Dune: Awakening Set to Launch on May 20, Free Character Creator and Benchmark Tool Now Available

Funcom has revealed that its open-world survival MMO, Dune: Awakening, set on Arrakis will be released on May 20, 2025. The game will be available on Steam at a price of $49.99. Pre-orders will open soon, and include a Terrarium of Muad’Dib (a decorative base item). In advance of the game’s release, players can now run a free Character Creator & Benchmark Mode on Steam to create their avatar and assess their PC’s performance.

Noteworthy Aspects & Details Prior to Launch

Creation of Characters:

• Players have the ability to adjust the appearance, home planet, caste, and initial mentor (Swordmaster, Bene Gesserit, Mentat, Trooper).
• Starting utilities differ depending on the mentor, but all faculties are unlocked in the game for hybrid builds later.
• Characters created will be transferred to the full game version.

Performance Testing Mode:

• Demonstrates hardware compliance by displaying cinematic scenes such as ornithopter flights and encounters with sandworms.
• Awards an exclusive Frameblade knife skin to participants.

Incentives for Pre-Ordering:

• Terrarium of Muad’Dib: A decoration in the base showing the iconic desert mouse.
• Early access to character creation lets players prepare and be ready at the start of game launch day.

General Game Play

Dune: Awakening combines survival aspects within Frank Herbert’s universe and Denis Villeneuve’s film visuals. Players embark on their journey in Arrakis as gatherers, battling against dehydration, sandstorms, and rival groups while striving to control spice. The endgame concentrates on base expansion, political maneuvering, and dealing with massive sandworms.

The Relevance

As Funcom’s first key venture since Conan Exiles, Dune: Awakening is anticipated by both survival game and Dune franchise fans. The flexible character creation system and hybrid class structure aim to bypass defined role restrictions, while the benchmarking tool addresses performance issues common with vast MMOs.

The success of Dune: Awakening is uncertain, but considering the popularity of survival games like Valheim and Enshruded, it stands a reasonable chance of thriving.