Subnautica Reviews

Subnautica is ranked in the 93rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Feb 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.

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9.5 / 10.0
Jan 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.

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9.5 / 10.0
Feb 5, 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.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Digiato
Mohammad Amin Behtoui
Top Critic
95 / 100
Dec 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.

Review in Persian | Read full review

95 / 100
Dec 4, 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.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9.2 / 10.0
Dec 7, 2018

I honestly hope this becomes a longstanding series, it's simply that good.

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T.J. Hafer
Top Critic
9.1 / 10.0
Jan 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.

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GameSpot
Top Critic
9 / 10
Jan 29, 2018

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

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Jan 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.

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9 / 10
Dec 4, 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.

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Jan 24, 2018

Vast biomes to explore? Check. Mysteries to uncover? Check. Monsters in the deep? Check. Subnautica for PC is one helluva ride.

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9 / 10.0
Jan 9, 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,

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9 / 10.0
Dec 4, 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.

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Nintendo Life
PJ O'Reilly
Top Critic
9 / 10
May 13, 2021

When Unknown Worlds announced they were bringing this one to Switch we were hugely excited, this is one of our all-time favourite games after all, but it was excitement tempered with a degree of scepticism as to how on earth they'd manage to cram the entire experience onto Switch in a properly playable manner. As it turns out, we needn't have worried as this is a super solid port that - besides a few loading stutters here and there and some scenery pop-in that's present in every other version of the game - successfully delivers one of the very best survival experiences on any platform to Nintendo's hybrid console.

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Fandom
Top Critic
4.5 / 5.0
Jan 27, 2018

If you’re after a unique and atmospheric challenge, you won’t regret diving into Subnautica.

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9 / 10.0
Jan 29, 2018

The best survival game ever released, and an indie game that goes toe to toe with AAA titles out there.

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9 / 10.0
May 17, 2018

Subnautica is a beautiful game, only occasionally marred by sluggishness and the odd, errant bug.

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9 / 10.0
Feb 5, 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.

Review in Persian | Read full review

GameGrin
ElisaDS
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
May 9, 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!

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90%
Feb 9, 2018

Subnautica is one of the original Early Access triumphs, and in my view, the best of them all.

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