Subnautica 2 drops players onto a brand-new alien planet, and the ocean floor is anything but empty. Leviathans, the series' signature class of colossal predators and passive giants, are back in full force. Four distinct creatures have been confirmed through trailers, dev vlogs, and official teasers, and they look nothing like the Reapers and Ghosts veterans tangled with on 4546B. This guide breaks down every confirmed Leviathan, what we know about each one's behavior, and what to realistically expect when you finally run into them.
What are Leviathans in Subnautica 2?
Leviathans are the largest creature class in the Subnautica series. They range from active apex predators that will chase your submersible across multiple biomes to passive giants that only become dangerous under specific conditions. Subnautica 2 takes place on a different planet entirely from the original game and Below Zero, which means a completely fresh roster of Leviathan species with no direct carryovers from either previous game.
A total of 4 Leviathans have been officially revealed ahead of Early Access launch. Some have detailed profiles thanks to developer coverage, while others are little more than a silhouette or a brief cinematic appearance.
Collector Leviathan first look
All confirmed Leviathans in Subnautica 2
Collector Leviathan
The Collector Leviathan is the most documented of the four. It resembles a massive squid and first appeared in an official teaser trailer for Subnautica 2. Unknown Worlds followed that up with a dev vlog that walked through the creature's design process, showing how the team built its 3D model from concept to in-game asset.
Out of every confirmed Leviathan, the Collector has received the most direct developer attention so far. The name alone suggests some kind of hoarding or territorial behavior, though Unknown Worlds hasn't confirmed specific mechanics around how it interacts with players or structures.
The Collector Leviathan dev vlog is worth watching before you start your first playthrough. Seeing how Unknown Worlds approached its design gives you a sense of the creature's scale relative to player vehicles.
Deepwing Brooder Leviathan
The Deepwing Brooder Leviathan is the most mysterious entry on this list. Unknown Worlds has only revealed its silhouette, shared through a Fan Art Challenge posted on the official Unknown Worlds website. No behavioral details, habitat information, or size comparisons have been released as of the Early Access launch on May 14, 2026.
The name carries a lot of implications. "Brooder" suggests parental or nesting behavior, which could mean this Leviathan becomes significantly more aggressive under specific circumstances, similar to how certain real-world deep-sea creatures defend egg clusters. That said, this is inference from the name alone, and Unknown Worlds hasn't confirmed any of this.
The Deepwing Brooder's full behavior is unconfirmed. Treat it as an unknown threat until community testing documents how it actually responds to player presence.
Unknown Clam Leviathan
Spotted during the Early Access Cinematic Trailer, this creature appears to be a stationary Leviathan modeled after a giant clam. Based on what the trailer shows, it sits in place rather than actively patrolling a territory. The threat seems conditional: get caught inside its mouth and you're in serious trouble, but swimming around the outside appears relatively safe.
This design echoes a pattern from the original Subnautica, where not every Leviathan-class creature was an active hunter. The Sea Dragon was a direct threat, but the Sea Emperor was passive. The Clam Leviathan looks like it fits the passive-but-deadly category, where player awareness matters more than raw speed or evasion.
No official name has been confirmed for this creature yet. "Unknown Clam Leviathan" is the community designation based on its appearance in the cinematic trailer.
Unknown Flying Leviathan
Also spotted in the Early Access Cinematic Trailer, multiple flying creatures appear that qualify as Leviathan-class based on their size. Unlike the Clam Leviathan, these seem to be genuinely peaceful, floating through the environment without reacting to the player. They may serve an atmospheric role similar to the Sea Treader Leviathans from the original game, which were passive herd creatures.
The presence of flying Leviathans is a meaningful shift for the series. Both previous games were almost entirely aquatic. Flying creatures of this scale suggest Subnautica 2's surface and aerial zones have more to offer than players might expect.
Are any Leviathans returning from the original games?
The short answer is no, and that's by design. Subnautica 2 takes place on a completely different planet from both the original Subnautica and Below Zero. Unknown Worlds used the same logic when developing Below Zero: even though that game was set on the same planet as the original, creatures like the Reaper Leviathan and Ghost Leviathan didn't appear in Sector Zero because the regional ecosystems were distinct.
With a new planet in Subnautica 2, there's even less reason to expect legacy Leviathans to show up as living threats. The ecosystem is entirely alien, and the confirmed creatures so far look nothing like anything from 4546B.
That said, Unknown Worlds is throwing returning players a small nod. A statue of the Reaper Leviathan from the original game will be available as a base decoration, which is a nice callback without breaking the ecological logic of the new setting.
What should you expect from Leviathans in Early Access?
Early Access launches with 4 confirmed Leviathans, but that number will almost certainly grow. Unknown Worlds has a history of adding creatures throughout development cycles, and the Subnautica 2 Early Access roadmap confirms that new biomes and creatures are planned for future updates. More biomes typically means more Leviathans, since each major zone in the previous games had its own apex predator.
The Early Access map is described as the biggest starting map Unknown Worlds has shipped for an Early Access launch, which gives the existing Leviathans plenty of territory to inhabit. Expect the Collector and the Clam Leviathan to occupy specific depth zones, with the flying creatures likely appearing near the surface or in open-sky areas.
For everything you need to know about getting into the game on day one, the Subnautica 2 Early Access launch date guide covers platform availability, Game Pass details, and how to get in from the start. Check the full Subnautica 2 guides collection as the community starts documenting Leviathan locations, depth ranges, and survival strategies once the game is live.