Subnautica

What to Know

Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 44

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Subnautica is a a template for open-world survival games. An impressive mix of exploration, crafting, and survival horror combine in a game that never ceases to entertain.

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Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 44

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 44

Subnautica is a a template for open-world survival games. An impressive mix of exploration, crafting, and survival horror combine in a game that never ceases to entertain.

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Critic Reviews for Subnautica

Reviews

High Score - 100/100

Low Score - 40/100

Silver TIER

39% of scored reviews fell within the range of 80 to 86 / 100

GameCentral (Metro GameCentral)

8/10

“A survival game that isn’t out just to punish its players, but to entertain; with an impressive mix of exploration, crafting, and survival horror.”

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Brett Todd (GameSpot)

9/10

“Subnautica is a terrifying, mystifying, massive, and brilliant survival game.”

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Rebecca Stow (TheSixthAxis)

9/10

“Subnautica is a perfect example an open world survival game that doesn’t rely on action, horror or combat elements to excite. Whilst these classic gaming features are involved to an extent, they take a back seat compared to the story, crafting and surviving elements. And this is what sets Subnautica apart from other survival experiences out there. Don’t let this be the one that got away.”

Read full review

**Read all 44 critic reviews on the desktop version of VSG.

Read the Reviews (44 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
33bits	Jesús Díaz-Suelto Berrueco	95 / 100	12-04-2018	Subnautica is postulated as a standout among the survival genre. Offering the player clarity and a storyline to guide the experience, find a place among my personal Olympus of games dedicated to weathering the storm when we are abandoned in a desolate place.	Read review
AusGamers	Steve Farrelly	9.2 / 10	12-07-2018	I honestly hope this becomes a longstanding series, it’s simply that good.	Read review
Critical Hit	Alec Stafford	8 / 10	01-24-2018	Subnautica harnesses feelings and fears we experience in reality and uses them to drive us to want to survive in this alien world and find our way back home. It is simply you versus the vast, unknown expanse of the ocean.	Read review
Destructoid	Jordan Devore	9.5 / 10	01-23-2018	Subnautica works brilliantly as a serene, lonely, contemplative adventure. It’s one of those rare games I’d take to a desert island.	Read review
Digiato	Mohammad Amin Behtoui	95 / 100	12-17-2018	Unlike No Man’s Sky which failed to deliver on its promises, Subnautica shows us how a game with worthy content succeeds and doesn’t need any heavy ad campaigns.	Read review
Eurogamer	Edwin Evans-Thirlwell	Recommended	01-24-2018	An oppressively beautiful portrayal of an undersea environment, and a well-wrought survival game with a vaguely eco-friendly message.	Read review
Game Informer	Elise Favis	8.8 / 10	02-06-2018	With a robust crafting system and several amazing secrets to find, Subnautica never ceases to entertain	Read review
Game Revolution	Jason Faulkner	4.5 / 5 stars	01-24-2018	So far Subnautica has been the outstanding title of 2018 for me. We’re only a month in, but the time I’ve had with this game has been incredible, and I’m sure it will be a game I remember in December when the year is wrapping up.	Read review
Gameblog	Camille Allard	8 / 10	02-02-2018	Probably one of the best survival open world so far. A beautiful adventure with a true scenario and a very original game’s mechanics. Diving into Subnautica ocean is a true pleasure and the only problem of the game is the lack of explanation in the scenario, which can be annoying because we sometimes go around in circles without finding a solution.	Read review
GameGrin	ElisaDS	9 / 10	05-09-2018	A great game that took five years to make. Subnautica is an open sandbox sci-fi fantasy that can inch it’s way into horror as you explore the depths of the ocean world. Just be ready to farm!	Read review
GameMAG	Unknown	7 / 10	03-02-2019	Subnautica is able to grab your attention and draw into the depths of the alien world, but many errors, lack of a map and often incomprehensible tasks, along with a failed final part of the game, cause disappointment.	Read review
GamePro	Florian Zandt	87 / 100	12-05-2018	Subnautica turns out to be a true hit, only the occasional grind cuts the groud under its feet a little bit.	Read review
Gamerheadquarters	Daniel Young	8.5 / 10	12-29-2018	Unknown Worlds Entertainment have crafted a truly unique underwater adventure/survival title and I am very excited for when they release Subnautica: Below Zero.	Read review
GameSpew	Jack Bampfield	9 / 10	02-09-2018	Subnautica is one of the original Early Access triumphs, and in my view, the best of them all.	Read review
GameSpot	Brett Todd	9 / 10	01-29-2018	Subnautica is a terrifying, mystifying, massive, and brilliant survival game.	Read review
GamesRadar+	Alex Avard	4 / 5 stars	12-04-2018	Performance problems aside, Subnautica will rekindle your faith in the overcrowded survival genre, and scare you senseless.	Read review
GameWatcher	Marcello Perricone	9 / 10	01-29-2018	The best survival game ever released, and an indie game that goes toe to toe with AAA titles out there.	Read review
Gaming Nexus	Nathan Carter	9 / 10	01-09-2019	Aside from a few technical issues, Subnautica is one of the best survival games out there. Not only is the world to explore beautiful but the narrative will keep pulling you along,	Read review
GamingBolt	Martin Patiño	8.5 / 10	12-20-2018	Subnautica is one of the better and relatively unique takes on the open-world survival genre that not only executes its expected features well but also provides new ones that help it stand out among its competitors.	Read review
Generación Xbox	Alberto Rocha	8.2 / 10	12-24-2018	Subnautica is a very solid example of the best survival games in recent years.	Read review
God is a Geek	Nicola Ardron	8 / 10	01-17-2019	Subnautica is not without its issues, but it successfully manages to combine a strong sense of exploration and discovery with an interesting story hook and an exceptional soundtrack to make it one of the very best examples of the genre.	Read review
IGN	T.J. Hafer	9.1 / 10	01-26-2018	Subnautica is a template for what open-world survival games should strive to be. It’s fantastical, fresh, and frightening from surface to seabed, with a story that kept on surprising me and a cast of sea monsters that quite literally haunted my dreams.	Read review
IGN Spain	Carlos G. Gurpegui	8.5 / 10	01-30-2018	Subnautica is a fresh new scope on the survival genre. Unknow Worlds Entertainment has created an intense, extreme and rich in possibilities adventure. Subnautica knows what to tell to the player and knows how to do it despite the characteristics of the genre.	Read review
Metro GameCentral	GameCentral	8 / 10	12-05-2018	A survival game that isn’t out just to punish its players, but to entertain; with an impressive mix of exploration, crafting, and survival horror.	Read review
MMOGames	Taylor Hidalgo	9 / 10	05-17-2018	Subnautica is a beautiful game, only occasionally marred by sluggishness and the odd, errant bug.	Read review
New Game Network	Ben Thomas	84 / 100	02-05-2018	Subnautica links progression to dive depth and it pays dividends. It also provides useful tools and varied submersibles that facilitate the steady exploration of wondrous biomes far below the waves.	Read review
Niche Gamer	Cody Long	8.5 / 10	02-01-2018	In the end, Subnautica manages to succeed where many others have tried and failed miserably. It proves, to me at least, that there are exceptions to the seemingly all-encompassing ‘four horsemen’ meme. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable experience, where crafting and exploration are complimented perfectly by the simultaneously beautiful and chilling atmosphere on display.	Read review
Pardis Game	Alireza Mahzoon	9 / 10	02-05-2018	Without any doubt, Subnautica is one the best existing games in survival genre; a game whose developers leave you alone in the center of an endless ocean to struggle for surviving, uncovering secrets, and finally finding a way to escape. After releasing of Subnautica, the survival genre lovers do not need any other game for a long time.	Read review
PC Gamer	Philippa Warr	89 / 100	01-29-2018	A smattering of technical issues keep Subnautica from true legendary status, but only just.	Read review
PlayStation LifeStyle	Blake Grundman	9 / 10	12-04-2018	If you couldn’t tell, I was blown away by Subnautica. What initially appeared to be a knee-high kiddie pool worth of depth, suddenly gives way to a literal ocean of gameplay opportunities. And while it has certain technical limitations, these are certainly not going to discourage the non-critic audience from at least dipping a toe in. It’s easily one of the coolest, engaging, and most gratifying experiences I’ve had with a game in 2018. Come on in! The water’s fine.	Read review
PlayStation Universe	Jack McCaskill	8.5 / 10	12-06-2018	A survival game that manages to balance a driving plot without sacrificing player agency. Constantly balanced on the knife edge of life and watery death. Subnautica is a game with hidden depths, both literally and figuratively.	Read review
Push Square	Nicole Hall	8 / 10	12-17-2018	Subnautica sees you submerged in a vast and utterly breathtaking underwater world, teeming with secrets and polished off with an unsettling atmosphere that instigates a real sense of thrill as you play.	Read review
Rock, Paper, Shotgun	Brendan Caldwell	Recommended	01-24-2018	So much of this world is best experienced via first-hand discovery.	Read review
Saving Content	Scott Ellison II	5 / 5 stars	02-16-2018	With over 40 hours in Subnautica, I have cannot recommend the game more. I enjoyed the crafting, base building, and survival elements based on the difficulty I chose. At no point did I feel like I was ever safe, though, as the underwater tranquility can make you feel that way. Even if you don’t like survival games, playing Subnautica is likely to change your mind, and show you that it is not like others you’ve played before. The narrative threads that string you along Subnautica‘s story are intriguing from moment one as you unravel it so carefully. Unknown Worlds have made an incredible game that subverts expectations of what a crafting and survival game have been, and shows you what they should be.	Read review
Screen Rant	Rob Gordon	3.5 / 5 stars	12-14-2018	Subnautica is something different in the survival genre, with a well-crafted underwater world providing some variety to its hunter-gatherer gameplay.	Read review
Skill Up	Ralph Panebianco	Recommended	01-09-2020	Video Review	Read review
TechRaptor	Robert N. Adams	7 / 10	03-01-2018	Subnautica is an underwater survival game with a compelling narrative, although some design choices, oversights, and bugs hampered my enjoyment of the title.	Read review
The Games Machine	Mario Baccigalupi	9.5 / 10	02-05-2018	In terms of settings, gameplay dynamics and sheer fascination, Subnautica is the best single-player survival game out there. It’s full of bright discoveries, a great sci-fi experience, and at the same time a cruel and unforgiving survival horror. James Cameron would absolutely love it.	Read review
TheSixthAxis	Rebecca Stow	9 / 10	12-04-2018	Subnautica is a perfect example an open world survival game that doesn’t rely on action, horror or combat elements to excite. Whilst these classic gaming features are involved to an extent, they take a back seat compared to the story, crafting and surviving elements. And this is what sets Subnautica apart from other survival experiences out there. Don’t let this be the one that got away.	Read review
TheXboxHub	Edgar Wulf	4 / 5 stars	12-10-2018	While it’s by no means a perfect game, the sheer aspect of exploration more than makes up for it and potentially offers hours upon hours of pure fun	Read review
TrueAchievements	Andrew Ogley	4 / 5 stars	12-22-2018	If you’re into resource gathering, crafting and exploring, then Subnautica is simply a title that you have to play.	Read review
VGChartz	Ben Dye	4 / 10	02-13-2018	If you enjoy exploring for the sake of exploring then you’ll likely enjoy your time with the game, but otherwise this is a title to pass on and never look back at.	Read review
Wccftech	Francesco De Meo	8.5 / 10	02-03-2018	Subnautica is one of the best survival games released in recent years, and one of the best indie games released in the beginning of 2018. With an interesting story, a variety of play modes that can tone down and completely remove survival elements and plenty of freedom in how to proceed, Subnautica is a game that can also be enjoyed by those who aren’t particularly fond of the genre.	Read review

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Game Info

Game Description / Storyline:

You have crash-landed on an alien ocean world, and the only way to go is down. Subnautica’s oceans range from sun drenched shallow coral reefs to treacherous deep-sea trenches, lava fields, and bio-luminescent underwater rivers. Manage your oxygen supply as you explore kelp forests, plateaus, reefs, and winding cave systems. The water teems with life: Some of it helpful, much of it harmful. After crash landing in your Life Pod, the clock is ticking to find water, food, and to develop the equipment you need to explore. Collect resources from the ocean around you. Craft knives, lights, diving gear, and personal water craft. Venture deeper and further form to find rarer resources, allowing you to craft more advanced items. Build bases on the sea floor. Choose layouts and components, and manage hull-integrity as depth and pressure increase. Use your base to store resources, park vehicles, and replenish oxygen supplies as you explore the vast ocean.

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