There's never been a better time to be a Dune fan. The third film is releasing in December, and the massive open-world survival adventure of Dune: Awakening keeps getting bigger. Following the paid Filmic Archive DLC, another expansion, this time free, is already on the way with Blood and Ice! This new release promises some awesome new content, including a new map called the Polar Sink, new items and resources, and plenty of quality-of-life additions. We have all the details you need right here!

Dune: Awakening Blood and Ice Release Date & Price

We won't have to wait long, as Dune: Awakening Blood and Ice releases on December 1. That's not all the good news, however, as it's a completely free update! That means you and your friends can expand your Dune: Awakening adventure simply by logging in. When the update arrives, it will be available simultaneously across all platforms, including PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

Dune: Awakening Blood and Ice New Survival Map - the Polar Sink

Easily the star of the show for the new expansion, a whole new region of Arrakis will become available: the Polar Sink. Situated at the frigid northern end of the planet, the Polar Sink will put your survival skills to the test in a whole new type of climate. You might be used to trying to beat the heat in Dune: Awakening, but now you'll need to find ways to stay warm. This means you need to upgrade your equipment, gather some new resources, and forget most of what you've learned from surviving in the deserts. New vehicles will be built for navigating this region, along with new armor and, of course, new weapons. Just make sure you keep an eye on your temperature while you're out collecting the latest loot! Within the Polar Sink, there are two biomes: the Ice Cap and the Tundra. You'll start your quest in the Tundra. Here, wealthy families have already established formidable strongholds thanks to their water shipping supply lines. These families aren't eager to share their operations or profits, and you'll have to navigate (and shoot) your way past them. Meanwhile, the Ice Cap is locked down by heavy defenses. This is the prize of the Arctic North, and you'll find plenty of valuables inside if you can slip past its protectors. But if you get inside, you can harvest ice to craft new cooling gear and make life back in the southern deserts even easier. According to the developers, this free expansion will bring roughly 35 hours of new progression to unlock, explore, and enjoy. There's already a whole lot of Arrakis to enjoy, and it's getting even bigger soon!

The Cosmetic Store

A new subzero zone isn't all that's on the way. On December 1, Dune: Awakening will also get its own cosmetics store. It will include outfits, vehicle variants, base furnishings, and more. All store content will be optional paid DLC. However, this store is being implemented in an attempt to continue to bring high-quality content updates to all players for free. If you love playing Dune: Awakening, want to see more of it, and don't mind getting some cosmetic goodies, you can buy new bits and baubles to show your support! Initially, the store stock will rotate. Some items may be released on a timed basis, such as this December. When it arrives, the store will include some tie-in cosmetics related to the theatrical release of Dune: Part Three. Eventually, as more content comes to the cosmetics store, the devs plan to have the store's full stock become available at all times.

New Features, Quality-of-Life Updates, & More

New events are also coming to Dune: Awakening. Similar to the event released in October called the Scourge, the Blood and Ice expansion will include a new event titled Water Crisis. This will see you fighting for water in an attempt to end the shortage that so many have been suffering from. Naturally, this new event will feature new gameplay elements, new locations, new rewards, and more. There are also plans for even more events in the future! That's not all that's coming either. Before the Blood and Ice expansion arrives, a November update will bring offline single-player. That means you can adventure on your own without worrying about an internet connection. Then, next year in January, character copying and cross-play will arrive. Character copying will let you take your file, which you've poured time and effort into on a multiplayer server, and drop it into single-player. That means all of your gear, progression, and goodies will be all yours to enjoy without having to grind from the bottom again. You can also copy single-player characters into private dedicated servers! Then, with the addition of cross-play, you and your pals can adventure on Arrakis with more customization and control than ever, whether you're on PC or console. This is all Dune: Awakening has planned for the rest of 2026 and early 2027, at least so far, but more is coming. We don't have info on what to expect from bigger expansions in 2027, but the developers still show no sign of slowing down on new content!