With 100k player count and over 80% favorable reviews, Dune Awakening is off to a promising start

Dune Awakening got its advanced-access release on June 5, and it's already turned into a roaring start. As of writing, it has just hit over 100k peak concurrent players, which is a great figure - because the game is technically not even out yet. The currently ongoing "head start" is only available to players who got the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition of Dune Awakening, and going by the numbers, many have paid extra for this five-day privilege.

Moreover, the game's Steam reviews are also doing quite well, and the hype train might pick up yet more steam (pun intended).

Dune Awakening is set up for great success on release day, provided the servers can handle the tide

Dune Awakening is one of the most breathtaking adaptations of a desert world (Image via Funcom)

Other than the brand value of a beloved sci-fi world, Dune Awakening hits a lot of different genres: survival-crafting, exploration, technically a looter-shooter, and even a full-on GvG MMO.

Naturally, this was going to attract a wide gaming crowd, and the sheer number of players that paid $20 extra to get a five-day head-start cements the point.

At the time of writing, the game is the second top seller on Steam, and is sitting on 87% positive ratings across over 9000 Steam reviews.

The positivity of early reviews is foreseeable, since Dune has a very well put-together survival experience (if a bit too harsh on solo players) throughout the early-game.

The biggest problem in its sometimes questionable combat balance kicks in when full-scale PvP is on the table. But this early on, not many have made it to the Deep Desert.

Other than trying to linearize some of its jank, the biggest challenge Funcom might face is setting up a stable day-one full release on June 10.

The game won't be out on consoles anytime soon, but still, looking at how heavily its unique blend of genres is oriented towards a PC audience, long server queues is very much within the realm of possibilities.

Excited for this next big thing for the survival-MMO scene? Here are some general tips for Dune Awakening, and some more navigation-related tricks to make your learning curve in Arrakis a bit less devastating.