Leaked screenshots and a short clip of Subnautica 2 gameplay appeared on reddit on Tuesday, just two days before the survival game is meant to reach early access on Thursday, May 14, for Xbox Series X/S and PC. The footage appeared to show a quick walkthrough of an early section of the game, along with the user scrolling through the visual menu on PC.
Unknown Worlds moved to tamp down expectations around the material, saying it had identified unofficial builds of Subnautica 2 circulating online. The studio said those files are incomplete development versions and do not reflect the content or gameplay experience being prepared for the official release.
The company also warned that files shared through unofficial channels cannot be verified for safety or stability, and said some features or content may not function as intended. Unknown Worlds added that the complete Subnautica 2 Early Access experience, including multiplayer support and future patches and updates, will be delivered only through official builds on partner platforms.
The leaked menu footage offered one of the clearest hints yet at what early PC players may see at launch, including options to alter windowed settings and visual upscaling methods. IGN said it contacted publisher Krafton for comment.
The leak landed during a fast-moving stretch for game publishers trying to keep pre-release builds off the internet. Earlier in the week, players managed to access both LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight and Forza Horizon 6 before their official launch dates, and the Subnautica 2 material emerged just days after those incidents.
Playground Games, the developer behind Forza Horizon 6, warned that anyone found playing the leaked build risked franchise-wide and hardware bans. At least one player reportedly received a hardware ban that lasted until the year 10,000, a punishment that underscored how aggressively studios are responding to early access breaches.
For Subnautica 2, the message is simpler: what surfaced online is not the real launch build, and players who want the full early access version will have to wait for the official release on Thursday, May 14. That is the version Unknown Worlds says will carry the game’s multiplayer support and the updates it plans to roll out after launch.
