Comparisons / Subnautica 2 vs 1
Subnautica 2 vs Subnautica 1 — full comparison
This compares Subnautica 2 (Early Access, May 14, 2026) to Subnautica 1 (1.0 release, 2018). Where it's fairer to compare Subnautica 2's EA build to Subnautica 1's own EA launch state, that's called out.
At a glance
| Aspect | Subnautica 1 (2018, 1.0) | Subnautica 2 (May 2026, EA) |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | Planet 4546B | Planet Proteus — ocean moon, binary star system, ~20,000 ly from Earth |
| Player | Ryley Robinson, lone survivor | Alterra Pioneer / "Qualified Investigator", reprint #50,000 by NOA |
| Genre | Single-player survival | 4-player co-op survival (solo playable) |
| Engine | Unity | Unreal Engine [uncertain — UE5 vs custom] |
| Platforms at launch | PC + Xbox One (PS4 / Switch later) | PC (Steam/Epic/Win Store) + Xbox Series X|S only |
| Launch price | $24.99 (1.0) | $29.99 (EA) |
| Release model | EA → 1.0 → ports | EA on PC + Xbox Series; PS5 / Switch unconfirmed |
Map and world
Subnautica 1's final 1.0 map is roughly 2 km × 2 km playable with depth to about 1,700 m, organized as one continuous open world with ~14 distinct biomes (Safe Shallows, Kelp Forest, Grassy Plateaus, Sparse Reef, Mushroom Forest, and so on). Subnautica 2's EA build is structured differently: regions contain biomes which contain sub-biomes, with roughly 10 biomes/sub-biomes across 2 regions at EA launch and more landing during the Early Access run. Width and depth at EA launch are larger than Subnautica 1's own EA-launch footprint but narrower than SN1's finished 1.0 state. No official km² figure has been published.
Both games refuse a pull-up world map. You navigate by environmental landmarks and player-placed beacons. The Void still punishes map-edge wanderers — but in Subnautica 2 the enforcers are Shiver Leviathans, not SN1's Ghost Leviathans.
Explore: all Subnautica 2 biomes · interactive map.
Creatures and leviathans
Subnautica 1 shipped seven leviathan-class creatures at 1.0 (Reaper, Ghost, Sea Dragon, Sea Emperor, Sea Treader, Reefback, Gargantuan-fossil). Subnautica 2 has 5 confirmed leviathans at EA: Collector, Shiver, Ghost Shiver, Great Jaw, and the docile Deepwing Brooder — plus the Titan-class World Tree, visible at the map edge but currently unreachable.
The Reaper does not return. Neither does the Gargantuan Leviathan. SN2 builds an entirely new bestiary, and a vocal portion of the community has criticized it as "cartoonish and whimsical" compared to SN1's thalassophobia-forward dread — though the Shiver and Collector are well-received as genuinely terrifying.
Compare sizes: leviathans size comparison · full creature codex.
Vehicles
Subnautica 1 gave you three distinct vehicles unlocked progressively: the agile Seamoth, the deep-depth PRAWN Suit mech, and the crewable Cyclops mobile base. Each was a discrete unlock with its own modules.
Subnautica 2 ships with exactly one vehicle: the Tadpole. The Tadpole is modular — two interchangeable chassis (Scout Ray for speed, Haul Rig for cargo and co-op passengers) plus upgrade modules. None of the SN1 vehicles return. A redesigned Prawn Suit and a Cyclops-equivalent Large Submarine are on the EA roadmap but not playable at launch.
Base building
SN1's base system snapped modular pieces to a grid. Subnautica 2 introduces a more procedural / freeform base-building system that allows organic shapes, curved corridors, and less-restrictive multi-story layouts. Aquariums, power production (solar, thermal, bioreactor analogues), and water filtration carry across as concepts.
Multiplayer
Subnautica 1 has no official multiplayer (the Nitrox mod was community-built). Subnautica 2 ships with 4-player online co-op day-one, full crossplay across Steam, Epic, Xbox Series, Xbox PC, ROG Xbox Ally, and Game Pass. There is no split-screen, no dedicated servers, and no PvP. The host runs the world; up to three guests connect via Friend Code.
Full breakdown: Subnautica 2 co-op hub.
Story and tone
SN1's defining mood is loneliness. You are a single human, surrounded by alien ocean, Kharaa-infected. Subnautica 2's tone is mediated: you are reprint #50,000, printed by the colony AI NOA aboard the CICADA, and NOA is interactive throughout — narrator, gatekeeper, sometimes adversary. The antagonist is no longer Kharaa but The Bloom, a parasitic infection on Proteus possibly engineered by Architects, layered on top of the native Proteavirus Beta. Bloom Cankers are physical infection nodules destroyable only by a Sonic Resonator.
Subnautica 1 takes most players 30–40 hours to complete. The Subnautica 2 EA build is shorter and ends around the Observatory biome; the full 1.0 story is still to come.
Deep dive: Subnautica 2 story explained · lore archive.
Studio context
SN1 shipped under Unknown Worlds as an independent studio. Subnautica 2 ships with Unknown Worlds owned by Krafton, in the wake of a Delaware Chancery Court ruling that Krafton schemed in bad faith to fire founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire (and CEO Ted Gill) to avoid a $250M earnout. Gill was reinstated by court order; Cleveland and McGuire are still out.
Background: Krafton vs Unknown Worlds timeline.
Which should you play first?
If you've never played either: Subnautica 1 is the more cohesive, complete experience (1.0 since 2018, finished story). Subnautica 2 is in Early Access and the story arc is incomplete. Start with SN1, then come to SN2 for the co-op.
If you want co-op specifically: Subnautica 2 is the only option — SN1 has no official multiplayer.
If you bounced off SN1's loneliness: SN2's NOA + co-op design might land better for you.
Related pages
- Subnautica 2 vs Below Zero
- Release date and platform status
- All leviathans, sized
- Beginner guide
- All Q&A
Last updated: 2026-05-25. Some figures (engine version, total biomes, leviathan sizes) have no official source and are marked uncertain in the underlying research.