Subnautica 2 has received its first major Early Access update on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. Update 1.1, called Adaptive Measures, expands the Biomod system, improves exploration and base building, adds sprinting on land, and fixes a large number of performance and progression problems.
The update is mainly focused on making the early game smoother following player feedback collected since launch in May 2026. Unknown Worlds has increased the number of Biomods available from Biolabs and changed how players unlock additional passive slots.
Two new Biolabs have been added, with one located in Coral Gardens and another in Axum Ruins. Players can now unlock six Biomods through Biolabs, compared with four before the update. Additional passive slots can also be earned by scanning creatures with the Bioscanner.
The interface now shows how many scans are needed for the next slot and displays the total number of completed Bioscans. Creative mode unlocks all Biomods by default, while new badges make recently unlocked Biolab items easier to identify.
Sprinting and wreck changes improve general exploration
Players can now sprint while outside the water, including on the surface and inside bases. Sprinting receives a default control mapping that can be changed through the settings menu.
The normal walking speed has been reduced slightly to balance the addition of faster movement. This should make travel around large bases and land based areas less time consuming while keeping the two movement speeds clearly separated.
Wreck interiors have also received changes to traversal and oxygen puzzles. Door and button designs are now more consistent, while rewards have been moved or added to reflect the revised puzzle layouts.
| Major feature | What changed |
|---|---|
| Biomods | Maximum available from Biolabs increased from four to six |
| New Biolabs | Added to Coral Gardens and Axum Ruins |
| Passive Biomod slots | Additional slots can be unlocked through creature scans |
| Sprinting | Available on land, at the surface, and inside bases |
| Wreck exploration | Updated traversal, oxygen puzzles, rewards, and visual guidance |
| FOV setting | New field of view slider added |
| Multiplayer audio | Audiologs no longer automatically play for every player |
| Xbox reporting | Players can report others during multiplayer sessions |
Creature behaviour has also been adjusted. Most animals now flee after being attacked with the Survival Multitool instead of immediately retaliating. Creatures struck with the Sonic Resonator can enter a brief dizzy state, which also limits their ability to fight back for a short period.
The creature naming and discovery system has been revised to make it more consistent with the previous Subnautica game. Bloom Parasite encounters have also been rebalanced across Coral Gardens and the Ruins.
Base building receives placement and storage improvements
The update increases the maximum size of bases that can be deconstructed. It also improves the placement process for the Vehicle Dock and Fabricator, especially when the surrounding area is blocked or too small.
Both structures have been resized and repositioned so they fit more easily inside compact rooms. Additional warning messages now explain when a Moonpool must be expanded before a vehicle can be built or docked.
Placement outlines are easier to see when they appear behind objects or cross the water surface. Visual effects that identify objects blocking construction or deconstruction can now be seen through walls.
A new storage structure has also been added. Items stored inside it are excluded from nearby crafting systems, giving players more control over which resources are automatically counted when completing recipes.
Multiplayer audiologs now work more clearly
Audiologs no longer play automatically when discovered. This change is especially useful in multiplayer, where one player could previously trigger dialogue for everyone in the session.
Newly discovered audiologs now appear as notifications and are added to the PDA. Players can listen to them individually, and playback continues even after the PDA is closed.
The dialogue priority system has also been improved so important audio plays before less urgent lines. This should reduce overlapping conversations and make story information easier to follow.
Xbox players now receive a warning when attempting to use multiplayer without an active Game Pass subscription. Any Game Pass tier is required for online multiplayer. Xbox also gains a dedicated option for reporting other players.
Update 1.1 fixes crashes, progression blockers, and performance issues
The Adaptive Measures update includes a long list of fixes covering crashes, saves, multiplayer, creatures, vehicles, base building, menus, and visual effects.
Several Lifepod problems have been addressed, including cutscene stuttering, softlocks, failed launches, and cases where players remained in the starting area. Performance has also been improved during the Lifepod sequence and in the Metal Farms region.
A problem that capped some gaming laptops with Nvidia graphics at 60 FPS has been fixed. The update also reduces performance problems caused by excessive particles, character animations, collision checks, and repeated creature spawning.
Vehicle fixes focus heavily on the Tadpole. It should no longer spawn with an incorrect rotation, move position after loading a save, or become uncontrollable after dropped equipment is collected.
The patch also addresses fish becoming stuck, resources that could not be scanned or gathered, multiplayer creatures ignoring non-host players, base components that could not be deconstructed, and inaccurate power displays after loading a save.
A field of view slider has been added to the settings menu. Other interface fixes cover cloud save progress, keybinding icons, text alignment, input detection, Biomod recipe controls, and incorrect handheld prompts.
Adaptive Measures makes broad improvements rather than adding a major new region or story chapter. Its expanded Biomod system, sprinting option, clearer multiplayer audio, and extensive technical fixes should make the current Early Access version more comfortable to play while Unknown Worlds prepares update 1.2 and its planned proximity chat feature.
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