System Requirements

1:44 Subnautica 2 needs at least an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600, 12 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 1660 6GB or Radeon RX 5500 XT 6GB, Windows 10 or 11 with DirectX 12, and 50 GB of storage, which Unknown Worlds pitches at 1080p on Low at 30 fps (Steam, read Nov 4, 2026). The recommended PC is a Core i7-13700 or Ryzen 7 7700X with 16 GB and an RTX 3070 8GB or RX 6700 XT 8GB, for 1440p on Medium at 60 fps. It is built on Unreal Engine 5, supports DLSS 4.5 and DLSS Frame Generation up to 6x on RTX 5000 cards (as of Buddy System, Aug 19, 2026), and is Steam Deck Verified (Steam Deck and Handhelds).

Quick facts

Steam's figures, read Nov 4, 2026; tiers and features can change with updates.

Steam's minimum and recommended

Source: Steam store page, read Nov 4, 2026.

Unknown Worlds' four performance tiers

Before launch, on May 1, 2026, Unknown Worlds published an infographic with four target setups and promised to update it "as things change" with further optimization (Unknown Worlds). Insider Gaming transcribed it:

Source: Insider Gaming, May 6, 2026, from Unknown Worlds' May 1, 2026 infographic. Whether the targets assume upscaling is not stated in the text read; no updated infographic had been posted as of Nov 4, 2026.

Can I run Subnautica 2?

If your PC meets the minimum row, Unknown Worlds expects 1080p at 30 fps on Low. A 6 GB graphics card and 12 GB of system memory are the floor. The game's settings include a Run Hardware Benchmark option (named in the Buddy System notes, Aug 19, 2026, which fixed its Global Illumination change not asking for a restart). On a Steam Deck the low preset is chosen automatically for about 30 fps (MP1st, May 14, 2026). Xbox Series X|S players need nothing extra (Platforms and Cross-Play).

15:40 Below the minimum, the game still starts. In Daniel Owen's May 16, 2026 performance test, on the launch build, a GTX 1060 ran under 30 fps at 1080p on Low at native resolution; with Unreal's TSR upscaling, the only kind a GTX card gets, it reached the 40s and sometimes the 50s, but never a locked 60. His verdict on the same day was that a card around an RTX 3060 gives a reasonable experience at 1080p and 1440p on the lower settings, and that the Epic preset is best avoided.

DLSS, Frame Generation and other settings

Subnautica 2 supports Nvidia DLSS, DLSS Frame Generation and Nvidia Reflex. Hotfix 3 (Jun 1, 2026) fixed DLSS crashes and DLSS settings not saving, restored Frame Generation where it was missing, and upgraded DLSS to 4.5 (Unknown Worlds). The Buddy System update (1.2, Aug 19, 2026) added Frame Generation 5x and 6x and Dynamic Frame Generation, which picks a mode by itself, all for RTX 5000 cards, allowed VSync with Frame Generation, and fixed Reflex and Frame Generation working badly together (Unknown Worlds). Since Buddy System Hotfix 2 (Oct 6, 2026), VSync turns off when Dynamic FrameGen is selected (Unknown Worlds).

The graphics presets run up to Epic: Hotfix 2 "Improved performance when using Epic visual settings" (Unknown Worlds, May 22, 2026). 1.2 fixed settings not applying when they were changed right after picking a new Graphics Quality preset. The field of view slider came in 1.1 (Settings and Accessibility). Unknown Worlds publishes no recommended settings; the test below is a creator's run on the launch build, before these patches.

4:49 TroubleChute benchmarked every setting on the launch build for his May 14, 2026 guide. Effects cost the most: Epic dropped his frame rate from about 65 to about 50, so he advised High at most. Shadows from Epic to Low gained about 10 fps, Clouds mattered above water, where each step down raised the frame rate sharply, and Shading cost most between High and Epic, while Global Illumination, Foliage, Reflections, Post-processing and Landscape made almost no difference. Textures cost nothing as long as the card has the memory; he saw 8 to 9 GB of VRAM in use whatever the setting. The upscaling menu offered DLSS and Unreal's TSR but no AMD FSR, which Daniel Owen also noted.

Performance fixes by patch

Crashes and their fixes are on Known Issues and Fixes.

Frequently asked questions

What are the Subnautica 2 minimum requirements? Subnautica 2's minimum PC is an Intel Core i5-8400 or Ryzen 5 2600, 12 GB RAM, a GTX 1660 6GB or RX 5500 XT 6GB, Windows 10/11, DirectX 12 and 50 GB, aimed at 1080p Low at 30 fps.

What GPU do I need for Subnautica 2? Subnautica 2 needs at least a GeForce GTX 1660 or Radeon RX 5500 XT with 6 GB; Unknown Worlds recommends an RTX 3070 or RX 6700 XT for 1440p Medium at 60 fps.

Does Subnautica 2 have DLSS? Yes. Subnautica 2 supports DLSS 4.5 since Hotfix 3 and DLSS Frame Generation up to 6x, plus Dynamic Frame Generation, on RTX 5000 cards since 1.2.

How big is Subnautica 2? Subnautica 2 needs 50 GB of storage on PC, as of Nov 4, 2026.

Does Subnautica 2 run on Windows 10? Yes. Subnautica 2's minimum requirements list Windows 10 or 11; the higher tiers list Windows 11.

Is Subnautica 2 an Unreal Engine 5 game? Yes. Subnautica 2 runs on Unreal Engine 5, according to Inven Global's launch report.

Sources

• Subnautica 2 | Dev Vlog - Welcome Aboard, Captains, Subnautica, May 5, 2026 (video)
• Subnautica 2 PC Performance Tested, Daniel Owen, May 16, 2026 (video)
• BEST Optimization Guide | Subnautica 2 | Max FPS | Best Settings, TroubleChute, May 14, 2026 (video)
• Subnautica 2, Steam store page, system requirements
• Subnautica 2 System Requirements and Recommendations, Unknown Worlds, May 1, 2026
• Subnautica 2 Early Access PC System Requirements, Insider Gaming (Andrew Highton), May 6, 2026
• Subnautica 2 Early Access Hotfix 1, Unknown Worlds, May 19, 2026
• Subnautica 2 Early Access Hotfix 2, Unknown Worlds, May 22, 2026
• Subnautica 2 Early Access Hotfix 3, Unknown Worlds, Jun 1, 2026
• Subnautica 2 Early Access 1.1 - Adaptive Measures Update, Unknown Worlds, Jul 8, 2026
• Subnautica 2 Early Access 1.2 - Buddy System Update, Unknown Worlds, Aug 19, 2026
• Subnautica 2 Early Access Buddy System Hotfix 2, Unknown Worlds, Oct 6, 2026
• Subnautica 2 Steam Deck Verified With a "Solid 30 FPS" Preset, MP1st (James Lara), May 14, 2026
• Subnautica 2 Surpasses 2 Million Units Sold Within 12 Hours of Launch, Inven Global (Seoho "Ruudi" Yoon), May 14, 2026