Subnautica
Give it 3 hours
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours 1 in 5 reviews are negative (21%); after 20h it's 1 in 55 (2%).
- 16% of players who start reach the ending.
- Most players drop off before “Ancient Technologies” (Find the Enforcement Platform): only 49% of starters get there.
- 90% of owners got the first achievement.
When it gets good
Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.
before it gets good opening up fully opened up
Based on all 383,098 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 296 reviews: 27h for positive, 13.7h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.
Where players quit
Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (89.8% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- Ancient Technologies Find the Enforcement Platform Most players quit here 49% −51
- Follow the Lost River Find the Disease Research Facility 26% −23
- Thermal Activity Find the Thermal Plant 21% −5
- Fourteen Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Find the Primary Containment Facility 21%
- Optimal Health Cure the infection 19% −1
- Go Among the Stars Launch the neptune rocket 16% −4
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (17)
story milestone ending side
- Getting Your Feet Wet Dive for the very first time 100%
- Settling in for the Long Haul Build a habitat 59%
- Personal Propulsion Build a seamoth 58%
- Ancient Technologies Find the Enforcement Platform 49%
- Seaside Living with an Ocean View Find the Degasi habitat on the floating island 47%
- Extinction Event Avoided Repair the Aurora reactor 40%
- 40-foot Sub For One Build a cyclops 38%
- Follow the Degasi Find the Degasi habitat in the jellyshroom caves 36%
- Ordered the Prawn Build a prawn suit 36%
- Follow the Lost River Find the Disease Research Facility 26%
- Seamonsters Find the Degasi habitat in the deep grand reef 26%
- Thermal Activity Find the Thermal Plant 21%
- Fourteen Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Find the Primary Containment Facility 21%
- Optimal Health Cure the infection 19%
- Leave Only Time Capsules Create and deploy a time capsule 16%
- Go Among the Stars Launch the neptune rocket 16%
- "Man's Best Friend" Hatch and release a Cuddlefish 13%