Subnautica
- Developer
- Unknown Worlds
- Publisher
- Gearbox Publishing
- Released
- 23 January 2018
- Age rating
- PEGI N/A
- UK price
- £25.99
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PlayStation 5, macOS, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Descend into the depths of an alien underwater world filled with wonder and peril. Craft equipment, pilot submarines and out-smart wildlife to explore lush coral reefs, volcanoes, cave systems, and more, all while trying to survive.
Best gaming PC for Subnautica in 2026
Full buyers guide →Below are the four PC tiers we'd actually recommend for Subnautica today. These are our 2026 hardware picks, not the dated publisher minimums you'll find on Steam.
Budget
1080p · 60fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 5 7600
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 8GB
- RAM
- 16 GB
- Storage
- 1TB NVMe SSD
Mid-tier
1440p · 60fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 7700
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB
- RAM
- 32 GB
- Storage
- 2TB NVMe SSD
High-end
1440p · 144fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB
- RAM
- 32 GB
- Storage
- 2TB NVMe SSD
Enthusiast
4K · 60fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 32GB
- RAM
- 64 GB
- Storage
- 4TB NVMe SSD
Official system requirements
These are the minimum and recommended specs as published by Gearbox Publishing on Steam. They tend to be conservative, usually "what ran the game at 1080p when it shipped". For what you should actually buy in 2026, see the tier cards above.
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows Vista SP2 / newer / 64-bit | Windows Vista SP2 / newer / 64-bit |
| CPU | Intel Haswell 2 cores / 4 threads @ 2.5Ghz or equivalent | Intel Haswell 4 cores / 4 threads @ 3.2Ghz or equivalent |
| RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| GPU | Intel HD 4600 or equivalent - This includes most GPUs scoring greater than 950 points in the 3DMark Fire Strike benchmark | Nvidia GTX 550 Ti or equivalent, 2GB VRAM |
| Storage | 20 GB | 20 GB |
| DirectX | 11 | 11 |
Verified 23 August 2026 against the Steam store page.
Can your PC run Subnautica?
If your CPU is roughly equivalent to Intel Haswell 4 cores / 4 threads @ 3.2Ghz and your GPU is at or above Nvidia GTX 550 Ti, you'll hit recommended settings at 1080p/60. For 1440p or higher, look at the tier picks above.