Subnautica 2 Save Sync & Host Hand-off
Subnautica 2 co-op is host-based: there is no dedicated server, and the world lives entirely inside the host's save file. Everyone who joins plays in that one world, and all of their progress is written back into the host's save. Understanding how that save moves between people and platforms is the key to never losing a world, and to keeping it playable even when the original host is away.
☁️ How Subnautica 2 saves work
- One world, one save: the host's save holds the whole world; joiners' progress is stored in that same file.
- Shared knowledge: recipes and data entries are shared across the crew within a world; oxygen stays individual.
- Built-in cloud transfer: Upload to Cloud and Import Save let you move the world between machines and platforms.
1. Upload to Cloud → Import Save (the host hand-off)
Subnautica 2 has a built-in feature to move a world from one machine to another. This is how you hand off or rotate who hosts:
⬆️ Upload to Cloud
The current host selects Upload to Cloud on the world. The game uploads it and returns a short key (code) you can share with a friend.
⬇️ Import Save
Another player chooses Import Save, enters the key, and the world loads on their machine. They can now host the same world from there.
2. Cross-platform progression (Steam ↔ Xbox)
Because the transfer happens at the save level, a world can move between platforms. A world that started on a PC (Steam) copy can be imported on Xbox, and vice versa, as long as both players own a compatible copy (PC stores, Xbox, or Game Pass). Crossplay between PC and Xbox is on by default, so a mixed PC + Xbox crew can all play in the same imported world. There is no PlayStation version, so PS5 players cannot join.
3. What the hand-off does NOT do
The save transfer rotates who hosts; it does not make the world run on its own.
- A guest can't keep the world running while the host is offline. The world is only live while someone is hosting it.
- There is no background server. Without a host in the session, the world is simply offline for everyone.
- This is the gap managed hosting fills: an always-online host runs the world continuously so your crew never has to wait for one specific person to come online.
Troubleshooting save sync
My friend can't import the world from my key.
Re-upload to get a fresh key, double-check it was typed exactly, and confirm both players are on the same game version. The importing player also needs a compatible copy of the game (PC store, Xbox, or Game Pass).
Progress didn't carry over after a hand-off.
Make sure the new host imported the latest upload. If the original host kept playing after uploading, upload again so the key points at the newest version of the world before the other person imports it.
Is there a dedicated server that holds the world instead?
No. There is no official dedicated-server tool yet (it is one of the most-requested features). Until there is, an always-online managed session is the practical way to keep a world online around the clock.
Next Steps
- Multiplayer setup and host-based co-op
- Backing up and restoring your world
- Back to Subnautica 2 Wiki Home
Always-online hosting: Supercraft runs your Subnautica 2 world as an always-online hosted session, so it stays reachable even when the original host is offline. Daily backups mean a clean restore point if a save ever goes wrong, no manual Upload to Cloud juggling required.