The ocean is still very good at saying no

One of the biggest strengths of the original Subnautica was how effectively it made exploration feel both exciting and slightly stupid.

You start out in relatively safe surroundings, gathering basic resources and trying to work out what you are supposed to be doing. Then you spot something interesting in the distance. So naturally, you go and investigate it.

That is generally when the game reminds you that there is a very good reason why you were not already swimming there.

Subnautica 2 understands this formula extremely well. The world constantly gives you reasons to venture further, whether that is a new resource, an unfamiliar creature, an interesting structure or simply the promise that whatever is over there must surely be worth investigating.

The problem is that "over there" is often quite a long way away, and oxygen remains a surprisingly important consideration when your plan involves spending several minutes staring at something interesting.

There is a wonderful rhythm to the exploration. You find something new, return home with whatever resources you managed to collect, improve your equipment and then head out again to see what your new abilities allow you to reach.

It is simple, but incredibly effective. Every improvement feels useful because it opens another part of the world rather than simply making numbers go up.

Building underwater is dangerously satisfying

Building was one of the areas I spent a surprising amount of time with during my first few hours, partly because the new building mechanics are genuinely enjoyable and partly because I apparently have very little self-control when given the ability to construct things underwater.

What starts as a practical little base quickly becomes a project.

You need somewhere to store resources, somewhere to craft equipment and somewhere that feels like home. Then you notice that the layout could be better. Then you decide you need another room. Then another corridor. Then perhaps a slightly better view.

Before long, you are spending far too much time worrying about the architectural integrity of an underwater base while something outside is presumably trying to eat you.

The building system is particularly satisfying because it feels like a natural extension of exploration. You are not simply building for the sake of building. You are creating a base that supports the next stage of your journey.

That makes the process feel worthwhile, and it is one of the things that kept me coming back for "just another little upgrade" long after I should probably have stopped playing.

A new world worth getting lost in

Subnautica 2 looks fantastic.

The underwater environments are full of colour, movement and detail, and there is an excellent sense of scale to the world. You can look into the distance and see things that you cannot reach yet, which is exactly the sort of visual temptation that makes exploration so difficult to resist.

The atmosphere is equally important. The game can be beautiful one moment and genuinely unsettling the next. You can go from calmly collecting resources to wondering whether that noise behind you was something you should have investigated or something you should very much not investigate.

I have always liked games that can make curiosity feel slightly dangerous, and Subnautica 2 does this extremely well.

There is also something particularly effective about being surrounded by water. On land, you generally have a fairly good idea of what can approach you. Underwater, something can be above you, below you, behind you or sitting quietly in the darkness while you make what you confidently believe to be an informed decision.

Usually, it is not an informed decision.

Co-op makes the ocean feel very different

The addition of online co-op is one of the biggest changes for Subnautica 2, and it works surprisingly well with the existing survival formula.

Playing with friends changes the experience without taking away what makes Subnautica enjoyable. You can split up to gather resources, work together on a base, explore different areas or simply make someone else responsible for checking whatever made that noise.

There is also something inherently funny about watching another player confidently swim towards something that you have already decided looks dangerous.

Co-op also makes the building side of the game feel more collaborative. A base becomes something you are creating together rather than simply your own personal underwater bunker.

It is still perfectly playable alone, and I would not recommend buying Subnautica 2 purely because you have friends who enjoy survival games. But if you do have a group who are willing to dive in together, the co-op mode adds a lot to the experience.

The creatures are still the stars

The creatures of Subnautica have always been one of the series' biggest strengths, and Subnautica 2 continues that tradition.

Some are beautiful. Some are strange. Some are enormous. Some appear to have been designed specifically to make me reconsider whether I actually needed that particular resource after all.

As mentioned earlier, some creatures were rather enthusiastic about attacking players around launch. While that made my early exploration considerably more eventful, it also highlighted just how important creature behaviour is to the overall experience.

The best moments in Subnautica are often the ones where you encounter something you have never seen before and have absolutely no idea whether it wants to eat you, ignore you or simply watch you make a poor decision.

That uncertainty is a big part of what makes exploration work. The world does not feel like a collection of enemies waiting for you to arrive. It feels alive.

The story gives the exploration a purpose

Subnautica 2 is still very much an Early Access game, and that is particularly noticeable when it comes to the story.

There is a narrative here, and enough of it to give your exploration some direction, but this is clearly only the beginning of a much larger journey.

For me, that is not necessarily a problem. In fact, the structure of Subnautica works surprisingly well with a developing story because so much of the appeal comes from simply discovering what is out there.

There is a natural curiosity that drives you forward. You want to know what happened, what is waiting deeper down and what the strange things you keep finding actually mean.

The obvious caveat is that anyone buying specifically for a complete narrative experience should probably wait. The story is not finished, and the eventual full game will have considerably more content than what is currently available.

Early Access feels more like an invitation than a warning

Early Access can be a difficult thing to review because you are effectively judging a game while the developers are still building it.

There will be bugs. There will be missing content. There will be things that change. There will almost certainly be moments where you discover something and wonder whether it is a deliberate feature or something that escaped from the development process.

Subnautica 2 is no different.

However, what is here already feels substantial enough that I am comfortable recommending it to people who understand what Early Access means.

The important distinction is that I am not recommending Subnautica 2 because I think it will eventually be good. I am recommending it because it is already good.

There is plenty more to come, but the core loop of exploring, gathering, crafting, building and then going back out to see what you can find next is already extremely enjoyable.

If anything, the biggest danger is that the game already gives you enough to do that you can forget it is unfinished.

Price and value

At the time of writing, Subnautica 2 costs $29.99 USD / £25.99 GBP on Steam.

That feels like a reasonable asking price for what is already here, particularly if you enjoy survival games and expect to get involved with the Early Access journey as new content arrives.

It is worth stressing that you are buying into an unfinished game. If you expect a complete story, fully developed systems and the finished version of everything on day one, this is probably not the right time to jump in.

For everyone else, there is already a considerable amount of entertainment here. I have spent plenty of time exploring, building and generally making questionable decisions underwater, and I have not yet reached the point where I feel I have seen everything worth seeing.

Should you buy Subnautica 2 now?

If you loved the original Subnautica and are happy to play an Early Access game, then yes.

There is enough here to make the purchase worthwhile, and the foundations are excellent. The new world is fascinating to explore, the building mechanics are addictive, the creatures remain wonderfully unpredictable and co-op adds a completely new way to experience the series.

If you have never played Subnautica before, I would still recommend giving it a look, although you should be aware that the combination of survival mechanics, exploration and a deliberately incomplete Early Access experience will not appeal to everyone.

And if Early Access makes you nervous, there is absolutely nothing wrong with waiting. In fact, waiting could eventually mean getting a much larger and more polished experience.

The problem is that you will have to spend those intervening years knowing that there is an entire alien ocean out there waiting to be explored.

Personally, I am not very good at waiting.

Final Verdict

Subnautica 2 manages the difficult task of taking a very familiar formula and making it feel exciting again.

The new world is beautiful, exploration remains compelling and the expanded building mechanics have already consumed far more of my time than I intended. Add co-op to the mix and there is a genuinely excellent survival adventure here.

Yes, it is Early Access. Yes, there is still plenty of content to come. Yes, the story is only beginning.

None of that changes the fact that I have thoroughly enjoyed playing it.

The ocean is beautiful. The building is addictive. The fish are apparently furious with me.

I cannot wait to see what Unknown Worlds does with it next.