Summary
Subnautica 2 won’t feature old iconic vehicles like the Cyclops sub, focusing on new mechanics for a fresh experience.
The game will introduce genetic modification and a new huge vehicle, but these concepts are still in development.
Subnautica 2 will not include familiar creatures, featuring a new, mysterious ecosystem on a different planet.
The various iconic vehicles from the previous Subnautica games, such as the Cyclops submarine, won’t be making a comeback in Subnautica 2, as confirmed by Design Lead Anthony Gallegos. Although relatively little is yet known about the ambitious and greatly-anticipated sequel, Subnautica 2 is known to tell a new story taking place on a new planet and will focus on introducing new mechanics and features to deliver a fresh experience for players.
Thrusting players into an extreme survival situation on an alien planet, the original Subnautica is a defining open-world exploration game that forces players to overcome terrifying depths in order to find the materials to survive. Thankfully, a wide array of handy technology makes it easy for players to explore their environment, and the game’s handful of vehicles play an integral role in the experience. Players can explore via the small and convenient Seamoth, the extremely resilient Prawn Suit, or the iconic Cyclops sub – a huge and cumbersome vehicle that players can build inside of and use as a mobile base.
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It appears that none of these vehicles are planned to make a return in Subnautica 2, according to the game’s Design Lead, Anthony Gallegos. This was revealed by the developer in Subnautica 2’s official Discord server, which has provided a platform for many community questions to be answered by the team behind the underwater survival game. Though the Cyclops itself won’t be making a comeback, Gallegos has revealed plans for the game to include a similarly huge vehicle of some kind, though there aren’t any more details for the moment. Whatever this new vehicle might turn out to be, fans should keep in mind that many of these developer concepts likely won’t see fruition until much later into Subnautica 2’s development, and likely won’t exist in the game immediately upon its early access release.
Subnautica 2’s Genetic Modification Feature Demonstrates How The Game Seeks to Innovate
Subnautica 2 is shaping up to be an ambitious project, and while it will share many core aspects of previous games in the series, the team at Unknown Worlds is clearly focused on implementing new ideas and gameplay mechanics to surprise players and provide them with a new experience. An example of how Subnautica 2 seeks to innovate rather than rehash old ideas is the introduction of a genetic modification mechanic, which seems to allow players to adapt the genetic material of alien creatures on the planet to gain new abilities.
Fans recently got a better look at what to expect from Subnautica 2 in a new developer vlog, which provided a glimpse at the new environments, visuals, and building mechanics. With Subnautica 2 set to leave Planet 4564b behind and take place on a totally new world, it has also been confirmed that the game won’t include any familiar creatures from previous games either, instead featuring a weird and wonderful ecosystem of its very own.
Subnautica 2
Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Multiplayer
Online Co-Op
Franchise
Subnautica
Number of Players
1-4
Early Access Release
2025
