Experimental Mode

The Experimental Mode is the public beta testing branch of Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero. It allows users to access new features as they are added to the game. Experimental Mode is not guaranteed to be stable, as it is still being worked on by the developers. New updates are made available almost every weekday.

Saved games might not properly carry over from one patch to another, so it is recommended to start a new game with each update. Using the stable build will ensure saved games carry over properly but will lack new features. It is recommended to follow the Trello board and the Backend to see what is new. Experimental Mode is best for using console commands and the spawnable item list for testing.

Activating Experimental Mode

1. Exit Subnautica if the game is running.
2. Go to your Steam library and click "Games" in the menu.
3. Right-click on Subnautica.
4. Select "Properties".
5. Switch to the "Betas" tab.
6. Select "experimental -" in the drop-down menu and accept.

The game will now download new files. Note: no code is required. Done.

Past versions of experimental can be played by entering the code subnauticaearlyaccess.

Activating Stable Mode

1. Exit Subnautica if the game is running.
2. Go to your Steam library and click "Games" in the menu.
3. Right-click on Subnautica.
4. Select "Properties".
5. Switch to the "Betas" tab.
6. Select "NONE - Opt out of all beta programs" in the drop-down menu and accept.

The game will now download new files. Note: no code is required. Done.

Updating Subnautica

1. Exit Subnautica if the game is running.
2. Go to your Steam library and click "Games" in the menu.
3. Right-click on Subnautica.
4. Select "Properties".
5. Switch to the "Updates" tab.
6. Under "Automatic updates", select "High Priority - Always auto-update this game before others".
7. Under "Background downloads", select "Always allow background downloads".

Done. After this, Steam will always ask you if you want to install the latest update if there is one available. If you are in-game in the future after this, you can open Steam (local on your desktop) and see if a new update is queuing to be installed (it will not install automatically while you're in-game).

Activating Experimental Mode on Epic and Discord

Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero do not currently support Experimental Mode on those platforms.

Experimental Mode Changes

This section lists notable differences between the current versions of stable and experimental.

Subnautica

No notable changes.

Below Zero

No notable changes.

Notice: The entire game is subjected to change and addition every day. In-game footage from outside sources can be found on YouTube, but remember that not all sources can be credible.