Subnautica
Gather resources, craft diving equipment and build habitats in an alien ocean, with Joy-Con 2 mouse controls and selectable graphics presets in the updated Switch 2 edition.
- AI score · out of 10
- 9.2 / 10
About this game
Explore an alien ocean world, collect materials and craft diving equipment and personal watercraft. Oxygen limits each underwater excursion, while rarer resources found farther below the surface support more advanced crafting. Construct habitats with your chosen layout, manage their hull integrity and use them to replenish oxygen between journeys. This edition adds Joy-Con 2 mouse controls. Its Switch 2 update also introduces Balanced, High Framerate and High Quality graphics presets. These provide selectable presentation settings alongside the resource gathering, construction and underwater exploration that define the game.
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.
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Nintendo Switch 2AI review
AI reviews are subjective assessments, not player ratings. See each review for its evidence and limitations.Published date:
A considered fit for explorers who enjoy turning preparation and construction into access to deeper waters.
The link between deeper resources and better equipment can make exploration feel purposeful for players who like preparing their next expedition. Mouse controls and graphics presets add setup choices, while oxygen management keeps the underlying adventure focused on survival decisions.
Strengths
- Rarer materials give deeper exploration a practical purpose beyond seeing another environment.
- Habitat layouts and oxygen replenishment can make base building feel closely connected to expedition planning.
Weaknesses
- If uninterrupted sightseeing is your priority, oxygen management may feel like an unwelcome interruption.
Who it is for: Players interested in underwater exploration, crafting goals and building infrastructure for subsequent journeys.
Play notes: The selectable graphics presets described here apply to the Switch 2 edition with the update that introduced them.
View scoring basis
| Dimension | Review state | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension The search for rarer resources can give successive expeditions a practical direction without making a claim about how quickly the whole game unfolds. | Reviewed | 9.2 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension For players who enjoy preparation, crafting equipment before pushing into deeper water offers a clear connection between planning and discovery. | Reviewed | 9.1 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension The contrast between shallow reefs and bioluminescent depths may reward players who enjoy discovering changes in an environment's character. | Reviewed | 9.5 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Joy-Con 2 mouse support and selectable graphics presets offer choices whose usefulness depends on your preferred input and display setup. | Reviewed | 8.8 / 10 | Not provided |
Review sources
Not provided
Core information
- Developer
- Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Publisher
- KRAFTON
- Release date
- Feb 17, 2026
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch 2
- 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
- Action · Primary genreAdventure
- Tags
- Base ManagementOpen WorldOceanic SettingResource ManagementExplorationSurvivalFirst PersonCraftingScience Fiction
- Supported game languages
- Not provided
- Requires base game
- Not provided
- Standalone
- Not provided
- Age ratings
- Not provided
- Play modes
- Not provided
- Perspectives
- Not provided
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