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. Kelemvor
    Feb 2, 2018
    9
    One of the best survival games at the moment. The world is beautiful, the survival aspect is well integrated, the atmosphere is incredible and the UI/controls is/are also very intuitive..even the story is cool and building is a lot of fun. For 20 bucks, this is a no brainer!
  2. arruu
    Feb 2, 2018
    9
    I played this game once when it was in an alpha stage, i believe (the aurora didnt even explode). It was already awesome then, and Im so glad to say that they've made it even more awesome.
    It's a game about EXPLORATION, more than anything else. It also throws in some light survival mechanics, and some light/medium crafting mechanics.
    Pros: - Feelings... this games makes you feel soooo    I played this game once when it was in an alpha stage, i believe (the aurora didnt even explode). It was already awesome then, and Im so glad to say that they've made it even more awesome.
    It's a game about EXPLORATION, more than anything else. It also throws in some light survival mechanics, and some light/medium crafting mechanics.

    Pros:
    - Feelings... this games makes you feel soooo many good things. The atmosphere is just perfect. You feel lost, alone, and frightned while exploring the depths and caverns with interesting lifeforms. I crapped my pants when a weird shadow came out of nowhere in the dark below the Aurora and grabbed my little seamoth.. But also feel satisfied and fulfilled when you figure out sth important, or when you find sth unexpected or much needed to advance.
    - The controls and building mechanics are correct.
    - The graphics and general design of the creatures is also pretty good. Of course better graphics would be welcome, but it is fine as it is...
    - The sound effects are also very good! The distintive sound of every creature you'll end up memorizing (if you know what's good for you).
    - Survival mechanics are there, but are light.. wich I love. I dont want another game that pushes me to keep on looking for sth to survive, like Dont Starve, or Stranded... Such things stress quite a bit, and makes my exploration experience less enjoyable.

    Cons:
    - Even though it already packs quite a lot of content ... I want MOOORE. Just give me more of everything. More biomes, more species, more buildings, more wrecks, more tools, more story, more unexpected discoveries, more non-linear ways to play the game. I will never grow tired of having sth else to do. Dont give weapons though... dont ever let me feel overpowered.. give me depth in mechanics and more things to explore and unveil. I really hope they add up some DLCs to this fantastic game.
    - The music is alright, but sometimes seems a bit out of place.
    - If you're looking for a regular FPS experience, go somewhere else. This is no COD ok? This about exploration and discovery.
    - If you're looking for a heavy survival game, also go somewhere else. This is no Dont Starve or The Forest. Survival mechanics are there just to remind you that you are human.

    So ... by all means, PLAY THIS GAME. It's worth it, and it will make you feel like almost nothing else can.    … Expand
  3. Hardeh
    Feb 1, 2018
    2
    When you get into this game first time - you are overwhelmed with it's beauty and atmosphere. Everything looks awesome, and you are very motivated to play it.
    Then, it comes to gameplay.
    For the game this atmospheric gameplay is equaliy boring and choring. For the first, your character needs food and water for every like 3 minutes or so. Second, your inventory is extremely small    When you get into this game first time - you are overwhelmed with it's beauty and atmosphere. Everything looks awesome, and you are very motivated to play it.
    Then, it comes to gameplay.
    For the game this atmospheric gameplay is equaliy boring and choring.
    For the first, your character needs food and water for every like 3 minutes or so.
    Second, your inventory is extremely small compared to all the things you need to drag down with you in order to survive.
    Third, and MOST BAD GAME DESIGN DECISION EVER MADE - all the tech you need in order to progress the story is locked behind finding "tech fragments" and scan them. They are scattered pretty much randomly all over the map. There are actually two ways to find them - on game's wiki or autistically going in circles on the sea floor and trying to find them for hours and hours (and tens of hours actually).
    Did i mention that this game does not have a simple map? I mean you have incredibly future tech - fabricator that can make things out of thin air, vehicle station that can make submarines out of thin air and such things. Even the sea glide thing can scan and draw 3d map for you. But you don't have a simple map that can memorize areas that you have already visited?
    Of course there are radio beacons, but you need to place tons and tons of them to get any proper navigation - and your hud becomes a mess with this amount of marks.

    People call this "exploration" - i call it "artificially inflated walkthrough time".

    So you can stuck on any moment of story without any clues and hints what to do next - just because you don't have needed blueprint and so game's radio event is not triggered.

    I'm honestly tried to appreciate this game everyone's talking about - and after 20 hours i did uninstall, stuck in another "tech fragment" wall. So, yeah.    … Expand
  4. thathomestuck
    Jan 31, 2018
    10
    this is a great game first the graphics they don't matter to me but to others it does and it succeeds in that, gameplay:it is fantastic its has that oh i'm going to get out alive i just have to survive forever and escape. controls:eh i don't like it by start but you can change it to your what you like

    i recommend this game to people who like survival games and has an xbox or a capable    this is a great game first the graphics they don't matter to me but to others it does and it succeeds in that, gameplay:it is fantastic its has that oh i'm going to get out alive i just have to survive forever and escape. controls:eh i don't like it by start but you can change it to your what you like

    i recommend this game to people who like survival games and has an xbox or a capable pc and if you don't like the type of game you could try it but if you don't want to waste 25$ on a game you wont play its sadly not for you.    … Expand
  5. dubesor
    Jan 31, 2018
    8
    Very well done survival Game. Great gear, crafting, basebuilding and a true sense of discovery. The story is very hard to reach though, I found myself lost for 20+ hours not knowing what to do, due to radio messages stopping and no real sense of progression. Had to solve this via wiki Coordinates several times. The concept of discovering and scanning tech and thus upgrading yourVery well done survival Game. Great gear, crafting, basebuilding and a true sense of discovery. The story is very hard to reach though, I found myself lost for 20+ hours not knowing what to do, due to radio messages stopping and no real sense of progression. Had to solve this via wiki Coordinates several times. The concept of discovering and scanning tech and thus upgrading your capabilities is great until you find yourself missing crucial gear to advance and can't find the sometimes very scattered and extremely hard to find pieces. Feels like searching for needles in a haystack since you are literally combing the ocean floor for anything you missed. Again - the game could make use of much more direction the way it does in the beginning with radio messages. Graphically it's a great game, looks nice on max settings, the water and sunset, the little water drops, everything looks good. The draw distance however is pretty lackluster and as of finishing the game there were massive texture and terrain pop ins. I still enjoyed it greatly despite it flaws, however without patience and wiki consultance I don't think I'd ever been able to finish this game.… Expand
  6. GPower_Rus
    Jan 31, 2018
    9
    Not bad. I played the old version and perhaps... bugs are not diminished. But the plot, though not very good but what he is still good... I mean... and although I will not spoil. The underwater world is BEAUTIFUL! It is beautiful and I liked the behavior of fish.
  7. Kaprawiec
    Jan 30, 2018
    10
    Awesome. I get the impression, that indie devs are doing the job which made me love gaming in '80 in the first place.
    This game as a shining example - its not your standard run and gun/slash enemies. Its not another sports/racing/killing enemies game. Its a game of surviwal but it is also the most relaxing experience (the chance to swim through the vast beautifull full of life ocean    Awesome. I get the impression, that indie devs are doing the job which made me love gaming in '80 in the first place.
    This game as a shining example - its not your standard run and gun/slash enemies. Its not another sports/racing/killing enemies game. Its a game of surviwal but it is also the most relaxing experience (the chance to swim through the vast beautifull full of life ocean enjoying the view which was until now reserved to the likes of discovery channel) and it can be also near horror experience when you play in hardcore mode and are chased by some crazy ass deep sea creature. Its a mindblowing game for sci-fi fans who gets to explore one of the most realisticly created alien world. And it even includes quite intriguing story - which really wasnt something i was expecting.
    All in all - games like that are like a breath of fresh air to the whole gaming industry and should get as much prasie as they deserve. Well its end of january and I think the GOTY is already here - don't read more, enjoy.    … Expand
  8. chori165_3
    Jan 30, 2018
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's the best survival game I've played and it's an open world game, with a story, which I thought was very good and weird, so I recommend buying it.… Expand
  9. zombiekiller666
    Jan 29, 2018
    10
    One of the Best Games i have ever played in my life.In VR a dream o other World
  10. DA2019
    Jan 28, 2018
    10
    I downvoted all the negative reviews. This game is one of the best games I played and it deserves to be treated as a masterpiece. Compare this game to the AAA releases like Battlefront 2, Destiny 2, Mass Effect Andromeda and you'll know why.

    Just give support to these guys so we can play more games like Subnautiica. And to those who complain about emptiness and loneliness, you should    I downvoted all the negative reviews. This game is one of the best games I played and it deserves to be treated as a masterpiece. Compare this game to the AAA releases like Battlefront 2, Destiny 2, Mass Effect Andromeda and you'll know why.

    Just give support to these guys so we can play more games like Subnautiica.

    And to those who complain about emptiness and loneliness, you should go deep and explore.    … Expand
  11. sh4dow
    Jan 28, 2018
    5
    Many guides, articles, etc. make it seem like you can play this game and avoid predators. The truth is: you can't. Most areas that progress the stories are tightly patrolled by increasingly powerful predators and you can only distract them or fend them off temporarily. It's a bit like Amnesia under water. (I'm about 30 hours in but the high number of predators you can't really get rid ofMany guides, articles, etc. make it seem like you can play this game and avoid predators. The truth is: you can't. Most areas that progress the stories are tightly patrolled by increasingly powerful predators and you can only distract them or fend them off temporarily. It's a bit like Amnesia under water. (I'm about 30 hours in but the high number of predators you can't really get rid of has me so frustrated that I'll either start using cheats or quit)
    Annoying as this is, it also means that there is no way to explore probably more than half of the game in peace. Most fans of the game then argue "just use creative mode" - which of course robs you of the story, the step-by-step progression and the survival in terms of food and water.
    On top of it, the game was released in a ridiculously buggy state. Even the save system is very flawed - when you load up your last save, you will probably have a different item equipped and it doesn't save which lights are switched on or off.
    Every time I load a save, I hear some announcement about emergency power and shortly afterwards that power has been restored because... in fact, my ship/base does have more than enough power.
    Fish can still glitch through the hull of the base. And they occasionally twitch around in ways that look weird, aren't physically plausible and probably happen because of bugs as well.
    The scanner room seems glitched - the list of things to scan for changes seemingly randomly. Different people say different things about what affects it.
    And then there are a number of design flaws. For instance, building new base parts generally reduces the overall hull integrity of the base. But you can only see how it affects it when you actually build it. No numbers are shown beforehand, so it's going to be a surprise whether your base will start to leak. Inventory management works very well but the list of blueprints is really annoying to browse thanks to HUGE icons.    … Expand
  12. FriedDerGrosse
    Jan 28, 2018
    1
    It is a great game, but tbh I didn't enjoyed it. I don't know what it was. Played this for 10+ hours one day and was left with emptiness and loneliness. I just couldn't motivate myself to play it again. I couldn't motivate myself to go deeper to push the limits something that we do all the time in video games, but in this one... It feels like it is mirroring society: a big deep hole withIt is a great game, but tbh I didn't enjoyed it. I don't know what it was. Played this for 10+ hours one day and was left with emptiness and loneliness. I just couldn't motivate myself to play it again. I couldn't motivate myself to go deeper to push the limits something that we do all the time in video games, but in this one... It feels like it is mirroring society: a big deep hole with scary places, people/fish... A place where we come to to die. My memory is to real, that I am sitting here with tears in my eyes while writing this review. It just became to clear to me...… Expand
  13. telefoonboek
    Jan 27, 2018
    4
    This review is based on my first hour experience. I might try it again tomorow. If you see rating 4, its not bad, but I am not convinced at the moment.

    At the start your greeted with an exploding starship and a few seconds later u splash into the sea, where the game starts. Beside picking up a fire exstuisgher and killing the fire. The game doesnt explain anything. Alof of equipment    This review is based on my first hour experience. I might try it again tomorow. If you see rating 4, its not bad, but I am not convinced at the moment.

    At the start your greeted with an exploding starship and a few seconds later u splash into the sea, where the game starts. Beside picking up a fire exstuisgher and killing the fire. The game doesnt explain anything.

    Alof of equipment is broken and you'll need some kind of repair tool. And food and water to live, all you need is in the sea.

    The game itself is beautifull, day and night cycles. The enviroment feels true and alive. I guess that survival and resource collection games are not my thing. I was looking for 1 kind of ingredient and couldnt find it, I grew somewhat frustrated and ended the game.

    I could open youtube and look it up, but whats the fun in that? So thats it, 4/10 based on my first houre. The game doesn't need to give everything away, but the explanation itself was kind of barebones. It might be part of what makes this game good for most others.    … Expand
  14. Tonust
    Jan 26, 2018
    10
    Its a emotional ride with terror around every corner, not know whether you'll make it to see the next day or if you'll be eaten alive
  15. SplatMan_DK
    Jan 26, 2018
    10
    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. :-)
  16. rjdim
    Jan 26, 2018
    10
    Subnautica is an amazing concept, which is well thought out for the most part. I would recommend it above any other survival game on the market, simply due to its environment design and incredible ambience.
  17. Solomon_x_100
    Jan 26, 2018
    8
    Игра - хороша! Мне она понравилась!
    Покупал я ее в раннем доступе в стиме - поиграл я в нее не так уж много, но зацепила она меня своим стилем! +Красивый подводный мир! Что не мало важно - постройка подводной базы - это самое лучшее на мой взгляд! Так-же саундтрек хорош, в играх я ценю хороший саундтрек!    Игра - хороша! Мне она понравилась!
    Покупал я ее в раннем доступе в стиме - поиграл я в нее не так уж много, но зацепила она меня своим стилем! +Красивый подводный мир! Что не мало важно - постройка подводной базы - это самое лучшее на мой взгляд! Так-же саундтрек хорош, в играх я ценю хороший саундтрек!
  18. slickserpent99
    Jan 25, 2018
    9
    Easily the best survival game I have ever played; there's just nothing else like it. I've always been fascinated by the sea and submarines and habitats and all that good stuff, so it's not surprising when I say that Subnautica lets me experience my dream. Explore, build, survive; that is what Subnautica is about. As you progress through the game, you will venture deeper and deeper intoEasily the best survival game I have ever played; there's just nothing else like it. I've always been fascinated by the sea and submarines and habitats and all that good stuff, so it's not surprising when I say that Subnautica lets me experience my dream. Explore, build, survive; that is what Subnautica is about. As you progress through the game, you will venture deeper and deeper into this alien world, discovering secrets.... and giant creatures. Seriously, just play this game. Only problems are occasional annoying bugs (like getting forced into a wall I can't escape, resulting in me drowning and losing stuff) and frame drops, as well as pop-in, but that can be chalked up to my semi-potato. Either way, Subnautica is a fantastic experience unlike any other.… Expand
  19. sambo_99
    Jan 25, 2018
    10
    If you own an Oculus Rift you MUST get this game! The immersion level of VR just adds a whole new level to the gameplay. This game alone is worth buying the Rift for.
  20. Telembrium
    Jan 25, 2018
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Subnautica takes mechanics from the survival genre and incorporates them into the core gameplay of an adventure game. While this does work well in the early game, it quickly becomes a chore when the story opens up, with the player being perpetually inconvenienced with the trifling tasks of collecting food, water, and resources after they've long stopped caring. A story which creates questions, provokes thought, and presents outrageous implications is ultimately anticlimactic, with the metaphorical key which could explain everything just being idly thrown away as if it were nothing. Despite this, an exotic world to investigate, combined with a pleasant graphical style, offers an enjoyable, if somewhat rudimentary, experience in exploration.

    The story begins with the player crash-landing on a planet almost completely covered in water. Immediately, they’re tasked with trying to survive as well as attempting to find other crash-landed crewmembers. This is the best part of the game. There's a sense of urgency, plot questions actually get answered, and becoming acquainted with the foreign environment is exciting. The survival mechanics work here, as they slowly draw the player out of the starting area's safety and present a clear path of progression. Unfortunately, the game quickly shows its lame side, as every single crewmember calling for help dies immediately before the player arrives. Eventually, the player discovers that they are infected with a deadly alien bacterium, which they need to cure.

    The player soon find that aliens have built several underwater bases on the planet which (conveniently) happen to be a facility for researching a cure to the alien bacterium. From here, the gameplay becomes an utter chore, as the player is endlessly tasked with finding or creating another differently-coloured keycard to enter the next alien base, essentially making the gameplay analogous to 1993's Doom, except for the lack of shooting alien abominations.

    The player continues to find new alien bases, with each one delivering another bit of story exposition which usually creates more questions than it answers. All the while, they'll constantly be harassed by incredibly annoying enemies called "warpers", which teleport the player around (potentially into certain death) and which can't be killed. The player, however, can be killed, and the end result is that they respawn at home or in their submarine and have to go back to where they were, meaning that death is simply a complete waste of time.

    Eventually, the player finds the final base and meets an ancient, sentient sea monster who communicates by speaking to the player telepathically. This sea monster could potentially explain everything the player wants to know: who are the aliens, where are they from, what were they doing with artifacts from Earth, why was the native fauna experiencing such accelerated evolutionary patterns, and etcetera. Instead, the monster tasks you with a fetch quest to power a button, which, when pressed, inexplicably kills them. Ensue another fetch quest where the player builds an escape ship, which, after using it to leave the planet, prompts a kicker that shows that the monster is apparently still in existence, telepathically revealing that it's "together" with the player somehow. Return to title screen.

    Ultimately, the exploration is fun, but everything else is a drag. One has to deal with meaningless and tedious deaths as well as the constant annoyance of the “warper” enemies to do it, but the exotic landscapes, pleasant visuals, and sense of scale make the experience of exploration a positive one regardless. The survival mechanics, however, need to be reapproached. They should be harmonious with the adventure gameplay, creating an interactive system rather than being an excuse to impede progress. In regards to the story, questions need to be answered, and unexplained events should not be left on the table. Without closure, the story becomes superficial, and it leaves the player feeling burned.    … Expand
  21. redalert3084
    Jan 25, 2018
    10
    This game is amazing. Brilliantly done and well paced. Survival game done truly right.
  22. CultiMAN
    Jan 25, 2018
    10
    I've been playing games for 30+ years. This game took me by complete surprise! I've simply been playing non stop for 40+ hours and never had a dull moment! Game looks fantastic and feels well. The exploration and survival story feels engaging like nothing i've tried before. Best gaming experience i've had for years! Thx for a great game
  23. danneu89
    Jan 24, 2018
    10
    This is the best survival-crafting game I've ever played. The game doesn't set out to be a horror game, but it is absolutely horrifying at times, especially at night. The environment and atmosphere are just top notch in the genre.
  24. esymes
    Jan 24, 2018
    10
    SubNautica realy takes the cake and shows whats posible in the Survival, Adventure and Exploration genres.
    And stand heads and shoulders above all others in the catagories as a benchmark of what to aim for when developing a survival game.
    Rich story, fantastic sound design, and great art direction.
    It looks and fells like a $60 title, and yet its only 20 bugs.
    A must buy in my book!
  25. Flinthoof
    Jan 24, 2018
    10
    This game receives my full recommendation. It's has had a very good early access and the final version release version is almost bug free.

    Graphics: This game has stunning visuals. Each biome is and looks completely different and beautiful. Sound: The sound is great, creepy at times (especially when there are big predators around) and the music is spot on. Gameplay: There are    This game receives my full recommendation. It's has had a very good early access and the final version release version is almost bug free.

    Graphics: This game has stunning visuals. Each biome is and looks completely different and beautiful.
    Sound: The sound is great, creepy at times (especially when there are big predators around) and the music is spot on.
    Gameplay: There are different game modes, but the main one is survival. For a survival game it hits the spot just right. Great exploring, finding materials and blueprints. Not too grindy.
    Base building: Great custumization options for base building.
    Vehicles: The vehicles you can get in this game are amazing. Each is different and has it's specific use.    … Expand
  26. wolverine2710
    Jan 24, 2018
    9
    Played it about 260 hours while it was still in early access. It a wonderful looking game with great gameplay. It has multiple modes like survival, creative (where one can craft bases without having to hunt for resources). Is it perfect, no its not but its darn close. I can really recommend this to everyone. Also the fact that you in principle can't kill anything (aside from fishes forPlayed it about 260 hours while it was still in early access. It a wonderful looking game with great gameplay. It has multiple modes like survival, creative (where one can craft bases without having to hunt for resources). Is it perfect, no its not but its darn close. I can really recommend this to everyone. Also the fact that you in principle can't kill anything (aside from fishes for food) is well refreshing.… Expand
  27. Dinoh
    Jan 24, 2018
    9
    Deep and beautiful, one of the best Early access come to a final version where the terms of survival increased, if you want some good kind of singleplayer survival, PLAY THIS.
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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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