Subnautica 2, the latest underwater survival adventure from Unknown Worlds, has made a remarkable splash on Steam, swiftly climbing the charts within an hour of its release. According to a press release, the game has already surpassed one million copies sold. As of now, it ranks as the fourth-most played game on Steam, boasting over 460,000 concurrent players. The only games surpassing it in player count are the fan-favorite giants Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and PUBG: Battlegrounds.
It’s important to highlight that the player count for Subnautica 2 on Steam doesn’t account for those diving into the game via the Epic Games Store or on Xbox, where it’s also available in early access. This suggests that the actual number of players enjoying the game concurrently is likely much higher.
The game’s explosive debut is not entirely unexpected. Prior to its launch, Subnautica 2 had amassed an impressive five million wishlists, making it the most-wishlisted game on Steam. As the successor to the acclaimed Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero, it captured significant attention. Additionally, the game was embroiled in a protracted legal tussle involving Unknown Worlds’ executives and its parent company, Krafton. This legal battle, alongside player feedback from early playtests, contributed to its delayed early access launch, originally slated for 2025.
Following a judicial decision in March that reinstated the studio’s CEO and extended the eligibility period for a potentially lucrative bonus for the developers, the game received a new early access launch date. Unknown Worlds anticipates that this early access phase will last approximately two to three years.
