You are interested in Dune: Awakening but don’t want to spend money right now? Then now is the perfect opportunity. Funcom is currently offering a free trial on Steam, where you can not only try it out, but you can also keep your progress later on. However, this offer is only available for a limited time.
The survival MMO Dune: Awakening was released on June 10, 2025. Now, roughly three months later, Funcom is offering a free trial where you can download and play the game for free. And if you buy the full game, you can not only carry over your progress but also your loot.
How can I test Dune: Awakening for free? When you open the “Dune: Awakening” page on Steam, you will see a button to download the free trial. According to the official announcement on Steam, this opportunity is available until Sunday, August 24, 2025.
During the trial, you will be playing on a special server that is only intended for free players. So you will only encounter other testers – owners of the game with many hours of gameplay and creative bases are not present here.
Dune: Awakening Trial – what’s included
What can I test? You can play for a total of 10 hours. The timer only runs when you are actually playing, according to the developers. In the free trial, you can explore the entire Hagga Basin – basically, the area where players spend a lot of time questing, building, leveling up, and looting.
However, the Deep Desert, where the endgame takes place, as well as the large cities Harko Village and Arrakeen, are not accessible. Within 10 hours, you won’t even reach the point of entering the most dangerous part of the desert, where players farm the valuable spice and often almost die.
What can I keep afterwards? If you decide to purchase the game, you can keep your progress and transfer your characters to your friends’ server. The following will be transferred to the game:
- Progress, level, skills, and tech points of your character in the trial version
- Contents of your character’s backpack
- Blueprints of your base, provided you saved them with the Solido replicator
- Vehicles, as long as you stored them in the vehicle replacement tool
- Solaris (the in-game currency)
As a bonus, if you purchase the game – whether during or after the trial phase – you will receive the cosmetic “Desert Mechanic Items” as well as basic materials that make it easier to rebuild your base.
The developers point out in the announcement that bases and vehicles cannot be transferred directly. But those who are clever and use the mentioned tools can secure blueprints and vehicles in their inventory. With a base blueprint, a vehicle, and a full backpack, you are well prepared for the move to a live server. We have compiled the 10 best tips for newcomers to get started in Dune: Awakening.
