Choose Subnautica
Choose Subnautica if you want the VR Supported side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96.9% positive across 177,256 reviews.
Subnautica vs Under The Waves
Subnautica and Under The Waves both land in Indie, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam. Subnautica (2018) is 5 years older than Under The Waves (2023). Subnautica scores higher on Steam reviews (96.9% positive) than Under The Waves (75.3% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Under The Waves
Choose Under The Waves if it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Under The Waves launched in 2023.
Both Subnautica and Under The Waves sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Subnautica |  Under The Waves | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2023 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 29.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.9% positive (177,256 reviews) | 75.3% positive (595 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Unknown Worlds Entertainment | Parallel Studio |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Subnautica (2018) is 5 years older than Under The Waves (2023).
- Subnautica scores higher on Steam reviews (96.9% positive) than Under The Waves (75.3% positive).
- Under The Waves is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Subnautica (29.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Subnautica is Deck Verified, Under The Waves is Deck Unsupported.
Subnautica vs Under The Waves — FAQ
- Which is better, Subnautica or Under The Waves?
- On Steam reviews Subnautica scores higher (96.9% positive) than Under The Waves (75.3% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Subnautica is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Subnautica or Under The Waves first?
- If you want chronology, Subnautica (2018) came out before Under The Waves (2023). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Subnautica and Under The Waves similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.