Historically, underwater exploration in video games has been equal parts beautiful and terrifying. From Ecco the Dolphin to Jolly Roger Bay and everything in between, each dive is filled with tension as you await the moment when a ravenous leviathan emerges to devour you whole. The same can be said about Subnautica… kind of.
Fast forward to the modern era, and the rise of the survival genre has brought the playground of the ocean to all new depths (pardon the pun). In Subnautica, this means fending off fearsome creatures great and small, and since its release earlier in the year, it’s taken the world by storm with its robust ecosystem and seemingly endless potential.
But as always, there are other seas to be explored, and we have endeavored to offer you but a few. Hope you like sharks, because funnily enough, they absolutely love you.
Games Like Subnautica
Stranded Deep
Public service announcement: If you are a character in a video game, do not board an airplane. It will rarely ever end well for you, unless you are Fox McCloud.
Are you Fox McCloud? No? Then you’re in a survival game. Best of luck, pal.
The procedurally generated tropical locales of Stranded Deep were quite the revelation when it opened for early access on PC in 2015, and it still comes recommended for its focus on strategy and resourcefulness. It was slated for a console release to be published by Telltale Games, but their sudden, unexpected demise has thrown those plans into the proverbial airplane of uncertainty.
Games Like Subnautica
Raft
Let’s scale things back a little bit, and place you upon a rickety collection of wooden planks floating in the middle of the ocean. Your only friend is a nearby fish that surfaces every now and then, and he would like to introduce you to his sharp, pointy teeth.
As you progress further into Raft’s survival experience, you’ll begin to venture out further, where the danger is much greater, but the rewards are too tempting to resist. And hey, what’s better than complete helplessness? Complete helplessness with a buddy, courtesy of Raft’s online multiplayer mode, of course.
Feel free to use other players as a tasty distraction as you madly swim towards salvation. They won’t judge you; they’ll just die instead. Make sure to honor their memory with a refreshing cocktail!
Games Like Subnautica
The Forest
Are you sick of being accosted by nasties in the briny deep? Would you prefer a more verdant surrounding? Then you’ll love heading out to The Forest, where you’ll get to meet the locals and fend off mutants. Tourism is on the rise!
In an effort to rescue his kidnapped son, Eric Leblanc uses whatever weapons he can fashion from his surroundings. Fire works pretty well, but there’s something to be said for the simple elegance of a pointy stick. Of special note is the AI on display in this game, as enemies operate with conservative aggression (no, you’re an oxymoron!), seemingly not wanting to risk their own lives as they attempt to overwhelm you.
Perhaps you might even be interested in perusing a few helpful mods that we’ve compiled? The infinite zipline is a definite highlight, and a true marvel of engineering.
Games Like Subnautica
No Man’s Sky
Alright, so the forest didn’t turn out to be quite as tranquil as you’d hoped. How about the eternal cosmos? Maybe that will be a calmer holiday destination, and all going well, you’ll be able to find a space doctor who can reattach your severed limbs.
No Man’s Sky went through the ringer upon its release, with armchair critics lambasting everything from its repetitive environments to the lack of butterflies.
Despite this, they kept working right at it, tinkering and upgrading the universe and garnering a cult following along the way. This level of dedication is truly admirable, and in today’s form, No Man’s Sky is much more fleshed out, with more to do beyond simply leering at weird bird creatures.
Is it good? That’s subjective; ask 10 people and you’ll somehow get 20 different opinions. Is it worth trying? Most definitely; the sheer ambition of this game alone warrants at least a quick investigation.
Games Like Subnautica
Endless Ocean 2
But of course, open world underwater exploration isn’t necessarily a new thing in gaming. Treasures of the Deep was dipping its toes in the water back on the PS1 in the late 90s, and Undersea Adventure on MS-DOS even earlier still. Yes, I intend on arbitrarily inserting that stupid game into the discussion whenever I can, dammit.
The Endless Ocean games on the Wii offered substantially more than either of those titles (short of a manatee with shades), though the focus was more on discovery than danger. Of the two, the sequel was the superior title, adding more varied locations and aggressive animals.
Sure, there really isn’t much of a threat of being attacked, and the preferable option is to just steer clear of any potentially hostile creatures. Occasionally, however, you simply must give into the imp of the perverse and play with the angry fishies.
Poke! Poke! Ow.
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