Hollow Knight Silksong Sea of ​​Sorrow: everything about the first major free expansion

Team Cherry has taken advantage of the final stretch of the year to unveil one of the most anticipated announcements by the community: Hollow Knight: Silksong will have its first major free expansion, Sea of ​​Sorrow, scheduled for 2026. The announcement comes after a very busy year for the Australian studio, in which the Metroidvania has established itself as one of the most outstanding titles in the genre..

The new expansion is designed as a large-scale, classic-style piece of content. following in the footsteps of the free DLC for the first Hollow Knight, but with a clearly superior ambition and a strong nautical themeAt the same time, the study has confirmed important milestones, such as Silksong having already surpassed 7 million copies sold worldwide and that the original Hollow Knight will receive a optimized version for Nintendo Switch 2 and the rest of the current platforms.

Sea of ​​Sorrow: The big free expansion for Silksong

According to the official statement from the study, Sea of ​​Sorrow is the first major DLC for Hollow Knight: Silksong and will be completely free for all players.The content has been in development for some time and is presented as the next natural step in the game's roadmap after its launch, with the intention of extending the title's life without fragmenting the community.

The team describes this expansion as a new adventure with strong marine inspirationIn this game, Hornet will have to venture into regions linked to the sea and navigation. Although the map has not yet been revealed in detail, the study mentions new interconnected areas that will maintain the characteristic metroidvania structure of the saga, but exploring biomes and structures that have not been seen until now in Telalejana.

Sea of ​​Sorrow will arrive accompanied by never-before-seen bosses, new enemy types, and additional tools for movement and combatTeam Cherry makes it clear that this is not a small addition, but a well-defined block of content, in line with previous expansions such as The Grimm Troupe or Godmaster, but on a scale that, in their own words, will be even larger.

The brief teaser released hints at some of the motivations that will lead Hornet to these sea-related territories, sparking all sorts of theories among fans of the game. The studio prefers to maintain the mystery and has promised offer more information shortly before launchavoiding an excessively long promotional campaign.

Nautical theme and possible recovered content

One of the most striking aspects of Sea of ​​Sorrow is its strong nautical componentTeam Cherry has confirmed that the new areas will be clearly linked to the sea, sailing, and coastal landscapes, something that fits with some of the concept art that the community had long associated with content that was discarded or postponed during the development of Silksong.

The official description refers to “New areas, bosses, tools and more”This is a formula very similar to the one the studio used when presenting previous Hollow Knight expansions. Fans have speculated that some regions cut during the game's production, such as a mysterious coral area leaked in previous materials, may reappear reimagined within this expansion.

Although Team Cherry hasn't gone into specific details about the exact size of the map or the estimated length of the DLC, they do insist that Sea of ​​Sorrow is designed for to significantly expand the world and story of Silksongnot just as an optional add-on. The study speaks of an experience that could be reminiscent of substantial expansions for the first game, such as The Grimm Troupe, or even surpass them in content.

In any case, the team maintains a cautious stance and emphasizes that there will be More official details will be available closer to the expansion's release date.The intention is to repeat the strategy they followed with Silksong itself, revealing the final date and the latest features with little advance notice to avoid public delays or last-minute changes of plan.

Date and roadmap: a content-packed 2026

Team Cherry places the launch of Hollow Knight: Silksong – Sea of ​​Sorrow sometime in 2026without specifying a precise date yet. The DLC is planned as the first major milestone of additional content for the game that year, alongside other initiatives that the studio prefers to keep under wraps.

In their message to the community, the team acknowledges that The development of Silksong took longer than expectedThis is partly because the project began as an expansion for the first Hollow Knight and ended up becoming a full-fledged sequel. With Sea of ​​Sorrow, they claim to have a much clearer plan, which should prevent similar deviations and allow the content to arrive within the announced timeframe.

In addition to the expansion, the study hints that it has other plans for 2026 that have not yet been made publicAfter the intense launch year, Team Cherry says it will take a few weeks off to reorganize before fully entering this new production cycle, which fits with its philosophy of prioritizing quality and internal rhythms over aggressive schedules.

What is confirmed is that Sea of ​​Sorrow will maintain the same distribution model as the DLC for the original Hollow KnightThe content will be added at no additional cost to all players who own Silksong, regardless of the platform or whether the game is enjoyed through services such as Xbox Game Pass.

Sales success and reception of Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alongside the Sea of ​​Sorrow announcement, Team Cherry has updated the sales figures for Silksong, which has already surpassed 7 million copies sold globallyThese figures are in addition to the millions of users who have accessed the game through Xbox Game Pass, solidifying the title as one of the most influential Metroidvanias of recent years.

On platforms like Steam, the launch was particularly noteworthy: The game reached over 587.000 concurrent players In its early days, it ranked among the most prominent releases on Valve's store. This initial momentum has been bolstered by a very active player base, which has contributed to word-of-mouth marketing with mods, guides, artwork, and all kinds of community content.

The specialized critics have also been very favorable, highlighting the freedom of exploration that Silksong offersUnlike many traditional Metroidvanias, where access to certain areas depends on acquiring specific abilities, the game allows you to move around virtually the entire map from the start, breaking one of the classic rules of the genre and has been seen as one of the keys to its personality.

During 2025, Silksong not only became one of the most talked-about titles of the year, but also It was among the top contenders for the year-end awards.At The Game Awards, for example, it was one of the standout names and took home the award for Best Action and Adventure Game, reflecting the impact it has had on both players and critics.

Updates, post-launch content, and community

Since its release, Hollow Knight: Silksong has received several content and quality of life updatesThese updates, numbered and released gradually over several months, have refined the game, fixed bugs, and added minor tweaks that pave the way for larger expansions like Sea of ​​Sorrow.

On their blog, Team Cherry has been detailing each of these major updatesFrom the first major game overhaul to subsequent patches that fine-tune performance, fix bugs, and adjust certain encounters and systems, the aim has been to keep players engaged without overwhelming them with drastic changes.

The study has also shared some official tips and tricks, such as the possibility of activate the highest difficulty modes from the beginning For those seeking a more demanding challenge from the very first game. These kinds of details have helped broaden the game's appeal to a wide range of audiences, from those who prefer to explore at a leisurely pace to those looking for extreme challenges.

The community, for its part, has responded with constant activity: improvised strategies, fan art, mods, and a multitude of guides They have become part of the daily life of Silksong. Team Cherry explicitly mentions that seeing this creativity and collaboration among players is one of the team's biggest motivations for continuing to expand the game.

Hollow Knight for Nintendo Switch 2 and a free upgrade

Aside from Silksong, the studio has taken advantage of the Sea of ​​Sorrow announcement to confirm that The original Hollow Knight will have an updated version for Nintendo Switch 2This edition will take advantage of the new hardware to offer significant technical improvements, in line with the treatment Silksong has already received on Nintendo's new hybrid console.

The planned improvements include higher frame rates, higher resolutions, and additional graphical effects, with the aim of bringing the experience of the first Hollow Knight closer to current standards and making it easier for new players to enter Hallownest under the best conditions.

For those who already own the game on the Nintendo console, Team Cherry has announced that The upgrade to the Nintendo Switch 2 edition will be completely free. when it launches in 2026. This way, current users won't have to pay again to enjoy the technical improvements in the new machine.

The study has even begun to prepare the ground with a new version of the original game for PC which corrects several bugs and adds some additional features. Although a firm release date for the Switch 2 version hasn't been announced beyond a generic 2026, the message is clear: the goal is for both Hollow Knight and Silksong to look and perform at their best on the next generation of consoles.

Merchandising and market presence

Silksong's strong commercial performance has also had an impact off-screen. Team Cherry, in collaboration with Fangamer, has launched New merchandising lines featuring mini-figures of Hornet and other charactersavailable both individually and in complete packs. While this doesn't directly affect the game's content, it does confirm the brand's strength and its growing market presence.

On the other hand, the study has confirmed that The physical edition of Hollow Knight: Silksong will arrive in early 2026This includes the base game and, presumably, all major updates released up to that point. This physical release is especially anticipated in Europe and Spain, where the collector community is very active and tends to place great importance on boxed editions.

The Switch 2 upgrade pack, coupled with the release of the physical version and the later arrival of Sea of ​​Sorrow, paints a picture in which Silksong will continue to be very present in the console and PC catalog throughout 2026For those who haven't yet ventured into Telalejana, this might be an interesting time to do so, knowing that additional content is on the way.

While players await more concrete details about the expansion, the studio invites the community to continue exploring all the possibilities of the current gameto experiment with alternative routes and share their findings, something that has been key to keeping interest alive since the launch.

With everything that has been announced, from the free expansion Sea of ​​Sorrow and its nautical setting From the update of the original Hollow Knight for Nintendo Switch 2 to its strong sales figures, the outlook for the series is particularly promising heading into 2026. Team Cherry is taking a break after an intense year, but makes it clear that the Hollow Knight universe will continue to grow, and that both veterans and newcomers will have new reasons to get lost among its corridors, shores, and depths.