Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Subnautica: Below Zero's Arctic Living early access update is all about home improvements

And sees the return of a familiar gadget.

Developer Unknown Worlds is still hard at work on Subnautica's frosty standalone expansion, Below Zero, nudging ever further through early access on PC - and its latest efforts are available now in the Arctic Living update, bringing all-new mod-cons to players' underwater abodes.

Note that those wanting to keep Below Zero's surprises at bay until its full, final release, should stop reading now.

Alongside a shiny new glass dome to place atop your habitation chambers, Arctic Living introduces the new, matter-of-factly named Large Room. This highly modular living area is significantly bigger than previous offerings, providing ample space for budding homemakers to slot in new partition walls, partition doors, and furnishings.

Those looking to really pimp their bases, however, can build the new cutting edge Control Room, giving access to a range of handy management features. Using the room's holographic projector and accompanying display screens, explorers can manage their power supply, locate hull breaches, monitor weather, and more. It will also enable players to change the exterior colour of their base when the feature is implemented at a later date.

Cover image for YouTube videoSubnautica: Below Zero Arctic Living Update

And if that wasn't enough new base bits to be getting on with, there's also a new jukebox and speaker set to liven up any party (even if you're unlikely to have too many visitors while living on the chillier side of ocean planet 4546B). Here, players can listen to five new in-game tracks - four of which were created by the community - or even import their own music into the game.

Away from the heady world of base building, the Arctic Living update adds three new gadgets to Below Zero. There's the Booster Tank, which uses oxygen to provide an added burst of speed in the water, alongside the self-explanatory Mineral Detector.

Perhaps most exciting of all, however, is the arrival of the original Subnautica's extreme-pressure PRAWN Suit, enabling explorers to dive deeper than previously possible in Below Zero. Those eager to slip inside its welcoming frame should make their way over to Arctic Living's final addition: the brand-new abandoned Alterra Mining Site biome.

A few more details can be found on Unknown World's Arctic Living update page.

Subnautica: Below Zero is expected to remain in early access until some time next year. But if you're too impatient to wait for the final game, it's available now, in its incomplete state, from Steam or the Epic Games Store. It costs £15.49/$19.99 USD.