There is no release date for the Polar Cap. Funcom's line since September is that it arrives "later this year" as a free update, and on 1 October it said it had nothing more to share yet.

What Funcom has confirmed is a new survival map at Arrakis' frozen pole, with its own mechanics, resources and storyline. Here's all of it, what it hasn't said, and the claims to ignore. Checked against every Funcom post that mentions it, 9 October.

What Funcom hasn't said yet

  • A date: the window was "late this year" in May and June and has been "later this year" since September. It has never narrowed.
  • Consoles and single-player: no statement either way.
  • Who it's for: no level or tier requirement. Funcom only says it expands the endgame.
  • How you get there: not stated.
  • The details: no creatures, named resources or cold-weather stats have been shown.
Work-in-progress footage Funcom showed in September: a whiteout over the ice. · Open full size

What Funcom has said, and when

WhenWhat Funcom said
Aug 2025The roadmap tied the Polar Caps to the Water Wars DLC's Water Shipper families
7 May 2026Delayed from Water Wars, promised as a free update late this year
2 Jun 2026An entirely new survival map and icy biome
1 Sep 2026Surviving it will take new tools and careful preparation
4 Sep 2026More information coming soon
17 Sep 2026Still due later this year, as a free update
22 Sep 2026New cold-based survival mechanics and a standalone storyline
1 Oct 2026Nothing to share yet; the team is working on it

Why it slipped

The Polar Cap was meant to land free alongside the Water Wars DLC in May. Funcom said priorities moved to fixing game systems and endgame feedback, and that the map is a huge amount of work.

It also said separate teams build DLC and maps, so the paid pack didn't jump the queue. In the same post Funcom said it keeps paid DLC to optional cosmetics, with new locations and story free.

A night camp from the same footage. Funcom calls it work in progress. · Open full size

What the lore and the developers hint at

  • The Water Shippers: their Wind Pass headquarters, added in 1.4, already has a Polar Cap painting and a strategy table.
  • Ice, not sand: creative director Joel Bylos pointed to Frank Herbert's Dune, where people at the pole harvest water as ice.
  • A cold-climate faction: the Water Shippers' outfit concepts, drawn for the Water Wars DLC, use quilting and heated piping to mark them as people from a cold biome.
  • No vehicles, maybe: a German outlet that interviewed Bylos at Gamescom wrote that vehicles won't work there. Funcom hasn't said so itself.
Concept art for the Water Shippers, the faction Funcom first placed at the Polar Caps, drawn for the Water Wars DLC. · Open full size

Getting ready for it

Funcom pitches the Polar Cap as an endgame expansion, so a high-level character with a solid base is the safe bet. Our levelling guide covers the route to 200, and the Specialisations guide covers the endgame tracks.

Rather skip the climb? Our operators level your PC character by hand to any level up to 200, and we deliver Solari on every PC World by in-game trade. The FAQ on our Dune: Awakening page covers how both work.

We'll update this page the day Funcom gives a date.