Hollow Knight: Silksong - Sea of Sorrow

What this countdown tracks

Time remaining until Team Cherry releases Sea of Sorrow, the free nautical expansion to Hollow Knight: Silksong. The Australian developer announced the content at The Game Awards in December 2025 with a 2026 release window, no fixed date.

Why this release matters

Hollow Knight: Silksong launched in September 2025 to extraordinary critical reception after one of the most-tracked development cycles in independent gaming – seven years from initial reveal to release. The game shipped on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and PC simultaneously and went straight to the top of multiple platform charts; Steam concurrent player counts placed it among the most-played single-player titles of 2025. Original Hollow Knight has sold north of 15 million copies and is consistently ranked among the most beloved Metroidvanias ever made. For Team Cherry – a three-person studio in Adelaide – Sea of Sorrow is a continuation of the goodwill model of the original Hollow Knight, which received four free DLC packs over its first two years. Players already invested in Hornet's journey will see new explorable regions, new bosses, and new tools added at no additional cost, an increasingly rare commercial decision in the current full-priced expansion landscape. The expansion's announcement at The Game Awards 2025 was one of the show's biggest applause moments, and concurrent player metrics on Steam are expected to spike again on launch day in line with how the base game's release reset records that had stood since 2018.

What we know so far

Team Cherry confirmed Sea of Sorrow at The Game Awards 2025 and on its blog. The expansion is described as Hornet's voyage across and beneath the salt-stricken seas of Pharloom, with new areas, bosses, and tools added on top of the base Silksong campaign. The studio has confirmed it will be free for all owners of Silksong on every release platform: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and PC. No specific release date has been published; community trackers cite mid- to late-2026 based on Team Cherry's pacing. A teaser trailer released at TGA 2025 showed underwater traversal and a new harpoon-style tool. Platform parity is expected, mirroring the simultaneous launch model used for the base game.

Release details

• Release date: 2026 window; specific date not yet announced
• Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PC
• Price: free for owners of Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Studio: Team Cherry (Adelaide, Australia)
• Regional variations: simultaneous worldwide release expected

What to watch for leading up to release

• A specific release date confirmation, traditionally announced 4–8 weeks before drop
• A second trailer with deeper gameplay footage
• Patch notes detailing new tools, charms, and crests
• Boss roster reveals, often through Team Cherry's blog
• Cross-promotion with Switch 2 software updates from Nintendo
• Pre-load timing on consoles
• Studio commentary on whether Sea of Sorrow is the only planned free DLC

Related releases to track

Other 2026 indie and mid-budget gaming highlights to track alongside this expansion include monster-hunter-wilds-expansion-2026 from Capcom, fable-reboot-2026 on Xbox and PS5, and ghost-of-yotei-siege-of-edo-2026 for fans of single-player narrative content. Switch 2 owners should also follow splatoon-raiders-2026 in summer 2026.

FAQ

When does Sea of Sorrow release? A 2026 window is confirmed; no specific date is set. What platforms is it on? PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and PC – every Silksong release platform. How much will Sea of Sorrow cost? Free for all Hollow Knight: Silksong owners. Can I preorder Sea of Sorrow? No preorder is required for free DLC. Who makes Sea of Sorrow? Team Cherry, a three-person studio based in Adelaide, Australia.