One of the biggest video game launches of 2026 happened this week. Right now, it’s unclear — in precise terms — what is the biggest 24-hour video game launch of 2026 because not all publishers and developers are equally forthcoming with this information. For example, we know Crimson Desert sold two million copies in 24 hours. Meanwhile, we know Resident Evil Requiem sold five million copies in one week, but there is no word on how many copies it sold in 24 hours. It’s almost certainly more than two million, though. And then we know Slay the Spire 2 sold three million copies in one week, but there is no information on what it posted in 24 hours.
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What can be safely said is that one of the biggest video game launches of the year is Subnautica 2, which has officially sold 2 million copies in 12 hours, in what could very well be the biggest opening 12 hours for any video game so far this year. And what makes this especially impressive is the fact that Subnautica 2 is only in early access, and only on PC and Xbox Series X. These sales figures could and would be substantially bigger if it also launched on PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2. Whatever the case, on Steam is where Subnautica 2, like its predecessor, is most popular, and on Steam, it is unsurprisingly the #1 best-selling game right now, dethroning Forza Horizon 6 in the process, which was previously sitting at the top on pre-orders and early access alone.
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Not only is Subnautica 2 selling very well across Steam and Xbox Series X since its launch on May 14, but it’s also been received well. To this end, it has a 93% approval rating on the former after 16,393 user reviews. The Xbox Series X doesn’t populate user reviews right at launch, so we don’t know what its reception is like over there, but it’s presumably similar, as the two versions are very similar.
What’s also worth pointing out is that not only is Subnautica 2 achieving this in early access and on limited platforms, but it’s selling a boatload of copies despite being free with PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. So this two-million figure in 12 hours really could be a lot higher. The first game sold millions of copies, so it’s not completely surprising to see its sequel selling this well, but so far, it’s outpacing its predecessor considerably. Of course, like its predecessor, it helps that the game is not full price, priced at $30, substantially cheaper than some of its biggest competition on the sales front.
All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the video game conversations happening over on the ComicBook Forum.
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