Subnautica Below Zero is a Standalone Expansion set in icy waters

Unknownworlds, the indie development studio of hit survival game Subnautica has announced a new expansion. Below Zero will be a new, standalone addition to the Subnautica and will release on Steam Early Access in the coming months.

Subnautica, the gorgeous little indie game that proved early on how Steam Early Access can work as intended, launched 4 years ago on PC. Throughout the years, many updates shaped the game into one of the best-reviewed games on Steam, sitting currently at a lavish 93% positive user reviews.

So, it comes as little surprise that developer Unknownworlds is further exploring their successful IP with a new expansion. In contrast to other DLC, this new expansion, dubbed Below Zero, will be standalone and thus won’t require users to own the original Subnautica in order to play.

As the expansion’s title gives away already, Below Zero will be set in a freezing wintry region of planet 4546B. The same planet as in the original game. Below Zero will take place after the events of Subnautica and as such leaves the door wide open as to what players might explore.

We sadly didn’t get any footage of Below Zero but the developer shared some concept art, so we can get an early taste at what might expect us. As we have seen in Subnautica, the depths of the planet’s ocean hold many secrets. Some are beautiful and serene reefs, filled with colorful and tranquil sea life. But dive deeper and with the fading of the sun’s rays comes a scary, dark void that is inhabited by nightmarish creatures right out of horror movies.

As such, we expect the ice-bound world of Below Zero to feature landscapes and lifeforms befitting of the harsh living conditions. One interesting tease we notice from the artwork is some sort of hovercraft which coasts on frozen plains of ice. Could this mean more land-based exploration maybe?

We’ll see in the coming months when Subnautica Below Zero launches on PC via Steam Early Access.