From Press Release:
EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. – May 11, 2026 – Unknown Worlds announced today that Subnautica 2 has surpassed 5 million wishlists ahead of its upcoming May 14 Early Access launch. The studio also confirmed that pre-purchase and pre-load on Steam will open at 08:00 AM PDT on May 11th, allowing players to jump in immediately when the game goes live.
To celebrate Subnautica 2’s upcoming launch, Unknown Worlds recently hosted the “First Dive Showcase”, which was streamed simultaneously across Twitch, YouTube, and Steam. The livestream drew 70,000 peak concurrent viewers and featured members of the development team discussing the game’s design direction while showcasing new gameplay systems, vehicles, and expanded base-building features.
The gameplay footage highlighted several of the sequel’s core systems, including enhanced underwater lighting and rendering powered by Unreal Engine 5, an environmental adaptation system that allows players to evolve their bodies to survive changing conditions, expanded base building, new underwater vehicles, and encounters with massive deep-sea creatures.
“We’re thrilled by the enthusiasm for the Early Access launch,” said Ted Gill, CEO of Unknown Worlds. “We can’t wait to hear from you as we continue building this game together.”
Developed by Unknown Worlds — founded by Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire — Subnautica 2 is the official sequel to the Subnautica series, which helped define the underwater survival genre. Set on a new alien world within the Subnautica universe, the game introduces new ecosystems, enhanced visuals, and, for the first time in the series, optional co-op for up to four players, allowing players to survive and explore together.
Players can wishlist Subnautica 2 on Steam, pre-load the game ahead of its May 14 launch, and watch the full “First Dive Showcase” through the official Subnautica channels.
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About Unknown Worlds
Unknown Worlds is a renowned, global game development studio. The studio is best known for the genre-defining Subnautica series, which has sold over 18.5 million units worldwide, as well as the Natural Selection franchise and the turn-based strategy game Moonbreaker. For more information, please visit unknownworlds.com.
Related Links
- Subnautica Gameplay Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=6t2nDHldoSk - Unknown Worlds Official Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.
com/developer/unknown-worlds - Subnautica Official Website: https://unknownworlds.com/
subnautica - Subnautica Official YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@
subnautica - Subnautica Official Discord: https://discord.com/invite/
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