‘Dune Awakening’ Isn’t Even Out Yet, and It’s Already an Obvious Success

Have you checked the most played games on Steam today and found yourself puzzled by a certain multiplayer title that isn’t even out yet? Funcom’s Dune: Awakening is still on sale as a pre-purchase title, and yet, it seems to be one of the most popular games on the entire platform. The game’s early numbers aren’t just promising, they’re a clear sign that Dune: Awakening is set to take the gaming world by storm. As soon as the game is available to a wider audience, that is.

Dune: Awakening is a survival multiplayer game set in the Dune world. Think of it a bit like an open-world MMO based entirely around exploring and surviving in Arrakis, all while venturing in a world that strays from the books and movie. In this universe, Paul Atreides doesn’t exist, so no need to worry about meddling with the canon timeline. You can do whatever you want on Arrakis and be whoever you want. Which is just one reason why Dune: Awakening has proven incredibly popular before its launch.

According to data collected by SteamDB, Dune: Awakening is the 13th most played game on Steam in terms of concurrent users. The title peaked at 117,087 players over the past 24 hours. Although it seems likely the game will continue to grow in popularity once it launches tomorrow, June 10th.

Why is ‘Dune: Awakening’ taking Steam by storm?

What makes this Dune MMO so popular, despite the fact that it isn’t officially out yet? Well, Dune: Awakening offered a pre-order bonus for Deluxe Edition and Ultimate Edition purchases. Allowing players to start enjoying the game as soon as June 5th. Over the weekend, players who pre-ordered the advanced access versions began putting in their first couple hours. The game spiked in popularity in response.

Advanced access is a double-edged sword. If a game is terrible, players will tell that to the gaming community before launch. But if a game is good? It can drum up hype organically among gamers. Case in point, Dune: Awakening fans poured dozens of hours into the game over the past few days. The game’s biggest fans began flooding Steam with positive reviews.

After 30 hours in the game, one survival game fan called Dune: Awakening “my favorite game.” Among similar titles like Valheim, Minecraft, and ARK: Survival Evolved. Another player with over 39 hours at the time of review called the game “super enjoyable,” with “challenging NPCs” and “flexible PVE/PVP rules.” A third user described Dune: Awakening as “lore first with a game wrapped around it,” praising the title as an “MMO-lite with heavy survival, crafting, gathering, and Dune lore focus.” All three players continued to play the game after their review.

“It’s a SOLID foundation,” a fourth Steam user wrote after 52 hours. “IF you decide to learn this game it could lead to some of your best gaming experiences, ever. BUT, there’s a massive upfront investment cost. I’m deciding to do it because I understand that the foundation is already set to add modes and gameplay you won’t get in any other game. I see the best of many titles weaved into this one. I’m very excited about the future, here.”

Dune: Awakening launches June 10th for $49.99. The game’s Deluxe Edition and Ultimate Edition are still available for players who want to hop in before Tuesday.