Subnautica 2 Opens With 2 Million Sales Amid Krafton Dispute

Subnautica 2 sold more than 2M copies within 12 hours of launching into early access. The underwater survival sequel has become one of the biggest game launches of 2026 despite months of legal and corporate turmoil surrounding developer Unknown Worlds.

The sequel launched May 14, 2026, across Xbox Series X|S through Xbox Game Preview, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. Shortly after release, the official X account for Subnautica announced that “over 1 million Subnauts” had already entered the game. The studio later confirmed that sales had crossed the 2M mark.

Xbox Game Pass also promoted the launch on social media the same day.

Unknown Worlds stated that peak concurrent players across all platforms surpassed 651K during launch day. SteamDB data showed the game reaching an all-time Steam peak of 467,582 concurrent players, placing it among the platform’s highest recorded player counts. The game currently holds a “Very Positive” user rating on Steam with more than 32K reviews.

Subnautica 2's Launch Follows Months of Legal Conflict

The release comes after a turbulent development period involving Unknown Worlds and publisher Krafton.

Last year, Krafton removed studio leaders Charlie Cleveland, Ted Gill, and Max McGuire, claiming the company faced an “absence of core leadership.” The former executives disputed those allegations. They argued Krafton delayed the game to avoid triggering a reported $250 million USD earnout tied to performance targets and release timing.

A Delaware court later reinstated Gill as CEO and restored his operational authority over the studio and the launch process, paving the way for the game’s early access release.

Subnautica 2 entered launch with strong momentum. The franchise had previously sold around 18.5M copies worldwide, while the sequel became Steam’s most wishlisted upcoming game before release. Developed using Unreal Engine 5 (UE5), the sequel adds optional four-player co-op alongside the series’ established underwater survival systems.

The early access launch also arrived days after parts of the game reportedly leaked online, though the incident appears to have had little impact on player demand. Unknown Worlds confirmed that Subnautica 2 will continue receiving new content and updates throughout its early access period.