A popular IP, some challenging and uniquely presented survival mechanics, and a shared world that’s ripe for some wild moments, Dune Awakening has all the ingredients to be one of this year’s biggest hits, despite the fierce competition. With launch only a month away, Funcom is giving players one final chance to give it a go before the big day, as its massive “large-scale” beta has just kicked off. Despite being an invite-only beta, its player count on Steam is pretty impressive already, and getting access may not be as tricky as you think.
At its core, Dune Awakening is a survival game that poses threats and gives you status conditions that are entrenched in all that juicy Dune lore. Not only is its narrative foundation an interesting one – it’s set in an alternate timeline where a civil war rages and Paul Atreides was never even born – but with sandworms, heat stroke, dehydration, and PvE enemies all acting as your barriers to desert domination, it’s going beyond the normal tropes when it comes to survival systems.
Like many of its main, existing rivals, base building and crafting is a huge element too. Whether it be constructing some shelter from the scorching sun or engineering an ornithopter to fly to new areas of the map, there’s plenty to build.
Where Dune Awakening really tries to separate itself though is by leaning into the multiplayer, world-sharing elements of an MMO. Other players will occupy the server with you, with text and proximity chat functions allowing for interaction. There are safe social hubs. There are PvP maps. There are high-end PvE experiences that have raid or dungeon-like aspects. There is a trading system that lets you sell to and buy from other players. There are a lot of systems at play here.
Now, to see how it all gels together on its biggest scale yet, Funcom is hosting a closed Steam beta. While closed betas can be notoriously hard to get into, there are several ways to hop into this one for Dune Awakening. First, if you’ve pre-ordered the game on Steam, congratulations – Funcom says that after hearing feedback from those already committed to the game, it’s opened up access for anyone that’s pre-ordered already. Other routes into the beta include simply requesting access on its Steam page, registering your email at the official website, or watching the Dune Awakening LAN Party Broadcast on Twitch tomorrow, May 10, at 12pm PDT / 3pm EDT / 8pm BST / 9pm CEST.
Unlike previous tests, there are no NDAs either – if you get in, you can share clips and thoughts on what you’re playing, or even stream it. If you don’t get selected, then there are plenty of creators that you can tune into to get a vibe check.
Already, the beta is being flooded with players, mere hours after it went live. At the time of writing, over 17,000 players have gained access and are exploring Arrakis, and that number is only going to climb over the weekend. It’s a good omen ahead of the Dune Awakening release date around five weeks away.
The Dune Awakening closed beta is live right now and runs until Monday, May 12 at 2:59pm PDT / 5:59pm EDT / 10:59pm BST / 11:59pm CEST.
For more epic experiences like Dune Awakening, head to our best building games and best open-world games guides.
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