Subnautica Review 2025 – Is This Survival Classic Still Worth Playing?

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I didn’t expect much when I first launched Subnautica. Just another survival game, right? Turns out, I was wrong. 

What I got instead was one of the most unique and oddly immersive survival experiences I’ve ever played. There’s no combat-heavy intro, no flashy tutorial, it’s just you, a busted lifepod, and a massive alien ocean waiting to be explored. It’s slow, atmospheric, and surprisingly tense, especially when you realize you’re not exactly alone down there. 

After multiple replays since release, I feel qualified enough to talk about it (and I rave about it in many articles, like here — did you know you can play it offline?). And you’re probably curious whether it’s worth diving into in 2025, so let’s talk about Subnautica.

Story

You crash-land on an alien planet after your ship, the Aurora, breaks apart in orbit. That’s your starting point, there’s no memory wipes, no chosen-one nonsense. From there, the story is something you uncover piece by piece.

There’s no big cutscene guiding you through anything. You find audio logs, wreckage, old bases, and slowly realize this planet isn’t just abandoned, it’s quarantined. The reason? A deadly alien infection. The deeper you go, the more you start connecting the dots: why the Aurora crashed, what happened to earlier expeditions, and who or what built the ancient structures buried in the depths.

It’s not a fast-paced narrative, but it works. You explore at your own pace, and the further you push into the unknown, the more the story builds until you realize escaping the planet means a lot more than just building a rocket.

Subnautica Game Review 2025 cyclops

Gameplay

Now for the gameplay, Subnautica is a survival game, you start small. The only things you’ve got are scavenging metal scraps and crafting tools but it doesn’t take long before you’re building submarines, diving into deep biomes, and unlocking blueprints that let you go even further. Everything is tied to how deep you can dive and how long you can stay down there. Oxygen is your real limiter, and it’s what makes even short trips feel tense. The number of times I underestimated how much oxygen I had left is something I’m not willing to talk about. It’s something that I’m taking to the grave with me. 

The game’s loop is simple: explore, gather, upgrade, repeat. But it stays interesting because the world is huge and layered. Each new biome feels like its own mini-challenge, and you’re never quite sure what you’re going to run into, especially once you start pushing past the safe shallows.

There are also just some moments that stick with you. Like thinking you’re safe in a Seamoth until a Leviathan grabs it like it’s a toy. Or finally building your massive base, only to realize you forgot power during nighttime and now you’re stuck in the dark with no oxygen. It’s the kind of game where you make your own dumb mistakes, laugh about it, and then fix it. Or build a base and wonder why it is filled with water. It’s one of those mistakes that happen only once.

Subnautica deep sea exploration

Graphics

Visually, Subnautica holds up surprisingly well. The safe shallows are bright, full of coral and fish that look like they belong there. Then you venture deeper, and everything shifts, there’s murky water, flickering lights, bioluminescent plants, and giant silhouettes moving in the distance.

Every biome feels distinct without needing to shove it in your face. You can tell when you’ve entered somewhere new just by the shift in tone and palette. The deeper zones especially do a great job of making you feel like you’re not supposed to be there yet.

The sound design adds a lot to the atmosphere. Music is subtle but well-placed, often dropping out completely when things get tense.

Subnautica Game Review 2025 graphics

Final Words

So, if by some chance you never played the game before, consider yourself lucky. You get a chance to experience it for the first time. It’s going to be a fun ride. Enjoy it. Savor it. And for me? Don’t worry, I’ll probably replay it again one more time this year and if I don’t then it’s because I’m playing the sequel. Oh a sequel? You didn’t know about it? Here’s everything you need to know about it.

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