Builder
Anchors the base — places foundations, manages oxygen, sets up power and storage. Best in early game while the rest of the crew scouts.
Subnautica 2 Multiplayer & Co-op.
The first Subnautica with native co-op. Four divers per session. Crossplay between PC and Xbox. No split-screen. Cross-progression keeps your save in sync as you move between machines. Here is everything that holds together when the deep starts pulling at the seams.
Headline numbers
CO-OP CAPABILITY MATRIX
- Max players
- 4 (online)
- Crossplay
- PC ↔ Xbox
- Cross-progression
- Account-bound save
- Split-screen
- Not supported
- Solo mode
- Fully supported
- Dedicated servers
- Host-based session
How to invite a friend
- Both players need a copy of Subnautica 2 — there is no free trial / friend pass at Early Access launch.
- From the main menu, pick Co-op → Host (you create the world) or Join (friend hosts).
- Open Invite Friend. Steam, Epic, and Xbox friends are surfaced via your platform overlay.
- Crossplay: the in-game name lookup lets a PC player invite an Xbox account by Gamertag and vice versa.
Crossplay — PC ↔ Xbox
Crossplay is enabled by default. PC players on Steam, Epic, or Xbox PC can play in the same session as Xbox Series X|S console players. PS5 is not in the crossplay pool because the platform itself is not in Early Access.
Shared progression — what's yours, what's everyone's
Inside a co-op session, the following are shared by the entire crew:
- Base structures, power lines, storage lockers
- Vehicle bays and any vehicles parked there
- Item drops in the world (first to grab gets it)
- Discovered scan data and unlocked blueprints
The following stay individual:
- Personal inventory (your knife, your O₂ tank)
- Account-level achievements / Xbox gamerscore
- Your cross-progression save metadata
Best co-op roles for a 4-player crew
There are no hard role classes — anyone can do anything. But splitting roles cuts your early-game time roughly in half. A good Subnautica 2 crew loadout:
Scout
Maps biomes, plants beacons, scans creatures. Carries the Seaglide and an extra O₂ tank. The crew's eyes.
Hunter
Handles food, water, and creature defence. Knife + repulsion cannon + speargun loadout. Watches for predators while the others mine.
Engineer
Crafts upgrades, builds the first vehicle, and chases blueprints. Lives at the modification station.
Co-op base building
Every co-op crew should agree on one of two base philosophies before placing the first foundation:
- Hub model: one large central base everyone returns to. Best for resource pooling and fewer fabricators to maintain.
- Outpost model: each player holds a forward base in a different biome, with a hub home. Slower to set up but covers more of the map.
Solo vs co-op — which mode for your first run?
Subnautica 1 was written as a solo experience and the storytelling assumed isolation and dread. Subnautica 2's design accommodates co-op, but the horror beats land harder solo. Recommended order:
- Play 8–10 hours solo. Hit the first biome transition. Feel the fear.
- Then bring in friends for the deep-biome push and base building.
- Re-run solo for the story finale once 1.0 lands.
⌖ Comms Bank
Crew Protocol — Frequently Asked
Q.01 Is Subnautica 2 multiplayer?
Yes. Subnautica 2 is the first Subnautica game with native multiplayer. Up to 4 players can play together online.
Q.02 How many players can play Subnautica 2 co-op?
Up to 4 players in a single online session, including the host.
Q.03 Does Subnautica 2 have crossplay?
Yes — crossplay between PC (Steam, Epic) and Xbox Series X|S / Xbox PC is supported. PlayStation is not in the crossplay pool because PS5 is not in Early Access.
Q.04 Does Subnautica 2 have cross-progression?
Yes. Your save and progress follow your account across supported platforms — start on PC, finish on Xbox.
Q.05 Does Subnautica 2 have split-screen?
No. Co-op is online-only. There is no local split-screen mode confirmed.
Q.06 How do I invite a friend in Subnautica 2?
In-game, open the Co-op menu, choose "Invite Friend," and select from your platform friends list (Steam, Epic, or Xbox). Crossplay invites work between PC and Xbox via the in-game name lookup.
Q.07 Is progression shared between co-op players?
Items, blueprints, and base structures within a session are shared. Personal progression (account-level cosmetics, achievements) belongs to each player individually.
Q.08 What happens to my base when my friend logs off?
Bases persist in the host's save. Co-op sessions typically use a host-and-join model — when the host is offline, the world is offline.
Q.09 Can I play Subnautica 2 solo?
Yes — single-player is fully supported. Co-op is opt-in, not the only mode.
Q.10 Does co-op have separate save files from single-player?
Save management has not been fully detailed publicly. Expect at minimum a "host this world for co-op" toggle similar to Valheim or Palworld.