Subnautica 2 Early Access Release Date is Now Official

I’m so excited! Unknown Worlds just announced that Subnautica 2 is hitting early access on May 14th! Even better, they said it’ll be available globally on both PC and Xbox Series X/S at the same time. Can’t wait to dive back in!

The announcement of early access followed news that Krafton was no longer publishing Subnautica 2 on Steam. This change happened after a legal dispute between Krafton and the co-founders of Unknown Worlds, including its CEO, Ted Gill. Court records revealed that Krafton sought advice from ChatGPT on how to avoid paying a $250 million bonus to the game’s developers. Ultimately, the judge sided with Gill and his team, though Krafton disputes the decision. As of now, Unknown Worlds remains a part of Krafton.

Subnautica 2 Early Access Release Date

  • Thursday, May 14, at 11:00 AM Eastern

Okay, so all those rumors about Subnautica 2 hitting early access? They’re true! I’m super excited to announce it’s launching on Thursday, May 14th at 11:00 AM Eastern time on PC and Xbox Series X/S. It’s gonna cost $29.99 to jump in, but the developers, Unknown Worlds, said the price will go up when the full game releases. They just dropped a new trailer too, and it looks absolutely incredible – seriously, the underwater world is both beautiful and terrifying! You can wishlist it on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Xbox Store right now.

When Subnautica 2 becomes available for early access on the Xbox Store, purchasing it will grant you access to both the PC and Xbox versions of the game through the Xbox Play Anywhere program. The developers at Unknown Worlds have warned players that the early access version won’t be fully polished and may have some rough edges or performance issues. Now that the original development team is back in charge, it’s unclear how this will affect the game’s future development.

Subnautica 2’s Open Waters Are a Sight to Behold

The upcoming game, Subnautica 2, will be built using Unreal Engine 5 and enhanced with plugins to create realistic, real-time environments for plants, rocks, and structures. Although performance will depend on individual computer specs, the early access version will serve as a valuable testing phase. Throughout early access, players can expect a steady stream of new content, including additional environments, items to craft, and story elements. However, Unknown Worlds hasn’t announced specific dates for when these major updates will arrive.

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While there’s no firm release date yet, Unknown Worlds estimates that Subnautica 2 will be in early access for about two to three years. They’re encouraging players who join early access to share their feedback, which will help shape the game’s development. You can submit feedback through the official Subnautica 2 Discord server. With Subnautica 2 being the most wishlisted game on Steam, it will be interesting to see how many people play it when early access begins.

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2026-04-30 22:34