QUIRKY UNDERWATER ADVENTURE NAUTUS GETS STEAM CLOSED BETA PLAYTEST, SIGN-UP NOW
Closed Beta Testing Kicks Off August 31, Sign-Up Now at playtest.playnautus.com
In Development from Magic Design Studios, the Indie Studio Behind Have a Nice Death & Unruly Heroes
LOS GATOS, Calif. – Aug. 24, 2026 – Arc Games, a leading publisher of AA and indie titles for PC and consoles, and Magic Design Studios, the indie developer behind acclaimed titles Have a Nice Death and Unruly Heroes, are excited to announce that NAUTUS, the recently announced charmingly quirky underwater adventure, will soon have a Closed Beta Playtest via Steam, with sign-ups available now via playtest.playnautus.com.
The Closed Beta Playtest will begin Monday, August 31, at 7 AM PDT. Magic Design Studios is looking for fans of Dave the Diver, Subnautica, Terraria, and SteamWorld Dig to join the playtest and provide valuable feedback via Discord to help shape the game and be part of its development journey from the very beginning.
Excited to jump into this adventure? Follow and wishlist the game today on Steam!
ABOUT THE CLOSED BETA PLAYTEST
Sign up for the Closed Beta Playtest and get ready to dive into NAUTUS for the first time ever via Steam starting on Monday, August 31, at 7 AM PDT! This playtest gives players a proper introduction to the game to experience its unique dual-layered gameplay loop:
- On the Surface: Catch your breath, meet and help quirky amnesiac locals, customize your tropical home base, manage resources, and engineer specialized submarine upgrades.
- Below the Surface: Pilot your upgradeable submarine into a beautiful yet dangerous underwater abyss, encounter mutant marine life, navigate environmental hazards, and gather rare materials to craft advanced machinery and gear.
During the playtest, you’ll create your own character, step into the world of NAUTUS and begin your adventure. You’ll meet eccentric locals, like the mayor and Mr. Golden, unlock your own submarine, explore the game's first biome, tackle main and secondary quests, and dive deep into core progression systems. Players can brave the ocean depths entirely on their own, or team up with up to three friends in four-player online co-op to uncover the mysteries of NAUTUS together!
ABOUT NAUTUS
From the indie studio behind Have a Nice Death and Unruly Heroes comes NAUTUS, a quirky underwater adventure where the surface is your cozy sanctuary, but the ocean floor is a whole different beast. Explore the abyss in your upgradable submarine, face strange creatures, gather resources, and recover mysterious artifacts to uncover what happened to the N.A.U.T.U.S. research team and your missing uncle. Return to the surface to craft, build, and befriend its eccentric inhabitants before diving even deeper -- solo or with up to three friends in online co-op.
Game Features
- Explore the Deep Unknown: Navigate breathtaking coral reefs, sunken pirate shipwrecks, and uncharted underwater anomalies that even the local N.A.U.T.U.S. scientists refuse to approach. Make sure to be ready to fight and capture strange creatures that should never have existed!
- Pilot Your Own Upgradable Submarine: Craft specialized modules, protective equipment, and vital weaponry as you take control and update your own submarine. Advance your tech to dive deeper into hostile trenches and defend against aggressive, mutant marine life.
- Adventure Solo or Dive into Online Co-Op Multiplayer: Uncover the mystery of NAUTUS and brave the ocean depths entirely on your own, or team up with up to three players in four-player online co-op and dive into this offbeat adventure together.
- Meet, Befriend and Uncover the Mysteries of a Quirky Cast of Inhabitants: Meet eccentric, amnesiac locals like a tanning-obsessed diver and a quirky expedition chief. Collaborate with them on unique and useful projects and recover lost artifact stones to cure their bizarre phobia of the ocean and restore them to their true selves.
- Solve a Sunken Mystery: Investigate the sudden disappearance of your uncle, Bernard Torpedo, by hunting for ancient relics, hidden clues, and secrets buried in the abyss. Will you uncover the mysteries of your uncle and this mysterious island?
- Develop and Customize a Unique Outpost: Transform a secluded tropical outpost into a thriving home base of your own. Set up vital crafting machinery to refine rare materials gathered from the deep, manage your resources strategically, and build the essential infrastructure needed to fuel your next sub-aquatic expedition.
NAUTUS is available to follow and wishlist now on Steam. For more information, please visit playnautus.com.
