The Outer Worlds 2 first DLC arrives December 2

The Outer Worlds 2 gets "Side Effects Guaranteed" on December 2, the first of the game's two story expansions. PlayStation and Xbox announced it on their official blogs, and it brings a new region, five weapons and a higher level cap.

What has been announced

According to the announcement on the PlayStation Blog Spain, the story starts with a distress signal from a wrecked ship. Your crew ends up caught in the conflict of an abandoned settlement, with a power struggle that will decide the future of the Sub Rosa criminal organization. Events begin shortly before the point of no return of the main campaign.

Xbox Wire, in its article about the expansion, adds plot details: the ship's crew is in suspended animation after being contaminated during a heist and will suffer explosive cell death unless a cure is found. The trail leads to Gordon Hazen, a Sub Rosa agent, and to Elysium Valley, a new region of Eden home to former subjects of the Protectorate. Another agent, Algernon Lankester, wants to take advantage of those colonists. You decide the fate of the colonists, the frozen agents and Sub Rosa itself.

The gameplay additions detailed by the official sources:

• Five new weapons, including an immobilizer pistol that cancels the target's gravity, a revolver whose sixth bullet hits harder, a special bat and a plasma weapon.
• The level cap rises from 30 to 36, with more skill points.
• Fifteen new perks and four new flaws, such as "Lethally Tolerant", which raises your maximum toxicity but kills you instantly if you suffer a toxicity collapse (English name, per Xbox).
• New enemies, such as ferocious canids and enormous versions of the sprats, plus armor and outfits for companions.
• A Sub Rosa radio station with 20 new songs.

What it means for players

This expansion is the first of two: the second arrives in spring 2027, according to Xbox, and your choices in this part will affect it. If you did not start the game recently, you will want to know that the DLC has a direct-start mode: in a new game you can begin at the start of the expansion with a level 27 character and assign the skill points and perks yourself.

Alongside the DLC comes a free update for all players, even those without the expansion. It lets you change your character's attributes at any time and adjust how many skill points you earn per level.

Detail	Info
Name	Side Effects Guaranteed
Date	December 2, 2026
Price	$14.99 (Xbox); euro price not specified
Included in	Premium Edition and Premium Edition Upgrade
Second part	Spring 2027

Some things the announcements leave unclear. Neither PlayStation nor Xbox specifies in these texts the exact platforms, the euro price, or whether the expansion will have Spanish text or voices, although the base game determines the language. They do not mention Game Pass either.

How to get it / what to do now

1. You need The Outer Worlds 2, either the base game or the Premium Edition.
2. If you bought the Premium Edition or its Upgrade, the expansion is included, and that edition includes a pass for both expansions.
3. If you own the base game, Xbox lists the standalone DLC at $14.99; check the euro price in your store when pre-orders open or on launch day.
4. With the level 27 direct start you can try it without replaying the campaign, but you will skip part of the main game's decisions.

Related free online games

While you wait for December, LudoRex has free RPG games such as Diablo or Epic Hero Quest to level up and pick skills in your browser. If you prefer action with guns and plenty of space, try the free shooting games or X Trench Run, with no downloads or sign-up.