Greetings, Sleepers,
Today, we are excited to announce that Dune: Awakening will reach a major milestone on September 22nd.
Dune: Awakening arrives on PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X|S, and we are releasing single-player (and more) on the same day, on all platforms.
Single-player is one of the most-requested features since launch. We’re also adding the final chapter of Dune: Awakening’s Book One story, so whether you want to play entirely by yourself, with friends on a private server, or with strangers on a larger multiplayer server, you will now be able to play the story from the start to its dramatic conclusion.
To us at Funcom, September 22nd is more than a console launch. It is a milestone for the new and improved Dune: Awakening. New console players and both new and returning PC players alike will land on Arrakis with access to everything added and improved since PC launch, plus everything arriving in September.
This will be the best version of Dune: Awakening yet. Not just a great Open World Survival game, but the ultimate gateway into one of science fiction’s most iconic worlds.
So, let’s look at what’s new and coming in September for both PC and console, as well as what’s already been rolled out on PC and will be available on consoles day one.
What’s Coming on September 22nd
Console
Dune: Awakening arrives on PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X|S with the full PC experience — including all content and improvements since PC launch. The console versions feature optimized UI and controls, with two graphics modes: Performance (60fps, default) and Quality.
The game will also be available with XBOX Game Pass. It is fully XBOX Play Anywhere enabled with shared progression and cross-play between XBOX and the Microsoft Store and supports XBOX Cloud Gaming and the ROG XBOX Ally.
Beyond consoles, the game is also Steam Deck verified and supports GeForce Now.
Note: the game will not feature cross-play between different console platforms nor PC and consoles, except for cross-play between XBOX and Windows PC Store.
Single-Player
Single-player is easily one of the most requested features. With the September release, you can finally experience the entire game in single-player mode, across all platforms, and play it entirely at your own pace.
When you first start the game, you will choose between single-player and multiplayer. Single-player offers three preset difficulty levels for the survival experience, or full manual customization of individual settings. Want faster experience gain, easier enemies, or quicker harvesting? All of that is adjustable.
Single-player plays very similarly to multiplayer, with a few key differences:
- All the NPCs are there, but no other players
- The Deep Desert is fully available with all its content and challenges, but the map never resets and your buildings are never wiped. The Coriolis Storm remains as a weather event but is less destructive.
- The Landsraad endgame simulates other players engaging with the faction conflict, keeping it competitive and engaging
We will share more details about single-player as we approach release.
Character-Centric Experience
We’re putting characters – not servers – at the center of the experience. Create and browse through your characters from the main menu and choose where to bring them each time you play.
Here’s how character portability works:
- Single-player characters remain exclusive to the single-player mode
- Private and self-hosted server characters can be played on any of these and can even go between private and self-hosted servers
- Official server characters can be played on any official server and can even be moved to a private or self-hosted server (but not back again, to ensure the integrity of official servers)
- Bases and vehicles you back up will come with you
This lets you focus on your characters and decide where to play them each session, without losing progress or having to deal with manual transfers.
The Conclusion of Book One
Dune: Awakening is a narrative-rich survival game with an engaging, cinematic storyline. That’s something we’re very proud of, and creating quality story content continues to be a priority for us. On September 22nd, the main story will see a significant expansion.
Dune: Awakening launched with Acts 1 and 2. Chapter 2 added Act 3 and part of Act 4. Chapter 3 completed Act 4. On September 22nd, the final Act arrives, bringing the Book One story to a dramatic conclusion. Get ready for many more hours of cinematic storytelling.
That means players on both PC and console will get to play through the full story, from beginning to end, starting September 22nd.
Scalable Difficulty and Game Customization
While official servers always use default settings, at PC launch, even private servers offered only a few settings that could be tweaked.
All that is changing, and in a big way. For single-player, self-hosted servers, and rented private servers, a much wider range of settings can be customized. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Enable or disable sandstorms
- Security zones (for example, make Hagga Basin fully PvP or fully PvE)
- Resource harvesting rate multipliers
- Experience points rate multipliers
- Base building piece limits
- Item durability settings
- Base decay rate
- Sandworm auto-spawn
- Coriolis storm auto-spawn
- Adjust what drops on death
- Increase max number of land claims
All settings are available in single-player and on self-hosted servers. For rented private servers, availability depends on each server provider. This update is already live on PC for self-hosted and rented private servers.
What’s New, Improved, and Changed Since Launch
Since launching on PC in June 2025, the team has shipped new content, new features, and significant improvements. PC players have experienced these as they rolled out. Returning PC players and new console players will have access to all of it from day one on September 22nd.
Together with all the new stuff we outlined above, here is a look at the major additions and improvements already released that contribute to the new and improved Dune: Awakening.
PvP is Now Fully Optional
Every aspect of Dune: Awakening can now be played entirely in PvE, with PvP being fully optional. This change reflects what the in-game telemetry has consistently shown: 80 to 90 percent of players engage exclusively with PvE content.
The most important changes:
- THE DEEP DESERT: The Deep Desert is now available as both a PvE instance and a PvP instance. You choose which one to enter. The PvP instance offers 2.5 times the resource yield as the reward for greater risk.
- THE LANDSRAAD: Fully redesigned with a mission-based framework so PvE players can engage with and compete in the endgame without any PvP.
- SHIPWRECKS IN HAGGA BASIN: Now PvE only. Critical crafting resources found here are no longer gated behind PvP combat.
A Bigger, Better Endgame
The Landsraad – the faction vs. faction contest at the heart of Dune: Awakening’s endgame – was completely overhauled in Chapter 3. Resource turn-ins are gone, replaced by a mission-based framework spanning combat, crafting, gathering, exploration, and sabotage.
Complete missions to earn Solari credits, experience, and contribution points for your faction (Atreides or Harkonnen), and climb the ranks from outsider all the way to Atreides Envoy or Harkonnen Enforcer. And, everything can be experienced entirely in PvE, no PvP required. Single-player players get the full experience too, with simulated faction rivalry keeping the competition alive.
You can read more about these sweeping improvements in this blog post.
No More Base or Vehicle Loss
Two systems have been added (and one removed) to ensure you don’t have to worry about losing your vehicles or bases if you play on a multiplayer server:
- VEHICLE RECOVERY: Recover any destroyed vehicle within 72 hours via the Vehicle Backup Tool, at a small Solari cost and a minor durability penalty.
- BASE RECONSTRUCTION: Store up to three complete snapshots of your base and restore them at any time using the Base Reconstruction Tool. This is great if you play on an official server and want to take an extended break.
- TAXES REMOVED: Base upkeep taxes have been removed. Bases still need to be powered to avoid weather damage, particularly important on official servers to prevent abandoned structures from cluttering the world.
Losing a vehicle or base is now a setback that enhances the survival experience, not a reset.
The Story Continues
Dune: Awakening launched with an original story rooted in the Dune universe: your arrival as a Sleeper, caught between the Great Houses, the Spacing Guild, and the Bene Gesserit. Since launch, two free story updates have expanded it considerably:
- CHAPTER 2 (September 2025): A new arc set in Arakeen: a murder mystery full of intrigue and characters whose motives run deeper than they first appear.
- CHAPTER 3 (February 2026): The main quest pushed into new locations, delivering one of the game’s most memorable story beats so far.
The full story of Book One, across all five acts, will be available to play from beginning to end starting September 22nd.
New Content and Locations
Since launch, Dune: Awakening has been expanded with more content such as new map locations, new weapons, new gear, and more.
- NEW MAP LOCATIONS: The Overland Map is now peppered with new locations to explore such as Smuggler’s Run, Blushing Caverns, The Old Quarry, Tsimpo, and Wind Pass. Each of these feature new areas explore and adventures to be had.
- NEW IMPERIAL TESTING STATIONS: We’ve added six more of these, each offering up exciting challenges for both solo players and groups. Each features a unique boss fight with escalating difficulty levels. Higher difficult means richer loot.
- NEW WEAPONS AND GEAR: Two new weapon classes have been added: the Pyrocket (an incendiary gel launcher) and Dual Blades. Higher-grade Plastanium-tier weapons and armor blueprints now drop from the new Testing Stations.
- NEW COSMETICS: Apply Atreides, Harkonnen, or minor Landsraad house swatches to your machines, vehicles, and weapons. Each School of the Imperium now also has unique armor sets. New paid DLCs have also introduced a ton of new building pieces.
Self-Hosted Servers (PC Only)
PC players can now run a free private server for friends or a community, with full control over the rules: resource rates, building limits, decay, PvP settings, and more. Servers support up to 40 concurrent players per Sietch. No ongoing fees, you supply the machine to run it from.
Self-hosted servers are currently available in an experimental state. We will continue to improve and enhance this feature towards our September milestone and beyond.
Self-hosted servers are not part of the console release.
Specializations and Augmentations
Chapter 3 introduced two new progression systems that give you meaningful control over how your character develops in the late game.
- SPECIALIZATIONS let you invest points across five tracks: combat, crafting, gathering, exploration, and sabotage. These tailor your character to how you actually play.
- AUGMENTATIONS apply to your gear, upgrading equipment from Grade 0 to Grade 5 with stat improvements and modifiers that stack with your Specialization choices.
These give you a way to invest in what you’re actually good at, build gear that reflects your playstyle, and create a character that feels distinctly yours.
Quality of Life and Other Improvements
Beyond the highlights, there are a lot more enhancements we’ve released over the past year. Let’s take a quick look at some other honorable mentions:
- New contracts to pick up and complete
- Dynamic encounters that brings more life to Arrakis
- Full character re-customization at barbers in Arakeen and Harko Village
- New hairstyles, tattoos, and an expanded Swatch system for outfits and buildings
- Native PlayStation 5 controller support on PC
- Loot drop rates rebalanced for fairer, more varied rewards
- Gear durability loss significantly reduced across the board
- Bank storage expanded by 1,500 slots across two updates
- Instanced loot in all PvP areas: your drops are yours, no racing to chests
- Vehicles can be renamed and transported across map borders
- Vehicle cargo container added for the Carrier Ornithopter
- Loot tables randomized so any item can drop at any time from appropriate areas
- New in-game radio station
- Storage containers and placeables can be renamed
- Offline notifications for base events
- Player reporting tools added
- Server stability dramatically improved since launch
- Low-population servers merged with free character transfers for affected players
- Overland map fast travel no longer costs fuel or water
For a complete overview of everything that has been added and improved upon on PC since launch, make sure to check out the Updates Page.
And More is Coming
That’s a lot of information to digest, but we hope you are as excited as we are about this new milestone Dune: Awakening will hit come September 22nd.
Not only will it finally be available on console, but there are also a slew of new additions and improvements coming to all platforms, including single-player, full game customization, and hours of more story content. And, combined with all the additions and improvements we’ve been rolling out on PC since launch, we’re confident that Dune: Awakening will provide the ultimate Arrakis Open World Survival experience whether you join us on PC or console.
We also look forward to sharing more about what’s coming after our September launch. Recently we teased the Polar Cap map we’re working on, set to release as a free update late this year. It will introduce an entirely new survival map complete with new survival mechanics, more stories, new things to craft and build, and much more. If you’re a fan of the Hagga Basin survival experience in Dune: Awakening, chances are you will enjoy this new, icy biome.
2026 is the year of Dune. The third installment in Denis Villeneuve’s epic Dune saga will hit theatres on December 18th, and we also have some cool tie-in cosmetics planned for that.
See you out there on the sands, Sleeper.
– The Funcom Team
