The wait is almost over! On May 14, Subnautica 2 will enter Game Preview on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, available day one as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

But let us catch you up quickly, just in case you’ve been sleeping under a giant crab shell.

A long-anticipated sequel to the hit 2018 survival game, Subnautica 2 will take you beyond the oceans of Planet 4546B to an all-new underwater alien world. As part of the crew aboard Alterra’s CICADA ship, you have been tasked with creating a home for you and the other 40,000 souls aboard.

However, as is so often the case in the Subnautica universe, things don’t quite go according to plan…

But not to worry. For the first time in the Subnautica franchise, you can either traverse this mysterious new world alone or with up to three of your friends in optional co-operative multiplayer.

“The Multiplayer feature was one of the most highly requested for Subnautica 2,” Sverrir Berg, Platform and Infrastructure Team Lead, says of adding multiplayer to the game. “We made sure it functioned seamlessly with the Xbox friends list. You’re able to quickly jump into a game with your friends and family and enjoy Subnautica at a moment’s notice.”

Sam Dark, a Programmer at Unknown Worlds, adds, “You can play with your Xbox friends, as well as your friends on other platforms, as easily as opening the menu and inviting them to your game.”

In fact, with Subnautica 2 heading to Game Preview, the entire team at Unknown Worlds has been thoughtfully crafting every aspect of the game to work seamlessly across the entire Xbox ecosystem.

“The Core Tech team invested countless hours in Unreal Insights to analyze the performance of the game on Xbox,” Core Tech Lead Snorri Sturluson says. “As a fixed platform, it made sense to focus optimization efforts there, with other platforms benefiting from any improvements made on the Xbox.”

The focus from the team at Unknown Worlds hasn’t just been on the general performance on Xbox, but also how it handles with a controller.

“We also spent a lot of time making sure that the Xbox controller is the best experience for the players,” Sturluson adds. “I would even say that it is one of the primary input methods.”

And the work done on compatibility with the Xbox ecosystem also includes its newest addition: The ROG Xbox Ally.

“The ROG Xbox Ally’s performance was a focus early after its announcement,” says Rob Hamiter, Senior QA Analyst. “We have a ROG Ally Graphics preset that will be set by default, but players will be able to tweak graphical settings further to get the best performance or fidelity possible. Also, the ROG Xbox Ally’s analog controls are buttery smooth (really!), and the button usage was carefully thought out to get all control functionality mapped intuitively.”

The version of Subnautica 2 heading to Game Preview is the result of years of hard work, making it the best possible starting point for this journey. The entire team is proud to launch it across as much of the Xbox ecosystem as possible, and looks forward to inviting as many Subnautica 2 fans to join us in developing the game over the next few years as possible.

And, as we count down the final few days to Subnautica 2‘s release into Game Preview, we’ll be sharing even more about what to expect from the game across our social channels!

So, make sure you’ve added Subnautica 2 (Game Preview) on the Xbox Store and head over to our Official Discord to stay up to date with all things Subnautica.

We’ll see you in the deep!

Subnautica 2 (Game Preview)

Unknown Worlds Entertainment, Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

This game is a work in progress. It may or may not change over time or release as a final product. Purchase only if you are comfortable with the current state of the unfinished game.

Subnautica 2 is an underwater survival adventure game set on an all-new alien world. It is the next chapter in the Subnautica universe, developed by Unknown Worlds.

Driven from your home by ongoing conflict, Alterra offers you the chance at a new life. But as the colony ship CICADA shepherds you and your fellow Pioneers to your new home, something goes awry. The ship’s AI insists that your mission should continue. Stranded and faced with near-insurmountable odds, you must do everything in your power to survive. The future of humanity on this world is in your hands.

PLAY ALONE OR WITH FRIENDS
Subnautica 2 is being crafted as a single-player experience that you can optionally play in online co-operative multiplayer with up to three friends. You can choose from four pre-designed characters, with more characters and customization options coming throughout Early Access. Work together to explore long-forgotten ruins and learn to adapt to a planet that might not want you there.”

ADAPT TO SURVIVE
To survive the depths and make this planet your home, you’ll need to utilize all the tools at your disposal. Traverse vibrant and breathtaking biomes with your Tadpole submersible. Design and customize bases to return to when your adventures push you beyond the safety of shallow waters. As Early Access develops, so too will your array of tools, equipment, and vehicles. Upgrades will help push you beyond your boundaries and unlock the secrets of this strange world.

EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN
Scan and study a rich world of biodiversity to understand life here. Discover everything from the smallest creatures to towering Leviathans. Experience the wonder, and sometimes danger, lurking around every corner. Every dive is an opportunity to uncover why the ship’s AI is so determined to continue the mission and what mysteries lie beneath the surface of this breathtaking new frontier.

DESIGNED FOR EARLY ACCESS
Subnautica 2 is an Early Access title in active development. Throughout this journey, we will continuously expand the world with additional biomes, creatures, and craftables, while expanding the narrative. You may encounter bugs, in-development features, and performance issues. Your feedback is the cornerstone of our development process. Join us and help shape the next chapter of the Subnautica universe.

CRAFTED BY UNKNOWN WORLDS
Subnautica 2 is being developed by Unknown Worlds, the studio behind the award-winning Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero. Our journey began with the 2003 Half-Life mod Natural Selection, and today we have evolved into a fully remote, globally distributed team spanning from the United States to the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and beyond. Defined by a philosophy of open development and over a decade of community-focused innovation, we invite you to dive back into the depths with a studio dedicated to pushing the boundaries of the survival genre.

Welcome aboard, Pioneer.