The Tiny Hollow Knight Silksong DLC Detail That Could Make Sea of Sorrow Feel Like a Whole New Game
Hollow Knight: Silksong lived up to the hype—and as its first year ends, Team Cherry is already deep into the debut DLC, Sea of Sorrow.
Silksong has been the big one this year, and for once the hype actually lined up with the game. As its debut year winds down, Team Cherry quietly dropped the first real add-on: a free DLC called Sea of Sorrow, already well underway and headed for 2026.
"Voyage across and beneath the salt-stricken seas in this thrilling expansion, free for all players."
So, yeah: they are taking Hornet to sea
That single shift is a big deal. Hollow Knight and Silksong both lived in crumbling, vertical kingdoms full of rust and ruin. None of it touched the ocean. A strictly nautical expansion means different spaces, different hazards, and very likely, different pacing.
Even without full-on underwater levels, the minute you start adding ships, tides, storms, and depth, you change how exploration plays. Team Cherry is good at designing environments that force you to think differently about traversal and fights. Dropping Hornet into a sea-facing region gives them a whole new toolbox.
What is officially in the DLC
- Nautical-themed expansion, free for all players
- New areas, new bosses, new tools
- Exploration across and beneath the seas
- Launching in 2026 on all platforms Silksong is on
- Development is already well underway
- More details will land closer to release
The fun speculation: movement and combat could get weird (in a good way)
Silksong already dialed things up by giving Hornet more speed, aggression, and expressive combos than the original. If Sea of Sorrow leans into water, wind, and weather as environmental modifiers, we could see new attack chains, momentum-based tools, or abilities that behave differently in these spaces. Team Cherry has confirmed new tools and weapons are coming, which points in that direction.
If they go for it, this may not feel like "more Silksong" so much as "Silksong, remixed." That might mean relearning some muscle memory. Not everyone loves that, but I do like when a DLC actually makes you play a little differently.
Silksong is doing numbers, and Team Cherry is keeping the lights on
Quick pulse check: Hollow Knight: Silksong has sold over 7 million copies, with millions more hopping in via Game Pass. On top of the DLC news, the original Hollow Knight is getting a free next-gen and Switch 2 update in 2026. And if you are on PC, there is a free update out now that adds 16:10 and 21:9 display support.
Bottom line: Sea of Sorrow lands in 2026, costs nothing if you already own Silksong (or are playing it on your platform of choice), and it is steering the series into waters it has never explored. That alone makes it worth watching.