The best underrated exploration games to play before Subnautica 2

Subnautica 2 It's been in the works for quite some time now, and fans all over the world are eagerly waiting to see how good the follow-up really is. The original is extensive Considered as a masterpiece of exploration-driven gameplay and a testament to how an engaging world with an engaging story can easily captivate players.For years to come. While it's still unclear when a sequel will drop, there are still plenty of great exploration games that capture the essence of alien adventure through a slightly different lens, setting, and style of gameplay.

Many of these games take similar underwater paths, letting players explore the dark depths below in search of knowledge and answers, while others place the action above sea level, but still have an interesting enough atmosphere to make players feel truly lost. At the end of the day, players can sit patiently and wait for a game to be released, so they might as well spend that time, having more fun, if not getting into their favorite experience.

Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss

Solve a mystery under the sea

Details:

• Atmospheric exploration without the survival grind

• The story unfolds through environmental cues.

Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss is a first-person underwater adventure that focuses on exploring the wreckage of the Eponymus ship and piecing it together due to its demise. Players take on the role of Cam, a diver who returns to a shipwreck on the seabed to uncover the fate of his missing crew and come to terms with the personal loss that went with it, with several stories taking place within the environment and the player's movements through it.

Far from being a survival game, it focuses more on combat and base building immersion and story exploration, but that doesn't mean the world isn't extremely terrifying and mysterious from the start. The game's exploration mirrors the spirit of the original Subnautica With patience and curiosity as the main sources of progression, and an emphasis on human-centric mystery, the player moves through the ruins as they slowly piece together the answers they seek.

invincible

A philosophical sci-fi adventure

Details:

• Explore the planet

• Tools reveal clues and environmental context

invincible Alien World stands out as a rich narrative exploration game set in Regis III, where players assume the role of astrobiologist Yasna in search of the missing team and the underlying mystery of what happened on the planet. The world is filled with exotic landscapes that players are free to explore at whatever pace they see fit, and they have access to a range of tools such as scanners and trackers that allow them to locate points of interest and uncover the complex backstory of the setting.

Although not an ocean game, its emphasis on discovering the mysteries of the environment and understanding structurally mirrors the larger world of Subnautica Core gameplay loop. A great example of how players need to keep pressing their desire to learn more about the story, not through crafting or building, but through methodical examination of the environment and careful investigation of the surface, revealing the threads of the story.

The Solus Project

Survive more than just an accident

Description:

• A harsh environment that demands serious attention

• Diverse biomes and locations

The Solus Project After the accident leaves players alone on a mysterious alien planet, tasking them with surviving and exploring an unforgiving sci-fi environment. With dynamic weather, day-night cycles, and environmental hazards like storms and temperature changes, the world itself is a test for players to overcome and adapt, and only those willing to learn and evolve will be able to overcome deadly biomes and underground ruins.

Design philosophy goes hand in hand of SubnauticaBy blending survival with exploration that forces players to venture into more dangerous areas to truly advance their story. On top of that, its focus on environmental storytelling means players don't have to deal with combat or scripted events, and instead, they can enjoy the thrill of exploring a truly alien world with more questions than answers to solve.

Narcosis

A whole different kind of claustrophobia

Details:

• Immersive horror experience

• Limited safety nets have increased psychological fear

Narcosis is a first-person survival horror experience set on the Pacific seafloor, where players are trapped in an oppressive darkness with limited oxygen and basic equipment to survive the horrors and find a way to the surface. Here exploration becomes a psychedelic journey through isolated, low-visibility environments filled with disturbing objects and strange structures that seem more alien than human.

opposite of Subnautica With vast open-world exploration and extensive creature encounters, the game tightens its focus on the tension in a closed, oppressive underwater environment. It replicates the feeling of deep-sea horror and atmospheric exploration while removing the more hands-on crafting and base mechanics, resulting in an experience where the player needs to survive despite overwhelming obstacles and the unbearable pressure around them.

Under the waves

Emotional and deep relaxation

Details:

• The story boggled the mind

• A very light exploration loop

Under the waves is a story-driven underwater adventure that uses exploration and the player's engagement with the world to reflect personal loss and isolation amidst the depths of the North Sea. Players control a professional diver as they navigate open water, pilot a small submarine, and explore everything from wrecks to caves to the ocean floor, collecting materials and tasks that reveal more about the protagonist's past and motivations.

It's lighter than exploring here of Subnautica Survival loops but share a basic invitation to lose yourself in the aquatic world. The game does not use exploration as a means of survival, but as a narrative device that allows each depth dive to be given environmental beauty and thematic significance, inviting players to reflect as they walk through the hidden underwater spaces.