Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will see several updates throughout the year, but not all of them will be available to every player. Releasing on February 4, 2025, this sequel to the original, historical RPG attempts to build on Henry’s legacy in every conceivable way. That includes the addition of several new features, many of which will only be made available as DLC or updates after Kingdom Come 2‘s launch. These updats will introduce an in-game barber, a hardcore mode, and several new quests.

But the way these updates are rolled out can be confusing. Some of them will be released as free updates, while others will only be available as paid DLC. Their releases will be staggered throughout the remainder of 2025, with updates already scheduled for spring, summer, fall, and winter. Here’s what to expect from Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s updates and expansions, and how players can gain access to them as they come out.

Which Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Updates Are Free

Kingdom Come 2’s Free Updates Arrive In Spring

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will receive three free updates in 2025: the barber update, horse racing, and a hardcore mode. All three of these are scheduled to be released during the spring of 2025. Each focuses on the addition of a single new feature – the barber update will allow players to cut Henry’s hair and alter his appearance, while horse racing will allow them to take part in competitive runs, likely to win money and prizes. Note that both of these features were available in the original Kingdom Come – it’s just taking some time to port them over to the sequel.

Hardcore mode was also available in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 1, and it’s expected to work much the same way in the sequel. Hardcore mode is the highest available difficulty setting, increasing things like enemy damage and vendor prices, while decreasing rare loot drops, autosaving frequency, and consumable efficacy. It also does away completely with certain quality-of-life features we often take for granted, like fast travel and the player icon on the world map.

It’s actually possible to die during character creation in hardcore mode. Henry immediately recovers, but is forced to take on two permanent negative status effects.

The delayed release of hardcore mode will give players a chance to complete the game on one of its more readily accessible difficulty modes first before jumping into the deep end. Unfortunately, they’ll be stuck with Henry’s default appearance for a while.

Every Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Update In The Expansion Pass

Kingdom Come 2 Has Three Planned DLCs

Henry’s journey continues with free updates this spring and epic expansions in the Post Launch Roadmap, kicking off a year of new adventures. #KCD2 pic.twitter.com/QobDFgR7SA — Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (@KingdomComeRPG) January 21, 2025

In addition to the three free spring updates, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will also be getting three major expansions in 2025. The first, Brushes with Death, will be released in the summer, followed by Legacy of the Forge in fall, and finally Mysteria Ecclesiae in winter.

Each of these is a story-focused questline, and most of them will likely unlock new features. Brushes with Death centers on an artist with a mysterious past; Legacy of the Forge has Henry restoring Kuttenberg’s forge, and will allow the player to do some smithing of their own; and Mysteria Ecclesiae revolves around the monks of Sedletz Monastery as they attempt to understand and stop an epidemic.

How Much Is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s Expansion Pass?

Expansion Pass Pricing & Structure

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s Expansion Pass is included with the Gold Edition of the game ($89.99 USD), but it isn’t yet available for individual purchase. (That will likely change after launch.)Based on the pricing of Kingdom Come 1‘s individual DLCs and its own version of the Expansion Pass, each of the sequel’s expansions is expected to cost $8 – $10, with the Expansion Pass likely running between $20 and $30.

Alongside the three paid DLCs, the Expansion Pass also includes the Shields of Seasons Passing cosmetic item pack. This features four different shield designs, each representing a particular season. Although the DLC releases will be staggered throughout the year, the Shields of Seasons Passing are available from day one.

For now, that’s about all there is to know about how Kingdom Come 2‘s DLC works. More information is likely to be revealed in the days and months after launch, explaining the finer details of the Expansion Pass and the three plannd DLCs. But for the time being, players will have to content themselves with the base game of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.