Today, Funcom announced the next major wave of content for Dune: Awakening, including a free Blood and Ice Expansion, new in-game events, and several highly requested community features, and said it will launch on December 1, 2026. The expansion will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, introducing an entirely new survival region alongside additional progression systems and gameplay challenges.
Funcom also revealed that more than 1 million new players have joined Dune: Awakening since its console launch. The milestone follows a busy year for the survival game, which has received a rebuilt endgame, three DLC releases, console versions, and the conclusion of its first major story arc, Book One.
Despite those additions, the studio says it has plenty more planned, with several major features currently in development. Dune: Awakening Blood and Ice will take players to the frozen northern region of Arrakis, introducing the Polar Sink, a new survival map divided into two distinct biomes: the tundra and the ice cap.
Instead of protecting themselves from the planet’s extreme heat, players must manage freezing temperatures by upgrading their equipment, gathering specialized resources, and adapting their survival strategies. The tundra is controlled by wealthy water shipper families who have established heavily defended strongholds, while the ice cap contains valuable resources that players will need to fight to access.
The expansion shifts the focus back toward ground-level survival, with traversal, temperature management, and combat playing important roles, and players will also discover resources exclusive to the Polar Sink that can be used to craft new survival equipment. Reaching the ice cap will give access to harvestable ice, which can be used to cool base equipment and speed up production.
Dune: Awakening Blood and Ice is expected to add about 35 hours of new progression, along with additional vehicle modules, augments, and specialization traits. Funcom is also introducing a new cosmetics store to support continued development and future free updates, featuring optional purchases like outfits, vehicle variants, and additional base customization options.
Its initial selection will rotate, with some cosmetics inspired by the Dune films arriving alongside the theatrical release of Dune: Part Three in December. There are even plans to eventually make the entire cosmetic catalogue available permanently for Dune: Awakening, allowing players to purchase items without waiting for them to return to the rotation.
Additional in-game events are also planned, bringing new stories, gameplay activities, locations, and free rewards. The current Scourge event tasks players with investigating a disease spreading across Arrakis, while another event, Water Crisis, will arrive shortly after Blood and Ice.
This upcoming activity will center on fighting for scarce water supplies and attempting to resolve the growing shortage. Both single-player and multiplayer players can participate in these events, with a dedicated Events tab added to the main menu to track progress and available rewards. Perhaps the biggest announcements concern three highly requested community features.
Offline single-player mode is scheduled to arrive in November 2026, allowing players to experience Dune: Awakening without an internet connection. Character copying will follow in January 2027, allowing players to transfer copies of their multiplayer characters into single-player.
Players will also be able to copy single-player characters to select private or self-hosted PC servers that permit the feature. Full cross-play is also scheduled to arrive in January 2027, allowing players across supported platforms to join one another regardless of their platform of choice, and additional details about these features will be shared closer to their respective releases.
For more information on Dune: Awakening Blood and Ice and other upcoming patches for the survival title, be sure to check back to Simulation Daily for updates.
