8 Must-Try Games for Dune: Awakening Fans

Dune: Awakening absolutely crushed expectations with its brutal Arrakis survival saga, blending open-world exploration with base-building thrills. A month post-launch, players still obsess over harvesting spice and dodging sandworms. But what happens when you've wrung the last drop from your stillsuit? These eight gems deliver similar adrenaline rushes across bizarre planets and cosmic frontiers.

🔥 Once Human: Psychedelic Apocalypse Survival

Listen up, survival junkies: If crafting bases and blasting mutants in Dune got your blood pumping, Once Human’s your next fix. Seriously, this free-to-play marvel throws you into a trippy wasteland where building fortress sanctuaries feels as vital as breathing. Key parallels:

• Crafting obsession: Start with sticks, end with laser cannons

• MMO-lite vibes: Perfect for Dune newcomers dipping toes online

• Zero paywall pressure: Battle passes exist but don’t gatecore fun

And that aesthetic? Less horror, more "whoa, did that tree just glow rainbow?" 🌈

🌱 The Planet Crafter: Terraforming Therapy

No combat? No problem! Swap Arrakis’s violence for meditative terraforming. Picture this: You’re alone on a dead rock, building oxygen generators until ferns sprout under alien skies. It’s like Dune’s base-building… if Paul Atreides prioritized gardening over vengeance. Core hooks:

• Cozy co-op: Bring friends to sculpt ecosystems together

• Environmental drama: Dodge meteors while managing thirst

• Progress porn: Every seed planted visibly alters the planet

Honestly? Watching wastelands bloom hits different. 🌸

⚔️ Valheim: Viking Glory Reimagined

Ninety-four percent Steam approval doesn’t lie. Valheim takes Dune’s construction fever to mythical heights – think longhouses dwarfing ornithopters. Building your first longboat and sailing into foggy unknowns? Chef’s kiss. ✨ Why it resonates:

• Architectural freedom: Players build entire Viking cities

• Boss-bashing bliss: Trolls replace sandworms as raid targets

• Progression highs: Felling Yggdrasil-sized trees never gets old

🦖 ARK: Survival Evolved: Dino Domination

Imagine riding Shai-Hulud instead of fleeing it. ARK’s been perfecting this madness for a decade – taming dinos, mixing dino-DNA, and crafting guns amidst Jurassic chaos. It’s Dune’s survival core with 500% more teeth. Standout features:

• Beast bonding: Breed your own Godzilla-lite mutants

• Tech tree madness: From stone axes to energy rifles

• MMO scale: Massive player tribes waging dino-wars

🗡️ Conan Exiles: Desert Dynasty Builder

Same devs, different desert! Funcom’s earlier masterpiece offers Dune’s blueprint with Conan’s savage flair. Ten years of updates mean staggering depth – just avoid PvP hackers. Solo/PvE highlights:

• Biome diversity: Jungle temples to snowy peaks beyond Arrakis’ dunes

• Age-defying gameplay: Surprisingly crisp for a veteran title

• Empire engineering: Enslave NPCs to staff your ziggurats

🔬 Grounded: Backyard Sci-Fi Horror

Ever fantasized about fighting spider-tanks as a 2-inch-tall teen? Grounded delivers microscopic survival where soda cans become skyscrapers. Dune fans craving intricate crafting and base defense will adore:

• Environmental storytelling: Unravel lab mysteries in lawn biomes

• Creative construction: Build ant-proof forts in picnic tables

• Shared worlds: Visit player-made carnivals in flower pots

Beware the dreaded lawn mite cavalry! 🐜

🌌 No Man’s Sky: Infinite Cosmic Playground

From pariah to paradise – this phoenix story now boasts galaxies of Dune-like wonder. Hello Games’ redemption arc means endless systems ripe for:

• Epic base-building: Orbital stations to underground lairs

• Survival mechanics: Toxic storms, frenzied fauna

• Ship customization: Design your personal ornithopter fleet

Procedural planets? More like infinite Arrakis clones. 🚀

⭐ Star Wars: Old Republic: Story-Rich Space Opera

Missing Dune’s political intrigue? SWTOR merges Mass Effect choices with Guild Wars scale in a thriving 2025 MMO. Though lighter on crafting, it excels in:

• Faction warfare: Jedi vs. Sith with class-specific plots

• Narrative depth: 300+ hours of voiced quests

• Active community: 5k daily players during events

So… which cosmic sandbox steals your heart next? 🤔 Will you conquer dinosaurs, shrink beneath daisies, or ignite lightsabers? The real question is: How long before we’re all back craving that spice high?