Dune: Awakening has already made a big splash on Steam—even before its official launch.
Developed by Funcom, the new survival MMO hit a peak of 93,634 concurrent players shortly after its early access release on June 5, 2025. That’s impressive for a game that technically hasn’t fully launched yet.
The early access window is available only to those who picked up the Deluxe or Ultimate Editions, giving them a head start before the game officially goes live for everyone on June 10. Even with that limitation, the near-100,000 peak shows there’s serious interest in this new take on the Dune universe.
Originally, Dune: Awakening was supposed to launch on May 20, but Funcom announced a delay in April, saying the team needed “a bit more time to cook.” They’ve been using that time to polish the game and gather more player feedback from the ongoing Persistent Closed Beta. According to the developers, this feedback has been key in shaping the final product.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the official Dune: Awakening account said, “Our ongoing Persistent Closed Beta is continuing in full force, with regular updates, and the feedback we’ve been collecting from beta testers has been invaluable in making sure we can launch a quality game. Thanks to this process, we’ve concluded that with a bit more time to cook, we can act on a lot more of the feedback we know is important to our beta testers.”
The full release on PC is just around the corner, but console players will have to wait a bit longer. A version for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S is in the works, though no exact release date has been given yet. Given the early interest and strong numbers on Steam, it wouldn’t be surprising to see console versions follow sooner rather than later.
For those unfamiliar, Dune: Awakening blends survival gameplay with MMO mechanics, all set on the harsh desert world of Arrakis. Players will compete for control of resources, build their own base of power, and adapt to sandstorms and sandworms alike. It’s a bold swing in a genre that doesn’t often get AAA entries based on iconic IPs.
Whether it can maintain momentum post-launch remains to be seen, but right now, the numbers speak volumes. Hitting over 93,000 concurrent players in early access is no small feat, especially for a new MMO. If Funcom can keep delivering updates and listening to player feedback, Dune: Awakening could become a major long-term hit in the online survival space.
