All eyes are on Dune: Awakening, and you get to start a new, original journey in Arrakis. If you feel robbed of time because of the game’s delay, Funcom offering Early Access would be helpful. We’ve got everything you need to know about any Early Access and how to get it.
Dune: Awakening is a survival game. You need to balance all aspects of being alive: Thirst levels, body temperature, staving off enemy threats, and avoiding becoming a snack for sizable sandworms. Funcom has incorporated multiplayer elements to make Arrakis a living, breathing, dangerous world.
It was originally scheduled to launch in May 2025. However, an unfortunate delay paused proceedings and moved it back to June. Let’s see if you need to wait until its release date.
Can You Play Dune: Awakening Early Access?
You can play Dune: Awakening five days ahead of time if you score yourself the Early Access incentive.
That’s right, you don’t need to wait until June 10 to play Dune: Awakening. Depending on how keen you are, Funcom is providing an Early Access option, and you can theoretically sink 100+ hours into it while people wait for its full launch.
Note: We don’t advise playing 100 consecutive hours of Dune: Awakening; this is ironically not good for real-life survival.
If you want Early Access, we’ve got the lowdown on the promotion below.
How to Play Dune: Awakening Early Access
To get Dune: Awakening Early Access, you need to pre-order the Deluxe Edition or Ultimate Edition.
Currently, the newest Dune release is only on PC. So you don’t need to faff around with platforms or other headaches. But you need to decide how much you value Dune: Awakening.
The Standard Edition features the base game, and that’s it. Either of its special editions comes with exclusive bonuses and Early Access. You’ll need to pay a lot more, but I’d say it’s worth it if you want it enough.
The Deluxe Edition costs $69.99 or £58.50, whereas the Ultimate Edition is $89.99 or £74.99. There’s a bigger price to pay, but to some scavengers, it’s worth the trouble.
Dune: Awakening Early Access Release Date & Times
You can play Dune: Awakening Early Access from June 5.
Here’s a quick look at the game’s Early Access start times and information.
| Time Zone | Early Access Release Times & Dates |
|---|---|
| Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) | 7:00 AM—June 5 |
| Central Daylight Time (CDT) | 9:00 AM—June 5 |
| Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) | 10:00 AM—June 5 |
| British Summer Time (BST) | 3:00 PM—June 5 |
| Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) | 12:00 AM—June 6 |
Will you be coughing up a bit of extra Solari to get Early Access? Five days is quite generous, but are too many games overdoing the Early Access promotion? Let us know all your thoughts and musings in the comments. Or check out the Insider Gaming forum for even more daily gaming discussions.
Dune: Awakening is sure to be a classic survival title in 2025. Take a look at 25 minutes of pure gameplay footage if you’re looking forward to it.
Andy is Insider Gaming's Senior Evergreen Editor and has been in the games journalism sphere in one way or another for over 7 years. His video game taste is as…
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