Developer Unknown Worlds announced this week that it’s pushing back the launch of Subnautica 2 to early access. Originally intended to launch sometime this year, the game is now due to launch sometime in 2026. According to the development team, they made this decision in response to player feedback received during early playtests, and they want to give themselves “a little extra time” to address criticisms.
The team noted it’s planning to run further playtests between now and the early access launch to get more player feedback. “Nothing is changing in terms of the direction of the game or the team behind it. We are confident in what we’ve created; we just want to give you a little bit more content for our first Early Access release.”
This delay doesn’t come as a surprise, as a statement from Unknown Worlds intimated that it would soon update the Subnautica 2 timeline. A week ago, Krafton suddenly announced that studio’s leadership — co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, and CEO Ted Gill — was no longer part of the studio. It installed Steve Papoutsis as CEO at around the same time.
The statement, which the studio issued in response to this change, noted, “We want to reassure you that KRAFTON feels strongly about supporting that vision at the studio, as we continue to navigate the game toward Early Access.”
Regarding Subnautica’s delay, Krafton said in a statement to PC Gamer, “This decision was based solely on our commitment to quality and to delivering the best possible experience for players,” a Krafton spokesperson said. “It was not influenced by any contractual or financial considerations. Additionally, the decision had already been under discussion prior to recent leadership changes at the studio.”
