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Subnautica 2 Was Steam’s Most-Wishlisted Game in April 2026—Here’s What Happened

KRAFTON’s April 2026 presentation placed Subnautica 2 atop Steam’s wishlists, but that is not a current October ranking. The game entered early access in May as a KRAFTON–Unknown Worlds court dispute unfolded and was later settled.
WorldApril 2026-Here's What Happened Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Subnautica 2 was still listed as Steam’s No. 1 most-wishlisted game in KRAFTON’s April 2026 investor presentation, which said it had held that position since September 5, 2025. That is a dated ranking, not confirmation of its standing on October 8, 2026. The game has since launched in early access, and a court dispute between publisher KRAFTON and former Unknown Worlds leaders was settled.

Is Subnautica 2 still Steam’s most-wishlisted game?

The latest dated ranking evidence available here is KRAFTON’s first-quarter 2026 investor presentation. It reported Subnautica 2 at No. 1 on Steam’s wishlist chart as of April 2026 and said the game had held the position since September 5, 2025. That does not establish its exact rank on October 8, 2026; wishlists change over time, and no later ranking is established by the available sources.

The game is no longer an unreleased title waiting for early access. It launched in early access in May 2026, and Unknown Worlds’ official site lists updates and hotfixes through September, including an Experimental branch.

Why was Subnautica 2 delayed?

In July 2025, Unknown Worlds announced that it was moving the planned early-access release to 2026. The studio said community playtests had identified areas that needed improvement. It described plans to add or improve biomes, vehicle upgrades, tools, story content, and creatures before release. That was the studio’s public explanation at the time.

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The delay later became part of a wider dispute over leadership and contractual earnout terms. The two issues should not be conflated: Unknown Worlds’ stated development rationale is one account of the delay, while the former leaders’ legal claims about KRAFTON’s conduct were allegations that the court addressed in part and the parties later settled.

What happened between KRAFTON and Unknown Worlds?

KRAFTON, the publisher and owner of Unknown Worlds, removed studio leaders Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, and Ted Gill in 2025. Former stockholders challenged the removals, arguing that KRAFTON had breached contractual rights over operational control. In March 2026, the Delaware Court of Chancery found that the former stockholders had proved those claims and found the stated justifications for the terminations pretextual.

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What the court decided

The court ordered Gill reinstated as Unknown Worlds’ CEO with full operational authority. Its opinion also allowed him to proceed with early access when he deemed appropriate. The ruling did not decide whether KRAFTON had wrongfully impaired the earnout or whether money damages were owed; the court reserved those questions for a later phase.

What remained an allegation

The former leaders alleged that KRAFTON deliberately delayed the game to avoid a US$250 million earnout. That allegation was not a final court finding on intent or damages. In particular, the court’s operational-control ruling should not be read as deciding the separate earnout questions.

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How the dispute ended

Yonhap News Agency reported on July 1, 2026, that KRAFTON and the former Unknown Worlds leaders had settled and withdrawn all pending lawsuits as of June 30. Yonhap said Unknown Worlds would continue leading development, with KRAFTON providing support. The report did not disclose settlement terms. A KRAFTON official quoted by Yonhap said the companies were focusing on development and the official launch, with fan experience as a priority.

When did Subnautica 2 enter early access, and how has it performed?

Subnautica 2 entered early access in May 2026. Yonhap reported on July 1 that more than four million copies had sold after launch. That figure is the number reported by Yonhap at that time, not a current sales total.

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There is also a separate franchise figure worth keeping distinct: KRAFTON reported more than 18.5 million cumulative sales for Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero over ten years. That combined figure concerns the two earlier games, not Subnautica 2.

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What the wishlist story does—and does not—show

A No. 1 wishlist position is evidence of strong interest on Steam at the reported time, but it is not a sales forecast or a current ranking. The available sources do not establish why players wishlisted the game, how many wishlist additions converted into purchases, or where the title stood on Steam’s list in October 2026.

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The more useful takeaway is the sequence: Subnautica 2 had a documented wishlist lead in KRAFTON’s April 2026 snapshot, launched in early access the following month, and continued receiving updates through September. The leadership conflict was also resolved through a reported settlement, after the court had restored Gill’s operational authority but left earnout issues undecided.

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