Dune Awakening: Everything we know, from release date to trailers

You can sign up to beta access to Funcom’s massively multiplayer online game

If Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two has got you in the mood for exploring the sandy wilderness of Arrakis, you’ll have to be patient – the tie-in game Dune Awakening isn’t expected to launch until 2025.

Developed by Funcom, creators of Conan: Exiles, the upcoming massively multiplayer online game (MMO) will allow players to fully immerse themselves in Frank Herbert’s revived and genre-defining science-fiction universe.

Dune Awakening is set to launch on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X and S, and sees players assume the role of The Sleeper, a jobbing freelancer set loose in the desert world of Arrakis to form alliances, join guilds, fight for control of regions, and avoid the sci-fi series’ iconic behemoth sandworms.

First teased in 2023, Dune Awakening revealed more gameplay footage in its most recent trailer on 5 March, showcasing the MMO’s sandbox survival, combat and base-building elements.

Ready to get sand in your pants? Here’s everything we know about Dune Awakening so far.

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(Funcom)

Dune Awakening release date

There’s no official release date for Dune Awakening yet, but the most recent trailer ended by offering players the opportunity to sign up for a closed beta – that’s the invite-only test phase of the in-development game.

There’s no indication of how long the closed beta phase will last, but Funcom will likely progress to an open beta stage before landing on an official release date. Based on the scale and scope of the MMO, we can predict an official launch date sometime in early 2025.

Dune Awakening trailer

While stylistically similar to the most recent Dune movies, Dune Awakening draws more from the classic Frank Herbert books as it does the recent Timothée Chalamet-front blockbusters.

Pitting you as a lone wanderer in the desert world of Arrakis, Dune Awakening looks to be a mixture of open-world survival and multiplayer combat. Starting out with nothing but a scrap knife, you’ll attack enemy camps to loot the materials needed to expand your armoury, build new tools, vehicles and weapons, and expand your guild’s camp to grow your power and influence.

The IMAX-scale of Arrakis can also be felt in the giant sandstorms that rage across the game world, as well as those iconic sandworms – skyscraper-sized monsters that burst from the dunes and must be avoided at all costs.

(Funcom)

Dune Awakening beta

Funcom is expected to start offering players the chance to play Dune Awakening early via the early closed beta testing phase. You can register your interest in the Dune Awakening beta over at Funcom’s official site, though space will be limited as beta access is extended to just small pools of players initially.

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