Once Human Isles of Abyss Release Date is October 22, 2026, giving players a firm date for the game’s biggest free content expansion so far. Isles of Abyss shifts Once Human towards a maritime survival loop built around scattered islands, open water, ship building, deep sea exploration and new endgame encounters.
The October launch follows several rounds of Pioneer testing, including a final confidential test that began on September 16 and is scheduled to run until October 8. That test covers the complete Isles of Abyss map and a much broader slice of the scenario, so the Once Human Isles of Abyss Release Date now sits only two weeks after the final test window closes.
Once you’re in the scenario, the Voyager ship encounters and four Haywire Zone activities give you places to explore between the larger challenges. The Calamity Towers guide covers one of the shared progression activities.
Isles of Abyss maintenance and UK launch time
The new scenario opens after the October 21 update maintenance, which starts at 4:00 PM Pacific Time on October 21. In the UK, that’s midnight BST on Thursday, October 22. NC expects the work to take approximately three hours, putting the provisional UK finish around 3:00 AM BST. An exact reopening time has not been promised.
Once Human Isles of Abyss Release Date listings showing October 21 (PT) and October 22 (UK) therefore refer to the same rollout. The maintenance needs to finish before you can enter the new PvE scenario. Check the official October 21 maintenance notice for any revised service times.
| Platform | Launcher download (approx.) | In-game update (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| PC | 26.28 GB | 751 MB |
| PS5 | 12.29 GB | 76 MB |
| Xbox | 20.39 GB | 82 MB |
| Android | 4.8 GB | Not separately listed |
| iOS | 5.7 GB | Not separately listed |
NC says download sizes can vary, and Steam may show duplicate downloading if an update is pushed late. The new scenario’s ship building and Calamity Towers are covered in separate guides. Make sure you have enough free storage before the downtime ends; PC has the largest published launcher download at roughly 26.28 GB.
Isles of Abyss opening servers and progression
The first North American and European PvE batch includes four servers, named Isles_Abyss-X0001 through Isles_Abyss-X0004, with 12 worlds per server. South America, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan initially receive two each in the published region grouping. Sign-ups open only after the update, rather than through advance registration.
The separate RaidZone ocean map has a PvP mode and its own servers. Choose that mode explicitly on the character sign-in page if you’re looking for PvP; the normal Isles of Abyss scenario is PvE. The Permanent Server is now expected November 18 (PT), before the first batch of scenario servers closes. See our Once Human Isles of Abyss how-to-join guide for the entry process.
Once Human Isles of Abyss Release Date and launch details
Once Human Isles of Abyss Release Date Image NetEase Games.
The confirmed Once Human Isles of Abyss Release Date is Thursday, October 22, 2026. Xbox announced the date during its Tokyo Game Show 2026 broadcast and described Isles of Abyss as Once Human’s largest free content update, with the expansion arriving on Xbox Series X|S and available through Game Pass. Our Once Human Isles of Abyss Xbox guide breaks down what that means for console players.
| Detail | Confirmed information |
|---|---|
| Release date | October 22, 2026 |
| Expansion | Ocean Expansion: Isles of Abyss |
| Price | Free content update |
| Xbox | Xbox Series X|S |
| Game Pass | Included with Game Pass |
| Main features | Ship building, island and ocean survival, deep sea exploration, endgame bosses |
The Once Human Isles of Abyss Release Date announcement is important because the scenario has been in public testing for months without a final launch day. The September final test is the last major test period currently listed by Starry Studio, with participants using the full scenario map before the public October release.
What is included in Isles of Abyss?
Once Human Isles of Abyss is not simply a new land map. The scenario is built around a connected ocean and island ecosystem where players sail between regions, gather resources, build facilities and deal with hazards that change by location and time of day. The Once Human Isles of Abyss Release Date therefore marks the arrival of a different survival structure rather than a small seasonal refresh.
The official scenario preview confirms ocean based Calamity Tower challenges, island exploration, new resources and technology, random Voyager encounters, Haywire Zones, naval combat and underwater exploration. In the Abyssal Sea regions, Treasure Maps can lead to hidden sites such as shipwrecks and underwater laboratories.
The newest trailer also confirms full ship building as a headline feature for the Once Human Isles of Abyss Release Date. Our Once Human Ship Building guide explains how ships connect to naval combat, Voyagers and ocean progression. Ships are not just transport between islands. The public test material shows naval combat, cannon controls, ship strengthening and encounters that can be tackled from the water, which puts the vessel at the centre of the expansion’s progression loop.
What endgame content is coming?
Endgame is another major part of the Once Human Isles of Abyss Release Date. The final test preview includes Calamity Nests and a four player dungeon called The Sunken Lord. The Sunken Lord appears after Phase II begins and the server reaches 100 percent Purification Progress, tying the boss to shared scenario progression rather than making it available immediately.
Calamity Towers also activate as World Progress advances. Players can rally allies, sail to the relevant ocean area and clear the tower, with the first clear sending rewards to players on the server and helping advance World Progress. Later progression can introduce new challenge variations to those towers.
That structure means the Once Human Isles of Abyss Release Date is only the starting point for the scenario. Players will move through its phases, improve their access to ocean activities and eventually reach the later boss content as the server completes shared objectives.
Is there a test before release?
Yes. Ahead of the Once Human Isles of Abyss Release Date, the final Isles of Abyss Pioneer test runs from September 16 at 9:00 PM PT until October 8 at 3:00 AM PT. It is a closed, data wipe test for selected North American PC and console players, and participants are required to follow an NDA.
The test is divided into an initial five day Phase I and a longer Phase II for testing purposes. Starry Studio has warned that those test phase lengths are not the final public scenario schedule, so they should not be treated as the exact phase timing that everyone will receive on October 22.
Where to follow Once Human Isles of Abyss
The official Once Human website is the main first party hub for the expansion, test notices and future scenario updates. With the Once Human Isles of Abyss Release Date now confirmed, the remaining pre launch information is likely to focus on final systems, launch preparation and any changes made after the September test.
For players planning around the launch, the useful date is October 22. The Once Human Isles of Abyss Release Date puts the ocean expansion just under six weeks after the final test began, with ship building, sea exploration, island survival and the scenario’s new endgame structure all scheduled to arrive as part of the free update.
