We're all quite excited to watch Dune: Part Three, but that'll be a bit as it releases on December 17th. Why not pass the time with Dune: Awakening? The game is great, available now on consoles, and has a cool expansion coming the first of December. For more on the Blood and Ice expansion, look below. For more on the game proper, check out our review and console impressions.
Dune: Awakening review — Arrakis comes to life beautifully
Dune: Awakening made its debut on June 10th, with an early head start for folks who pre-purchased beginning on June 5th, and after about 70 hours on live servers, and close to 20 hours in the closed beta, I think I am finally at the point I feel comfortable
Holly Hudspeth
Dune: Awakening is a fine addition to the survival genre on consoles
I got the chance to play Dune: Awakening on an Xbox Series S. This is my experience with the more technical side of the game.
Raven Winters
Oslo, Norway – October 29, 2026 – Developer and publisher Funcom® today announced that the free Blood and Ice expansion for Dune: Awakening will launch December 1 on PC, PlayStation®5 and XBOX. Taking players to Arrakis’ frozen north, the expansion introduces an entirely new map – the Polar Sink - where heat becomes an ally and surviving the cold demands new gear, resources, and strategies.
More than one million new players have joined Dune: Awakening since its console launch, the open-world survival game inspired by Frank Herbert’s Dune and Legendary Entertainment and Denis Villeneuve’s blockbuster film franchise. In a new developer video, Funcom reveals the Blood and Ice expansion and outlines what’s coming to the game over the next three to four months, including new events, offline single-player, character transfers, and full cross-play.
Watch the full developer announcement:
A new frontier, a different fight for survival
The Polar Sink map features two distinct biomes: the tundra and the ice cap. Players begin in the tundra, where wealthy water shipper families defend their lavish strongholds. Beyond lies the heavily guarded ice cap, where securing access to ice becomes a central goal.
Equipment built for the desert heat will need upgrading to withstand the cold. With the action returning to the ground, traversal, temperature management, and combat become essential to progression. Resources found only in the Polar Sink will allow players to craft the gear they need to survive.
The new map offers around 35 hours of progression, with opportunities to return for valuable resources. Harvested ice can cool base equipment and speed up production, while the free expansion also introduces new vehicle modules, augments, and specialization traits. Future updates will add further reasons to revisit the region.
Optional cosmetics to support continued free updates
Funcom also announced a new cosmetics store offering outfits, vehicle variants, and additional ways to customize bases. Purchases of optional cosmetics will help support continued development and free updates.
The store will launch with rotating items, including recognizable looks from the films. A future update will make the full catalog available at all times.
More stories and rewards on Arrakis
Following The Scourge, an event that tasks players with investigating a disease spreading across Arrakis, the Water Crisis event will arrive shortly after the Blood and Ice expansion. Players will fight for scarce water supplies and work to end the shortage.
These are the game’s biggest events yet, introducing new gameplay and locations. A new Events tab, launching with the expansion, will let players track event progress and rewards. Funcom plans to deliver events more frequently, with new stories and free rewards alongside continued gameplay improvements.
Offline play, character transfers, and cross-play
The developer update also announces three much-requested features:
- Offline single-player: arriving in November.
- Character copying from multiplayer servers to single-player, and from single-player to select private servers: arriving in January 2027.
- Full cross-play: arriving in January 2027.
“We’re far from done,” says Funcom CEO Scott Junior. “We have ambitious plans for Dune: Awakening in 2027, with several major free updates that will expand the game with new locations, mechanics, and content to discover.”
Dune: Awakening is available now on Steam, PlayStation®5 and XBOX, and with Game Pass. The Blood and Ice expansion launches December 1, free for all players on all platforms.
Stay tuned to GamingTrend for more Dune: Awakening news and info!
