Dune: Awakening Private Servers Available at Launch

Dune: Awakening has confirmed the availability of private servers from day one, offering players a unique and flexible way to experience the vast world of Arrakis. Below is everything you need to know about how Funcom is implementing this feature and what it means for players.

Dune: Awakening Private Servers Available Day One

Rentable Private Servers at Launch

In a recent Steam blog post dated June 2, 2025, developer Funcom officially announced that Dune: Awakening will support rentable private servers upon release. This marks a significant milestone in the game's development, as earlier reports had suggested that private servers might only be added after launch.

During a Q&A Roundtable session held in February 2025, Game Director Joel Bylos hinted at the possibility but admitted uncertainty regarding its readiness by launch. Fortunately, the development team progressed faster than expected, enabling them to finalize the system ahead of time.

Interestingly, these private servers function differently compared to traditional models. Even though they are private, players can still interact with others outside their server through shared social hubs and the Deep Desert. Renting a private server grants access to one Hagga Basin instance—players can explore and build within it just like on official servers.

Each private server is part of a larger "World," which includes multiple other private servers. When renting, players choose which World to join, ensuring continued connectivity across the game’s expansive ecosystem.

Funcom clarified, "That means that you will still be able to take full advantage of Dune: Awakening’s large-scale multiplayer content and mechanics, including visiting the social hubs and the Deep Desert, to meet and play with people from any private server in the same World."

Customization Options

Private server owners will have control over several key settings, enhancing the customization of their gameplay environment. These include:

• Security Zones: Define areas where PvP is enabled or disabled.
• Taxation System: Enable or adjust taxation rates within your server.
• Sandstorm Control: Choose whether to disable sandstorms entirely.

However, certain administrative features such as the server admin panel and character transfer functionality will not be available at launch. These tools may be introduced in future updates based on community feedback and technical feasibility.

All server configurations beyond core settings will depend on third-party providers. The supported platforms for rental include GPORTAL, Nitrado, and xREALM. Players must contact these services directly to set up a server, as Funcom does not manage pricing or billing.

A Unique Multiplayer Experience

One of the defining aspects of Dune: Awakening is its hybrid approach to multiplayer gameplay. Each server exists within a shared World alongside others, maintaining persistent environments like the social hubs and Deep Desert. This setup allows for both intimate private server experiences and large-scale interactions typical of MMOs.

Funcom stated, "In short: each server belongs to a World consisting of several other servers, and each of those share the same social hubs and Deep Desert. This allows us to retain a neighborhood-like feel to the Hagga Basin and provide persistent, freeform building, and other server-demanding mechanics you typically see in survival games."

They further explained, "We combine this with the large-scale multiplayer mechanics you would expect to find in MMOs where hundreds of players meet each other in social hubs and the Deep Desert to engage in social activities, trade, conflict, and more."

The developers emphasized that removing or isolating core multiplayer elements was never an option. "It was simply never an option for us to release ‘half a game’ for private servers," they noted, reinforcing their commitment to preserving the full depth of the game’s interconnected systems.

Final Thoughts

By launching with private servers, Dune: Awakening empowers players to shape their own journey through Arrakis while maintaining the rich, shared experiences that define the game’s identity. Whether playing solo, with friends, or engaging in massive open-world encounters, players have more freedom than ever before.

Dune: Awakening is scheduled for release on PC via Steam on June 10, 2025, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions coming later. For the latest updates and in-depth coverage, stay tuned to our ongoing news coverage.