Choose Subnautica
Choose Subnautica if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96.9% positive across 177,256 reviews.
Subnautica vs No Man's Sky
Subnautica and No Man's Sky both land in 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 are Adventure games on Steam. No Man's Sky (2016) is 2 years older than Subnautica (2018). Subnautica scores higher on Steam reviews (96.9% positive) than No Man's Sky (81.6% 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 No Man's Sky
Choose No Man's Sky if you want an Action game with Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. 180,011 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Subnautica and No Man's Sky sit in Adventure on Steam and both list VR Supported, 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 |  No Man's Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2016 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Action, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 29.99 USD | 59.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.9% positive (177,256 reviews) | 81.6% positive (180,011 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Unknown Worlds Entertainment | Hello Games |
Side by side
- Both are Adventure games on Steam.
- No Man's Sky (2016) is 2 years older than Subnautica (2018).
- Subnautica scores higher on Steam reviews (96.9% positive) than No Man's Sky (81.6% positive).
- Subnautica is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than No Man's Sky (29.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- No Man's Sky has co-op; Subnautica does not.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Subnautica vs No Man's Sky — FAQ
- Which is better, Subnautica or No Man's Sky?
- On Steam reviews Subnautica scores higher (96.9% positive) than No Man's Sky (81.6% 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 No Man's Sky first?
- If you want chronology, No Man's Sky (2016) came out before Subnautica (2018). 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 No Man's Sky similar?
- They overlap on 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.
- Does Subnautica have multiplayer like No Man's Sky?
- No. No Man's Sky supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op), while Subnautica is listed as single-player only.
- Do Subnautica and No Man's Sky both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.