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Subnautica 2 Enters Early Access, Sells Over 4 Million Copies in First Week

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Subnautica 2 Breaks Records in First Week of Early Access

Over 4 million copies sold, 6 million total players, and a 91% positive Steam rating mark the sequel's explosive launch.

The open-water survival game Subnautica 2 entered early access on May 14, 2026, for PC and Xbox Series X|S. Developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment and publisher Krafton reported the game sold over 4 million copies and attracted more than 6 million total players in its first week. This launch follows a period of legal disputes between the two companies regarding a performance-based bonus for the studio's former leadership.

"We aren't a killing game. Go play Sons of the Forest or something if you want to kill."
— Level designer Artyom O'Rielly, addressing player frustration over the lack of defensive weapons

Launch and Availability

The early access version launched on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 8:00 AM PDT / 11:00 AM EDT / 4:00 PM BST / 15:00 UTC. It is priced at $29.99 USD.

Available Platforms:

  • PC: Steam, Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store
  • Xbox Series X|S

The game is included on day one with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Cross-platform multiplayer between PC and Xbox is supported. PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 versions have not been announced for the early access period. The full 1.0 release is anticipated between 2027 and 2028.

Sales and Player Numbers

According to estimates from analytics firm Alinea Analytics, Subnautica 2 sold 4.1 million copies in its first week, generating $100 million in revenue.

Sales by Platform:

  • Steam: ~4 million copies
  • Xbox: fewer than 100,000 copies

An additional 2.4 million players accessed the game via Game Pass (console, Windows, and cloud), bringing the total player count to over 6 million. The report noted that almost all sales came from Steam, attributing this to the Subnautica community's established presence on the platform and the availability of the game on Game Pass.

The game had upwards of 5.5 million Steam wishlists prior to launch. Less than 9% of those wishlisters purchased the game in the first week—a conversion rate described as typical for highly anticipated games with large wishlist numbers.

Sales Comparison (first five days on Steam)

Game Copies Sold Revenue Subnautica 2 4 million $96 million 1.4x faster than Slay the Spire 2 2.9 million — Nearly 2x faster than Resident Evil Requiem 2.1 million $120 million 3x faster than Crimson Desert 1.3 million —

Note: Resident Evil Requiem led in gross revenue at $120 million during the same period, attributed to differences in pricing and regional factors.

Player Reception

Subnautica 2 holds a 91% positive review score on Steam across all markets. Simplified Chinese reviews account for 7.1% of total reviews and are 73% positive. Excluding Chinese reviews, the positive score is approximately 93%.

Positively cited aspects in reviews:

  • Visual design: underwater environments, lighting, particle effects, creature designs
  • Atmosphere: sense of isolation, sound design
  • Base-building mechanics: dynamic scaling, material storage, snapping system
  • Cooperative gameplay: supports up to four players, stable multiplayer
  • Narrative: story setup

Negatively cited aspects:

  • Lack of content
  • Optimization issues
  • Mandatory EULA
  • Absence of accessibility features (e.g., FOV slider)

Some players expressed frustration over a lack of defensive weapons. Lead game designer Anthony Gallegos told Eurogamer that the team is open to feedback on player defense options. The studio has also published a letter about planned fixes, including balance tweaks to mitigation tools and sea creature aggression, but stated it will not add direct combat mechanics to kill fish, as that would conflict with a core game tenet.

Development and Legal Context

The early access launch follows a period of legal developments between Unknown Worlds and Krafton. Previously, Krafton terminated CEO Ted Gill and other senior team members, leading to a delay in the game's launch. Krafton alleged that these leaders had not delivered a game ready for early access. The terminated leaders filed a lawsuit, claiming Krafton was attempting to avoid a $250 million bonus contingent on the game's timely release.

A judge later ordered Krafton to extend the deadline for the $250 million bonus conditions and to reinstate Ted Gill to his former position. Krafton stated disagreement with the court ruling and an intent to explore legal avenues but affirmed its commitment to minimizing disruption to the team and the release plan. Litigation regarding the dispute remains pending.

Future Development

Unknown Worlds has published a roadmap for the early access period.

Planned updates include:

  • First update: quality-of-life fixes
  • Second update: co-op improvements
  • Larger expansions: adding biomes, creatures, resources, tools, vehicles, and story content

The studio has stated that community input via in-game feedback tools and its suggestion board will shape development.

Pre-Release Leak

On May 12, screenshots and a gameplay clip were posted on Reddit, allegedly showing leaked footage from a stream by an unknown person who obtained a working copy. The leaked footage included a walkthrough of an early section and a menu showing PC graphics options. Publisher Krafton was contacted for comment by IGN.