Ethan Crossfield 
Co-op survival games depend on communication and practical tools as much as exploration. Unknown Worlds is addressing both areas in Subnautica 2, with Update 1.2 introducing a broad set of multiplayer features designed to make teamwork easier during expeditions, base building, and dangerous encounters.
A Strong Early Access Start Sets the Context
Subnautica 2 entered Early Access on May 14 after a turbulent development period that included a highly publicized leadership dispute and lawsuit involving Unknown Worlds and Krafton. Despite those complications, the game has continued to build momentum through new content and ongoing development. It has sold 1 million copies, while its Steam launch drew more than 460,000 players within hours and set a record for the most-played release of 2026 at the time.
That early response gives Update 1.2 particular importance. The patch, known as the Buddy System update, follows the Early Access roadmap's focus on improving the cooperative side of the game. Creative Director Anthony Gallegos presented the additions as a response to player feedback, reinforcing the role of the community in shaping the game's development.
Proximity Chat Leads a Co-op-Focused Update
The most significant multiplayer addition is proximity voice chat. Players can speak normally when close to one another, while greater distance changes the communication into a radio-like transmission. The audio becomes increasingly strained as players move farther apart, giving teams a clearer sense of how separated they are without relying entirely on map markers or constant status checks.
Update 1.2 also adds emotes, including gestures such as a thumbs-up, clapping, pointing, and expressions of frustration. These provide a nonverbal way to communicate while exploring or working around a shared base.
Inventory sharing is another practical improvement. Teammates can now view and access each other's inventories, removing the need to drop items on the ground before another player can collect them. Players can also revive one another in the world, giving cooperative groups more ways to recover from dangerous situations.
New Characters, Tracking Tools, and Building Improvements
The update expands the playable roster with Grace and Jegna and adds more suit color options. Unknown Worlds plans to introduce additional customization choices during Early Access, so character appearance should continue to grow over time.
A new tracking tag offers a flexible way to mark useful locations or objects. For example, players can attach one to the inventory of a storage crate and keep its position visible on the HUD. The tag can also help locate a player who dies while carrying it, extending the range of the body's blackbox signal beyond its normal reach.
Alongside these features, the patch includes bug fixes and interface improvements intended to make crafting and base construction easier to understand. The changes are aimed less at changing the game's core survival loop than at reducing friction around the systems co-op players use most.
What Comes Next for Subnautica 2
Update 1.2 shows Unknown Worlds prioritizing the routines that determine whether cooperative play feels convenient or cumbersome. Voice communication, shared resources, recovery tools, and location tracking all address common points of friction for groups exploring together.
The update's closing preview also points toward larger additions still in development, including new biomes, creatures, and story-driven moments. Those features could give the Early Access roadmap a stronger content focus after this multiplayer-centered release.
Key points
- Update 1.2 adds proximity voice chat with distance-based audio effects.
- Players can share inventories, use emotes, and revive fallen teammates.
- Grace and Jegna join the playable character roster alongside new suit colors.
- Tracking tags, interface improvements, and future biomes and creatures expand the roadmap.
Expert View
Update 1.2 signals that Unknown Worlds is treating co-op usability as a core part of Subnautica 2 rather than a secondary feature. The additions should make group play more readable and less dependent on workarounds, which may help sustain the game's Early Access community. The next challenge will be pairing those quality-of-life gains with substantial exploration and story content, ensuring that improved teamwork leads players into a world that keeps giving them reasons to explore together.
