TL;DR: The Warframe Tau release date is December 2026, confirmed by Digital Extremes on warframe.com/tau and in Devstream 198 on October 30. There is no exact day yet. DE says it will name the day at Devstream 199 on November 27 at 2 p.m. ET. Tau is Update 45, it's free on all PC, console and mobile platforms, and it adds Brysko (the 67th Warframe), a 2 to 3 hour quest, and two locations: Fornax and Perita. Finish Prologue to Tau before launch, because the new quest requires it.
This guide covers everything DE has confirmed so far, what's still unknown, and what to do in the weeks before launch. It was written the day after Devstream 198, against live build Update 44.1 (Hotfix 44.1.4.1). We'll update this page when the exact date lands.
When does Warframe Tau come out?
December 2026. That's as precise as DE has been. The official Tau page reads "Coming December 2026 to All Platforms," and the October 30 press release confirms the same window. On the stream, DE said the date itself is being held back:
"Tau is coming in December. We'll give you the exact date on that November devstream." (DE, Devstream 198, auto-transcribed)
So the date to put in your calendar right now is November 27 at 2 p.m. ET (19:00 UTC), when Devstream 199 airs on twitch.tv/warframe.
Can we guess the day? DE's last two big December updates landed mid-month: Warframe: 1999 on December 13, 2024 and The Old Peace on December 10, 2025. That points to the second or third week of December, but it's our read of the pattern, not anything DE has said. DE joked on stream about delivering it on Christmas Day, then took it straight back.
| Question | Status (October 31, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Release window | December 2026 (confirmed) |
| Exact day and time | Not announced, due November 27 |
| Price | Free (confirmed) |
| Platforms | All PC, console and mobile (confirmed) |
| Update number | Update 45 (confirmed on stream) |
| Quest length | 2 to 3 hours (DE estimate, still in testing) |
| New Warframe | Brysko, the 67th (confirmed) |
| Prerequisite | Prologue to Tau (confirmed) |
| Mastery Rank gate | Not announced |
| Which 10 Prime sets leave the Vault | Not announced |
| Next Prime Warframe | Trailer due November 27 |
A heads-up if you've seen older dates: some pages still say "Winter 2026," and earlier TennoCon coverage only said "later this year." December replaces both.
What is in the Warframe Tau update?
Tau is a new Star Chart, separate from the Origin System, in a binary star system beyond anything the game has mapped so far. DE's Steam announcement calls it "our most expansive update ever." The December launch is only the first slice: DE says "many more" locations are planned for future updates.
Here's what DE showed on October 30:
- The Tau quest. A cinematic quest of about 2 to 3 hours. The TennoCon demo was only about the first 30 minutes of it. DE says it's built as an Operator quest, so sort your Operator's look before launch.
- Two locations. Fornax, a ring city around one of Tau's planets, and Perita, the moon you know from The Old Peace.
- New Syndicates. Including The Cleaving Glaive on Perita. DE says it skipped new Syndicates for a long stretch to save the attention for Tau.
- New enemies. The Fornax Drowners, a Sentient faction, under crime boss The Hunra.
- New damage types. Tau damage combines with Impact, Slash or Puncture to create new combined types with their own status effects. DE said it hasn't done anything like this in about 12 years. The mods that add Tau damage will come from Tau itself.
- Portau. Warframe's first original card game, played in the casino on Fornax.
- Void Fissures in Tau. You can crack relics there, and Void Cascade is coming too. Endless missions in Tau will scale at Void Cascade's speed, so expect them to ramp up fast.
Existing Impact, Puncture and Slash mods are getting buffed as well, with details saved for Devstream 199.
DE's stream mentioned six missions during the Perita segment, while outlets are reporting that number differently. Treat it as provisional until the full mission list arrives on November 27.
Who is Brysko, the new Warframe in Tau?
Brysko is the 67th Warframe, a noir detective whose inner monologue is voiced by Matt Mercer. You meet him in the quest. DE says you can earn his parts by completing it, or unlock him instantly from the Market. His Market price and full recipe aren't out yet.
DE walked through his kit in-game, though most ability names are still unconfirmed:
| Slot | What it does (per Devstream 198) |
|---|---|
| Passive | When he goes down, his Hound can collect Sentient cores and bring them back to revive him |
| First ability | Throws a deck of cards for high Electricity damage and status |
| Second ability | The Hound levitates enemies and links them so damage spreads between them |
| Third ability | Stackable gamble: take damage over time for lifesteal on ability damage and a damage buff, with higher risk on every cast |
| Fourth ability | Corecracker, an Exalted Pistol, with an alt-fire that dumps every bullet at once |
Three things stand out for players who build everything:
- He needs three things leveled and modded: the Warframe, the Exalted Corecracker and the Hound. To soften that, DE confirmed he comes with an Omni slot.
- Rain & Shine are his signature Fist weapons.
- The Chimera Skin is a new premium customization class. It swaps Brysko between his Warframe and a Sentient look with voiced lines, and DE says Chimeras aren't Protoframes.
His Hound doesn't have a name yet. It's going to a community poll tied to the charity quest, and DE's CEO joked that a 10 Platinum rename would settle any arguments.
What's on Perita and Fornax?
Perita has collapsed since The Old Peace into a hostile desert of feuding Dazannah clans, according to DE. Your contact is Catulast, the young son of a chieftain, and the Cleaving Glaive's base is the World Cedar Oasis. The headline mission is a reworked Survival where a sandstorm rolls in. You can enter it for extra loot, but it hurts you while you're inside.
Fornax is a very different place, and it has a new rule: if you fall, you die. DE said it plainly on stream: "This is not going to be a cozy teleport simulator." That's why the levels are full of grapple points.
Fornax has three connected hubs:
- Lastbloom Lounge, the casino from the TennoCon demo, tied to the Drowners and the criminal underworld.
- Manifold 90-BF, the manufacturing and dock-worker hub.
- A third hub that DE hasn't shown yet.
Every hub has a garage. You can drive between them on Fornax's highways, which is faster and earns some resources along the way, or walk it through mission levels. A mission can start in one hub and end in another.
Tau also gets its own version of the Steel Path. The Acolytes won't follow you there. Instead, you'll be hunted by the Hunra's men. DE wasn't even sure of the name on stream, so expect more on November 27.
Which Primes are leaving the Vault in Tau?
This is the biggest change for long-term players. DE is permanently moving 10 full Prime sets out of the Vault and putting their relics in Perita's rewards, so you can farm them whenever you want instead of waiting for Varzia.
"We're going to permanently take 10 sets and put them in Perita forever." (DE, Devstream 198, auto-transcribed)
DE called it a fix for an "infinite growth problem," because every new Prime pushes another one into the Vault. It hasn't named the 10 sets. It only says they're the really old Primes, which on Reddit has turned into a guessing game. The favorite theory in one r/Warframe thread is the Prime Vanguard group from The Guilty plus a few of the oldest frames, but that's community speculation and nothing more.
The practical takeaway: don't spend Regal Aya on a very old Prime this month unless you can't wait. It may become a normal relic farm in December. DE's wording points to older sets, so don't assume a recent Prime is included. Right now, the Prime Resurgence rotation is Nidus Prime and Saryn Prime. If you need a refresher, our Prime parts farming guide and Void Traces guide cover the relic loop.
How do you prepare for Warframe Tau?
You've got at least a month, since the earliest possible day is December 1. Here's the order we'd tackle it in.
1. Finish Prologue to Tau. DE was direct: this is the prerequisite for the Tau quest, which effectively means being caught up on the story. It needs The Hex and The Old Peace completed first, and The Old Peace needs The Lotus Eaters. It's also how you get Uriel's blueprint, so read our Uriel guide if you're behind. DE says the Prologue is permanent, so it won't disappear after the event, and one more chapter is still to come.
2. Grab what you want from Taubound before November 17. Epoch Operation: Taubound has no reruns. If you're after the Legendary Core or the Tauforged Archon Shards, that deadline comes first. You only need to have completed Vor's Prize to farm Moonflesh on Eris.
3. Claim the Kuva. After Devstream 198, DE ran Gift of the Lotus alerts with a Primary Riven Mod and 500,000 Kuva, lasting 72 hours, and it promised more Kuva alerts through November. If you're using Riven Splicers, or still adjusting to the Riven disposition changes, this is the cheapest Kuva you'll get. Check your Alerts today.
4. Clear a Warframe slot. If you plan to build Brysko from his quest parts, you'll need a free slot, and one costs 20 Platinum. If you're short, the safe route is the in-game Trading Post, which needs Mastery Rank 2 and 2FA. DE's support page calls third-party Platinum sellers "not legitimate," so skip those.
5. Watch November 27. Besides the date, DE promised game modes, more on the casino and Portau, the Steel Path variant, and the next Prime trailer.
What else was announced at Devstream 198?
- Koumei Enshoujo, her first Deluxe Skin, arrives with Tau, plus a jewelry-themed armor set and a polearm skin.
- Nezha Heirloom arrives in early 2027. Concept art was shown, with an in-game look promised for November.
- Hex Captura dates are coming in Tau. New KIM conversations for The Hex slipped past this year.
- The Icebind gets matchmaking next year.
- A Portau tournament airs today, October 31, at 12 p.m. ET on Twitch. Watching for 30 minutes earns a random reward from a list that includes Omni Forma and a Riven Cipher.
FAQ
Is Warframe Tau a new game or a paid expansion? Neither. Tau is a free update to Warframe, numbered Update 45. DE confirms it's free on all PC, console and mobile platforms.
What is the exact Warframe Tau release date? DE hasn't given one yet. The confirmed window is December 2026, and the exact day will be announced at Devstream 199 on November 27 at 2 p.m. ET.
Do I need to finish every quest to play Warframe Tau? You need Prologue to Tau, which itself requires The Hex and The Old Peace. DE described this as being up to date on the story. No Mastery Rank requirement has been announced.
Will Warframe's Origin System be abandoned after Tau? No. Community Director Megan Everett said in DE's press release: "To all our players, new and returning, the Origin System is not being left behind." DE's Steam post also says there will "remain much to do" there.
How long is the Warframe Tau quest? DE estimates 2 to 3 hours. On stream, the team suggested closer to two hours for a focused run, and three if you take your time. Testing isn't finished, so that could shift.
Can I get Brysko for free? Yes. DE says you can earn his parts through the Tau quest and build him, or unlock him instantly from the in-game Market on launch day.
Browse more Warframe guides for frame farming, tier lists and economy tips while you wait for Tau.
