Dune is one of the most influential science fiction works of all time, spawning a wide range of media that has never been stronger with the theatrical release of Dune 3 later this year. Even the likes of Star Wars took inspiration from Herbert’s Dune novels, meaning the video game landscape has the fingerprints of House Atreides all over it. Despite the obvious potential, previous Dune games focused on real-time strategy as opposed to the staples of exploration and survival on harsh lands. Enter Dune: Awakening, an open world adventure that truly utilises all that makes Arrakis and the adventures on the sand planet so appealing to gamers. Dune: Awakening hits consoles on September 22 with even more of a focus on the single player, narrative experience than when initially launched on PC as more of an MMO. I’ve been playing Dune: Awakening on the PlayStation 5 for the last week. Here are my thoughts.
To preface this review, I want to advise my level of knowledge in the Dune world as it is definitely important when approaching this game. Why? The lore is deep in the books, films and other media. There are so many terms thrown at you early in the game without too much explanation of what they are – spice, Fremen, etc. – that anyone new to Dune may miss as they learn the many features of gameplay. Of Frank Herbert’s six original novels, I have read two – Dune, and Dune Messiah. I read these two decades ago. There are also another 20 or so additional stories in the universe, completed by both Herbert and his son. I have not read those. I’ve seen the Villeneuve films near release (one viewing each) and did watch the original film from 1984 when renting as a child in the late 90s. What does all this mean? Memory with deep lore is not often kind, and Dune’s lore is deeper than most. Here, even though I read some novels and watched films, I felt very fresh. I didn’t follow the exact political components of the story, but you bet I knew a sandworm would devour me whole if I lingered on sand. The story made some sense, though I imagine Dune enthusiasts would be completely in their element. Newcomers, thankfully, have so much to enjoy as well.
Open world survival games are some of the strongest entries in recent years, led by the likes of Valheim, Enshrouded and Palworld – all of which entered 1.0 in 2026. As they are all competing for time and demand quite a number of hours, this review will focus on what Dune does well to stand out. In terms of gameplay, Dune operates similarly in that once you land on Arrakis, your time is spent building a base to survive, finding water to survive, killing factions to survive, and generally just trying to stay out of the sun to survive. That’s before the horrific feeling of a sandworm approaching from beneath. The curve goes from moving on foot between mounds to find precious resources, to taking on trials and learning new skills, to building your own bike and racing around Arrakis completing the story. The combat is third-person shooter and melee, while the building works like most of the aforementioned games in researching new components, snapping them together and crafting stronger gear/weapons to take on more dangerous missions. The general loop is challenging and rewarding, drip-feeding features so that all upgrades feel earned. It is MMO at heart, though has been tweaked for more of a ‘beginning to end’ process.
Your initial hours in Dune: Awakening will be slow and steady, as is par with this game type. Once crash landed, you’ll meet a shady character that acts as a guide to really get you started. You’ll soon be navigating between areas of Arrakis while building up your base with the basics – storage, water, power. This is also where you start to learn how to survive, such as killing enemies and taking their blood to convert to water. Your water levels continue to drop unless drinking water, and water is a tough commodity on such a dry planet. Therefore, gunplay and melee combat is essential when raiding camps. Doing so is not dissimilar to Fallout, or even the recent Starfield – complete with that typical jank in these types of approaches. You’ll also have your starting class to play with, and I went with swordmaster. A skill tree with a range of perks opens up, alongside special abilities. My first ability, by tapping R1, send me soaring forward and had the possibility of killing enemies on contact. Even though I chose swordmaster, I found myself leaning towards gunplay as enemies more often have guns (and those that don’t can be shot down before reaching you). Most camps only have 2-5 enemies early on, so nothing will feel too difficult unless you are underprepared. Their shields will cause the most issues.
Moving between shaded areas is initially slow. Taking on the big expanses of sand sees a meter pop up that vibrates, indicating how far a sandworm might be. The terror and anxiety feels real, for death can be quite punishing in both location and resources. Once the bike is available, I found navigating to be much more enjoyable. It is at this point that camps with 10+ enemies become common, but your skill tree and better weapons/gear will combat this. There is a sense of repetition that creeps in, with the clear MMO-style quests common, though there is a level of quality in all that Dune: Awakening takes on. This is often seen in the rituals, with early examples including stealth and platforming. The game is varied and never feels too repetitive unless grinding for research points.
In terms of performance, I had a stable 60 FPS and rare issues on the PlayStation 5 (base). The draw distance is simply stunning, with my PS account crammed full of screenshots. Whether it’s the moon taking up half the screen in the distance, or the haze of the sand dunes blocking your vision, the sights and sounds of Arrakis are incredible. The custom character is not as impressive, looking like a stunned bystander whenever the cinematics include the look crafted by yours truly rather than an experienced developer. The Dual Sense is its own character here, with vibrations adding to the gameplay. When a sandworm is closing in, the vibration in your hands adds to the terror. The sounds and overall soundtrack are also worth a mention. While not Zimmer, the score is powerful in all the right moments. I never tired of living in this world, which was made all the more real through technical achievement.
Dune: Awakening is an excellent showcase of the IP, providing countless hours of gameplay in a MMO-style adventure full of missions and loot. With survival, exploration and building all core component of the experience, any lovers of the genre and open world navigation will have a blast in challenging conditions. While it can be slow at times, this is the charm and intended feeling. This may just be your next time sink – just keep an eye out for those sandworms.
Pros
Graphics of location are jaw-dropping
Depth of gameplay
Cons
Story takes too long to become relevant to the experience
Custom character always feels out of place
