Fix Subnautica 2 No Sound or Audio Crackling on PC

Launching Subnautica 2 only to be met with total silence or distorted static is incredibly frustrating when you just want to explore. This usually happens because the game's audio engine struggles with high-fidelity Windows sample rates or gets stuck looking for a cached audio device that isn't there anymore.

Why this happens

The game engine has a known compatibility conflict with Windows sample rates set above 48 kHz. Additionally, the game configuration file often caches incorrect audio device data, preventing it from routing sound to your active headset or speakers.

What you will need

You just need access to your Windows Sound Control Panel and the ability to edit a plain text configuration file.

Steps

1. 01
   Right-click the speaker icon in your system tray and select Sounds
2. 02
   Go to the Playback tab, right-click your primary audio device, and select Properties
3. 03
   Navigate to the Advanced tab and set the Default Format to 24-bit, 44100 Hz, then click Apply
4. 04
   Navigate to C:/Users/[YourUsername]/AppData/Local/Subnautica 2/Saved/Config/Windows and open GameUserSettings.ini with Notepad
5. 05
   Locate the line starting with AudioOutputDevice= and delete that entire line
6. 06
   Save and close the file, then launch the game to force it to re-initialize your audio
7. 07
   If sound is still missing, right-click Subnautica 2 in your Steam Library, select Properties, go to Installed Files, and click Verify integrity of game files