Cairn already sold 200,000 copies in its first weekend on PC and PS5, and The Game Bakers clearly isn't done with Mount Kami yet. The developer has announced On the Trail, a series of free DLC releases for the climbing game, with the first drop arriving this summer.
What Deep Water actually adds
The first On the Trail release is called Deep Water, and it leans into a specific style of real-world climbing that Cairn hasn't touched before. Water soloing is the headline feature, which means players can now scale rock faces directly above water. The key here is that the usual consequence of a fall, which in Cairn's base game can be genuinely punishing, is removed. You drop, you hit water, you try again.
That's a meaningful shift in the game's risk calculus. Cairn's tension comes from the weight of each move, the slow deliberate placement of hands and feet up a sheer face. Water soloing introduces a more experimental energy, where the safety net below changes how you approach a route.
Three new climbing locations are included alongside the new mechanic, each promising fresh challenges as players trace the path of a legendary climber.
Marco joins the climb
The other headline addition is Marco, a fellow climber who appears in Cairn's base game as a supporting character. He's being added as a fully playable character in Deep Water, giving players a different perspective on the mountain. The Game Bakers hasn't detailed whether Marco plays differently from protagonist Aava mechanically, but the addition of a second playable character is a notable expansion for a game that launched as a tightly focused solo experience.
For anyone who spent time with Cairn's story, getting to step into Marco's boots adds a reason to return to locations you've already cleared. What most players miss in games like this is how a familiar route feels completely different through a new character's movement and framing.
The bigger On the Trail picture
Deep Water is the first release under the On the Trail banner, which signals The Game Bakers has more planned beyond this initial drop. The studio hasn't confirmed how many DLC releases are in the pipeline or what subsequent updates will cover, but framing this as a series rather than a one-off suggests a sustained post-launch plan.
Given Cairn's strong reception, including praise for its thoughtful approach to difficulty and its unusually meditative pacing for a game that can genuinely punish impatience, there's a real audience waiting for this. The free price tag removes any barrier to re-entry for players who finished the base game and moved on.
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Deep Water arrives this summer on PC and PS5. The Game Bakers hasn't pinned down a specific release date yet, so keep an eye on the studio's channels for the exact timing. If you haven't played Cairn yet, there's no better time to start before the DLC drops, and you can find latest reviews to help you decide what to play next.
