Dune: Awakening

Dune: Awakeninghas been anticipated for a while, but the time for a release is finally drawing near. As a survival MMO set in the world of Frank Herbert's Dune, Dune: Awakening is built on the brand of the recent, well-received film adaptations. Rather than focusing on Paul Atreides, however, the game tells an alternate story where the Kwisatz Haderach was never born, setting up a mysterious situation on the planet of Arrakis that begs to be explored and unraveled by players.

In the world of Dune: Awakening, war between the Atreides and Harkonnen houses still rages on Arrakis, but the Fremen that inhabit the planet have disappeared. Players start from the bottom, setting out to explore the dunes as prisoners on a uniquely dangerous assignment. If they can survive, however, the game offers opportunities to build bases and grow in power with the riches of the spice trade and the powers of Schools like the Bene Gesserit and Mentats.

Dune: Awakening Release Date & Platforms

PC First, Consoles Later

Dune: Awakening has officially confirmed a release date of May 20, 2025, at which point the game will become available on PC through the Steam client. On the heels of fresh gameplay footage and some hands-on events for press and creators, the game will launch on PC close to three years after Dune: Awakening's announcement.

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While Dune: Awakening is also slated to release on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, there isn't yet a release date for those platforms, so it might be a while before the game is accessible on console. The release date trailer states "PlayStation and Xbox Release Date to be Announced," which does at least imply that the launch should be simultaneous across both platforms despite failing to synchronize with the PC release.

Dune: Awakening Price & Preorders

One Edition At A Reasonable Price

Dune Awakening Terrarium of Muad'Dib pre-order bonus

Dune: Awakening retails for $49.99, undercutting the $60-70 price points of standard AAA releases for a value closer to many of the lower-priced survival titles on Steam. Although no deluxe editions have been announced for the game, making the game a one-size-fits-all situation, preorders will receive a Terrarium of Muad'Dib bonus. In this case, Muad'Dib refers to the desert mouse that serves as the namesake for Paul's nickname, so the in-base decoration will be used to house the wise little creature rather than cooping up the Lisan al Gaib.

The Terrarium of Muad'Dib is presumably a purely decorative item, so there shouldn't be any mechanical advantages offered to those who spring for a preorder.

Additionally, Dune: Awakening's Character Creator & Benchmark Mode can already be downloaded ahead of its release, and doing so offers another exclusive reward. The "Frameblade" knife skin takes a very scrapyard approach that looks quite a bit different from either a Crysknife any equipment that an Atreides or Harkonnen might have. Playing the Character Creator & Benchmark Mode will provide a key that can be used to redeem the Frameblade at launch.

Dune: Awakening's Character Creator & Benchmark Mode

What You Can Play Ahead Of Release

Dune Awakening Frameblade preorder reward

Anyone planning to play Dune: Awakening at launch might do well to take advantage of the early Character Creator release, as there's more to do than just swap out some hairstyles. The Gom Jabbar test makes an appearance in the character creation process, as do the options to choose background characteristics like home planet and caste. A mentor can also be chosen from the available Schools:

Bene Gesserit
Mentat
Swordmaster
Trooper

Planetologists exist as an additional School in the game, but it's not an option that appears to be available for a jump start during character creation. Abilities can ultimately be learned from all Schools, with the starting choice simply defining what a character will have access to as they first venture into the harsh desert of Arrakis.

The main character from Dune awakening with sandworms and vehicles behind him.

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Dune: Awakening's Benchmark Mode, meanwhile, runs through scenes involving ornithopters and sandworms to stress test a system. Developer Funcom hasn't yet revealed any details about required specs, so if they still aren't available after the release date announcement, the Benchmark Mode could be the best way to determine whether a PC is up to the task. Dune: Awakening is built in Unreal Engine 5 and features plenty of apparent graphical detail and sophisticated lighting, so it could be a challenge without some strong specs.

Dune: Awakening Gameplay Details

What To Expect From Dune: Awakening's Gameplay

Dune: Awakening is branding itself as "the most ambitious survival game ever made," and whether it lives up to those lofty expectations or not, it's certainly swinging for the fences. The basic survival gameplay loop depends on the core tenets that define Arrakis, forcing players to avoid the sun's intensity, extract and preserve water, and steer clear of sandworms. The desert itself isn't stagnant, either, with Coriolis storms used as a mechanic to change up the environment and opportunities week by week.

Combat in Dune: Awakening is similarly focused on recapturing all of Dune's defining elements, from knife fights to break through defensive shields to vehicular showdowns. PvP is optional, while PvE is a defining part of gaining control over any corner of Arrakis. Players can ally with either the Atreides or Harkonnen and gain benefits as they rise in the esteem of their House, but the game also offers personal guilds to worry about.

A character from Dune Awakening with Harkonnens from Dune

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As an MMO, the multiplayer component is obviously a defining element of Dune: Awakening, expanding the scope of Conan Exiles, Funcom's previous multiplayer survival game. That also means that Dune: Awakening is sacrificing the ability to take on its challenges in single-player, so anyone looking for a solitary experience on Arrakis might have to turn to one of the various Dune strategy games made over the years.

Dune: Awakening's ambition is equal parts exciting and concerning, but it won't be long now until PC users can check out the results for themselves. How much longer console players have to wait may depend on how well the PC release goes, as any major problems encountered at launch could end up slowing further plans. If all goes well, however, there's a chance that everyone could get to play Dune: Awakeningin the near future, whether they preorder the title on PC or patiently wait for their turn to vie for domination in the spice trade.