Warframe: Tau, the next big expansion for Digital Extremes’ free-to-play shooter, arrives in December 2026 and costs nothing to download. It opens a second star system beyond the Origin System, with a new Warframe named Brysko, two launch locations and a card game played in a casino.

The reveal came on October 30 in a Steam announcement and a devstream, numbered 198. The studio has not named an exact day in December, so players in Canada and the United States should expect a date update closer to launch.

When does Warframe: Tau come out?

Tau is confirmed for December 2026, according to Final Weapon and The Click, both of which cite the studio’s announcement. No specific day is given yet.

A Tau-focused broadcast is planned for 27 November 2026, but The Click describes it as a preview, not the launch. Until then, the Epoch Operation: Taubound event runs until 17 November, and players gather Moonflesh for the character Praghasa to prepare for the journey.

What is in the Tau update?

The update adds a new Tau Star Chart, the Sentient home system. Two locations are ready at launch: Fornax, a crime-ridden ring city, and Perita, a ruined moon of badlands and desert.

Here is what the sources list:

  • Brysko: the 67th Warframe, a noir detective voiced by Matthew Mercer. He comes with a Hound companion, Rain & Shine fist weapons and an Exalted magnum called the Corecracker.
  • Fornax: a mob-run city with a social hub named MANIFOLD 90-BF and a casino.
  • Perita: a revamped Survival mission and a new ally, the Cleaving Glaive Syndicate.
  • Portau: Warframe’s first original card game, played in Fornax with four suits: Blooms, Cores, Moons and Suns.
  • Koumei: her first Deluxe Skin, Koumei Enshoujo, arrives alongside Tau.

The studio also says the Origin System will keep getting stories, so the older planets are not being dropped.

Prices

Tau is a free update to the existing game, not a paid expansion. The Click reports that Digital Extremes says it will be free on PC, consoles and mobile, and Final Weapon quotes the line that it “will release for free in December.”

The sources give no Canadian or US price for Tau because there is nothing to buy to enter it. Brysko can be earned in gameplay or unlocked through the in-game Market, but his Market price has not been announced, and neither has the price of the Koumei Enshoujo skin. Neither Brysko nor Koumei is required to enter Tau.

What do you need to play it first?

The studio has not published final entry requirements. The Click says the Tau Prologue can be played through the Codex after finishing The Hex and The Old Peace, and that the Prologue is separate from the December update.

Gamer Headlines says no level or quest requirement has been confirmed for entering Tau itself. If you are behind on the story, finishing those two quests is the safest preparation, though that is our reading of the reports and not a stated rule.

Who it suits

Current players get the most direct benefit. A free star chart, a new Warframe and fresh missions arrive on the platforms you already use, with no purchase needed.

Returning players have a few weeks to catch up. The Old Peace and The Hex are the story steps named in the reports, and the Taubound event runs until 17 November.

Newcomers in Canada and the US can start with no cost at all, since the base game is free to play. Tau is aimed at players who have already worked through earlier story quests, so expect to spend time on those first.

Card game fans have a reason to look: Portau is the first card game built specifically for Warframe, set in the Fornax casino.

What is still unknown?

The exact December launch day has not been announced. Brysko’s farm mission, crafting materials and Market price are also missing, as are his abilities, according to Gamer Headlines. The same outlet says the full platform list, whether Tau missions use Origin equipment and how the two systems will appear in the menus are open questions.

What should you do next?

Watch the 27 November broadcast for more detail, and keep an eye on the official Warframe Steam news page for the launch day. If you want to be ready, finish the story quests named above before December.