Best Open-World Games Like Dune: Awakening

Summary

Dune: Awakening is an open-world survival MMO with sandworms as enemies.
Last Oasis offers a desert survival with wind-powered contraptions and unique mechanics.
Ark: Survival Evolved has a tech-tree system, base-building, and dinosaur taming.

Dune: Awakening represents a fresh, open-world survival MMO developed by the same team behind Conan Exiles. This game takes gamers into the unforgiving landscape of Arrakis, where they’ll investigate the enigma surrounding the vanished Fremen. The world teems with hostile scavengers as a primary threat, but players must also contend with the merciless heat and dehydration, along with colossal sandworms that could potentially devour them upon entering open desert areas.

In this collection, you won’t find many games that mirror the environments, challenges, and gameplay mechanics of “Dune: Awakening“, but here are some titles that come closest. One game puts players in a vast desert landscape teeming with dangerous monkey-like creatures, requiring them to navigate the sands on board of walking boats. Another game merges aspects from “Ark: Survival Evolved” with Fallout, placing players in a time-travel scenario where they must band together to overthrow a tyrannical regime before it conquers the world.

1. Last Oasis

A Desert-like World, The Scorching Sun As Your Main Enemy

In simpler terms, Last Oasis is a fantastic illustration of a Sci-Fi Dystopian survival game, bordering on what we typically call a post-apocalyptic game. What sets it apart are its distinctive features, like the creation of massive, wind-powered vehicles (Walkers) that double as both mobile homes and battle stations. As players traverse through each island in this vast desert world, these Walkers provide a means of transportation and conflict resolution.

In terms of fundamental themes, “The Sun as a primary threat” and “water scarcity as a key survival factor” are elements that this game has in common with “Dune: Awakening”. However, it doesn’t feature sandworms in the traditional sense; instead, they represent challenging boss-raid battles requiring large groups of Nomads. Beyond these shared aspects, the game differs significantly. It incorporates rudimentary technology, wind-powered devices, wingsuits, and weapons fashioned from bone, obsidian, and cast metal. Its environment blends elements of “Planet of the Apes” and “Mad Max”, with players battling anthropomorphic apes (Rupu) for limited resources and defending themselves against other players in a hostile setting.

2. Conan Exiles

A Huge Sword And Sorcery Open-World Survival

Conan Exiles and Dune: Awakening are developed by the same creators and exhibit similarities in their gameplay, particularly when it comes to traversal mechanics set against a harsh desert-like environment. However, the world of Conan Exiles, known as the Exile Lands, encompasses various biomes beyond just a vast desert. The setting is inspired by the Hyborian Age and the fantasy universe conceived by Robert E. Howard, who pioneered the sword and sorcery genre.

As a gamer, I find myself immersed in a captivating game world brimming with activities and a complex base-building system. What sets it apart is the ‘enslave’ mechanic, which allows me to defend my base by toppling and controlling human NPCs. These subjugated individuals not only serve as guards but also work in various crafting stations, streamlining resource management as I venture forth into this treacherous realm.

3. Ark: Survival Evolved

Start From Scratch And Dominate The Lands

In the game Ark: Survival Evolved, players embark on a journey where they must begin anew, gathering whatever resources and discarded technology they can find, and figuring out innovative methods to transform these resources into tools for self-defense and equipment. This barbaric land is teeming with fierce beasts, and despite the absence of Sandworms, there are numerous other dangerous creatures that can wreak havoc on players if they are not cautious.

Fortunately for them, they can train these dinosaurs (and ancient creatures) to become formidable allies, aiding them in protecting their bases from adversaries, gathering additional resources, or engaging in titanic battles that might cause their GPUs to shudder. Much like Dune: Awakening and numerous other Open-World Survival games, Ark employs a tech-tree system, making it an ideal choice for players who are accustomed to advancing in skill levels and mastering technology.

4. The Front

Transported Back In Time, To Defeat An Evil Regime

In the realm of “The Front“, you’ll find an unusual blend of dystopian diesel-punk, infused with elements of guerrilla combat and survival. Your mission is to progress your characters, acquire advanced technologies, and advance through a primary narrative that pits you against a malevolent faction aiming to overthrow the global order. There are both PvE and PvP realms in this world, and the territories you must traverse aren’t secure: They are teeming with psychopaths, thieves, monsters, wild beasts, and zombies.

Awakening in its core gameplay. If you’re fond of PvPvE experiences, then The Front should definitely be high on your list of choices.

5. SCUM

A Huge Prison-like World, Populated By Dangerous Criminals And Zombies

In a thrilling mix of post-apocalyptic zombie gameplay and battle royale action, SCUM offers an adrenaline-pumping, enjoyable open-world experience. Here, players engage in fierce combat against ruthless opponent players and undead inmates while scavenging essential resources for base construction and self-preservation. To succeed, players must develop and refine their character’s key abilities linked to four primary attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Constitution.

In my perspective, while there’s a resemblance in the fundamental progression system with Dune: Awakening, SCUM takes it to another level with its intricate layers and settings that are worlds apart. For those craving hardcore Player vs Player action, SCUM shines brightly due to its notorious battles where one misstep could lead to total player loss.

6. Once Human

A Dark Sci-Fantasy Dystopia

In essence, Once Human seamlessly blends core elements from survival-oriented Open-World games and base construction mechanics. It further enriches the experience by incorporating an MMO-like atmosphere filled with numerous PvE activities such as dungeons, a main narrative quest, Raids, and seasonal map adjustments to keep gameplay fresh and engaging. The game offers a plethora of unlockables, peculiar abilities, and bizarre adversaries that evoke the unsettling ambiance reminiscent of games like Dune: Awakening.

In this game, participating in Player versus Player (PvP) is optional. There are servers dedicated entirely to Player versus Environment (PvE), and there are also less intense servers that blend elements of both PvP and PvE, often referred to as hybrid servers. These servers limit PvPvE interactions to specific areas within the game maps, similar to the setup in the game “Dune: Awakening“.

2025-06-07 17:47