Dune: Awakening is an upcoming open-world survival MMO set in the Dune universe with a release date still yet to be announced.
Developed and published by Funcom, the game thrusts players into the harsh desert planet of Arrakis, where they must navigate the sands and fight for control of Spice all whilst trying to survive the harsh landscape and the perils it brings.
In the game, the political aspects of the story are also present, with players “starting their journey as a survivor lost in the desert, but through mentorship and in-game contracts, may wind up as a high-ranking baron.”
As with any modern game release, knowing the system requirements necessary to run the game at optimal settings is vital for having an enjoyable gameplay experience. In this article, we’ll explore the PC specs required to run Dune: Awakening, as well as provide recommendations for those looking to upgrade their current setup.
So, read on to discover what hardware you will need to immerse yourself in this harsh fight for survival.
Dune: Awakening Minimum Requirements
Currently, Funcom hasn’t revealed the game’s minimum and recommended specifications, but since it’s only being released on current-gen consoles alongside PC, we can assume it’ll need relatively powerful parts to run smoothly.
Using games of a similar calibre, we can put together some speculative estimations.
- Processor: Intel Core i5-10500 / AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB / AMD Radeon RX 590
- Storage: Likely around 50-100GB available space
Here we’ve used the minimum specs listed for New World by Amazon Games as it’s an MMO with similar graphical fidelity and might therefore have similar system demands.
With this in mind, getting Dune: Awakening up and running at 1080p resolution, with most settings on low but hitting a decent 30 FPS, you most likely won’t need an overly powerful PC. Both the CPU and GPU options are showing their age now so most gaming PCs made within the last 6 years or so should be able to handle getting the game up and running.
Even though we don’t know the official size of the game, it’ll always benefit from being installed on a fast drive. With this in mind, consider upgrading your system with an SSD for faster load times, even if it's a smaller one.
If your PC just meets these specifications, however, you will need to be content with the lowest settings. You’ll only be able to play at around 1080p at 30 FPS with pretty much all the settings on low. This wouldn’t necessarily matter for a single-player RPG, but when playing against other players, you ideally want to strive for the highest FPS possible.
Image credit: Funcom
What PC do we recommend?
A PC that we'd recommend at this level would be the Ignition Intel Core i3 GTX 1650 Gaming PC.
It houses much newer components in the form of the Nvidia GTX 1650 GPU and the Intel i3 12100. Both parts are some of the best entry-level options on the market and offer excellent value for money for those looking for a more budget system that will still allow for moderate gaming.
It also comes stocked with 16GB of RAM which nowadays is usually the baseline for a gaming PC as it allows for a much smoother experience for not much more money than if you were to use 8GB.
Plus it features a huge 1TB SSD to store the game on giving you more than enough space for a few others.
Dune: Awakening Recommended Requirements
- Processor: Intel Core i7-10700K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 / AMD Radeon RX 6600
- Storage: Likely 50-100 GB available space
Continuing in the same vein as the minimum specs, these are the recommended specs for New Worldbut they should still serve as a good baseline to work from.
Systems that fall within these recommended specifications should provide a solid gameplay experience at 1080p, raising framerates from those achieved using the minimum specs closer to 60FPS whilst also upgrading visual integrity and allowing graphics to be set to high.
These recommended specs aren’t a crazy jump from the minimum requirements though, with only the suggested GPUs being from more recent generations. Although this upgrade in GPU does bring new features such as DLSS technology and the option for ray tracing via the Nvidia RTX graphics card.
However, they are still a couple of generations old now and can be hard to get your hands on, so will likely not be the best option for value for money and you should instead look to newer parts.
Image credit: Funcom
What PC do we recommend?
A PC that we'd recommend at this level would be our dedicated Dune: AwakeningDesert Core i5 RTX 4060 Gaming PC.
Similar to our PC suggestion for the minimum specs, this PC features some more recent parts, upgrading the CPU to an Intel Core i5 14400F and the GPU to an Nvidia RTX 4060. The combination of these newer parts means more future-proofing alongside a top-tier 1080p (and possibly even 1440p) experience.
Alongside no current official specs, Funcom also hasn’t revealed whether or not the game will support either Nvidia DLSS or AMD FSR technology. However, as a lot of modern games are implementing it, whether upon launch or retroactively through a later update, it is likely that Dune: Awakening will too.
What do you need to play Dune: Awakening at higher resolutions?
To enjoy a game like Dune: Awakening at 1440p and 4K, all while having graphical settings on high, these are the specs we think your system will need to hit at the very minimum.
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900x or Intel i9 12900
- GPU: AMD RX 6800 XT or Nvidia RTX 3080
- Storage Space: Likely 50-100GB available space
- RAM: 16 GB
Like the other requirement lists, some of these components are also not of the most current generation. So, to hit these specs without spending money on out-of-date parts, consider a system like the Sandstorm Core i5 RTX 4070 Gaming PC.
This Chillblast PC packs a ton of power into a perfectly themed package. It features the Intel Core i5 14600KFprocessor, which offers excellent gaming performance and multitasking capabilities. Paired with the Nvidia RTX 4070, you can expect smooth gameplay at 4K at high settings in most games.
Additionally, having a massive 32GB of super-fast RAM and a powerful multitasking CPU, you should face no limits on running multiple applications whilst gaming. Plus, with full support for DLSS, it can drive up frame rates in supported games even more, and it even has some impressive ray-tracing support in compatible games.
It even comes with a huge 2TB SSD which is ample room for your game library, including a large MMO like Dune: Awakening which will likely be rather hefty in size.
Image credit: Funcom
Conclusion
Even though we don’t yet know the official PC requirements for Dune: Awakening, using previous titles from a similar genre suggests there will likely be options for all budgets; but there will be certain compromises made at the lower end.
As always, while meeting the minimum requirements will allow you to get the game up and running, upgrading to a more powerful Chillblast PC will enhance your gaming experience, especially if you aim to play at higher resolutions and settings.
To explore a wide range of gaming PCs suitable for Dune: Awakening and other titles, visit the Chillblast gaming PC selection here. Whether you prefer a budget-friendly option or a high-end gaming powerhouse, you'll find options to suit your gaming needs.