Dune: Awakening Announces Free Expansion Blood & Ice
From the scorching desert to the icy polar cap
Norwegian developer Funcom has big news planned for Dune: Awakening, starting with a change of scenery. The announcement of Blood & Ice, a free expansion for the game, will shift the action from the desert of Arrakis to the frozen Polar Sink, a new area of the planet where the priority will not be to combat heat, but rather to try and maintain it on one's body, which will require adapting to a new set of technologies.
Polar Sink is made up of two distinct biomes: the Tundra, governed by wealthy families who manage the trade of precious water, and the Ice Cap, which is the most valuable area (but also the one with the most hostile climate and strongest defenses). The expansion offers approximately 35 hours of gameplay, but there will be replayability, and the new area will be further utilized in the future.
When is Blood & Ice coming out?
The release date for the Blood & Ice expansion has been set for December 1, 2026. As mentioned above, the new content will be available at no additional cost to all users on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The launch window does not appear to be accidental: December will see the worldwide cinema release of Dune: Part Three, the new chapter in the saga directed by Denis Villeneuve.
The store and rewards
Polar Sink is not the only new feature planned for Dune: Awakening. Funcom intends to introduce a cosmetic item shop into the game, which will feature new items for purchase on a rotating basis, with the stated goal of generating new revenue to fund development. The Norwegian studio has also decided to increase the number of events, stories, and rewards in its title and has announced a new event, Water Crisis, which will launch shortly after Blood & Ice and, as the name suggests, will concern a water crisis.
Other future news
But that's not all, because in November, the ability to continue the game in offline single-player will also be added. From January, players will be able to copy their character from multi-player to single-player mode; also in January, full cross-play will be introduced. Funcom has ambitious plans for the future of Dune: Awakening, which will receive other free updates in 2027 with new areas, mechanics, events, content, and more.