r/Games: Darktide Rolls Out Free Beyond the Hive Update on March 17 With the New Expeditions Mode

A r/Games post surfaced Fatshark's latest Steam announcement for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, and the headline is straightforward: the free Beyond the Hive update arrives March 17, 2026. The centerpiece is Expeditions, a new mode that pushes squads outside Tertium and into the badlands of Atoma Prime for the first time.

According to the official Steam post, Expeditions changes Darktide's structure in a meaningful way. Instead of fixed routes and familiar indoor pressure, players head into open ruined spaces, search for Tech-Remnants, investigate map locations, and decide when to extract. The update adds a stronger survival layer as polluted air limits how long teams can stay out, turning time management and route choice into part of the challenge.

Fatshark is also positioning this as more than a simple map drop. Design director Victor Magnuson describes it as the biggest injection of new content since launch, and the announcement backs that up with a long list of additions: new enemies, new items, environmental threats, new strategies, and new cosmetics. The move beyond Tertium also changes combat texture because squads can be attacked from multiple directions in more open terrain rather than only in tightly controlled corridors.

What the update adds

Release date: March 17, 2026.

New Expeditions mode set in the ruins outside Tertium on Atoma Prime.

Variable runs with Tech-Remnant scavenging, site investigation, and player-chosen extraction timing.

Environmental hazards including polluted air, twisters, and lightning storms.

New items, modified gear, and the Ogryn Pack Master enemy.

The Steam announcement also notes that Expeditions becomes available midway through character progression, which matters for onboarding. Fatshark appears to be aiming at engaged players who already know Darktide's combat language and are ready for a mode with higher volatility and less certainty. That should help the studio avoid dumping one of its hardest content sets directly onto fresh accounts.

The important test now is whether Beyond the Hive deepens retention or simply creates a short spike of curiosity. But as an update pitch, it is unusually clear: Darktide is expanding outward, broadening mission structure, and trying to make the game feel materially larger than it did before March 17.