Subnautica

Subnautica is one of the most immersive and unique survival games I've played. It throws you into an alien ocean with almost no direction, and from the start it captures this perfect mix of calm exploration and quiet tension. The world feels alive and mysterious, with every dive revealing something new or unexpected. Building your base, upgrading your gear, and discovering deeper zones all feel rewarding. The story unfolds naturally through audio logs and the environment, which makes it feel more personal. If you like exploration, survival, or just getting lost in a game world, this one sticks with you.

This is a completely unique game. In over thirty years of gaming, I've never played anything quite like this.

Though this is titled as an action-adventure survival game, that description does not quite do it justice. This is fundamentally a Sci-Fi survival game about exploration, base building, progression, and solving a mystery, all with strong horror elements. The game doesn't necessarily try to scare you, but the combination of murky ocean waters, limited oxygen, poor visibility, no weaponry, ambiance, atmospheric music, and giant sea creatures wanting to eat you does the job. This game is at its most frightening when you know something is nearby but you can't see it yet.

My only complaint about this game is that some of its systems are a bit obtuse and difficult to learn at first. For instance, you need to build the habitat builder to start building a base, some things can only be crafted at certain crafting stations, and so on. Otherwise, this game is phenomenal, and I highly recommend.

After playing Outer Wilds everyone suggested this one. The Subnautica starts off really strong. The underwater world is amazing and the overall setting is scary. A few giant sea creatures really spooked me. I love games that trigger Megalophobia and Thalassophobia. However, after around 10 hours the game becomes tedious and repetitive. Everything feels like a chore. The inventory system feels very punishing. It was a bit disappointing for me considering this game has overwhelmingly positive reviews. But it's a great exploration game, it's just not a masterpiece. Also, it should not be recommended as "similar to Outer Wilds" to players, it's nothing like Outer Wilds.

Play this game if you want chills. Play this game in the dark if you want to tremble. Play this game at night in the dark at full volume if you want nightmares. Or just have fun, thats good too.

Truly, Thalassophobia incarnate, especially in hardcore mode. Stranded on an alien water planet, discovering new ways to survive using the resources provided. Will you escape, or will you be a Reaper's next meal?

Even though Subnautica: Below Zero is out, and Subnautica 2 is on its way, I still get drawn back to the original. It has a good story, plenty of places to visit, and (especially on hardcore mode) can easily make you feel like prey, which contributes to better emersion. (Although, I can't wait for Subnautica 2 to release, as it will finally have integrated multiplayer!!!!)

Even after all this time, I still find new ways to play it. Which is understandable, as most of the tools are optional for completing the main quest, not to mention all the base expansions/upgrades. Even now, I still discover new usages for equipment, together with new found appreciation for them. The Air Bladder, who I first thought to have almost no use, saved my life multiple times. Or the Water Filtration Suit, which significantly decreased the amount of water I needed to craft.

And if horror games are not your kind of game, there is a Multiplayer mod, which makes the game less scary, as you are no longer alone (or, at least for me). Yes, I did encounter some glitches (like me clipping through the floor because of bad internet), but they were fun to experience, so I don't mind.

Defenitely a must-play if you have not already

growing up I wanted to be a marine biologist. This game didn't instill the fear of god in me but it definitely instilled the fear of the deep

...I still wanna pet a zebra shark though idgaf

Started the game thinking i’d build a cute little underwater base and chill with some fish. Two hours later: dehydrated, lost in a kelp forest, being screamed at by an alien sea snake the size of a bus. What starts as a desperate scramble for food and fresh water turns into a breathtaking journey through massive coral reefs, glowing caverns, and mysterious alien structures buried deep below the sea. The worldbuilding is phenomenal. Every biome feels alive, dangerous, and filled with secrets. The sense of progression is excellent, you start with just a knife and a scanner, and before long you're building submarines and diving into the crushing depths where sunlight doesn't reach... and where something is definitely watching you. Don’t let the serene ocean setting fool you! This game gets scary, not with cheap jump scares, but with true deep-sea horror.

I think everyone and their dog has heard of Subnautica. One of my all time favourite experiences with a survival game. If you like water, fish and the ocean its a no brainer. Great progress toward the end, fun base building, great tools as you get further in that mix up gameplay and rhythm. Terrifying too. The scale is very spooky at times and always messed me about seeing a wide expanse of nothing. Also peaceful and calming when it wants to be. Have a swim!

This is the sort of game where the elevator pitch would leave me raising an eyebrow in doubt. That is to say, I don't have an particular affinity for underwater life and survival-crafting games are usually more miss than hit for me.

So you'll understand how high a praise it is for me to say that Subnautica is good enough to talk me into liking both of these things a great deal. The thing you don't expect when you first pick this game up is how central vehicles are to the experience. And why would you, that seems completely tangential to the elevator pitch.

Oh no, dear unsuspecting Subnautica neophite. This game is basically just a really good excuse to use 3 of the most fun vehicles ever put in a game for dozens of hours. And the progression is just... *chef's kiss*. I promose you, every time you're tempted to say 'this is cool and all but I really wish I had...' the next vehicle you unlock is going to do exactly that thing. Plus a bunch of things you didn't know you wanted.

The art is obviously very good. You can see that in the screenshots, you don't need me to say so. They really go whole hog on exploring every crazy ocean biome you can think of. The music is really stellar, too. The tracks that play when you're plunging into the abyss, just telling you that whatever you're afraid is down there, reality is probably even worse.

Anyway, this is one of those games that's so good, I don't think it matters much if none of the genre tags appeal much to you. It's just the best in class for all those tags. Why are you still reading this? Buy it already.

Great game that always has you on your toes. As someone who is terrified of the ocean and went from being too scared to leave my life pod to exploring the deepest depths this game offered, I can 100% say this is a worth it game to play through with not only a beautiful story but an equally as gorgeous ecosystem. Every biome offers new and unique creatures and colours that never failed to wow me. 10/10 will be playing this game again

This game literally changed my life, it changed the way I view the worlds beauty and gave me a deeper interest in marine life. I'll never forget my first play-through. I can't recommend Subnautica enough, the world building and story telling are amazing, it really makes you feel like you're living on 4546b. The balance of wanting to beat the game and never wanting it to be over because you fall in love with the world is a feeling I don't think will ever be recreated for me quite the same way. I've been playing this game for years and it still hasn't lost it touch even after all this time. You'll enjoy this game for it's game play and mechanics, but you'll fall in love with it for it's rich story, amazing ecosystems, captivating wildlife, and deep world-building. I recommend playing this game not for the ending (though it is amazing) but for the journey there, take your time, explore every nook cranny and tiny cave, listen to the PDA entries, scan the wildlife and read about how they live, build not just a house or a base but a home, look for easter eggs, and dive into every wonder-filled biome no matter how deep and dark. You will be rewarded. It's unique charm is everywhere you look and it's worth every second and penny you spend on it. I could go on and on about how much I love this game but I think it's better you play it for yourself.
It isn't without a bug or flaw here and there, like sometimes the fauna and vehicles can clip through the floor, and I wish there was a way to customize the inside of the cyclops color or the outside of your bases more, and if you could dock your cyclops somehow so it didn't just sit next to your base without much of a true home I would love that, perhaps the sequel can add a larger moon bay. And I'd love more ways to make inventory management easier, like an expandable bag of some kind or simply the sea-glide only taking 4 slots would be great too. But those are really my only nit-picks, this game is amazing and I can't thank the devs enough for making it. I'm beyond excited for Subnautica 2 to release. This game competes with Minecraft, Breath of the wild, and Pokemon for the title of my favorite game. Yet when someone asks me what my favorite game is, Subnautica always comes to mind first. Just play it, it's a 10/10.

OMG! This I cant believe how late I got this game. For anyone out there thinking about trying it out, this is transform you into Another Life! A Story! A Lore! I just beat the game at 12 AM in the morning. This is the best I've ever felt the ending was nothing short of being spectacular! Best game with the most mysterious story I've ever seen. You do not want to be missing out on this exciting adventure. I had to admit at first, it was kinda boring to collect resources and food non-stop, but after getting my cyclopes. I really got addicted. This game has soooooo much things to do, it's like underwater minecraft that tells a story. YOU WONT REGRET IT.

awsome game really good story and character development cant wait for subnautica 2

An absolutely incredible game that I may or may not have forced my boyfriend to play so I could experience it for the first time again through his eyes.

The scientists say that it's impossible to make gold with our current technologies but this game's devs somehow did it!
This is one of the games you have to try in your lifetime.

It's one of the best game ever made. The world and game design, simply set the standard for aquatic exploring game. It's the kind of game where you wish you could play it again for the first time. It just simply good and well made game.
10/10 would recommend to anyone.

An absolutely amazing game with lots to explore, base-building, and super cool vehicles to operate. Love everything about it, and even after the story completion, I find myself going back to it every once it a while and start again. :D
The first play-through can be a bit scary and there are many things to discover along the way. Eagerly waiting for Subnautica 2. 🔥

I love this game and for a good reason, The fun I have had just exploring the world, seeing all the fish from small to big, harmless to deadly, deep waters to shallow waters, and I can't forget how beautiful the game looks.
10/10 would get scared of leviathans again!

Horror is a genre that defines many of gaming's most famous titles and franchises that I find makes for many memorable experiences, whether because it is fully intending to scare its players as a true horror title or taking a more subtle approach through means of tension within the atmosphere of a carefully-crafted world that gets to people's nerves in ways one might not expect when doing the usual intended game activities.

Naturally the depths of the sea are a key setting for many an iconic movie as well as the world of literature and novels, seeing how the void of the deep waters is home to many a scary aquatic fish as well as particular 'otherworldly' denizens that such Lovecraftian works as 'The Night Ocean' and 'The Call of Cthulhu' explored to a terrifying degree where psychological horror is concerned, particularly with the discoveries surrounding 'Abyssal Gigantism' and the mythos that stemmed from all of this bizarre science in the world of Ichthyology!

It's not surprising to see why Subnautica was a natural contender for 2018's horror scene, given that it is primarily an underwater exploration game that puts you in the shoes of a survivor of the Aurora spaceship that crashed onto the planet simply known as '4546B' under mysterious circumstances. From there, your main goal is to survive by means of extracting various resources from the surrounding land under the sea (be they minerals, plants or small fish) to help you survive in this new alien environment.

One thing I should note right before delving any further into this particular title here is that I have had previous experience with Subnautica before, indirectly via several playthroughs back to near when this game first launched in 2018 then getting a chance to experience it for myself on the PlayStation 5 in the form of the second entry, Below Zero, that I will be making several key comparisons as to what makes Subnautica so great and effective at what it seeks to accomplish as a horror experience whilst also making pointers as to how certain features missing or lessened in its sequel made it a less enjoyable time for players overall.

To start off, one of Subnautica's greatest strengths is its clear focus on a more slower style of exploration, given the limitations in your ability to move underwater and the many upgrades you will need to acquire to improve your speed in traversing the many biomes under the sea with increasingly dangerous hazards to navigate. Since the slow-paced exploration does wonders in adding to the overall immersion of the world you inhabit as the team behind Subnautica carefully designed the different areas as well as the intentional muted usage of audio, hearing the monstrous roar of some alien beast off in the distance and not quite being able to tell how far off it really is and the general isolation of the player truly encapsulates that feeling of unease as you progress further downwards.

What I also quite like about the way Subnautica's map is designed is how all paths eventually lead to a route towards the deeper biomes in a way that seems natural to this alien world and how this lends itself well to exploration and the push to go further down by means of getting various resources to build upon what you have and to expand your 'arsenal' of diving equipment, noting that there are very few weapons to fight off the many predators and threats of Planet 4546B (this game's method of explaining this and other info can be found via PDAs and fauna/flora whose data can be scanned with a specific tool for this exact purpose alongside blueprints for many of the items you'll need to craft in order to thrive) which in turn leads to a different approach on how to handle these dangers compared to most horror games.

It also helps that this game delivers on the terror of diving deep beyond where practically 99.99% of all humans will ever go, since Subnautica is an experience worth trying out for any fan of the horror genre, be they casual fans or hardcore fanatics! Having to face off not just against the usual small and large predators of the sea but also eventually coming across the revered 'leviathans' that strike fear upon first hearing them, and that's assuming your first sight of them is a straight-up jumpscare via an unexpected sudden attack from behind in the vast open waters or the larger caves deeper underground where these aquatic behemoths tend to lay in wait for their prey!

Evidently Subnautica has not gotten to where it has here in 2025 with over 280k reviews and an overall rating of 97% without at least being a pretty solid title in its own right, something my review will likely not change the minds of those who already have tried out Subnautica and loved it or the rare few that simply did not gel with it. However, I wish to further strengthen my review of this splendid horror game by comparing it to what some will say is a direct 'sequel', though I believe it was originally intended to be DLC to this game but grew to a scale of being its own entry in the Subnautica series.

I am, of course, referring to Subnautica: Below Zero which has caused a lot of controversy in the direction it took the underwater exploration game by shifting its focus from horror being a secondary but significant element of Subnautica's gameplay with isolation being a key theme into leaning more towards a character-focused storytelling of immersion, letting the players take the shoes of somebody who isn't just a silent protagonist but rather a fully-voiced character that enabled the development studio behind this game, Unknown Worlds, to explore more of Planet 4546B but from a more arctic landscape as opposed to the warm tropical waters in the first title.

The reason I bring this up is largely down to how the sequel does succeed in some key areas, mainly the core mechanics of exploring a new underwater environment and gathering resources to progress whilst interacting with friendly flora/fauna and evading the more dangerous ones alongside expanding on the base building system further that makes it that much more of a joy to set up and create your own base, whether on land or setting on shallow waters to the very deepest parts of the tundra sea.

With that said, many have played Below Zero and found it lacking in several departments, with the storytelling suffering greatly from a shift in the writing department back when Subnautica first released in 2018 and the gameplay no longer feeling so enjoyable due to many of the bigger threats either lacking that same aggression which could pounce upon you when least expected or those that overdo it to a point of actively becoming a nuisance. (A certain huge worm of the icy plains is a key example of Below Zero's faults!)

And it goes without saying that the bright and colourful visuals of Below Zero were too saturated in how the more cramped cave spaces (hence no mighty 'Cyclops' equivalent in that game) ironically give a weird feeling of safety by being able to hide from the larger fish that you would normally be exposed to for most of your time spent deep underwater, a key design choice with the larger spaces when going deeper in the original game as all of that murky water you had to navigate made the risk of a sudden encounter with a ferocious leviathan very much a real threat whilst Below Zero failed to achieve that same effect.

No doubt that Below Zero is a game that can still be enjoyed with the right mindset, however it is still a downgrade compared to the original game and, with the release date of the upcoming Subnautica 2 on the horizon, I hope to put this forward as an informed piece on how the true sequel to this unique title should strive to become. With that said, I wholeheartedly recommend this underwater open world game to those still curious about it or those looking for a new type of horror to experience and, with some hope and luck, the upcoming sequel should prove to be a worthy successor of the Subnautica series!

Highly recommended, especially for people with deep-sea phobia, for playing at night.
Above all, at the beginning of the game, you should go to the front of the Aurora, where there is a lot of useful stuff.

Great story, pacing, base building, survival. The best game of its kind. I especially appreciate the ability to customize and personalize vehicles. 10/10

This game is one of the most satisfying survival/problem solving games ever. But I just wish sometimes it would give you a little more guidance on what your next objective is.

Absolutely love the game everything is amazing very few noticable bugs that average players would find. A massive problem is that one day randomly after running perfectly smooth with lush graphics the game goes nope your gpu isnt good enough, i dont even have a gpu but the cpu could handle it just fine!!! like really it was chill at 15% cpu capacity and now it doesnt even run at all. checked for malware found some but they were unrelated tothe issue and i removed them and its still not working. it works just fine when i play on my little HP laptop which is embarresing for the 1.5k pc im using that worked before but not now!?!? i have corrupted the files of a world when using cloud data from my laptop but during that time i played with currupted files it worked, (fyi it changed from freedom to survival is all the changes i found) so please both steam and subnautica if you do randomly look into this i hope to the lords above you find a solution 🙏🙏🙏good luck if you try!! im sad only because i spent $45 on the wonderful game :(

it is the best game ever of surival,it is first scary to explore other places,but after some time the game is fun...althought there are some scary things you may discover

This game has me quivvering in my fins. It really manages to capture the ocean in its stunning graphics and camera movement. The physics while you're in the water are insane, Like the way the camera tips and the bubbles and things. Love it.
It has a lil glitch with the underwater sounds where they keep playing when you exit the water but it happens infrequently enough that I just pretend it's the character getting water in their ears sometimes.

The best survival and open world game I ever played! I recommend subnautica to players who love survival and open world games.

Subnautica seems like a whimsical little, "Heehee, I get to swim with the fishies and learn about them," kind of game at first, but it's actually not. Well, there is a little bit of that, but Subnautica features what a lot of survival crafting games lack, and that's story and meaningful progression. You can indeed finish Subnautica. It's a survival crafting STORY game.

You'll be surprised how you'll easily learn what builds into what, and how those things that you build keep opening up new tasks for you to do. Those tasks then bring you to new places which raise or answer more questions about the mysterious environment you're in. The environment is really good. As you surely know, it's underwater, but it's actually a pretty huge, carefully constructed map. At first I was unsure if it was procedurally generated or not, but it's definitely all intentional.

Survival crafting games are nearly synonymous with being incomplete messes unfortunately, but Subnautica is not one of those games. I don't even think survival crafting is a genre that really appeals to me, but I loved Subnautica. I think many genres have that one game of theirs which even if it isn't your usual thing, is still a great game. Subnautica earns that spot as the game you'd think of when someone says, "I don't like survival crafting games, but I still like..."

Despite playing this game a while ago, I only managed to play it till the very end just now.
Great game, but definitely needs some QoL mods. Really did not expect that ending, as a few years ago I thought it would be different. If you are a fan of survival games with an end goal, definitely recommended.

After completing 100% of Subnautica, I thought that it was a great, different survival experience that everyone should give a go.

The game is about exploring and finding your own way to get things done, which has many positives. My only complaint is that after the radio comms die down in the latter half of the game, I found myself lost trying to figure out what to do next. That's remedied with a couple of hours of exploring, but can be tough without using the wiki/tutorials to figure out what's next.

I didn't find the game to be scary, but I have no fears of claustrophobia or the deep sea. I could see how someone who doesn't like those things would find this really unsettling. Even in moments I found myself getting frantic over the creatures around me anyways so I still got a taste of it.

Can't wait to 100% Below Zero and the sequel coming this year. Would reccommend.

one of if not my favourite game cant wait for subnautica 2 (PLZ give me early access i will pay triple)

been playing since alpha back in 2015, this game came a long way and i'm very pleased with the final release and the modding community as a whole.

if you have played this game more than 5 times i suggest modding it.

This is the best survival game, it can be the most relaxing and beautifull game and the scariest game at the same time. This game just sucks you into itself and its lore.
10/10 game

Wonderful gem of a game right here. I discovered it wayyyy late it seems, but man I see now why this is considered the gold standard for survival games still to this day.

I really enjoyed the utter terror of the deeper and deeper levels of the abyss and all the cool biomes to slowly conquer. Very much a game where you feel your efforts and triumphs all matter, and it definitely rewards your risky exploration and general curiosity. There are many things you just have to learn by doing, or with some luck you find yourself bumping into on accident while doing something else. Lol. Feels old school or something in that way, but man is it a pretty game. The lore is pretty cool too and digging deeper into things always felt interesting at the least and the progression chain is superb, just satisfying as hell; the climb.

If you're into the survival type gameplay loop, and into scifi and a mystery of the dark void down below the deepest levels of an alien ocean, then I feel you'll enjoy this one. Don't even need mods or anything, just give vanilla a solid try!

The most fun/relaxing and the scariest/most stressful game I have ever played

10/10 game

One word, YES. Subnautica is by far one of the best open world games i have ever played by far. From the Craters edge to the Aurora crash site everything about this game is amazing, personally this game still holds up really well. The story is really good, i don't want to get into spoilers even though the game is like 6 years old (full release) but the bacterium was actually an unexpected plot point for the story. When i first went into Subnautica i thought the whole story was just you crash land on an alien world and then you try to get off said alien world but i was surprised when the Kharaa bacterium just popped up, overall this game gets a solid 8/10 from me

More than 10 years after its release and yet, its still better than most games. This is an absolute must play and I 100% recommend it. This game got rid of my thalassophobia, now I do have a reason to be terrified of the ocean. 10/10

Really good game if you enjoy exploration. As for the "horror" side of it, there isn't that much to be honest. Like unless you're like 9 years of age you should be good.

Honestly one of the best games I have ever played. I really enjoyed the survival aspects, building my bases and having to figure things out. Really worth your time and make sure to avoid spoilers!

Amazing gameplay and story. Can't wait for Subnautica 2.

One of the best underwater exploration and survival games out there, if not THE best. I cannot describe the AWE I felt when I played this for the first time. I have since played many, many runs and built several base designs. There is a ton of replay value in the base building function and hardcore (permanent death) mode. I just completed hardcore before writing this. While I wish I could experience this game for the first time all over again, subsequent playthroughs are just as scary and intimidating as the first time.

Oh and for goodness' sake, use the pathfinder if you plan to go into a cave system, and always keep an eye on your oxygen. Asphyxiation is more deadly than any creature on 4546B.

Just play it. One of the few games you can play where are sucked in the whole time. It is up there with games like Outer Wilds.

Avoid any sort of discussion about this game for the best experience. The game is not extremely punishing and rewards exploration! The dialogue is charming, with humor that is subtle and relevant to the situation.

I liked the part where I got scared and had to call in a friend to watch me scan a certain creature that rhymes with "peeper". To illustrate how this game makes me feel, read this:

It took 70.3 hours for me to beat the game, even while babying myself towards the end. I started playing on November 27th 2023, and beat the game on April 13th 2025. I invested myself into Subnautica three times in late 2023, late 2024, and early 2025. In the words of my favorite time capsule, "The Ocean is Scary!"

I have no idea where the additional 11.7 hours came from.

If you like survival crafting games, you'll like this one

Unlike many, it has a static map and a plot, which I recommend going into blind if it hasn't been spoiled for you already. There's also a wonderful modding community if you feel it's missing something, but there's a reason I've put over 550 hours into this game at time of posting

I first discovered this game by watching Jacksepticeye playing, but after watching him playing while the game was developing was very fun to discover and then I watch Pewdiepie do the same and Markiplier. I really enjoyed watching them playing so I said why not buy it.

Since I bought it, I played at least 4 playthrough and I never once regret it. It is such a good balanced between survival, adventure and base building. It is most likely my favorite survival craft game.

I really love the graphics, not so realistic, but still beautiful. (Most of the time scary though)
I love the crafting system, so enjoyable and satisfying and so is the blueprints system. I love that you have to find the pieces in the maps and scan them to get more advance and more useful tools and vehicules. (Makes it rewarding to find them)
The vehicules in this game are so well made, the way you control them, the sound, the upgrades, and the movements. The movements are so smooth and never once had a bug in them.
The story is engaging, and it shows you (in a cool way) where to go early in the game so you don't get lost too quick in the vast ocean that awaits you.

I am actually suprised I did not review this game sooner, but this is a big Recommendation from me, even if you are scared of water. This game is 1000/10.

Good job on the developers on this game and I can not wait for Subnautica 2 to come out :)

This game is the best survival game ever made. Nothing can change my mind

Back when this released i played it almost everyday, eventually i grew bored and left, but after subnautica 2 has been announced i am revisiting this, and the nostalgia kills me, i feel like like I've met an old friend whom I've left behind

If I could I would experience getting thalassophobia from this game again

10/10

Just started. It's a game with great scope. No manual though, basically figure out. Once the basics are understood (which are easy - after finding them!) It's an excellent game.
Runs very beautifully, and should run well on older machines too.
I've only started so this review is only first impressions, but intuition tells me this will be a very immersive game. A game that if the player so desires can be very engaging.

Played this on Epic Games back in 2018. Playthrough after playthrough. I just kept restarting.
Eventually bought it again on Steam just to have an excuse to dive back in one more time.

An absolute masterpiece in atmosphere, exploration, and subtle storytelling.
The music. The depth (literally). That mix of awe and loneliness.
Subnautica is one of those games that sticks with you.

Subnautica 2? HELL YEAHHHH. I'm so ready.

got it for free on epic its so good i bought it to support the developers

Love the gameplay and the storyline, which is quite the combination! Only dislike is the demon fishes, so... the things you're supposed to dislike! well done and will probably play again (love the base-building)

SUBNAUTICA.
Personally I love this survival simulator. It is mostly all ocean survival, but you do get the occasional island or spacecraft. I prefer to play in sandbox mode to cut out the tedious nature of locating a resource, then crafting the tool to mine it only to find it is not enough to do anything with so you need to spend hours locating and collecting one resource.
Subnautica is the original & first edition of this game and it is so much better than the Below-Zero edition. In a single word why the original Subnautica light years better than Sub-Zero, it would be 'SUBMARINE'.

In Subnautica you can build a genuine submarine with a smaller exploration craft... While in Sub-Zero you dont get a submarine at all. To best describe it... I'd have to call it a section of train like cabins stuck together in random order which not only looks ridiculous but the manoeuvrability of what essentially is an underwater train carriage is painfully annoying to operate underwater without constantly getting stuck. I have even just abandoned it altogether and build another.
Seriously, my Sub-Zero game the sea floor is littered with abandoned underwater trains.

I recommend buying Subnautica absolutely to survival sim lovers as it keeps you busy for hours discovering all kinds of stuff, but just be warned the Sub-Zero edition might not be for everyone. It's basically the original game without a cool submarine and offers nothing new to the game with the exception of a few penguins.