Subnautica
Explore an alien ocean, gather materials and craft equipment for deeper dives, balancing each excursion against oxygen supplies while building underwater habitats that support your next journey.
- AI score · out of 10
- 8.9 / 10
About this game
Explore an alien ocean planet while keeping track of your oxygen supply. Gather materials, turn them into diving equipment and personal watercraft, and venture farther beneath the surface for rarer resources that support advanced crafting. Shallow reefs, deep trenches and bioluminescent areas give these expeditions different environments to navigate. You also construct seafloor habitats, choosing their layout and components while accounting for hull integrity as depth and pressure increase. Bases replenish oxygen, making construction part of how you organize exploration. Wildlife presents another practical decision: a fresh fish can distract a threatening creature when you need a way past. Progress connects the resources you find, the equipment you craft and the next stretch of ocean you explore.
Collected in series
Subnautica mixes alien-ocean exploration with survival, crafting and the search for answers. Gathering supplies and improving your equipment lets you venture farther from shelter, where beautiful habitats can hide unsettling creatures.
Recommended games
Related game recommendations on this platform
Nintendo Switch
AI review
AI reviews are subjective assessments, not player ratings. See each review for its evidence and limitations.Published date:
Underwater survival for players who like deciding how far their preparations will take them.
Oxygen supplies and equipment crafting can turn a dive into a sequence of decisions about extending the trip or preparing again. Building habitats adds a longer-term planning layer for players who enjoy establishing support points within an explorable world.
Strengths
- Crafting connects the materials found on an expedition to the equipment used on later journeys.
- Choosing habitat layouts gives construction-minded players a role in organizing their exploration.
Weaknesses
- Players seeking purely leisurely ocean sightseeing may find oxygen limits restrictive.
Who it is for: Explorers who enjoy resource gathering, equipment progression and making practical use of constructed bases.
Play notes: Deeper habitat construction also requires attention to hull integrity as pressure increases.
View scoring basis
| Dimension | Review state | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension Deeper resources feeding advanced crafting can make each expedition part of a larger equipment goal. | Reviewed | 8.8 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Managing oxygen while gathering materials may appeal to players who want exploration to involve ongoing decisions about risk and preparation. | Reviewed | 9.2 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Reefs, trenches and glowing underwater areas offer environmental contrasts that may encourage a preference for discovery over direct combat. | Reviewed | 9.3 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Support for TV, tabletop and handheld modes gives players a choice of setup for planning and carrying out expeditions. | Reviewed | 7.4 / 10 | Not provided |
Review sources
Not provided
Core information
- Developer
- Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Publisher
- Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Release date
- May 14, 2021
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch
- Content kind
- Game
- Release state
- Released
- Region
- Worldwide
- Official website
- Not provided
- Offline minimum players
- Not provided
- Offline maximum players
- Not provided
- Online minimum players
- Not provided
- Online maximum players
- Not provided
- Categories
- Adventure · Primary genre
- Tags
- InvestigationPuzzle SolvingLinear LevelsThird Person3D GraphicsMain Story 10–20 HoursExplorationSolo-friendlyStory-drivenSlow Burn
- Supported game languages
- Not provided
- Requires base game
- Not provided
- Standalone
- Not provided
- Age ratings
- Not provided
- Play modes
- Single player
- Perspectives
- Virtual realityFirst person
Release editions
- Windows PCWorldwide2018
- PlayStation 5WorldwideMay 14, 2021
- Nintendo SwitchWorldwideMay 14, 2021
- Nintendo Switch 2WorldwideFeb 17, 2026
Game gallery
Sources
- www.nintendo.comSource revision: 1
- www.nintendo.com