Once Human’s largest free expansion, Isles of Abyss, launches on PlayStation 5 on October 22, 2026, introducing ocean survival, customizable ships, underwater exploration and new boss encounters. The expansion takes the multiplayer open-world survival game beyond its existing environments with five new oceanic regions and a progression system connecting land and sea exploration.
Once Human lead game designer Vincent Tao confirmed the release in an October 21 PlayStation Blog announcement, detailing the expansion’s environments, naval construction systems and PS5-specific features. Developer Starry Studio also confirmed that the new scenario is part of the game’s version 3.1.1 update, scheduled for October 21 in Pacific Time, with availability across PC, consoles and mobile devices.
Isles of Abyss introduces a supernatural ocean controlled by an entity called the Sunken Lord. Rather than functioning solely as an environment for travel, the sea presents threats that change across different regions. Players will encounter dense fog, dangerous black tides and storms that unleash temporal fire.
The expansion also introduces mysterious lighthouse structures called Towers and ghostly ships known as Voyagers, both connected to the Sunken Lord. Players must navigate these hazards, defeat regional bosses and eventually confront the entity controlling the ocean.
Ship construction is one of the expansion’s central gameplay systems. Players begin with a basic raft before gathering materials to build and upgrade larger vessels. These ships function as mobile bases that can support crafting facilities, storage, heavy weapons and other survival equipment.
The building system allows players to customize hulls, decks and ship layouts, with designs ranging from traditional cannon-equipped sailing vessels to industrial platforms and futuristic floating structures. Players can save their ship layouts and share them with others, while cooperative groups can assemble fleets to explore and fight together.
Naval combat introduces additional equipment, including different cannon types, ramming components and naval mine launchers. Weapon options expand through progression, allowing players to adapt their vessels to different encounters and combat ranges.
Exploration follows a land-and-sea progression system. Players begin on a starter island before choosing how to explore the remaining four oceanic regions. Resources collected from islands support ship upgrades and naval technology, while materials obtained at sea contribute to equipment crafting and progression on land.
Underwater exploration adds another layer to the survival experience. Players can investigate submerged ruins, recover treasures, collect aquatic resources and hunt marine creatures for supplies. The expansion also introduces new wildlife interactions, including the ability to capture, breed and ride Bay Crocodiles.
According to the official update notes, the Isles of Abyss PvE scenario has an approximately 21-day core cycle divided into two phases. Progression through the scenario eventually unlocks the confrontation with the Sunken Lord. A separate Isles of Abyss map is also being introduced for RaidZone, offering PvP encounters focused on competition for resources across the ocean.
On PS5, the expansion incorporates DualSense haptic feedback to simulate waves, storms and impacts during ship combat. Adaptive triggers provide resistance when operating naval cannons or firing grappling equipment. The developers also highlight the console’s SSD loading capabilities for transitions between island exploration, sailing and underwater activities.
The update is free and supports cross-platform play and progression across PC, mobile and console versions of Once Human. Players can access the Isles of Abyss scenario through the game’s scenario selection system after completing the required introductory experience.
Isles of Abyss arrives on October 22 for PS5 players, bringing shipbuilding, naval combat and large-scale ocean exploration to the free-to-play survival game.
