Once Human Expands into the Ocean with Isles of Abyss Update

The survival world of Once Human has officially expanded into the deep, with the developers launching Isles of Abyss—the largest free expansion in the game’s history—now available on Xbox Series X|S. According to a post on Xbox Wire, the team behind the game aimed to move beyond standard open-water mechanics by turning the ocean itself into a hostile, living organism.

Designing the Living Sea

The creative direction for the expansion began with a subversion of traditional nautical tropes. Drawing inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” the developers conceptualized the ocean as a colossal, sentient entity dubbed The Sunken Lord. Unlike traditional lighthouses that offer safety, the anomalies in this expansion act as invasive eyes that track player movement. The design philosophy centers on “sinking into oblivion,” featuring ghost ships that drift aimlessly across the five marine sectors, reinforcing a sense of unease and isolation.

Survival and Naval Crafting

The expansion introduces a high-freedom naval crafting system, allowing players to adapt Once Human’s modular building mechanics to the sea. Players must design and engineer their own vessels, which serve as mobile sanctuaries, workshops, and combat platforms. The gameplay loop demands that players balance survival across three distinct layers: traversing open waters, exploring islands, and diving into the abyssal seabed to recover resources. Combat encounters, particularly the climax against The Sunken Lord, require squads to breach the leviathan’s exterior to fight through its visceral chambers.

Why it matters

For players, Isles of Abyss represents a fundamental shift in how survival protocols are executed. By forcing players to manage their sanity, vision, and gear while constantly navigating an evolving environmental threat, the update challenges long-time fans to rethink their established playstyles.

Additionally, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members have until November 18, 2026, to claim the exclusive Once Human launch bundle through the Game Pass Perks gallery. As the update is free, it serves as a major content drop for existing players on Xbox Series X|S and PC to test their ship-building skills against the new, high-stakes oceanic endgame.