A leviathan-sized launch has emerged from the depths.
Subnautica 2 has made a massive splash on Steam following its Early Access launch, pulling in huge player numbers and passing one million players within hours of release.
Developer Unknown Worlds confirmed the milestone in a post on X, writing: “Over 1 million Subnauts have already dived into Subnautica 2. We can't thank you enough for your support!”
The numbers mark a huge launch for the underwater survival sequel, especially after months of attention surrounding the legal battle tied to developer Unknown Worlds and parent company Krafton.
Subnautica 2
Release Date: 14 May, 2026 (Early Access)
Price: US$29.99
Platform: Xbox Series and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and the Microsoft Store
Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
How many players did Subnautica 2 have on Steam?
The player count for Subnautica 2 shot up shortly after launch. Reports noted that the game crossed 370,000 concurrent players within its first 30 minutes before continuing to climb throughout the day, peaking at 467,582 concurrent players.
According to SteamDB, the survival sequel reached a peak of 467,582 concurrent players during its first day in Early Access. More than 205,000 players were still in-game at the time of writing, while the game currently holds a 92% positive rating on Steam.
For an Early Access release landing on a Thursday in May, the launch numbers are enormous. The game reached one million units sold faster than any game that launched in 2026, surpassing this year’s biggest hitters like Resident Evil Requiem, Pokemon Pokopia, Slay the Spire II, and Crimson Desert. The game will also likely have lots of room to grow over the weekend, especially with many wishlisted players yet to jump in, having hit more than five million wishlists on Steam alone just before early access launched.
Subnautica 2 launch success brings renewed attention to Krafton lawsuit
The successful launch has also reignited discussion around the legal dispute involving Krafton and Unknown Worlds leadership.
The case centred on the dismissal of Unknown Worlds founders Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire. Courts reportedly ruled that the removals were linked to efforts to avoid paying a US$250 million earnout bonus tied to certain sales targets for Subnautica 2. Krafton was eventually ordered by the court to reinstate the Unknown Worlds leadership, including its CEO, and extend the US$250 million bonus window.
A filing shared by Kotaku’s Ethan Gach in 2025 reportedly stated that Krafton had plans projecting two to three million copies sold by the end of the year, figures that could have triggered the full earnout payout.
The exact sales targets tied to the agreement have not been publicly disclosed. Still, after hitting one million players within hours and pushing close to half a million concurrent users on Steam, the game’s explosive launch has already pushed those discussions back to the surface.
