No more solo swimming: Subnautica 2 improves co-op

Subnautica 2 launched into Early Access on May 14 with one massive change from the original game: proper four-player co-op. Swimming into an alien ocean with three friends sounded fantastic, but in practice, multiplayer could still feel like four separate survivors who happened to share the same map. Update 1.2, which is coming out on the 19th of August, appropriately called Buddy System, is designed to change that.

The biggest addition is proximity voice chat. Instead of relying entirely on an external voice app, players can now communicate inside the game. Friends nearby sound clear, but swim too far away and their voices switch to a radio-style transmission that becomes increasingly broken with distance. It is a small detail, but one that feels perfect for Subnautica. Hearing your friend’s signal disappear while they explore a dark cave probably won’t help anyone’s fear of deep water.

Surviving together actually matters now

Buddy System also introduces player revives. When somebody goes down from hunger, oxygen loss or an unfriendly sea creature, teammates have a short window to reach them and share oxygen. Suddenly, swimming off alone carries more consequences, while sticking together can genuinely save an expedition.

Sharing resources is much smoother too. Players can access a teammate’s inventory and transfer items directly instead of dropping materials onto the seabed. There are also new emotes, two additional playable characters named Grace and Jegna, extra suit colors and a cleaner HUD that should make groups easier to manage.

Another useful addition is the Tracking Tag, a small beacon that can be placed in the environment or stored inside something like a portable locker. It makes equipment easier to relocate, while carrying one when you die increases the range of your black box signal, helping you recover your lost gear without spending half an hour searching the ocean floor.

Update 1.2 continues a pretty active Early Access period for Subnautica 2. Since launch, Unknown Worlds has already released several hotfixes and the Adaptive Measures 1.1 update, which improved Biomod progression, added more Biolabs, reworked wreck exploration, introduced sprinting on land, improved base-building feedback and finally added the heavily requested FOV slider.

Buddy System might not bring a giant new biome or a terrifying new Leviathan, but it fixes something arguably just as important: it makes multiplayer feel built around teamwork. Reviving friends, sharing supplies and desperately trying to understand a breaking radio transmission sounds much closer to the co-op Subnautica experience players imagined.

If Buddy System has convinced your crew to finally dive in, use our price comparison tool to find the best prices for Subnautica 2 and start planning your next underwater disaster together.