Before you start
- Record your platform, installed build or branch, and whether community mods were installed before changing files.
- Keep a copy of your working save and any mod files you may want to restore. The Windows paths below apply only to the named mod setup.
When this check applies
Unknown Worlds warned with its July 14 Early Access hotfix that community mods could be incompatible immediately after an update. Its support article addresses crashes immediately after launch following an update when mods had previously been installed. It does not say every crash is caused by mods or establish compatibility for the current build.
Try the official mod check
The exact file-removal instructions and paths come from Unknown Worlds Support. If you are unsure whether a file belongs to your mod setup, use the linked support instructions before deleting it.
- Preserve your save and a copy of the installed mod files, then disable, uninstall or remove the community mods before trying the game again.
- On Windows, if you use UE4SS to manage those mods, back up and remove its Subnautica2\Binaries\Win64\dwmapi.dll file as the official support article directs. Check Subnautica2\Content\Paks\~mods\ for remaining mod files and remove those too. Do not remove similarly named files elsewhere.
- Launch again without the mods. If it starts, wait for the mod creators to update their content before restoring mods one at a time. This is a troubleshooting outcome, not proof of which mod caused the crash.
Sources for this section
If it still fails
Keep the unmodified save and record the platform, build or branch, exact crash point, and whether the no-mod launch changed anything. Send that evidence to the official support route; the mod article does not diagnose other causes. Do not replace a working world or assume a co-op host’s save is corrupt because the game failed at startup.
October 6 crash diagnostics and Xbox memory fix
Hotfix 2 reports an Xbox audio-command memory leak while paused or constrained, revised crash diagnostics and re-enabled crash-on-launch logging. These do not establish that every startup failure has that cause. The same notice repeats the incompatible-mod warning; keep the exact crash stage and no-mod result with a preserved save for support.
Sources for this section
Your checklist
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Sources and how this guide was made
This guide uses the linked sources and any attributed demonstrations. Kingy has not independently play-tested these steps. Platform differences and limitations are noted with the advice they affect.
Coverage: Early Access 1.2 · Buddy System Hotfix 2 (October 6) · older routes retain their source/build limits. Research checked 2026-09-27. Updated 2026-10-07
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