Once Human's Isles of Abyss update went live on October 21, 2026, and its centerpiece is an ocean survival scenario where you build ships and sail between islands. The official update page says the maintenance began at 4:00 PM Pacific Time and was expected to last about three hours, with the actual server opening time possibly differing. Inven Global dated the launch October 22, while the developer's own page uses the October 21 Pacific date. That could be the same moment seen from Asian time zones, but neither source says so, so go by the official Pacific time.
Quick answer: Isles of Abyss is a PvE ocean scenario of about 21 days across two phases, plus a new ocean PvP map for RaidZone. The game itself is free to play, according to the official site, and the update also brings a new weapon, armor, a Halloween event and a new Battle Pass. The next update is scheduled for November 4 at 3:00 PM Pacific Time.
What the Scenario Adds
The update page describes Isles of Abyss as a PvE ocean survival scenario of roughly 21 days across two phases. Players sail, gather resources, build ships, dive for treasure and fight enemies listed as Voyagers, the Calamity Tower and The Sunken Lord. A separate Isles of Abyss: RaidZone adds an ocean PvP map for RaidZone mode with no world divisions. To play it, you switch to RaidZone mode in the upper-left corner of the sign-in page, and servers marked Console are reserved for console players.
New Gear and Quality of Life
The official notes list a weapon called SOCR - Cosmic Visitor, a Snowline Elite Vest armor and First Person OTS aiming. Quality-of-life changes include first-person mode optimizations, controller sensitivity presets and a cheat-detection update.
Halloween Event and Shop Items
The update page also lists a Halloween Wonder Night event, a Bone Path Lightforge Loot Crate, a new Battle Pass, custom dye for 23 fashion sets and new shop items. The page does not say whether the scenario itself costs money. It does list paid items such as Crystgin top-ups, Battle Pass tiers and shop bundles, so treat the free-to-play label as covering the game, not every cosmetic or pass. Our guide to spotting pay-to-win in a free game explains how to judge that kind of mix.
Download Sizes and Platforms
The scenario supports PC, console and mobile. The official page lists the following download sizes, which may vary: about 26.28 GB for the PC launcher plus roughly 751 MB in game, about 12.29 GB for the PS5 launcher, about 20.39 GB for the Xbox launcher, about 4.8 GB on Android and about 5.7 GB on iOS. It recommends a Wi-Fi connection and enough storage space, and it warns that a delayed Steam release could cause duplicate downloads.
If your drive is nearly full, clear space before the patch rather than during it. Our guide to checking SSD temperature and throttling can help if downloads slow down, and our free games for low-end PCs covers lighter alternatives.
Common Questions
Is Once Human free to play? The official site's page title says "PLAY FOR FREE," and the update page lists optional paid items alongside it.
How long does the scenario last? The page describes roughly 21 days across two phases.
When is the next update? The page lists November 4, 2026, at 3:00 PM Pacific Time.
What other free games should I look at? Our free-to-play hub points to a guide for every genre we cover.
Sources: Once Human — October 21 update notes, Inven Global — Once Human officially launches Isles of Abyss on October 22
