Subnautica (and Subnautica 2) Motion Sickness: Why It Happens & What Helps
Underwater first-person is a special kind of trigger: Subnautica moves you on three axes at once — forward, turning, and vertical drift — with nothing solid to anchor your eyes. The original game's fixes live partly in mods; Subnautica 2's early access added an official Camera Bobbing toggle, and early-access players were reporting symptoms within days anyway.
PC, PlayStation, Xbox · first-person underwater · Partial settings · Player-reported motion-sickness risk: one of the most commonly reported triggers in gaming.
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
Risk levels summarise what passengers and riders commonly report, not measured testing.
Key facts
- Subnautica (and Subnautica 2) runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox.
- The camera is first-person underwater.
- Player reports place it in the high band for motion sickness.
- The game ships some comfort settings, but not a full set.
- It sits at number 4 in our ranking of the 20 games players report most for motion sickness.
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Why Subnautica (and Subnautica 2) can trigger motion sickness
Swimming means constant pitch and drift with no ground plane, no horizon, and frequent visibility fog — your visual system loses every stable reference it normally uses. Camera bob layered on top of three-axis drift is the commonly reported breaking point, which is why the community's most popular comfort mod simply removes swim bob and tilt.
- Three-axis underwater drift with no ground reference
- Camera bobbing layered on swim motion
- Fog and open water — nothing stable to fix your eyes on
- Vehicle sections (Seamoth/Cyclops) with their own sway
Comfort settings in Subnautica (and Subnautica 2)
Subnautica (and Subnautica 2) ships some comfort settings, but not a full set.
| Setting | Where | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| FOV | Options > Graphics (original Subnautica) | Raise it — the in-game slider is the main official lever |
| Camera Bobbing | Options > Accessibility (Subnautica 2 early access) | Off |
| MotionSickness mod | Nexus/Thunderstore (original, PC) | Removes swim bob, tilt, and Aurora screen shake if the official settings aren't enough |
Set up before your next session with Subnautica (and Subnautica 2)
Dizzout runs on your phone, not on the machine you are playing on. Install it now, and when you next feel it starting, move the headphones you are wearing over to your phone and press play. Drug-free, and it works once symptoms have already begun.
Before you need it: find out how prone you are
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Put it on your phone
Free to try, no card needed. Or go straight to the App Store or Google Play.
Scan to open on your phoneOn a computer? Dizzout installs on your phone. Scan the code, or open dizzout.com/get on your phone and it'll take you straight to the right store.
Know someone who gets motion sick?
Send them the app that helps stop it, drug-free, in about 90 seconds, works with any headphones. Free to try.
What helps beyond the settings
- Hug the terrain — following the seabed restores a ground plane for your eyes
- Surface regularly; the horizon at the surface is a reset button
- Shorter dives with breaks beat one long exploration session
- A sound-therapy app like Dizzout is designed to help once symptoms start — through the headphones you're already wearing
The fixes people reach for once they step away from the screen are covered separately, with the trials attached: the remedy verdicts.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Subnautica cause such strong motion sickness?
Underwater first-person removes every visual anchor at once: no ground plane, no horizon, three-axis drift, and fog. Your eyes report continuous floating motion your inner ear can't confirm. It's commonly reported as one of the strongest triggers in gaming — strong enough that the community's most popular mod exists purely to remove the swim bob and tilt.
Does Subnautica 2 have a motion sickness setting?
Early access added a Camera Bobbing toggle in the Accessibility tab — turn it off first. Players still report symptoms from the three-axis drift itself, so combine it with terrain-hugging (following the seabed gives your eyes a ground plane), regular surfacing, and shorter sessions.
What's the best mod for Subnautica motion sickness?
For the original game on PC, the community 'MotionSickness' mod removes swim bobbing, camera tilt, and the Aurora screen shake — the three commonly reported triggers the official settings don't fully cover. Console players rely on the FOV slider, terrain-hugging, and breaks instead.
Other game motion-sickness guides
Sources & further reading
Your next question, probably
Can you build tolerance?
Graded exposure, honestly assessed, so you can keep playing
If that is not your question:
Based on publicly reported player experiences and each game's documented settings, as of July 2026. Settings menus change with updates, so check your version. Game names are trademarks of their respective owners; Dizzout is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Motion-sickness sensitivity varies by person, so this is informational, not a game review or a substitute for a doctor's advice.