Subnautica: Below Zero release date confirmed for May

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This summer is about to get a lot colder

Subnautica: Below Zero
(Image credit: Unknown Worlds)

The Subnautica: Below Zero release date has been confirmed for May 14, 2021.

In an announcement today, developer and publisher Unknown Worlds revealed that the sequel to the 2018 survival hit will leave early access in May with a full release on all major consoles, including the PS5 and Xbox Series X, as well as PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

If you're already familiar with Subnautica, then expect plenty more underwater exploration. Below Zero is set on the same planet as Subnautica, a year after the events of the original game, but adds a twist on the formula by dialing down the temperature and moving the action to an alien research center. There's an all-new story and plenty of new tech to craft to help you survive in the icy depths.

If you've never taken the plunge before, the release of Subnautica: Below Zero on Switch offers an excellent opportunity to try out the entire series, as the original game will also be launching on Nintendo's console on May 14, and will be available as part of a physical bundle alongside the upcoming sequel.

Subnautica: Below Zero arrived on Steam in January 2019, meaning it's a little behind the schedule that Unknown Worlds set out back then, which aimed for "approximately one year" in early access. It's rare, however, that a bit of extra development time doesn't work out well for a game, and given the kind of survival game pedigree we're dealing with here, even the wait for May 14 shouldn't be too hard to bear.

While we wait for Subnautica: Below Zero, here's our list of the best survival games.

Ali Jones
Ali Jones
Managing Editor, News

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for news, shaping the news strategy across the team. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.