Survival MMO Dune: Awakening will have in-game radio, and some stations will play music from 1992's Dune games

(Image credit: Funcom)

Paul Atreides always had a tube stuck up his nose, but bro: how about clapping some cans over your ears instead? Maybe Muad'Dib wouldn't have incited a jihad that killed billions if he'd spent less time looking into the nightmarish future and more time listening to the groovy past.

You won't have that problem in Dune: Awakening when it releases on May 20. Funcom has revealed that the survival MMO will feature in-game radio, and some stations will play some truly classic jams: the soundtracks from the Dune and Dune 2 videogames from 1992.

"You can listen to them on the in-game radio while playing Dune: Awakening," Funcom says. "The Dune II: Battle for Arrakis soundtrack was composed by Frank Klepacki. Philippe Ulrich and Stéphane Picq composed the Dune: Spice Opera soundtrack and it was remastered in 2024."

That's not the only audio entertainment you'll find on the Arrakis dial. You'll also get "broadcasts about emergencies, sandstorms or the Landsraad," and Harvester Radio is "the station for spice miners and the commoner workforce, broadcasting ads, survival tips, music and entertainment."

The two warring houses of Arrakis, the Harkonnens and the Atreides, each have their own radio station as well, "broadcasting propaganda, slave fight coverage and motivational speeches."

Dune: Awakening — Awaken to the Music of the Classic Dune Games - YouTube

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Is it just me, or is there something funny about the idea of a Harkonnen radio station? "Gooooooood morning Arrakis! The temperature is hot and the forecast calls for a 100% chance of sandstorms. Stay tuned for a traffic report from Live 'Thopter 1, and later we'll share tips on keeping your skin pale white and hairless. Right now, be our fifth caller and win a personal meeting with Baron Harkonnen while he floats and growls in his tub of gross black goo." *DJ has his neck snapped*

You won't just hear music, political broadcasts, and spice mining information: how about some drama?

"One of the things you can enjoy on the radio stations is a full multi-episode radio play, and on the 8th of April we will share the first episode of Five Days at Carthag with you, a radio theatre and an Arrakeen Playhouse production," says Funcom.

The survival MMO launches on May 20. For more, here's everything we know about Dune: Awakening.

Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.