Besides Dune Awakening, there is another recommended title from Frank Herbert’s universe. It is currently quite cheap on Steam. But you shouldn’t take too long.
What game are we talking about? Dune: Spice Wars is a real-time strategy game that was released in 2023 and is developed by Shiro Games. It lets you fight for dominance in the desert within Frank Herbert’s Dune universe.
As is customary in Dune, the resource Spice plays an important role. It is one of the most valuable things the universe has to offer, as it can prolong life and expand consciousness. Additionally, Spice serves as fuel for interstellar travel.
Clearly, various factions are fighting over the precious raw material and want to gain the upper hand. In the game, you must contend with not only your opponents but also the giant sandworms .
You choose a faction, explore the planet Arrakis, and decide between open confrontation, intrigues, or trade. Different scenarios allow you to play as the great houses of the planet. Thus, you can gradually become the ruler of the universe. Because whoever controls the Spice controls the power.
According to steamdb.info, the game, which also offers a multiplayer mode for up to 4 players, is currently cheaper than ever. It costs just €13.99, but only until August 18, 2025.
Dune Awakening is the big MMO from the universe and started in 2025 – here you see the gameplay trailer:
A good game with some critique points
What does the community think about the game? If you look at the user ratings on Steam, Dune: Spice Wars has a score of 79% with “mostly positive”.
Those who were enthusiastic about the title explain in their reviews why that was:
- “Entertaining real-time strategy game with some conquest maps for additional replayability,” concludes adhock88.
- “I absolutely love this game. It’s one of the few RTS games in recent years that truly gives you the feeling of what a good RTS should be,” finds Who’sThatPokemon.
- “Dune: Spice Wars hits exactly the middle ground for players who find Civ too slow but Starcraft too fast,” writes Gnni the Goat.
But not all users are so enthusiastic. Criticism mainly targets the excessive complexity and that it has few interesting and original ideas:
- “It’s too complex and time-consuming to play. It’s not a game, but more like work on a new job or project,” a user states.
- “Too much micromanagement, especially for new players,” adds TortillaTheHun.
- “The game is just too repetitive, that is, actually quite good, but it’s just always the same,” says Algar.
- “I’m a big Dune fan and have been with Dune 2 since the 90s and have played all the games, but this game is just not the real deal. This feels like a knock-off of other games,” writes SilentHill.
Additionally, it is criticized that a promised campaign outside of the Conquest mode was not delivered by the developers.
Another user recommends waiting for a sale, which is exactly the case right now. So if you are fans of the Dune universe, it might be worth taking a look at the game now, provided you like real-time strategy. If you have already tried the title, feel free to share your opinion in the comments. The Dune MMO is being actively improved, even though not everything is well received: Dune: Awakening is releasing the big patch this week and fans successfully prevented a change
