Dune: Awakening News

2025

May 8

⚫︎ Dune: Awakening's open beta weekend thrilled fans with the first 20-25 hours of gameplay and other exciting features. During the Global LAN Party livestream, players uncovered an exploit to stun opponents indefinitely in PvP. Funcom's developers, including World Director Jeff Gagné and Lead Producer Ole Andreas Haley, promptly acknowledged the issue and committed to resolving it before the game’s official launch.

Read more: Dune: Awakening PvP Exploit Discovered During Open Beta

May 8

⚫︎ Funcom assures players that it is well-prepared to handle server demands at Dune: Awakening's launch, leveraging its experience from previous MMO releases. The studio plans to deploy thousands of servers, referred to as Hagga Basins, each designed to support 40 players simultaneously, but capable of managing several hundred accounts due to player turnover. Should any server approach its limit, a queue system will manage player entry smoothly. Funcom is ready to scale up as needed to ensure a stable global experience.

Read more: Dune: Awakening will be Ready for Thousands Of Players, Says Developer

April 28

⚫︎ Dune: Awakening is gearing up for its launch with a significant beta weekend event. Funcom has announced a global beta test weekend, alongside a new trailer showcasing cinematic cutscenes and story snippets. Players can secure access to the beta by wishlisting the game and requesting access on the Dune: Awakening Steam page or by obtaining beta codes during the game's global broadcast.

Read more: Dune: Awakening Beta Spans Weekend and Features Global LAN Party

April 25

⚫︎ Funcom has scheduled the third official livestream for Dune: Awakening on April 29 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET, which will be streamed on the game's YouTube and Twitch channels. The event will delve into base-building mechanics, crafting, resource gathering, story elements, and systems like The Exchange, Landsraad, and Blueprints. An Ultimate Edition giveaway and a live Q&A session will also be part of the broadcast.

Read more: Dune: Awakening Livestream #3 Features Base Building Mechanics

April 16

⚫︎ The release of Dune: Awakening has been pushed back to June 10, 2025. Funcom cited the need for further enhancements and to incorporate more feedback from beta testers as the reason for the delay.

Read more: Dune: Awakening Release Delayed By Three Weeks

March 27

⚫︎ Dune Awakening's system requirements are designed to be inclusive, allowing even older gaming PCs to run the game, though high-end hardware is recommended for 4K gaming. The minimum specs include an Nvidia GTX 1060, AMD Radeon 5600 XT, or Intel Arc A380, coupled with an Intel i5-7400 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200. At this level, players can expect gameplay at 1080p and 30fps with 16GB of RAM. For enhanced performance, the recommended specs suggest an RTX 3070 or RX 6700 XT.

Read more: Dune Awakening system requirements let older gaming PCs in on the fun

March 26

⚫︎ Dune: Awakening will launch in May without an early access phase or monthly subscription, differentiating it from other survival MMOs. Creative Director Joel Bylos has confirmed that the game will receive free updates, enhancing content and improving quality of life over time.

Read more: Dune: Awakening Will Be an MMO With No Monthly Subscriptions

March 14

⚫︎ A new trailer for Dune: Awakening showcases how players can establish themselves on Arrakis, from building bases to discovering hidden resources. The trailer highlights survival elements such as crafting vehicles, scanning for materials, and exploring points of interest like crashed spacecraft. Vertical exploration is facilitated by tools like grappling hooks and suspensor belts. The trailer also introduces the Coriolis Storms, massive sandstorms that reshape the PvP deep deserts weekly, offering new exploration opportunities.

Dune: Awakening promises an evolving world with dynamic exploration, making it a compelling addition to the survival MMO genre.

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'

February 20

⚫︎ Funcom has announced that Dune: Awakening will be released on PC via Steam on May 20 for $49.99, with pre-orders opening soon. Early purchasers will receive an exclusive in-game item, the 'Terrarium of Muad'Dib.' While console versions are slated for a future release, PC players can already use a free character creator and benchmark tool on Steam to customize their avatars and test their systems.

Read more: Dune: Awakening Character Creation is Already Available

January 7

⚫︎ Dune: Awakening aims to deliver a groundbreaking experience with its integration of NVIDIA DLSS 4 technology and next-gen Razer Chroma and Haptics. Revealed at CES 2025, the game will utilize NVIDIA’s Multi Frame Generation to enhance performance and visual fidelity, vividly capturing the harsh beauty of Arrakis. Razer’s haptic devices and synchronized lighting will further immerse players, allowing them to feel the vibrations of sandworms, the winds of sandstorms, and the intensity of combat.

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

2024

November 15

⚫︎ In a developer update last November, the Q&A section for Dune: Awakening shed light on several gameplay mechanics. Shields, powered by Holtzman technology, offer protection against fast projectiles but are susceptible to slow melee attacks, poison, and fire. These shields can attract sandworms due to their vibrations and require rare parts found at specific locations like Imperial Testing Stations. While the game is primarily in third-person, certain tools like binoculars and scopes provide first-person views.

Vehicles, which can be crafted or discovered, have customizable access permissions and can be stored securely using a vehicle backup tool. Though sandworm riding is not available at launch, developers plan to introduce it later. Players will advance by earning experience through exploration and completing contracts, unlocking various abilities, crafting recipes, and skills, including those from the Wandering Masters and Bene Gesserit techniques.

Read more: Dune: Awakening Shares Development Updates and Answers FAQ

August 20

⚫︎ At Gamescom, a five-minute gameplay showcase for Dune: Awakening provided a deeper look into the survival MMO set on the desert planet of Arrakis. Players must adapt to the harsh environment using Fremen survival skills, engaging in combat, spice harvesting, construction, and trade. The game highlights player-driven choices that influence their journey amidst escalating guild conflicts and battles for spice control.

Read more: Dune: Awakening Gameplay Trailer Showcased For a 2025 Release During Gamescom ONL

March 5

⚫︎ In March 2024, Funcom revealed new details about Dune: Awakening, their upcoming survival MMO set on Arrakis, inspired by Frank Herbert’s Dune and Denis Villeneuve’s film adaptation. The first Dune: Awakening Direct showcased in-game footage and key gameplay features, all powered by Unreal Engine 5. This presentation generated excitement for the game, announced back in 2022, and leveraged the hype surrounding the release of Dune: Part Two.

Read more: Dune: Awakening Shows Off Its Unreal Engine 5 Chops