Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Warframe's major cinematic story expansion The New War gets a December release date

And there's new trailer to put you in the mood.

Free-to-play sci-fi shooter Warframe's long-awaited cinematic story expansion The New War will be launching for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC on 15th December.

Described by developer Digital Extremes as Warframe's "biggest narrative expansion...so far", The New War - which was initially teased all the way back in 2018 - tells the story of a massive Sentient invasion over the course of three acts, taking players across 16 planets and three open worlds, including previously unseen environments.

It's an adventure that unfolds from the perspective of multiple playable characters - including a Grineer Lancer called Kahl-175, Corpus engineer Veso, and Conclave Master Teshin - and promises to combine a "personal story of self-discovery with an action-packed space opera".

Cover image for YouTube videoWarframe | Official Cinematic Trailer 2021 | The New War: Expansion Story and Date Reveal
Warframe - The New War Official Cinematic Trailer.

Digital Extremes has previously called The New War, the "most ambitious thing we've done", and players will finally be able to experience that ambition for themselves on 15th December. To do so, however, they'll need to have completed a good chunk of Warframe's existing story missions, specifically Natah, The Second Dream, The War Within, Chains of Harrow, Apostasy Prologue, The Sacrifice, Chimera Prologue, Erra, The Maker, Rising Tide, and Heart of Deimos.

Additionally, players will need to have built an Archwing, built or purchased a Railjack and Necramech, and unlocked an Operator. As such, new (or indeed lapsed) players hoping to enjoy The New War on launch day will want to start working through that checklist now - and Digital Extremes offers a few assistive pointers on its website.

Alongside The New War, Warframe's 15th December update will introduce Caliban - a new Sentient-Warframe hybrid that brings the game's total Warframe count up to 48 - plus new customisations, weapons, and accessories.