Subnautica 2 Early Access 1.2 Update Introduces Buddy System and Real-World Ocean Cleanup Support
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Subnautica 2's new Early Access 1.2 update adds proximity chat, inventory sharing, and player revives via the Buddy System, alongside a $100,000 donation to The Ocean Cleanup.
Developer Unknown Worlds has launched the 1.2 update for Subnautica 2 in early access, bringing a long-awaited cooperative focus to the underwater survival title alongside a substantial financial contribution to environmental preservation. The studio marked the release by donating one hundred thousand dollars to The Ocean Cleanup, continuing a conservation partnership that began during the lifecycle of the original game. Executive producer Fernando Melo noted that the project originated from a deep appreciation for marine life, making ongoing support for ocean health a natural priority for the team as they continue expanding the sequel.
The headline feature of update 1.2 is the new Buddy System, which finally implements proximity chat and direct inventory sharing between players exploring the depths together. Instead of relying purely on external communication tools, players can now chat locally with friends while diving, with audio quality degrading realistically into a distant radio signal as distance increases. The patch also introduces player revives for downed squadmates, new radial menu emotes, additional character models like Grace and Jegna, and tracking tags designed to prevent lost gear in sprawling cave systems.
Beyond multiplayer quality of life, the patch notes detail extensive updates to base building, resource management, and UI clarity. Improvements to placement guides and deconstruction mechanics make underwater architecture far more intuitive, while inventory and recipe tracking have been streamlined to cut down on screen clutter. The update also integrates new RTX 5000 series frame generation options and general visual polish, ensuring the community has plenty of technical stability tweaks to test alongside the new co-op mechanics.
As survival games continue to thrive as primary social spaces for cross-platform groups, adding seamless local communication and shared progression tools is a smart move for Unknown Worlds. Early access updates that balance meaningful community requests with tangible real-world impact show a level of studio commitment that resonates strongly with today's players. Fans can dive into the 1.2 patch right now across supported platforms to test out the new proximity chat and start building cleaner, better-coordinated underwater bases.
Tags: Subnautica 2, Survival Games, PC Gaming, Console Gaming, Early Access
Original article: IGN South Africa