As Dune: Awakening grapples with "Mixed" reviews and a dip in players, Funcom offers a free trial for the survival MMO alongside "the highest discount we've had yet"

Although Dune: Awakening only launched five months ago, the survival MMO has had quite the turbulent early access journey from its launch into "Mostly Negative" reviews on Steam to its player count dropping – but a new free trial could see things turn around.

Dune: Awakening now has fewer players on Steam than Funcom's previous survival game, Conan Exiles, does – and the latter released back in 2018. It doesn't look like things have gotten any better since the more recent title's new update, which addressed issues that made many fans, including myself, quit with features like the Base Backup Tool and more, either (judging by SteamDB statistics, anyway).

A new free trial has arrived, however, and it might spell a brighter future for the online game. As per Funcom's latest post on Steam, the trial – which allows players to create a character on any Sietch and World and play without restrictions (aside from some chat locks, "to avoid things like bots and griefing") for a good 10 hours – will last through November 27, giving people the opportunity to experience a solid week of Arrakis-based shenanigans.

That's not all, either. Alongside the free trial comes the biggest sale Dune: Awakening has had since its early access launch in June – a whopping 25% discount. "To anyone who wishes to take up permanent residence on Arrakis during or after their free trial," as Funcom reveals, "they can purchase the game at a 25% discount until December 1, the highest discount we’ve had yet!" It's a pretty nice deal if you ask me, especially ahead of Steam's 2025 winter sale.

Funcom looks back, admitting "a lot has changed" since its game first dropped. "The Chapter 2 major update continued the main story and brought a ton of new content and features. The Lost Harvest DLC added a brand-new standalone storyline along with the treadwheel vehicle, Dune Man building pieces, and more. The Deep Desert has seen major improvements as well, both in Chapter 2 and in the many other content updates and patches."

The studio's post continues: "More variety was added, along with loot improvements, vastly increased vehicle view distance, and major stability improvements. Of what has been added, this is only the tip of the dune, and there is so much more to come." Funcom concludes with a reminder that the game's third chapter is "on the horizon." Here's hoping it proves to be a fun one, and Dune: Awakening's "Mixed" reviews turn around.

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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