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Dune: Awakening Single-Player Mode Arrives as Console Head Start Begins
Arrakis has officially opened its doors to console players, with Funcom beginning Head Start access for Dune: Awakening on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S ahead of its full September 22 launch.
Players who own the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition can start playing now, but the console arrival also coincides with one of the survival game’s biggest updates since its PC debut last June.
At the centre of that update is the full single-player mode Funcom announced earlier this year, letting players tackle the entire game and its content alone. The update is also available on PC, while console players will get more than a year’s worth of additions and improvements.
Single-Player Is Only Part of the Dune: Awakening Overhaul
The new solo option does not strip away parts of the existing experience. Funcom says players can play the full game in single-player, with much deeper gameplay customisation. Players can adjust harvesting rates, experience gains, death penalties and other settings, making it possible to tailor Arrakis towards a more demanding survival experience or something considerably more forgiving.
PvP has also become entirely optional. The Deep Desert now has separate PvE and PvP instances, with greater rewards awaiting those willing to take on the additional risk of fighting other players.
Elsewhere, the endgame has been rebuilt around missions and progression through either House Atreides or House Harkonnen, alongside new maps, dungeons, weapons, dynamic encounters, Augmentations and Specialisations. Vehicle recovery, base-saving options and reduced death penalties should also make losing progress less punishing, while taxes have been removed entirely.
Book One Finally Reaches Its Conclusion
The update also adds several more hours of story content, completing Book One of Dune: Awakening’s narrative. That gives players arriving with the console launch a more complete story from day one, rather than waiting for its first major narrative arc to conclude.
It follows earlier additions including Chapter 2 and the Lost Harvest DLC, which expanded the mysteries surrounding Arrakis following the game’s original launch.
Console Players Get Performance and Quality Modes
On PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, Dune: Awakening offers two graphics settings. Performance Mode targets 60fps at dynamic 4K, while Quality Mode runs at 30fps with dynamic 4K and enhanced visuals.
PlayStation 5 Pro and Xbox Series X benefit from higher native resolutions and additional visual improvements when using Quality Mode. The Xbox version also supports Xbox Play Anywhere, carrying progression between Xbox consoles and Windows PC, including play through ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Full cross-platform play is planned for after launch.
Dune: Awakening officially launches on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on September 22 and joins Xbox Game Pass the same day. Deluxe and Ultimate Edition owners can play now through Head Start.
Meanwhile, PC players can pick up the game on Steam for 50% off until October 8, its biggest discount to date.
