Merfolk Transformation, Jack Sparrow, and Free Twitch Drops: Everything Coming in Disney Dreamlight Valley: The Keepsake Sea on November 18
During its annual Showcase broadcast, Gameloft officially pulled back the curtain on the next major paid expansion for its cozy life-sim hit: Disney Dreamlight Valley: The Keepsake Sea. Launching on November 18, 2026, across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and day one at no extra cost for Apple Arcade subscribers, the expansion takes players beyond the shoreline for the first time with full 3D underwater exploration.
Alongside the November 18 launch details, the studio kicked off a limited-time Twitch Drops campaign running through October 28, 2026, and outlined a free content roadmap stretching all the way to Summer 2027.
Merfolk Transformation, Enchanted Pirate Ship, and Vertical Underwater Decorating
The story of The Keepsake Sea begins when a mysterious statue surfaces offshore carrying a plea for help from a lost friend. Setting out to rescue them and track down the ancient Guardians protecting sunken treasures, players gain the ability to transform into magical merfolk the moment they dive beneath the waves.
Your merfolk form features more than 50 customization options spanning fins, tails, and aquatic ears. Diving underwater also brings practical gameplay perks, allowing you to gather deep-sea crafting materials effortlessly and grab fish directly from fishing spots by hand. For builders, customization is no longer restricted to dry land: using specialized aquatic platforms, players can build vertical multi-level underwater layouts across the ocean floor.
Above the surface, island hopping takes place aboard a customizable enchanted pirate ship. As captain, you can design your own pirate flag, customize your sails, decorate your private cabin quarters, invite up to two villagers aboard as crew members, and operate a deck crane to salvage sunken relics from the depths.
Three Island Biomes, Jack Sparrow, Milo Thatch, Megara, and Dory
The Keepsake Sea introduces three distinct island biomes, each paired with its own explorable deep-sea realm beneath the surface:
- Shipwreck Shores: a bustling pirate bay anchored by a mysterious coastal fortress waiting to be uncovered.
- Candy Cove: a chilly dessert island packed with frosted sweets and confection-themed landmarks.
- The Kingdom of Oublié: a radiant underwater coral city hiding long-forgotten secrets of the ocean.
Five iconic Disney villagers join your roster across these waters: linguist and cartographer Milo Thatch (Atlantis: The Lost Empire), Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean), Megara (Hercules), and both Wendy and Captain Hook (Peter Pan). Down in the reefs, the forgetful and curious Dory (Finding Nemo) arrives as a special Adventure Companion who helps track down underwater items before floating up inside a water bubble to follow you on land.
Editions, Pricing, and the Free Roadmap Through Summer 2027
Excitement from the Showcase has already pushed the base game back into the Nintendo Switch eShop top best-sellers chart in late October 2026. When The Keepsake Sea arrives on November 18, right in the middle of a packed November 2026 video game release calendar, players will be able to choose from four editions:
- The Keepsake Sea Standard Expansion ($29.99 / €29.99): includes the full expansion and 5,000 Moonstones.
- The Keepsake Sea Deluxe Edition ($49.99 / €49.99): includes the expansion, 10,000 Moonstones, the Merfolk Mansion house style, Gilded Shell Tops outfits, and Flounder & Sebastian as Adventure Companions complete with exclusive quests involving Ariel.
- Newcomer Bundles ($59.99 and $79.99): The Keepsake Sea Edition ($59.99 with the base game, expansion, and 13,000 Moonstones) and the Ultimate Edition 2026 ($79.99 bundling the base game, prior expansions, 18,000 Moonstones, and all Deluxe cosmetic bonuses).
How to Claim October 2026 Free Twitch Drops Before October 28
While players work through the nautical Seafaring Star Path (live from October 21 to December 2, 2026), Gameloft is running a special Twitch Drops campaign until Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 11:59 AM EDT (8:59 AM PDT / 15:59 UTC). Viewers can unlock two free maritime items:
- Keepsake Sea Photo Frame: unlocked after watching 60 minutes of a participating stream.
- Pirate Crocodile Companion: unlocked after watching 90 minutes of a participating stream.
To claim both rewards, link your game account and Twitch profile on the official Disney Dreamlight Valley Twitch Drops page, tune into any participating broadcast featuring the Drops Enabled tag, click Claim in your Twitch Drops Inventory, and collect your items from your in-game mailbox.
Even if you skip the paid expansion, Gameloft confirmed a stacked schedule of free base-game updates: on December 9, 2026, the free 'Ohana Holidays update brings Lilo to the Valley for a long-awaited reunion with Stitch, followed in 2027 by A New Era of Royalty in Early 2027 (teasing Prince Charming and Prince Naveen), Get Your Groove On in Spring 2027 (teasing Yzma and Kronk from The Emperor's New Groove), and Lifelong Dreams in Summer 2027 (hinting at Carl Fredricksen and Dug from Pixar's Up).
Based on the outskirts of New York City, Chaya 'Chayane' spent five years studying software engineering in Montreal before returning to her home state. A Full-Stack developer and Deep Learning AI architecture researcher, she explores neural networks and algorithmic optimization while engineering data pipelines for Retrocharting and Gamescharting alongside Grimtag. A gamer for over 20 years and an avid collector of Nintendo history and The Legend of Zelda, she explored World of Warcraft's Azeroth before bringing her deep technical background to video game analysis.
