Dune: Awakening is on its way, turning desert planet Arrakis into an expansive sandbox MMO world to explore (at your own peril). Game developer Funcom is an established name among the best MMORPGs like the Conan series, so we have every faith that its new Dune survival MMO is in safe, capable hands.
In fact, thanks to all the teasers and lore hints that the developer has been drip-feeding us already, we're pretty confident that this will be one of the best new games released in 2025. A recent gameplay trailer, shown during Gamescom 2024, has also given us an even closer look at what to expect when Dune: Awakening lets us experience Frank Herbert's iconic sci-fi world in this new light. We'll be doing so alongside thousands of other players in a massive open world arena where water is scarce, spice is vital, and night and day cycles will pose respective dangers.
With this new look at the game and Dune: Awakening officially transitioning into a closed beta test, it's only a matter of time before we get our hands on some MMO-style Dune goodness. So, here's everything we have uncovered about the upcoming game, including its release window, gameplay, trailers, and details on accessing the beta. Read on for more sandworm action!
Dune: Awakening release date speculation
Dune: Awakening will release in Early Access on PC sometime in early 2025. PS5 and Xbox players will have to wait for a console launch, though, as that will be coming at a later date in the future.
This big news was announced during Gamescom Opening Night Live and surprised us all. We had originally been hoping for a 2024 release, but hey, at least there are only a few months of waiting for the new year to roll around, right?
The fact that there's now a closed beta up and running is good news, so hopefully there will be no delays to the current 2025 release date window. Either way, we can definitely add Dune: Awakening to our list of upcoming Xbox Series X games and upcoming PS5 games to watch out for in the near future.
Dune: Awakening platforms - What is it launching on?
Dune: Awakening will be available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. However, as we mentioned above, currently, only PC players will be able to access the game in Early Access in early 2025.
You can sign up for the next beta at the official Dune: Awakening website right here. Because of the sheer scope of this game, it makes sense that it would be on current-gen consoles only, as last-gen consoles may struggle to handle the visuals and sheer size of it.
Dune: Awakening trailer - Watch it here
So far, we've enjoyed several Dune: Awakening trailers. However, Dune: Awakening's 'Survive Arrakis' trailer is the latest and most exciting teaser. Not only is it visually stunning, but it also treats us to just over two minutes of in-engine footage.
"Arrakis is a test," a voice speaks. "Few survive it." It's no wonder that so few do because a sandworm emerges from the arid landscape just moments later. This new taster of Funcom's sandbox (heavy on the sand) playground shows off what exactly it takes to stay alive in this harsh desert world, from crafting and building bases to scavenging, clambering, and deploying high-powered sci-fi tech weapons to do the dirty work for you.
We're left with some parting words to get us hyped up: "Arrakis is a test. Few survive it, but the humans that do...awaken."
What will Dune: Awakening MMO gameplay be like?
According to creative director Joel Bylos (via Twitter), Dune: Awakening is "a survival game, first and foremost, where you must search for water, search for shelter, and walk softly on the sand to avoid the sandworms. In addition to this, you'll be doing it online with thousands of other players."
Case in point: it's a survival MMO. Dune: Awakening is being developed and published by Funcom, a studio best known for another survival game called Conan Exiles. During Level Infinite's “Into the Infinite” Showcase as part of Gamescom 2024, we saw a proper look at Dune: Awakening’s gameplay. In the clip above you’ll see plenty of features from past Funcom games in play here.
Like Conan Exiles, you can play politics and form alliances in your never-ending quest for influence. "Spice is power" in Dune: Awakening, so, along with trying to avoid sunstroke and dying of thirst, it will be up to you to explore the vast map of Arrakis and fight for the galaxy’s most precious resource. In the trailer, we also saw that players will be taking on the role of prisoners who are now trying to forge their own way.
As you work to make your mark and survive Arrakis, you’ll have plenty to keep you busy. There is base building, guilds, exploration, crafting, and so much more for you to dig your sci-fi teeth into. Basically, this has all the makings to be one of the best space games in history, so we’re excited to see what new features are heading our way before Dune: Awakening’s 2025 release.
Now, the thought of managing hunger and thirst on Arrakis for Dune is daunting as hell. We know that Funcom was inspired by action RPG Valheim's water gauge, so we might expect a similar thirst meter in Awakening. There are also stillsuits to think about here. These special full-body suits capture all bodily fluids and filter the impurities out so that they're portable, so that should be an interesting feature to play with in Awakening.
Perhaps you'll be able to upgrade your stillsuit in order to increase your water retention? The Dune: Awakening Steam page gives us some more gameplay clues:
- "Build shelters against sandstorms, maintain your stillsuit, and master the old ways to walk even the deepest deserts. Avoid or be devoured by the colossal sandworms that dwell beneath the sands."
- "Hunt for spice blooms and deploy your harvester, then protect it from opportunistic raiders and rival factions"
- "Tailor every aspect of your character. Consume spice to conquer your senses and acquire powerful abilities. Hone your craft to become sought out for the finest creations. Construct your fortress in the style of your choosing"
- "Head into unmapped sectors and be the first to discover secrets and riches before the coriolis storms once again shift the sands and alter the landscape."
With these "enemy factions" likely representing other players as well as NPCs, there's a lot to glean from Funcom's notes. Since Dune: Awakening is an open-world MMO, it seems like Arrakis will constantly shift and change in front of your eyes. Sure, some fans think Dune would make a terrible MMO, but we are thinking positively here.
Dune: Awakening survival systems
Not only is the new Dune title a sprawling MMORPG, but it straddles the genre boundaries to double as a survival game. This makes sense, given the harsh conditions of the planet of Arrakis and its reputation, according to the game's Steam page, as "the deadliest planet in the universe."
In an interview with PCGamer, Funcom creative director Joel Bylos explained the survival mechanics of Dune: Awakening in greater detail.
"We're very focused on a few tight core survival mechanics. Like shelter: sandstorm shelter," he said. "Sandworms themselves are a giant threat in the world. If you walk on sand, they will come. If you create vibrations, they will come. So you have to think about how you approach traversal in the game world. And obviously, water. Those are our three key [systems]."
It's not just Freman-chomping sandworms, freak sandstorms, and the scarcity of water that you've got to contend with. Arrakis boasts a worrying host of environmental threats, such as extreme temperatures and quicksand to navigate around.
Bylos says this is done deliberately to keep the player on their toes. "We want them to be continually thinking," he told PCGamer. "If I'm going across the open sand, I have to think about the sandworms. If there's a sand storm coming, I have to know where there's shelter nearby. If I haven't built something I need to know where I can hide where I can get away from the sandstorms. So we're trying to create this tension."
We also know that sand crafts will play a large role in the game, with crafting being another core component of the survival genre. Gathering spices will also give you new abilities and boosts, so expect a lot of looting and harvesting when you play Dune: Awakening.
Dune: Awakening Shigawire Reels
The official Dune: Awakening Twitter has been sharing small glimpses of the game's story and world lore via what they call Shigawire Reels. These short clips give you a taster of various elements we can expect to see in this "alternate timeline" version of the Dune universe (via PCGamer).
Here are the Shigawire Reels available to check out so far:
- Staying alive on Arrakis (sandstorms, stillsuits, and more)
- Environment, structures, and transport
- Night and day cycles
- Trading and resources
- Safety in numbers
- Desert mice lore
Whether these Shigawire Reels contain actual game footage or not, Dune: Awakening is certainly shaping up to be a heavily detailed MMORPG already.
Dune Awakening news
Below is a list of the most important and latest Dune: Awakening news stories and updates. So, if you want to be completely up to speed on the upcoming game, be sure to check these pages out.
- Dune Awakening finally drops the veil with proper gameplay footage ahead of the survival MMO's early 2025 launch
- The new Dune MMO pushes players through four phases of survival
- Dune Awakening aims to be a true survival MMO - first by making you survive Arrakis, then by making you survive politics
- Dune survival MMO had to go to the author's family to get permission to cut "ridiculous" sandwalking and the book's extremely explosive shields
While we wait for news on Dune: Awakening, why not dip into some of the best survival games around to test your will to live?
