great, and since I got it for free, the disappointment hurts less, and I could revisit it in the future, but for now, if I want my survival, I shall go back to The Long Dark.
Status maeday Apr 15, 2021
I managed to get both Subnautica and Recore during the spring sale on the Xbox, and so far I've only managed to download Subnautica but I feel like all my time playing things like Don't Starve and (especially) Artico have prepared me for this moment lol
