15 Best Games Like Subnautica To Play In 2025

Plenty of games have come out in the years since Unknown Worlds Entertainment released Subnautica that aim to offer a similar experience to the survival title. However, only a handful of games are truly like Subnautica enough where you get some of the same feelings while playing them as you did while roaming the open ocean of Planet 4546B for the first time. While few games can totally replicate the complete experience of Subnautica, some are great alternatives that expand upon the gameplay elements or mechanics present in the underwater adventure.Today, we'll be listing 15 games to play if you're a fan of Subnautica and looking for something else to scratch that survival/horror itch. Of course, there are other elements to Subnautica, including a robust crafting system, vast exploration, and a unique setting, and some of the entries on the list will prominently feature those aspects instead of simply being another survival game with horror elements. Subnautica: Below ZeroDeveloper: Unknown Worlds EntertainmentRelease Date: May 14, 2021Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo SwitchNaturally, we have to kick off this list with the successor to the original Subnautica. Subnautica: Below Zero is a direct sequel to the first game and takes place on the same planet, but in a completely different area. You also play as a new protagonist, a scientist who has come to the planet along with dozens of others to study its fascinating flora and fauna. Below Zero offers more of a story than the original, but your overall goal is still to explore every inch of the ocean and surface. While you'll see some familiar creatures, plants, and craftable structures, Below Zero offers new leviathans and other deadly creatures as well as brand new objects to craft at your base.One of the biggest changes in Below Zero is more of an emphasis on land travel, and there's even a new vehicle you can craft to traverse the icy landscapes that are above the ocean. If you loved the original Subnautica, you'll love Below Zero, but we must warn you, the horror elements have been cranked up slightly in the sequel.Fanatical and GameSpot are both owned by Fandom. See on Fanatical The Planet CrafterDeveloper: Miju GamesRelease Date: March 24, 2022Platforms: PCThe Planet Crafter doesn't feature too many water elements like Subnautica, and it doesn't have many formidable creatures to avoid. However, it does allow you to completely terraform an entire planet from the ground up, giving you the chance to dictate every part of how the planet is designed. At the start of the game, your goal is to simply survive the harsh conditions of the planet and build a small base to start the terraforming process. Over time, though, you can begin to tone down the weather conditions and form the planet in whatever image you want. You're able to go through different stages of terraforming, which include creating sustainable resources, to even terraforming insects, plants, and animals. The world is your oyster in The Planet Crafter, and while there are survival elements present, your main job is to transform your planet into a livable environment. It's great for any Subnautica player who enjoyed the base building or perhaps wanted to change certain parts about how the ocean is laid out. See on Steam No Man's SkyDeveloper: Hello GamesRelease Date: August 9, 2016Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2We've talked about games that take place in the water and on the surfaces of a planet, so how about we combine those settings? No Man's Sky is a game that allows you to explore an entire universe. It gives you a spaceship, some tools to gather resources, and then tells you to head out and explore a nearly infinite, procedurally-generated universe. The universe has more planets than you could ever hope to explore, and though the planets aren't all that different from one another, it's what you can accomplish on the planets that matters.Recent updates in No Man's Sky give you the chance to create an entire space station on a planet, head underwater into the depths of oceans, and even mine for prehistoric fossils that you can use to further expand your journey. When you're not spending time on a planet, you can meet other players in a central hub and customize your spaceship. It's a fantastic experience that truly never ends if you don't want it to. See on Fanatical RaftDeveloper: Redbeet InteractiveRelease Date: May 23, 2018Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PCRaft is a natural choice for players who are hoping to find a similar experience to Subnautica. Raft is another survival game where you, or you and some friends, are stuck on a small raft in the middle of a vast ocean. Your goal is to survive and expand your raft so you can avoid the perils of the ocean and everything that calls it home, including great white sharks. O

Jun 14, 2025 - 04:20

15 Best Games Like Subnautica To Play In 2025

Plenty of games have come out in the years since Unknown Worlds Entertainment released Subnautica that aim to offer a similar experience to the survival title. However, only a handful of games are truly like Subnautica enough where you get some of the same feelings while playing them as you did while roaming the open ocean of Planet 4546B for the first time. While few games can totally replicate the complete experience of Subnautica, some are great alternatives that expand upon the gameplay elements or mechanics present in the underwater adventure.

Today, we'll be listing 15 games to play if you're a fan of Subnautica and looking for something else to scratch that survival/horror itch. Of course, there are other elements to Subnautica, including a robust crafting system, vast exploration, and a unique setting, and some of the entries on the list will prominently feature those aspects instead of simply being another survival game with horror elements.

Subnautica: Below Zero

Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Release Date: May 14, 2021
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch

Naturally, we have to kick off this list with the successor to the original Subnautica. Subnautica: Below Zero is a direct sequel to the first game and takes place on the same planet, but in a completely different area. You also play as a new protagonist, a scientist who has come to the planet along with dozens of others to study its fascinating flora and fauna. Below Zero offers more of a story than the original, but your overall goal is still to explore every inch of the ocean and surface. While you'll see some familiar creatures, plants, and craftable structures, Below Zero offers new leviathans and other deadly creatures as well as brand new objects to craft at your base.

One of the biggest changes in Below Zero is more of an emphasis on land travel, and there's even a new vehicle you can craft to traverse the icy landscapes that are above the ocean. If you loved the original Subnautica, you'll love Below Zero, but we must warn you, the horror elements have been cranked up slightly in the sequel.

Fanatical and GameSpot are both owned by Fandom.

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The Planet Crafter

Developer: Miju Games
Release Date: March 24, 2022
Platforms: PC

The Planet Crafter doesn't feature too many water elements like Subnautica, and it doesn't have many formidable creatures to avoid. However, it does allow you to completely terraform an entire planet from the ground up, giving you the chance to dictate every part of how the planet is designed. At the start of the game, your goal is to simply survive the harsh conditions of the planet and build a small base to start the terraforming process. Over time, though, you can begin to tone down the weather conditions and form the planet in whatever image you want. You're able to go through different stages of terraforming, which include creating sustainable resources, to even terraforming insects, plants, and animals. The world is your oyster in The Planet Crafter, and while there are survival elements present, your main job is to transform your planet into a livable environment. It's great for any Subnautica player who enjoyed the base building or perhaps wanted to change certain parts about how the ocean is laid out.

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No Man's Sky

Developer: Hello Games
Release Date: August 9, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2

We've talked about games that take place in the water and on the surfaces of a planet, so how about we combine those settings? No Man's Sky is a game that allows you to explore an entire universe. It gives you a spaceship, some tools to gather resources, and then tells you to head out and explore a nearly infinite, procedurally-generated universe. The universe has more planets than you could ever hope to explore, and though the planets aren't all that different from one another, it's what you can accomplish on the planets that matters.

Recent updates in No Man's Sky give you the chance to create an entire space station on a planet, head underwater into the depths of oceans, and even mine for prehistoric fossils that you can use to further expand your journey. When you're not spending time on a planet, you can meet other players in a central hub and customize your spaceship. It's a fantastic experience that truly never ends if you don't want it to.

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Raft

Developer: Redbeet Interactive
Release Date: May 23, 2018
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Raft is a natural choice for players who are hoping to find a similar experience to Subnautica. Raft is another survival game where you, or you and some friends, are stuck on a small raft in the middle of a vast ocean. Your goal is to survive and expand your raft so you can avoid the perils of the ocean and everything that calls it home, including great white sharks. Over time, you'll eventually scavenge resources to be able to build a large, wooden houseboat that houses different crafting stations to aid your survival. Eventually, you'll even be able to reach different land masses and explore those as well.

While Raft places more of an emphasis on staying out of the water than exploring it, you still need to head underwater to secure the resources you need to build more structures on your raft. Sharks and other creatures are lurking nearby, but you're used to that feeling if you've played any Subnautica.

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Grounded

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Release Date: July 28, 2020
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch

Grounded is a survival game that also features an interesting premise and shares several gameplay elements with Subnautica. In Grounded, you're the size of a tiny insect, and you're trapped in a regular suburban backyard. At the start of the game, you're just trying to get your bearings and find ways to survive in your new environment, which features a plethora of different pitfalls. You can encounter massive bugs and other creatures, such as territorial spiders, and find secret locations that offer crafting upgrades, new tools, or fresh gear to use.

There are some underwater elements to Grounded, as you need to go swimming in "ponds" to retrieve certain quest objects. The depths of the ponds often house various aquatic creatures that would love nothing more than to gobble you up. Grounded is a basic survival game at its core, but the way it implements its world design, progression loop, and exploration is wonderfully done.

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Minecraft

Developer: Mojang Studios
Release Date: May 17, 2009
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android

We don't have to spend a lot of time on this entry. Minecraft is the game that paved the way for most modern survival games, crafting a blueprint for the genre that has been followed and altered since 2009. While there aren't too many horror elements of Minecraft that might attract leviathan-loving Subnautica fans, everything else is a survival player's dream. You have a randomly generated map that goes on far beyond what you're able to explore, hundreds of crafting resources, and the ability to build whatever kind of base your mind can dream up. If you want a different kind of Minecraft experience, you can also access thousands of mods or custom servers that completely change the gameplay.

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Astroneer

Developer: System Era Softworks
Release Date: December 16, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch

Astroneer is another survival game that allows you to terraform planets, but on a much larger scale. Instead of getting a single planet to manage, you can bounce between five different planets, changing each one the way you see fit. Each planet houses various resources for you to gather that unlock new crafting recipes that you can use to upgrade your base or increase the production of other resources. In addition to base building and terraforming, Astroneer also offers expansive exploration, with planets housing several different environments and secret locations to discover.

Perhaps the most noticeable aspect of Astroneer, though, is its graphics; the visuals are extremely vibrant and feature a distinct art style that looks like everything on your screen was hand-painted. Astroneer is an experience similar to Subnautica in some ways, but it offers much more in terms of exploration and building.

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Stranded Deep

Developer: Beam Team Games
Release Date: January 23, 2015
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch

Stranded Deep offers an extremely similar premise to Subnautica. It starts off with you being the survivor of a plane crash and stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. You need to find a way to survive the ocean's elements and creatures before eventually finding land, which comes with its own challenges. Luckily, Stranded Deep offers a skills system that allows you to upgrade your character in various ways as you progress. This gives you the chance to unlock fresh crafting recipes to use on your base or even different vehicles that allow you to explore more areas of the map, which is procedurally generated.

In addition to the basic survival and base-building gameplay loops, Stranded Deep also offers a robust combat system. You can eventually challenge three different bosses to earn uber-important rewards. There are also a slew of other creatures you can hunt for food or sport. Stranded Deep offers perhaps the closest experience to Subnautica on this list, but it does offer more in the way of combat.

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Forever Skies

Developer: Far From Home
Release Date: April 14, 2025
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Forever Skies is a recent game that takes clear inspiration from the Subnautica series, but does add several of its own twists. The game is set on a post-apocalyptic Earth that has been ravaged ecologically, leaving you with very little in terms of resources to gather. Fortunately, you're able to construct a massive airship that can travel across the map so you can find new areas to explore. Your airship acts as your main base, and you can place different crafting stations and structures on board that help you survive. When you're not flying high above the clouds, you can also head underneath the various bodies of water on the map, which house important resources, but massive leviathans as well. There are also large enemies on land as well, but Forever Skies equips you with some weapons to fight off these foes. It's an interesting spin on the Subnautica style of survival games, and it's worth checking out for the airship aspect alone.

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Sons of the Forest

Developer: Endnight Games
Release Date: February 23, 2023
Platforms: PC

If you particularly enjoy the horror elements of Subnautica, then Sons of the Forest might be the perfect game to follow it up. However, Sons of the Forest cranks the survival and horror aspects to another level. The game begins with you and a companion named Kelvin crash-landing on a seemingly deserted island. You, along with your now deaf companion Kelvin, need to find a way to stay alive and figure out exactly where you are. As you explore the island in Sons of the Forest, you'll quickly learn you're not alone. There are monsters everywhere you turn, and the only way to survive is by venturing into dark caverns and other locations to find the tools and gear you need.

Jump-scares are a common sight in Sons of the Forest, but when you're not exploring the dangerous caverns of the island, you can construct a decent-sized base and craft a number of other objects. This includes weapons and even vehicles, making exploration much easier and safer. Sons of the Forest is able to match the sheer terror of Subnautica while also maintaining the same sense of exploration and harsh survival scenarios.

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Outer Wilds

Developer: Mobius Digital
Release Date: May 28, 2019
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch

Outer Wilds has perhaps the most compelling premise and gameplay loop out of any game on this list. It's another space exploration survival game, but instead of maintaining a persistent base and inventory of resources, you have a completely different goal than to simply survive. Instead, Outer Wilds forces you to explore several unique planets, all of which house secrets and dangerous environments. The game's twist is that you're caught in a time loop, which only gives you a set amount of time to explore before you're sent back to your original starting point. When you start over, you have to go out and explore everything again. However, every time you venture out on a new journey, you're armed with the knowledge you gained from the previous explorations. It's a totally different experience from Subnautica, but one that still matches the same sense of wonder you get from exploring Planet 4546B's ocean.

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Valheim

Developer: Iron Gate Studio
Release Date: February 2, 2021
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Valheim is widely regarded as one of the best modern survival games. Like Subnautica, Valheim has inspired a number of recent survival titles. While Valheim and Subnautica mainly share a survival aspect, both games offer extremely difficult elements that need to be constantly managed in order to stay alive. In Valheim, you play as a banished Viking who needs to prove their worth to escape banishment. Your primary task is to defeat five bosses, who are located in five different zones across the map. In order to progress to each boss, you need to fully explore every subsequent zone, unlocking the specific crafting resources each one offers. With those crafting resources, you have to make tools and weapons to defeat the zone's boss.

Valheim offers a randomly-generated map, architecturally-sound base building, and excellent combat that makes you think about every move you make. You can also cross oceans and encounter some large enemies along the way if you're really craving some Subnautica-like gameplay.

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Green Hell

Developer: Creepy Jar
Release Date: September 5, 2019
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Green Hell is a survival game that was likely inspired by the original The Forest. However, there are Subnautica elements present that will appeal to fans. Green Hell is set in the Amazon rainforest and tasks you with simply surviving the harsh elements of South America. The game features some of the most difficult survival elements in any game on this list, as you have to contend with constant weather conditions, lethal inhabitants, and various animals that all want you dead. Fortunately, Green Hell offers expansive base-building and crafting systems, giving you the ability to construct a fortress in the jungle complete with defenses and stations to make new objects.

While Green Hell takes place on land, its map is just as dangerous as Subnautica's ocean. You have to carefully wade into every new zone in the Amazon, or else you risk dying to a new threat.

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Ark: Survival Evolved

Developer: Studio Wildcard
Release Date: June 2, 2015
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android

Ark: Survival Evolved is one of the longer-running survival games, and it has built up quite a massive player base since its release in 2015. Ark takes place on land and in the water, where you have to contend with prehistoric dinosaurs at every turn. Most of the dinos you encounter can be tamed, but you'll be running from them or fighting them the majority of the time. When you're not taming or fighting a prehistoric creature, you spend your time exploring a huge map that houses dozens of points of interest and places to build a base. You need to scavenge for resources to unlock an arsenal of weapons that can be used to fight against dinosaurs or other players if you join a PvP server.

The bases that are possible to build in Ark, along with the amount of flora and fauna you can encounter, are truly staggering. It's one of the largest-scale survival games on the market, and can easily match the thrills of Subnautica, especially if you're a fan of the leviathans.

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The Long Dark

Developer: Hinterland Studios
Release Date: September 22, 2014
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch

The Long Dark is another decade-old survival game that features some of the most realistic survival elements out of any game in the genre. It's a truly solo experience that places a massive emphasis on strategizing exactly how to survive in the Canadian wilderness. You won't encounter too many enemies to fight or people to talk to; all you have is your mind and abilities. The Long Dark forces you to carefully manage hunger, thirst, stamina, and warmth while trying to scavenge for the resources to keep yourself healthy. You're able to stumble across tools and gear that make survival easier, but you'll never truly be safe from Mother Nature.

You won't take part in any base building in The Long Dark, but you will find a true sense of exploration and the terror of failing to survive. The Long Dark features permadeath in the survival mode, meaning if you die, you're dead for good.

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