Subnautica 2 officially has a release date — and it's sooner than you think

Unknown Worlds and Krafton are co-publishing the highly anticipated survival game After a long and publicly messy pre-launch period, Subnautica 2 finally has a firm release date. The underwater survival sim will launch into early access on May 14 for Windows PC and Xbox Series X, developer Unknown Worlds announced Thursday. The third entry in the franchise (after 2018's Subnautica and 2021's Subnautica: Below Zero) will once again be an underwater exploration-focused survival sim. It'll be set on a new planet with plenty of tiny fish and towering Leviathans to catalog. Unlike the first game, you'll be able to explore with friends in Subnautica 2 as its multiplayer features will support up to four players. "Co-op [will] help the game have an identity that feels very distinct," game design lead Anthony Gallegos told Polygon over a recent video call. For Gallegos and developer Unknown Worlds, adding multiplayer was just as key to Subnautica 2 as its new setting and story. Subnautica 2's launch comes after a drawn-out legal dispute between Unknown Worlds and its publisher Krafton. It was originally announced in late 2024, and things were going normally — at least in the public's eye —