Dune: Awakening is set on Arrakis and takes inspiration from both Frank Herbert’s novels and Denis Villeneuve’s Academy Award-winning film while exploring exciting new possibilities in the franchise. 

Dune: Awakening combines the grittiness and creativity of survival games with the social interactivity of large-scale, persistent multiplayer games to create a unique and ambitious Open World Survival MMO. Rise from survival to dominance in a vast and seamless Arrakis shared by thousands of players.  

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. Narrowly escape colossal sandworms, build your home from shelter to mighty base, and traverse the dunes in iconic vehicles from the universe. 

Hunt for spice blooms and deploy your harvester, then protect it from rival factions in fast-paced, deadly combat that shifts seamlessly from armored groundcars to ornithopters in the sky. Plot your rise to power and build your influence within the Landsraad through careful intrigue. 

Since the early ‘90s, Funcom has honed its craft creating unforgettable experiences in existing IPs and persistent online worlds with games like Anarchy Online, Age of Conan, The Secret World, and Conan Exiles. Now, Funcom sets its eyes on Arrakis, for its most ambitious project yet. 

Dune: Awakening™, the multiplayer survival game inspired by Frank Herbert’s legendary sci-fi novel and Legendary Entertainment’s award-winning films, will launch on May 20th. Funcom is excited to share that pre-orders begin today, and gamers everywhere are now less than two months away from descending upon the most dangerous planet in the universe.

The standard edition, the Deluxe Edition, and the Ultimate Edition are now available for pre-order on Steam, with the latter including, among many other goodies, an incredible, 90-minute-long digital soundtrack. In celebration of this moment, Funcom has prepared a journey behind the scenes of the making of the music, giving viewers a unique glimpse at how award-winning composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen brought the album to life with a live orchestra at the legendary AIR Lyndhurst studio in London.

Business Model and Post-Launch Plans

To make sure gamers have all the relevant information before making a purchase decision, Dune: Awakening’s Creative Director, Joel Bylos, appeared on video to explain the game’s business model and post-launch plans.

In short, when Dune: Awakening launches on May 20th:

• It will not be in Early Access, this is the full launch
• It will not have a subscription
• The game will continue to be expanded through free updates with content and features
• It will follow a classic business model of optional DLCs

Funcom has a long, rich history of developing and supporting live games, with several MMOs still in operation to this day (Anarchy Online is 25 next year!) and Conan Exiles still receiving updates after eight years of DLCs, expansions, and free updates. Dune: Awakening will be no exception, and it will continue to expand with free updates bringing new content, features, and enhancements.

Game Editions

Dune: Awakening’s standard edition is priced at $49.99, with the Deluxe Edition ($69.99) and Ultimate Edition ($89.99) both offering players a 5-day head start and several unique items. Available as part of the Deluxe Edition and Ultimate Edition, Dune: Awakening also features a Season Pass that will unlock four DLCs over time, with the first unlocking at launch.

In the Deluxe Edition, you will also get the menacing armor of the Sardaukar, the elite military force that players find themselves hunted by in the game.  The Ultimate Edition adds everything above, plus Paul Atreides’ iconic stillsuit from the 2021 film, a digital artbook, a digital soundtrack, unique color patterns, and the Caladan Palace Set featuring building pieces, placeables, and decorations.

Pre-ordering any of the editions – including standard – will award players with a universal color pattern that can be applied to vehicles, weapons, and armor, as well as the Terrarium of Muad’Dib, an in-base decoration which houses the iconic desert mouse.

PC Features and System Requirements

At launch, Dune: Awakening will feature several cutting-edge features, being one of the first games to include NVIDIA’s DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation, enhancing the game’s majestic visuals and providing unparalleled performance. 

Dune: Awakening will also support AMD’s FSR and Intel’s XeSS 2 technologies. 

Razer Chroma RGB and Razer Sensa HD Haptics provide ultimate immersion as you fight to survive. Plunge your gaming room into an Arrakis sunset and feel the rumble of your ornithopter’s seat with the Freyja Gaming Cushion’s full dynamic range.

Minimum:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit (or newer)
• Processor: Intel Core i5-7400, AMD Ryzen 3 1200
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (8GB), AMD Radeon 5600XT (6GB)
• Storage: 60 GB available space

Recommended:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit (or newer)
• Processor: Intel Core i7-10700K, AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (8GB), AMD Radeon 6700XT (12GB)
• Storage: 75 GB available space

Want to know more? Tune in to today’s livestream!

Today, March 24th at 6PM CET / 1pm EST, players can tune in to a special livestream where senior developers will play the game live, answer community questions, and provide more insight into today’s many announcements. Among others, award-winning composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen will be there to talk about the music in Dune: Awakening, and World Director Jean-François Gagné will show and talk about the incredible open world of Arrakis.

The livestream will be hosted by Senior PR Manager Natascha Röösli on Funcom’s Twitch channel and Steam. 

Key Features:

• Survive the most dangerous planet in the universe. 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.
• Explore the ever-changing face of Arrakis. Walk the ruins of long-forgotten biological testing stations, scavenge the wreckage of fallen spaceships, and wander the dusty halls of abandoned sietches. 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.
• Control the spice, control Arrakis. Hunt for spice blooms and deploy your harvester, then protect it from opportunistic raiders and rival factions. Soak the sand in blood as massive battles shift seamlessly from foot to vehicles and from ground to ornithopters in the sky.
• Make plans within plans. Make a name for yourself among the inhabitants of Arrakis. Wield intrigue and force to influence the Landsraad and impact the world. Build your own faction through spice harvesting, trade, subterfuge, and open conflict.
• Awaken the sleeper. 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. The journey is yours to shape.

Dune: Awakening is coming to PC (Steam) on May 20, 2025, followed by PS5 and Xbox Series X|S at a later time.