Update 1.5 is now live on all platforms, giving Dune: Awakening a full single-player mode, broad gameplay customization, and the final chapter of Book One. The release also begins console head start access on September 17, 2026, while the full console launch remains scheduled for September 22. Funcom had first framed the console rollout through an introductory look at Arrakis, which introduced Arrakis and the game’s survival premise before the broader Update 1.5 details arrived.
Deluxe and Ultimate console pre-order owners can start playing during the head start period. The game is now available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, Xbox Series X|S, and the Microsoft Store, with physical editions arriving as part of the September 22 launch. The previously announced September 22 console release remains the date for the full launch.
Funcom’s Steam announcement also confirms a welcome back package for anyone returning after at least 28 days away. The package scales to the player’s research tier. Anyone who plays between September 17 and October 22 will also receive the Matron’s Decor reward.
Single-player includes the full Arrakis experience
Single-player is not a separate side campaign. Players can experience the whole game solo, including every storyline, challenge, and reward. New characters can choose from three difficulty presets or adjust individual gameplay settings in detail.
Several systems work differently in solo mode. The Exchange becomes a vendor with a large selection of purchasable items, simulated guilds keep the Landsraad moving without other players, and the Coriolis storm no longer instantly kills the player or wipes progress from the Deep Desert. The Cartographer skill also increases the radius used to reveal the Fog of War.
The same customization tools are available on self-hosted servers. Players can adjust sandstorms, security zones, harvesting and experience multipliers, building limits, item durability, base decay, automatic sandworm and Coriolis spawns, death drops, and maximum land claims. Rented private servers offer settings based on the chosen provider, while PC players can host free self-hosted servers for up to 40 concurrent players.
Book One reaches its final chapter
The Great Convention Part III is now available, completing the Book One story. For the first time, the entire campaign can be played from beginning to end in one run. Existing story missions also grant new rewards retroactively, including swatches, weapon and armor variants, and placeable decorations.
Echoes of the Past, The Glutton, The Paranoid, and The Jackal are now instanced levels, removing queues on busy multiplayer servers. Several older bosses have also moved to the newer boss system. Funcom has published the complete Update 1.5 patch notes for the full breakdown.
PvP is optional across the main game
Update 1.5 completes the endgame separation Funcom previously planned in its planned PvE and PvP overhaul. Every official world now has separate PvE and PvP Deep Desert instances. The PvP version returns to the launch rules and pays 2.5 times the normal yield from mining and harvesting.
Hagga Basin is fully PvE, including shipwrecks, so key crafting resources are no longer locked behind player combat. The Landsraad is now built around repeatable missions covering combat, crafting, gathering, exploration, and sabotage, which allows players to progress without fighting another player. Custom rules can still turn Hagga Basin into a full PvP zone on a private or self-hosted server.
A year of additions arrives with the console release
The update also gathers many of the systems added since launch. Arrakis now includes locations such as Smuggler’s Run, Blushing Caverns, the Broodworks, and the Ruins of Tsimpo, alongside six Imperial Testing Stations with scalable difficulty and loot. Dual Blades and the Pyrocket join the weapon roster, the Rapier has been rebuilt around parrying, and Specializations and Augmentations give players more ways to shape their characters and equipment.
Quality-of-life changes reduce the risk of losing long-term progress. The Base Reconstruction Tool stores up to three complete base snapshots, destroyed vehicles can be recovered for up to 30 days, base recycling returns all materials outside the Deep Desert, and base taxes have been removed. The durability penalty on death is now 2% instead of 5%, and equipment drain has been halved.
Console versions offer Performance mode at 60fps with Dynamic 4K and Quality mode at 30fps with Dynamic 4K. PlayStation 5 Pro and Xbox Series X render at a higher native resolution in both modes and add visual improvements in Quality mode. On PC, Dune: Awakening is Steam Deck Verified and supports GeForce Now.
Cross-play is not available at the console launch, but Funcom has confirmed that it is planned for after launch. The optional Filmic Archive DLC will arrive on September 22 for $9.99 with armor sets, weapons, emotes, and a 73-piece Sardaukar building set. Later in 2026, the free Polar Cap update will add a new survival map, an icy biome, new mechanics, resources, craftables, and a standalone storyline.
Would you rather begin Dune: Awakening through the new solo mode or take the higher rewards in the PvP Deep Desert? Share your choice in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
Dune: Awakening
Developed by Funcom
Dune: Awakening is an open-world survival MMO set on the desert planet Arrakis. Players create a custom character and must manage thirst, maintain stillsuits, and contend with environmental hazards like sandstorms, extreme heat, and roaming sandworms. The game involves scavenging resources, crafting equipment, building shelters, and competing with other players to harvest and transport spice. As players progress, they advance through phases from basic survival to leading a guild, eventually participating in faction warfare between House Atreides and House Harkonnen. The game features both PvE and PvP zones, with a Deep Desert area that reshapes weekly through Coriolis storms.
- Genre Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5
- Perspective Third person
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release June 10, 2025
- Publisher Funcom
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Age Rating
