Subnautica 2 already has huge concurrent player counts and has swum to 2 million sales

Subnautica 2 has achieved a remarkable launch, selling 2 million copies within just 12 hours of its Early Access debut on May 14, reaching 1 million sales in its first hour. The underwater survival and crafting adventure game attracted peak concurrent player counts of 651,000 across all platforms (Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and Epic Games Store), with Steam alone peaking at 467,582 concurrent players—approximately nine times the all-time peak concurrent count of the original Subnautica, which launched in 2018.

The explosive launch comes after the game became Steam’s most wishlisted title, building on 18.5 million sales across the original series. Available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and through Game Pass, Subnautica 2’s Early Access launch represents a significant commercial success for developer Unknown Worlds.

The launch is particularly notable given the turbulent development cycle preceding release. Last year, Unknown Worlds’ parent company Krafton faced a public legal dispute with studio executives over a $250 million earnout tied to revenue targets, with allegations that the company deliberately delayed the sequel to avoid the payment obligation. The spectacular sales figures suggest the game has overcome these challenges to deliver a strong market entry, validating the significant anticipation among fans.

Sources

• Subnautica 2 already has huge concurrent player counts and has swum to 2 million sales
• Subnautica 2 has surpassed 2 million sales in 12 hours
• Subnautica 2 Is Off To A Massive Start
• Subnautica 2 Is Already Making Waves, Selling 2 Million Copies in Just 12 Hours
• Subnautica 2 has sold 2 million copies in 12 hours, with 9x the players as the first, and at this point I figure that Krafton CEO is already on his second bottle
• Subnautica 2 sells 2 million in 12 hours with over 600K concurrent players