Subnautica: Below Zero

Open-world underwater survival adventure with crafting and an arctic mystery

Unknown Worlds Entertainment · Released May 13, 2021

Reviews: Very Positive; 90% of 108K
Recent reviews: Very Positive; 86% of 380 in 30 days
Playing now: 340; right now
Steam Deck: Verified
Last update: 11 months ago; Oct 3, 2025

What is Subnautica: Below Zero?

A single-player open-world survival adventure set in an arctic region of the alien ocean world Planet 4546B. You gather resources, craft equipment and vehicles, build habitats, explore underwater and on land, and investigate abandoned stations to learn what happened to the protagonist’s sister.

For you if...

+you like underwater exploration, resource gathering, and base building
+you want a survival game with a character-driven story
+you prefer exploring alone in an open world

Not for you if...

−you expect a map as large as the original’s
−you dislike voiced protagonists and frequent story dialogue
−you want survival focused almost entirely underwater

What players say

90% of 108,436 reviews are positive · 86% of 380 in the last 30 days

Players praise the biomes and creatures, along with base-building and quality-of-life improvements. Common complaints are that the map feels smaller and more cramped than the original, travel feels slow, and the writing and dialogue weaken the story.

Screenshots and trailer

Subnautica: Below Zero system requirements

As published by the developer.

Minimum

OS: Windows 7 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i3 4XXX series / AMD Ryzen 3 2.6ghz+
Graphics: Intel HD 530 or better
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Storage: 15 GB available space
DirectX: Version 11

PC version details

DRM, required accounts, controller support and Steam features.

DRM: None declared on Steam
Controller: Full controller support
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Achievements: 13
Steam features: Cloud saves, Family Sharing, Trading cards

Steam Deck: Verified

All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
Shows Steam Deck controller icons
In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck
External controllers are not supported for the primary player

Multiplayer and co-op

Single-player

Languages

Full audio: English. Text only: French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese - Brazil, Spanish - Latin America, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Turkish, Ukrainian, Czech, Finnish, Hungarian, Polish, Traditional Chinese, Slovak.