Subnautica 2 is the latest behemoth to mess with other games' launch plans at the last minute: 'we need to dodge the Leviathan'
Despite months of corporate acrimony, Subnautica 2 got a firm release date today. The most-wishlisted game on Steam will launch on May 14, and even if you don't plan to play it, you might want to follow the narrative of what has turned out to be one of the most controversial launches of 2026.
Which leaves other games launching on May 14 in a bit of a spot. One of those is Outbound, a cosy life sim about exploring a pleasant open world in your very own camper van. You've probably heard of it: it's the 13th most wishlisted game on Steam at the moment, which is great for the studio responsible, but the lustre somewhat wears off when pitted against the most popular forthcoming game.
The team at Square Glade Games is fully aware of this, and has taken action. "The highly anticipated title Subnautica 2 just revealed their release date—which falls exactly on our planned release date," the studio writes on Steam. "Even though we are very hyped for their game and big fans of the franchise, we think that it is best to not compete with such a highly anticipated title on that day.
"We need to dodge the Leviathan, which means that you can start your road trip earlier!"
In other words, Outbound is now releasing on May 11—three days earlier—on PC and Xbox. It'll still release on PS5 and Nintendo Switch on May 14.
It's probably a wise move, but of course Steam never sleeps, so some other games will still release on May 14. These include stylish roguelite Enter the Chronosphere, and Dark Light: Survivor, which I hadn't heard of but which seems to be tracking well in terms of wishlists according to SteamDB.
The last time an indie game sent other games scrambling for better calendar placement was Hollow Knight Silksong, but more broadly, Grand Theft Auto 6 continues to cause tremulous panic in boardrooms the world over.
As for Subnautica 2 itself, it's looking promising: Lincoln Carpenter recently spoke to design lead Anthony Gallegos about its exploration-first approach to survival.