At The Game Awards 2024, Warframe 1999 was officially announced. Warframe is a free-to-play action RPG third-person shooter online game, and even the presenter for the information said they don’t know exactly what the game is anymore. Players would be forgiven if they didn’t know.

The announcement came in a long line of announced games and updates. Which is the new Warframe, a brand-new title in the franchise, or just an expansion? Here’s what you need to know.

Is Warframe 1999 a Different Game?

Warframe 1999 is not a brand-new game. That’s good news for everyone who already bought the base game. They won’t need to purchase a new game at full price. Instead, they’re only responsible for obtaining the update, which always costs less than a full game.

Warframe the game takes place in the distant future, but the update is taking it back to the past, to the turn of the century to be exact. It’s an expansive update, one that rivals the size and content of a full game. That’s why it’s fair to wonder if it’s a new game.

Much like the Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree (which was nominated for Game of the Year), it certainly looks like a new game. The great part is that it isn’t. Unfortunately, it is a paid expansion to the free game. On Steam, the full bundle for 1999 costs $54.99. There are other bundles with some merchandise and other things available on the Warframe store that range up to $120 and counting.

Warframe itself is free to play, but the expansion is not. If you want to take things back to the past, it will cost. It’s not all that common for free games to offer paid expansions, but as mentioned, it’s virtually a new game. It’s also slightly cheaper than a new game, as those cost $60 or even $70 now. The expansion went live on the day of its reveal, December 13.