Subnautica 2 does not ship with the developer console enabled by default. To unlock cheats, debug commands, and creative tools, you will need to install a small mod loader called UE4SS along with the Console Commands mod by Skyrising. This guide walks through the full setup in order, from downloading the files to running your first command in-game.
- What You Will Need
- Step 1: Locate the Game Folder
- Step 2: Install UE4SS
- Step 3: Install the Console Commands Mod
- Step 4: Enable the Mod
- Step 5: Launch and Open the Console
- Useful Console Commands
- Troubleshooting
- No Console Window on Launch
- Console Window Opens But Mod Does Nothing
- Game Crashes on Launch
- Console Opens But Commands Are Not Recognised
- Frequently Asked Questions
The process takes around five minutes and is fully reversible. Both tools sit alongside the game executable and can be deleted at any time without affecting your save files.
What You Will Need
Two downloads are required before starting. Grab both files first so the installation runs in one pass.
The links take you to the official Nexus Mods pages of both mods, if you do not trust them – find them in Nexus Mods under ‘UE4SS’, and ‘Console Commands Mod’.
UE4SS is the mod loader that injects custom code into Unreal Engine games. The Console Commands mod (DebugUIToggle) is the actual mod that exposes the console interface. UE4SS without the mod does nothing useful, and the mod cannot run without UE4SS.
Step 1: Locate the Game Folder
Both files must be extracted into the same folder that contains the actual game executable. The full path depends on where Subnautica 2 is installed, but the target folder is always the same.
Open your Subnautica 2 install directory and navigate to:
This folder contains Subnautica2-Win64-Shipping.exe. If you can see that file, you are in the right place. Keep this window open, every file in the next steps goes here.
Step 2: Install UE4SS
UE4SS is the foundation that allows Subnautica 2 to load custom mods. Without it, the Console Commands mod has no way to hook into the game.
Open the UE4SS Zip
Locate the UE4SS_SN2-36-EA1 zip file you downloaded and open it without extracting yet.
Extract to the Win64 Folder
Drag the contents of the zip directly into the Subnautica2\Binaries\Win64 folder from Step 1. Do not extract into a subfolder.
Verify the Files
Confirm that dwmapi.dll and a new ue4ss folder now sit next to Subnautica2-Win64-Shipping.exe.
UE4SS must be in the same folder as the game executable. Placing it in the game’s root folder, or inside the ue4ss subfolder itself, will prevent it from injecting into the game and the console window will not appear on launch.
Step 3: Install the Console Commands Mod
The Console Commands mod is bundled as a folder named DebugUIToggle. It needs to live inside the UE4SS Mods directory you just created.
Extract the Mod Zip
Open the Console Commands zip downloaded from Nexus Mods. Inside, you will find a ue4ss\mods\DebugUIToggle folder.
Copy DebugUIToggle
Drag the DebugUIToggle folder into Subnautica2\Binaries\Win64\ue4ss\Mods. The folder must sit alongside the other built-in mods like ConsoleEnablerMod and CheatManagerEnablerMod.
Confirm the Structure
The final path to the mod's main script should be Win64\ue4ss\Mods\DebugUIToggle\Scripts\main.lua. If the path matches, the mod is in the right place.
Subnautica2\Binaries\Win64\
├── Subnautica2-Win64-Shipping.exe ← game executable
├── dwmapi.dll ← UE4SS loader
├── tbb12.dll
├── tbbmalloc.dll
├── D3D12\
├── DML\
└── ue4ss\
├── UE4SS.dll ← UE4SS core
├── UE4SS-settings.ini
├── UE4SS.log ← created on first launch
├── LICENSE
├── UE4SS_Signatures\
└── Mods\
├── mods.txt
├── mods.json
├── BPML_GenericFunctions\
├── BPModLoaderMod\
├── CheatManagerEnablerMod\
├── ConsoleCommandsMod\
├── ConsoleEnablerMod\
├── Keybinds\
├── LineTraceMod\
├── SplitScreenMod\
├── shared\
└── DebugUIToggle\ ← the Console Commands mod
├── AllConsoleCommands.txt
├── enabled.txt
└── Scripts\
└── main.lua
Step 4: Enable the Mod
UE4SS reads the mods.txt file to determine which mods to load at startup. The Console Commands mod needs to be registered there.
Subnautica2\Binaries\Win64\
├── Subnautica2-Win64-Shipping.exe ← game executable
├── dwmapi.dll ← UE4SS loader
├── tbb12.dll
├── tbbmalloc.dll
├── D3D12\
├── DML\
└── ue4ss\
├── UE4SS.dll
├── UE4SS-settings.ini
├── UE4SS.log
├── LICENSE
├── UE4SS_Signatures\
└── Mods\
├── mods.txt ← edit this to enable mods
├── mods.json
├── BPML_GenericFunctions\
├── BPModLoaderMod\
├── CheatManagerEnablerMod\
├── ConsoleCommandsMod\
├── ConsoleEnablerMod\
├── Keybinds\
├── LineTraceMod\
├── SplitScreenMod\
├── shared\
└── DebugUIToggle\
├── AllConsoleCommands.txt
├── enabled.txt
└── Scripts\
└── main.lua
Open the following file in Notepad or any plain text editor:
Find the line that reads BPModLoaderMod : 1 and add a new line directly below it containing:
Save the file and close it. The trailing: 1 tells UE4SS that the mod is enabled. Setting it to 0 disables the mod without removing it.
Do not place DebugUIToggle below the Keybinds line in mods.txt. The Keybinds entry must always remain at the bottom of the file, as noted by the built-in comment. Insert new mods above it.
Step 5: Launch and Open the Console
With everything installed, launch Subnautica 2 as normal. A black UE4SS console window will appear alongside the game, this is the loader confirming it is active.
Once you are in-game, open the in-game console using the default toggle key:
Useful Console Commands
Below are some of the most commonly used commands once the console is active. These cover creative testing, debugging, and quality-of-life shortcuts. This is the full list of console commands.
| Command | Effect | |
|---|---|---|
| freecam | freecam | Detaches the camera for free movement |
| fastbuild | fastbuild | Instantly completes any base construction |
| nodamage | nodamage | Disables all incoming damage to the player |
| oxygen | oxygen | Disables oxygen consumption |
| item [name] [count] | item titanium 10 | Spawns the specified item into your inventory |
| spawn [creature] | spawn reaper | Spawns a creature at your current location |
| warp [biome] | warp safeshallows | Teleports the player to a named biome |
Using cheats or spawn commands in Subnautica 2 will disable Steam achievement progress for that save file. If you are achievement hunting, create a separate save before opening the console.
Troubleshooting
No Console Window on Launch
If the black UE4SS console window does not appear when the game starts, UE4SS is not being loaded. Check that dwmapi.dll sits directly next to Subnautica2-Win64-Shipping.exe. If the DLL is one folder up, or inside the ue4ss subfolder, the loader will not inject.
Console Window Opens But Mod Does Nothing
Open mods.txt and confirm the line DebugUIToggle : 1 exists and is spelled exactly as shown. The colon, space, and number all matter. Then verify that the DebugUIToggle folder contains a Scripts subfolder with a main.lua file inside.
Game Crashes on Launch
A crash usually means the UE4SS build does not match your game version. Make sure you downloaded the Subnautica 2 specific build (SN2-36-EA1 or newer) rather than a generic UE4SS release. Delete the ue4ss folder and dwmapi.dll from Win64 to fully uninstall, then reinstall with the correct version.
Console Opens But Commands Are Not Recognised
The built-in ConsoleEnablerMod must be set to 1 in mods.txt. It is enabled by default in the SN2 UE4SS build, but a manual edit may have changed it. Open mods.txt and confirm the line reads ConsoleEnablerMod : 1.
