Dune: Awakening release time countdown: When can you start playing?

Our Dune: Awakening release time countdown article reveals when you can dive into the harsh desert of Arrakis and start your journey as an agent of Atreides or the Harkonnen. Funcom’s long-awaited survival title is gearing up for a grand release on PC three years after its initial reveal and a delay, and there’s plenty to look forward to. 

Dune: Awakening is a survival game with MMO elements. Unlike most titles in the genre, it features a cinematic storyline and faction-related questlines. There's even a dedicated, endgame PvP zone called Deep Desert where you can indulge in melee, ranged, and vehicular combat with other players.

Dune: Awakening will be available on June 10, 2025, for PC (Steam). You can get a five-day early access from June 5 by purchasing the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition. A Dune: Awakening PS5 and Xbox Series X/S launch is coming, but Funcom hasn’t revealed any details, including their potential release window.

Unlike consoles, games on Steam usually get a global launch. As such, you could expect Dune Awakening to go live at the following time: 

Please note that the aforementioned Dune: Awakening release time is speculation based on other AAA Steam releases and should be taken with a grain of salt. We will update this section if Funcom provides official launch timings for the game.

Although Funcom has experience with multiplayer game releases like 2017’s popular Conan Exiles, Dune: Awakening is prone to modern multiplayer launch problems like network congestion and server connectivity issues.

It's worth adding that some beta players reported experiencing desync in PvP, which caused a lot of frustration and induced skepticism among players about the game's upcoming launch.

Simply put, Dune: Awakening is more than just a survival game. It has RPG elements like branching narrative, character customization, and skill trees that blend with MMO features like dungeons, raids, and PvP. 

The open world of Dune: Awakening is brimming with environmental hazards like treacherous sandstorms and invasive sandworms that make exploration more challenging. There’s an intense day and night cycle, too. Your character is more prone to heat strikes in the morning, while you’re more likely to encounter deadly military patrols at night. 

Speaking of patrols, combat is an integral part of the gameplay. You can craft new weapons and use unique skills to overcome enemy encounters. Every faction has a mentor. They are prominent figures from the Dune universe who can teach you new skills. For instance, Bene Gesserit can teach you “The Voice”, a series of skills that lets you manipulate an enemy’s actions. 

As for the story, Dune: Awakening is set in an alternate timeline in which Paul Atreides doesn’t exist. Furthermore, the two major factions—House Atreides and House Harkonnen—are in civil war, while the Fremen are nowhere to be found. 

You play as an undercover agent tasked with finding the Fremen and learning more about their sudden disappearance. During the course of the story, you get to choose whether to side with either Atreides or Harkonnen. This will also unlock faction-specific quests that offer unique rewards and further fuel the game’s overarching narrative.

For more on the game, including a detailed explanation on all Dune: Awakening editions, stick to esports.gg.