Subnautica: Below Zero

The resemblance to Subnautica is about as close as this list gets: they line up on genre, combat and game mode. The common ground extends to base building and a first-person view.
Same studio: Unknown Worlds Entertainment.

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If Subnautica left you wanting more, this list of 26 similar games is for you. Each one shares part of its essence — survival mechanics, strong narrative focus and open world exploration — and the NextGameLike editorial team ranks them by a similarity score computed across 16 attributes. Subnautica: Below Zero comes closest (95/100).
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The closest game to Subnautica is Subnautica: Below Zero — scoring 95/100 on our similarity scale. Green Hell and Sons Of The Forest follow close behind.
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Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Subnautica. Each one has been evaluated across 16 real attributes — from combat style and progression mechanics to world structure and visual perspective — so every recommendation is based on how the game actually plays, not just its genre label.

The resemblance to Subnautica is about as close as this list gets: they line up on genre, combat and game mode. The common ground extends to base building and a first-person view.
Same studio: Unknown Worlds Entertainment.

The resemblance to Subnautica is about as close as this list gets: they line up on genre, combat and tone. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and multiplayer gameplay. The distance is in game mode and setting — its own ground is co-op play.

What brings it close to Subnautica is strong narrative focus, open world exploration and melee combat, and the two track each other on genre, combat and world. To that it adds crafting mechanics and a first-person view. They part company on tone and game mode: this one brings dark, oppressive atmosphere and co-op play.
Released 6 years after Subnautica.

On paper it is what Subnautica is — strong narrative focus, open world exploration and horror setting — though the resemblance is mostly at that level. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. They part company on visuals and tone: this one brings dark, oppressive atmosphere and post-apocalyptic world.

The genre is the same as Subnautica’s, and with it strong narrative focus, melee combat and horror setting. To that it adds a first-person view and single-player focus. They part company on visuals and tone: this one brings dark, oppressive atmosphere and an isometric view.
Released 4 years after Subnautica.

Genre puts it alongside Subnautica, and so does strong narrative focus, melee combat and horror setting. The common ground extends to crafting mechanics and single-player focus. Where the two diverge is visuals and progression: dark, oppressive atmosphere and ranged combat.

Genre puts it alongside Subnautica, and so does strong narrative focus, melee combat and horror setting. To that it adds multiplayer gameplay. They part company on visuals and tone: this one brings dark, oppressive atmosphere and ranged combat.

On paper it is what Subnautica is — strong narrative focus, melee combat and horror setting — though the resemblance is mostly at that level. The common ground extends to multiplayer gameplay. Where the two diverge is visuals and tone: dark, oppressive atmosphere and a third-person camera.

Same family as Subnautica: strong narrative focus, melee combat and horror setting. The common ground extends to multiplayer gameplay. Where the two diverge is visuals and tone: dark, oppressive atmosphere and co-op play.

Same family as Subnautica: strong narrative focus, melee combat and horror setting. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. The distance is in visuals and progression — its own ground is dark, oppressive atmosphere and a third-person camera.
Released 6 years after Subnautica.

The genre is the same as Subnautica’s, and with it strong narrative focus, melee combat and horror setting. Both also lean on a first-person view and single-player focus. The distance is in combat and tone — its own ground is dark, oppressive atmosphere and stealth mechanics.

With Subnautica it shares strong narrative focus, melee combat and horror setting. To that it adds single-player focus and a first-person view. They part company on tone: this one brings dark, oppressive atmosphere.

On paper it is what Subnautica is — strong narrative focus, melee combat and horror setting — though the resemblance is mostly at that level. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and a first-person view. The distance is in progression and tone — its own ground is dark, oppressive atmosphere and historical setting.
Released 5 years after Subnautica.

Genre puts it alongside Subnautica, and so does strong narrative focus, melee combat and horror setting. To that it adds single-player focus. They part company on visuals and tone: this one brings dark, oppressive atmosphere and a third-person camera.
It predates Subnautica by 13 years, with what that implies technically.

It comes from the same genre as Subnautica and shares strong narrative focus, open world exploration and melee combat. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and a first-person view. Where the two diverge is combat and tone: dark, oppressive atmosphere and stealth mechanics.
Found one on the list you already love? Open its own list: the games that play most like it, ranked, with the reason for each.
If Subnautica left you wanting more, this is where you narrow it down. Was it the sandbox or the sci-Fi that hooked you? There is a list of just that. And if you play on Nintendo Switch, PS5, PlayStation and Xbox, filter by platform and skip the games you could not play anyway.
Sometimes what you want is not a Subnautica look-alike but simply the best Survival Horror Games there are. That is what these rankings are for: no comparison to anything, just the highest-rated games. And if you feel like widening the net, the Survival Games ranking is a good way to run into something you were not expecting.