The Outer Worlds 2 Gets Its First Expansion, Side Effects Guaranteed, on December 2
Obsidian's sci-fi RPG adds a new region, a higher level cap and a free respec-anytime update for everyone. Here is what is in the expansion, and where the game stands a year after launch.
Obsidian Entertainment has dated the first expansion for The Outer Worlds 2. Called Side Effects Guaranteed, it arrives on December 2, 2026, a little over a year after the game launched. It was announced on November 10 by Obsidian communications director Mikey Dowling, and it is the first half of a two-part story expansion, with the second chapter planned for spring 2027.
What is in Side Effects Guaranteed
The expansion takes players to Elysium Valley, a new region on Eden. Alongside new story quests and new facilities to explore, it brings:
- Five new weapons
- A higher level cap of 36
- New perks and new flaws, the series' system of optional weaknesses you can accept in exchange for a bonus
- A new in-game radio station, Sub Rosa, with 20 songs
For players who want to jump straight in without replaying the main story, there is a new-game option that loads a pre-made level-27 character. And every player gets something, too: a free update that lets you respec your character at any time, so you can rebuild a character without starting over.
Obsidian has said choices made in the first chapter will carry consequences into the second, so the two parts are meant to be played as one story.
How to get it
Obsidian has not listed a standalone price for the expansion. It comes with the Premium Edition of The Outer Worlds 2, priced at $99.99, which includes a DLC pass for both future story expansions. Owners of the standard edition can buy the Premium Edition Upgrade for $30. The game is also on Xbox Game Pass, where it was available from release.
A year of The Outer Worlds 2
The Outer Worlds 2 launched on October 29, 2025, on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. It was published by Xbox Game Studios, which bought Obsidian in 2018, and directed by Brandon Adler, with Leonard Boyarsky, who also co-directed the first game, as a lead.
The game is set in 2361 in the Arcadia system, a new colony far from the first game's Halcyon. Arcadia has three planets, Hemera, Elysium and Nyx, and most of the adventure takes place around Elysium's five moons. Like the first game, it mixes first-person shooting, branching dialogue and dark corporate satire.
Critics liked it. On Metacritic, it scored 81 on PC, 79 on PS5 and 83 on Xbox Series X|S, and 88% of critics on OpenCritic recommend it. It was nominated for Best RPG at The Game Awards 2025 and for Role-Playing Game of the Year at the D.I.C.E. Awards.
Sales were a different story. In February 2026, it was reported that the game had not met Xbox Game Studios' sales expectations. That makes the expansion more than a bonus: it is a chance to bring players back, and the free respec update gives lapsed players a reason to return even if they do not buy anything.
Should you return?
If you finished The Outer Worlds 2 and enjoyed it, Side Effects Guaranteed looks like solid value: a new region, a higher level cap and a story with a second part still to come. If you have not played it yet, the free respec update and the pre-made level-27 start make this a good moment to begin, especially on Game Pass.
Looking for another big 2025 game that has grown since launch? Read our feature on Ninja Gaiden 4 and its Two Masters expansion.