8 Best Games Like Dune Awakening

July 27, 2025

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I think it’s fair to say that Dune: Awakening surpassed many players’ expectations in delivering an authentic open-world survival experience set on the scorching sands of Frank Herbert’s Arrakis.

Featuring a combination of exploration, combat, survival, and base building, the game has something for everyone and can be taken at any pace, which is perhaps why it has been able to retain a solid player base over a month after its initial launch.

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Survive and thrive in these titles that stand out from the rest.

The following games are sure to be of interest to Dune: Awakening fans, not because they are set in the Dune universe, but because various gameplay elements have similarities. From extensive crafting and MMO elements to survival themes and RPG progression, each title has something to offer when you’re finally fed up with squeezing water droplets out of your stillsuit.

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Once Human

Eldritch Mutants In The Night

Still from Once Human of a player holding a gun in front of a creature.

If you enjoyed Dune: Awakening’s crafting and building mechanics, as well as its solid combat and gunplay, Once Human might be one to add to your library. Set amidst an apocalypse of mutant entities, it’s your job to stake out your own territory, construct your fortress, and explore the many mysteries throughout its vast open world.

The game is full of environmental hazards, large-scale bosses, and extensive crafting options, though it can be a grind to unlock the various components required. Starting out with just basic survival tools, you’ll be able to work your way up to advanced weapons, armor, and vehicles by unlocking blueprints.

There are a lot of similarities between Once Human and Dune: Awakening, so if you’re relatively new to MMOs then this won’t be too much of a big step to take. Despite its supernatural horror aesthetic, Once Human isn’t all that scary and borders more on the psychedelic.

It’s also free-to-play, which is always a nice bonus. While there are various in-game currencies and battle passes that can be bought with real money, there’s still plenty to do and unlock without them.

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The Planet Crafter

Terraform Your Utopia

Planet Crafter Bubble Houses and Working the land

Kicking off with one of the best sci-fi crafting games out there, The Planet Crafter is an open-world survival game with a focus on terraforming. Starting out with a barren desert planet, you’ll have to build the infrastructure piece by piece to turn it into a thriving Eden.

It’s a very immersive experience with extensive base building and resource management. Although it is not an MMO like Dune: Awakening, you can play co-op with other players, which certainly enhances the experience.

Terraforming the entire planet might sound daunting at first, but actually it gives you a feeling that every small action you take towards this goal is a meaningful one.

There is no combat in Planet Crafter, but that doesn’t mean the environment is free of challenges. In addition to managing your own needs such as hunger, thirst, and oxygen, you’ll also be faced with environmental hazards such as meteors.

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Valheim

A Highly Regarded Viking Survival Game

Valheim is one of the best-reviewed open-world survival games for very good reason. With a 94% positive overall rating on Steam, Valheim is loved not just for its in-depth crafting and combat, but also for its unique and charming aesthetic.

Inspired by Viking lore and mythology, the game is full of jotuns, dragons, and other fantastical creatures. Some of the most fun I’ve had is in crafting my own Viking longboat, then sailing off into the unknown.

Dune Awakening - Most Important Building And Crafting Tips-2

Architectural Greatness: A detailed guide on how to build the ultimate survival base in Dune: Awakening.

If you enjoyed Dune: Awakening’s base-building aspects, Valheim takes things to another level altogether. Players have managed to craft incredible cities and settlements, as well as creative solutions to environmental hazards.

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ARK: Survival Evolved

A Classic MMO With Dinosaur Madness

Shooting a forcefield with a pet T-rex in Ark: Survival Evolved

Imagine Dune: Awakening, only instead of having to avoid sandworms, you can tame them and make them into pets. That’s sort of what ARK: Survival Evolved is like, though in the 10 years since its release, it has also evolved into one of the most beloved and in-depth MMOs of all time.

In addition to crafting weapons and armor, you can also mix the genetics of different dinosaurs to create your own breeds with unique attributes.

It’s not just the dinosaurs that give ARK its appeal; the survival and base-building mechanics are very engaging, as is the combat. Starting out with simple bows and arrows, you’ll soon work your way up to crafting modern weaponry.

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Conan Exiles

The Barbarian Dune Awakening

Chaeracters walking by the shore in Conan Exiles

Conan Exiles is another open-world MMO by Funcom, the same developers as Dune: Awakening, so if you’re looking for similarity in terms of gameplay mechanics and overall atmosphere, this might just be the best place to start.

Although taking place in a prehistoric mythological age rather than a futuristic sci-fi one, Conan Exiles has significantly more to do in its game world, which is to be expected given that the game is nearly 10 years old.

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You can play the game online or single-player, though it’s worth noting that hacking is a major issue with PvP combat. If you’re looking to just craft, survive, and progress through the game, it’s best to stick to PvE and single-player.

While it might not be as graphically impressive as Dune: Awakening due to its age, Conan Exiles still holds up very well and provides a diverse set of biomes to explore rather than just an open desert.

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Grounded

A Miniature RPG Adventure

When it comes to RPGs with good base building, extensive crafting, and unique sci-fi elements, it’s hard to think of many better than Obsidian Entertainment’s Grounded.

Playing as one of four shrunken children in a science project gone wrong, you’ll have to survive in a world populated with killer ants, menacing spiders, and more than a few surprises.

From deep ponds and dense grasslands to old milk cartons and the dreaded sandpit, the world of Grounded has plenty to keep you busy, and that’s without even getting into the base constructions and community playgrounds other players have made.

If you’re a fan of Dune: Awakening and don’t mind something a little more quirky, then it’s definitely worth checking out Grounded.

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No Man’s Sky

Expansive Sci-Fi Exploration

Standing on an Alien Planet in No Mans Sky

No Man’s Sky is one of the most ambitious and controversial games ever released in the sci-fi genre, and there are many reasons for that. Although its planets and creatures are procedurally generated, the game boasts one of the largest open worlds (an entire galaxy) ever created.

Like Dune: Awakening, your primary objective in No Man’s Sky will be survival and resource collection. However, you can also build gigantic bases and custom spaceships, as well as take part in a variety of questlines and factions.

Over the years, Hello Games has done an incredible job of recovering the game’s reputation and has added significant amounts of new content for free. Now, the game is pretty much as good as it was originally promised to be, and is sure to be of interest to any sci-fi or open-world fans in general.

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Star Wars: The Old Republic

A Sci-Fi MMO Classic

Undoubtedly one of the best sci-fi MMOs of all time, Star Wars: The Old Republic essentially feels like a combination Guild Wars 2 and the Mass Effect series but in a Star Wars setting.

Although it is an MMO, what sets SWTOR apart is the in-depth storytelling and huge variety of detailed quests throughout its massive in-game universe.

While the game might lack the open world and crafting mechanics of Dune: Awakening, it really excels in its combat and storytelling. You can play on either the Empire or Republic side and choose from a range of classes such as Sith Warrior, Jedi Knight, Bounty Hunter, and more.

Even though the game initially released back in 2011, it still receives regular updates and hosts seasonal events, boasting a healthy player count of around 4-5 thousand on any given day.