Dune_ Awakening_ Everything we know about Funcom's survival MMO

Strap on those stillsuits, grab a thumper, and get familiar with the slow blade—Dune: Awakening is almost here. Funcom's survival MMO based on the Dune universe was first announced back in 2022, but it's finally releasing in May of 2025, and we're pretty excited to see the spice begin to flow on Arrakis

What can we expect from Dune: Awakening? Funcom has been developing another sandy survival sandbox since 2017, Conan Exiles, and while it isn't an MMO, it's still got a lot in common with Dune: Awakening, like an unforgiving environment, base-building, crafting and resource gathering, and a mix of PvE and PVP combat. Dune: Awakening will be much bigger, however, with a world capable of supporting hundreds of players at once.

Below you'll find everything we know about Dune: Awakening, from its release date to its features and what we've learned from talking directly to the developers.

Dune: Awakening release date

When is the Dune: Awakening release date?

Dune: Awakening launches on June [[link]] 10, 2025 with advance access for pre-order players beginning on June 5.

It was originally scheduled for May 20 but Funcom announced few weeks' delay in April based on feedback during a closed beta test. "These three extra weeks will give us the time needed to make improvements that will lead to a better gameplay experience from day one," it said in the .

Ahead of its June launch, Funcom will host a on May 9 until May 12. For those who don't already have access, you can sign up on Steam or try scoring a code by tuning into one of the Global LAN streams planned for the test weekend.

Dune: Awakening trailer

Here's the latest Dune: Awakening trailer

Dune: Awakening — Release Date Reveal Trailer - YouTube

We've seen a few trailers and gameplay clips over the past year. [[link]] The latest is from Dune: Awakening's release date announcement, showing your character crash-landing on the desert planet of Arrakis. We're given a glimpse of the hazards of the inhospitable planet, like quicksand, sandstorms, the scorching sun, and dehydration. But survivors can also exploit the desert's resources to build bases, craft vehicles, and harvest the most precious resource of all: spice.

Dune: Awakening story

What's Dune: Awakening's story?

Dune: Awakening explores a timeline different from the books and movies: it's an alt-history where Paul Atreides was never born. [[link]] Instead, his mother Jessica gave birth to a daughter, which gave rise to different events. Duke Leto wasn't betrayed by a saboteur and still lives, House Atreides survived the attack by the Harkonnens, and the Emperor deploys the Sardaukar to Arrakis to protect the spice harvesting. The Fremen, meanwhile, have vanished completely. That's not just a story element: Funcom won't be adding the Fremen to the game until post-launch.

Here's a trailer that quickly runs you through the alternate timeline of this new Dune universe.

Dune: Awakening – Story Cinematic (The Vision of Paul Atreides) - YouTube

So, who the heck are you? You're a prisoner (the classic game-starting status) of the Bene Gesserit, secretly deployed as an agent to find the Fremen and "awake the Sleeper," though in a timeline with no Paul Atreides, it's unclear who the Sleeper actually is.

Dune: Awakening sandworms

Show me some sandworms!

Got you covered. Funcom has shown off a lot of the MMO, including that shows the early challenges of Dune: Awakening, including some base-building, resource harvesting and scavenging, and yes, an appearance of the dreaded sandworms. You can also catch a glimpse of one at the end of . Sandworms are just a great way to end a trailer, I think.

Sandworms will be a major threat in the desert as players try to harvest spice, as any movement on the surface can attract them. Each spice blow players deploy their harvesters to represents a ticking clock, not just because other players may battle them for the spice, but because the mighty sandworms will eventually show up and try to swallow everything in sight.

Dune: Awakening gameplay

What else do we know about Dune: Awakening?

We've learned a lot about Dune: Awakening over the past year or so, thanks to trailers and interviews with Funcom's creative team. There's base-building, though it's not as simple as just picking a nice spot and constructing a home: you'll have to (in spice, naturally) for your residence.

While there's PvP in Dune: Awakening, you won't need to worry about your base being invaded, at least in the early game: Funcom wants to "pull people away " and have them compete for spice in the deep desert instead, creative director Joel Bylos told us. Later in the game, we're told base raids can happen, but players will need to opt into that system.

As for spice, it's not just the driver of the economy of Arrakis, it's something you can use to "," Funcom says. Unfortunately, this ability wasn't explained further, though there are other skills that also sound fun, like the ability to manually pilot tiny hunter-seeker drones, as seen in the Dune movies.

Despite its May release date, people have already been playing Dune: Awakening. Joshua recently got a chance to play the MMO for seven hours, and suspects its mix of survival and RPG might , despite not being an MMO or survival fan. Playtesters have also been exploring Arrakis, where they're dying of thirst almost as often as they're being swallowed whole by sandworms. Some are even just to stay hydrated. Poor mice!