Generation Zero vs Subnautica: Below Zero
Generation Zero is an FPS horror game from Systemic Reaction™ (2019) while Subnautica: Below Zero is a horror open-world game from Unknown Worlds Entertainment (2021).
What each one is
Steam files Generation Zero under FPS and Horror. In contrast, it files Subnautica: Below Zero under Horror and Open-World.
Generation Zero is a stealth-action shooter where you wage guerilla warfare against lethal mechanical enemies. Explore a vast open world map inspired by the Swedish Cold War era, take part in the resistance alone or with up to three friends in seamless co-op.
Dive into a freezing underwater adventure on an alien planet. Below Zero is set two years after the original Subnautica. Return to Planet 4546B to uncover the truth behind a deadly cover-up. Survive by building habitats, crafting tools, & diving deeper into the world of Subnautica.
At a glance
| Generation Zero | Subnautica: Below Zero | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 6.6/10 | 8.1/10 |
| Steam rating | Mostly Positive (72%, 42,169) | Very Positive (90%, 108,227) |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | No aggregate |
| Price | $24.99 | $29.99 |
| Install size | 35 GB | 15 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | verified |
| Released | 2019 | 2021 |
| Developer | Systemic Reaction™ | Unknown Worlds Entertainment |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Generation Zero vs Subnautica: Below Zero, 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
Generation ZeroFPS horror gameSubnautica: Below ZeroHorror open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Generation ZeroOpen World, Survival, Co-opSubnautica: Below ZeroOpen World Survival Craft, Survival, UnderwaterThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Generation ZeroScore 6.6 · 72% on SteamSubnautica: Below Zero ✓Score 8.1 · 90% on SteamThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Generation Zero42,169 reviews · 23 add-ons · 35 GBSubnautica: Below Zero108,227 reviews · 1 add-on · 15 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Generation Zero ✓$24.99Subnautica: Below Zero$29.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Generation ZeroVerifiedSubnautica: Below ZeroVerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueGeneration Zero and Subnautica: Below Zero 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.
- PC
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: Below Zero (GamingPickz Score 8.1)
- The cheaper right now: Generation Zero ($24.99)
- Lighter on storage: Subnautica: Below Zero (15 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Subnautica: Below Zero (108,227 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Open WorldSurvivalMultiplayerBase-BuildingAtmosphericSci-fiSandboxHorror
Where they differ
Co-opFPSRobotsPost-apocalypticShooterMechs
Open World Survival CraftUnderwaterSingleplayerIndieAdventureFirst-Person
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Generation Zero is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Subnautica: Below Zero is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Generation Zero | Subnautica: Below Zero | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | nVidia GTX 660 / ATI HD7870 - 2GB | Intel HD 530 |
| Minimum CPU | Intel i5 Quad Core | Intel Core i3 4XXX series / AMD Ryzen 3 2.6ghz+ |
| Minimum RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Install size | 35 GB | 15 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Generation Zero · Subnautica: Below Zero.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Generation Zero and 1 for Subnautica: Below Zero. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
If you like one, also try
Common questions
How different are Generation Zero and Subnautica: Below Zero in scope?
Generation Zero has drawn 42,169 Steam reviews, ships 23 add-ons and installs in 35 GB. Subnautica: Below Zero has drawn 108,227 Steam reviews, ships 1 add-on and installs in 15 GB.
Is Generation Zero or Subnautica: Below Zero better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Subnautica: Below Zero rates higher (8.1 to 6.6). 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, Generation Zero or Subnautica: Below Zero?
Generation Zero is cheaper right now at $24.99, 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.