Cairn: On the Trail – Deep Water gets a new October 29 release date
The Game Bakers has confirmed a new date for Cairn’s first free DLC after its original August launch was delayed.
Cairn: On the Trail – Deep Water will now launch on October 29, 2026 for PC and PlayStation 5.
The DLC had previously been announced for August 13, a date we covered earlier this year. The new announcement keeps the expansion free and adds more detail on its three climbing locations, a limited-energy challenge, playable Marco, and the Free Roam update arriving alongside it.
Watch the Deep Water Trailer
Watch the official Cairn: On the Trail – Deep Water trailer on YouTube.
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Three new climbs now have an energy limit
Deep Water adds three climbing locations: the cliffs of Haken and Ruka, where routes run above water, and the Lamu climbing gym with new problems to solve.
The new announcement adds another restriction to those climbs. Players will have a limited amount of energy to finish each route, so mistakes and wasted movement carry more weight even though the new locations are smaller than Mount Kami.
Marco becomes fully playable
Marco will also be fully playable in Deep Water with his own climbing characteristics and a newer climbot model. The Game Bakers says his technique differs from Aava’s, giving players another way to approach the new walls.
A free update launching alongside the DLC will also add Free Roam, letting players return to Mount Kami as either Aava or Marco without starting another standard story climb.
The first On the Trail DLC
Deep Water remains the first release in The Game Bakers’ planned On the Trail series of free DLC.
Cairn launched on January 29, 2026. In Fix Gaming Channel’s PC review, we scored it 9.5/10 and called it a beautiful, brutal climb and a Game of the Year contender.
The Deep Water Steam page currently lists the DLC as coming soon.
Cairn – On the Trail: Deep Water
Release: October 29, 2026
Genre: Action / Adventure / Simulation
Developer / Publisher: The Game Bakers
Platforms: PC and PlayStation 5
Price: Free DLC; base game required
Related Reading
Cairn’s Free Deep Water DLC Launches Today
Cairn Review: The Mountain Is Incredible, the Stability Isn’t
Cairn Developer Q&A: Pitons, Risk, and Rewind
Written by Ronny Fiksdahl, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Fix Gaming Channel.
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