How to play Dune 2000 on Windows 10 or 11?

Dune 2000 on 64 bit Windows.Dune 2000 is a Windows 95/98 game from 1998. It is a partial remake of Dune II, but it has a very much improved control set and of course improved graphics. If you own the original CD of the game, it should install and run fine on a 32 bit version of Windows. If you have a 64 bit operating system, you will have a hard time installing the game, as the installer is a 16 bit program. However, there's a way to install and play the game from CD, you can find instructions here.

Below you find another solution to play the original game on 64 bits Windows computers. There are also some alternatives for the latest Windows operating systems which also allow you to play the game in high resolution:

Play the original Dune 2000 on 64 bit Windows systems

So, what to do to make Dune 2000 work on a 64 bit version of Windows 10 or Windows 11, the easy way?

  • Download Dune 2000 here
  • Copy the contents from the downloaded zip file to a folder of choice, for example c:\Games. You'll end up with c:\Games\Dune 2000\.
  • When running Dune 2000 on Windows 10 or Windows 11, it could happen that Direct Play hasn't been installed. Dune 2000 needs this to function properly. To install/enable Direct Play follow these steps:
    • Make sure DirectX is installed
    • Press Windows key and X
    • Choose Programs and Features or press F
    • On the left, click on Turn Windows features on or off
    • Look for Legacy components, double click it or press the plus sign to see all components
    • Check the Direct Play checkbox and click Ok
  • Make sure you run the game in compatibility mode:
    • Navigate to the Dune 2000 folder, in this example c:\Games\Dune 2000\
    • Right click the DUNE2000.EXE file
    • Select Properties
    • Click the Compatibility tab
    • Tick the checkbox at Run this program in compatibility mode for: and select Windows 95
    • Click on Ok
  • Start the game by double clicking the DUNE2000.EXE file

Cutscenes

The downloaded copy of the game does not include the cutscene files. To enable the video files do the following:

  • Copy the MOVIES folder from the original Dune 2000 CD into the Dune 2000 folder. In our example, you'll end up with c:\Games\Dune 2000\MOVIES.
  • Follow the steps above and start the game by double clicking the DUNE2000.EXE file
  • To watch the introduction video, click the Intro and Sneak Peek button in the main menu

Dune 2000 on VirtualBox and Windows XP

To play Dune 2000 on 64 bit operating systems, it is also possible to use VirtualBox with a 32 bit version of Windows XP. Please make sure that you also install the VirtualBox Guest Additions, otherwise Dune 2000 won't work properly. However, when you do have Dune 2000 running in Virtual Box, sound is not optimal, and the window resolution is low.

Dune 2000 on Windows 7 with XP Mode

Dune 2000 will install fine in Windows 7 XP Mode, it won't start however, because the emulated S3 video card does not support the required video modes.

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