As the friendly rivalry between Destiny and Warframe players comes to an end, both communities are trying to find the best way to say goodbye.
You can probably guess how a bit of light-hearted competition between the two sci-fi shooter video games started. Digital Extremes launched Warframe for PC in March 2013 and followed with console ports in November of that same year, while Bungie came in not much later with the original Destiny in September 2014. As so eloquently described by one Reddit user, both also share four pillars: “Space. Superpowers. Guns. Loot.”
Really, Destiny and Warframe don’t have much in common past a handful of surface-level elements and a similar release window, but it’s been more than enough to keep them in the same conversation for nearly 12 years. It’s a back-and-forth between Warframe’s Tenno and Destiny’s Guardians that has rarely bubbled past a light simmer, but in June, Bungie turned off the burner.
In case you missed it, the Sony-owned game developer announced Destiny 2 will receive its final major content update next month, June 9. With no Destiny 3 in sight, it means the players who have gathered around the sci-fi first-person shooter since 2014 can no longer look to the franchise as a consistent place to find new raids to fight through or shoulders to lean on.
The aftermath of the call warning Guardians that the end of Destiny is near has been filled with at least one review-bombing campaign, a popular petition, and a swarm of reactions from fans who feel the plug has been prematurely pulled. As the lights on The Traveler dim and players prepare for the end of an era, the Warframe community has emerged as an unexpected source of comfort.
“I’m sure we all have our thoughts about Destiny 2, and I definitely have them too,” one Reddit user said. “I just hope we can, as a community, respect Destiny 2 for what it accomplished. In my opinion, a game just needs to make one person smile to be successful, and I respect Destiny for making so many people smile.”
The Warframe playerbase, which had been viewed as a competing party for more than a decade, was offering its condolences in the wake of news that Destiny’s final major update is near. Bittersweet is the word that comes to mind, as fans that would normally take tongue-in-cheek shots at one another roll out a change of tune, just as that friendly rivalry comes to an end.
“You know it’s sad when even Warframe is mourning the death of D2,” another Reddit user said.
“Even the opps grieving,” a Destiny fan chimed in, broken-heart emojis in tow.
“Not Opps; Brothers!” another replied. “Warframe lost a family member.”
There are, of course, people on both sides who still want nothing to do with the other. Changes with Destiny have also seemingly opened a rift of Warframe players seizing the opportunity to push their game onto others, even if, again, their similarities stop at the surface. Generally, though, both communities are doing their best to drown out the bad examples.
It’s really true. I have some thousand hours in destiny between the two games and Warframe and destiny are not the same. I LOVE Warframe but for very different reasons than Destiny. Some players will find Warframe and it’ll scratch the itch but destiny is destiny. https://t.co/2xOns4h3Dh
— MarcoMeatball (@Marcodmeatball) May 23, 2026
In the case that a Destiny fan does reach out to see if Warframe may be the right fit for them, you’ll find players setting expectations for what it means to make a Tenno Operator. It seems to come from a place of care for those looking for a new pastime, while acknowledging that the end of Destiny 2 support will be a hard void to truly fill.
“The community will welcome anyone with open arms,” one Warframe fan said, “but don’t look at it as filling the hole that is Destiny, see it for the new thing that it is and see how ya like it. I’m sad to hear the state of Destiny and for all those looking to Warframe to try out I hope ya love it the way I do, there’s certainly plenty to do to keep ya just as busy as Destiny did, just through a different method.”
One Destiny player, who came to the Warframe subreddit because they “need a game that scratches that Destiny itch” after they were “shot and thrown in the ditch,” was met with dozens of comments explaining the differences between the two games – and a warm welcome.
“We love Warframe, we love [Digital Extremes], and [Digital Extremes] loves us, and Warframe is good. Simple as,” one reply said. “Welcome, Tenno!”
“Thank you!” the original poster replied.
As the sun sets on Destiny 2, even members of the Digital Extremes crew have stepped in to say goodbye. Warframe creative director Rebecca Ford – who also happens to serve as the voice of its guiding NPC, Lotus – took to X/Twitter to share her appreciation for Bungie’s work as one chapter comes to a close. She remembered attending the midnight release for Halo 3 at 16 years old before racing home to play “more Halo than you could imagine.”
She put it bluntly: “There is no Warframe without the legacy of Bungie games.”
“Bungie then made Destiny,” she added in a thread of posts. “Destiny was and is a force of nature, loved and held in the hands of so many people who, for a moment, were part of the biggest thing in gaming. Then comes the words, summarized crudely: ‘The End.’
“What a tempest! I am 16 again – I am 35. I am making Warframe, I am saying goodbye to the only lasting pillar I had to look up to. I am responsible for my own destiny. This is misery for so many people – and people are the only reason for the good and the bad of this.
“You are 16? You are 35? You are still someone who knows better than to act without empathy! This is ‘The End?.’ This is reality. This is business? Yes, and in business you know to not try and compete in the same space. Do not offer succor with comparison!”
Warframe design director Pablo Alonso also seems to have touched on those taking the end of support for Destiny as an opportunity to continue to interject with their own recommendations. Alonso commented on what it was like to hear others push calls to “play [League of Legends] or Dota” when support for Heroes of the Storm was coming to an end, noting that “most were trying to be helpful but they were just annoying.”
Reminder to all Warframe fans to not be toxic while the Destiny community mourns their favorite game ending. I have 1000s of hours in Destiny 2 and getting there for Warframe, be like DE be supportive not toxic. 👍💚 pic.twitter.com/kBTQfJqrD2
— Chibirobo1 (@chibirobo12) May 25, 2026
There are no doubt some users taking the discontinuation of live-service support for Destiny 2 as a window to shove a new game down the throats of those simply trying to come to grips with the end of a shooter many have spent a good chunk of their lives with. While these stranded Guardians look back on the end of a 12-year journey, it seems most Warframe players are using this moment to call on others to extend a helping hand, but only if they ask for it. Until then, it’s farewell.
While what’s next for Destiny after the June update rolls out remains unclear, servers will remain live after the update launches. The next Warframe update, Jade Shadows: Constellations, is expected to launch in June 2026.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
