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. 

Greetings, Sleepers!  

During the December Livestream, Funcom revealed most of the changes coming in Chapter 3 and released it on its  Public Test Client to gather your feedback and fine-tune what is shaping up to be the biggest content update the game has seen to date. 

Today, they are happy to announce that Chapter 3 is coming on February 3rd! 

Now that the Muad’Dib is out of the proverbial bag, the devs would like to dedicate this Developer Update to discussing their work on Chapter 3 and the decisions and feedback that shaped it. Funcom also have a few additional changes that they haven’t discussed yet that will make this update even better, so without further ado, let’s dive right in! 

THE MAKING OF CHAPTER 3 

Ever since the early days of beta, player feedback has been invaluable in helping improve the game and steer it in the right direction. Since launch, we’ve been looking closely at the feedback you’ve given us through Discord, player surveys, and other platforms. This feedback has led to many improvements (Cobalt paste, anyone?) and it continues to inform many of the decisions we make for the game, large and small. 

This has never been truer than for Chapter 3. This update is a direct response to the two most common player requests: the desire for a more fleshed out endgame and making it a smoother experience coming back after an extended period away from the game. 

A BIGGER, BETTER ENDGAME 

When it comes to the endgame, the specifics of what you’re looking for varies across both players and player types, but we’ve also been able to combine your feedback with cold, hard in-game telemetry that provides a good picture of what content, activities, and systems most of you spend time with later in the game. 

This has allowed us to make informed decisions on where to spend our time and effort, with player feedback and in-game data working in concert to produce what is undoubtedly our biggest and most important update yet. 

So, what does the feedback and data tell us? Players want: 

• More options in the endgame, more ways to play that are all equally rewarding.
• More content; more stuff to discover and experience in the world of Arrakis.
• To be able to take full advantage of everything the endgame has to offer, without being forced to engage in a play style they don’t want to.
• More ways to advance their character, with deeper progression systems.

Chapter 3 aims to address each of these points. 

In addition to the continuation of the main story and many other additions, this update introduces more meaningful ways to progress after reaching Plastanium (Tier 6). It expands late-game play with deeper choices, shared goals, and more ways for players to continue growing. On the progression side, players get to take advantage of the added depth provided by the Specialization and Augmentation systems. In terms of content, we’ve added 10 new locations on the Overland Map, including unique repeatable testing stations that feature challenging boss encounters with scaling difficulty and increasingly valuable loot.  

Players can now also take missions for the Landsraad, missions that provide more flexible ways to complete assignments and collect rewards, regardless of your play style. 

There is a lot more to Chapter 3 than this, and we’ll provide you with a detailed breakdown of all additions and improvements when it launches on February 3rd. Also make sure to check out the Chapter 3 announcement video we released back in December, giving a glimpse at what’s to come.

MAKING IT EASIER TO TAKE A BREAK AND RETURN LATER 

The other much-shared feedback point we’ve received is that it can be daunting coming back to Dune: Awakening after an extended break. Whether it’s unpaid taxes or power running out, if you’ve been away for a long time, chances are your base is gone. The intention behind these mechanics are good, essentially ensuring servers don’t fill up with abandoned bases. 

That said, we heard your feedback, and we’ve been working on several things to make this a smoother experience. 

• Base Reconstruction Tool: Last year, we introduced a tool that allows you to pack up your base, store it, and then reassemble it. This is a great tool for when you know you will be taking an extended break from the game. 
• Increasing Bank Storage: Last year we also made it easier for players to safely store everything they have been working hard on obtaining by increasing the bank storage space. 
• Character Transfers: Earlier this month, we also introduced Character Transfers. Not only is this useful for active players who might want to move to a more active World or Sietch, it’s also great for returning players who might be in a situation where their friends have left, and they want to find a more active home to play in. 

With Chapter 3, we’re making two additional improvements, intended to make it easier for current players to take a break, but also make it easier to come back for those who have already left the game: 

• No More Taxes: Since the game’s launch, taxes have been a regular point of discussion in the community. We are happy to share that we are eliminating this source of frustration and starting with Chapter 3, the Emperor will no longer require players to pay taxes for any bases! This also means that you can expand your bases to your heart’s content without incurring any additional upkeep costs. 
• Return Packages: Not everyone who left the game earlier has been able to take advantage of these new tools for packing up and storing their stuff. That’s why Chapter 3 introduces custom Return Packages full of resources to help you jump back into the game. Once Chapter 3 is live, the package will be available to every character that hasn’t logged in for 28 days and can be claimed via the “Claim Rewards” option in the in-game menu. 

We believe this update delivers a richer and more engaging endgame in Dune: Awakening, but our work is far from done. There are many more exciting things ahead, and we look forward to sharing more with you in due time. 

May thy knife chip and shatter, 

The Funcom Team

 

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.

Currently available for PC (Steam), Dune: Awakening is coming PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2026.