Subnautica 2 launching with multiplayer and "several biomes", but early access will last "2 to 3 years"

Following yesterday’s first proper Subnautica 2 reveal, developer Unknown Worlds has given some early hints at what players can expect when the underwater survival adventure launches into early access next year. Multiplayer support and “several biomes” will feature on day one, but there’s plenty of time to evolve given early access is expected to last “about 2 to 3 years.”

Subnautica 2 (which will be the third entry in Unknown World’s series, following on from its 2018 original and 2021’s standalone expansion Subnautica: Below Zero) was initially teased back in April 2022, with its big new feature being co-op for up to four players.

Subnautica 2’s briefly controversial multiplayer mode got a bit of a hat tip in this week’s debut teaser trailer, which features two divers working together to explore the oceanic depths of an alien planet. However, Unknown Worlds has now revealed a little bit more of what players can expect when the game launches next year.

“You are a pioneer traveling to a distant world, but something is amiss,” the studio teases in a recently published listing on Steam. “The ship’s AI insists you carry on the mission. This world is too dangerous for humans to survive… Unless you change what it means to be human. What creatures, intelligent or otherwise, await your arrival?”