Team Cherry announced the Sea of Sorrow expansion on December 15, 2025, through an official blog post and accompanying teaser trailer. The nautically themed expansion arrives free for all Silksong players in 2026, continuing Hornet’s adventures across salt-stricken seas with new areas, bosses, and tools.
The announcement came during Silksong’s launch year, which saw the game release on September 4, 2025, after seven years of development. The game sold over seven million copies within three months, with millions more players accessing it through Xbox Game Pass. Digital storefronts including Steam, PlayStation Store, and Nintendo eShop crashed for hours on release day due to the massive demand.
Sea of Sorrow
Hollow Knight: Silksong’s First Expansion Launches 2026
Team Cherry described the expansion in their announcement: “Hornet’s adventures continue in our nautically themed expansion, coming free for all players next year. We’ll keep further details a secret for now, but expect additional info shortly before Hollow Knight: Silksong – Sea of Sorrow releases.” The teaser trailer shows Hornet standing on a rock formation as waves crash around her, with the description stating players will “voyage across and beneath the salt-stricken seas.”
The expansion announcement coincided with news that Hollow Knight Nintendo Switch 2 Edition enters development for 2026, bringing the original game to the next-generation console with improved frame rates, higher resolutions, and enhanced graphical effects. Players who own Hollow Knight on Nintendo Switch receive the Switch 2 upgrade at no cost, matching Team Cherry’s approach with Silksong.
Journey to the Sea of Sorrow
What Awaits in Sea of Sorrow
New Areas
Explore dangerous nautical territories and salt-stricken seas as Hornet ventures across and beneath the ocean surface.
New Bosses
Face formidable new adversaries designed to test combat skills in entirely fresh encounters within the maritime setting.
New Tools
Discover and master new abilities that expand Hornet’s combat options and exploration capabilities throughout the expansion.
Free Content
All Silksong players receive the Sea of Sorrow expansion at no additional cost, following Team Cherry’s tradition of free expansions.
Silksong’s performance at The Game Awards 2025 included five nominations: Game of the Year, Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Independent Game, Best Score and Music, and Best Art Direction. The game won Best Action/Adventure Game, competing against titles like Death Stranding 2: On The Beach and Ghost of Yotei. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Game of the Year with a record-breaking nine awards total.
Team Cherry operates as a small indie studio based in Adelaide, Australia, with the core team consisting of Ari Gibson and William Pellen. The studio maintained creative control throughout Silksong’s seven-year development cycle, which began after the original Hollow Knight’s success. The decision to expand what started as downloadable content into a full sequel came as the project’s scope grew during development.
PC players can access updates for the original Hollow Knight through public beta branches on Steam and GOG, including support for 16:10 and 21:9 aspect ratios for ultrawide monitors and Steam Deck. These updates prepare for the full release planned across all platforms in 2026, incorporating features and bug fixes that will carry over to the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.
Team Cherry also announced a partnership with Studio Tyto and Fangamer to produce Silksong mini-figurines depicting Hornet and other characters from the game. The figures became available for pre-order following the Sea of Sorrow announcement. The studio stated plans for additional announcements throughout 2026 remain under wraps, suggesting more content beyond the nautical expansion.
The announcement covered Team Cherry’s holiday update for 2025, including the Sea of Sorrow expansion, Hollow Knight Nintendo Switch 2 Edition development, sales milestones, and merchandise partnerships. Additional information about the expansion’s specific features, gameplay mechanics, and story elements will be revealed closer to the 2026 launch window.