Once Human's largest free expansion yet, Isles of Abyss, launches on PlayStation 5. The expansion takes the game's strange-worlds survival into uncharted waters, with five brand-new oceanic regions, new threats, and naval combat.

A living ocean

The developers wanted the sea to be more than a blue backdrop or a way to get from A to B. In Isles of Abyss, the entire ocean is a massive, conscious entity known as “The Sunken Lord.” The water surface you navigate is its physical body. The eerie lighthouses “The Tower” and the spectral ghost ships “Voyagers” drifting through the fog act as its organs and manifestations of its dark will. The sea watches you, reacts to your presence, and feeds on your fear.

As you explore, you'll meet dynamic regional threats, from suffocating mysterious fogs and violent black tides to skies raining temporal fire. To untangle the world's secrets, you and your squad must brave these anomalies, defeat regional bosses anchored in colossal towers, and ultimately confront the Sunken Lord itself.

Build a mobile Sea Fortress

Your journey begins on a basic wooden raft, which won't last long against a sea that wants to devour you. You can build, customize, and upgrade it into a fully functional, mobile Sea Fortress. The ship is your forward base, workshop, heavy artillery platform, and primary survival tool. You can build a classic wooden pirate ship with heavy broadside cannons, an industrial drilling rig, a sleek sci-fi aircraft carrier, or a completely wild, abstract floating fortress. Your ship design is also your tactical answer to the ocean's threats. Friends can team up to form player fleets and coordinate their designs to tackle different hazards together.

A land-sea progression loop

You wake up on a starter island, then explore the remaining four oceanic regions in any order you like, so each player can carve out a unique growth path. Resources gathered on mysterious islands fuel the naval tech and heavy weaponry you need at sea. In turn, deep-sea ventures unlock specialized materials that enhance your land gear and base progression.

Beneath the waves, a dedicated underwater exploration layer lets you dive into sunken ruins for lost treasure, harvest rare aquatic resources, and go deep-sea hunting to sustain your crew and gain special materials.

Key Features at a Glance

• Five oceanic regions: Five brand-new regions, explored in any order after the starter island – lets every player choose their own growth path.
• Living ocean: The entire sea is a conscious entity called “The Sunken Lord” – turns open water into a constant, reactive threat.
• Mobile Sea Fortress: A fully customizable ship that serves as base, workshop, and artillery platform – your main survival tool at sea.
• Fleet play: Friends can form player fleets with coordinated ship designs – tackles different hazards as a group.
• Land-sea loop: Land resources fund naval tech, and deep-sea materials upgrade land gear – keeps both halves of the game feeding each other.
• DualSense haptic feedback: Feel the Sunken Lord's low, rumbling heartbeat beneath your hull, plus waves, sea storms, and hull impacts in naval combat – makes the ocean physically felt.
• Adaptive triggers: Resistance changes with each shot from heavy naval cannons or grappling lines launched into enemy vessels – adds weight to combat.
• Lightning-Fast SSD Loading: Switch quickly between land, ship captaining, and underwater trenches – keeps the survival flow uninterrupted.

Availability

Once Human is free to download and play on PS5 through the PlayStation Store. The game launched on Aug. 25, 2026, and its free Isles of Abyss expansion is scheduled to arrive on Oct. 22, 2026. Optional paid content includes cosmetic and convenience items; the PlayStation Store also lists a $29.99 Recharge Rewards Pack.