Dune: Awakening News
2025
May 8
⚫︎ Dune: Awakening's open beta weekend just concluded, giving fans a thrilling glimpse into the first 20-25 hours of gameplay along with other exciting features. During their Global LAN Party livestream, players unearthed an exploit allowing them to stun opponents indefinitely in PvP.
The developers at Funcom, including World Director Jeff Gagné and Lead Producer Ole Andreas Haley, swiftly addressed this issue during the stream, committing to a fix before the game's official launch.
Read more: Dune: Awakening PvP Exploit Discovered During Open Beta (Game8)
May 8
⚫︎ Funcom has assured players that it is taking extensive measures to prevent server issues at the launch of Dune: Awakening, drawing from its experience with previous MMO launches. The studio plans to deploy thousands of servers, dubbed Hagga Basins, each designed to handle 40 concurrent players while accommodating several hundred accounts due to player fluctuations. Should a Hagga Basin approach full capacity, a server queue system will ensure smooth entry without the need for constant retries. Funcom is ready to scale up server numbers as needed to maintain a stable global experience.
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. The event was announced on their official website, promising a global beta test dedicated to the game. A new trailer showcasing cinematic cutscenes and story snippets has also been released. Players can secure their spot in the beta by wishlisting the game on Steam, requesting access, or receiving codes during the global broadcast.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Beta Spans Weekend and Features Global LAN Party (Game8)
April 25
⚫︎ Funcom has scheduled the third official Dune: Awakening livestream for April 29 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET, which will be available on the game's YouTube and Twitch channels. The stream will delve deeper into the survival MMO's base-building mechanics, crafting, resource gathering, story elements, and systems such as The Exchange, Landsraad, and Blueprints. An Ultimate Edition giveaway will also take place, with a live Q&A session to round off the event.
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 to incorporate more feedback from beta testers as the reasons behind the three-week delay.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Release Delayed By Three Weeks (Game8)
March 27
⚫︎ Dune Awakening's system requirements are designed to be accessible for older gaming PCs, though high-end hardware is necessary for 4K gaming. The 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. While 16GB of RAM is required, gameplay will be limited to 1080p at 30fps. 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 (PCGamesN)
March 26
⚫︎ Dune: Awakening will launch in May without an early access phase or monthly subscription, distinguishing it from other survival MMOs. Creative Director Joel Bylos confirmed that the game will receive free updates to enhance content and quality-of-life features over time.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Will Be an MMO With No Monthly Subscriptions (Game8)
March 14
⚫︎ A new trailer for Dune: Awakening showcases how players will establish their presence on Arrakis, from building bases to discovering hidden resources. The footage highlights survival essentials like crafting vehicles, scanning for materials, and exploring points of interest such as downed spacecraft for valuable loot. 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 for brave adventurers.
With a focus on dynamic exploration and an ever-evolving world, Dune: Awakening promises to redefine 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' (PC Gamer)
February 20
⚫︎ Funcom announced that Dune: Awakening will be available on PC via Steam starting May 20 for $49.99, with pre-orders set to open soon. Early purchasers will receive the exclusive in-game decoration, the 'Terrarium of Muad'Dib.' While console versions are planned for a future release, PC players can already use the free character creator and benchmark tool on Steam to customize their avatars and test their system's performance before the game's launch.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Character Creation is Already Available (Game8)
January 7
⚫︎ Dune: Awakening is poised to deliver an immersive 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 boost performance and visual quality, vividly bringing the world of Arrakis to life. Razer's haptic devices and synchronized lighting will further immerse players by simulating sandworm vibrations, sandstorm winds, and combat intensity in real-time.
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
⚫︎ In a developer update from November 2024, Dune: Awakening provided new insights into its gameplay mechanics. Shields powered by Holtzman technology offer protection against fast projectiles but are susceptible to slow melee attacks, poison, and fire, and their vibrations can lure sandworms. Crafting these shields requires rare components found at locations like Imperial Testing Stations. The game primarily uses third-person gameplay, with first-person views available through tools like binoculars and scopes.
Vehicles in the game can be crafted or discovered, with customizable access permissions and a vehicle backup tool for safe storage. While sandworm riding won't be available at launch, developers plan to introduce it meaningfully in the future. Players will advance by earning experience through exploration and fulfilling contracts, unlocking abilities, crafting recipes, and skills, including those taught by Wandering Masters and Bene Gesserit techniques.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Shares Development Updates and Answers FAQ (Dune: Awakening)
August 20
⚫︎ At Gamescom, a five-minute gameplay showcase for the open-world survival MMO Dune: Awakening gave fans a closer look at the challenging environment of Arrakis. Players will need to adapt to the desert planet by mastering Fremen survival skills, engaging in combat, harvesting spice, building structures, and trading. The game emphasizes player-driven choices, with escalating guild conflicts and battles for spice control shaping individual destinies.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Gameplay Trailer Showcased For a 2025 Release During Gamescom ONL (Game8)
March 5
⚫︎ In March 2024, Funcom revealed new details about Dune: Awakening, their upcoming survival MMO set on the harsh desert world of Arrakis. Inspired by Frank Herbert's Dune and Denis Villeneuve's film adaptation, the game's first Dune: Awakening Direct featured in-game footage and showcased key gameplay elements, all powered by Unreal Engine 5. This presentation heightened anticipation for the game, which was initially announced in 2022, and leveraged the excitement surrounding the release of Dune: Part Two.
Read more: Dune: Awakening Shows Off Its Unreal Engine 5 Chops (Game8)
