On August 12, Unknown Worlds released new updates for Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero, with both patches addressing some bugs in each game. However, the August 12 update for the first Subnautica title also introduced controller support for players on the Steam and Epic Games Store versions of the game.
The two updates came amid a wave of controversy that has surrounded the Subnautica franchise. After the firing of Unknown Worlds’ previous leadership, which included studio co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, the former developers filed a lawsuit against Krafton. The lawsuit claimed that Krafton delayed Subnautica 2 into 2026 to avoid paying the developers at Unknown Worlds a $250 million bonus payout in 2025 if specific milestones were met. On August 12, Krafton issued a formal response to the Unknown Worlds lawsuit in a Delaware courtroom.
Though the case between Kraftron and the former Unknown Worlds staffers remains ongoing, the Subnautica development team released two new updates for players to download. One of the key features for the August updates is additional controller support for the first Subnautica game on PC. While this change only applies to the Steam and Epic Games Store game clients, Subnautica players on Windows PCs can now utilize supported controllers, like the PS5 DualSense and Xbox Wireless Controllers. The controller support change for Subnautica was made possible through a Unity input update, as Unknown Worlds went from a legacy version to a newer iteration. Supported controllers in Subnautica on PC can be used in wired or wireless modes. Additionally, some bug fixes that could cause the game to freeze were included with the August 12 content patch.
As for Subnautica: Below Zero, the August 12 content patch also had some fixes for the Snowfox land vehicle. Issues with the Snowfox’s collision detection systems and orientation when deployed have been addressed. A new pop-up news feed was added to both games, so that one-time announcements from Unknown Worlds or Krafton could be issued in-game. While the two patches are available on most platforms that each game is on, the Nintendo Switch versions of Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero were not updated. However, Unknown Worlds stated that other updates remain in development for Nintendo’s popular platform.
Although Subnautica 2‘s early access window has been delayed until 2026, that has not stopped Unknown Worlds from supporting the first two entries in the Subnautica series with continued updates. It remains to be seen what other patches will be developed.
Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero Patch Notes (August 12, 2025)
Subnautica
PC and Console
Added a pop-up newsfeed that can be used for one-time-only announcements.
Fixed an issue where passing through the Alien Arch portals (e.g. in the Primary Containment Facility) in your PRAWN suit freezes stats like oxygen or hunger, if you exited the suit.
Fixed the PRAWN suit sometimes falling through the map or getting stuck when the player returns from an Alien Arch portal.
Fixed Leviathans having a tendency to fly above the ocean surface when grabbing the Seamoth or PRAWN suit in certain cases.
Fixed having a permanent player view rotation offset upon respawning, if the player died while piloting the Scanner Room Camera Drone.
Fixed the game freezing if a player managed to construct a SeaBase piece inside of the Cyclops. It is now recognized as an obstacle for base building.
Fixed a bug where the Repulsion Cannon could displace objects built inside the Cyclops, causing them to fall outside of it and sometimes disappearing into the sea floor.
PC Only (Excluding Windows Store)
Changed from legacy Unity input to the new “com.unity.inputsystem” to accommodate controller improvements.
Fixed a bunch of controller related issues.
Reworked input options.
Various InputSystem related fixes and performance optimizations.
The game now properly supports the following controllers in both wired and wireless modes: Xbox 360, Xbox Series, PS4, PS5, PS5 Edge, Nintendo Switch Pro.
Changed to the new Unity Sprite Atlas packer (backport from Below Zero).
Changed from baked InputSymbols.ttf to SDF sprites for displaying inline control icons in text.
Updated control icons.
Fixed game falling back to text representation of controls instead of control icons for some input bindings when no controller is connected.
Fixed navigation icons in PDA and Builder Menu not updating bindings dynamically when they change (e.g. when controller type changes).
Fixed an issue where the user cannot toggle the ‘auto move’ setting to On while cycling through Cyclops’ cameras.
Made Cyclops steering wheel animations gamepad-friendly.
Subnautica: Below Zero
PC and Console
Added a pop-up newsfeed that can be used for one-time-only announcements.
Fixed a rare bug that would stop the game world from streaming in and make the game unresponsive when attempting to save in some cases.
Fixed the Ice Worm always damaging the Vehicle/Snowfox/Player from any distance.
Changed the chance of knocking the player off of the Snowfox when taking damage from the Ice Worm from 100% to 25% to make the encounter less frustrating..
Changed the Snowfox’s collider to make it less annoying to drive by, greatly reducing the amount it can get stuck on obstacles and props.
Changed the orientation of the Snowfox when deployed to now properly face the same direction as the player to make it easier to mount in a hurry.
Changed the Snowfox’s damage from terrain impact from 100% to 12%, to not need as many repairs from just driving.
Fixed when the Ice Worm pushed the Snowfox it would only trigger a cooldown to the physical push but not damage and knock off.
Fixed the Snowfox occasionally falling inside the terrain and disappearing forever when deploying it.
Fixed the “lightning flashes” accessibility option preventing the Repair Tool from using power when it was unchecked.
Changed the main menu on all platforms by removing the merchandise store banner.
Fixed the texture filter quality to use Bilinear for some sprites on the Blueprints PDA tab.
Console (and Windows Store) Only
Fixed the screen filling with text while using “assign quick slot” on any item if Chinese (Simplified) language is chosen.
PC Only (Excluding Windows Store)
Fixed gamepad selection indicator being visible after switching from gamepad to keyboard and mouse.
