Age of Water

VS

Dune: Awakening

Age of Water is a post-apocalyptic open-world game by Gaijin Entertainment (known for War Thunder). It released in early 2025, so it is still relatively new, but not a massive blockbuster. Gaijin's niche appeal and the open-world/sandbox elements suggest a moderate but not huge player base. Its MMO status is debated, but it appears to have persistent world and multiplayer interaction, fitting the basic MMO criteria; however, it is on the lower end of the active player spectrum for MMOs.

As of late August 2025, Dune: Awakening had approximately 14,000 concurrent players, reflecting a significant decline from its peak of over 189,000 concurrent players shortly after launch in June 2025. This decrease is attributed to factors such as player burnout, game design issues, and technical problems. Despite these challenges, the developers remain optimistic, citing strong player retention and a 10-year development roadmap that includes plans to explore new planets and regions within the Dune universe. ([gamesradar.com](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/mmo/dune-awakening-dev-says-player-retention-has-been-extremely-good-and-the-mmos-10-year-plan-still-has-so-much-to-pull-from-in-the-lore-well-go-to-new-planets-eventually/?utm_source=openai))