Subnautica 2 has sold 2 million copies within 12 hours of its early access launch, developer Unknown Worlds has announced. It’s a huge start for the underwater survival and crafting adventure game after a turbulent road to release.
Peak concurrent players across all platforms Subnautica 2 launched on (PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, and Xbox Series X and S), exceeded 651,000, with Steam alone reaching a peak of more than 467,000 concurrent players. That’s nearly nine times the all-time peak concurrent player count of the original Subnautica, which launched in 2018, Unknown Worlds said.
Subnautica 2 was the most wishlisted game on Steam ahead of launch, and had enormous momentum off the back of 18.5 million sales across the series. This sequel, developed using Unreal Engine 5, has optional co-op for up to four players, fuelling multiplayer virality. IGN’s Subnautica 2 early access review returned a 7/10. We said: “It’s pretty impressive that wading in the shallow tides of Subnautica 2’s early access debut is as fun as it is already, and that should be a great sign of things to come, but I also wouldn’t blame anyone for waiting for these waters to rise a bit before getting their feet wet.”
Subnautica 2 had a bumpy road to release, with development beginning around 2022. The game was initially targeting a 2025 release, but was delayed following drama with publisher Krafton. In July 2025, Krafton removed Unknown World’s leadership from the company, including CEO Ted Gill. This spawned a legal battle, with the fired employees claiming Krafton let them go and delayed the game to avoid paying out a massive $250 million bonus for hitting key targets and deadlines. A judge had Gill and his colleagues reinstated earlier this year, which then put the game back on track for release.
There was one last obstacle before launch, however. Subnautica 2 leaked online days before its release. However, it doesn’t seem to have hurt the game in any notable way. Subnautica 2’s launch is just the beginning, as it will be updated over time with new content. For now, the game packs a meaty narrative, co-op, and an expansive sea to explore.
We’ve got a Things to Do First in Subnautica 2 guide to check out before you dive in, plus resource location guides to help you find Titanium, Silver, and more. Discover blackbox and supply crate locations on our interactive Subnautica 2 map, and make sure you don’t miss any Angel Comb Adaptations or Blueprints.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
