If you're looking forward to the release of Dune: Awakening, you may or may not know that there have been quite a few Dune games created over the years with varying degrees of success. Dune is a fascinating IP in that it reaches into all corners of culture and media, largely due to its expansive and immersive universe, warring political houses, and one of the most iconic settings in all science fiction, the desert planet of Arrakis, aka Dune. However, doing justice to this universe has proven to be a rather difficult endeavor.

The world of Dune is ripe for video game adaptation, but similar to television or film, capturing the essence of what makes Dune special is a difficult and probably overwhelming task for developers. Many of the Dune games over the years have been largely limited by technology, just as the early David Lynch film was. After playing the Dune: Awakening beta, however, I have very high hopes that we might finally have a game that captures the awesome and massive scale of Arrakis and its sandworm-infested deserts.

7 Frank Herbert's Dune (2001)

A Critical & Commercial Failure Based On The 2000s TV Show

Frank Herbert's Dune (2001) is an adventure game from Cryo Interactive based on the 2000 SciFi Channel miniseries of the same name. The game follows Paul Atreides' journey fairly closely to how it occurs in the original novels, and it's generally considered to be a faithful retelling of the story, despite not being very popular for its gameplay. Frank Herbert's Dune combines third-person action with somewhat interesting stealth mechanics. It introduced a unique blood-harvesting mechanic that will be making a comeback of sorts in Awakening, though dramatically improved.

Ultimately, this Dune game wasn't very well executed, particularly because of its awkward controls, ridiculous camera angles, and lackluster graphics. The character models and animations were considered stiff and odd, ruining immersion for most players. Additionally, the voice acting was not done by the original cast from the show, which didn't go over well with their core audience. Sadly, Frank Herbert's Dune was a commercial and critical failure, and it was one of the final projects by Cryo Interactive, which went bankrupt shortly after the game launched.

6 Dune (1992)

The First Dune Game From Cryo

Released in 1992, this installment was the first Dune adventure-strategy game developed by Cryo Interactive. It combines elements of adventure and real-time strategy. Gameplay involves managing spice mining operations, forming alliances with native Fremen tribes, engaging in real-time tactical battles, and making ecological decisions that impact the planet's environment. The game features digitized voice acting, full-motion video clips from David Lynch’s 1984 film adaptation, and an engaging soundtrack.

David Lynch's Dune was a massive box office failure, which unfortunately resulted in his remaining planned sequels never getting made.

Dune (1992) had generally positive reviews upon release. However, the game was lacking in of capturing the full story and scale of the Dune universe, and largely felt incomplete. Regardless of its shortcomings, it was still considered a commercial success at the time, and it was ultimately a jumping-off point for Cryo Interactive's future Dune projects, for better or worse.

5 Dune 2000 (1998)

A Decent Remake Of Dune 2

Dune 2000 is yet another RTS, but this installment was developed by Westwood Studios, the company behind Command & Conquer. Released in 1998, Dune 2000 was a partial remake of Dune 2: The Building of a Dynasty (see below), and it introduced several enhancements to the original while retaining core gameplay elements. Notably, Dune 2000 was upgraded to a Command & Conquer: Red Alert style, where the player could control multiple units at a time, unlike Dune 2, among other updates that weren't possible with the original.

Critically, Dune 2000 received mixed reviews. While it was praised for its faithful adaptation of the original and had some engaging real-time strategy elements, it was also criticized for its dated graphics and lack of innovation. GameSpot noted that the game was "simple and boring," with balance issues and limited strategic depth. Despite its shortcomings, Dune 2000 remains a nostalgic title for fans of the series and real-time strategy enthusiasts, and there have even been attempts to remaster this remake for modern platforms.

4 Emperor: Battle for Dune (2001)

Emperor: Battle for Dune is also a real-time Dune strategy game and a direct sequel to Dune (2000), following the assassination of Emperor Corrino by Lady Elara. The Spacing Guild challenges the remaining Houses (Atreides, Harkonnen, and Ordos) to a war on Arrakis, with the victor becoming the new Emperor. The campaign culminates in a battle against a genetically engineered Emperor Worm, manipulated by the Guild to control the Spice and its harvesters.

House Ordos is actually not part of the novels, and was taken from the unofficially official and "completely authorized guide" to all things Dune-related, the Dune Encyclopedia.

Gameplay involves base building, spice management, and strategic combat. Players can form alliances with minor factions like the Fremen or Smugglers, gaining unique units and abilities. The game features the iconic desert terrain, sandworm hazards, and a fog of war mechanic, and was praised for its engaging single-player campaign and immersive cutscenes. The game holds a Metacritic score of 79 and a average of 8.6/10, largely praised for its strategic depth and faithful adaptation of the Dune universe.

3 Dune: Spice Wars (2022)

The First 4X Dune Game In The Franchise

Dune: Spice Wars is the first 4X RTS Dune game, developed by Shiro Games and published by Funcom. Players once again aim to dominate the desert planet Arrakis through diplomacy, military conquest, or economic supremacy. The game features seven playable factions: House Atreides, Harkonnen, Corrino, Ecaz, Vernius, the Smugglers, and the Fremen. Strategic elements include managing familiar resources like spice and water, deploying agents for espionage, and participating in the Landsraad council to influence galactic politics. The game also incorporates environmental hazards like sandworms, an essential element in any Dune game.

Upon its full release in September 2023, Dune: Spice Wars received generally mixed reviews. Screen Rant's early access preview praised the game's strong sense of exploration and relative polish, but noted a lack of variety and narrative depth. While Spice Wars didn't capture the complex political intrigue characteristic of the Dune series, it was still awarded Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year at the 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, highlighting its strong strategic gameplay and faithful representation of the Dune universe.

2 Dune: Awakening (2025)

The Open-World Survival Game Set On Arrakis

Dune: Awakening is Funcom's open-world survival game set in the Dune universe that will feature PvP and PvE combat, base-building, character quests, and a lot more. Interestingly, Awakening is set in an alternate timeline from the books where Paul Atreides is never born, allowing players to experience Arrakis as an undercover agent working for the Bene Gesserit, tasked with "awakening the Sleeper" and discovering what happened to the Fremen.

"While the story breaks from the traditional narrative that is generally beloved by fans, this gives players an opportunity to interact with iconic characters."

The full game has not yet launched, and there was even a delay in its release, but the recent Beta version of the game shows a lot of promise. While the story breaks from the traditional narrative that is generally beloved by fans, this gives players an opportunity to interact with iconic characters such as Duke Leto, Lady Jessica, Gurney Halleck, swordmaster Duncan Idaho, and Mentat Thufir Hawat. There are also distinct character classes that offer various unique skills, which include the Trooper, Mentat, Bene Gesserit, Swordmaster, and Planetologist classes.

Awakening has me pretty excited about what's possible, though I expect it will take a lot of work before it reaches its full potential. As of this writing, the main issue the game is facing is its combat mechanics. Funcom is very receptive to , however, and it's likely many of the issues in the Beta will be resolved by the time it fully releases in June. Regardless, Awakening is the only Dune game so far that really captures the grand scale of Arrakis, and I'm eager to start exploring.

1 Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty (1992)

One Of The Greatest RTS Games Of All Time

Dune 2: The Building of a Dynasty revolutionized RTS gaming by introducing core mechanics that have become staples in the genre. The game featured a fog of war system, requiring players to explore and secure territory, and introduced the iconic sandworms as hazards on the map. Dune 2 was developed by Westwood Studios, who would later go on to create the iconic Command & Conquer games, which largely pulled from the features introduced in Dune 2. This game was the dedicated sequel to Dune (1992), though is notably different in of gameplay.

Alternatively titled Dune 2: Battle for Arrakis, this Dune classic is easily one of the most beloved in the franchise. It was one of the first games to include features such as a mouse-driven system for base building and unit control, which was innovative at the time. This design laid the foundation for future RTS games. Dune II also introduced a world map for mission selection and a technology tree for building dependencies, which both contributed to dynamic and engaging gameplay. Its influence is present in iconic strategy games like Warcraft and Age of Empires.

There is an open-source, fan-led remake of the original Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty called Dune 2: The Maker.

Overall, Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty is arguably the best Dune game because of how it revolutionized the genre. However, in of immersing players in the world of Dune and giving them an ethereal experience of what Arrakis might actually feel like if you were there, Dune: Awakening has a shot at being the best Dune video game adaptation ever made, regardless of any technical issues it may face at launch.

Sources: YouTube (obeshoesgames, GamerZakh, FirstPlaysHD, Arcade Attack), GameSpot, Metacritic, D.I.C.E., Dune 2: The Maker