Dune: Awakening's beautifully evocative concept art teases the year's hottest new Unreal Engine 5 game

Dune: Awakening is a new survival game that aims to do more than ride the dusty coattails of this month's epic film release, Dune: Part 2. Awakening is a complex survival MMO from Funcom, the studio behind Conan: Exiles, built in Unreal Engine 5, and it looks beautiful. 

The core of the game will have a familiar bent, with players scavenging a cracky, dusty and detailed Arrakis for resources, then using these to build and develop a camp, rinse and repeat. The setting of Dune affords the game a whole new level of lore and detail, with film-accurate machines, costumes and, yes, massive worms, filling out the expansive Nanite-enabled environments. 

The game has been inspired by both the books and the new films from Denis Villeneuve's movies, and using Unreal Engine 5 has been crucial in development - something the game shares directly with the new film; Dune's director of photography Greig Fraser used UE5 to pre-vis scenes.

Dune: Awakening is scheduled to launch on the best games consoles, including PS5 and Xbox Series X, as well as PC (Steam). You can find details of the new game at the Dune: Awakening website, including trailers and a gameplay reveal, but for now cast your eyes below for some beautiful concept art. (If you want more about this franchise, read up on how Dune's costumes were made and how Dune has influenced artists.)