Explainer / Published 2026-10-26

Once Human’s Isles of Abyss launch has two dates for its permanent server

The ocean PvE scenario is live across PC, console, and mobile, with shipbuilding and a server-wide endgame. Two official pages give different dates for its permanent server.

A survival ship sails between islands above underwater ruins; a 21-day two-phase marker sits over two conflicting calendar cards, November 12 and November 18, separated by a question mark.
Conceptual editorial illustration; not a documentary photograph.

THE SHORT VERSION

  • Isles of Abyss is a free PvE scenario that opened after the October 21 Pacific Time update across PC, console, and mobile.
  • The scenario adds shipbuilding, ocean exploration, hazard zones, and a roughly 21-day, two-phase server cycle ending in the Sunken Lord challenge.
  • Once Human’s Steam announcement lists November 18 for the permanent server, while its official website dev blog lists November 12.

The ocean scenario opened after the October 21 update

Isles of Abyss is the new ocean survival scenario for Once Human. The development team’s October 16 blog says it opened after the October 21 version update, Pacific Time, and lists PC, console, and mobile support. A Starry Studio press release dated October 22 calls it the game’s largest free expansion and says it is live on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and mobile. PlayStation’s own blog announced the PS5 launch for October 22, a regional date difference from the Pacific Time notice.

The scenario is PvE. Its basic loop moves between scattered islands, open water, and the seabed: gather materials, build facilities, explore, and prepare for hazards. This matters to a returning player because Isles of Abyss is a scenario with its own server and progression rules, not just a new land area attached to an existing map. The official announcement describes a new setting and progression cycle; it does not say every existing character automatically moves there.

Current players can use scenario sign-up

The developer’s Steam server guide gives two entry routes. To keep a current scenario running, create a new character, skip the New Player Experience, then select Other Scenarios and Isles of Abyss. An existing character can register once its scenario reaches Rest Period, using Menu, Scenario, then Go to Sign Up. That transfer settles and resets the character’s level, supplies and other scenario data. Shared Character Cosmetics, Blueprint Level and Mod Level remain intact. Friends should agree on the same server and select it through More Servers. Creating another character and transferring the current one therefore have different consequences for the run already in progress.

The first server batch is divided by region, and the developer says each server has twelve worlds. The Steam announcement says players can enter after the October 21 update, with additional servers to open if capacity requires them. Once Human’s site also describes a RaidZone version of Isles of Abyss with its own opening cycle. If you are choosing a server, check whether the entry page says standard PvE or RaidZone; the announcements treat them as separate options.

Shipbuilding connects the islands and seabed

The launch changes how players move through the scenario. Starry Studio describes modular shipbuilding, sailing between islands, and diving for materials or lost items. The press release says the update links surface water, islands, and the seabed into one survival loop. The PlayStation Blog, written by lead game designer Vincent Tao, describes five ocean regions and mobile sea fortresses. These are not just visual backdrops: the studio says the ship is used to travel and to deal with threats in the water.

The new setting includes marine creatures that interact with the vessel. The official dev blog says giant squid can latch onto ships and immobilize them; attacking their tentacles makes them flee. Sharks pursue a target and attack, while tuna move near the surface and can be hunted when they leap. This information helps players understand why the ship and its weapons are part of routine travel. The public launch materials do not establish that every voyage triggers the same encounter.

Each region turns a hazard into a resource

The new scenario’s hazard zones change visibility, temperature, sanity, supply use, or equipment durability. In Reefshadow Bay, Mist of Deceit lowers temperature and visibility; the official guide says lower health makes the visible area smaller. In Misty Marsh, Black Tide increases Stardust contamination but also produces resources. Time Rain speeds up energy and hydration loss and wears backpack items, while also accelerating crop and animal growth. Skyfire brings meteor impacts and heat, with materials that can be used to craft ship structures and facilities.

That arrangement gives the hazards a practical role in progression. Players have to collect the region’s unusual materials to craft equipment that helps them handle its conditions. The developer describes this as a local exchange between risk and supply, not a single difficulty modifier applied to the whole map. Before entering a Haywire Zone, the official guide advises preparing protective items, food, and supplies for that environment. The precise effect and resource depend on the zone, so check its entry description rather than assuming one loadout fits all five regions.

The 21-day cycle ends with a shared boss challenge

The developer describes Isles of Abyss as a roughly 21-day cycle with two phases followed by a rest period. Phase I lasts approximately five to ten days, with its length tied to server purification progress. Phase II lasts eleven days and unlocks the Sunken Lord endgame challenge as the server advances. A press release from Starry Studio adds that progress is shared across the server, so players contribute to a common objective instead of treating the finale as a private quest chain.

The press release describes the finale as a four-player co-op raid through the Sunken Lord’s interior. It says the community must build enough shared progress to awaken the boss. That is a more specific goal than simply reaching a high character level: the phase changes depend on server progress as well as individual activity. The official material does not promise that one player can trigger the finale alone or that all regions advance at the same speed.

Official pages disagree on the permanent-server date

Players who want to plan around the temporary server should notice a date conflict. The Steam announcement for Isles of Abyss says the permanent server is expected to open on November 18, 2026, Pacific Time. The official Once Human website’s dev blog says November 12. Both pages say the permanent server should open before the first batch closes, but they do not match on the calendar date.

Neither page labels the other date as a correction. The Steam post is the newer announcement, while the website blog is the pre-launch guide; that timing may explain the difference, but the sources do not state that. Treat the permanent-server date as unresolved until the in-game notice or a later official update confirms it. The current server-opening details, including regional availability, can also change during a live scenario.

Vision World is scheduled for a later release

Isles of Abyss launched without a Vision tag. The developer says a Vision World for the scenario will open later alongside the Season 5 Vision release. That means players entering on launch day should not expect that variant to be available immediately. The same dev blog says the normal scenario sign-up process applies, which gives returning players a route into the new setting without waiting for that later Vision feature.

For someone deciding whether to start now, the published offer is a free PvE scenario with an ocean travel loop, new environmental hazards, and server-wide progression. The best first check is the in-game scenario selection page: confirm the mode, server region, and entry conditions for the character you plan to use. Keep the permanent-server date separate from the scenario’s launch date, since the two official pages still disagree about the former.

Sources & reporting limits

  1. New Survival Scenario Isles of Abyss Launches Officially on October 21
  2. Once Human's Isles of Abyss expansion launch and server schedule
  3. The Sunken Lord Awakens: Once Human Unleashes Massive Free Expansion Isles of Abyss Today
  4. Once Human’s Isles of Abyss expansion launches on PS5 tomorrow
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