Dune: Awakening arrives May 20, but you can start making your character now

The long-awaited Dune survival MMO is just three months away, publisher and developer Funcom confirmed Thursday. Dune: Awakening will be released on May 20 for Windows PC — but players can get a taste of their adventure on Arrakis immediately with the launch of character creation and benchmark mode, available now via Steam.

Dune: Awakening will cost $49.99 on PC. Release details on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions of the game are still forthcoming, Funcom noted in a release date trailer.

Characters created with Dune: Awakening’s free creation tools, presented as a Gom Jabbar test, can be imported to the full game at launch, according to Funcom. Benchmark mode will let potential players check their hardware performance and system compatibility, while experiencing scenes from the game, including an ornithopter flight and a run-in with a sandworm.

Players who download and play with the character creator and benchmark mode will receive a code for an exclusive in-game Frameblade knife skin at launch. Funcom is also dangling an enticing pre-order incentive in front of players: the Terrarium of Muad’Dib, a base decoration that houses the beloved, big-eared Arrakis desert mouse.

Dune: Awakening sends players to the desert world of Arrakis, where they’ll fight for survival and represent their home planet, caste, and mentor (Swordmaster, Bene Gesserit, Mentat, or Trooper). Funcom is drawing inspiration from Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novels and Denis Villeneuve’s movie adaptations, Dune and Dune: Part Two, promising that even Dune newbies can find a home here.