The best underrated exploration games to play before Subnautica 2

Subnautica 2 It's been in the works for a while now, and fans around the world are eagerly waiting to see how good the sequel really is. The original is widely considered a masterpiece of exploration-based gameplay and proof of how an engaging world with a compelling story can easily engage playersfor years to come. While it's still unclear when the sequel will end, there are still plenty of great exploration games out there that capture the essence of alien adventure through a slightly different perspective, setting, and gameplay style.

Many of these games take a similar underwater route, allowing players to explore the murky depths below in search of knowledge and answers, while others keep the action above sea level but still have enough interesting environments for players to truly feel lost in it. At the end of the day, players can just sit back and wait patiently for the game to come out, so that time can be spent just as much, if not more, enjoying enjoyable experiences that may become their next favorite experiences.

Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss

Solving the mystery under the sea

Details:

• Atmospheric exploration without the need for survival

• The narrative unfolds through environmental clues.

Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss is a first-person underwater adventure that focuses on investigating the wreck of the eponymous ship and piecing together what led to its demise. Players inhabit the role of Cam, a diver who returns to a wrecked ship on the seabed to discover the fate of its missing crew and come to terms with the personal losses that have come with it, with much of the story taking place within the environment and the player's movements within it.

Far from being a survival game, it focuses more on immersion and story exploration over combat and base building, but that doesn't mean the world isn't extremely scary and mysterious from the start. The game's exploration reflects the spirit of the original Subnautica by placing patience and curiosity as the main sources of progress, and the emphasis on human-centered mystery blends perfectly with the player's movement through the debris as they slowly piece together the answers they've been dying to find.

Invincible

A philosophical sci-fi adventure

Details:

• Planetary exploration

• Tools reveal environmental cues and context

Invincible stands out as a richly narrative exploration game set in the alien world of Regis III, where players take on the role of astrobiologist Yasna in search of the missing team and the hidden mystery of what happened on the planet. The world is full of alien landscapes that players can explore at whatever pace suits them, and have access to a variety of tools such as scanners and trackers that allow them to locate points of interest and uncover the environment's complex story.

Although not an ocean game, its emphasis on uncovering environmental secrets and understanding the larger world structurally mirrors that Subnautics main game loop. Players engage with the world not through crafting or building, but through methodical exploration of the environment and uncovering story threads by carefully examining the surface, making it a stellar example of how the desire to learn more about a story can be all they need to keep going.

Project Solus

Survive more than just a crash

Details:

• A harsh environment that requires serious attention

• Different biomes and locations

Project Solus places players alone after a crash on a mysterious alien planet and tasks them with surviving and exploring an unforgiving sci-fi environment. With dynamic weather, day and night cycles, and environmental hazards such as storms and temperature changes, the world itself is a test for players to overcome and adapt to, and only those willing to learn and evolve will be able to navigate the deadly biomes and underground ruins below.

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

Narcosis

Claustrophobia of a Whole Different Kind

Details:

• Immersive horror experience

• Limited safety nets increase psychological fear

Narcosis is a first-person survival horror game set on the Pacific seabed, where players are trapped in oppressive darkness with limited oxygen and only basic tools to ward off fear and find a way to the surface. Exploration here becomes a psychological journey through isolated, low-visibility environments covered in unnerving objects and strange structures that look far more alien than human.

Unlike Subnautica With extensive open-world exploration and extensive creature encounters, the game focuses more on the tension that comes from a closed, oppressive underwater environment. It replicates the feeling of deep dread and atmospheric exploration while stripping away the more practical crafting and core mechanics, resulting in an experience driven by the player's need to survive despite the overwhelming odds and unbearable pressure around them.

Under the waves

Emotional and deeply relaxing

Details:

• Immerse yourself in a story-driven mind

• A much lighter exploration loop

Under the waves is a narrative underwater adventure that uses exploration and player engagement with the world to reflect on personal loss and isolation amid the depths of the North Sea. Players control a professional diver who navigates the open waters, pilots a small submarine, and explores everything from shipwrecks to caves to the seabed, all while gathering materials and completing quests that reveal more about the protagonist's past and motivations.

The survey here is milder than Subnautica survival loops, but it shares the basic invitation to get lost in the water world. The game uses exploration not as a means of survival, but as a narrative tool, allowing each dive into the depths to offer both environmental beauty and thematic meaning, inviting players to think as they move through breathtaking underwater spaces.