The original Subnautica is one of the best survival games to ever arrive in the genre, but that doesn’t mean you can’t improve the vanilla version with a few of the top mods made by the community. While the Subnautica modding community doesn’t feature expansive, DLC-sized mods like some other game sections on Nexus Mods, there are hundreds of useful, quality-of-life mods that can enhance your experience on Planet 4546B. From inventory management improvements to better base building to full-on new vehicles, you can find a slew of mods to make Subnautica a better overall game.

We’ll be going over the best Subnautica mods that you can find on Nexus Mods. As a note, this only includes the original game and not Below Zero, as that’s an entirely different section and features completely separate mods. You’ll also want to ensure you have the right version of the game downloaded for the mod you’re trying to install; some mods are only compatible with older or newer versions of the game.

• Creator: newman55
• Download Link: Nexus Mods

The Map mod is one of the best ways to improve your overall experience in Subnautica. While there is something alluring about exploring Planet 4546B without any guidance, having a map to show you where you are, what’s surrounding you, and even which biome you’re in can be a huge quality-of-life improvement. The mod displays all of this information; however, the mini-map is fogged out when you begin a playthrough. You can only uncover the fog by traversing the map, so you still have to do a lot of exploration work yourself.

• Creator: MrPurple6411 and Cookay
• Download Link: Nexus Mods

Inventory management is one of the most important yet frustrating aspects of Subnautica. Perhaps the most annoying element of the inventory is that some items you pick up take up more than one inventory slot, forcing you to maneuver different items into certain areas so you can carry more loot. However, with the All Items 1×1 mod, you don’t have to worry about that any longer. The mod makes it so every item you pick up, big or small, only takes up a single inventory slot.

• Creator: newman55
• Download Link: Nexus Mods

Subnautica is loaded with dozens of resources and blueprints that require those resources to craft. Trying to remember which resources are needed to craft a certain blueprint can get tedious, as you need to then go and fetch the resources from your many storage containers. Luckily, the EasyCraft mod makes the crafting process much more efficient. It automatically crafts the ingredients you need for a given blueprint and takes the resources the recipe needs from your base’s storage. This means you don’t need to have the resources physically in your character’s inventory anymore.

• Creator: RandyKnapp
• Download Link: Nexus Mods

By default in Subnautica, you’re only given a handful of quickslots that you can use to easily access certain tools or items. The MoreQuickSlots mod does exactly what you think it does: gives you more quick slots to use, 12 to be exact. This allows you to add more tools, weapons, or items to your quick slots hotbar so you can use them as fast as you can press their dedicated button.

• Creator: OSubMarin
• Download Link: Nexus Mods

The Cyclops is easily one of the most unique and thrilling upgrades you can obtain in Subnautica. Being able to roam the ocean in a massive submarine with a slew of storage opens up so many more avenues for players. However, the main issue with the Cyclops is that, due to its hulking size, there is no way to dock the vehicle at your base. The Cyclops Docking Mod makes it possible, though, by adding a tube that connects to the top of your base and allows the submarine to dock above a habitat. Now, you can always remember where you left the Cyclops.

• Creator: newman55
• Download Link: Nexus Mods

We have another mod to improve your inventory in Subnautica, and this time it’s the Advanced Inventory mod. This is a simple addition to your game that expands the inventory to include more slots, allowing you to carry more loot at a given time. The mod also adds hotkeys so you can quickly sort your inventory or move all your items into a storage container with one click. Once you download this mod, it’s difficult to go back to the vanilla inventory in Subnautica.

• Creator: zorgesho
• Download Link: Nexus Mods

In the first Subnautica, you’re not allowed to build a base on dry land, only underwater. While this makes sense given the nature of the game, you might want a nice, safe above-water habitat that you can visit in between your deep ocean excursions. The Habitat Platform mod delivers just that, allowing you to build a base on top of a large platform in the ocean. You can build all of the same base stations, habitat pods, and other items, but this time, you’re safely above the water.

• Creator: Lee23
• Download Link: Nexus Mods

We all love the Cyclops, but it can be a bit clunky to navigate between all of the cavernous areas of Planet 4546B. To make your sea travels simpler and faster, you can add the Alterra Sea Voyager mod to your game. The Alterra Sea Voyager is a boat that travels above the water, allowing you to skip all of the slow and difficult navigation that sometimes comes with the Cyclops. Now, you can hop in your boat, which is roughly the same size as the Cyclops, easily travel to a destination, and hop back out into the water to resume your exploration.

• Creator: zorgesho
• Download Link: Nexus Mods

The Prawn Suit’s best feature in Subnautica is its grappling arm, which allows you to swing from surfaces like an underwater Tarzan and grab items that are a little out of your normal arm’s reach. However, the default grappling arm mod for the Prawn Suit has some limitations. Fortunately, those are all fixed with the Grappling Arm Upgrade mod. The mod gives the grappling arm more length, strength, and speed, allowing much more freedom when using the Prawn Suit.

• Creator: Mikjaw
• Download Link: Nexus Mods

If you’re someone with a true fear of the leviathans that roam the waters of Subnautica, or you’re just looking for a relaxed playthrough, consider downloading the Stealth Module mod. This mod allows you to add a vehicle upgrade on your Seamoth, Cyclops, and Prawn Suit that turns you nearly invisible to sea creatures. While they can still see you if you make enough noise or get too close, they won’t be able to detect you nearly as easily as before.

• Creator: Pete
• Download Link: Nexus Mods

As we have stated a few different times throughout this list, the Cyclops is a massively fun vehicle to use, but it can be challenging to navigate with it. To make that process a whole lot simpler, you can download the Cyclops Strafe mod, which allows you to seamlessly move side to side with the submarine. This dramatically changes the Cyclops’ movement, as previously, you could only move very rigidly, which made it difficult to fit into tight crevices as you went deeper into the ocean.

• Creator: zorgesho
• Download Link: Nexus Mods

Have you ever looked at a piece of salvage from the Aurora and thought to yourself, “Sure would be nice if I could scrap that for some metal salvage?” Well, now, that fantasy can become reality with the Debris Recycling mod. The mod allows you to salvage just about any wrecked piece of the Aurora that you find on the ocean floor. In turn, you’ll receive metal salvage, which is needed for dozens and dozens of crafting recipes. No longer will you have to find dedicated metal salvage scraps in Subnautica, saving you a ton of time with base building and gear upgrades.

• Creator: MrPurple6411
• Download Link: Nexus Mods

While the Seamoth isn’t the vehicle that you’ll use for the later game in Subnautica, it is the vehicle that gets you through the entirety of the early game. Exploring the shallows and other starter areas is done with a Seamoth, and until you get a Prawn Suit or Cyclops, you’re likely going to go through dozens of batteries to keep the small vehicle charged. If you never want to insert another battery into your Seamoth, you can download the Seamoth Thermal Reactor, allowing you to place your Seamoth over a heat source to charge it. Geysers work best for this, as they’re plentiful in the early areas and are risk-free to visit.

• Creator: MrPurple6411
• Download Link: Nexus Mods

Let’s face it, grinding out resources can be a real chore in Subnautica. While that is the intention, sometimes you just want to find resources more frequently when you’re out exploring. If you’ve ever felt that way or think it would be beneficial to your playthrough, then download the Increased Resource Spawns mod. With this mod you’ll see more resources scattered around all parts of the map, making it much easier to grab everything you need, head back to your base, and craft whatever you need the extra resources for.

• Creator: MrPurple6411
• Download Link: Nexus Mods

Dying in Subnautica is not something you want to do frequently. Unlike other survival games, you can’t simply go back and retrieve the loot you had on you when you die. Instead, that loot is gone, and when you spawn back at your base or habitation pod you’ll see an empty inventory. If you want to avoid that situation and potentially lose hours of progress, then you can download the Keep Inventory On Death mod. This allows you to keep your entire inventory in the event you die, which can save you a ton of time in the long run if you’re prone to running out of oxygen or getting mauled by reapers.