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Metro 2039Co-op and Multiplayer
Subnautica 2 can be played solo or in online co-op for up to four players (a host and three friends), with cross-play between Steam, the Epic Games Store and Xbox through friend codes. The world lives in the host's save, and there are no dedicated servers.
Subnautica 2 supports online co-op for up to four players, a host and three friends, on every platform it is sold on, with cross-play between Steam, the Epic Games Store and Xbox (Steam; Xbox Wire, May 4, 2026). One player hosts from the main menu and the others join by invite or, across platforms, with a friend code; the world is the host's save, and there are no dedicated servers as of Nov 4, 2026 (PCGamesN, updated May 15, 2026). Unknown Worlds calls the game "a single-player first experience, with optional co-operative multiplayer" (Jul 3, 2025), so everything in solo can be done in co-op, and nothing is co-op only. Update 1.2, "Buddy System" (Aug 19, 2026), added most of what co-op players had asked for: Proximity Voice Chat, revives, trading and emotes (Unknown Worlds). On Xbox consoles, online play needs a Game Pass subscription of any tier.
Quick facts
| Players | 1 to 4 (host plus three) |
| Cross-play | Steam, Epic Games Store and Xbox (Series X|S and PC), via friend codes |
| Hosting | Host's own game; no dedicated servers (as of Nov 4, 2026) |
| Split screen | No |
| Xbox console online | Needs Game Pass, any tier (1.1 notes) |
| Voice | Proximity Voice Chat since 1.2 (Aug 19, 2026) |
| Revives | Since 1.2 |
| Shared | Blueprints, Databank, story progress, bases, lockers, waypoints |
| Your own | Inventory, Adaptations, personal upgrades, character |
Sources: Steam; PCGamesN (Christian Vaz), updated May 15, 2026; Game Rant (William Parks), May 14, 2026; Unknown Worlds' 1.1 and 1.2 notes.
How do you play Subnautica 2 with friends?
To host, choose "Host Multiplayer" on the main menu, then "Host New Multiplayer Game", pick a mode and choose "Host Game"; friends are invited from the Friends List in the pause menu (PCGamesN). Friends on the same store can join through the invite. A solo save can be turned into a co-op one with "Convert to Multiplayer", and back again, so a game started alone can be opened to friends later. The mode (Survival or Creative) is set when the save is made and applies to everyone in it (Game Modes). In MistaWigglez's May 18, 2026 guide, on the launch build, the host manages the party from the Friends List, the count runs up to four, and a second player needs a second device and copy of the game.
Does Subnautica 2 have crossplay?
Yes, between PC and Xbox: Steam, Epic Games Store and Microsoft Store players are all on PC, and they can play with Xbox Series X|S players (PCGamesN). Unknown Worlds' Feb 10, 2026 Dev Vlog "Diving Together in Multiplayer" says cross-play also covers the ROG Xbox Ally series and Steam Deck (Unknown Worlds). Across stores, players add each other with friend codes: in the Friends List press "Generate Code", then "Copy Code" and send it, or paste a friend's code and press "Add Friend"; they then appear under "Join Friends" on the main menu (Game Rant). There is no PlayStation or Switch version to cross-play with as of Nov 4, 2026; see Platforms and Cross-Play. In IGN's May 15, 2026 guide, on the launch build, the generated friend code is eight digits, and the other player enters it in the add friend field to send a request.
Do you need Game Pass for multiplayer on Xbox?
On Xbox consoles, yes: update 1.1 (Jul 8, 2026) added a notice for Xbox players without Game Pass, because "a Game Pass subscription (any tier) is required to play multiplayer" (Unknown Worlds). Update 1.2 improved the error wording for non-Game Pass Microsoft users and fixed a broken Friends List for Microsoft child accounts whose cross-network permission is set to Blocked. The game itself is included in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass (Xbox Wire); prices are on Price and Editions.
Who owns the save?
Progress belongs to a save, and a co-op session is the host's game, so friends who join play in the host's world (PCGamesN). To let a friend carry on without the host, or to move a world to another platform, the host uses "Upload to Cloud", copies the code and sends it; the other player chooses "Import Save" and pastes it, and gets a copy of their own. Each code works once. Since update 1.2, Save Codes can be pasted straight into the Cloud Save Download box. Buddy System Hotfix 1 (Sep 1, 2026) made save files record their build and branch, so a save cannot be loaded into an older build (Unknown Worlds). Saves from the Experimental Branch are separate and do not load on the main branch. MistaWigglez's May 18, 2026 guide, on the launch build, adds that Steam's save sync can pass a world between friends without the manual step.
Are there dedicated servers in Subnautica 2?
No. As of Nov 4, 2026 Unknown Worlds has announced no dedicated server tool; co-op runs in the host's game, and a friend who wants to play the world alone needs a cloud save copy of it. The game also has no split screen (Game Rant).
What is shared in co-op?
| Shared by everyone | Kept by each player |
|---|---|
| Blueprints and Databank entries | Inventory |
| Black box and mission progress (one pickup counts for all) | Adaptations |
| Waypoints and Scanner Station waypoints | Personal upgrades (Upgrade Biobeds) |
| Bases, facilities and lockers | Character |
Source: Game Rant (William Parks), May 14, 2026, the launch build. Each player must earn their own Adaptations: updates 1.1 and 1.2 closed ways for a joining player to skip Pressure Tolerance by passing the opening scan with a host who already had it (Unknown Worlds). Since update 1.1, audiologs no longer play for everyone when one player triggers them, and replays play only for the player who asked.
In IGN's May 15, 2026 guide, on the launch build, players can roam as far apart as they like with no tether, several players can set the same Biobed as their respawn point, and a Scanner Station is shared: when one player sets it to a resource, everyone sees that marker, and it cannot track two resources for two players at once.
What the Buddy System update added
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Proximity Voice Chat | Players farther away are harder to hear; "always on", "push to talk" or "always off" |
| Revives | A downed player can be revived before reprinting, keeping equipment and regaining a little oxygen; or can choose to reprint at their Biobed |
| Player trading | Interact with another player to exchange inventory items directly |
| Emotes | Wave, Clap, Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down and Frustrated from a radial menu, in water or on land |
| Tracking Tag | A short-range beacon placed in a locker or other carryable |
| Characters | Jegna and Grace, and two new color schemes |
Source: Unknown Worlds, Aug 19, 2026.
Unknown Worlds' launch roadmap had promised "requested improvements and additions" for co-op in the second update (May 15, 2026), and Creative Director Anthony Gallegos presented the features in the Aug 18 Update Vlog. Buddy System Hotfix 1 fixed push-to-talk and let clients move exterior furniture, and Buddy System Hotfix 2 (Oct 6, 2026) fixed voice activity detection (Unknown Worlds). Game Rant's launch-day line that players "cannot revive one another" is out of date since 1.2. The full update is on Buddy System Update, and dying and revives on Death and Respawning.
How far the voice carries: in Spyro ZA's Aug 20, 2026 test of update 1.2, voices are clear up close, turn into a radio sound with distance, start breaking up at about 190 m and cut out at about 200 m.
Vehicles in co-op
The Haul chassis gives the Tadpole room for passengers, and players can also attach themselves to the outside of a Tadpole (the 1.2 notes speak of players "attached to the exterior"); since Buddy System Hotfix 1 anyone attached to a Tadpole or a Haul reliably gets oxygen. Inventory sharing is blocked while riding in a Tadpole. In Unknown Worlds' May 9, 2026 showcase, played before launch, one developer rides a hauling Tadpole by holding its middle handle instead of taking a seat. A two-seater "Seaglider" that Destructoid listed as a co-op vehicle before launch is not in the game (Destructoid, Feb 12, 2026). See Tadpole Chassis.
Frequently asked questions
How many players can play Subnautica 2 together? Up to four: the host and three friends, in online co-op on Steam, the Epic Games Store and Xbox.
Is Subnautica 2 crossplay? Yes, between PC (Steam, Epic, Microsoft Store) and Xbox Series X|S. Players on different stores add each other with friend codes from the Friends List.
Does Subnautica 2 have dedicated servers? No. As of Nov 4, 2026 co-op runs in the host's game, and Unknown Worlds has announced no server tool.
Can you play Subnautica 2 co-op with a solo save? Yes. "Convert to Multiplayer" turns a solo save into a co-op one, and it can be converted back.
Do you need Game Pass to play Subnautica 2 online on Xbox? Yes on Xbox consoles: Unknown Worlds says a Game Pass subscription of any tier is required for multiplayer.
Can you revive friends in Subnautica 2? Yes, since update 1.2 (Aug 19, 2026). A revived player keeps their equipment and regains a little oxygen.
Is there split screen in Subnautica 2? No. Co-op is online only.
Sources
- Subnautica 2 - Waterside Q&A, Subnautica, Jun 3, 2025 (video)
- Subnautica 2 | Early Access: First Dive Showcase, Subnautica, May 9, 2026 (video)
- Subnautica 2 Multiplayer Guide: How to Play With Friends, IGN, May 15, 2026 (video)
- How to Co-op in Subnautica 2 | 1-4 Player Multiplayer Guide, MistaWigglez, May 18, 2026 (video)
- Subnautica 2 | Update Vlog: Early Access 1.2 - Buddy System, Subnautica, Aug 18, 2026 (video)
- Subnautica 2 EA 1.2 Buddy System Update Overview + Next Major Update Info, Spyro ZA, Aug 20, 2026 (video)
- A Letter to the Subnautica Community, Unknown Worlds, Jul 3, 2025
- Dev Vlog - Diving Together in Multiplayer, Unknown Worlds, Feb 10, 2026
- Subnautica 2 Early Access Roadmap, Unknown Worlds, May 15, 2026
- Subnautica 2 Early Access 1.1 - Adaptive Measures Update, Unknown Worlds, Jul 8, 2026
- Update Vlog - Early Access 1.2 (Buddy System), Unknown Worlds, Aug 18, 2026
- Subnautica 2 Early Access 1.2 - Buddy System Update, Unknown Worlds, Aug 19, 2026
- Subnautica 2 Early Access Buddy System Hotfix 1, Unknown Worlds, Sep 1, 2026
- Subnautica 2 Early Access Buddy System Hotfix 2, Unknown Worlds, Oct 6, 2026
- Subnautica 2, Steam store page
- Subnautica 2 Coming to Xbox Game Preview on May 14, Xbox Wire (Donya Abramo), May 4, 2026
- Subnautica 2 multiplayer explained, PCGamesN (Christian Vaz), updated May 15, 2026
- Multiplayer & Co-Op Guide, Game Rant (William Parks), May 14, 2026
- How will co-op work in Subnautica 2, Destructoid (Arka Sarkar), Feb 12, 2026
Moments
Subnautica 2 - Waterside Q&A
Subnautica
How to Co-op in Subnautica 2 | 1-4 Player Multiplayer Guide
MistaWigglez
Subnautica 2 Multiplayer Guide: How to Play With Friends
IGN
Subnautica 2 | Update Vlog: Early Access 1.2 - Buddy System
Subnautica
Subnautica 2 EA 1.2 Buddy System Update Overview + Next Major Update Info
Spyro ZA
Subnautica 2 | Early Access: First Dive Showcase
Subnautica
Related
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Base PowerSubnautica 2 bases run on Solar Panels (1 to 8 energy per second by time of day), Hydroelectric Turbines in water currents, Thermal Plants by heat vents and Bioreactors burning fuel, linked by Power Transmitters and buffered by Power Storage. Without power a base makes no oxygen.
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Best Base LocationsThe guides' best base spots in Subnautica 2 are a plateau by a water current about 200 m east of the Lifepod for free turbine power, the thermal vents about 630 m east for steady Thermal Plant power, and an outpost near the Alien Ruins about 1,150 m east for the late game.
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FarmingFarming in Subnautica 2 means Growbeds, built for Titanium x1, that grow plants from a seed item such as a Pent, Lucifer Rotsac or Fibrous Pulp, and since update 1.2 Necrolei Cysts. The Metal Farm, an Axum machine, grows a chosen resource on base power.
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Anemone HillsThe Anemone Hills are Subnautica 2's biome of towering pink-and-green anemones about 300 m northwest of the Lifepod, 0 to 151 m deep, where the infected Heat Tolerance Angel Comb waits behind Bloom you clear with the Sonic Resonator.
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Coral GardensCoral Gardens and North Coral Gardens are Unknown Worlds' names for Subnautica 2's early coral areas around the Lifepod; update 1.1 (Jul 8, 2026) put a second Biolab and more Silver there, and 1.2 gave North Coral Gardens its own music.
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Dolerite SpiresThe Dolerite Spires are a maze of jagged volcanic pillars in Subnautica 2's starting region, shallow to mid depth, with Lithium and Titanium, Quaker's Meetinghouse and two Spires wrecks that All Things How lists for the High Capacity Air Tank and the Rebreather on the launch build.
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GraveyardThe Graveyard is Subnautica 2's hot, orange-watered biome, 0 to 266 m deep, that needs the Heat Tolerance Adaptation; it holds Gold, Salt, Sulfur and Lithium, the Tadpole Pens, Tailings Village, a Cicada Wreck, Nahema's Lab and hundreds of Water Slugs.
See also
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Game ModesSubnautica 2 has two game modes, Survival and Creative, chosen when a save is made; Creative removes oxygen, food, water and power limits and unlocks every blueprint, Adaptation and (since update 1.1) Biomod, and there are no difficulty settings as of Nov 4, 2026.
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Platforms and Cross-PlaySubnautica 2 is on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox PC) and Xbox Series X|S, with Xbox Cloud Gaming and handhelds, and cross-play between all of them. No PS5, Switch 2 or Mac version is announced as of Nov 4, 2026.
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Price and EditionsSubnautica 2 costs $29.99 in Early Access on Steam, the Epic Games Store and Xbox, and it is included in PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate. Steam also sells a Sub-Sonic Edition with the soundtrack; there are no microtransactions, and the price will rise after Early Access.
- Experimental BranchSubnautica 2's Experimental branch is an opt-in Steam beta, launched Aug 12, 2026, that previews upcoming updates shortly before release; join it under Properties, Game Versions & Betas, and expect separate, incompatible saves.
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AdaptationsSubnautica 2 has four Adaptations, permanent body changes taken from Angel Combs, as of Nov 4, 2026. Pressure Tolerance comes in the opening, Digestion from an Angel Comb about 130 to 180 m north-northeast of the Lifepod, Heat Tolerance from an infected Angel Comb about 200 m northwest once the Sonic Resonator clears it, and Axum Vision from an Angel Comb about 1,800 m east.
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