User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1406 Ratings

User score distribution:

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  1. 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
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  2. 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
  3. May 29, 2022
    9
    Great open world survival game. Positive is that there is a story and a handcrafted map.
    The underwater setting is refreshing and enjoyable. The crafting and story progression and the mystery of the world are great. Only the bugs are a bit annoying at times.
  4. Jul 17, 2020
    9
    It is very fun to play.Exploration is rewarding.Mysterious,scary and beautiful all in one this game.
  5. Jul 3, 2020
    10
    This is an amazing and incomparable game, which had no analogues before its release. This is definitely one of the best games I've played. **** great graphics, a huge open and developed world, a lot of cool mechanics, its own individual atmosphere and much more. I don't want to spoil the story, but I'll tell you a secret...it's just legendary. I definitely advise everyone!
  6. Sep 15, 2020
    0
    This game is very fun to play i seemed to keep on coming back and watned to play more the only reason i wouldnt give it a ten is because its a little glitchy for me
  7. Aug 7, 2021
    4
    Какая-то выживалка без сюжета не понятно что вообще делать просто выживать не интересно, в начале почти ни куда не сплавать так как кислород кончается каждые 30-45 секунд. Игра на любителя.
  8. Jan 4, 2021
    0
    This is best open world, survival game Ive ever played. Much better than The Forest.
  9. 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.
  10. Apr 16, 2022
    0
    This game is too unstable for me to recommend. When it plays it is a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, I've spent as much time making it play as I have finishing the game. It's something wonderful handicapped by mediocre development. At times it works great, at others it crashes every ten minutes. I've had to delete game files, reinstall the game, tweak ini's, and add mods just to makeThis game is too unstable for me to recommend. When it plays it is a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, I've spent as much time making it play as I have finishing the game. It's something wonderful handicapped by mediocre development. At times it works great, at others it crashes every ten minutes. I've had to delete game files, reinstall the game, tweak ini's, and add mods just to make it playable at times. Based on that I would seek out better versions of this game Expand
  11. Aug 30, 2022
    10
    One of the best survival games on the market. Don't recommend if you have thalassophobia.
  12. Sep 10, 2022
    0
    RT and LT are switched on 360 gamepad, so don't believe the lies that this is controller supported, (if you switch them in options you get the incorrect UI prompts, good luck playing like this)
  13. Mar 18, 2018
    10
    Fantastic !!! I`ve been waiting for game like this for more than 10, maybe even 15 years.
    For me it was a week out of life, spending 50 hours in game. WOW !!!
  14. Feb 19, 2018
    9
    I thoroughly enjoyed this game. It's a game of priorities. What do I need to do to save myself in this situation? The world is spectacular. I'm having a ton of fun playing it. Highly recommend it.
  15. Apr 18, 2018
    10
    Subnautica is immersive, beautiful and clever. It wows you every step of the way.

    It has world class storytelling, the last time a game's narrative impressed me so much was Portal 2, and I didn't think any game could ever match that, but here we go. At the same time the approach to story-telling is different, you connect the clues, recordings and journals found in the world, and the
    Subnautica is immersive, beautiful and clever. It wows you every step of the way.

    It has world class storytelling, the last time a game's narrative impressed me so much was Portal 2, and I didn't think any game could ever match that, but here we go. At the same time the approach to story-telling is different, you connect the clues, recordings and journals found in the world, and the story comes together beautifully with a truly rewarding finale.

    Exploring the game's world is immensely fun. At times crafting can be a little tedious, but persevere, improve your technology to advance, and you will be rewarded with one jaw-dropping discovery after another. This is a game that constantly pushes you to not settle in one place for too long and to overcome your fear of the unknown (and with how atmospheric it is, it is fear in the literal, jumping-in-the-chair sense).

    Subnautica is worth every penny and every hour spent on it. It is one of the fullest game-experiences I've ever had and it is a modern classic that I think everyone should play.
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  16. May 15, 2020
    6
    Overall this is an interesting game and initially pretty fun. However what dooms this game to a less than stellar score is the bugs and general lack of polish. Let's start with the bugs because these are the most game breaking.

    Later in the game you have to use the prawn suit to get around. The problem is that hit detection is so bad that it gets stuck on everything, including air.
    Overall this is an interesting game and initially pretty fun. However what dooms this game to a less than stellar score is the bugs and general lack of polish. Let's start with the bugs because these are the most game breaking.

    Later in the game you have to use the prawn suit to get around. The problem is that hit detection is so bad that it gets stuck on everything, including air. Countless times I've been walking around and suddenly I can't move anymore. Nothing works. You can get out but getting back in solves nothing. Often you get stuck on scenery but I've gotten stuck walking down a hallway, on a beach, etc. It appears that the suit clips into the surroundings and you're stuck. The only workaround is to restart. It gets worse towards the end of the game where you are in tighter areas. I had to restart 5 times on the last area alone.

    Yet another issue with the prawn suit is that if you save while inside then often when you reload it flings you and the suit in a random direction. You won't stop until you eject from the suit at which point everything recovers. However once you're in this state you cannot recover without ejecting. In one case I was in a facility and reloaded and it did that. When I reloaded the suit was inside the walls bouncing around as it hit invisible walls. After several restarts it finally flung me out of the facility. But before I could eject I had already gone so far that I was outside the world itself. There was no way to get back.

    Yet another bug with the prawn is that if you are inside and get out then (at least in facilities) you remain the shrunken height that the game treated you while you were in the suit. So everything is above your head. Restarting solves the issue.

    The cyclops is almost as bad. It is also needed late in the game but gets stuck on things and there is no way to get it off or reset if you've saved already. In one case I had no choice but to use the cheat console to build a new one and move my stuff across so I could destroy the old one.

    Other bugs are annoying but not as bad such as signs in your base not remembering their colors or the cyclops moving if you get into and out of it several times.

    The survival mechanics are typical but there is really way too much grinding. You are constantly having to search for lots and lots of items and the game doesn't make it easy to find things. Navigating early on isn't hard but without a useful coordinate system it is hard to find things. This gets really bad late in the game when you're 1K+ meters down and it is dark, in the cyclops trying to navigate and you keep finding corners you cannot get out of. Some player-friendly help here would have been very useful. Even a map with pins would have helped.

    The story itself starts off strong but after about day 5 it pretty much ends. There is an overarching mission but nothing really directs you to anything. Early on messages recommend where you go next but by mid game you don't get anymore. It's like they forgot to implement the rest. So many times you are stuck wondering what you should do next. Some better directions are definitely needed.

    For improving your survival you can get better vehicles but honestly the seamoth is the only good one. The cyclops is too large, gets attacked by everything, drains power really fast, is hard to maneuver and is expensive to maintain. If it weren't for the depth I'd never use it. The prawn is expensive to create but its movement and jump are really bad to the point that it simply isn't fun. I'd prefer the seamoth.

    Building a base is fun but it is really tedious. Between all the gear you need, the limited storage you have, the constant balance of power and strength and the tediousness of actually building quickly drains you. I spent hours just trying to set up a simple base that I could use for the middle of the game. Some optimizations here would be nice like being able to copy or save blueprints would be nice. Several times I had to start over because I couldn't get some structures to line up. Redoing all the work is painful.

    Overall it is a fun game early on. But the middle game is bland and directionless. The last part of the game is buggy. Perhaps if the bugs are resolved this game could go up a point or two.
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  17. Mar 7, 2018
    9
    An amazing and lengthy experience. Atmospherically very well done fauna, flora and geological layout. And it even has some nice story moments sprinkled in.

    Right until the end there is always something new to be found and to be built. Several times this means rebuilding your current situation and adapting to new possibilities. Often it's not really about exploring, but about building up
    An amazing and lengthy experience. Atmospherically very well done fauna, flora and geological layout. And it even has some nice story moments sprinkled in.

    Right until the end there is always something new to be found and to be built. Several times this means rebuilding your current situation and adapting to new possibilities. Often it's not really about exploring, but about building up logistics that make your life easier and enable further exploration.

    On the negative side, it can be extremely unclear how to proceed, until you finally per persistence (or external help) find the required blueprint, log, resource or location. Some areas can be bland, especially the ones regarding higher technology. I probably wouldn't have finished the game without a map, and regarding that, there are quite a few mods that can make your experience much better now.

    Altogether I feel a bit sad leaving this place behind. It has been like a second home for many, many hours.
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  18. Apr 8, 2019
    5
    Favorite Thing: There was nothing that stood out in the few hours I played.
    Least Favorite Thing: Annoying reliance on collecting + severely limited space + no direction

    Date Dropped: 2019-04-01
    Playtime: 3h
    Enjoyment:5/10
    Recommendation: No. It's assuredly not my type of game.
  19. Jun 2, 2021
    9
    Subnautica is, despite its flaws, one of the best games I've ever played, and I have played a LOT of games. While the PS4 version was extremely frustrating because of poor optimization, on PC the bugs are minor. This review is heavily tilted in spite of these bugs because of my emotional response to the game.

    I really have to say this is, **in my opinion**, as near a perfect video game
    Subnautica is, despite its flaws, one of the best games I've ever played, and I have played a LOT of games. While the PS4 version was extremely frustrating because of poor optimization, on PC the bugs are minor. This review is heavily tilted in spite of these bugs because of my emotional response to the game.

    I really have to say this is, **in my opinion**, as near a perfect video game experience there is. I actually feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to play it. This game is beautiful. While I'm less a fan of the slight cartoony style, it works for this game. It feels authentic to me. I've never gone scuba diving, let along been on an alien planet, but this really captures the fantasy for me. The graphics, art, sound, and music are all breathtaking.

    While it can be gorgeous, it can also be terrifying. The depths can make one feel very vulnerable, surrounded by monsters, running out of air, and barely enough time to reach the surface for a breath of air.

    The UI is mercifully light weight, so easy to get into game and navigate menus. My only issue is that it's overly easy to drop things when using a controller (the button is the same as moving things to lockers and the muscle reflex makes me want to use the same button for using things when not interacting with lockers) but this is minor. I also don't really see the value in having such a limited number of quick slots but I'm sure there must have been a good reason for game balance.
    The sound design is incredible but one little detail I want to call out is how all the PDA sounds and dialog sound like they are being transmitted through glass. Just something I appreciated as an audiophile.

    The gameplay controls with a controller are really well thought out and nicely tuned, never once had an issue with controls other than screenshots being triggered by pressing both thumb sticks, so the clench response of terror causes my screenshot section of my PDA to be filled of crashfish explosions and leviathan mouths (just kidding, that's actually pretty awesome).

    Story wise, I love a game that can weave a story with an absolute minimum of cut scenes and expensive cinematics. I loved the story. I felt it in my heart, the ending, (no spoilers) made me smile so big and misty eyed, something I haven't felt from a game in a long time. I'm just a little dismayed that they went more heavy handed with story elements in the otherwise excellent sequel.

    Now I do wish they would work on achieving the same level of polish on the PS4 version, which is so riddled with bugs and crashes and slow saving, loading, and streaming that I was glad that I got it when it was free. On the other hand, it was promising enough that it made me buy it on Steam. I cannot recommend the PC version enough.

    To the developers, thank you for the experience :)
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  20. Dec 16, 2018
    9
    Firstly; I've finished the game. It is really good fun, highly recommended.

    However, you need to be open minded, ready to explore, act like you were really on an alien planet in an alien environment, and play reasonably carefully; you can easily die. And there's no handholding, you need to figure out a lot of things, which I can see some reviewers find frustrating. To me it's kind
    Firstly; I've finished the game. It is really good fun, highly recommended.

    However, you need to be open minded, ready to explore, act like you were really on an alien planet in an alien environment, and play reasonably carefully; you can easily die. And there's no handholding, you need to figure out a lot of things, which I can see some reviewers find frustrating.

    To me it's kind of going back to the grassroots of gaming, just the way I like it :)

    Ok the good:
    - I don't need to tell you how good it looks.
    - It's a fresh idea, offers a good level of freedom, challenging (you can play it on really easy or really hard; up to you.
    - Decent storyline
    - Replayability; if the building aspect is what you like, then there's lots :)

    The not so good:
    - I've encountered one really bad bug where I've reloaded and was outside of the map, and a few not-so-deadly, so some bugfixing could definitely help.
    - I think some tech are a bit late in the game to be truly useful - but maybe it was just my luck
    - it can get tedious on hard levels, you really need to watch what you're doing, and yeah you might need some luck as well (just as in real life). And one bad decision on the spot can mean death.

    One small advice without giving away too much; you don't need to stack up on resources too badly, unless you're building the Hyatt underwater; it'll come easier.
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  21. Apr 28, 2018
    10
    One of the best games in recent years and probably the best builder game. I could not even expect such fuse of builder and shooter game. Story is awesome, long time I didn't have that feeling of a mystery - dangerous alien structure on seemingly peaceful land, amazing. At the end, it might be a bit boring to collect all those titanite crystals, but still its 10 of 10 game. Cant wait forOne of the best games in recent years and probably the best builder game. I could not even expect such fuse of builder and shooter game. Story is awesome, long time I didn't have that feeling of a mystery - dangerous alien structure on seemingly peaceful land, amazing. At the end, it might be a bit boring to collect all those titanite crystals, but still its 10 of 10 game. Cant wait for next game, and only can hope that cancer like EA wont devour this small but genius studio. Expand
  22. Nov 16, 2018
    9
    Not without its flaws, but they are all forgiven, because this game is beautiful, immersive and just enjoyable way to spend a weekend (or two, or three...)
  23. Ndi
    Sep 10, 2020
    10
    This is what happens when a game DOESN'T make bad decisions. All that stuff that people keep saying not to implement? Gone. Jumpscares, combat, microtransactions, all gone.

    Just you, a goal, a loose story connecting everything and off you go, floating away in a gorgeous environment.

    This is possibly the most beautiful and well done chill game.

    (what was that sound?)
  24. Mar 23, 2018
    9
    The last line of dialog is the best, lol, hope you get to hear it.

    Steam says I spent 98 hours, I'm surprised it isn't more. Every day I'd find myself mentally planning the things I wanted to investigate that evening. Sometimes I'd spend 2 or 3 hours building components, just to test a theory. Those sessions often ended in success, though sometimes with a plot twist. And just about
    The last line of dialog is the best, lol, hope you get to hear it.

    Steam says I spent 98 hours, I'm surprised it isn't more. Every day I'd find myself mentally planning the things I wanted to investigate that evening. Sometimes I'd spend 2 or 3 hours building components, just to test a theory. Those sessions often ended in success, though sometimes with a plot twist. And just about the time that I thought that I finally had things figured out, I'd come across the next area of investigation.

    Building things expands your horizons. Discovery is rewarded. Plot twists, plot expansion. Tons of fun.

    I don't give out many 9's. This game fully deserves one; it doesn't get a 10 for one reason. One main plot point is way too subtle, and I ended up reluctantly Googling the solution. I had just finished the last big task of the game and... I'm left sitting there wondering why I didn't get the payoff. I had successfully discovered the "what", and I had finished the "how", but in that one instance the game left me hanging. Once you play the game I bet you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. I spent an hour or two struggling.

    But that is fairly only a 1 out of 10 downgrade. The playground is wide and varied. You have a lot of interesting decisions to make. You have a great deal of effort to apply, and many rewards to collect.

    These guys have created a fine game.
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  25. Mar 29, 2018
    10
    This is a 25$ game that delivers more than most 60$ games do. The sense of true exploration and accomplishment surpases anything I've felt from video games in two decades - please do not read guides or watch videos for Subnautica if you truly want to experience the world they've sculpted.

    If you have a VR headset, it is a one in a lifetime experience for sure.
  26. Mar 14, 2019
    9
    То чувство исследования, когда ты впервые открываешь для себя этот мир - потрясающее. Правда потом оно проходит.
  27. Apr 5, 2018
    10
    Im 30 y old. I played games a lot .... THIS IS THE BEST GAME EVER ! Im quiet hard to satisfy, but im in awe. I did not play game as this in a FCKIN LONG time .... It got bugs .... maybe someone will miss something from gameplay ,items...but play it yourself ! Beyond God like !
  28. Jan 18, 2020
    9
    Many games are overrated. But not this one. I don't even like exploration or survival games in general, but this game is one of the best games I've ever played because of its incredible atmosphere and sound design. This is not a horror game, but the concept of being alone underwater, heading into the unknown where you don't know what lies ahead, is very terrifying. Playing this gameMany games are overrated. But not this one. I don't even like exploration or survival games in general, but this game is one of the best games I've ever played because of its incredible atmosphere and sound design. This is not a horror game, but the concept of being alone underwater, heading into the unknown where you don't know what lies ahead, is very terrifying. Playing this game triggered my thalassophobia hard, but overcoming the fear and forcing myself to go on gave me one of the best gaming experience I've ever had.

    The story is fantastic - I need to mention this because many open-world and survival games have horrible storylines. (In fact, I could count games in this genre with good stories on one hand.) I obviously will not spoil the story in this review but reaching the ending was a very satisfying feeling! Story in this game has a very natural flow and is not forced upon you. There are objectives, but no missions to speak of. You can do your own thing exploring the world, and complete the story only when you want to.

    Map design is great as well. All biomes are already there from the beginning and are not "locked" per se, like in other games where you can't go to a new area because of a gate or something, but you are gently nudged towards your destination because of the well-written storyline and the lack of suits/tools to explore the new biome.

    UWE has created a truly unique gem that stands out in the sea of survival games (no pun intended) and they should be proud of their accomplishment.

    Remember to play with headphones on to "feel" the water around you.

    Some of my minor nitpicks:
    1. No multi-monitor support which would be perfect for an atmospheric game like this, but understandable due to the devs prioritising other issues over this feature which only a few people can take advantage of.
    2. Texture pop-in is horrible in this game. Not only is the pop-in annoying, it breaks immersion too.
    3. Inventory management is bad and is one of the most criticised aspect of this game along with the texture pop-in issue. If you Google "inventory management Subnautica" you will see thousands of search results.
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  29. Jul 25, 2020
    10
    Subnautica это потрясающая, красивая и затягивающая в свои подводные глубины выживалка с интересным сюжетом и проработанной до мелочей эко-системой!(Полно живности, каждая из которых имеет ореал обитания и вкусовые предпочтения!) Некоторые особи не прочь полакомится вами!) Мир игры живёт своей жизнью! Все события уже произошли и игроку предстоит во всём разбираться!
    Игра затягивает на
    Subnautica это потрясающая, красивая и затягивающая в свои подводные глубины выживалка с интересным сюжетом и проработанной до мелочей эко-системой!(Полно живности, каждая из которых имеет ореал обитания и вкусовые предпочтения!) Некоторые особи не прочь полакомится вами!) Мир игры живёт своей жизнью! Все события уже произошли и игроку предстоит во всём разбираться!
    Игра затягивает на 100%! Аж на работе обдумывал что придя домой куда поплыву,что соберу,что построю))) Тут интересно изучать мир, строить свою собственную базу и изучать сюжет! Со временем будет открываться для создания новые инструменты, элементы базы, подводная техника! И вы будете погружаться в исследовании всё глубже и глубже в пучину морскую! А чем глубже тем страшнее! Тем опасней монстры вас поджидают!
    Минус у игры есть: слишком затягивает!!))) И систему грузит сильно! (особенно когда вы свою базу отгрохаете и маячков по миру наставите!) У меня мощный комп игра его нагружала максимум на половину но при этом иногда до 28 кадров падала!
    Игра потрясная, всем советую! Одна она такая подводная и качественная!))
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  30. Feb 28, 2018
    9
    It is a masterpiece. This game surprised me from the very beginning and didnt stop. The devs put great care and effort into this game and it shows! Besides being a totally unique and original concept, the game revels in its ambiguity. Is it a survival horror game? Is it an open world exploration game? Is it a creative game where you can build and craft to your heart's content? IT'S ALL OFIt is a masterpiece. This game surprised me from the very beginning and didnt stop. The devs put great care and effort into this game and it shows! Besides being a totally unique and original concept, the game revels in its ambiguity. Is it a survival horror game? Is it an open world exploration game? Is it a creative game where you can build and craft to your heart's content? IT'S ALL OF THOSE and maybe more. I'm not saying Subnautica is the single best game I've ever played, but the fact that I can even begin to argue that it may be, with a 20 dollar price tag, makes it stand alone in terms of value for your dollar. If you're on a budget and looking to get 50+ hours of riveting gameplay for your money, then look no further. If the devs are reading this I want them to know that I am so proud of what you accomplished, and have been following the title since it was first up for sale on Steam Early Access all those years ago. I knew the game you guys were building had great potential from the start, but lots of games do and sputter into roaring disappointment, you guys didn't let that happen and the world is just a little bit brighter and more fun for it. From all of us fans, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU! Thank you for all the effort and love you poured into this title. Thank you for listening to the players feedback and implementing constant changes for the better. Thank you for all the sleepless nights and skipped lunches Im sure your team endured during development. YOU GUYS KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK! Expand
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. 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.
  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. 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!