Subnautica Games in Order

0:06 There are three Subnautica games, all by Unknown Worlds: Subnautica, in Early Access from 2014 and fully released on Jan 23, 2018; Subnautica: Below Zero, a standalone follow-up in Early Access from Jan 30, 2019 and released in full in May 2021; and Subnautica 2, in Early Access since May 14, 2026 with a 1.0 release Steam's Early Access note puts "about 2 to 3 years" away (Steam). Release order and story order are the same, but Subnautica 2 leaves the first two games' world, Planet 4546B, for "an all-new underwater alien world" (Xbox Wire, May 4, 2026), and its story is self-contained (Wccftech, May 14, 2026), so a new player can start with it. Its own Senior Narrative Designer, Seth, still introduced it in a Jun 19, 2025 Dev Vlog as "a sequel to the events of Subnautica, Subnautica: Below Zero, and Natural Selection". Before Subnautica 2 the series had sold over 18.5 million units (Unknown Worlds via Game Developer, Jul 9, 2026); Subnautica 2 passed 5 million within 22 days (Krafton, Jul 29, 2026).

Quick facts

Sources: Unknown Worlds: About; Xbox Wire, May 4, 2026; Game Developer, Jul 9, 2026; Game Developer, Jul 29, 2026.

Every Subnautica game

Sources: Unknown Worlds: About for the years; Unknown Worlds' home page for the platforms of the first two; Steam's pages for Subnautica, Below Zero and Subnautica 2 for dates and reviews (English reviews as the store showed them); Nintendo Life, Feb 2026 for the Switch 2 editions. Steam's page lists Below Zero's release as May 13, 2021 in the region read from; the launch is usually given as May 14, 2021.

Subnautica (2018)

The first game is, in its Steam page's words, "an underwater adventure game set on an alien ocean planet": the player crash-lands in a Life Pod and survives with submersibles and the PRAWN Suit, a mech-style suit with drills and other add-ons (Steam). It is single-player. It spent from 2014 to 2018 in Early Access before its Jan 23, 2018 release, reached Xbox and PS4 the same year, and won Golden Joystick Game of the Year and the Gamer's Choice Fan Favorite Indie Game in 2018 (Unknown Worlds). Its no-weapons design, which Subnautica 2 keeps, goes back to co-founder Charlie Cleveland wanting an underwater game without guns after the Sandy Hook shooting (Notebookcheck, May 23, 2026). Its hero, Ryley Robinson, turns up by name in Subnautica 2's audio drama Voices from Beyond as a podcast host (Unknown Worlds, Nov 25, 2025). Steam's all-time player peak for it was about 51,000, which Subnautica 2 beat about nine times over on its first day (Inven Global, May 14, 2026).

Subnautica: Below Zero (2021)

Below Zero is "the next chapter in the Subnautica universe", a "sub-zero expedition in an arctic region of Planet 4546B" built around the mystery of the player's sister, with the Snowfox hoverbike and the modular Seatruck as its vehicles (Steam). It is single-player too. It entered Early Access on Jan 30, 2019 and was released in full in May 2021, and the Steam community nominated it for Outstanding Visual Style in the 2021 Steam Awards (Unknown Worlds). Both 4546B games got Nintendo Switch 2 Editions on Feb 17, 2026, a free upgrade for Switch owners; Nintendo lists Below Zero's with higher resolution, a higher frame rate and Joy-Con 2 mouse controls (Nintendo).

Subnautica 2 (2026)

2:50 Subnautica 2 leaves 4546B: the colony ship Cicada, carrying 40,000 colonists for Alterra's Pioneer program, crashes on a new ocean world (Xbox Wire). It was revealed on Oct 17, 2024, delayed from 2025, and entered Early Access on May 14, 2026 on Steam, the Epic Games Store and Xbox, where it sold 2 million copies within 12 hours (Game Developer, May 15, 2026). It runs on Unreal Engine 5. Its updates so far are on Updates and Patch Notes, and the next, Early Access 2, is due in December 2026. Its road to 1.0 is on Roadmap and 1.0 Release; sales on Sales and Player Count.

How is Subnautica 2 different from Subnautica?

• Co-op. The first two games were single-player only; Subnautica 2 adds online co-op for up to four players, while staying "a single-player first experience" (Unknown Worlds, Jul 3, 2025). See Co-op and Multiplayer.
• A new world. A new ocean world instead of 4546B, with the Axum as its lost alien civilization (The Axum) and the Bloom as its infection (The Bloom).
• Adaptations and Biomods. The player's body changes: permanent Adaptations from Angel Combs and swappable Biomods learned by scanning creatures, applied at a Biolab.
• One vehicle, many bodies. Where the earlier games had several vehicles (the first game's submersibles and PRAWN Suit, Below Zero's Snowfox and Seatruck), Subnautica 2's Early Access has one submersible, the Tadpole, with swappable chassis (Tadpole Chassis); the dev team designed it as homage to "the beloved vehicles that came before it" (Unknown Worlds).
• Bases. A new procedural base-building system (Base Building).
• Resources in fixed places. Developers said resources now sit in fixed, visible places rather than spawning at random as in the first game (Wccftech).
• Unreal Engine 5, and Early Access again: the same route both earlier games took.

6:14 The Seamoth and the Cyclops are not coming back: in the Jun 3, 2025 Waterside Q&A, Unknown Worlds said they would not return in Subnautica 2, that new vehicles were being made "in the same spirit" for the new world, and that a big sub would not be ready for the start of Early Access but was being built. As of Nov 4, 2026 the only vehicle is the Tadpole, with the Frog chassis announced for December 2026.

Anthony Gallegos, then lead designer, described the target as "a third new, a third the same, and a third improved" (Wccftech). Reviewers felt the family resemblance: TheGamer called it "a bit like a revamped version of Subnautica" (TheGamer, May 14, 2026). More on Reviews.

Should you play Subnautica before Subnautica 2?

3:26 You do not need to. Subnautica 2's story is self-contained on a new world, and the links back are small: the Reaper Leviathan statue, Seamoth statue and Lost River poster as base decorations, a creature naming system made to match the earlier game in update 1.1, and Ryley Robinson's voice in Voices from Beyond (Unknown Worlds, 1.1). The case for playing Subnautica first is that it is finished, while Subnautica 2 is in Early Access with its story still being added, and Gamereactor estimated "at least 6-12 hours" of content at launch (Gamereactor, May 13, 2026). Below Zero continues the first game's universe on 4546B, so it makes most sense after Subnautica and is the least needed before Subnautica 2. Unknown Worlds' Waterside Q&A put it plainly: the game is not set on 4546B but "on a brand new world with all new mysteries, creatures, and experiences", where players will still find some favorite tools, improved.

Frequently asked questions

What order should I play the Subnautica games in? Release order: Subnautica (2018), Subnautica: Below Zero (2021), then Subnautica 2 (Early Access 2026). Subnautica 2 has its own story on a new world, so it can also be played first.

Do you need to play Subnautica before Subnautica 2? No. Subnautica 2 is set on a new ocean world with a self-contained story; the first game adds context and a few nods but is not required.

How many Subnautica games are there? Three: Subnautica, Subnautica: Below Zero and Subnautica 2, all by Unknown Worlds. Subnautica 2 is in Early Access as of Nov 4, 2026.

Is Subnautica 2 a sequel to Below Zero? It is the next game in the series, but it leaves Planet 4546B, where Subnautica and Below Zero are set, for a new world with a self-contained story.

Is Subnautica 2 multiplayer when the others were not? Yes. Subnautica and Below Zero are single-player; Subnautica 2 adds online co-op for up to four players.

Is Subnautica 2 on Switch or PlayStation? Not as of Nov 4, 2026. Subnautica and Below Zero are on PlayStation, Switch and Switch 2, but Subnautica 2 is on PC and Xbox only.

Sources

• About, Unknown Worlds, undated
• Subnautica 2 - Waterside Q&A, Subnautica, Jun 3, 2025 (video)
• Subnautica 2 | Dev Vlog - Building Unknown Worlds, Subnautica, Jun 19, 2025 (video)
• Subnautica 2 | Dev Vlog - Welcome Aboard, Captains, Subnautica, May 5, 2026 (video)
• Unknown Worlds, Unknown Worlds home page
• A Letter to the Subnautica Community, Unknown Worlds, Jul 3, 2025
• Subnautica 2 'Voices From Beyond' Episode 1 Released!, Unknown Worlds, Nov 25, 2025
• Dev Vlog - Crafting the Tadpole, Unknown Worlds, Dec 9, 2025
• Subnautica 2 Early Access 1.1 - Adaptive Measures Update, Unknown Worlds, Jul 8, 2026
• Subnautica, Steam store page
• Subnautica: Below Zero, Steam store page
• Subnautica 2, Steam store page
• Subnautica: Below Zero - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, Nintendo
• Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero appear to be getting Switch 2 upgrades, Nintendo Life, Feb 2026
• Subnautica 2 Coming to Xbox Game Preview on May 14, Xbox Wire (Donya Abramo), May 4, 2026
• Subnautica 2 has surpassed 2 million sales in 12 hours, Game Developer (Chris Kerr), May 15, 2026
• Subnautica 2 releases first Early Access update as sales surpass 5 million, Game Developer (press release, Unknown Worlds), Jul 9, 2026
• KRAFTON Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results, Game Developer (press release, Krafton), Jul 29, 2026
• Subnautica 2 Surpasses 2 Million Units Sold Within 12 Hours of Launch, Inven Global (Seoho Yoon), May 14, 2026
• Subnautica 2: Everything We Learned from Unknown Worlds, Wccftech (Alessio Palumbo), May 14, 2026
• Subnautica 2 Early Access Review: Familiar Waters. New Nightmares., TheGamer (Kaitlyn Peterson), May 14, 2026
• Subnautica 2 (Early Access) Review, Gamereactor (Patrik Severin), May 13, 2026
• Dev says "go play Sons of the Forest" to Subnautica 2 players, Notebookcheck (Rahim Amir Noorali), May 23, 2026