Fans of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films (or, of course, Frank Herbert's books and the '80s David Lynch adaptation) are in for a treat - we now have a Dune: Awakening release window.

Advertisement

The game looks perfect for anyone looking for more Arrakis action after the perfection of Dune: Part Two.

It's a survival MMO based on the beloved lore of Herbert's novels, and it looks more addictive than a triple dose of the spice.

Curious? Let's take a close look at Dune: Awakening.

When is the Dune: Awakening release date?

An ornithopter approaching an utpost in Dune: Awakening
Dune: Awakening. Funcom

The PC version of the game is set to drop sometime in 2025, but we don't know when. We realise this is quite a big window, but it's better than nothing!

Currently, there is no confirmed release date announced for Dune: Awakening on other consoles.

On the game’s Steam page, the release date is marked as "2025" - but you can add it to your wishlist.

It would’ve been quite the coup for the game to land around the same time as Dune: Part Two to catch the excitement, but the new interest in the source material will likely see a good number of people’s interest piqued by the survival MMO.

You can, however, sign up for the Dune: Awakening beta on the official site if you want to get in on the fun early and help shape how the game turns out.

When there is a concrete date announced, we will update you.

Until then, you can check out all the great upcoming games that will no doubt keep you busy until then.

Can I pre-order Dune: Awakening?

Characters observing a sandstorm on Arrakis from a cliff in Dune: Awakening
Dune: Awakening. Funcom

Yes, you can pre-order Dune: Awakening for PS5 or Xbox Series X/S now from GAME.

As there is no properly announced pricing, you may end up getting it for cheaper for PS5 or Xbox owing to GAME’s pre-order price guarantee - which means you will either be charged what was originally listed or less if it turns out to be cheaper.

Unfortunately, there is no pre-order available for PC, but you can hop over onto the CDKeys page and request to be notified when the ability to do so goes live.

Which consoles and platforms can play Dune: Awakening?

A player in Dune: Awakening destroying a vehicle with a laser cannon
Dune: Awakening. Funcom

Dune: Awakening is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

This shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise if you’ve seen the gameplay reveal, as the graphics look to be top-tier stuff.

You probably won’t be shocked, either, to hear the game is using Unreal Engine 5 to bring Arrakis to life.

All this resoundingly leaves the last-gen consoles such as the PS4 and Xbox One to, well, the last generation.

The Nintendo Switch also wouldn't stand much of a chance, but if the rumours are true that the upcoming (and unannounced) Switch 2 could run the Matrix: Awakening demo, perhaps the fate of Arrakis could lie in our hands in the next-gen portable console.

Dune: Awakening gameplay and story details

A squadron of Ornithopters flying in formation above the player in Dune: Awakening
Dune: Awakening. Funcom

Dune: Awakening is a third-person open-world survival MMO that takes place on the signature planet – Arrakis – and sees the player starting as a lowly nobody before embarking on a quest to make it to the upper echelons of society through various means.

Characters from the book and movies are present, and many of them can be friend or foe, depending on which house you align yourself with.

You can also become loyal to organisations like the Mentats and Bene Gesserit, and learn special skills from them.

The map is suitably huge, too, and features dunes – funnily enough – long-forgotten ecology labs and canyons full of caves often inhabited by bandits.

The official page says there are lots of villages to discover and, presumably, Fremen Sietches.

To get around between all these locations, there are ground and airborne vehicles such as tanks and ornithopters. Players can also create temporary outposts beyond the shield walls.

There’s also the opportunity to engage in some pretty fierce-looking battles as players and factions duke it out for control of the spice.

The spice, of course, is central to the game, and as a psychoactive substance it can bring about a number of effects to your character. Not all of them positive, but not all negative either.

Is there a Dune: Awakening trailer?

Indeed there is, as you can no doubt see above! The trailer gives us a fairly comprehensive look at everything players can expect to get up to during their time on Arrakis.

"Arrakis is a test – few survive it," the narrator warns after showing a man succumbing to the desert heat.

Following on from this, a very Kyle Maclachlan-looking fellow wakes up in a cave and embarks on their journey to becoming one of Arrakis's top dogs – with a large dollop of plot armour for trailer purposes, no doubt.

We see our pseudo-Kyle run from sandworms, construct huge bases in the desert, chase down a crashing ship on a dirtbike of sorts, infiltrate multiple bases, fly in ornithopters, use hunter-seeker drones and observe a battle raging below.

Finally, after all he has been through, he offers his hand to a lone survivor of the battle, suggesting that it isn’t all just war in the desert - and that players can band together.

Listen to our One More Life podcast and subscribe to our gaming newsletter for all the latest intel.

Advertisement

Looking for something to watch? Check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

Cole Luke
Cole LukeFreelance Writer

Cole Luke is a freelance journalist and video producer who contributes to RadioTimes.com's Gaming section. He also has bylines for Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, Network N and more.

Ben Huxley, RadioTimes.com contributor
Ben HuxleyFreelance Writer

Ben Huxley is a freelance contributor to Radio Times, with bylines also in TechRadar, WhatCulture, GAMINGbible, and Live Science. A writer of fiction, too, he has a few short stories published and a novel on the way. He has a BA in English Literature, and an MA in creative writing.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement