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With its blend of deep-sea exploration, crafting, and survival sandbox gameplay, Subnautica quickly became a favourite among players when it launched in 2018. Now, Subnautica 2 from Unknown Worlds Entertainment builds on everything that made the original so memorable, adding a wave of fresh ideas to pull returning players back underwater.

As Subnautica 2 begins its Early Access journey, here is how it is already improving on the original experience.

Unreal Engine 5 Brings More Than Just Better Visuals

One of the biggest changes in Subnautica 2 is the move from Unity to Unreal Engine 5. While that shift obviously means a massive visual upgrade, the benefits go well beyond surface-level improvements.

Thanks to Unreal Engine 5’s Lumen lighting system, the ocean feels incredibly dynamic and atmospheric. Bioluminescence casts light convincingly across the environment, while sunlight filters through the water in a way that reacts naturally to movement on the surface. The result is an underwater world that feels richer, moodier, and far more immersive.

The water itself is also highly reactive. Dynamic currents push both players and vehicles around the environment, turning navigation into a much more active part of survival. In some areas, those currents act as a serious hazard rather than just background detail.

The engine also introduces fresh environmental threats, including Bloom zones. These infected areas are filled with thick, murky fog that limits visibility and makes exploration deeply tense, pushing Subnautica 2 closer to survival horror territory.

Multiplayer Co-op Is Finally Happening

For many fans, this is the big one. After years of requests, Subnautica 2 launches into Early Access with multiplayer co-op for up to four players.

What makes this feature especially impressive is how seamless it is. Players can start a world solo and open it up for friends to join later, without needing to build the whole experience around co-op from the beginning.

Shared progression is another major step forward. Blueprints, databank entries, materials, and recipes are all shared across the group, making teamwork feel meaningful rather than inconvenient.

Better still, players aren’t constantly forced to stay close together. Instead of imposing strict distance limits, Subnautica 2 gives co-op groups the freedom to split up, explore, and tackle tasks in their own way.

Base Building Looks Much More Flexible

Base building has received a major overhaul. The rigid modular construction of the first game is replaced by a flexible procedural building system that gives players far more control over how their bases look and function.

Rather than working within fixed room sizes and limited layouts, players can reshape corridors, rooms, and interiors freely. That opens the door to more personal, creative base designs and makes construction feel less restrictive overall.

There’s also more control over the finishing touches. Interior lighting can be adjusted in greater detail, including both colour and intensity, and a wide variety of window options make it easy to create bases that feel practical, stylish, or both.

Biomods Create New Progression Options

Character progression in the original Subnautica was mostly tied to gear upgrades. In Subnautica 2, that system expands in a much more interesting direction through Biomods.

By harvesting DNA from local wildlife and taking it back to a Biolab, players can unlock mutations that affect how their character develops. These upgrades sit within skill trees and offer active and passive benefits that go beyond simple stat boosts.

That means unlocking improved resistance to water pressure, faster swimming, or better visibility in hazardous areas like Bloom zones. It’s a layered progression system that adds another dimension to exploration and survival.

The Ocean Is More Dangerous Than Ever

The creatures of Subnautica 2 aren’t just threatening in appearance; they are highly advanced in how they behave.

New predators, such as the Collector Leviathan, provide large, intelligent threats that actively hunt players, attack vehicles, and flush explorers out of hiding spots. More broadly, the game’s fauna reacts to a wide range of factors, including prey relationships, water currents, and even the time of day.

This makes the world feel unpredictable and deeply alive – exactly what a game like Subnautica needs.

Meet the Tadpole

The original game’s Seamoth is replaced by a new modular vehicle called the Tadpole, and it is a massive upgrade in terms of flexibility.

Instead of relying on a single all-purpose design, players can swap out the Tadpole’s shell chassis depending on what they need for a particular expedition. A faster setup suits exploration, while a bulkier shell prioritises storage and endurance.

This level of customisation gives players complete control over how they approach each dive, making the vehicle system feel incredibly adaptable.

Final Thoughts

From upgraded visuals and smarter creature behaviour to co-op play, deeper progression systems, and more flexible base building, Subnautica 2 is a meaningful step forward rather than a simple follow-up. With all of these ideas already taking shape at the start of its Early Access journey, it is well on its way to becoming the sequel fans have been waiting for.

John-Paul Jones

Scribbling about videogames since 2005, John-Paul Jones first stoked his love for the industry with the Atari 65XE at the age of four before proceeding onto the ZX Spectrum, Amiga and beyond. These days, he finds himself unreasonably excited about Sega’s Yakuza franchise, foreign cinema and generally trying to keep his trio of sausage dogs from burning his house down. Clearly, he is living his best life right now.