Dune: Awakening – Everything You Need to Know

“Image/video courtesy of Funcom. Dune: Awakening™ © Funcom.”(Sourced via IGDB.com)

Release Date:

• June 10, 2025 (PC Full Launch, no subscription)
• Early Access: June 5, 2025 (for Deluxe/Ultimate pre-orders)
• Console Versions: PS5 and Xbox Series X|S later in 2025
• Pre-load: June 4 for early access players
• Global Unlock Time: 10:00 AM EDT / 16:00 CEST

Platforms:

• Launch: Windows PC
• Later in 2025: PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S

Developer / Publisher:

• Funcom (Known for Conan Exiles)
• Engine: Unreal Engine 5

“Image/video courtesy of Funcom. Dune: Awakening™ © Funcom.”(Sourced via IGDB.com)

Game Overview

Dune: Awakening is a large-scale open-world survival MMORPG set on Arrakis, the iconic desert planet from Frank Herbert’s Dune saga. Players enter a persistent, player-driven world where they must survive brutal sandstorms, evade massive sandworms, and control spice flows while choosing allegiances between House Atreides and House Harkonnen.

You can play solo or in guilds (“Cliques”) as you:

• Build shelters and bases
• Scavenge and craft weapons, vehicles (e.g., ornithopters), and stillsuits
• Engage in PvP and PvE battles
• Influence politics via the Landsraad council
• Explore reshaped zones after weekly Coriolis storms
• Face deadly sandworms that devour players and vehicles

“Image/video courtesy of Funcom. Dune: Awakening™ © Funcom.”(Sourced via IGDB.com)

Game Editions and Pricing

Available via Steam and the official site:

• Standard Edition – $49.99
• Deluxe Edition – $69.99 (5-day early access, Sardaukar armor, emblems)
• Ultimate Edition – $89.99 (Deluxe content + Paul Atreides’ stillsuit, digital artbook, Caladan Palace Set)

All editions include:

• Base game
• Free Season Pass (4 DLC packs, first one at launch)
• Pre-order Bonuses (available until June 10):
  • Ornamental “Terrarium of Muad’Dib”
  • Universal gear/vehicle color scheme

“Image/video courtesy of Funcom. Dune: Awakening™ © Funcom.”(Sourced via IGDB.com)

Gameplay Highlights

• Survival: Manage thirst, heat, storms, and taxes in spice
• Crafting: Build stillsuits, weapons, vehicles, and bases
• Combat Classes: Choose roles like Mentat, Swordmaster, Bene Gesserit (with “the Voice” ability) – switchable later
• Vehicles: Ornithopters, jump-belts, helicopters, spice buggies
• Base Building: Pay a spice tax to the Emperor; raiding is optional
• Exploration: Weekly storms reshape areas; new spice fields and dungeons appear

“Image/video courtesy of Funcom. Dune: Awakening™ © Funcom.”(Sourced via IGDB.com)

Multiplayer and Social Systems

• Persistent shared online world (called a “World”)
• Guilds (“Cliques”) align with Atreides or Harkonnen
• Faction-based towns, quests, gear, and NPCs
• PvP Zones: Deep Desert is open combat; safe zones exist
• Landsraad System: Players vote on server-wide policies
• Private Servers: Rentable at launch, but tied into global events

“Image/video courtesy of Funcom. Dune: Awakening™ © Funcom.”(Sourced via IGDB.com)

Story and Setting

Set in an alternate Dune timeline:

• Paul Atreides was never born
• Jessica bore a daughter; Duke Leto still lives
• Fremen have vanished mysteriously
• Sardaukar forces enforce spice flow
• You play as a Bene Gesserit agent, on a mission to uncover what happened and “awaken the Sleeper”

The story is revealed through:

• Cinematics (e.g., Vision of Paul Atreides trailer)
• Environmental storytelling
• NPCs and faction hubs

Funcom developed the lore in collaboration with the Herbert estate, blending elements from the books and the recent films while introducing unique twists.

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