Make sure you’re ready to dive into Subnautica 2 with these system requirements

Subnautica 2 is almost ready to drag us all back into the deep blue, and naturally, that means one very important question needs answering before you start building a base that will absolutely not be eaten by whatever creatures lie beneath: can your PC actually run it?

With the sequel heading into Early Access, Unknown Worlds has now put the official PC system requirements out there, and they’re not quite as terrifying as a Leviathan appearing out of the murk.

That said, the recommended specs do ask for a fairly modest setup, especially if you’re aiming for smoother performance rather than your flippers stuttering all over the place.

What are the Subnautica 2 system requirements?

Subnautica 2 minimum system requirements

At a minimum, an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600 processor is required. You’ll also need 12GB of RAM, which is a bit of an odd number, since most games are 8GB, 16GB, or 32 GB. It also might be a little higher than the usual 8GB floor some of you may have been expecting.

On the GPU side, Unknown Worlds suggests a GeForce GTX 1660 6GB or Radeon RX 5500 XT 6GB, which should be very attainable in 2026, since these cards are a number of years old.

Storage-wise, you’ll need 50GB of available space, and it doesn’t explicitly state an SSD is required, so if you’re still rocking an HDD, you might be good.

Subnautica 2 recommended system requirements

For the recommended specs, there’s a noticeable jump. Here, Unknown Worlds suggests an Intel Core i7-13700 or AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, and 16GB of RAM.

The recommended graphics cards are the much newer GeForce RTX 3070 8GB or Radeon RX 6700 XT 8GB, again with 50GB of storage space needed.

Is Subnautica 2 Steam Deck compatible?

Yes, Subnautica 2 is Steam Deck Verified, even in its Early Access state, according to the game’s Steam store listing. 

Design Lead Anthony Gallegos furthered the confirmation by stating that players on Xbox Series consoles, the ROG Xbox Ally series, and Steam Deck are “good to go,” adding that no hardware ray tracing is required, with the team planning to optimize the game even further throughout Early Access.

In other words, Subnautica 2 should be playable across a solid range of hardware from day one, with handheld support already looking far healthier than many Early Access launches.