Subnautica 2 sells two million copies in less than 24 hours

As soon as Subnautica 2 was revealed to have four-player co-op, I immediately knew Unknown Worlds’ sub-aquatic sequel would sell like hotcakes. A series with this much of a cult following was always primed to bang, and it’s even more tempting if you can play it with pals. Well, unsurprisingly, it’s done just that, with the developer announcing that it has already racked up two million sales just 12 hours after launch.

Having finally entered early access on May 14, Subnautica 2 has proven a popular pick-up. According to an official press release, it’s already racked up a sizable player peak, with over 651,000 folks concurrently playing it across Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Xbox. Steam alone peaked at an incredible 467,582 players (as per SteamDB), the majority of whom are having the time of their lives, judging from the fact that 93% of its reviews on the platform are positive.

An hour after the survival game dropped, its official X account reported that over one million players had already bought in – impressive. While it still has some catching up to do if it wants to hit the lofty seven million mark surpassed by 2026’s biggest seller so far, Resident Evil Requiem, I can definitely see it doing similar numbers.

Paul’s also been having a blast. In his Subnautica 2 early access impressions, he calls it “a beautiful game and a rewarding experience,” and reckons both OGs and new subnauts “will find a lot to dig into here.” Though there’s plenty to come in the Subnautica 2 roadmap, it’s already proving to be more-than-worth its $30 entry fee.

I spent much of last night watching pals set up their base and go delving for materials, and Subnautica 2 honestly looks incredible. I put more than my fair share of time into the original game, and I feel it’s only a matter of time before I myself pull the trigger on Unknown Worlds’ latest.