Two games. One studio. The entire top of the Steam charts.

Subnautica 2 doesn’t launch until May 14, but it’s already #2 on Steam’s Top Sellers — joined at #1 by the Subnautica Deep Ocean Bundle, which discounts the franchise’s first two games by 48%. Zero people have reviewed the sequel. Nobody outside the studio has played the Early Access build. These sales are pure franchise conviction, backed by 5 million wishlists that make Subnautica 2 the most-wishlisted upcoming game on Steam.

That’s the scale of day-one demand before day one has even arrived.

The $29.99 Blind Buy

Early Access for Subnautica 2 costs $29.99, with the price set to increase at full release. For that money, players are pre-ordering into the unknown: the opening story chapters on a new alien planet, multiple biomes from sunlit shallows to deep volcanic zones, the Tadpole submersible, a procedural base-building system, a DNA modification system that lets players evolve their bodies to survive, and — a franchise first — up to four-player online co-op with cross-platform support between PC and Xbox.

Unknown Worlds estimates a two-to-three-year Early Access period, putting the 1.0 release in 2027 or 2028. That’s a long runway. Players buying now are committing to a slow build of biomes, creatures, vehicles, and story content, shaped by community feedback over years.

It’s a bold ask for a franchise carrying this much baggage. The original Subnautica, released in 2018 after its own Early Access run, became a cultural touchstone — the underwater survival game that defined a genre. Its follow-up, Subnautica: Below Zero, arrived in 2021 to a more divided reception: tighter narrative, smaller world, less of the existential dread that made the first game iconic. The franchise has sold over 18.5 million units worldwide, according to Unknown Worlds, but whether the sequel recaptures the original’s magic has been an open question for years.

The Bundle Play

The Deep Ocean Bundle at #1 is the quietest power move in this launch. By discounting the first two games by nearly half right as the sequel enters pre-purchase, Unknown Worlds is funneling new players into the franchise at maximum velocity. Anyone drawn in by the Subnautica 2 hype but unfamiliar with the originals can catch up cheap — and then buy the sequel.

Both chart positions feed each other. New players grab the bundle. Veterans pre-order the sequel. Unknown Worlds owns the entire top of Steam’s storefront.

The Krafton Shadow

The road here was anything but smooth. In July 2025, publisher Krafton — which owns Unknown Worlds — fired studio CEO Ted Gill and founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire. Krafton claimed the trio planned to release Subnautica 2 prematurely, risking “irreversible harm” to the franchise. The fired executives sued, and the trial revealed that Krafton CEO Changhan Kim had consulted ChatGPT for advice on how to avoid paying a $250 million earn-out bonus. A Delaware judge ordered the trio reinstated and extended the bonus deadline.

Krafton announced the May Early Access window before Gill had resumed control, per PC Gamer. The date held despite his objection. Storefronts now list Unknown Worlds as both developer and publisher — though the studio remains a Krafton subsidiary, with Krafton “supporting the early access launch,” a representative told PC Gamer.

Launch Day and Beyond

Subnautica 2 hits Early Access on May 14 at 8:00 AM PDT across Steam, Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox Game Pass — day-one inclusion at no extra cost for subscribers. PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch may follow after the full release.

The First Dive Showcase, streamed May 11 across Twitch, YouTube, and Steam, drew 70,000 peak concurrent viewers and showcased Unreal Engine 5-powered underwater lighting, new vehicles, expanded base building, and encounters with massive deep-sea creatures. It’s a significant technical leap from the Unity engine that powered the first two entries.

“We’re thrilled by the enthusiasm for the Early Access launch,” Gill said in a press statement. “We can’t wait to hear from you as we continue building this game together.”

Five million wishlists. The top two spots on Steam. Zero reviews. The bet on Subnautica 2 isn’t about whether the game is good — not yet. It’s about whether the franchise’s goodwill can carry a two-to-three-year Early Access marathon after a corporate drama that nearly dismantled the studio responsible for it.

Sources