Unknown Worlds' Subnautica 2 has made a stunning debut, reaching the top of Steam's Top Sellers chart within an hour of its Early Access launch on May 14. Priced at $29.99, the underwater survival game surpassed both Forza Horizon 6 and Counter-Strike 2 in revenue, demonstrating strong consumer interest despite developer Unknown Worlds parting ways with publisher Krafton.

The launch success comes despite a pre-release leak that saw the entire game posted online in piracy forums. Ironically, the new game has revived interest in its predecessors, with the original Subnautica sitting seventh and Subnautica: Below Zero ninth on Steam's Top Sellers chart, showing the franchise's enduring appeal.

SteamDB recorded an impressive 453,445 concurrent players within Subnautica 2's first hour, though many were likely just downloading the game. The sequel maintains a strong 90% positive rating on Steam based on 95 reviews, with the original game seeing peak concurrent players jump from 9,000 to 24,000 and Below Zero increasing from 2,318 to 7,409 players.