Fix Subnautica 2 No Sound, Crackling, and Static

Your Subnautica 2 audio is silent or crackling because the game engine is struggling to handshake with your Windows sound configuration. This usually happens when your sample rate is set too high or the game is trying to output audio to a device that is no longer correctly registered in your config files.

Why this happens

The Subnautica 2 audio engine often conflicts with Windows sample rates set above 48 kHz. Additionally, the game can fail to play sound if it tries to route audio to a cached device entry that has become stale.

Steps

1. 01
   Right-click the speaker icon in your taskbar and select Sound settings, then scroll down to click More sound settings.
2. 02
   On the Playback tab, right-click your active audio device and select Properties.
3. 03
   Navigate to the Advanced tab and change the Default Format to 24-bit, 44100 Hz, then click Apply and relaunch the game.
4. 04
   If the issue persists, press Windows Key + R, paste %LOCALAPPDATA%/Subnautica 2/Saved/Config/Windows into the box, and press Enter.
5. 05
   Open the GameUserSettings.ini file, use Control + F to find the line starting with AudioOutputDevice=, and delete that entire line.
6. 06
   Save the file, ensure your preferred audio device is set as the Windows default, and restart Subnautica 2.
7. 07
   If you still hear no sound, open Steam, right-click Subnautica 2, select Properties, go to the Installed Files tab, and click Verify integrity of game files to repair any corrupted assets.

Still not working?

If these steps fail, check your Device Manager to ensure your audio drivers are up to date and not conflicting with virtual audio cables or other recording software. If other games also lack sound, the issue likely resides with your Windows audio service rather than the game itself.

Frequently asked questions

Will changing the sample rate to 44.1 kHz lower my audio quality?

No, 44.1 kHz is standard CD quality and is perfectly fine for gaming; you will not notice a decrease in audio fidelity.

Does verifying game files delete my save data?

No, verifying integrity of game files through Steam only checks for missing or corrupted game installation files and will not touch your personal save files.