Dave the Diver is getting a Subnautica 2 crossover for its final planned DLC, Mintrocket announced at the Triple-i Showcase. The free expansion is scheduled for early 2027 and will send Dave and Bancho to Proteus, Subnautica 2’s ocean moon.

The announcement, reported by Eurogamer, gives Dave the Diver’s DLC run a suitably aquatic send-off: the two games both revolve around underwater exploration, though one is considerably more interested in making the ocean feel like a threat. Players can expect new creatures, new discoveries and an encounter with Subnautica 2’s Leviathan. The pack is available to wishlist on Steam.

A new dimension for Dave and Bancho

The crossover’s premise picks up after Dave and Bancho have discovered every sea creature and associated sushi recipe in their dimension. They travel to another one to investigate its marine life, meet new friends and, presumably, find a way home. Proteus is the destination, bringing Subnautica 2’s alien ocean into Dave the Diver’s more playful world.

Underwater exploration in Dave the Diver – Image: DAVE THE DIVER / Steam

The Leviathan should make that second point rather clearly.

Mintrocket studio director Jaeho Hwang said that, while both games are set underwater, Subnautica’s distinct approach to underwater exploration gave the teams a chance to bring a new wave to the Dave the Diver experience.

The last stop on a busy DLC route

This is not Dave the Diver’s first visit from another game. Its past crossovers have included Balatro, Yakuza, Godzilla and Guilty Gear, among others. A Subnautica collaboration is an especially neat fit, even if its visitors bring rather less sushi-bar energy than Dave’s usual guests.

Subnautica 2 is also arriving at the crossover with serious momentum. The primary report says the game sold more than five million copies in under a month after launching in early access in 2026. That early success has put the sequel firmly on the map, and the crossover offers Dave the Diver players a taste of its setting without asking them to trade the sushi restaurant for a survival game.

A player-built base in Subnautica 2 – Image: Subnautica 2 / Steam

Subnautica 2 creative director Anthony Gallegos described the expansion as a celebration of both series. “It’s clear that we both adore one another’s games a lot, and the expansion is a love letter to both Dave the Diver and the Subnautica universe. People are in for a treat.”

Release window and availability

The free Subnautica 2 content pack is planned for early 2027, with no exact release date announced. It can already be wishlisted on Steam. For players following Subnautica 2’s early-access progress, its sales and early-access momentum make this crossover a meeting of two games with very different, but nicely complementary, ideas about what lurks beneath the surface.

Details What’s confirmed Release window Early 2027 Price Free Setting Proteus, Subnautica 2’s ocean moon Wishlist availability Steam

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