Funcom announced Oct. 29 that “Blood and Ice,” a free expansion for “Dune: Awakening,” will launch Dec. 1. The update takes players to the frozen north of Arrakis, adding a new map called the Polar Sink and around 35 hours of progression, according to Funcom’s announcement.
“Blood and Ice” release date and platforms
- Release date: Dec. 1
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S
- Price: Free for all players on all platforms
- New content: Polar Sink map, around 35 hours of progression, vehicle modules, augments, specialization traits and an Events tab
What we know about the Polar Sink
Funcom says heat becomes an ally in the Polar Sink, a reversal for a survival game built around the desert sun.
The map has two biomes. Players start in the tundra, where wealthy water shipper families defend their strongholds, then push toward the heavily guarded ice cap, where securing ice becomes a central goal. Desert gear will need upgrades to handle the cold, and some of the materials for new gear can be found only in the Polar Sink.
That ice matters beyond the north. Players can haul it back to their desert bases to keep equipment cool and make resource production faster, PC Gamer reported.
Funcom said the expansion “brings the focus back to ground-level survival,” with “traversal, temperature management and combat all playing important roles in your progression,” according to PC Gamer. New vehicle modules, augments and specialization traits also arrive with the expansion.
Events and cosmetics
“Blood and Ice” adds an Events tab to the main menu so players can track event progress and rewards. The next event, Water Crisis, arrives shortly after the expansion and follows The Scourge, which tasks players with investigating a disease spreading across Arrakis. In Water Crisis, players will fight over scarce water supplies and try to end the shortage. Events can be played in single-player or multiplayer, KeenGamer reported.
Funcom also announced a cosmetics store with optional outfits, vehicle variants and base customization items. The company said purchases will help support continued development and free updates.
Why it matters
Funcom says more than 1 million new players have joined since the game’s console launch in September. “Blood and Ice” gives them, along with players who have been on the desert map since the 2025 PC launch, a different survival test at no extra cost.
What’s next
Offline single-player arrives in November. “Dune: Awakening” already has a single-player mode, but it requires an internet connection.
Full cross-play follows in January 2027, along with character copying from multiplayer servers to single-player and from single-player to select private servers.
“We’re far from done,” Funcom CEO Scott Junior said in the announcement, adding that the 2027 plans include “several major free updates that will expand the game with new locations, mechanics, and content to discover.”
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