Dune: Awakening single-player mode is live on PC as part of Update 1.5, and the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions arrived with single-player on September 22, 2026. It lets you play the full game—Book One story, Deep Desert, Landsraad, crafting and building—without other players, and you can adjust rules before or during a save.
Page updates
October 30, 2026
- Dune: Awakening single-player mode is live on PC as part of Update 1.5, and the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions arrived with single-player on September 22, 2026.
Release status and platforms
| Version | Single-player status |
| PC | Live with Update 1.5 |
| PS5 / Xbox Series X/S | Released September 22, 2026, with single-player added |
Console versions offer Performance mode at 60fps by default and a Quality mode that targets 30fps, plus optimized UI and controls.
At the September launch, cross-play was limited to Xbox and the Microsoft Store PC version; other console and PC combinations were split. Cross-play between Steam, Xbox and PS5 is expected in January 2027 with the Blood and Ice Expansion. Xbox Play Anywhere shares progression between Xbox and the Microsoft Store. Xbox Game Pass availability was announced for the console launch.
How to start a single-player save
On first launch, choose Singleplayer or Multiplayer. This mode gives you only one slot for a character, so creating a second solo character means deleting the current one; as many as ten multiplayer characters may exist.
A multiplayer character cannot be moved into single-player; you create a character specifically for the mode. Single-player characters cannot be transferred to multiplayer servers. Characters are managed from the main menu, so a solo save does not replace your existing multiplayer progress.
Pick a world difficulty at creation; later, open Server Settings from the pause menu to change it.
Difficulty presets
There are three fixed presets plus a Custom option.
| Preset | What it does |
| Relaxed | Easy survival, normal combat and fast harvesting, aimed at story play |
| Survival | Normal survival and combat with fast harvesting, closest to the online experience |
| Challenging | Hard survival and combat with slow harvesting, not recommended for new players |
| Custom | Opens individual settings for you to configure |
A manual change switches the preset to Custom, and selecting another preset resets all settings to that preset's values. Every option can be used in single-player mode and on servers you host yourself; if you rent a private server, whether an option is present is up to the provider. A normal run was put at around 100 hours, with easier settings able to bring a story-focused playthrough to 50 or 80 hours.
Custom settings
- Economy and progression: Crafting costs can be set to zero, making crafting free, and building costs can also be reduced to zero. Harvesting efficiency, crafting speed, water extraction, loot respawn and resource respawn can be adjusted, and XP gains can be set globally and per character.
- Combat: Enemy health, enemy damage, enemy respawn speed, damage enemies deal to other enemies, player damage to vehicles and stamina drain are adjustable.
- Survival: Durability wear, maximum durability loss, heat buildup and dehydration speed can be changed.
- Death and hazards: Dropped on death can be set to everything, backpack only or nothing; the setting does not apply when a sandworm kills you. Sandstorms and Coriolis storm auto-spawn can be toggled.
- Building and claims: Base decay and building stability can be changed, and building stability can effectively be disabled. Area building restrictions can be disabled, and max subfiefs set from 1 to 5. Building piece limits can go up to 10 times normal.
- World rules: Security zones can be adjusted, including making Hagga Basin fully PvE or fully PvP, and max land claims can be increased.
Custom settings can be changed during a save without restarting. They may not sync reliably between devices, so check them after switching between PC and Steam Deck.
What carries over—and what changes
Dune: Awakening single-player mode plays similarly to multiplayer, with all NPCs present and no other players. The full world, including Hagga Basin, Arrakeen, Harko Village, Deep Desert and Landsraad, is present with crafting, base building and progression. The complete Book One story is playable start to finish.
The Exchange and Landsraad are reworked for solo play, and PvP is absent because there are no other players, though security-zone settings can still be changed. According to Funcom, PvE content is the sole focus for 80 to 90 percent of players.
How the Deep Desert works in single-player
Every part of the Deep Desert, including all content and challenges, can be accessed, yet the map does not reset and your buildings are not wiped. A weather event called the Coriolis Storm still occurs, though it now causes less damage. The storm is still dangerous, and its automatic appearance can be disabled in custom settings.
That persistence makes a permanent Deep Desert base possible. With no other players in the save, there is no rival-player competition for spice or territory.
On official multiplayer servers, the Deep Desert has separate PvE and PvP instances, with the PvP instance giving 2.5 times the resource yield.
Landsraad, Arrakeen, Harko Village and the Exchange
The Landsraad was overhauled into a mission-based system spanning combat, crafting, gathering, exploration and sabotage. Missions pay Solari, XP and contribution points, and ranks run from outsider to Atreides Envoy or Harkonnen Enforcer. It is fully PvE, with no PvP required. In single-player, rival activity is simulated so the system progresses without your participation.
Arrakeen and Harko Village remain available, with NPC life intact but no other players. The Exchange is a vendor rather than a player market.
Story and Book One
The campaign unfolds in an alternate timeline where Paul Atreides was never born; Lady Jessica gives birth to a daughter, Ariste, and her Truthsayer work exposes Dr. Wellington Yueh's plot, so House Atreides survives under Duke Leto and fights House Harkonnen while the Fremen have disappeared after a Sardaukar purge. You play a Bene Gesserit undercover agent tasked with finding the Fremen and waking the Sleeper.
The main questline is the same in both modes, with later-game features adapted for solo play. The full five-act Book One campaign is playable from beginning to end since September 22.
| Release | Story added |
| PC launch | Acts 1 and 2 |
| Chapter 2 | Act 3 and part of Act 4 |
| Chapter 3 | The rest of Act 4 |
| September 22 update | The final act, ending Book One |
Solo endgame adjustments
The solo pass removed Spice Melange from construction costs for the Advanced Weapons, Vehicle, Survival and Garment Fabricators, the Medium Chemical Refinery and the Augmentation Station. Some endgame recipes were adjusted so important production facilities are easier to reach solo, and the Cartographer skill reveals a larger section of fog of war.
Future single-player updates
A free Polar Cap update is set for late 2026, adding an icy survival map with new survival mechanics, story, crafting and building.
Check out more Dune: Awakening guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Is offline single-player available in Dune: Awakening?
Offline single-player is expected in November 2026; the single-player mode itself has been live since September 2026.
Do you need PS Plus or Xbox Live to play single-player?
No. Single-player does not need a PS Plus or Xbox Live subscription; online multiplayer features on console require a paid subscription.
Can you copy a multiplayer character into single-player?
Not at present. Copying a character from multiplayer, including from private or self-hosted servers, is expected in January 2027 with the free Blood and Ice Expansion.
