If you’ve been hanging around the Origin System for any length of time, you know that trying to track Warframe by release date is basically like trying to catch a Bullet Jumping Tenno with a butterfly net. It’s chaotic. It’s messy. But honestly? It’s also the reason the game is still alive in 2026 while so many other "live service" shooters have long since been buried in the digital graveyard.
I was looking back at the early days recently. Back in 2013, we had eight Warframes. Just eight. You had Excalibur, Mag, and Volt, and if you wanted something fancy like Rhino or Frost, you actually had to grind boss fights that felt like they took an eternity. Fast forward to today, and we’re staring at a roster of over 60 unique base frames and a mountain of Prime variants.
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But the release order isn’t just a list of names. It’s a roadmap of how Digital Extremes (DE) figured out how to make a game that people actually want to play.
The Chaos of the Early Years (2012–2015)
The game technically breathed its first breath on October 25, 2012, in a closed beta that looked almost nothing like the neon-soaked space ninja simulator we have now. When the open beta hit Windows on March 25, 2013, that was the real starting gun.
Looking at the release dates from that era reveals a dev team that was basically throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what would stick. You had weird gaps. For example, Frost and Nyx didn't show up until Update 6, nearly 100 days after the closed beta started. Then, things got fast. Ivara and Nezha dropped within 13 days of each other back in 2015. It was a wild west of content.
Major 2013–2014 Milestones
- March 2013: PC Open Beta (The "Founder" era).
- November 2013: PS4 Launch (The first big console leap).
- September 2014: Xbox One Launch.
- 2014 Highlights: We got Mirage, Limbo, and Mesa. This was the year DE realized that "weird" powers—like Limbo's rift or Mesa's aimbot pistols—were the secret sauce.
Why the "Prime" release date schedule is a religion
If there is one thing Tenno obsessed over more than fashion-frame, it’s the Prime release schedule. For years, DE has followed a roughly "Male-Male-Female-Female" (MMFF) pattern for Prime variants. It’s predictable, yet every time a new one is announced, the community acts like they just discovered fire.
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As of early 2026, we’ve seen the "Old Peace" update shake things up, but the Prime schedule remains the heartbeat of the game. We just saw Caliban Prime finally step out of the shadows in late 2025, and now everyone is eyes-on for the 2026 heavy hitters.
If you're tracking Warframe by release date for Primes, the current community consensus for 2026 looks something like this:
- Styanax Prime: Rumored for Q1 (The Spartan frame finally gets the gold).
- Voruna Prime: Likely Q2 or Q3 (The wolf-mom enthusiasts are already saving their Aya).
- Citrine Prime / Kullervo Prime: These are the big "maybe" slots for the back half of the year.
The interesting thing is how DE has started breaking their own rules. Sometimes a frame gets bumped because a certain cinematic update—like the 2026 Tau expansion—needs a specific "flavor" of Prime to go with it.
The 2025-2026 Shift: More Than Just New Frames
Last year was a turning point. The Old Peace update changed the way we look at the timeline because it introduced Uriel, the 63rd unique frame. But it wasn't just about the number. It was about the fact that we’re now moving into the Tau System.
Think about that. For over a decade, we’ve been stuck in the Origin System (our solar system). Now, the release dates are getting tied to literal interstellar travel.
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Current 2025/2026 Release Reality
- Late 2025: The Old Peace dropped, bringing Proto-frames and Uriel.
- Early 2024 (Retroactive context): iOS launch happened on February 20, bringing a whole new wave of players who are currently hitting the mid-game wall right as the 2026 content drops.
- 2026 Projection: We are looking at the Nintendo Switch 2 release. If you’ve ever played Warframe on the original Switch, you know it was a technical miracle it ran at all. The 2026 hardware jump is basically a second life for the handheld community.
Tracking the "Deep Cut" releases
It’s easy to remember the big ones like Excalibur or Umbra. It’s harder to remember the ones that filled the gaps. Did you know Titania had one of the longest gaps in release history? It was 168 days between Inaros and her arrival in The Silver Grove.
Contrast that with the end of 2015, where we got Wukong, Ivara, and Nezha in less than a month. That kind of pacing almost killed the dev team, which is why we now see a much more stabilized "one frame every three months" cadence. It's healthier. For them, and for our wallets.
Actionable insights for the modern Tenno
If you're trying to plan your gameplay around the Warframe by release date list, don't just look at the past—look at the "Prime Resurgence" calendar.
- Stop selling your base frames immediately. With the Helminth system and the way newer 2026 updates are tweaking older abilities (looking at you, Oberon rework), a frame that was "trash" three years ago might be meta tomorrow.
- Watch the 15-week window. Primes usually rotate every 100 to 110 days. If a Prime came out in January, don't expect the next one until late April or May.
- Save your Syndicate Medallions. When a new release hits, you can dump these for Relic packs. It’s the fastest way to get the newest drops without spending a single Platinum.
The 2026 landscape is weird. We're talking to "Grandfather" Hunhow, we're prepping for the Tau System, and we're seeing the first true 9th-generation handheld performance. The release date list is going to keep growing, and if the rumors about the Oraxia release in late 2026 hold true, the "Origin System" might just be the tutorial for the rest of the decade.
To stay ahead of the curve, keep your eyes on the Devstreams. They are still the only place where the dates are actually "real" before they hit the launcher. Everything else is just us Tenno reading tea leaves in the Void.
Check your Arsenal, update your mods, and get ready for the 2026 Prime rotations. The Styanax Prime grind is going to be legendary.