Subnautica 2 Best Settings – PC Optimization Guide
Subnautica 2 runs on Unreal Engine 5 with Lumen global illumination, which is demanding on hardware. This guide covers the optimal settings for smooth gameplay at 60+ FPS across different hardware tiers.
Subnautica 2 System Requirements
Important: An SSD is strongly recommended. HDD will cause significant texture pop-in and loading stutters due to UE5's Nanite/Virtual Textures.
Best Graphics Settings for 60 FPS
Key Settings Explained
Lumen Global Illumination
The biggest performance impact. Lumen provides realistic lighting but costs 20-40% FPS. On low-end hardware, disabling Lumen and using static lighting gives the biggest FPS boost.
Resolution Scaling & Upscaling
DLSS (NVIDIA) or FSR (AMD/all GPUs) can recover 30-50% performance. Use "Quality" preset for minimal visual loss. Avoid "Performance" or "Ultra Performance" as underwater detail suffers significantly.
View Distance
Controls how far you can see underwater. Reducing this helps FPS but makes navigation harder in open water. Keep at Medium minimum for gameplay reasons.
Steam Deck Settings
Subnautica 2 on Steam Deck targets 25-35 FPS at Low settings with FSR enabled. Recommended Steam Deck configuration:
- Resolution: 1280×800 (native)
- All settings: Low
- FSR 2: Balanced or Performance
- Lumen: Off
- Frame limit: 30 FPS (for battery life)
- TDP limit: 12-15W
Frame generation may not be available on the Game Pass build.
FPS Optimization Checklist
- Update GPU drivers to latest version
- Install on SSD (not HDD)
- Close background applications (especially browsers)
- Disable Lumen if below 30 FPS
- Enable DLSS/FSR upscaling
- Set resolution scale to 80% if still struggling
- Disable V-Sync (use in-driver frame cap instead)
- Set Windows power plan to "High Performance"
Early Access Performance Note
Subnautica 2 is in Early Access (launched May 14, 2026). Performance optimization is ongoing — expect improvements in future patches. Known issues include occasional stuttering when entering new biomes and memory leaks during extended play sessions. Restarting the game every 2-3 hours can help with the latter.
Subnautica 2 Settings FAQ
What engine does Subnautica 2 use?
Subnautica 2 uses Unreal Engine 5 with Lumen global illumination and Nanite virtualized geometry. This is a significant upgrade from the original Subnautica which used Unity.
Can I run Subnautica 2 on a GTX 1060?
Yes, but at Low settings with FSR enabled. Expect 30-40 FPS at 1080p. Disable Lumen for the biggest performance gain. An SSD is essential.
Does Subnautica 2 support DLSS?
Yes. Subnautica 2 supports NVIDIA DLSS (including Frame Generation on RTX 40-series), AMD FSR 2, and Intel XeSS upscaling technologies.
Why is Subnautica 2 so demanding?
UE5's Lumen global illumination is the primary performance cost. The underwater environment with volumetric lighting, caustics, and particle effects adds additional load. The game is still being optimized during Early Access.