Dune: Spice Wars

As someone who enjoys deep strategy games and has spent hundreds of hours in Starcraft 2, I was excited for a slower-paced but more intricate RTS like Dune: Spice Wars. Unfortunately, after investing a fair amount of time into it, I’m walking away more frustrated than satisfied. What works: The setting is fantastic, the Dune universe is beautifully integrated with a unique faction system. The asymmetry between houses is well-designed. There's real strategic depth here, between the CHOAM market, Landsraad politics, espionage, and territory control. But here’s the catch: The game throws all of that at you without properly onboarding the player. The tutorial is minimalist to the point of being almost useless. Vital systems, like Thumpers, alliances with Sietches, Solari upkeep mechanics, and the nuances of CHOAM influence are either buried in tooltips or simply unexplained. The Fremen gameplay, for instance, is full of clever mechanics… but you’re left guessing how to make the most of them. You’re punished for not understanding invisible systems that the game never bothered to teach. It’s a game that assumes you’ll fail, reload, and learn by trial and error, which is fine for a roguelike, but pretty exhausting in a 5-hour RTS session. TL;DR: There's a brilliant game hidden here but it's locked behind a wall of poor UX, opaque systems, and a near-total lack of in-game guidance. If you enjoy experimenting and learning the hard way, go for it. But if you prefer well-designed strategy with clear mechanics and smart onboarding… this feels more like Dune: Trial and Error Wars.

Amazing intricate strategic depth. It is similar to Sins of a Solar Empire, but more complex, you will NEED at least one full game at slow x1 pace, so as to understand the mechanics. Take your time and enjoy the atmosphere

slow for an RTS, which I prefer personally as fast paced RTS really overwhelms me, peak Dune vibes but no campaign, kinda light on content in general, AI puts up a decent fight but I just turn off assassinations personally Vernius and Ecaz are cool inclusions but I'd gladly buy another DLC great house or two if they got back to updating the game

Been looking at this game for a while, watched a few hours of youtube videos on it and picked it up on the Steam Summer sale because I'm poor. I've put 8 hours into it and I'm not touching it again. I've played 4 games so far. The first one was on easy and it went pretty well, so I bumped it up to hard on the next one. I've been unable to to play on hard difficulty. The combat isn't unintuitive, it is opaque. It is mentioned in the tutorial but not explained. Every combat I get into I get my pants beat off of me. It doesn't matter if I have more units. I doesn't matter if my military power is higher. It doesn't matter if its a surprise attack or if I focus fire, or whatever tactics I try. I keep losing every time and it doesn't make sense. You might say I'm just bad at the game. Sure, I probably am. I'm a new player. And I'm not going to get good at it because I'm not going to waste my time banging my head against a wall trying to figure it out when I can go play a game where I can actually figure out the mechanics by playing the game, like Rimworld or Starcraft 2 or Stellaris (if I wasn't boycotting Paradox because of their garbage DLC policy). Can we please just get back to making games fun instead of opaque and hard to play? Please?

If you are fan of the original Dune(book), you understand that complexity is THE STORY. This is not RTS, this is not only 4X, and if you expect someone to play it only on one way - you missed the point of the entire game. Assassination is pretty simple mechanics, for me oversimplified, and people who can't understand that they need to spread their resources and knowledge more, and to adapt to situation(s) are complaining here. My complaints are only about constant re-balances, and changes in mechanics, and that devs are oversimplifying it for a sake of some negative comments, but those are destructive for gameplay, and people who are complaining about tutorials. Some things should be explained. Like what Espionage level means in achievements at all, but it is not the most important thing. Great project, awesome game. Worth learning.

Smart game, true to the Dune vibe and doesnt feel like another generic rts. I like the political mechanics involved . While complex, easy to learn if u are new to the genre. Likethe tutorial.

Played more hours on Game Pass. This game man... this is an RTS that I think I could recommend to almost anybody. A lot of people take a lot of issue with this game, but I think it's because they just don't really *get it*. This is a game where you can play in almost any way, that is so varied depending on civilisation and advisers that you pick. Don't like combat? Become a diplomatic whizz and win through governorship. In the mood for deception? Spy on your enemies and assassinate their leaders. There's so many win variables and that can make this game so fun. I will say that it does have a little bit of a learning curve, but honestly playing one game is enough to pick it up. This game really thrives with friends as well, highly recommend for a shared gaming night.

This game is incredible. Not easy to learn and the tutorial is very limited (watch guide on youtube it will help you a lot)

Original game play mechanism makes this very fun to play. Combining RTS and political system with many possibilities to win the game. Takes abit time to get into all the details and systems tho!

Omg I love this game. I enjoy good RTS games, and this has been on my list since a little before awakening, just never got around to it. But after playing ALOT of awakening and getting more and more into the lore(Dune Universe in general, I know awakening is a seperate, alternate story than the books), I decided to finally pick it up and I am so glad I did. In short its basically just a good RTS set in the dune universe and it can get pretty complex, in a good way. Although my intake of the devils lettuce makes it a little over whelming for me at times....on easy XD, but thats not a game or dev issue. The different aspects they incooperated into this game from the lore makes it worth it, but the fact its actually a fun RTS makes it even better. Only thing I wont speak on is skirmishes just because I havent tried them yet. If you are a fan of Frank Herbert's universe, and a fan of RTS type video games, then its definitely worth grabbing.

Dune: Spice Wars ------------------------------- He who controls the spice… also controls some seriously tense 4X battles. This game is the perfect lovechild of classic RTS action and deep 4X strategy, wrapped in the harsh, glorious sands of Arrakis. Whether you're running spice ops for House Atreides or plotting Harkonnen backstabs in the shadows, every decision feels weighty like you're actually playing politics in the most dangerous desert in sci-fi. Gameplay wise, it’s slick. You’re constantly balancing expansion, diplomacy, and trying not to get eaten by a sandworm the size of your entire army. It’s the kind of game where one bad move can cost you a spice field and a seat in the Landsraad, which is exactly the kind of highstakes mess we love to get into. Special shoutout to the music it’s atmospheric, haunting, and very Dune. The moment it kicks in while you're surveying your spice fields and plotting a sneaky raid? Chef’s kiss. If you’re into strategy with a side of political sabotage and worm-dodging survival, this is absolutely worth your time. May thy knife chip and shatter!

A decent empire building RTS with simple tactical elements offering a nice Dune experience, but overpriced for the amount of content it provides. Overall rating: not great, not terrible. If you like RTS of this sort and Dune, get it on sale. If you don't like either, then it probably won't be worth your time and money, especially for the full price.

I don't really play RTS games but I like the Dune universe alot. This game is pretty fun in my opinion. Would Recommend.

Spice Wars is an intricate and themely game for Dune. it does a get detailed at points causing you to juggle a lot, but its fun and innovative.

Feels like Dune and runs smoothly would like to see some kind of long campaign movie style. 9/10

I keep trying to like this game, but the mechanics are tedious and unintuitive. Every game I've won or lost has felt like happenstance. Update: This game still sucks.

It's alright. I enjoyed the concepts the gameplay is easy to understand. I find this RTS quite beginner friendly.

400 hours in and I am still discovering new tactics while enjoying the view and the sounds of Dune. An absolute beauty.

wont let me launch the game because i do not have the right version of open gl for my intel graphics card only problem is im using a gtx 1080 and dont have an intel grapgic card fun game but just shotly made and built

Very good game!! If you hate it, it is because of a lack of IQ, nothing else ^^ Not everybody is a good strategist, indeed.

I was excited for the initial release of Dune: Spice Wars since I love RTSs but was a bit on the fence about the cartoonish visual aesthetic Shiro went for. However, I was immediately impressed by the smooth, immersive quality it gave to me while playing, capturing the sand swept, beautiful, yet brutal landscape of Arrakis and it's warring complex factions. I was completed hooked on Spice Wars after completing my first campaign due to how diverse not only the overall objective mechanics could be accomplished (ie, political scheming, economic domination, militaristic warfare), but also how different each faction's unique mechanics fit into these strategies. I'd expected each faction to feel like a clone with not much more then a different wig, but this wasn't the case at all, and I couldn't wait to explore each faction. This really increased the replayability for me! I highly recommend Dune: Spice Wars for anyone that loves the Dune universe, nerdy RTS games, and games with a wide array of ways to accomplish victory goals. Enjoy!

Dune the game nobody wanted instead of giving us thre game we wanted. Is it still fun? I dont know i guess it kinda is. I do keep meaning to play more and see if i can get more into it but I seem to prefer playing something else. Barkhan is the true Dune game assuming it is allowed to release. Ah well.

Looks and plays like a mobile game, which on its own is not a bad thing but I need more from a PC strategy game. The House Vernius DLC is overpriced, it's not worth 13 euros.

RUS + ENG Высокий порог вхождения: Не получится просто зайти и поиграть. Длительность матчей: Катки очень долгие либо слишком быстрые, когда кто-то из игроков ливает/дропается/крашится. Отсутствие обновлений: Нет обновлений уже 6 месяцев. Игра вышла в сентябре 2023 года. Последняя обнова была 12 декабря 2024 года. Поддержка продлилась чуть больше одного года и включала +1 DLC. ENG High Barrier to Entry: You can't just jump in and play. Match Duration: Matches are either very long or extremely quick when a player leaves, drops, or crashes. Lack of Updates: There haven't been any updates for six months. The game was released in September 2023. The last update was on December 12, 2024. Support lasted just over a year and included one DLC.

This game is so bad in every aspect. I have been an avid RTS gamer. This game hit it all bad. Too many things to look after no interesting battles no interesting motive complex management system Waste of time, look elsewhere

Honestly, I really wanted to like this game, but its just boring. I don't feel any motivation to win.

Takes forever to load issues with open GL or revert to Direct X no patches or updates

Disappointed. The RTS aspects are silly, and resource management is a joke. Water = supply limit and supply limit = range? I must have something wrong here. The tutorial is less than helpful. Worse is the whole voting thing. Is this Frostpunk? If so there need to be consequences. Research is impenetrable. Whatever this game wants to be -- city builder, 4x resource exploiter, RTS, political simulator -- it fails on every account. And, it doesn't feel at all Dune-like.

Fun game, but avoid it like the plague if you have any respect to Frank Herbert & Son's work. Shiro Games and Funcom unashamedly made both Liet Kynes and Archduke Armand of House Ecaz as black females in the game.

Amazing game, join the Dune Circuit for a great community

i regret playing this game in just a 12hours lol 1. the army is to sensitive once the supply go out they die in just an hours lol. while me simple civilian not an army can survive without eat and just a cap of coffee in the middle hot summer and 1 cap of rice and egg a whole day 1time and tired of work and gym and can wake up next day lol 2. the game is boring you will attack the enemy and once enemy attack you they go street to tower dont attack and then go retreat while my troops 0 death 3. the carrier to pick up the harvester in recall to avoid eaten by worm is to lazy and slow in the middle of danger there is no sense of ergency i will try to refund my money on this game the videos you see is just marketing lol IF YOU WANT TO WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY THAT YOU WORK HARD IN 2DAYS DOWNLOAD IT IF NOT SO DONT DOWNLOAD THE GAME If you want a stratigic, economic, political game, tech upgrades, and intense war game and resources management i recommend " HEARTS OF IRON 4 " proven and tested

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhh not very good. At least I got a foil card out of it though. Play the Alien and Starship Trooper RTS's instead.

This is a great game! The Dune aspect is very good, and as an RTS there's a lot going on here. You have to keep on eye on resources, troops, political influence, and your general strategy. It's not to fast, and you can speed it up if you're Rain Man at RTS type games. You can pause the action at any time to take care of your non-action based tasks which is great. It really helps from getting overwhelmed when you get started. It's also a pretty game, especially if you like the Dune universe. I don't quite understand the mixed and negative reviews. For the most part it seems to be all due to the tutorial. It is a bare bones, get you going type of tutorial, but I'd prefer. If you start slow, on easy, and pay attention, you'll learn most of what you need to enjoy this. Or, watch 25mins of YouTube and you'd be fine. Very high on replay-ability as well. I can see playing this and not getting bored for 100hrs plus. On sale or not, this is a good game if you like DUNE or RTS. If you like both, you probably own it already. Solid 8/10

Fun little dune battler game. Wish there were more houses and bigger maps tho

Although it resembles a RTS game, there is a lot of depth to the game, and offers a lot of victory options to players. Players can tweak the game pace to suit their needs, and there is a lot of replayability given the number of factions and their various playstyles. Try it if you like games like Civilisation.

Complex game play, lots of different ways to approach scenarios. It is probably a little closer to a Civilisation style game than RTS - combat is in real time but quite slow. Really good if you like the Dune series. Can recommend.

OK, there are some cool elements in this. But I have a serious issue with the "day and night" cycles. Half of the time, the screen dims, and you can't see it very well. Why?! It doesn't add anything to gameplay. ALL of their images in the promotion reel - are in the day cycle. For obvious reasons. It is much more appealing and playable. Its so stupid. Why can't I turn it off?

I don't normally enjoy RTS but this game is really fun. I largely attribute this to overall slow pace of moment to moment game play and the pause features. Which for someone who loves grand strategy games this is great. Combat/destroying all of your three other opponents, is not realisitically a win condition. Combat is one of the tools used to move towards other win conditions. Your typical win conditions are capture and holding key points, have a massive economy and dominating the stock market, or winning a very interesting politic game by getting elected "Governor" and not being removed. There is an assassination mechanic that is actually fun and there is significant effort to achieve and counter play too. The factions are also very different, with different strengths and weakness which can vary further based on sub faction picks and win conditions/strategy's you are moving for. The systems are very well designed, balanced and play into each other. Each game length is about 2ish hours.

Just the strategy game you want in the Dune Universe!

Gameplay is stale, the art is amazing.

great game works well on the steam deck

Easy to Learn Hard to master

Perfect game

Game fun.

fein for the spice

good

Not bad.

Bene Gesserit is a racial slur on my race as a Jew. i won't play antisemitic games, i am willing to exchange this for Dire Wolf's everdell. Been a Jesuit. Same as star wars : Jedi = Judah. You antisemites can go straight to hell for all i care. Enjoy your freedom for now.

Great RTS game!

decent game