You’ve crash-landed on a frigid waterworld. Time to sink or swim! Set two years after the events of the original Subnautica, this follow-up puts you in the high-tech wet suit of Robin Ayou, a scientist searching for her missing sister. Plunge into ocean depths to gather exotic crafting materials, loot sunken ruins, and catalog astonishing sea creatures. Can you follow the clues to discover your sister’s fate?

What we love: Becoming more proficient. Early on, you’ll stick close to your tiny drop pod and catch fish by hand to ward off starvation. Hours later, you might be zipping across the frozen surface on a hoverbike or installing comfy beds and a coffee machine in your sprawling underwater base. Just don’t get swallowed by a Leviathan!

Quick tip: Make building a scanner your first priority; inspecting plants, animals, and wreckage unlocks blueprints for better tools and vehicles. Then fabricate a survival knife to harvest crucial materials from coral and underwater flora.

Meet the creator: San Francisco–based Unknown Worlds made a splash with 2018’s critically acclaimed Subnautica. The studio’s other games include Natural Selection 2 and Moonbreaker.