| Dune: Awakening | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Funcom [a] |
| Publisher(s) | Funcom |
| Director(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Nils Ryborg |
| Composer(s) | Knut Avenstroup Haugen |
| Series | Dune |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 5 |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Survival |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Dune: Awakening is a survival game developed and published by Funcom. A multiplayer game, it was released for Windows on June 10, 2025, with early access beginning on June 5. Versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S are also planned for a 2026 release.
The opening cinematic is narrated by Paul Atreides, in which he reveals a vision of an alternate timeline in which he is never born; Lady Jessica instead gives birth to a daughter, as commanded by the Bene Gesserit. Because Jessica remains loyal to her Sisterhood, she is trained as a Truthsayer, and is thus able to discover the treachery of Dr. Yueh and save the life of Duke Leto Atreides, preventing the events in the original novel. House Atreides becomes engulfed in a protracted "War of Assassins" with House Harkonnen on Arrakis, while the Fremen have mysteriously disappeared. [1]
The player character assumes control of an undercover agent working for the Bene Gesserit, who must find the Fremen and "wake the Sleeper". [2]
Dune: Awakening is a survival game. At the beginning of the game, the player will create their own playable avatar, customizing their appearance and selecting their background. They can also choose a mentor, who will determine the player's starting ability. For instance, a Bene Gesserit mentor will teach the player character to use "the Voice" to taunt their opponents. [1] Players must manage their character's thirst level and maintain their stillsuits. [3] Arrakis is filled with environmental dangers, such as frequent sandstorms and quicksand. The player character may suffer from a heat stroke if they explore during day time, and encounter hostile Sardaukar patrols at night. [4] Players need to scavenge for resources, which can then be used to craft new items and build a shelter, though players will also have to pay tax to the Emperor should they decide to construct an outpost. Players must compete against each other to harvest and transport spice, a psychedelic drug that is seen as the most essential and valuable commodity in the Dune universe. Sandworms are a constant threat, and players must avoid making loud sounds while moving to avoid drawing their attention. [5] [6] While players can use technology such as thumpers to attract a sandworm and use it to their advantage, they cannot be summoned at will. [7] While players normally will not lose any of their progress when they are defeated, every item and vehicle devoured by a sandworm will be lost forever. [8] As players progress, they will unlock new skills, weapons, and gadgets used for combat and traversal. [8] In addition to farming and selling spice, players will also become addicted to it, unlocking spice-related powers. [9]
Dune: Awakening is also a massively multiplayer game. Funcom added that the game is divided into four phases: Survive, Protect, Expand and Control, and sees the player character advancing from an everyman to the leader of a guild. [10] After completing the starting area, players can access the Overland, where they can pilot an ornithopter from a top-down perspective to reach other locations in a game. [11] Players can also join either House Atreides or House Harkonnen, and access faction-specific quests and talk to other non-playable characters. Players can also access the Deep Deserts, a primarily player-versus-player environment that can accommodate hundreds of players. This location is ravaged by weekly Coriolis storms, meaning that new locations of interest and modifications to the map will show up every week following the game's launch. [12] Players may also explore underground ecology labs, the game's dungeons, alone or with other players. [8] Eventually, players will reach the endgame, in which guilds can use their influence at the Landsraad to make choices that can affect the state of the game's world. [13]
Dune: Awakening was developed by Funcom, the developer behind Conan Exiles and Anarchy Online . German-based studio NUKKLEAR served as the game's co-developer and assisted the studio in creating Awakening's vehicular gameplay. [14] In February 2019, Funcom announced that it had signed a partnership with Legendary Entertainment to create three games based on the Dune franchise in six years, with one of which being an open-world multiplayer game. [15] Dune: Awakening was officially announced in August 2022, [16] and was released for Windows on June 10, 2025. [17] Players that purchases the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition were able to play the game on June 5, five days ahead of its full release. Funcom also plans to release the game for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. [18]
Dune: Awakening received "generally favorable" reviews from critics for the PC version, according to review aggregator website Metacritic with a score of 78 based on 62 reviews. [19] OpenCritic determined that 78% of critics recommended the game. [20]
The game reached more than 140,000 concurrent players on Steam on launch day. [21]
