Dune: Awakening News
2025
May 8
⚫︎ Dune: Awakening's open beta weekend was a thrilling experience for fans, offering the first 20-25 hours of gameplay and a glimpse into various features. During the Global LAN Party livestream, an exploit allowing players to stun their opponents indefinitely in PvP was discovered. Funcom's developers, including World Director Jeff Gagné and Lead Producer Ole Andreas Haley, promptly addressed this issue, promising a fix before the game's official release.
Read more: Dune: Awakening PvP Exploit Discovered During Open Beta (Game8)
May 8
⚫︎ Funcom is ensuring a smooth launch for Dune: Awakening by drawing on its experience with previous MMO launches. They plan to deploy thousands of servers, called Hagga Basins, each supporting 40 concurrent players and accommodating several hundred accounts due to natural player fluctuation. A server queue system will manage player entry, and Funcom is ready to add more servers to maintain stability across all regions.
Read more: Dune: Awakening will be Ready for Thousands Of Players, Says Developer (Game8)
April 28
⚫︎ As Dune: Awakening gears up for its launch, Funcom has scheduled a large-scale beta weekend. Announced on their official website, this global beta test will be accompanied by a new trailer showcasing cinematic cutscenes and story snippets. Players can gain access to the beta by wishlisting the game on Steam, requesting access, or obtaining beta codes during the global broadcast.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Beta Spans Weekend and Features Global LAN Party (Game8)
April 25
⚫︎ Funcom is set to host the third official livestream for Dune: Awakening on April 29 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET, available on the game's YouTube and Twitch channels. This stream will delve into the game’s base-building mechanics, crafting, resource gathering, story elements, and systems such as The Exchange, Landsraad, and Blueprints. An Ultimate Edition giveaway and a live Q&A session will also be featured.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Livestream #3 Features Base Building Mechanics (Game8)
April 16
⚫︎ The release of Dune: Awakening has been postponed to June 10, 2025. Funcom cited the need for further improvements and the integration of beta tester feedback as reasons for the three-week delay.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Release Delayed By Three Weeks (Game8)
March 27
⚫︎ Dune Awakening's system requirements cater to a wide range of gaming PCs, ensuring accessibility even for older systems, though high-end hardware is recommended for 4K gaming. Minimum specs include an Nvidia GTX 1060, AMD Radeon 5600 XT, or Intel Arc A380, paired with an Intel i5-7400 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200, and 16GB of RAM, allowing for 1080p at 30fps. For better performance, an RTX 3070 or RX 6700 XT is recommended.
Read more: Dune Awakening system requirements let older gaming PCs in on the fun (PCGamesN)
March 26
⚫︎ Dune: Awakening will launch in May without an early access phase or monthly subscription, distinguishing it from typical survival MMOs. Creative Director Joel Bylos confirmed that the game will receive free updates to enhance content and quality of life.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Will Be an MMO With No Monthly Subscriptions (Game8)
March 14
⚫︎ A new trailer for Dune: Awakening highlights players' journey on Arrakis, showcasing base-building, resource discovery, and survival elements. Key features include crafting vehicles, scanning for materials, and exploring points of interest like crashed spacecraft. Vertical exploration is facilitated by tools such as grappling hooks and suspensor belts. The trailer also introduced the Coriolis Storms, which reshape the PvP deep deserts weekly, offering new opportunities for exploration.
Read more: Dune Awakening's latest trailer offers a glimpse of its massive coriolis storms, which reshape swathes of the map each week for 'infinite exploration' (PC Gamer)
February 20
⚫︎ Funcom announced that Dune: Awakening will launch on PC via Steam on May 20 for $49.99, with pre-orders opening soon. Early buyers will receive the exclusive in-game decoration, the ‘Terrarium of Muad’Dib.’ Console versions are planned for a later date, but PC players can already access a free character creator and benchmark tool on Steam.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Character Creation is Already Available (Game8)
January 7
⚫︎ Dune: Awakening will deliver an immersive experience with NVIDIA DLSS 4 technology and next-gen Razer Chroma and Haptics. Announced at CES 2025, the game will utilize NVIDIA’s Multi Frame Generation for enhanced performance and visuals. Razer’s haptic devices and synchronized lighting will further enhance immersion by simulating sandworm vibrations, sandstorm winds, and combat intensity.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Brings Arrakis to Life as one of the First to Feature Cutting-Edge NVIDIA DLSS 4 and Next-Gen Razer Chroma Integration (Funcom)
2024
November 15
⚫︎ Last November's developer update for Dune: Awakening shed light on gameplay mechanics. Shields powered by Holtzman tech protect against fast projectiles but are susceptible to slow melee attacks, poison, and fire, with their vibrations attracting sandworms. These shields require rare parts found at Imperial Testing Stations. While the game primarily uses third-person perspective, certain tools like binoculars offer first-person views. Vehicles can be crafted or found, with customizable access and storage options. Sandworm riding is planned for a future update. Players will progress through exploration and contracts, unlocking abilities, crafting recipes, and skills, including those from Wandering Masters and Bene Gesserit techniques.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Shares Development Updates and Answers FAQ (Dune: Awakening)
August 20
⚫︎ At Gamescom, a gameplay showcase for Dune: Awakening highlighted the survival challenges on Arrakis. Players will master Fremen survival skills, engage in combat, harvest spice, construct, and trade. The game emphasizes player-driven choices amidst escalating guild conflicts and battles for spice control.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Gameplay Trailer Showcased For a 2025 Release During Gamescom ONL (Game8)
March 5
⚫︎ In March 2024, Funcom unveiled new details about Dune: Awakening, set in the harsh world of Arrakis. Inspired by Frank Herbert’s Dune and Denis Villeneuve’s film adaptation, the game's first Dune: Awakening Direct showcased in-game footage and key gameplay features powered by Unreal Engine 5. The presentation generated excitement for the game, initially announced in 2022, and capitalized on the buzz surrounding Dune: Part Two.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Shows Off Its Unreal Engine 5 Chops (Game8)
