Tasman Forge has announced Southern Reach, the first major expansion for its sailing exploration hit Windward Isles, targeting a December 2026 release on all platforms.
Revealed via a five-minute trailer this morning, Southern Reach sends players beyond the charted archipelago into subantarctic waters. The headline additions: a new island chain roughly a third the size of the base game's map, dynamic pack ice that reshapes routes daily, and long-requested fleet mechanics that let players crew and dispatch a second ship.
"The southern ocean is a different animal, and we wanted the game to feel that," studio director Mere Callahan said in the announcement post. "Your boat gets bigger. The sea gets much, much bigger."
The expansion will be priced at NZ$24.99, with a free companion update adding photo mode and colour-blind sailing aids for all players. Our review of the base game called it "a landmark release for New Zealand game development" — and on this evidence, the landmark is still growing.
Southern Reach arrives in December 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.
