Dune: Awakening nearly overtakes Elden Ring Nightreign in sales

Dune Awakening text superimposed on a character in Dune. Looking at a sandworm with Elden Ring text above it.

Is that Elden Ring in the background? (Image credit: Future)

Dune: Awakening, the game I've been waiting for this entire year, has just surpassed Elden Ring Nightreign on Steam Top Sellers.

If this is any indication of what we can expect from the release of Dune: Awakening, Nightreign is currently sitting at 200,000 concurrent players on Steam. If trends hold similar, we could see Dune: Awakening hit similar numbers during its early release phase tomorrow.

Recent updates

Update 6/4 at 3:30 PM ET: For now, Elden Ring seems safe as it's back in the #2 slot on Steam, while Dune is #4. It'll be interesting to see if that changes in the coming days and weeks.

Dune: Awakening beta screenshots — Is that the debris of Elden Ring in the background? No, that's just a ship you can scavenge in Dune: Awakening. (Image credit: Future — Michael Hoglund)

For the unaware, Dune: Awakening has two release dates. The standard edition launch will be on June 10, when players who have purchased it can begin playing. Owners of the Deluxe and Ultimate editions can get a head start tomorrow, June 5.

As I alluded to earlier, Dune: Awakening is the game I've been waiting for this year. Well, at least since Grand Theft Auto VI was delayed.

I've been following its development for years, ever since its announcement back in 2022. As a player with over 1,000 hours in Conan Exiles, Dune: Awakening has always been the natural progression for my upcoming dedicated playtime.

Dune: Awakening beta screenshot of a sandworm chasing a person. — This moment was captured by yours truly as I was baiting sandworms for fun. (Image credit: Future — Michael Hoglund)

Here's to hoping the launch goes smoothly, unlike some other server-based games that have come out recently. No, no one's pointing fingers at you, Helldivers 2.

Hopefully, after substantial testing in closed betas, Dune: Awakening is ready to stand on its own two feet. Given its unique server structure that houses multiple maps across server nodes, there's a lot on the line for Funcom come launch.

If you're interested in learning more about what Dune: Awakening will be like, make sure to check out the preview we did a month ago alongside other journalists and creators. Keep in mind that we were only allowed access to a quarter of the first map, and it took over 20 hours to complete!

Will you be diving into the world of Dune: Awakening? Maybe you're one of the reasons the game has surpassed Elden Ring. Let us know in the comments or on social media. I'm looking for members of House Atreides to ki... make friends with tomorrow.

Michael has been gaming since he was five when his mother first bought a Super Nintendo from Blockbuster. Having written for a now-defunct website in the past, he's joined Windows Central as a contributor to spreading his 30+ years of love for gaming with everyone he can. His favorites include Red Dead Redemption, all the way to the controversial Dark Souls 2.

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Dune: Awakening (briefly) overtakes Elden Ring Nightreign days before it officially launches

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