I’ve been diving into Dune: Awakening, the latest survival multiplayer experience from Funcom, the team behind Conan Exiles. While I’m not quite far enough in for a full review just yet, I still wanted to take a moment to share my early impressions and how things are shaping up so far.
Game Name: Dune: Awakening
Platform(s): PC (currently reviewing), Coming To Consoles Later
Developer(s): Funcom
Publisher(s): Funcom
Release Date: June 10th, 2025
At first glance, Dune: Awakening might give off MMO vibes, and there are certainly elements that support that comparison. But in practice, it feels more like a multiplayer survival game—think Conan Exiles or ARK: Survival Evolved—than a traditional MMO. Die-hard MMO fans would likely agree.
What sets Dune: Awakening apart is its connection to a well-established universe. Personally, I probably wouldn’t be playing this if not for Denis Villeneuve’s recent films, which pulled me back into the world of Dune. Interestingly, the game doesn’t follow the familiar storyline. There’s no Paul Atreides here, and that decision will likely divide fans. Still, the choice to tell an alternate version of events gives the game freedom to explore its own narrative without being locked into canon. It’s a fresh approach, and one that I think works to its benefit.
I haven’t gotten far enough to fully comment on the story just yet, but I’m definitely interested to see how it develops as I spend more time on Arrakis.
Capturing Arrakis, Perfectly Punishing
One of the first things that really stood out to me in Dune: Awakening is how much respect it shows for the Dune universe. Even the character creation process is a pleasant surprise. You’re not just picking a face and hairstyle—you’re crafting a backstory that aligns with the lore. You can choose your character’s home planet, determine how they ended up on Arrakis, and select their caste—all pulled directly from the source material. If you’re a fan of Dune, these touches won’t go unnoticed, and they help ground the experience in the wider universe.
Of course, the most critical element for any Dune adaptation is getting Arrakis right, and I’m happy to say Dune: Awakening absolutely nails it. The planet feels vast, harsh, and alive in all the ways it should. It’s both beautiful and unforgiving. Sandworms are a constant threat, and you’ll often hear their thunderous approach long before you see them. The brutal climate also plays a big role; stray too long in direct sunlight, and you’ll risk sunstroke unless you find shade. That kind of environmental pressure makes every journey across the desert feel tense and purposeful, exactly as it should.
Dune: Awakening can be punishing, just like any good survival game, but that nature of risk vs reward seen throughout the genre is perfect here on Arrakis and the wider Dune universe. Arrakis is a dangerous planet, and having this game give you a high-risk/reward system fits well with what we know about Arrakis from the Dune mythos.
Laying The Foundations And Standing Out
Despite its harsh environment, Dune: Awakening doesn’t leave you stranded. The game equips you early on with the essentials you’ll need to survive—clothing and shelter to endure the brutal climate, and weapons like knives and firearms to defend yourself. The pace at which these systems are introduced is surprisingly smooth, helping you settle into the rhythm of survival without feeling overwhelmed. What really caught me off guard was the overall quality of these mechanics and how well they’re presented, especially for a game still in early access.
Like ARK: Survival Evolved, you’ll gain XP through exploration, resource gathering, and combat, which lets you level up and unlock skills that enhance everything from harvesting to fighting. As you progress, you’ll also unlock new tech trees, allowing you to craft more advanced gear and structures. And if you’re new to survival games, don’t worry—Dune: Awakening includes a guided tutorial that eases you in with clear, step-by-step objectives before giving you the freedom to explore. Even as someone who’s spent years playing games in this genre, I found the onboarding system helpful. Honestly, more survival games could learn from this approach, especially at launch.
The tutorial system in Dune: Awakening goes a long way toward easing players into its punishing world. Whether you’re trying to stay alive in the opening hours or getting a grasp on the core gameplay loop, the tutorial makes the experience far more approachable than many of its genre peers. It’s not just hand-holding—it highlights the depth of the building and crafting systems while helping you understand how everything fits together.
Building, in particular, feels incredibly fleshed out. You’re free to construct unique bases across Arrakis, and you’ll regularly stumble upon structures built by other players dotting the landscape. It gives the world a lived-in feel, which adds to the immersion and stakes.
Combat That Respects Choice
Combat in Dune: Awakening deserves some praise, too. It gives equal weight to both melee and ranged options, which is a rarity in survival games. You’re not just stuck shooting enemies from a distance or whacking things with sticks. The game offers everything from grenades and turrets to deployable shield walls. There’s even a deliberate layer of strategy, like having to break an enemy’s shield with a slower, heavy blade attack. It’s clear that combat isn’t just tacked on; it’s a system that’s been thoughtfully built.
Where Things Start to Falter
That said, Dune: Awakening isn’t without its drawbacks.
First, there’s the pacing. Borrowing a bit too much from the MMO playbook, the game requires a significant time investment before you reach the really interesting content. That’s not a dealbreaker for everyone, but for players like me who want to experience the story without having to grind endlessly or rely on others, it becomes a sticking point. The game simply isn’t balanced well for solo play, which is frustrating for those who may not always have a group of friends to hop in with.
Then there are the technical hiccups, specifically with controller support. As someone who uses a controller due to accessibility, I’ve run into a recurring issue where the game just stops responding to certain actions. The most frequent (and most annoying) is my weapon refusing to fire. The only fix I’ve found is to quit and restart the game, which isn’t exactly ideal in a live survival server. Hopefully, this is something that Funcom will address sooner rather than later.
Early Verdict
Dune: Awakening is shaping up to be something special. It’s built by a team that clearly understands and respects the Dune universe, and they’ve created one of the most complete survival game experiences I’ve seen at launch. The systems are deep, the world is punishing but rewarding, and the presentation is genuinely impressive.
Still, there are a few bumps along the way, especially if you’re a solo player or rely on a controller. But if Funcom can smooth out those edges, this could easily become one of the standout survival games of the generation.
Dune: Awakening is currently available on PC.
Review Disclosure Statement: Dune: Awakening was provided to us by Funcom for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy.
Affiliate Link Disclosure: One or more of the links above contain affiliate links, which means at no additional cost to you, we may receive a commission should you click through and purchase the item.
