Subnautica is one of the best games I played this year and I was shocked that not many of the people I know play it.
With over 70,000 review on Steam and a 10/10 score, it doesn’t take much to know this game is as epic as they come.
Now, I’ve got around 40 hours on Subnautica and could still put another 40, but I like to take little rests and in these little rests I replace Subnautica with the games down below.
All the games on this list got price checked for the cheapest price online on the 10th December 2024.
The Forest
Overall Subnautica is better in my opinion, but The Forest has a lot of simularities.
You crash land in the middle of nowhere, you’ve got to build, eat, craft and survive and oh yea, the world tries to kill you at a moments notice.
You’ll be chopping down a tree to build a beautiful fortress to protect you from the tribe people, then all of a sudden 6 tribe men pop out of nowhere and start praying to you, then all of a sudden it’s game over and one of them tries to throw a fist and now you’re running for your life with 6 madmen chasing you.
It’s thrilling, scary and is 10x better if you play with a friend.
If you like the forest try one of these alternatives.
No Man’s Sky
Again it all starts with your ship crash landing, you need parts to fix it and this is where your journey begins.
You need to mine, craft and build you way to survive.
It’s not as scary as subnautica, but it can be just as fun, especially when you go to space and explore the crazy never ending the universe.
This game started with lots of hate, but after a few massive updates a lot of the issues are fixed and the games playable again.
Check out these games like Subnautica.
Stranded Deep
Guess what? Yep, another game that starts with a BIG crash landing.
You’re then stranded somewhere in the Pacific ocean, you come face to face with every fear imaginable and your job is to stay alive by any means possible.
Crafting, building, swimming, hunting, this game his it all. Lot’s to explore and every time you start a new world it’s completely different.
ARK
This is probably the most popular, unpopular game ever created. With over 150,000 reviews and a MASSIVE online community, ARK (games like ARK) has become one of the biggest open world, survival games ever created.
This is survival on a massive scale with everything and everyone trying to kill you.
The actual gameplay, game mechanics and features are incredible, however, the grind is real and it’s a game that seriously improves by the more people you play with.
I’ve had both good and bad experiences with ARK, hopefully, they’ll fix the issues and this will become one of the greatest games of all time.
The Long Dark
The long dark is for people who want something different, this game is a sort of wild card and is far more story focused.
The Long Dark is a survival, open world walking simulator, it has multiple levels and has a PErmadeath mode.
The developers put a lot of time into this game and even the hunger features are amazing, from calories, thirst energy use depending on weather and physical condition.
There are over 50 square kilometers to explore, this game captures true survival at its finest.
Astroneer
Astrooner is a game that should be more popular.
It’s set in space and is about interplanetary exploration. It has a vast open universe, with next level graphics, survival and resource management.
You are god in this universe and you can reshape terrains like it was play-doh, build vehicles, travel to new planets and moons and enjoy all this with awesome 4 player co-op.
The base building system is amazing and the game keeps getting better with each update.
Raft
Raft throws you and your friends in the midle of the ocean and it’s up to you to build a raft and explore the sea.
You have to grow food, hunt, scavenge the reefs and protect yourself from what lays in the ocean.
Raft is still early access with lots of updates happening, it can be a little glitchy, but the core gameplay is a lot of fun.
Space Engineers
Space Engineers is a sandbox engineering and construction game, filled with exploration and survival in space.
It’s absolutely beautiful and currently has an amazing online community. The lag and connectivity issues are the only problems I have with this game and even with them, there are loads of people with 500+ hours of gaming on Space Engineers.
This game balances creativity and survival perfectly and is one of the first games I’d recommend you play after Subnautica.
Xenominer
Mix Minecraft with a deep survival game and you get Xenominer, this was a bit of a wildcard, I personally love Xenominer for the survival, base building and overall gameplay, but it’s getting old now, so I’m not sure it’ll hold up on this list compare to the other games.
If you enjoy survival and want a more scary Minecraft give this game a shot.
FarSky
FarSky is very similar to Subnautica, you’re in the depths of the ocean and it’s your job to collect resources, make a base and grow food that will allow you to survive long enough to reach the surface.
You can create an amazing base, hunt and the game keeps you active with sharks trying to kill you, base leaks and oxygen running low.
Rust
Take everything you think you know about humans and chuck that infomation away.
Inside Rust you get to see what 300 real players are actually like, I’m talking murder, human hunting, naked spawn killing, robbery, slavery and raiding.
Rust is a massive multiplayer fps game with some servers holding 300 people. Everyone can talk if they are near and you can craft, build and kill till your hearts content.
I’ve played 70+ hours of this game, it’s really addictive, just be ready to be raided, bullied and killed, a lot!
If you have played Rust, try one of these Rust alternatives.
Minecraft
Taking it back to an old classic game, yes it’s Minecraft (Games similar to Minecraft).
Minecraft isn’t really like subnautica, but with a few mods, a few tweaks and a good imagination it can capture something that Subnautica has and that’s the exact reason it’s on the list.
Most of you know what Minecraft is and for those who don’t, just get it, it’s the most successful crafting game ever made and a lot of the games on this list wouldn’t be around if Minecraft hadn’t sparked the base-building trend.
What Games Are Must Like Subnautica?
Start with The Forest, the fear, the crafting and survival are all similar with enough difference to feel like a completely new game.
It’s got around a 30 – 40 hour game life (more if you have friends) and is perfect to play once you’ve got bored of Subnautica.
Then I’d try Space Engineers, this game is purely beautiful, it’s a sandbox engineering game with exploration and construction, it’s satisfying to play and would be my second option.
Last, I’d try No Man’s Sky, the past updates have made it a worthwhile game, it scratches the same itch as Subnautica and has give me hours of fun.
This has been one of my favorite articles to put together, loads of the games I truly enjoy and play regularly so it’s easy to talk about them.
If I missed any games you think are like Subnautica then leave them in the comments and I’ll add them to the list. I hope you found the game you were looking for and if you have any feedback, ideas or questions about gaming then send me over a message.