Don't Starve vs Subnautica
Don't Starve is an action-adventure horror game from Klei Entertainment (2013) while Subnautica is an action-adventure horror game from Unknown Worlds Entertainment (2014).
What each one is
Steam files Don't Starve under Action-Adventure and Horror. In contrast, it files Subnautica under Action-Adventure and Horror.
Don’t Starve is an uncompromising wilderness survival game full of science and magic. Enter a strange and unexplored world full of strange creatures, dangers, and surprises. Gather resources to craft items and structures that match your survival style.
Descend into the depths of an alien underwater world filled with wonder and peril. Craft equipment, pilot submarines and out-smart wildlife to explore lush coral reefs, volcanoes, cave systems, and more - all while trying to survive.
At a glance
| Don't Starve | Subnautica | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.0/10 | 8.4/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (97%, 113,392) | Overwhelmingly Positive (97%, 379,053) |
| Critic aggregate | 79/100 | 87/100 |
| Price | $9.99 | $29.99 |
| Install size | — | 20 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | verified |
| Released | 2013 | 2014 |
| Developer | Klei Entertainment | Unknown Worlds Entertainment |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Don't Starve vs Subnautica, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Don't StarveAction-adventure horror gameSubnauticaAction-adventure horror gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Don't StarveSurvival, Open World Survival Craft, CraftingSubnauticaOpen World Survival Craft, Survival, HorrorThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Don't StarveScore 8.0 · 97% on Steam · 79 criticSubnautica ✓Score 8.4 · 97% on Steam · 87 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Don't Starve113,392 reviews · 4 add-onsSubnautica379,053 reviews · 1 add-on · 20 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Don't Starve ✓$9.99Subnautica$29.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Don't StarvePlayableSubnautica ✓VerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Subnautica takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueDon't Starve and Subnautica on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Mobile
- Multi-platform
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Subnautica (GamingPickz Score 8.4)
- The cheaper right now: Don't Starve ($9.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Subnautica (verified)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Subnautica (379,053 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
SurvivalOpen World Survival CraftCraftingAdventureIndieSandboxSingleplayerMultiplayer
Where they differ
Perma DeathRogue-likeReplay ValueModdableDifficultSimulation
UnderwaterBase-BuildingFirst-PersonSci-fiAtmosphericAliens
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Don't Starve is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Subnautica is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Don't Starve | Subnautica | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | Radeon HD5450 | Intel HD 4600 |
| Minimum CPU | 1.7+ GHz | Intel Haswell 2 cores / 4 threads @ 2.5Ghz |
| Minimum RAM | — | 4 GB |
| Install size | — | 20 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Don't Starve · Subnautica.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Don't Starve and 1 for Subnautica. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Don't Starve and Subnautica in scope?
Don't Starve has drawn 113,392 Steam reviews and ships 4 add-ons. Subnautica has drawn 379,053 Steam reviews, ships 1 add-on and installs in 20 GB.
Is Don't Starve or Subnautica better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Subnautica rates higher (8.4 to 8.0). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Don't Starve or Subnautica?
Don't Starve is cheaper right now at $9.99, against $29.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.