List of games based on Dune

A number of games have been published based on the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.

Card games

• Dune (1997): Collectible card game produced by Five Rings Publishing Group/Last Unicorn Games and later Wizards of the Coast.<ref name="Scrye">Template:Cite web</ref> Each player leads a planetary house, "battling, conniving, and bribing its way to greatness ... players bid for powerful characters, search for the life-prolonging spice melange, avoid sandworms, engage in interstellar commerce, and, naturally, try to kill each other".<ref name="Scrye"/>

Board games

• Dune (1979/2019): Avalon Hill/Gale Force Nine
• Dune (1984): Parker Brothers
• Dune: Imperium (2020): Dire Wolf
• Dune: House Secrets (2021); Portal Games
• Arrakis: Dawn of the Fremen (2022); Gale Force Nine
• Dune: Imperium - Uprising (2023): Dire Wolf
• Dune: War for Arrakis (2024): CMON

Role-playing games

• Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium (2000): Last Unicorn Games.<ref name="RPG Dune">Template:Cite web</ref> Delayed by legal issues and then a corporate buyout of Last Unicorn by Wizards of the Coast, a "Limited Edition" run of 3000 copies of a core rule-book was initially published, pending Wizards of the Coast's conversion of the game to its d20 role-playing game system and a subsequent wider release.<ref name="RPG Dune"/> The game was later discontinued,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but was eventually published by Wizards of the Coast after the acquisition.<ref name="RPG Dune"/> Val Mayerik did interior art for the game.
• Dune: A Dream Of Rain (2004): Evil Twin Games; unlicensed fan-made game, based on the d20 System.<ref name="RPGG Dune Entry">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Dune: Adventures in the Imperium (2021): Modiphius Entertainment.<ref name="Polygon Dune">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Modiphius Dune">Template:Cite web</ref> Its release coincided with the 2021 Dune film.

Video games

There have been six licensed Dune-related video games released.

Dune (1992)

Template:Main 1992's Dune from Cryo Interactive/Virgin Interactive blends adventure with strategy.<ref name="Moby Dune">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Abandonia Dune">Template:Cite web</ref> Loosely following the story of the 1965 Frank Herbert novel Dune and using many visual elements from the 1984 film of the same name by David Lynch, the game casts the player as Paul Atreides, with the ultimate goal of driving the Harkonnens from the planet Dune and taking control of its valuable export, the spice.<ref name="Moby Dune"/> Key to success is the management of spice mining, military forces, and ecology as the player amasses allies and skills.<ref name="Moby Dune"/> One aspect of the game allows the player to terraform Arrakis from a desert into a fertile and green planet, at the cost of sandworm habitat and reduced melange spice production.

Dune II (1992)

Template:Main Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty, later retitled Dune II: Battle for Arrakis for the European release and the Mega Drive/Genesis port, was released in December 1992 from Westwood Studios/Virgin Interactive.<ref name="Moby Dune II">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Abandonia Dune II">Template:Cite web</ref> Often considered to be the first "mainstream modern real-time strategy game", Dune II established many conventions of the genre.<ref name="Moby Dune II"/> Only loosely connected to the plot of the novels or films, the game pits three interplanetary houses — the Atreides, the Harkonnens, and the Ordos — against each other for control of the planet Arrakis and its valuable spice, all while fending off the destructive natural forces of the harsh desert planet itself.<ref name="Moby Dune II"/>

Dune 2000 (1998)

Template:Main Dune 2000, a 1998 remake of Dune II from Intelligent Games/Westwood Studios/Virgin Interactive, added improved graphics and live-action cutscenes.<ref name="Moby Dune 2000">Template:Cite web</ref> Though gameplay is similar to its predecessor, Dune 2000 features an enhanced storyline and functionality.<ref name="Moby Dune 2000"/>

Emperor: Battle for Dune (2001)

Template:Main Emperor: Battle for Dune (Intelligent Games/Westwood Studios/Electronic Arts) was released on June 12, 2001.<ref name="Moby Emperor">Template:Cite web</ref> A sequel to Dune 2000, the real-time strategy game features 3D graphics and live-action cutscenes, and casts players as Atreides, Harkonnens, or Ordos.<ref name="Moby Emperor"/><ref name="Guru Emperor">Template:Cite web</ref>

Frank Herbert's Dune (2001)

Template:Main Released in 2001 by Cryo Interactive/DreamCatcher Interactive, Frank Herbert's Dune is a 3D video game based on the 2000 Sci Fi Channel miniseries of the same name.<ref name="Moby FHD">Template:Cite web</ref> As Paul Muad'Dib Atreides, the player must become leader of the Fremen, seize control of Dune, and defeat the evil Baron Harkonnen.<ref name="Moby FHD"/> The game was not a commercial or critical success, and Cryo subsequently filed for bankruptcy in July 2002.<ref name="Moby Cryo">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Anchor

Dune Generations (2001, cancelled)

Dune Generations logo

Dune Generations logo

In 2001, Cryonetworks disclosed information about Dune Generations, an online, 3D real-time strategy game set in the Dune universe.<ref name="DG 2001">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="DG Q&A">Template:Cite web</ref> An official website for the upcoming game featured concept images, a brief background story and description of the persistent gameworld, and a list of frequently asked questions.<ref name="DG FAQ">Template:Cite web</ref> The game would be constructed using Cryo's own online multimedia development framework SCOL.<ref name="DG Dev">Template:Cite web</ref>

Within "the infrastructure of a permanent and massive multiplayer world that exists online", Dune Generations would let players assume control of a dynasty in the Dune universe, with the goal of first mastering the natural resources of their own homeworlds and ultimately rising in power and influence through conflicts and alliances with other player dynasties.<ref name="DG Q&A"/><ref name="DG Concept">Template:Cite web</ref> Each of the three available dynasty types - traders, soldiers, or mercenaries - would provide a different playing experience, all with the long-term goal of gaining control of Arrakis and its valuable spice.<ref name="DG Q&A"/><ref name="DG Concept"/>

A preview video trailer was released in November 2001.<ref name="DG trailer">Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> The game was still in the alpha testing stage in February 2002,<ref name="DG Test">Template:Cite web</ref> and the project was ultimately halted after Cryo filed for bankruptcy in July.<ref name="Moby Cryo"/>

Dune: Ornithopter Assault (2002, cancelled)

Dune: Ornithopter Assault was developed by Hungarian studio Soft Brigade 2 for the Game Boy Advance, but was cancelled in 2002. The game was to be a 3D air-to-ground shooter featuring 20 missions, five modes, and multiplayer Link Cable connectivity. Without the license, the game was eventually released as Elland: The Crystal Wars on PC.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Dune: Spice WarsTemplate:Anchor (2022)

Template:Main Dune: Spice Wars was released on Steam in Early Access by French development studio Shiro Games on April 26, 2022 before being fully released on September 14, 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The game is inspired by Dune and Dune 2Template:Clarify with a strong influence from the books rather than the films. It is a real-time strategy game with 4X elements.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Bcn

Dune: Awakening (2025)

Template:Main Dune: Awakening is an upcoming open world action survival massively multiplayer online game set on the planet Arrakis. It was announced by its publisher and developer Funcom on Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022;<ref name="live2022">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="guild2022">Template:Cite web</ref> The first trailer was released on August 23, 2022.<ref name="funcom">Template:Cite web</ref> It is currently scheduled to be released on June 10, 2025, on Steam and PC Xbox/Windows Store. Players who pre-order the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition will gain early access starting June 5, 2025. Ports for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S will release later.

Online games

There have also been many Dune-based MUDs (multi-user dimension) and browser-based online games, created and run by fans.

Dune text room-based MMORPG

Template:Anchor Dune MUD is an unlicensed, online multiplayer game, a MUD active since 1992.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=http-dunemud-net> Template:Cite web </ref><ref name=MMOstats-DuneMUD> Template:Cite web </ref><ref name=GameScry-DuneMUD> Template:Cite web </ref>

DuneMUSH was an unlicensed, online multiplayer game, a MUSH active in the early 1990s.<ref name=BellaOL-art302538> Template:Cite web </ref><ref name=0679755926p84> Template:Cite book </ref>

Dune II was an unlicensed, online multiplayer MUSH active in the early 1990s.<ref name="carton">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="benediktciskowski">Template:Cite book</ref>

Behind the Dune

Behind the Dune is a pornographic, unlicensed, online flash single player game first released in 2016. The game is based on Dune (1992) by Cryo Interactive.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Template:Moby game
• Frank Herbert's Dune games at uvlist.net
• Dune games at Dune2k.com