The new underwater survival game, *Subnautica 2*, developed by Unknown Worlds, has achieved remarkable success, selling over one million copies within less than a day of its release. According to a press release, it rapidly climbed Steam’s charts, securing its position as the fourth-most played game with over 460,000 concurrent players. Only *Counter-Strike 2*, *Dota 2*, and *PUBG: Battlegrounds* had more players concurrently at the time.
It’s noteworthy that the Steam player count doesn’t include those from the Epic Games Store or Xbox, likely making the total player count even higher.
The success isn’t surprising, given that *Subnautica 2* reached five million wishlists before its launch and was the most-wishlisted game on Steam. As a sequel to the acclaimed *Subnautica* and *Subnautica: Below Zero*, its release followed a complicated legal process involving Unknown Worlds executives and its owner, Krafton, which caused a delay from the initially planned 2025 early access launch.
In March, a legal decision reinstated the studio’s CEO and extended a potential bonus for the developers. Consequently, a new early access launch date was set, and the studio anticipates this period will last approximately two to three years.