Dune: Awakening Reviews
Funcom delivers another ambitious open-world survival game that's highly enjoyable both in its MMO and single-player modes.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A solid, original and full of potential MMO, as well as being the best video game transposition of the universe created by Frank Herbert.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Unlike many other big IP games, Awakening's mechanics that specifically invoke the source material are integral pillars of a great game, rather than lazy dustings of novelty. If my only complaint is that I'll be playing it elsewhere purely for my own personal preference, that's a success overall. Players who don't have a PC and are simply eager to dive into Arrakis should absolutely jump at the opportunity to play.
On one hand, Dune: Awakening is a mind numbing grind where you repeat the same loop of collecting resources to build better equipment to collect better resources. On the other hand, it is an excellent proof of the strength of Frank Herbert's world building. While the single player mode is adequate, the game might be better enjoyed with friends.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Dune: Awakening cleverly capitalizes on the hype surrounding the Dune films. At its core, it is a genuine survival game with plenty to experience. That said, the initial tutorial is quite long, and you’ll have to push through it. Once that’s out of the way, a whole world—quite literally—opens up for you on Arrakis. Although you will get more enjoyment out of Dune: Awakening if you play it with friends.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Dune: Awakening on PS5 isn’t perfect. People or fans who want to immerse themselves fully in the lore and atmosphere of Dune will certainly find what they’re looking for here. Funcom is a master at conveying that atmosphere, but the game doesn’t excel graphically and also has a few shortcomings in terms of gameplay. Imbalances and annoyances really took the fun out of it. But I want to end on a positive note and keep the hope alive that all these shortcomings can be resolved with a patch. Then perhaps those PlayStation 4 graphics might still evolve to PlayStation 5 standard.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
A mix of ideas. Some work quite well and, above all, the survival and base-building aspects are very well done. On the other hand, focusing on this single-player mode, it still feels a bit too empty and has the feel of an MMO. Narrative elements, levels and cutscenes have been introduced to make the solo experience more like an RPG. However, it’s still quite a way off this genre and ends up drawing (only a little) from many others, ultimately becoming a sort of Frankenstein’s monster. Even so, in most respects it does the job, and the lore of the universe created by Frank Herbert features those little details that are sure to delight fans.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Dune: Awakening makes Arrakis feel like a world to survive in, not just a setting to explore. Its alternate timeline gives players room to shape their own story, while the harsh desert, satisfying progression, and atmospheric presentation capture the spirit of Dune. The grind can drag, combat lacks polish, and technical issues still surface, but building a life on Arrakis, and seeing its vast landscapes from an ornithopter, makes the journey worthwhile
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Overall, Dune: Awakening is a fun experience that feels incredibly authentic at its core, even if it suffers from bland gunplay and repetitive endgame content.
Dune: Awakening stands out for its depiction of Arrakis, its sense of progression, and the freedom offered by the new single-player mode. Exploration and base building work well, while the improvements made since the PC launch make the experience more accessible and less punishing. Combat lacks variety, however, and the constant need for gathering and crafting can disrupt the pacing. Even so, it is a convincing adaptation of the Dune universe and a well-structured survival experience on PS5.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Dune: Awakening turns Arrakis into a thrilling survival experience, blending exploration, combat and progression with a surprisingly strong solo adventure that goes far beyond the MMO formula.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Dune: Awakening is a well-executed survival game that—to a certain extent—successfully adapts the universe created by Frank Herbert, likely attracting fans through both its gameplay and beautiful visuals. On the other hand, the game still requires further polish, as it suffers from bugs and frame rate drops. Furthermore, while its story is interesting, it does not fully capitalize on everything the source material has to offer.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Dune: Awakening adds a true heavyweight to the survival genre, an excellent representative that brings fresh wind despite server issues.
Review in German | Read full review
Arrakis is harsh, unforgiving, and absolutely unforgettable. Dune: Awakening delivers a survival experience that captures the scale, danger, and mystique of the Dune universe with remarkable confidence. Its world is vast, its systems are deep, and its atmosphere is unlike anything else in the genre. Even with a few rough edges in combat, mission tracking, and navigation, the core experience remains gripping and endlessly rewarding. I fully plan to carry on playing, and I hope to see future updates from the developers that smooth out some of the issues I encountered. There is still so much left to discover in the sands of Arrakis.
Dune: Awakening effectively captures the allure and danger of Arrakis, even if it suffers slightly from its split identity. It excels as a co-op survival RPG, though its single-player campaign struggles to shed its multiplayer roots. Funcom makes the experience accessible to non-MMO players, delivering the unmistakable atmosphere of Frank Herbert’s universe. Despite clunky combat and structural flaws that limit its full potential, it remains a compelling return to the desert planet for fans of the franchise.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Dune: Awakening finds its greatest strength in transforming Arrakis into gameplay. Survival, exploration, and building capture the Dune universe very well, despite the somewhat unrefined combat and excessive grind. It’s at its best precisely while you still fear the desert.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The world itself remains the strongest component. Arrakis looks beautiful, there is an incredible amount to discover, and the progression from someone who barely dares to cross the desert in the first few hours to someone with an extensive base and vehicles works excellently. The moments where you have to cross a huge stretch of sand and know that a sandworm is lurking somewhere beneath you remain particularly exciting. Moreover, the game looks very good on PS5, and Performance mode runs smoothly during gameplay. The controller controls have also been well managed. Even building works surprisingly well, although placing smaller parts remains a bit awkward at times. The biggest downside remains the combat. It does its job, but feels clunky and static too often and doesn't reach the same level as the rest of the game. Fortunately, Dune: Awakening is about so much more than just shooting and fighting that this isn't a huge problem. The PC version already laid a strong foundation last year, but the addition of a genuine single-player mode makes this console version interesting to a much larger group. Anyone who enjoys building, exploring, and slowly venturing deeper and deeper into a dangerous world can easily spend many hours here.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Funcom delivers a massive survival game that respects and elevates Frank Herbert's original material. The solid survival mechanics blend perfectly with a class-free RPG progression system and a five act single player campaign, a truly valuable addition to the genre. Unfortunately, an underlying repetitiveness and basic enemy AI limit its full potential. Nevertheless, it remains a grand and magnetic adventure, as well as a must-play for fans of Arrakis and survival games. Perhaps the best survival game of recent years.
Review in Italian | Read full review
It is impressive that Funcom has managed to make a world feel so alive despite being set in the sands of Arrakis so other than a few small annoyances, Dune: Awakening is an utter success story.
Dune: Awakening nails the unforgiving atmosphere of Arrakis. When the survival loop clicks—distilling your own water, piecing together a reliable shelter, and making a mad dash across worm-infested sands—it delivers genuine tension.