Dune: Awakening System Requirements and Recommended Specs

Since the original book was published in the 60s, Frank Herbert’s Dune franchise has enjoyed entries in pretty much every common form of media: Comics, TV shows, board games, video games, and most recently, a couple of very well-performing movies.

This is in no small part due to the fascinating, exciting, and nuanced universe of Dune. All of these qualities, as it happens, make it the perfect setting for an MMORPG.

Hence the subject of this page, Dune: Awakening, an upcoming MMORPG that will allow you to forge your path across the inhospitable desert planet of Arrakis. So, let’s take a look at the Dune: Awakening system requirements to see if your PC has what it takes.

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit or newer
• CPU: Intel Core i7-10700K / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
• RAM: 16 GB
• GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3070 (8 GB) / AMD 6700XT (12 GB)
• DirectX Version: 12
• Storage: 75 GB
• Network: Broadband internet connection

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit or newer
• CPU: Intel Core i5-7400 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200
• RAM: 16 GB
• GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1060 (6 GB) / AMD 5600XT (6 GB)
• DirectX Version: 12
• Storage: 60 GB
• Network: Broadband internet connection

It’s interesting to note that for some reason the available storage requirement differs between the minimum and the recommended system requirements. This could mean that there’s 15 GB worth of optional higher fidelity assets, or perhaps it’s translated voice lines. Either way, 75 GB is fairly standard for a Triple-A game these days, so it likely won’t make much difference to the majority of gamers.

Judging from the system requirements, Dune: Awakening looks like it will run on a fairly modest gaming PC and even though the screenshots are impressive, it is unsurprising that a largely empty desert planet doesn’t need a 50 Series GPU or the latest CPU. It’s also expected to release on PS5 and Xbox Series X, too, so perhaps the developers are not able to design it to be too dependent on the latest hardware for fear of making it impossible to port to consoles.

Additionally, 16GB of RAM is basically the bare minimum these days. A 32GB kit of DDR5 would be a nice upgrade to make, though. 32GB isn’t that expensive anymore and could result in some additional smoothness.

MMOs generally do not hang their performance hat on either the CPU or GPU, so upgrading one or the other is not the silver bullet like it is for an RTS or third person shooter respectively. It might be a good idea to look into a gaming monitor upgrade however, as the vast desert vistas could go from beautiful to truly stunning on an OLED like the XENEON 27QHD240 or an ultrawide like the XENEON 34WQHD240-C.

One last thing to note about running this game is that, like all MMOs, you must always be online. This means a stable and reasonably fast internet connection is needed. Unfortunately, CORSAIR can’t help with that, but we can recommend going with an ethernet cable instead of Wi-Fi, if that’s an option in your household.

Dune: Awakening is an MMORPG set on Arrakis. Like the source material, there’s a war going on between the houses Harkonnen and Atreides. Unlike the source material, Paul was never born, meaning that’s there’s space for you to be the hero.

In classic MMORPG style, the type of character you choose will grant you a starting ability that will give you an advantage in some situations and be useless in others. This is just the beginning though, as this game will allow you to group up into guilds to create encampments, towns, and fortresses. Presumably there will be opportunities driven by the game or even other players to betray your people if you choose to be an immoral dirtbag.

It looks like there will be plenty of freedom to participate in the wider MMO world, or shy away from it, if you'd prefer. You can engage in desert skirmishes against other players or take to the skies in pitched ornithopter battles. Alternatively, you can pound sand and stick to the side lines to influence politics to go your way in an underhanded, House of Cards type of way.

According to the Steam Store page for Dune: Awakening, you’ll be able to swear allegiance to either Atreides or Harkonnen, effectively splitting the player base into two factions, much like the Horde and the Alliance from WoW.

Regardless of which you choose, you’ll be able to improve your abilities via the different schools of the Imperium. Sword Master or Planetologist, Bene Gesserit or Mentat, any or all of these will provide you with skills to turn the tide for your House in the never-ending war for control of the Spice.