Subnautica 2 multiplayer explained - crossplay and four-player co-op

How does multiplayer work in Subnautica 2? There's one feature that Subnautica fans have been asking for since the first game was released, and with the early access release of Subnautica 2, it's about to become a reality. For the first time in the series, players will be able to dive in with their friends and experience the beauty (and horrors) of the underwater world.

In the teaser trailer for Subnautica 2, Unknown Worlds confirmed that multiplayer was coming to the survival game. It's been two years since that trailer was released, and while the Subnautica 2 release date is still a ways out, we know much more about the multiplayer functionality thanks to all the dev vlogs Unknown Worlds has published.

How does multiplayer work in Subnautica 2?

Subnautica 2 was built from the ground up with multiplayer in mind, according to Jon Bjarnason, lead engineer at Unknown Worlds. Everything that can be done in single-player can be accomplished in multiplayer, and there aren't any multiplayer-exclusive features.

The game is playable with up to three friends, giving you and your friends the chance to explore, collect resources, and build bases across the mysterious planet. Subnautica 2 uses a drop-in, drop-out system, allowing you to convert your single-player save to a multiplayer one at a moment's notice. You've also got the option to create a separate multiplayer save from your solo play, keeping all of your adventures contained to a different world.

As highlighted in the Subnautica 2 base building guide, it's possible for your friends to steal your resources when they're in your world, though it's unclear whether materials can be brought to and from other multiplayer saves.

Unknown Worlds has made it clear in its Waterside Q&A video that Subnautica 2 has been designed as a single-player experience first and foremost. This means that while you can play the game with other people, there are some elements of the gameplay that work best when playing alone. Playing Subnautica 2 in multiplayer is an optional experience, ensuring you can still have those moments of isolation and dread without having other people spoil them.

Subnautica 2 does support cross-play multiplayer between Xbox and PC users. If you want to play with a friend on a different platform, you'll need to add them via Subnautica 2's friends list system. If the game launches on other platforms like PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2, you will likely have to use this system to play with your console mates.

That's all you need to know about Subnautica 2 multiplayer and how it works. Unknown Worlds is proud of the fact that the multiplayer game is playable on a wide range of systems, but we recommend checking out the Subnautica 2 system requirements first to make sure your PC is up to par before diving in.