Age of Wonders 4: The Silver Seas launched on November 3, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, at a suggested retail price of $24.99. The maritime expansion from Triumph Studios and Paradox Interactive adds a Mercantile culture that builds cities on the sea, two new aquatic forms, four new Tomes of Magic, and pirate dwellings — and the base game goes free to play on Steam and Xbox from November 5 through the weekend.
At a glance
What: The Silver Seas, a maritime expansion for Age of Wonders 4.
When: November 3, 2026.
Where: PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Price: $24.99 suggested retail price ($24.99 / £20.99 / €24.99). It is also included in Expansion Pass 4.
Free update: The Manta Update launched the same day for all Age of Wonders 4 owners, whether or not they buy the expansion.
Free weekend: The base game — not the DLC — is free to play on Steam and Xbox from 10:00 AM PT on November 5 to 10:00 AM PT on November 9.
A culture that builds its cities on the water
The heart of The Silver Seas is the new Mercantile culture, built around sailing, trade, and secrets. It lets you place cities at sea and turn them into floating fortresses to rule the waves. The culture splits into two subcultures built around two different flavors of piracy: the Cartel, which grows through smuggling and secrecy, and the Barony.
Two new peoples and four new Tomes
The expansion adds two new aquatic forms, the Aqualon and the Sharkkin, both of which Paradox says grew out of player suggestions. The Sharkkin bring a pirate look to ruler creation, with the Mercantile culture as their natural pairing. It also adds four new Tomes drawn from the tides: Hydromancy, the Damned, Piracy, and Eternal Ice. The Tome of Eternal Ice can freeze the world solid, and it brings with it the Ancient Hoarfrost Manta.
Pirates, sea monsters, and stories on the water
Beyond the culture and forms, The Silver Seas adds pirate dwellings and pirate-themed stories, plus new creatures roaming the oceans. The Xbox store listing names four of them: the Frenzied Fish Swarm and the Accursed Wisp, described as sea monsters lurking for the chance to attack, and the Hoarfrost Manta and the Seamare, described as magnificent predators that punish the unprepared.
The Manta Update is free for every player
The free Manta Update arrived the same day for all owners of Age of Wonders 4, and it is not locked behind the expansion. Its headline addition is Trade Routes, a new economic system that connects your cities to outposts, free cities, and empires beyond your borders. It also brings broad improvements to water gameplay on the world map and in combat, new options for a pirate-themed pantheon, new Form Traits, and a round of bug fixes and balance updates. The update brings the game to version 1.017.001.126767.
Free weekend for the base game, and two more expansions in 2027
To mark the launch, Age of Wonders 4 itself is free to play on Steam and Xbox from 10:00 AM PT on Thursday, November 5, until 10:00 AM PT on Monday, November
9. The free weekend covers the base game only; it does not include The Silver Seas. The Silver Seas is the first of three expansions in Expansion Pass
4. The next two are Court of the Archfey, due in Q1 2027, and Forge of the Firstborn, due in Q2
2027. Expansion Pass 4 costs $49.99 on Steam, a price we verified on November 5, and it also includes the Singer of Storms pack, which has been available instantly since the pass launched on October 1, 2026.