Every fact on this page applies to update 1.23.55063, the one version tested. Other versions may behave differently.
No emulator needed: Subnautica: Below Zero runs natively on the Apple chip. How nxnative compares with emulators
Running through nxnative
How Subnautica: Below Zero runs
Subnautica: Below Zero plays on the Mac at 30 fps, as on the Switch. A short test covered the title, the main menu, a new Survival game, the opening in the hangar, the drop to the planet, and walking and looking around at the crash site, with music. An iPhone app has been built but not tried on a device.
How it runs
By the end of the opening, the Unity engine had nearly used up the address space an iPhone app has, because it reserves far more than it uses. nxnative trims two of those reservations, which leaves about 0.85 GB of headroom after the opening. How much room remains after longer play, underwater and in bases, has not been measured.
At the moment you land at the crash site, the game takes a long frame and the sound drops out briefly; nxnative restarts the audio within a second and play continues.
Bring update 1.23.55063
Tested with update 1.23.55063. Put it in the same folder as the base game before you Pack.
Controls
The Packed app starts in the 3D touch layout, as you look around in first person with the right stick. Touch an empty spot in the right third of the screen to look around.
Good to know
- Only the opening and the crash site were played. Long sessions may run short of memory on iPhone; the project developers have not checked this yet.
Known issues
- Sound briefly cuts out when you land at the crash site, then recovers within a second.
- An iPhone app has been built but not yet played on iPhone.
Packing command
Run this in your nxnative folder on the Build Mac. Replace the game folder and the keys path with your own. Add --platform mac-app to get a Mac app instead of an iPhone and iPad app.
python3 scripts/build_ipa_from_nsp.py ~/Games/subnautica-below-zero -k ~/keys/prod.keysFAQ
Does Subnautica: Below Zero work with nxnative?
Yes. Subnautica: Below Zero is tested with nxnative on update 1.23.55063.
Which iPhone, iPad or Mac do I need to play Subnautica: Below Zero?
An iPhone 15 Pro or newer (A17 Pro chip or later) or an iPad with an M1 chip or later, on iOS or iPadOS 26 or later, or a Mac with Apple silicon. iPads with the A17 Pro chip (iPad mini) have the iPhone 15 Pro's chip but are untested by nxnative. Packing needs a Mac with macOS 26.6 or later and Xcode 27.1.
Is Subnautica: Below Zero included?
No. Neither this site nor nxnative includes any game. You Pack Subnautica: Below Zero from your own copy of the game, with keys dumped from your own Switch.
Does online play work in Subnautica: Below Zero?
Online play in Subnautica: Below Zero is not confirmed to work, so do not count on it.
