Survival games are increasingly popular in the last couple of years. We’ve experienced survival among zombies, in forests, in deserts, and on alien planets, and today we’re going to be talking about one game that led us somewhere different and unexpected. Of course, I’m talking about Subnautica and the deep blue ocean. Subnautica is an open-world survival action-adventure game set underwater, more precisely below the surface of the ocean on the alien planet 4546B. Even though Subnautica was fully released back in 2018, it’s still a popular game. Due to its unique setting, Subnautica is being discovered by new survival enthusiasts and they have a lot of questions. Primarily, is Subnautica Cross-platform & Crossplay game?
Subnautica is a cross-platform game but it does not support crossplay. Even though Subnautica was released on PC, Switch, Xbox, and PS platforms it is a single-player game only, which makes crossplay impossible to implement.
So we’ve learned that Subnautica is a cross-platform game that does not support crossplay and you’re probably wondering how does that work? If you keep reading we’re going to explain everything in great detail so stay with us!
Is Subnautica cross-platform multiplayer?
Subnautica is a cross-platform game but it’s not multiplayer.
Subnautica was released on multiple platforms, PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch to name a few. That makes it a cross-platform game. The definition of a game being cross-platform is that it is available on multiple platforms without any significant modifications and since Subnautica is available on a lot of platforms as-is, it is by definition a cross-platform game. It’s important to note that if you own a copy of Subnautica on Steam and want to play Subnautica on Xbox Series X/S for example, you’re going to have to buy a brand new copy of the game.
Now, the second part of the question is, is Subnautica a multiplayer game? It isn’t. Subnautica was designed primarily as a single-player game from its inception and early days of early access and it stayed that way. So no, Subnautica is not a multiplayer game.
Can Xbox and PC play Subnautica together?
No, Xbox and PC can’t play Subnautica together since it’s a single-player game. We’ve already discussed the fact that Subnautica is not a crossplay game due to not having a multiplayer mode at all.
You can play Subnautica on both Xbox and PC though. Subnautica was released on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. But, if you own a copy of Subnautica for PC, unfortunately, you’re going to have to buy a fresh copy if you plan on playing it on Xbox.
Is there a multiplayer mod for Subnautica?
There is a multiplayer mod for Subnautica, and chances are if you’re looking for a multiplayer crossplay experience It’s going to be everything you wished for.The Multiplayer mod for Subnautica is called Nitrox. It was developed by dedicated modders who wanted to bring multiplayer experience to the world of Subnautica.
Nitrox has its own launcher which you will use to enter the multiplayer mode. It’s completely open source and the best part is – it supports crossplay.Subanutica Nitrox Crossplay only works between Steam, Epic Games Store and Windows Store so keep that in mind. You will not be able to play with your friends on different consoles. Playing on a PC is a requirement to even install the mod.
How do you set up Nitrox in Subnautica?
Nitrox installation is pretty straightforward and easy. Follow the steps and you should be good to go.
- Download the mod (always download Nitrox from the official site only, we provided you a link earlier in this article)
- Unzip the downloaded files
- Run Nitrox.Launcher as administrator
- Once you’ve set up the launcher, go to options and change directory to the where Subnautica is installed
Is Subnautica Nitrox free?
Yes, Subnautica Nitrox is free. I’m not sure whether it can even be monetized since it’s not an official modification of the game. Even though it’s not officially developed by Unknown Worlds Entertainment, Subnautica Nitrox is completely safe, open source, and has amazing support and regular updates. The mod itself has been downloaded over 1,000,000 times and that speaks for itself.
Is Subnautica: Below Zero cross-platform and crossplay?
Subnautica: Below Zero, a sequel to Subnautica, is a cross-platform game but it does not support crossplay.
Subnautica: Below Zero entered early access back in 2019, and so far, the game is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation (4&5), and Xbox (One / Series X/S). That means that by definition Subnautica: Below Zero is a cross-platform game. When it comes to cross-play, it’s impossible to implement in Subnautica: Below Zero since it’s a single-player game like its predecessor Subnautica.
Will Subnautica: Below Zero ever be multiplayer?
The developers of Subanutica: Below Zero are currently not focusing on multiplayer mode, and we don’t know whether Subnautica: Below Zero will ever be a multiplayer game. Subnautica was originally imagined as a co-op multiplayer game, but the developers behind it (Unknown Worlds Entertainment) decided against it in favor of releasing the game as soon as possible.
Developing a game is a long difficult process and implementing multiplayer adds both more time and more resources to spend. Unknown Worlds Entertainment ultimately decided against implementing a multiplayer mode in Subnautica since they preferred to focus on what made the game special and unique.
They decided to focus on exploration, crafting, and stunning scenery in-game. Whether you like it or not, not every game needs to be a multiplayer experience, especially immersive games like Subnautica.
Now that we’ve covered every single aspect of Subnautica multiplayer we can sum up everything we know. Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero are cross-platform games, but not crossplay games. Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero are not multiplayer games at all, the only way you can play them is in single-player mode.
And last, if you’re playing Subnautica on PC there is a way to play Subanutica with your friends through Subnautica Nitrox, a multiplayer mod developed for Subanutica. The only requirement for installation is that you’re on PC and your friends also play on PC since Nitrox is only supported while you’re playing Steam, Epic, or Windows Store version of the game.
