Dune: Awakening Unveils Major Updates

Dune: Awakening News

2025

May 8

Dune: Awakening recently concluded its open beta weekend, giving players access to the first 20-25 hours of gameplay and various features. During a Global LAN Party livestream, participants discovered a PvP exploit that allowed them to permanently stun opponents.

Funcom developers observed this stunlock exploit during the stream and promptly acknowledged the issue. World Director Jeff Gagné and Lead Producer Ole Andreas Haley committed to resolving the bug 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 implementing measures to avoid server problems at Dune: Awakening's launch, leveraging its experience from prior MMO releases. The studio will launch thousands of servers, called Hagga Basins, each designed for 40 simultaneous players but able to handle several hundred accounts due to normal player turnover. If a Hagga Basin approaches its limit, a server queue will let players join without repeated attempts. Funcom's team is ready to scale up server capacity as necessary to ensure consistent performance worldwide.

Read more: Dune: Awakening will be Ready for Thousands Of Players, Says Developer (Game8)

April 28

Dune: Awakening is preparing for its debut with an extensive beta weekend. Funcom shared on its official site that a weekend will be allocated to the game's global beta testing. A new trailer was also released, highlighting cinematic cutscenes and story elements. Players can secure beta access by wishlisting and requesting entry through the Dune: Awakening Steam page, or by obtaining beta codes from the global broadcast.

Read more: Dune: Awakening Beta Spans Weekend and Features Global LAN Party (Game8)

April 25

Funcom has revealed its third official Dune: Awakening livestream, set for April 29 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET, streaming on the game's YouTube and Twitch channels. The broadcast will explore the survival MMO's base-building, crafting, resource gathering, story, and systems such as The Exchange, Landsraad, and Blueprints. An Ultimate Edition giveaway is scheduled during the event, and viewers can join a live Q&A session at the conclusion.

Read more: Dune: Awakening Livestream #3 Features Base Building Mechanics (Game8)

April 16

Dune: Awakening's release has been pushed back to June 10, 2025. Developer Funcom explained that the delay allows for additional refinements and more thorough integration of beta tester feedback.

Read more: Dune: Awakening Release Delayed By Three Weeks (Game8)

March 27

Dune Awakening's system requirements accommodate older gaming PCs, though high-end components are necessary for 4K gameplay. Minimum specifications include an Nvidia GTX 1060, AMD Radeon 5600 XT, or Intel Arc A380, combined with an Intel i5-7400 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200. Although 16GB of RAM is mandatory, this setup only supports 1080p at 30fps. For enhanced performance, the recommended specs advise 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 debut in May without an early access period or monthly subscription, distinguishing it from conventional survival MMOs. Creative Director Joel Bylos confirmed the game will expand through free updates that introduce new content and gameplay enhancements.

Read more: Dune: Awakening Will Be an MMO With No Monthly Subscriptions (Game8)

March 14

A new Dune: Awakening trailer provides an in-depth view of how players will establish themselves on Arrakis, from constructing bases to unearthing concealed resources. The video demonstrates essential survival aspects, such as building vehicles, scanning for materials, and discovering points of interest like wrecked spacecraft that contain valuable items. Mobility is a central component, with equipment such as a grappling hook and suspensor belt enabling vertical navigation. The Coriolis Storms were introduced as enormous sandstorms that weekly transform the PvP deep desert landscapes, creating new terrain and revealing chances for adventurous players.

With an emphasis on dynamic exploration and an ever-changing environment, Dune: Awakening is emerging as an ambitious entry in the survival MMO category.

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 has confirmed that Dune: Awakening will release on PC through Steam on May 20 for $49.99, with pre-orders starting shortly. Early purchasers will obtain an exclusive in-game decoration, the ‘Terrarium of Muad’Dib.’ Console editions are slated for future release, but PC users can currently use a free character creator and benchmark tool on Steam to design their avatar and check system compatibility before launch.

Read more: Dune: Awakening Character Creation is Already Available (Game8)

January 7

Dune: Awakening is poised to offer a revolutionary experience through its implementation of NVIDIA DLSS 4 technology and next-generation Razer Chroma and Haptics. Announced at CES 2025, the game will utilize NVIDIA’s Multi Frame Generation to boost performance and graphics quality, rendering the severe beauty of Arrakis in exquisite detail. Furthermore, Razer’s haptic devices and synchronized lighting will deepen player immersion, enabling them to physically sense sandworm tremors, sandstorm gusts, and combat impacts.

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

A November developer update for Dune: Awakening shed light on various gameplay systems. Shields, based on Holtzman technology, defend against rapid projectiles but are susceptible to slow melee attacks, poison, and fire, with their emissions potentially drawing sandworms. Fabricating shields demands scarce components located in places like Imperial Testing Stations. The game mainly uses a third-person view, though some devices like binoculars and scopes switch to first-person.

Vehicles, which can be built or located, feature adjustable access controls and can be secured with a vehicle backup tool. Although riding sandworms won't be possible at launch, developers intend to add this feature in a substantive manner later. Players will advance by earning experience through exploration and contract completion, unlocking capabilities, crafting formulas, and skills such as those instructed by Wandering Masters, including Bene Gesserit methods.

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

August 20

During Gamescom, a five-minute gameplay preview for the open-world survival MMO Dune: Awakening provided a detailed examination of the merciless environment of Arrakis. Players need to survive by learning Fremen techniques and participating in combat, spice collection, building, and commerce. With growing faction rivalries and struggles over spice dominance, the game focuses on player decisions that determine their future.

Read more: Dune: Awakening Gameplay Trailer Showcased For a 2025 Release During Gamescom ONL (Game8)

March 5

In March 2024, Funcom disclosed fresh information about its forthcoming survival MMO, Dune: Awakening, situated on the brutal desert planet Arrakis. Drawing from Frank Herbert’s Dune and Denis Villeneuve’s film version, the inaugural Dune: Awakening Direct displayed in-game videos and emphasized core gameplay elements, all running on Unreal Engine 5. The showcase generated anticipation for the game, initially announced in 2022, while benefiting from the excitement around Dune: Part Two's release.

Read more: Dune: Awakening Shows Off Its Unreal Engine 5 Chops (Game8)