Dune: Blood And Ice Officially Announced

Published Oct 29, 2026, 11:17 AM EDT Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond. Frank Herbert's Dune has seen a massive resurgence in recent years, thanks largely to Denis Villeneuve's critically acclaimed film adaptations. Following the success of Dune: Part One and Part Two, the franchise is preparing for its biggest cinematic milestone yet with the release of Dune: Part Three on December 18, 2026. The upcoming film will adapt Herbert's Dune Messiah, bringing Paul Atreides' story to a close within Villeneuve's trilogy, although the larger literary universe extends far beyond it and stories like Children of Dune are still there for the taking. While the trilogy's conclusion will mark the end of an era for Dune, the franchise has continued expanding in other mediums, particularly gaming. Funcom's Dune: Awakening has already given fans a massive open-world survival experience set on Arrakis, and it's about to get even bigger. This December, the franchise will return with Dune: Blood and Ice, a brand-new expansion that will be completely free for existing players. Funcom has officially unveiled Dune: Blood and Ice, a massive new free expansion for Dune: Awakening that's arriving this December, just in time for the release of Dune: Part Three. Previously teased as the Polar Cap update, the expansion takes players into an entirely new region of Arrakis, swapping the planet's familiar scorching deserts for a frozen environment with its own unique survival challenges. Blood and Ice promises an entirely new survival map, introducing dangerous cold-weather conditions, new resources, points of interest, and additional crafting opportunities. Players will have to adapt to unfamiliar environmental hazards, with new mechanics involving ice harvesting, fabricators, and equipment augmentations. The expansion will also include a standalone storyline, giving returning players another reason to explore Arrakis beyond the existing campaign. Perhaps most excitingly, all of this content will be available completely free. The announcement is another encouraging sign for Dune: Awakening, which has experienced some massive changes since its original PC launch in June 2025. The game finally arrived on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on September 22, 2026, alongside a substantial update that introduced several highly requested features, including a full single-player mode, customizable difficulty settings, and the conclusion of its Book One storyline. Funcom has also made significant improvements to the game's multiplayer experience, including making PvP entirely optional, overhauling the endgame, and addressing frustrating mechanics involving lost bases and vehicles. One of the biggest remaining requests is full cross-play between PC and consoles, which Funcom has confirmed is in development, although an official release date hasn't been announced. The game's recent momentum is particularly encouraging, with Funcom announcing earlier this month that more than one million new survivors had joined Dune: Awakening following its console release. With Blood and Ice expanding the world even further, ongoing improvements based on player feedback, and cross-play still on the horizon, it's an exciting time for the game. The free December expansion should give both returning and newer players plenty more to look forward to as the Dune franchise celebrates its cinematic finale. Dune: Awakening Systems 7/10 Released June 10, 2025 ESRB Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Users Interact Developer(s) Funcom Publisher(s) Funcom Engine Unreal Engine 5 Genre(s) Open-World, Survival, MMO