For the most part, I tend to avoid early access games. I’d rather wait for the finished experience than jump into something unfinished and risk burning out before launch. But when the chance to play Subnautica 2 came around, there was no way I was turning it down.
Despite only briefly dipping into the original, I was more than ready to dive headfirst into Unknown Worlds’ long-awaited sequel. After 15 hours of exploring an entirely new planet, building bases, and delving deeper into the ocean’s mysteries, I walked away with one overwhelming feeling: I just want more of Subnautica 2.
There’s clearly still a long road ahead for Subnautica 2, but what’s already available is an incredibly promising foundation.
Something New, Something Borrowed
Subnautica 2 begins exactly how fans would hope: stranded on an alien world with little more than an endless ocean surrounding you. From there, it’s all about survival: scavenging for food and water, gathering resources, unlocking new technologies, and uncovering what happened to the colonists who came before you.
If you’ve played the original or Subnautica: Below Zero, the gameplay loop will feel immediately familiar, though it’s noticeably more refined this time around. Exploration constantly rewards you with new crafting recipes, upgrades, vehicles, and research opportunities, and progression rarely feels aimless.
That progression ended up being my favourite part of the experience. I almost always had something meaningful to work towards, whether it was a new tool, a vehicle upgrade, or an Adaptation—a new permanent upgrade system that expands your exploration abilities. It’s a fantastic addition that gives progression even more momentum than before.
There are still moments where resource gathering becomes a little repetitive, especially when you just want to keep exploring, but the game does a good job of guiding players forward through Signals that point you towards important discoveries, upgrades, and story beats.
The narrative itself took a backseat for me, but there’s still plenty of lore tucked away in audio logs and data entries for those interested. While the story hasn’t fully grabbed me yet, I’m definitely curious to see where it goes.
A Dense Ocean That Needs More Danger
Unknown Worlds continues to master underwater world design. The ocean feels dense and rewarding to explore, filled with distinct biomes, strange wildlife, and hidden locations that constantly encourage curiosity.
That said, I was surprised by how rarely the game actually scared me. Predatory creatures are generally easy to avoid, and even the Leviathans didn’t feel especially threatening during my playtime. Outside of intentionally provoking creatures, I rarely found myself in genuinely tense situations, and I think the world could benefit from being a little harsher as development continues.
One major feature I didn’t get the chance to test was co-op, but it already feels like it could become one of the game’s biggest strengths. Exploring dangerous areas with friends, coordinating expeditions, and building shared bases feels like a natural fit for the series, and I can easily see it completely changing the overall experience.
Promising, But Still Early Access
Of course, this is still an early access game, and some rough edges remain. Towards the end of the currently available content, I encountered a progression-halting bug, alongside smaller issues like randomly teleporting away from my Tadpole submarine.
It’s why I’ve avoided putting a score on the game for now. What’s already available is hugely promising, and I’m genuinely excited to see how Subnautica 2 evolves over the coming years. But at the same time, the unfinished nature of the experience is impossible to ignore.
Even so, Unknown Worlds already has the makings of something special here, and despite my usual hesitation around early access titles, I’m very glad I took the plunge.
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Charlie is one of Insider Gaming's Guides Writers who's been in the gaming industry for a little over a year. Unfortunately for him, he enjoys every video game genre out…
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