Subnautica

 PC
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1406 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,191 out of 1406
  2. Mixed: 133 out of 1406
  3. Negative: 82 out of 1406

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  1. LadyEir
    Jun 1, 2021
    8
    One of the best open world games I have played. Knowing it was a small studio it makes the game really impressive. This ocean world survival game has as great atmosphere. learning new recipes and unlocking new areas and depths drives you to explore further, although fearful of what you might find or get lost in underground cave systems and drown.
    the game plot is mainly told through    One of the best open world games I have played. Knowing it was a small studio it makes the game really impressive. This ocean world survival game has as great atmosphere. learning new recipes and unlocking new areas and depths drives you to explore further, although fearful of what you might find or get lost in underground cave systems and drown.
    the game plot is mainly told through records you pick up and audio recordings until you get further in to the game. You can play and enjoy the game for hours simply crafting and expanding your base. you especially want to find a way to have a constant water and food supply, once you have that sorted you are free to progress or drag the plot as you feel free.

    The game is great but once you have completed the game there isn't as much re-play-ability as I would like as once you know where things are and areas to avoid you can easily set yourself up with little threat - knowing where to go and your limits.
    There is also a fair few glitches of note - your buildings can be seen through objects and landscapes, areas loading really slowly once there are lots of crafted objects in an area - as a result I had an instance where I glitched through a permanent wall and became stuck out of bounds, having to reload an older save.

    if you like open world and survival games I would highly recommend this game - I would like to give it a higher score but the glitches unfortunately mean a lower rating for me    … Expand
  2. Bloodper
    May 27, 2021
    10
    A beautiful game, with a great gameplay and very adictictif, be aware :)
    One of the game of the year for me, a very good experience, everyone should play it once in his life.
  3. nvd_re
    May 21, 2021
    10
    this game is awesome, I spent a lot of time on it, the graphics are really impressive, the game has opened up the vast ocean world.
  4. Neonter
    May 12, 2021
    9
    Best open-world I have played in about a year. And best indie title for almost a decade! Great atmosphere, great graphics, attention to detail. Amazing what this little studio did with a small budget, compared to "the big guys". They made a competitive shooter called "Natural Selection 2" as well - be sure to check it out if you like fast-paced FPS action. :-)
  5. fabiola1
    May 5, 2021
    7
    bastante entretenido aunque luego de un rato puede ser repetitivo, para terminarlo lo hice en muchas pequeñas sesiones de juego.
  6. Savatage6
    May 5, 2021
    10
    One of the best survival games I've ever played. It provides a really unique experience. Definitely recommend it.
  7. Iliyateb
    May 3, 2021
    10
    It’s by far the best survival game I’ve ever played.it’s even better than Minecraft . It’s awesome.
  8. BFG-1337
    Apr 27, 2021
    4
    If you are like me, you will find this game boring, repetitive and childish, like the developers of it are...

    The wow factor goes away after 10 minutes, there is nothing special here, just some underwater things and crafting. Too much eating and drinking, i wish you had infinite oxygen to explore the underwater and added something else to prevent you from going deeper like pressure    If you are like me, you will find this game boring, repetitive and childish, like the developers of it are...

    The wow factor goes away after 10 minutes, there is nothing special here, just some underwater things and crafting. Too much eating and drinking, i wish you had infinite oxygen to explore the underwater and added something else to prevent you from going deeper like pressure instead of stupid oxygen consumption... Its to irritating to constantly keep going up to take oxygen even tho you have a tank, it only lasts 20 seconds.... Im pretty sure they last a lot more than that - you can upgrade them but thats more farming...

    Gamplay-Repetitive, boring, uninspiring
    Sounds- Average sounds... nothing to say here
    Story- Escape from planet because you crashed on it, also there are special aliens that posses the force or something and there are underwater temples OOOOOO JEDI ALIENS
    Hotel? Trivago

    4/10 - Boring    … Expand
  9. coljac
    Apr 26, 2021
    10
    Easily one of my all time favourite games. For weeks I went to bed dreaming about this game. For all the right reasons the developers hit an emotional sweet-spot with this game; fear, loneliness, excitement, the thrill of discovery, and overwhelming curiosity. I don't give many games a perfect 10 but Subnautica was an experience I'll never forget.
  10. elefsar
    Apr 22, 2021
    7
    New way of open world crafting games. Has its good sides but generally a mediocre game.
  11. Oreun
    Apr 15, 2021
    10
    Very good survival game, it has an immersive atmosphere and lots of things to do and places to explore. Definetely recommended, one of my favourite survival games.

    Muy buen juego de supervivencia. Tiene una muy buena e inmersiva atmosfera y muchas cosas que hacer y lugares que explorar. Definitivamente recomendado, uno de mis juegos de supervivencia favoritos.
  12. 4y4
    Apr 7, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Disappointing. No map. Constant hunger and thirst (in real life you are not hungry 2 minutes after eating.). Repetitive, boring gameplay.… Expand
  13. BenLea
    Apr 1, 2021
    9
    Subnautica is such a breath of fresh air for the gaming world, or should i say, splash of water for the gaming world.

    Subnautica takes the classic survival genre and turns it into something never done before, by placing the player in a planet made entirely of water. The main goal of the game is to go as deep as possible, and that's really the main idea. Subnautica's crafting and base    Subnautica is such a breath of fresh air for the gaming world, or should i say, splash of water for the gaming world.

    Subnautica takes the classic survival genre and turns it into something never done before, by placing the player in a planet made entirely of water. The main goal of the game is to go as deep as possible, and that's really the main idea. Subnautica's crafting and base building mechanics are amazing, and I found myself building a base for probably around 5 hours straight, without getting bored.

    Subnautica's creatures are amazing, and also extremely terrifying, however I won't be spoiling anything in this review. Subnautica plays with the players fears incredibly, and that is the fear of the unkown. The deeper you go the darker it gets, and also the scarier the monsters get. I found myself going around the deep depths for probably around an hour at the slowest speed, just so that the great monsters couldn't hear me.

    However, I have one single complaint, and that's the story. I actually managed to predict nearly all of the story after only playing around 5 or 6 hours. That's the one complaint I have though, everything else is great.

    Story: 7/10
    Gameplay: 10/10
    Graphics: 10/10
    Fear factor: 9/10    … Expand
  14. apeot2002
    Mar 23, 2021
    8
    Subnautica is splendid isolation, warts and all

    I never had much patience for the open world crafting simulators before. Narrative games are my jam, and most of that genre, have little story. But at some point I stumbled over a trailer for Subnautica, and it stuck with me. That endless, light-flooded ocean was just so… beautiful. So after years of hesitation, I took the plunge.    Subnautica is splendid isolation, warts and all

    I never had much patience for the open world crafting simulators before. Narrative games are my jam, and most of that genre, have little story. But at some point I stumbled over a trailer for Subnautica, and it stuck with me. That endless, light-flooded ocean was just so… beautiful.
    So after years of hesitation, I took the plunge.

    Subnautica casts you in the role of the sole survivor of a spaceship crash occurring on a water world. Your task is to manage your oxygen, hunger and thirst meters, and make use of your star trek tech level replicator, digital blueprints and abandoned resources you find all over the handcrafted map to build yourself a rocket and fly home.

    The primary gameplay loop is you scrounging for things in ever more extreme environments. Food, resources, tech tree advances, all have to be picked up by hand, and fed into the replicator. There is a metroidvania like structure to it, because parts of the hand-crafted map are simply not accessible to you until you craft certain items or vehicles (oh yes, you don’t stay swimmer forever).

    Occasionally you might build a base, a process that is almost painless (the game engine sometimes is a bit picky about placements) and can be quite engrossing. I usually don’t get into this kind of thing, but I couldn’t resist plopping down a three story underwater dream house with a sun-flooded bedroom just because I could. It’s also useful to have small outposts at a few key locations in the game, and it gives a great feeling of accomplishment to slowly fill the map with little summer houses here and there.

    The secondary gameplay loop is all about exploring the map. Certain things you need to find are telegraphed, but at some point the game just takes the training wheels off and expects you to go adventuring on your own.

    On a third level of play, you have an actual plot, a rarity in this genre. It’s a little thin on the ground, more a seasoning and less the backbone of the game, but the writing is decent and even shows a sparkling wit now and then.

    All these modes of play are helped immensely by how pretty this game is and how excellent and immersive the traversal mechanics are. I have never seen a more convincing and entrancing simulation of diving and underwater exploration. The lighting is great, the flora and fauna are strange and fascinating, and getting around in it is a joy, whether you are swimming, driving a submarine or stomping around in a giant robot suit.

    It also bears mentioning that for me at least, the game had a very satisfying ending. That’s not nothing these days.

    Not everything works as well, though: Some fauna are supposed to be dangerous, but overtime their threat diminishes. The ocean surface looks terrible when seen from a distance, which, coincidentally, isn’t possible all that much. A few locations look a little goofy or sparse, which leaves a few scratches on the immersion.

    And then there are the poor optimization and the bugs: Texture Pop In was a pretty consistent and pretty annoying problem in some regions of the map. On occasion, the game suddenly thought I was on dry land when I was actually swimming in the ocean. Once, that actually left me stranded in a place I could only get out of with the help of the developer console. This didn’t destroy my enjoyment of the game, but it wrung a few sighs of exasperation from me.

    The production values are mostly very high: I already mentioned the strong art direction, but it bears repeating: the world the player moves through is a beautiful work of art. The soundscape is appropriately sparse and very immersive. There is even voiced dialogue on occasion, and the voice work... It’s fine. Nothing special, but it does the job.

    All in all it’s just a joy to exist, survive, scavenge and build in this world. Having a concrete goal to work towards is great, but that’s not the main attraction of this game. Having this gorgeous little world all to yourself is.

    TLDR: The ultimate Robinson Crusoe experience, despite minor and more than minor blemishes. If this sounds good to you, I recommend you play this game.    … Expand
  15. gfisher1
    Mar 18, 2021
    0
    An excellent experience. This game will appeal to a broad ranger of tastes. I'm a casual gamer who likes large open worlds, where I can play at my own pace and have varied, worthwhile experiences in short bursts. I deliberately got into the story and found the game world absorbing and, at times, intense. If I have one criticism it is that I found myself, early in the game, wondering how toAn excellent experience. This game will appeal to a broad ranger of tastes. I'm a casual gamer who likes large open worlds, where I can play at my own pace and have varied, worthwhile experiences in short bursts. I deliberately got into the story and found the game world absorbing and, at times, intense. If I have one criticism it is that I found myself, early in the game, wondering how to do certain things and having to go online and quickly look up that information. I can't wait for the sequel.… Expand
  16. Zeyon88
    Mar 17, 2021
    7
    Story: 7.5/10
    The Way story is given: 16/20
    Gameplay: 24/30
    Design: 8.5/10
    Feelings left after playing: 13/20
    Playability(Bugs and optimization): 9/10

    AVARAGE: 78/100
  17. astronut
    Mar 12, 2021
    9
    I never thought i'd spend over a hundred hours playing a water level and that i'd ask for more.
  18. masnoni
    Mar 6, 2021
    9
    Best open-world game I've played in a long time. Even after 100 hours in game it's still frightening. Story is actually pretty good and engaging. Love it
  19. MarsTheNutter
    Feb 23, 2021
    9
    survival games a genre that's filled with games that say there early access games that can give you some fun but not 1000 hours worth of fun Subotica is a masterpiece a one of a kind giving interesting concepts. this is also a story telling beauty not threw character a telling character b what is happening its shown threw the plant life the abandoned areas the alien fauna. the creaturessurvival games a genre that's filled with games that say there early access games that can give you some fun but not 1000 hours worth of fun Subotica is a masterpiece a one of a kind giving interesting concepts. this is also a story telling beauty not threw character a telling character b what is happening its shown threw the plant life the abandoned areas the alien fauna. the creatures can be cute or frightening, big or small, long or short. the plant life the sea the islands they are so divers and fun to explore that by it self it would have convicted me this game was a good game but mix the creatures, alien fauna, the biomes and more makes it a masterpiece of its genre I think everyone should try this game out to see what a good survival game should be and how amazing Subotica is. I hope more games like this will come out instead of the boring regular early access games I'm looking at you "The Forest"… Expand
  20. MrTheMan
    Feb 20, 2021
    5
    worse minecraft. I know that minecraft didn't invent sandbox games, but I feel like Minecraft did the mechanics and exploring the better.
  21. yertre
    Feb 9, 2021
    9
    A great game with a wonderful soundtrack and atmosphere.

    Subnautica is a survival game, and probably the second best one I've played (after Rain World). The game is best experienced blind, so I won't spoil much. Suffice to say that the game has some incredible moments, and should be experienced by anyone who appreciates great atmosphere and storytelling. The game is terrifying at    A great game with a wonderful soundtrack and atmosphere.

    Subnautica is a survival game, and probably the second best one I've played (after Rain World). The game is best experienced blind, so I won't spoil much. Suffice to say that the game has some incredible moments, and should be experienced by anyone who appreciates great atmosphere and storytelling.

    The game is terrifying at times. It's not the typical type of fear in horror games, it's more the feeling that you could be caught anytime and killed any second, while giving you the feeling that you escaped by the skin of your teeth. It's really something that must be experienced, and it's one of many great sensations the game gives you.

    The game has some niggles, the biggest of which is the game's barriers in certain spots which can glitch out and trap you forever. It's not a huge issue, but worth mentioning. The game also has some performance hiccups, especially if you go very deep, but it's hardly a deal breaker.

    If you have ever enjoyed a survival game in your life, play Subnautica. If you enjoy horror games or games with scary atmospheres, play Subnautica. This game is far from perfect, but it's a very special and unique experience, one I wish I could have again. One of the best games of the decade.    … Expand
  22. BennyDahBoi
    Feb 3, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. ------ SPOILERS ------
    tl;dr:
    Beautiful game, incredible, gripping story - I strongly recommend it!

    You watch a small cutscene laying the plot for the story, it drops you straight into action, you wake up in a burning escape pod, death is imminent but you struggle free from the seat and extinguish the fires. You open the hatch and observe the seemingly infinite horizons of water, next to the giant spacecraft which has seeming disturbed this environment's rest.

    You dive into the blue abyss to discover the friendly shoals and the schools of fish brushing past you. It looks beautiful.

    PROS:

    In turns of the game's graphical elements, it really sticks out in a great way, mostly due to lighting effects. I am honestly intrigued as to what it would look like with RTX Ray-Tracing because I'm sure it would look very similar to this. The deeper you go, the darker it gets, when "night falls" the red rays of the nearby planet light up the night sky.

    The game relies largely on exploration, this puts the player out of their comfort zone and even sometimes introduces some horror aspects which are executed amazingly, I was on the edge of the seat for some of the deeper zones. This may not be for everyone but it worked for me even when I didn't know horror was involved, I personally loved the "heat of the moment" action.

    In terms of gameplay, the controls worked very well with them being preconfigured well without me needing to change much, but when I needed to, the menu of which to manage them was very easy to use.

    Creating and building a base underwater allows players to also let their creativity shine, whilst it also balances rewards with risks and requirements, such as reinforced walls to make sure integrity is up, so your base doesn't flood under pressure, as well as the need for power to keep the lights on.

    Another thing this game absolutely nails is vehicles, Subnauitica, in total, offers 4. They remain balanced and yet they still come with risks and rewards, with things like vehicle health. These vehicles can be upgraded with craft able upgrades if you so wish to spend valuable resources on them.

    The game's story is one of the highlights for me, leaving you in awe in some places, with you scratching your head in others, the game's lore can be very interesting at times, not delving too deep to the point where you overthink things but still allowing you to let your imagination and theories run wild as you progress in the game.

    CONS:

    Bugs - I experienced a bug which got me stuck in a wall thanks to the prawn suit in a stage late in the game, in turn I had to learn console commands and I actually had to god into noclip mode to save my game before I fell into the void.

    Lack of multiplayer features - when I picked this game up I expected multiplayer features but it lacked it which was a real bummer for me and my friends. However, due to the game's wonderful community, developers have been working on multiplayer options for Subnautica, thank god!

    Conclusion:

    In conclusion I feel that the pros outweigh the cons massively, so I have to recommend picking this game up. The price for it is an absolute STEAL.    … Expand
  23. Manittas
    Jan 29, 2021
    10
    An excellent game with original design for gameplay and story. The graphics are great too. Nothing much to add besides what is already known.
  24. DJKrimson
    Jan 5, 2021
    8
    First time I started playing this game I played for 11 straight hours. It's really fun and addictive as hell. Very nice visuals and overall athmosphere, it gets really creepy at times when you travel deeper and deeper.

    I really like these kind of games where you start with nothing so you go out exploring and gather stuff to build a base and upgrade things in order to be able to explore    First time I started playing this game I played for 11 straight hours. It's really fun and addictive as hell. Very nice visuals and overall athmosphere, it gets really creepy at times when you travel deeper and deeper.

    I really like these kind of games where you start with nothing so you go out exploring and gather stuff to build a base and upgrade things in order to be able to explore further. When it comes to those kinda games I'd say this is one of the better ones.

    There's definitely flaws to it though, like the small inventory and how long time it takes to travel after a while when you need to go far and deep. There was also times for me when I had absolutely no clue of where to go, even though I really tried to pay attention to the storytelling.

    I've seen a lot of complaints about bugs, to my understanding most of it should be fixed by now, but not completely, The worst thing that happend to me was when I clipped out of bounds with the robot suit while being waaay down with the cyclops and everything, this caused the water physics to stop working and it didn't go back to normal until I killed myself, leaving all my stuff down there.

    TL;DR: A very fun survival game with a few flaws that is definitely worth your time and money.    … Expand
  25. Daffit
    Jan 4, 2021
    0
    This is best open world, survival game Ive ever played. Much better than The Forest.
  26. Mazma
    Dec 25, 2020
    7
    Gioco molto carino, grafica piacevole, crafting e risorse ben gestite con un buon livello di sfida. Bug ovunque.
  27. alfassus
    Jul 4, 2020
    10
    Amazing game, for the first time in over a decade I got hypnotized by a pc game for around 48 hours with no ability to stop playing.
  28. silvershine24
    Dec 3, 2020
    9
    One of the first games that I had finished in a long time. The open world is very nice, along with the game play mechanics. I would recommend this game to anyone who doesn't have a major fear of water.
  29. Siorys
    Nov 27, 2020
    10
    Best survival game I've ever played. Amazingly immersive and atmospheric.
    It will always be in my heart.
  30. filipus1962008
    Nov 27, 2020
    10
    Jest to jedna z gier, gdzie chciałbym zapomnieć i jeszcze raz zagrać, sprawia przyjemność i jest na swój sposób przerażająca gdy pożera cię lewiatan, jest w niektórych momentach wzruszająca i pozwala się wczuć w historie gry. Bez opisanych zadań musisz sam zapoznać się i wsłuchać w audycje radiowe i samemu znaleźć różne biomy opisane tylko w niektórych notatkach i wspomnieniach innych.Jest to jedna z gier, gdzie chciałbym zapomnieć i jeszcze raz zagrać, sprawia przyjemność i jest na swój sposób przerażająca gdy pożera cię lewiatan, jest w niektórych momentach wzruszająca i pozwala się wczuć w historie gry. Bez opisanych zadań musisz sam zapoznać się i wsłuchać w audycje radiowe i samemu znaleźć różne biomy opisane tylko w niektórych notatkach i wspomnieniach innych. Zdecydowanie polecam, według mnie obowiązkowa pozycja w bibliotece graczy… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Best PC Game of 2018
8
#8 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018
20
#20 Most Shared PC Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 39 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 39
  3. Negative: 0 out of 39
  1. AusGamers
    Dec 7, 2018
    92
    It isn’t without performance hiccups, especially the deeper you go. But the breadth of content here and the open-world nature both in terms of playspace and just pure choice in how you go about it is something rarely seen in games.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    May 16, 2018
    95
    Subnautica is hands down the best survival game I have ever experienced. I completely lost track of time while playing it and for the first time in ages I rescheduled my appointments and neglected my responsibilities to spend more time with a game. If I could I would hand out free copies in the streets so as many people as possible can see how ridiculously good Subnautica is. [04/2018, p.62]
  3. GameGrin
    May 10, 2018
    90
    A great game that took five years to make. Subnautica is an open sandbox sci-fi fantasy that can inch it's way into horror as you explore the depths of the ocean world. Just be ready to farm!
    Read full review
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