Dune: Awakening

Surviving Arrakis

The game takes place in an alternate timeline of Frank Herbert’s universe in which Paul Atreides was never born. You create your character, background and training (Mentat, Bene Gesserit, Swordmaster…), then set out to find the Fremen. Push Square stresses water management from the first hours: the sun makes you overheat and dehydrate, so every trip must be planned. You also have to avoid the sandworms.

Crafting, base building and progression

Exploring earns research points that unlock schematics: blood purifiers to make water, cisterns, refineries, sandbikes, a suspensor belt, an ornithopter. Push Square praises a strong sense of progression and base building that is easy on a controller. Skill trees can be mixed freely. PlayStation Universe explains that personal shields can only be pierced by a slow blade, so fights swing between ranged stand-offs and melee.

What the console version changes

The PS5 and Xbox Series release adds a dedicated single-player mode, separate from multiplayer: characters cannot move between the two, according to Push Square. COGconnected also mentions a new augmentation and specialization system, a revamped endgame and many fixes. The console version includes more than a year of PC updates. Online multiplayer, with PvP areas in the Deep Desert, is still available.

Platforms and languages

The game is available on PC (Steam), PS5 and Xbox Series X|S; as of November 12, 2026, the official website links to those three stores. On Steam, French interface and subtitles are available; full audio is only listed in English. Push Square finds performance decent on PS5 and PS5 Pro, with fairly stable frame rates and a little DualSense haptic support.

What the press says

The three selected reviews cover the PS5 version. PlayStation Universe (8.5/10) calls it the most vivid depiction of Arrakis to date and a game almost entirely playable solo, but finds early ranged combat dull and enemy AI questionable. COGconnected (85/100) likes the single-player mode and the long list of additions and fixes; it still finds combat a drag and the mix of setting and survival loop odd. Push Square (8/10, on PS5 Pro) praises the crafting loop, progression and base building; it regrets the lack of enemy variety, inconsistent visuals and tedious Fremen trials.

Editions and prices

Checked on November 12, 2026: the standard digital edition costs €49.99 on Steam, the Xbox Store and the PlayStation Store. On the PlayStation Store, the Deluxe Edition drops from €69.99 to €48.99 until November 21, 2026 at 12:59 a.m. (Paris time), and the Ultimate Edition costs €89.99. The boxed PS5 Day One Edition costs €37.75 at E.Leclerc (sold by E.Leclerc, in stock, free in-store pickup).

Who is it for?

Dune and survival fans who enjoy crafting, building and slow progression, solo or online. Those who want highly polished combat or a wide variety of enemies should read the reviews’ reservations.

Press average

The rating block above shows the press average. It is calculated from original reviews of the PS5 version released on September 22, 2026, checked on November 12, 2026: PlayStation Universe 8.5/10, COGconnected 85/100 and Push Square 8/10. Each score is converted to a 20-point scale and averaged with equal weight. Reviews of the 2025 PC version are excluded. This summary is not a hands-on review.