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Subnautica 2 ships with two game modes in the current Early Access build: Survival and Creative. The mode is chosen when a save is started and determines whether the four survival stats are active and whether the player has to gather resources to build. Both modes share the same world, creatures, and map; what changes is how much survival pressure the game applies.
The Two Modes
Survival is the default experience and the mode the game's progression is built around. Creative strips out the survival layer so the player can focus on building and exploring without managing meters or hunting for materials.
Feature | Survival | Creative |
|---|---|---|
Survival meters | Oxygen, Hunger, and Thirst are all active and must be managed. | None; the survival meters are turned off entirely. |
Blueprints | Unlocked through play, mainly by scanning fragments to learn recipes. | All blueprints are unlocked from the start. |
Power | Bases and vehicles need a managed power supply. | Infinite power; energy is never a constraint. |
Item durability | Tools and equipment consume energy and wear as normal. | Infinite durability; tools do not run down. |
Focus | The full survival, exploration, and progression loop. | Building and free exploration without survival pressure. |
Survival Mode
Survival is the default mode and the one most players will spend their time in. Oxygen, Hunger, and Thirst all tick down and have to be managed, blueprints are earned over the course of play, and bases and vehicles depend on power. This is the mode where the wider survival mechanics of the game apply in full, including death and respawn at the nearest Biobed with the loss of carried items.
Creative Mode
Creative mode removes the survival layer. There are no survival meters to track, every blueprint is available immediately, and power and item durability are both infinite. With nothing to gather and nothing to deplete, Creative is suited to free building, laying out large bases, and exploring the world without the threat of starvation, thirst, or running out of energy. It trades the tension of Survival for unconstrained creativity.
Hardcore Is Not Confirmed
A Hardcore or permadeath mode is not confirmed for this game's Early Access build. A mode of that type, where death ends the run rather than respawning the player, existed in prior franchise games, but its presence should not be assumed here until it is confirmed. As of the current build, the two available modes are Survival and Creative; if a permadeath option is added later, this page will be updated.
See Also
Survival Mechanics, for how the meters, death, and respawn work in Survival mode.