REVIEW – Although Funcom’s game has been available on PC for quite some time, it was released a week ago for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series. With this release came a single-player update, as the original version leaned too heavily toward the MMO side. While the studio addressed this issue, we must note that they were unable to fully realize the single-player experience. Overall, it’s good, but we wouldn’t call it perfect.

Arrakis can now be explored alone, so the franchise’s “what if” game no longer forces other players on you if you prefer to play alone.

Sand in the Wind

We should emphasize that we’ll focus primarily on the single-player aspects, though we’ll briefly mention how the game performs on the PlayStation 5. The emphasis is on factional politics. The Atreides, Landsraad, and Harkonnen relations remain far from peaceful. Funcom took this mode so seriously that countless settings can be adjusted via sliders, such as how much XP is earned or the penalty for dying, allowing for a highly personalized experience.

This is definitely a positive, and previous elements of D:A have also changed due to the single-player expansion. Previously, PvP was a significant part of the endgame, but now, PvE has taken its place. Of course, the specialization and augmentation systems have also been updated. There has been plenty of time for that since the PC release in June 2025. We can say that holding off on the console release was a good idea, as it allowed D:A to avoid initial difficulties.

It’s also worth mentioning that the usual Quality and Performance modes are available on the PlayStation 5. The former runs at 30 FPS with slightly better graphics, while the latter runs at 60 FPS. There was some pop-in, but not significantly. Aside from that, the only graphical quirk was that textures sometimes took a while to load when we stepped out into the desert.

Enough about the positives, though. Let’s address the fact that Funcom essentially lets go of the player’s hand after the tutorial (roughly when Zantara leaves). After that, a to-do list appears on the Journey screen. We have to say, this transition isn’t seamless. The game automatically selects missions, and sometimes it was inconsistent (for example, the open, sand-covered area was supposedly dangerous, yet we still had to go there). In some places, we could feel a bit lost. In other words, you’ll have to get used to the good old Journey menu.

Also, why wasn’t the hub introduced at the beginning of the game? Stumbling upon it randomly with the survival mechanics paused isn’t ideal. Perhaps it would have been better to provide a brief introduction to the locations so that even those unfamiliar with the franchise could enjoy their first experience with D:A.

Weight on Our Back

The weight on our backsWe start with eight slots, and we shouldn’t fill them up right at the beginning of the game because then we’ll be carrying too much stuff. There’s no need to carry the toolkit used for base building—just leave it at our base! Speaking of the inventory, there’s one more minor flaw we need to address. Although this isn’t a first-person shooter, it could have used a loadout system of some kind. There should be a few presets that we can save and switch between. Then, at the very least, we wouldn’t have to keep adding and removing items from the quick bar.

Perhaps this is a characteristic of the genre, but if we’re moving beyond MMOs, then the developers should have worked more on the user experience. The tutorial is good, albeit incomplete, but the transition from there isn’t exactly smooth. Respecting our environment is essential, but we can’t fully immerse ourselves because of minor flaws.

The soundtrack is good, crafting is in-depth, base-building is enjoyable, and the graphics are good. However, the combat is just okay. The knife fights are good, but using firearms isn’t so great. Perhaps Funcom didn’t know how to polish these aspects over the last 15 months. In any case, we still had to mention these points.

Down on the Mirage-Shrouded Arrakis:

Once again, we would have to give two separate ratings: one for the console port of Dune: Awakening and one for the execution of the single-player mode. The former would receive a higher score. Since it’s not at the bottom of this bunch of characters, we can say here that it would definitely get an 8/10! However, the single-player segment has several shortcomings, even though the experience is entertaining. In our opinion, it isn’t perfect and is still a bit rough around the edges.

The story is great, the graphics are good, and the audio is solid. However, the gameplay and atmosphere hold the overall experience back a bit. Still, if you’ve always liked the Dune franchise, you’ll probably enjoy this game. If not, take a look at the gameplay first and then decide. We think it’d be a good buy.

-V-

Developer: Funcom
Publisher: Funcom
Genre: Single-Player Survival Adventure
Release Date: September 24, 2026