Vehicles

Vehicles are essential for depth progression in the Subnautica franchise. Subnautica 2 introduces an entirely new vehicle lineup while retiring the classic vehicles from previous games.

Subnautica 2 vehicles

Tadpole

The Tadpole is a modular one-pilot submersible that serves as the primary exploration vehicle. It can dock with other vehicles or modules, similar to the Seatruck's modular system from Below Zero. Featured in Dev Vlog #4.

Dive Elevator

The Dive Elevator is a ride-on platform for vertical transport and bulk resource hauling. Multiple players can ride simultaneously, making it central to co-op expeditions.

Wakemaker

The Wakemaker is a set of wearable underwater boosters replacing the Seaglide. Designed to be transparent so it doesn't block the player's view like the Seaglide did.

Trident (cut)

The Trident was a vehicle cut from the Early Access scope. It is mentioned in the Collector Leviathan's design brief, which describes the creature as disdaining "players, tadpoles, tridents, and anything it does not recognise." See cut content for more details.

Original Subnautica vehicles

Seamoth

A compact one-person submersible approximately 3 meters long. Base crush depth of 200 meters, upgradeable to 900 meters. Top speed of 11.25 m/s. Four upgrade module slots for sonar, perimeter defense system, hull reinforcement, and storage. Could dock inside the Cyclops.

Cyclops

The largest player-operable vehicle at 54 meters long. Base crush depth of 500 meters, upgradeable to 1,700 meters. Three speed settings (Slow, Standard, Flank) with higher speeds generating more noise and attracting hostile fauna. Functioned as a mobile base with interior modules and a vehicle docking bay. Used a male AI voice.

Prawn Suit

A bipedal exosuit (Pressure Re-Active Waterproof Nano Suit) designed for extreme depths. Base crush depth of 900 meters, upgradeable to 1,700 meters. Five interchangeable arm types: Default Claw, Drill Arm, Grappling Arm, Torpedo Arm, and Propulsion Cannon Arm. Could dock inside the Cyclops.

Below Zero vehicles

Seatruck

A modular submersible replacing both the Seamoth and Cyclops. A cab unit towed interchangeable modules: Aquarium, Docking (for Prawn Suit), Fabricator, Sleeper, Storage, and Teleportation. Base crush depth of 150 meters, upgradeable to 1,000 meters. Adding more modules reduced speed.

Snowfox

A hovercraft for traversing ice and land areas. Found at the Phi Robotics Center. The only land vehicle in the franchise.

Design philosophy shift

The original Subnautica's vehicle hierarchy was straightforward: Seaglide for personal speed, Seamoth for mid-depth exploration, Prawn Suit for extreme depth, Cyclops as mobile base. Below Zero combined the Seamoth and Cyclops roles into the modular Seatruck.

Subnautica 2 splits functions differently. The Tadpole handles exploration with modular docking for expanded capability. The Dive Elevator handles bulk vertical transport. The Wakemaker provides personal speed. None of the classic vehicles return, and the Prawn Suit's absence has not been addressed publicly.