Subnautica 2 Developers Tease Upcoming Terrifying Features

Subnautica 2 has been steadily rolling out hotfixes since its Early Access launch on May 14, with the latest adjustments aimed at reducing the aggression levels of some of the more annoying fish. Today, we’re getting our first look at what the developers at Unknown Worlds have in store for future, more substantial updates, including a brand-new region beneath the Collector Leviathan’s territory. This announcement comes in the wake of some recent backlash, as certain team members have had less-than-tactful interactions with players.

Overall, Subnautica 2 is off to a solid start, especially considering it’s set to be in Early Access for at least three years. Players can dive into around 20 hours of exploration, uncovering mysteries and scanning a plethora of new alien marine life. While much of the feedback has been positive, tensions flared when players expressed a desire to use weapons against the wildlife. Unknown Worlds has since apologized for the heated exchanges, but some community members feel their feedback was met with dismissive responses, leaving a lingering sense of frustration. This context looms over the initial patches, and you can sense the impact in the team’s first update video.

Design lead Anthony Gallegos kicks things off by emphasizing the importance of player feedback. After that, we dive into some exciting news about what’s coming next.

In addition to performance enhancements and bug fixes, the Biomod System will now allow players to unlock multiple passive slots, with more mods available earlier in the game. Wrecks are also set to receive “improvements,” though specifics are still under wraps—hopefully, this means clearer navigation to avoid drowning after navigating a maze of doors.

Another promising enhancement involves “blight encounters.” If you’ve played Subnautica 2, you know these encounters can be poorly explained and easily overlooked, compounded by frustrating fish behavior. Upcoming updates are expected to make these encounters more visually distinct and better balance fish aggression. There’s also a plan to address a recurring issue where voiceover dialogue can overlap, causing critical lines to be lost.

For those into multiplayer, emotes and proximity voice chat are on the way—features that many players have been eagerly anticipating.

Importantly, a new content drop is in the pipeline. This update will expand the area around the Collector Leviathan and reintroduce a stompy chassis option for your Tadpole. It will also introduce new creatures and additional story elements, promising to be the most terrifying section yet. More story content is definitely something to look forward to!

While no specific dates have been provided for these updates, it seems likely that tweaks and fixes will be rolled out through regular hotfixes as they’re completed. As for the new content, it’s hard to say when it will arrive, but the reveal of concept art for a new creature rather than in-game assets suggests it may still be a while off.