One of Subnautica's strongest ideas is that exploration constantly pulls you farther from safety. New areas bring new resources, better equipment, and new dangers. Several other games create a similar sense of progression even when they are not set underwater.

6 Games Like Subnautica

  • The Planet Crafter
  • Raft
  • Forever Skies
  • Breathedge
  • No Man's Sky
  • Astroneer

The Planet Crafter

The Planet Crafter starts with strict limits. Your oxygen supply and early equipment stop you from travelling very far from the base.

As you build new machines, the atmosphere, temperature, and environment begin to change. A planet that looks empty at the start gradually becomes something very different. The feeling of upgrading equipment to reach new areas is combined with watching the world transform around you.

Raft

Raft begins with the player standing on a tiny floating platform. Collecting drifting materials, producing drinking water, and expanding the raft are the first priorities.

Over time, the raft becomes a mobile base with storage and production stations. You can explore islands and search underwater for resources. Its underwater world is less extensive than Subnautica's, but the feeling of travelling into the unknown across an ocean is still central.

Forever Skies

Forever Skies puts a mobile airship at the center of progression instead of a fixed base. As you travel above the surface, abandoned structures provide new resources and technology.

Upgrading the airship expands both your living space and your travel capability. That makes it a good fit for players who enjoyed improving Subnautica's vehicles and using them to reach new places.

Breathedge

Breathedge uses oxygen as one of its main exploration limits, but the environment is space rather than an ocean. Early trips only let you travel a short distance from safety before turning back.

As oxygen capacity and equipment improve, the accessible area expands. Planning whether you have enough oxygen to return safely can feel similar to Subnautica's early deep dives.

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No Man's Sky

No Man's Sky scales exploration up from one ecosystem to a universe of different worlds. You can fly between planets, gather resources, and build bases wherever conditions allow.

Some planets include underwater areas, but the game is not focused only on the ocean. If your favorite part of Subnautica is wondering what a new region looks like, No Man's Sky extends that feeling across a much larger space.

Astroneer

Astroneer gives more room to exploration and building without keeping danger at the center all the time. You can reshape terrain, dig underground, and turn collected resources into new tools and vehicles.

Early on, moving too far from your oxygen connection creates a clear limit. Expanding the base network and producing new vehicles gradually makes travel easier, creating a calmer version of the same progression loop.

Which Game Feels Most Like Subnautica?

If you liked upgrading equipment and reaching increasingly distant locations, The Planet Crafter is a strong place to start. Raft keeps an ocean setting, while Forever Skies focuses more heavily on upgrading a vehicle that doubles as your base.

No Man's Sky and Astroneer are better choices if broad exploration matters most. Breathedge moves oxygen management and the pressure of leaving safety into a space setting.