Dune: Awakening

Dune: Awakening is FuncomPublisherFuncomFuncom is the Norwegian studio behind Conan Exiles and Dune: Awakening, owned by Tencent since 2020. Dune: Awakening uses BattlEye, which Funcom made optional in 2026 for single-player and for private servers that do not require it.1 game in this family →'s open-world survival MMO set on Arrakis. It released on PC through Steam on June 10, 2025, and on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on September 22, 2026. It is built on UnrealEngineUnreal Engine (Epic Games)Epic Games' Unreal Engine is the most widely used engine in big-budget PC games. Versions 4 and 5 power a substantial share of the modern competitive shooter market, including Valorant (UE4), Fortnite (UE5), PUBG (UE4), The Finals (UE5), and Delta Force (UE5).22 games in this family → Engine 5. Funcom, the Norwegian studio behind Conan Exiles, has been owned by Tencent since 2020. Over its first year the game moved away from forced conflict: according to Funcom's patch notes, PvP became optional in the Deep Desert in April 2026, self-hosted servers arrived in May, and Update 1.5 added a full single-player mode in September.

If you only play alone, or on a private or self-hosted server that does not require BattlEyeAnti-cheatBattlEyeBattlEye is the kernel anti-cheat from BattlEye Innovations GmbH (Reutlingen, Germany), founded 2004. One of the longest-running kernel anti-cheats in PC gaming. The kernel driver (bedaisy.sys) and user-mode service (BEService.exe) are both catalogued in the Field Guide.8 games in this family →, you no longer need it: use the launch option without BattlEye that Funcom added in hotfix 1.5.3.6. If you play on official or other BattlEye-enabled servers, you still need it; it loads with the game and unloads when you quit. If joining multiplayer fails with a BattlEye error, check that you started the game with BattlEye enabled, since that mismatch is what Funcom's September notes describe.

On PC the game uses BattlEye, a kernel-mode anti-cheat, and the Steam page discloses it: it uses kernel-level anti-cheat, BattlEye. BattlEye's driver loads while the protected game runs, not at boot. Funcom has since narrowed the requirement to the modes that need it: hotfix 1.5.3.6 on October 6, 2026 added an option to launch on Steam without BattlEye installed or enabled for single-player, and for private or self-hosted servers that do not require it. BattlEye is still required on multiplayer servers that enable it, and joining one without it fails with an error. No Secure Boot or TPM 2.0 requirement is stated.

Funcom's anti-cheat record on this game is documented in its own patch notes. The BattlEye opt-out first shipped in hotfix 1.5.3.1 on September 19, 2026, and the same notes record it being switched off again: the change depended on a Steam launch-option update that was not reaching every client, and it was causing BattlEye errors for some players trying to reach multiplayer. It returned in 1.5.3.6 on October 6. Funcom's September 17 announcement for Update 1.5 said it had strengthened anti-cheat enforcement and player reporting, and added clearer messages when moderation action is taken. Before launch, Funcom confirmed to GamingOnLinux that it was working with Steam to enable BattlEye on Linux and the Steam Deck.