The only thing better than Astro Bot is more Astro Bot... for free

Astro Bot cannot stop winning - whether it be the hearts of fans and critics or racking up some of the highest review scores of a game this year. Now, the game will continue its well-earned victory lap with the news that it's getting DLC... for free... this year. Astro Bot director and Team Asobi studio head Nicolas Doucet confirmed the news in an interview with Australian outlet Quest Daily.

The DLC update will add new maps geared toward speedrunning challenges, leaderboards, and of course, new PlayStation-themed bots to rescue. However, don't expect something the size of Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree - Doucet says the DLC "isn't going to be that huge."

The DLC's additional challenge levels should definitely appeal to players who enjoyed Astro Bot but needed something more demanding. Though the majority of Astro Bot isn't that difficult, its challenge levels definitely require quite a bit more skill, with both gauntlets that require constant movement and puzzle-style levels that need a more cerebral approach. I'm already excited by the prospect of speedrunners getting their hands on this game, and additional levels specifically tailored to that community should help.

My attempt at one of the easier Astro Bot challenge levels.

Keen-eyed players already noticed that some games like Rayman, Stellar Blade, and Croc were called out in Astro Bot's credits even though they weren't directly referenced in the game, so expect to see characters from those games as the DLC's new bots. I'm also pulling for a Final Fantasy-themed bot because it just feels right, y'know.

The Astro Bot DLC doesn't have a firm release date, but Doucet says it'll come sometime this year. I cannot wait.