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Xbox Game Pass subscribers will soon have the chance to visit Planet 4546B. On Sept. 14, Xbox announced the upcoming arrival of Subnautica: Below Zero on its video game streaming service, along with several other highly-anticipated titles. When can fans expect Subnautica: Below Zero to hit Game Pass?

A whale creature in Subnautica: Below Zero, coming soon to Xbox Game Pass
‘Subnautica: Below Zero’ | Unknown Worlds Entertainment

‘Subnautica: Below Zero’ is an icy survival game

Unknown Worlds first launched Subnautica: Below Zero in early access via Epic Games Store and Steam in January 2019. Then, the full version arrived on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on May 14, 2021.

Subnautica: Below Zero, a sequel to the 2018 hit Subnautica, takes players underwater on Planet 4546B. However, unlike the original game, Below Zero also includes some land exploration. Two years after the events of Subnautica, a scientist arrives on the planet to investigate the mysterious disappearance of their sister and other fellow researchers.

Players must use survival skills to avoid the alien dangers on Planet 4546B. They must pay attention to their health, hunger, thirst, oxygen, and even temperature, as hypothermia is common in the arctic environment. Along the way, players can also craft supplies and shelters.

As Subnautica: Below Zero project lead David Kalina told PC Invasion, the game focuses on survival. However, there’s also a heavy emphasis on “exploration and discovery.”

“We want players to want to survive. In order to do that, we’re continually trying to entice them with promising new corners of the game for them to explore,” he said. “Survival creates necessity; necessity drives exploration; exploration triggers curiosity; curiosity leads to discovery.”

Additionally, Kalina emphasized the importance of player freedom.

“We don’t want everybody to have the exact same experience. Instead, we want players to have the sense that they’re driving, that the game belongs to them,” he added. “You can see this in the way we try to avoid prescriptive direction (we never state explicit missions or objectives), or in how we try to give players tools for customizing or designing their playspace (such as base-building or vehicle customization).”

When is ‘Subnautica: Below Zero’ coming to Xbox Game Pass?

Subnautica: Below Zero arrives on Xbox Game Pass for cloud gaming, console, and PC on Sept. 23. This is just one of many exciting Game Pass launches for the second half of September. According to Xbox, 13 titles are coming soon to the service, eight of which are day-one releases, including Sable and SkateBird. Check out the full list of late September/early October releases:

  • Flynn: Son of Crimson (Sept. 15)
  • I Am Fish (Sept. 16)
  • SkateBird (Sept. 16)
  • Superliminal (Sept. 16)
  • Aragami 2 (Sept. 17)
  • Lost words: Beyond the Page (Sept. 23)
  • Sable (Sept. 23)
  • Subnautica: Below Zero (Sept. 23)
  • Tainted Grail: Conquest (Sept. 23)
  • Lemnis Gate (Sept. 28)
  • Astria Ascending (Sept. 30)
  • Unsighted (Sept. 30)
  • Phoenix Point (Oct. 1)

Is the first game on Game Pass?

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Those who would prefer to play the original Subnautica first are in luck; this one is also available on Xbox Game Pass right now for console and PC. When the player’s spaceship crashes onto Planet 4546B, they must explore the area to find resources to fix the ship and survive the planet’s harsh conditions. Meanwhile, they’ll discover clues about another ship’s mysterious disappearance. What’s really going on with Planet 4546B?

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