Title: I Hate The Pokémon Worlds 2026 Ticket Lottery Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 23:08:45 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/i-hate-pokemon-worlds-2026-ticket-lottery-2000715380 What are we even doing here?

Title: Aerial Knight’s MrFreezy Turns Chopping Off Heads Into An Absorbing Brain-Teaser Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 22:30:30 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/aerial-knights-mrfreezy-turns-chopping-off-heads-into-an-absorbing-brain-teaser-2000715345 The developer of Aerial Knight's Dropshot and We Never Yield is back with a new game about a lady and her unique hobby

Title: We’re Finally Getting An Instant Cup Of Noodles You Can Make With Cold Water Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 22:00:03 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/were-finally-getting-an-instant-cup-of-noodles-you-can-make-with-cold-water-2000715361 The mad geniuses at Nissin are at it again

Title: My Chemical Romance Fans Ask Gerard Way If He’s Played Baldur’s Gate 3, And Now Larian Is Involved Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/baldurs-gate-3-my-chemical-romance-gerard-way-larian-2000715363 The ‘Black Parade’ singer played the original, but hasn’t played Larian’s award-winning RPG yet

Title: Presumably Bored Pilot Uses Plane To Skywrite ‘I’m Bored’ Over England Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:45:10 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/bored-pilot-uses-plane-to-skywrite-im-bored-over-england-2000715320 We've all had those days at work, you know?

Title: Monopoly Go x The Simpsons crossover is almost here Date: Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:41:21 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/monopoly-go-the-simpsons-crossover-details Monopoly Go players have been looking forward to a major crossover event for what felt like months, and though most of the details ended up leaking, nothing actually beats official information. Read more

Title: Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.3 will take us deeper into the World in Canvas and make Mortenax Blade playable Date: Fri, 22 May 2026 13:43:44 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/honkai-star-rail-version-4-3-all-details HoYoverse has today delivered full details on the next major update for Honkai: Star Rail. Version 4.3, dubbed The Lethe Below the Living, will be available for all players on June 1. The upcoming update adds a new chapter to the Planarcadia arc, and introduce a new playable character. Read more

Title: Forza Horizon 6 explodes on Steam even before it's officially out Date: Fri, 15 May 2026 11:00:02 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/forza-horizon-6-steam-numbers-big-launch Steam is abuzz this week with a couple of long-anticipated launches, but in Forza Horizon 6’s case, at least, the game isn’t even out for what will be most of its players. The anticipated sequel in the open-world driving game series doesn’t officially launch until May 19, but owners of its most expensive version - the Premium Edition - can play it right now. Read more

Title: Mystic Messenger's most loyal players are getting banned in droves for seemingly playing the game too much Date: Fri, 15 May 2026 10:02:10 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/mystic-messenger-ban-wave-thousands-of-hourglasses-anniversary Mystic Messenger, arguably one of the best dating sims around, has been dormant for about seven years. Despite not receiving new content or any meaningful updates in all that time, the game remains popular with its core fans, many of whom just woke up to some shocking news about their accounts. Read more

Title: Forza Horizon 6 review - The driving game for everyone still can’t seem to escape its car-collecting legacy Date: Thu, 14 May 2026 12:00:03 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/forza-horizon-6-review There is this idea that, for a long-running series to remain as consistently popular as Forza Horizon has been, it needs to diminish itself somewhat with each new entry, gradually losing more and more of its edge in a bid to appeal to the widest possible audience. Read more

Title: LA Noire Could Have Featured A Different, Very Famous, And More Expensive Lead Actor Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:45:51 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/la-noire-could-have-featured-a-different-very-famous-and-more-expensive-lead-actor/ The 2011 detective game LA Noire, which was published by GTA company Rockstar Games, starred Mad Men actor Aaron Staton as the lead character, Cole Phelps. A writer on the game has now revealed that a different Mad Men actor, Jon Hamm, was considered for the role as well. Staton portrayed Ken Cosgrove on Mad Men, with Hamm playing the show's leading role, Don Draper. Daniel McMahon told IGN that Mad Men and LA Noire had the same casting director, and that Hamm was "discussed as a possibility for the role of Cole Phelps." "It was never said at the time, but now, I understand the vision which was Jon Hamm is a wonderful actor, but he's not Cole Phelps," McMahon said. Aaron Staton as Cole Phelps in LA Noire. McMahon went on to say that Staton was "much better at portraying Cole's fragility." "He's very smart, but he's also young, not very experienced, and he's just trying his best. So, I think Jon Hamm would've been incredible, but expensive, and probably, in the end, not as good casting for that character as Aaron Staton was," he explained. LA Noire was developed by Team Bondi, and it never got a sequel. Earlier this year, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick said the company is considering future projects for all of its franchises, and that includes LA Noire. LA Noire was developed by Team Bondi and released in 2011 for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, with Rockstar publishing it. The game takes place in 1947 Los Angeles, with players taking on the role of the detective Cole Phelps, who is played by Mad Men’s Aaron Staton. The game came to Switch, PS4, and Xbox One in 2017. A VR edition called The Case Files came out in 2019. For his part, Staton said in 2021 that he had “never heard a word” about a sequel to LA Noire, despite the game selling millions of copies. Back in 2012, Rockstar said a sequel to LA Noire was a “possibility.” At the time, the developer said, “We don’t always rush to make sequels, but that does not mean we won’t get to them eventually. We have so many games we want to make and the issue is always one of bandwidth and timing.” If a sequel comes to market, it wouldn’t be from Team Bondi, as the studio shut down amid a flurry of controversy, after accusations of hostile working conditions prompted the International Game Developers Association to launch an investigation into the developer. Additionally, when the developer shut down, it reportedly was $1.4 million in debt. The studio’s assets, including its next project, Whore of the Orient, were acquired by film production company Kennedy Miller Mitchell.

Title: Beast of Reincarnation Could Be Something Really Special Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:31:53 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/videos/beast-of-reincarnation-could-be-something-really-special/ Jake had the chance to play 90 minutes of Game Freak's upcoming action game, Beast of Reincarnation. He started from the very beginning and played just after the first boss, and what he played has him excited. Alongside Pokemon, Game Freak might have another hit on their hands.

Title: Kingdom Hearts 4 News Could Come Sooner Than You Think Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:31:45 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/kingdom-hearts-4-news-could-come-sooner-than-you-think/ A special 25th-anniversary Kingdom Hearts panel at Disney's 2026 D23 event has fans of Square Enix's RPG series wondering if major Kingdom Hearts 4 news is right around the corner. Disney doesn't hold a D23 annually (the previous one was held in 2024), and in recent years the fan event has taken on newfound importance as a stage for the House of Mouse to make all kinds of major announcements about upcoming films, shows, and even, occasionally, video games. This year in particular may be worth paying attention to for Kingdom Hearts fans. In an announcement detailing the programming fans can expect from D23 this year, Disney revealed an hour-long panel titled "Deep Dive into Kingdom Hearts," which will celebrate 25 years of the franchise on August 15. "Join us for a journey through light and darkness as we commemorate 25 years of Kingdom Hearts," the panel's description reads. "Discover how this saga united Disney, Pixar, and Square Enix, with insights from the creative minds, character voices, and more behind the magic." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZjagzpvHXU Who, exactly, those "creative minds" in attendance will be remains to be seen. While voice actors and Disney employees are a given, the bigger question is whether anyone from Square Enix will be in attendance. If so, there is no bigger creative force behind Kingdom Hearts than Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura, who in addition to designing the look of the series' iconic characters has also directed every main entry in the series. Until we know exactly who will be featured as part of the panel, it's hard to say for sure what to expect. The existence of the panel on its own isn't exactly direct confirmation that Kingdom Hearts 4 news, whether it be a new trailer, a release date, or some other announcement, will happen at D23, but it certainly wouldn't be surprising.  It was just last month that a new Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer served as one of the June Nintendo Direct's biggest announcements, breaking years of radio silence and confirming it would launch on Switch 2. Like previous looks at Kingdom Hearts 4, the trailer showed Sora battling against Heartless in a modern day, Japan-esque setting, even as it flashed glimpses of other characters like Donald, Goofy, various hooded figures, and even lesser-known characters from various mobile spin-offs like Kingdom Hearts Union X.

Title: Slay The Spire 2 Is Choosing “Shit” Art Over Generative AI Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:23:42 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/slay-the-spire-2-is-choosing-shit-art-over-generative-ai/ Throughout the past decade, we've seen the gaming industry grow increasingly concerned with optimization and the fruitless endeavor of chasing perfection. Including Larian, Pearl Abyss, and Sandfall Interactive, studios big and small seem to be relying more often on generative AI to create placeholder art for their titles--even if "getting caught" often leads to negative PR. It's for precisely this reason that Slay the Spire 2's "shit" placeholder art holds a special place in my heart. Upon its release in early access earlier this year, Slay the Spire 2 players were treated to not only one of the year's best games, but to a wide variety of Microsoft Paint-style art created predominantly by developer Mega Crit's co-founder Casey Yano. Found primarily in the game's Timeline section, which grows as players unlock epochs and helps to progress the game's overarching narrative, these MS Paint-esque portraits offer an endearingly crude look at the illustrations to come. It's easy to see these illustrations as a very clear rejection of the growing trend of using generative AI to create placeholder art, but according to Yano, this is only part of the story. There are a number of reasons that "bad, human art"--even when legally questionable--is preferable to generative AI art that no one "in real life" wants, Yano told GameSpot. Setting expectations At the top of Yano's list of reasons for Slay the Spire 2's current art is how having "obviously incomplete" assets helps players create reasonable expectations for the game.  "I think our artists wanted a lot of the art that comes shipped with early access to be completed, but I knew that we were going to be drawing a bunch of garbage during early access," Yano said. "I wanted to set the precedent that some of the stuff is incomplete, and I wanted to make it obvious. I think things being obviously incomplete is actually pretty important for early access. Otherwise people would judge the game as if it's a 1.0, fully developed video game." As with the original Slay the Spire, Slay the Spire 2 launched as an early-access title--and the studio plans to keep it that way for the next year or two, according to the game's Steam page. A lot of the reasoning for this move stems from the type of game Slay the Spire 2 is. As a deckbuilder roguelike, Slay the Spire 2 feeling well-balanced is absolutely vital. Too easy, and you alienate the players seeking that grueling experience these genres are known for; too difficult, and the game is no longer fun to play.  According to Mega Crit, player feedback is essential in establishing that balance. Early access also allows the team to "test experimental features, try exotic designs, [and] identify niche problems," but throughout it all, it's important that players remember all of this is in progress. "Shit" art is one way the team is keeping this top of mind. "If we use art that looks nearly complete, then people would think that that's going to be the final art. It has to look like shit. It's important that it looks like shit." A conflict between "a boulder-throwing individual and flying automatons." That said, it's also important that this art conveys the right information to the player. When deciding which assets needed to be finished prior to the game's early-access release date, Yano explained that it largely came down to ensuring the game was legible enough to play. While Slay the Spire 2’s gameplay might already be incredibly solid, all of that work (and the overall experience) is lessened when there is on-screen confusion or a disconnect between the player and the game’s content. "Prioritization was mostly about making sure that our players have an emotional connection to the content and also recognize what content is what," Yano said. "If you look at the relics at the top, and they're just red boxes, it [conveys] nothing. It's so bad. You can't be like, 'Which relic is gonna trigger?' Like, I don't know; they're all red boxes. You just gotta put something in there." However, not any old placeholder art does the trick. It was also vital that the work created was legible to the game’s other developers, too. Considering Slay the Spire 2’s level of intentionality in regards to its overall design, it’s perhaps unsurprising that its developers assume there is a level of intention behind everything--even placeholder art. "When you draw placeholder art, there's a very high chance that when we pass it on to our artists--whether that's our art director, Marlowe [Dobbe], or another illustrator--what happens is, if you draw something a little too crude, they'll be like, 'This must be what Casey wanted. This must be intentional.' And then they base [the final art] off of something like that," Yano explained. "So I do want the [placeholder] art to be kind of like a framework, especially--especially--the art that's used in the timeline. They're the narrative beats, and I want to make sure that those kinds of compositions and colors and details [are] communicated through those drawings." The artistic process Artistry in general is a big priority for Yano and the team at Mega Crit--hence the reason the team has opted for MS Paint-esque drawings rather than utilizing generative AI for placeholder art. Yano stated that, while he gets the intent behind generative AI, finds the process interesting, and understands why less artistically inclined developers might be enticed by its ability to quickly realize an idea, he has a firm stance against generative AI as "someone who draws."  "Anybody who has gone through the [artistic] process… I wouldn't say they would feel cheated, but they would feel a kind of sadness, right? You don't see the path that somebody took to get better and develop their own style. You just see somebody who's like, 'I just want something in this style,'" Yano said. "And there are a lot of artists out there that make works that are meant to imitate certain styles. There's a lot of jobs where we imitate different things. But in this case, the game is in our style, so I don't know why we'd need AI to mimic our own style." Cultists gather Yano added that generative AI art also removes the intentionality that is vital in the artistic process. While there will always be new tools that aim to remove tedium from the creation process--and subsequently, questions of if these tools are cheating or lessen a work’s quality--generative AI goes a step further by removing “authorial intent.”  "When you draw anything, you draw a thousand lines. Each line is not some serious decision, but there's a decision process for nearly every line--every line you erase, every line you adjust, and everything that you do,” Yano explained. "There's also a very distinct look to [AI-generated art] as well. To me, it's very strange. It's very dense, very colorful, and very distinct. It doesn't fit with the rest of the art style and it's just clearly lazy." While these are all reasons enough to forgo using generative AI, there's another reason why Slay the Spire 2's handmade art is so appealing to both Yano and me: It tells a story. While Slay the Spire 2 is far from grimdark, it's not necessarily a lighthearted or humorous experience. These placeholder pictures, however, add a sense of levity to the game, and show off a bit of the charm and personality of the team behind it. Yano referred to this as "the playfulness of development" before sharing a funny (albeit incriminating) anecdote about one of the game's younger developers. "[I'll see something and] I know Jose drew this one because he's a fan of mechas so everything he draws is mechas. He's also a little younger, so he tends to draw a lot of inspiration from pop culture. It's really bad. We're [going to] get sued by Nintendo soon," Yano joked. "He's no longer allowed to draw placeholder art now that we're in early access and it's more public-facing. We have some suspicious things in there. Some Among Us, some SpongeBob." With this in mind, I asked Yano if--like the original Slay the Spire--the team had any intention of allowing players to use Slay the Spire 2's original assets even after the game leaves early access. Yano confirmed this is the intention and, if possible, he'd like to "take it even further" this time around. Once Slay the Spire 2's content is more solidified, Mega Crit wants to hold a community contest encouraging fans to draw "janky" art for some of the game's monsters. These would then be added to the game as optional art that celebrates the Slay the Spire community (and makes certain encounters more humorous).  However, Yano does have some reservations about doing this. Part of his hesitation stems from wanting to ensure there is a way for fan artists to be credited in the game; the other part comes from a fear that fans will use generative AI to create these assets, essentially defeating the purpose of the contest. "We do explicitly say in our subreddit and our Discord that all fan art can't be AI art, but I get the feeling that when we get submissions for those community art contests, not everyone's going to read all the rules or [some] will try to cheat the system," Yano said. "Which would be a bit of a bummer because, you know, we're just trying to be like, "Hey, we're drawing silly, bad, very human art," right? If you use AI, [it] kind of subverts the entire thing. It's no good." The perks of being indie With all this in mind, the notion of games such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Crimson Desert using AI placeholders begins to feel a bit absurd--but Yano suspects there is more to the story. As more and more tech companies double down on AI, studios seeking funding from them might feel more inclined to rely on these tools. As an independent studio, this is an issue Mega Crit doesn't have to worry about. "I think a lot of big companies are like, 'We're pro AI' because they want investments from people. Or [they say] 'AI is the future.' But we're an independent game company. We have no one to placate," Yano explained. "We just make games for people in the way that we think is the best, and [in] the way that people will like them the most. I haven't met anyone in real life, who is like, 'You know what the people want is an AI art video game.' That has not happened. Why would I take that kind of insane risk to harm my reputation forever, right? That's absurd. It doesn't make business sense, even, to use generative AI as a placeholder." The Necrobinder speaks to Pael Following these discussions, I asked Yano if Mega Crit has a firm policy set in place against generative AI, as well as if the team uses AI in any other capacity. Yano explained that while he is against generative AI, he understands the usefulness of AI in other areas of game development and isn't firmly anti-AI. That said, he suspects that most of the developers on the team don't use it that often. "Some of our programmers use AI for code reviews--it's like a glorified spell checker. I sometimes use it as a slightly more involved thesaurus. But we don't use generative AI," Yano reiterated. "I think there's a very different mentality, right? [When] you write code, you're just trying to write code in the best way you can to achieve the objective that you want. There's an end goal that's definable. Art is not like that. It's an expression." When it comes down to it, expression--even when that expression looks like mechas and not-so-subtle SpongeBob references--plays a pivotal role in Slay the Spire 2. While you could perceive the game's silly, MS Paint-style images as embarrassing interim assets, I'd argue it's more interesting and accurate to view them as a story. Crude as they are, these pictures tell the tale of Slay the Spire 2's evolution, and the Mega Crit team's time spent working on the game. They showcase an admirable and fearless authenticity, and a willingness to reject optimization in favor of beautiful, janky humanity.

Title: Call Of Duty Season 5 Puts You Inside A Pinball Machine, Heavy Metal Heroes Mode Returns Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 19:46:23 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/call-of-duty-season-5-puts-you-inside-a-pinball-machine-heavy-metal-heroes-mode-returns/ Call of Duty's Season 5 roadmap has been revealed for Black Ops 7 and Warzone, which includes a pinball-themed multiplayer map, the return of Heavy Metal Heroes in battle royale, and the final Zombies map for the Black Ops 7 storyline. Season 5 arrives on July 23, and all the major highlights can be found below. More weapons to unlock  Season 5's Mammoth LMG Black Ops 7's weapon pool expands in Season 5 with four more additions. Some weapons will be available in the battle pass and others will arrive later in the season. Season 5 includes: FG42 assault rifle (battle pass) Gremlin SMG (battle pass) Mammoth LMG (later in season) Mace melee weapon (later in season) Just like past seasons, the update will include new attachments, camos, and weapon challenges. New battle pass and BlackCell Season 5 battle pass highlights Season 5 adds a brand-new battle pass filled with cosmetics and XP tokens. This battle pass features over 100 pieces of unlockable content (excluding BlackCell) and includes two base weapons to unlock. The paid $10 pass is needed in order to unlock all the standard pass rewards, and the $30 BlackCell bundle is available for those wanting even more cosmetics to unlock. Spectre's battle pass skins and BlackCell variants The assassin known as Spectre returns from Black Ops 3 and 4 to headline the Season 5 battle pass. Cipher is the new BlackCell-exclusive operator, and this soldier is described as being "part of a black budget project that fused condemned inmates with advanced combat sub-systems." Purchasing the Season 5 battle pass will immediately unlock the Instant Rewards Page, including the following items: 10% Battle Pass XP Boost The "Spectre" Operator Skin for the new Spectre Operator plus a BlackCell variant for those who purchase BlackCell The "Dawn Shred" Legendary Blueprint for the Voyak KT-3 Assault Rifle The "Swift Talent" Emote The "Make an Entrance" Animated Calling Card Players who purchase and complete the Season 5 battle pass will earn the following completion rewards: "Viscera" Ultra Operator Skin for Spectre plus a BlackCell variant for those who purchase BlackCell "Fission Core" Legendary Blueprint for the Carbon 57 SMG 200 COD Points "Thousand Cuts" Animated Calling Card "Strive" Animated Emblem "Gift Card" Ultra GobbleGum (x1) Limited-time events Activision details a few events for the season. This includes a Machine of War event and a special Treyarch-themed event to celebrate the studio's 30th anniversary. These are available across all modes, but there will also be a Zombies-exclusive leaderboard event for the upcoming Eidskallen Lighthouse Survival map. Of course, these are just some of the events planned for Season 5. Events arriving closer to the midseason "Reloaded" update will be revealed closer to launch. Multiplayer maps Nuketown-themed pinball machine MP map Season 5 adds five more multiplayer maps: Jubilee, Frequency, Dig, Turbo Tilt, and Descent. Jubilee arrives at launch as a brand-new 6v6 map set in a rural Japanese town during a festival. Frequency is a remaster of the 6v6 Black Ops 4 map set within a covert listening center positioned deep within the mountains. Dig is a remaster of a small map from Black Ops 2 set within an archaeological dig site. Turbo Tilt is a brand-new small map for 2v2 and 6v6 modes. This map shrinks players down to fit and fight within a Nuketown-themed pinball machine. The map features a deadly moving pinball to avoid as well as other elements. Descent is a brand-new map for the parkour-based Freerun mode. Multiplayer game modes The season introduces a brand-new game mode called Overdrive Domination. In this mode, players must capture, hold, and defend objectives while "eliminating targets with style" to earn stars for your team. This style is basically achieved through medals, so by earning headshot, multikills, and other various medal types throughout the match. Earning stars from style kills grants the following: 1 Star - Cognition Uplink: Increased perception to help you find your next target. 3 Stars - Hyper Speed: Increased movement speed to reach your target faster. 6 Stars - Ballistic Overdrive: Increased weapons handling to help you eliminate your target. Gauntlet Rush is another new mode for the season. This mode includes a rotation of five modes within a single match: Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, Domination, Hardpoint, and Roulette. Each game mode lasts for two minutes before seamlessly switching to the next one. Players must eliminate enemies and play the objective to increase their operator's enhancements, which includes faster movement speed, weapon-swap speed, and improved headshot damage. Additionally, Call of Duty's Cranked mode makes its Black Ops 7 debut. This is the mode with the "Cranked" timer, where players must keep chaining kills together to refill their timer and avoid going boom.  More Endgame content Black Ops 7's co-op Endgame mode continues to receive support in Season 5. A new assignment is added to Avalon called Burn Run, which challenges players to a race in a bomb-rigged vehicle. This a race against the clock, but running over enemies and objects will add valuable seconds to the mission timer. Exotic abilities are getting powerful boosts. Players can now "boost" their major and minor abilities with rare enhancements that can be acquired in the match. Ability boosts are found mixed in with the other reward types found in item cases. New Zombies Survival Map And Story Finale Rex Infernus Zombies map teaser At launch, Season 5 will add three smaller Zombies experiences. Eidskallen is a survival map that takes place on a small section of the Totenreich round-based map. There will also be a Starting Room map for Season 4's Kowakujo, which will limit players to just the Outer Ward of the castle. The recently added Rogue Run mode arrives on the Astra Malorum map. The midseason Reloaded update season will introduce the final round-based Zombies map as the story conclusion for Black Ops 7's Zombies. This map is called Rex Infernus, and the teaser image provided by Treyarch is a house that looks very similar to Dr. Monty's home on the Revelation's map from Black Ops 3 Zombies. Warzone new POI for Verdansk Season 5 launches with a brand-new point of interest for Verdansk called Drone Labs. Additionally, supply drones will launch into the air with valuable gear, and players can shoot them down and retrieve the supply. Heavy Metal Heroes arrives to Warzone Heavy Metal Heroes heavy-vehicle gameplay The fan-favorite Blackout mode Heavy Metal Heroes makes its debut in Warzone battle royale. This is a 50v50 limited-time mode with a focus on heavy vehicle combat and superhero-style powers.  Operator eliminations earn players powers, such as faster movement, armor regeneration, and other critical upgrades. The matches also contain lootable mobility abilities like the Flicker, Kinetic Jump, and the grappling hook abilities from the Endgame mode. Unfortunately, this is listed as a standard battle royale LTM and not specified for the Blackout-inspired Black Ops Royale mode. 

Title: Marvel's next big solo movie could revive the Guardians of the Galaxy era Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 21:51:38 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/marvel-studios-nova-movie-in-development-mcu/ While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a roller coaster of quality in the post-Avengers: Endgame days, 2023's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a high-water mark of Marvel's new era. Its predecessors were just as good, as was that random Christmas special side adventure. One reason the Guardians movies are so beloved is how disconnected they are from the rest of the MCU as the team of misfits gets up to shenanigans outside of New York City and Earth.

Title: Best tactics RPGs to play like Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:37:03 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/best-games-like-fire-emblem-fortunes-wave/ We're just about two months out from the release of Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, the highly anticipated next entry in the Fire Emblem series, which officially launches for the Nintendo Switch 2 on Sept. 17. So far, it's looking like Fortune's Weave will take players back to world of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the franchise's best-selling title. Throughout its 36-year history, Fire Emblem became iconic for its permadeath mechanic, weapon triangle, and, more recently, its heavy emphasis on character relationships and social simulation gameplay.

Title: Disney's D23 fan event to feature big Kingdom Hearts 'deep dive' Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:18:49 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/kingdom-hearts-anniversary-fortnite-d23-kh4-square-enix/ 2026 is turning out to be a big year for Kingdom Hearts fans. With a new Kingdom Hearts collection on the way, a new look at the long-awaited Kingdom Hearts 4, and a rumored Fortnite tie-in, keyblade wielders have plenty to get excited about. Add one more thing to the list: Kingdom Hearts is getting a special "deep dive" at Disney's biennial fan event, D23.

Title: How to get pure quartz in Palworld Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:10:16 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/palworld-guides/24050884/pure-quartz-location-how-to-get-where-find/ In Palworld, you’ll need pure quartz to make circuit boards, which are used to make higher tier assembly lines and electric goods.

Title: Palworld Technology tree Pal equip unlock list Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:10:16 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/palworld-guides/24055957/technology-tree-pal-unlocks-equips/ In Palworld, you’ll need to unlock new recipes for furniture, crafting benches, Pal equipment, weapons, armor — practically everything — via the Technology tab in the menu. This serves as a skill tree, in a way.

Title: Joyride Through July With 12 Games Coming to GeForce NOW Date: Thu, 02 Jul 2026 13:00:23 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-july-2026-games-list/ Summer is heating up — and GeForce NOW is taking players along for the ride. Start the month with Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains, bringing a galaxy far, far away to the iconic board-game franchise, alongside 12 new games joining the cloud this month.  Plus, don’t let the sun set on the biggest GeForce NOW savings of the year. Level up for less before the deals disappear. Light Side, Dark Side, Cloud Side  The Force is strong with this one. Rule the board, you must. Choose a side in Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains, the classic property-trading board game reimagined with legendary characters, locations and rivalries from across the Star Wars universe. Play as iconic heroes or infamous villains — each with unique abilities — to assemble a team and experience cinematic moments while competing with family and friends across locations from every era of the saga. Every roll of the dice brings new opportunities to build an empire and claim victory. GeForce NOW makes it easy to take the battle between the light and dark sides across nearly any device. Jump into a match on a low-powered PC, Mac, phone, TV, tablet or handheld device and keep the fun going across the galaxy. Check out what’s available this week: Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains (New release on Steam and Ubisoft, available June 30) Meccha Chameleon (Steam) And look forward to the games coming throughout the month: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced (New release on Steam and Ubisoft Connect, available July 9) Denshattack! (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass July 15) The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu (New release on Steam, available July 15) Heave Ho 2 (New release on Steam, available July 16) Fogpiercer (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass July 17) ZeroSpace (New release on Steam, available July 20) The Planet Crafter (New release on Xbox, Available on Game Pass July 21) Carnival Hunt (New release on Steam, available July 23) The Ranchers (New release on Steam, available July 30) Corsair Cove (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass July 31) Juicy Extras From June In addition to the 18 games announced last month, 10 more came to the cloud.  Deer & Boy (Steam) DOOM Eternal (Epic Games Store) Embers of the Uncrowned Demo (Steam) EMPULSE (Steam) The Elder Scrolls Online (Xbox, available on Game Pass) NBA THE RUN (Steam) SAND: Raiders of Sophie (Steam) Voidling Bound (Steam) Witchspire (Steam) World of Tanks: HEAT (Wargaming) Last Call for Cloud Summer Savings The clock is ticking. Get gaming at the best price of the year. The final days of the GeForce NOW Summer Sale are here. Before the savings disappear, gamers can save $35 on a 12-month Performance membership or $70 on a 12-month Ultimate membership — unlocking GeForce RTX-powered gaming in the cloud across devices they already own. The Performance membership delivers smooth, high-quality gaming with RTX-powered servers, making it easy to jump into favorite titles across PCs, Macs, phones, handhelds and TVs. The Ultimate membership takes cloud gaming to the max with RTX 4080‑ or 5080‑class performance. Experience cinematic visuals, ultralow latency and responsive gameplay powered by technologies like NVIDIA DLSS, ray tracing and NVIDIA Reflex — all without the cost of a new gaming rig. Hear directly from the GeForce NOW Community. One GeForce NOW member recently called the Summer Sale “quite significant” after realizing the savings were even larger than expected in their local currency. By locking in a year of Ultimate, they calculated their monthly cost dropped from roughly 29 CAD to 17 CAD – showcasing how GeForce NOW continues to help gamers around the world enjoy the games they love, wherever they choose to play. Plus, check out this spreadsheet, made by a community member, featuring discounted games streaming on GeForce NOW  and build out a bigger library at the best bargains during the Steam Summer Sale. What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: The Ultimate Summer Sale Pairing: Steam Sale Meets GeForce NOW Discounts Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:00:34 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-steam-summer-sale-2026/ Summer savings are heating up. From the Steam Summer Sale to GeForce NOW membership discounts, this week’s GFN Thursday delivers double the deals and more ways to get the most value from cloud gaming. Plus, Dark Scrolls joins the growing Devolver lineup, alongside Square Enix’s The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales. They lead the charge for six new games joining the GeForce NOW library this week. Steam Dreams Are Made of These Add to cart, not to storage. The Steam Summer Sale is here, bringing discounts across thousands of PC games as one of the year’s biggest opportunities to grow a gaming library. Supported Steam games can be streamed across devices with GeForce NOW, making it easy to buy a game once, keep progress synced and pick up where the gameplay left off on PCs, Macs, handheld devices, phones, TVs and more. In other words, the Steam Summer Sale brings the deals; GeForce NOW adds the flexibility.  As new titles expand collections, storage demands and hardware requirements expand with them. GeForce NOW helps remove those barriers by streaming supported games from powerful GeForce RTX servers in the cloud, allowing members to enjoy today’s biggest games on devices they already own. Since downloads and installs are handled in the cloud, games can be added to the cart without being added to storage. Check out the “Sales & Special Offers” row in the GeForce NOW app to discover the discounts today. The Ultimate Upgrade to Level Up for Less The upgrade every game deserves. The deals don’t stop there. Pair GeForce NOW’s summer sale with the Steam Summer Sale to spend less time waiting on downloads, managing storage or needing pricey hardware upgrades — and more time gaming. Get $70 off a 12-month Ultimate membership or $35 off a 12-month Performance membership and experience GeForce RTX-powered gaming in the cloud across devices. The Ultimate membership unlocks GeForce RTX 4080- and 5080-class performance in the cloud with up to 4K resolution, up to 120 frames per second (fps) and advanced technologies like NVIDIA DLSS, ray tracing and NVIDIA Reflex. Dig Into Devolver Written in chaos. Dark Scrolls, the kinetic action roguelite from Devolver Digital, arrives on GeForce NOW with its blend of fast combat, evolving builds and unapologetic chaos. Set in a warped fantasy world that doesn’t take itself too seriously, players battle through shifting arenas packed with enemies, hazards and power-ups that can turn a run from fragile to unstoppable in seconds. Stack abilities, experiment with wild combinations and adapt on the fly as the game constantly raises the stakes — rewarding bold play as much as careful movement. On GeForce NOW, Dark Scrolls is ready the moment players are, streaming across devices with no downloads or setup required. It joins a growing lineup of Devolver Digital titles on the service — Cult of the Lamb, Hotline Miami, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, Inscryption, Enter the Gungeon and Ball x Pit — each delivering that distinct mix of style, surprise and controlled chaos, and just a click away with GeForce NOW. A Storybook Across Centuries The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales arrives on GeForce NOW, delivering a charming, narrative-driven adventure filled with mystery and discovery. With a hand-crafted world and a focus on exploration, it blends classic adventure gameplay with modern, character-driven storytelling. Follow Elliot — a curious traveler bound to a mysterious Millennium Core — as he’s pulled across eras in a journey that spans neon skylines, forgotten ruins and quiet villages on the edge of legend. Each era has its own rules and rhythms, with Elliot’s reactions and scribbled journal notes giving the story a warm, personal touch. Stream the cinematic-quality visuals and responsive gameplay with GeForce RTX power in the cloud for Ultimate members. Experience Elliot’s time-twisting journey in sharp detail across supported devices — no high-end rig, patches or paradox prep required. Just jump in and pick up from wherever the last chapter left off. In addition, members can look for the following: Dark Scrolls (New release on Steam, available June 22) SAND: Raiders of Sophie (New release on Steam, available June 22) Deer & Boy (New release on Steam, available June 23) EMPULSE (New release on Steam, available June 24) The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (Steam) FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves (Steam) Leaving the last word to the Community Corner, one GeForce NOW member recently shared being “so impressed” by GeForce NOW. They gave the service a spin because of affordable pricing and took a lower-end PC from 20-30 fps on low settings to 60+ fps with settings maxed out — really putting the WoW in their World of Warcraft.  What are you planning to play this weekend? Maybe even more importantly, what device are you planning to play on? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: Sync and Stream: GeForce NOW Connects to Members’ Game Libraries Across Devices Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:00:32 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-game-stores/ Play favorite titles from popular game libraries, keep progress synced and jump back into gaming sessions on virtually any device. That’s the power of GeForce NOW cloud gaming. From providing access to members’ favorite game libraries to offering some of the season’s best membership pricing, GeForce NOW is making it easier than ever to get more from the cloud this summer. Plus, check out the seven new games arriving in the GeForce NOW library this week. Hit Play Across Top Game Stores That’s a whole lotta ways to play. Whether it’s blockbuster franchises, competitive shooters, sprawling role-playing games (RPGs) or indie gems, GeForce NOW supports thousands of games from leading PC game stores, making it easy to bring existing game libraries to the cloud. Connect supported game store accounts and stream titles with GeForce RTX power. Games that include cloud-save functionality help keep progress intact across devices. Start a game on one screen, pick up where playtime left off on another and spend less time managing installs and storage space. Jump into fan favorites like Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt streaming through GOG. These sci-fi and fantasy favorites support cloud saves, making it easy to continue where play left off. GOG single sign-on and game library syncing — coming this summer — will make that process even smoother. Explore ancient mysteries in the Assassin’s Creed franchise or team up for tactical action in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege through Ubisoft+, delivering iconic worlds and competitive experiences to the cloud.  Whether joining massive, all-in combat in Battlefield 6 or shaping the fate of Thedas with compelling companions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the EA app offers action-packed experiences and beloved RPGs. Find them in the GeForce NOW app by simply searching and filtering by store. Choose the Screen, Keep the Adventure Gaming doesn’t always happen at a desk — community members are sharing how GeForce NOW lets them play across their favorite devices. GeForce NOW Ambassador and cloud gaming creator Anytime Anywhere Gaming recently showcased Dead as Disco — a PC title without a native mobile version — running on an iPhone through the cloud. As he put it: “One of the coolest benefits of GeForce NOW is I can take the same copy of the game I own on Steam and carry it to my iPhone … it’s super awesome being able to play a game on a multitude of devices without having to buy it again.” That flexibility extends beyond mobile. One GeForce NOW member on Reddit shared being “blown away” by the experience of playing on Mac through the cloud, highlighting how GeForce RTX-powered gaming can be enjoyed across devices, no upgrades required. Whether via phone on the go, on a MacBook between work meetings or on a TV in the living room, GeForce NOW helps make PC gaming accessible across nearly every screen. Upgrade and Unlock More This Summer Summer lovin’, havin’ a sale. For a limited time, annual memberships are available at the best prices of the year: $35 off a 12-month Performance membership $70 off a 12-month Ultimate membership Performance memberships deliver high-quality cloud gaming across devices, while Ultimate unlocks GeForce RTX 5080-class performance in the cloud with up to 5K resolution, up to 120 frames per second and advanced technologies like NVIDIA DLSS, ray tracing and NVIDIA Reflex. Pair these special prices with thousands of supported games across top PC game stores. Plus, with GeForce NOW, spend less time downloading, upgrading hardware and managing storage — and more time gaming. New on the Cloud  In addition, members can look for the following: Embers of the Uncrowned Demo (New release on Steam, available June 13) Pro Cycling Manager 26 (New release on Steam, available June 15) Aphelion (Steam) Citizen Sleeper (Epic Game Store, free from June 18-25) Megastore Simulator (Steam) OPERATOR (Steam) Super Meat Boy 3D (Xbox, available on Game Pass) What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: Save Big and Play Bigger: GeForce NOW Summer Sale Brings Major Membership Savings Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2026 13:00:17 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-summer-sale-2026/ The GeForce NOW summer sale kicked off today with limited-time savings of up to $70 off a 12-month membership, making now the perfect time to upgrade to get the best of the cloud and see just how far Ultimate gaming can go. PC gamers are driven by one thing: the love of the game. But getting there can be complicated — setups take space, hardware takes planning and downloads take time. GeForce NOW removes the barriers and delivers instant access to games, high-performance GeForce RTX power in the cloud and the ability to play across nearly any device — all with one membership. Regular upgrades and new features continue to expand the experience, building the value of that membership over time.  Plus, GeForce NOW is always delivering new games — including epic adventures across Tyria. Guild Wars 3 is coming to GeForce NOW, bringing its next-generation massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) experience to the cloud at launch. While awaiting its arrival, the journey begins today with Guild Wars 2 and Guild Wars Reforged, along with limited-time exclusive rewards. Instantly Elevate Every Device PC gaming demands more from players than ever. Bigger game files and more frequent updates can turn the urge to play into a long list of to-dos. GeForce NOW streamlines that experience. Installs, patches and updates are handled in the cloud, so games are ready to launch in just a click. Time that would’ve been spent waiting on progress bars can go back into playtime, making it easier to fit gaming into quick breaks on busy days. High-performance NVIDIA GPUs in the cloud means access to always-ready GeForce RTX performance without having to purchase new hardware. Members can tap into powerful servers that meet rising game requirements and keep pace with today’s games. And memberships continue to improve with platform upgrades — like the free Ultimate upgrade to the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture — extending their value, as well as the life of gamers’ devices, over time. All of the gaming. Laptops, phones, tablets and TVs — devices most gamers have at home and already use for school, work and everyday life — can all act as gaming screens. Streaming means not having to worry about hard drive space for installs and updates, or needing the latest devices.  Level up playing on Linux. These benefits are reinforced by continuous quality-of-life improvements like smoother sign-ins, new platforms — like Linux and Amazon Fire TV — and refinements that make it faster and easier to get into a gaming session. Together, these benefits make GeForce NOW the easiest way to enjoy PC gaming both instantly and over time, while keeping the focus on what matters most to gamers: getting into the game. The Biggest Gaming Upgrade, the Best Price of the Year Sale-ing into summer with huge savings. For a limited time this summer, GeForce NOW memberships are available at some of the year’s best pricing — with major savings on 12-month memberships: $35 off a 12-month Performance membership $70 off a 12-month Ultimate membership The Performance membership delivers smooth, high-quality cloud gaming across devices, with streaming up to 1080p at 60 frames per second (fps) and access to RTX-powered servers for supported games. The Ultimate membership steps things up with RTX 4080‑ or 5080‑class performance in the cloud, supporting up to 4K and beyond on ultrawide displays, up to 120 fps, and advanced features like ray tracing, NVIDIA DLSS and NVIDIA Reflex for a more responsive, visually rich experience. These limited-time discounts won’t last long — beat the heat and jump into GeForce NOW.  A New Legend Rises One of the best things about the cloud is that every week, new games become available to stream — including new AAA games at launch and the latest content and rewards.  The land of Orr awaits. Guild Wars 3 marks the next adventure in Tyria — an action-adventure MMORPG where fluid combat, deep character building and a living world of magic and mystery shape every journey. Alliances are forged, spirits awaken and every step forward leaves a lasting mark on an untamed frontier. Be among the first to raise the banner. Gamers can add Guild Wars 3 to their wishlist today and stay up to date on every reveal as it marches toward launch. While the next chapter in Tyria prepares to unfold, its legacy is ready to be played today. Return to adventure in Guild Wars 2 and Guild Wars Reforged, and unlock exclusive in-game rewards for a limited time — available for GeForce NOW Premium members today through Saturday, July 11, and free to all members beginning Friday, June 12. Be on the lookout for an email with codes to redeem.  In Guild Wars 2, the “Masterpiece Emote Tome” turns every victory into a moment of flair — a chef’s kiss to triumph. Start playing by applying the code through an ArenaNet account or during account creation, then log in to access the emote. In Guild Wars Reforged, the “Vision of Lyssa” costume brings elegance and illusion to life and includes an account upgrade. Inspired by the twin goddess, this striking ensemble can be worn over any armor. Redeem by adding the code in game, then visit a Costume Maker NPC to claim the reward. But Wait, There’s More Duet Night Abyss from Hero Games makes a splash on GeForce NOW, plunging players into a submerged world where survival is shared. Control a synchronized duo tethered by fragile oxygen lines, navigate glowing reefs, drowned ruins and shadowy chasms where every move demands trust and timing. The game’s moody visuals and tense, cooperative focus give each dive the feel of a playable deep-sea thriller. GeForce NOW is kicking off a new Community Corner for the summer, spotlighting stories and creations from members across the globe. This week, a community story takes the spotlight as a Linux gamer on Reddit shares how GFN has helped them with accessibility gaming, saving storage space on massive titles and minimizing upgrades. In addition, members can look for the following: NBA THE RUN (New release on Steam, available on June 9) Witchspire (New release on Steam, available on June 10) SpaceCraft (New release on Steam, available on June 11) Duet Night Abyss (Launcher) DOOM Eternal (Epic Games Store) The Elder Scrolls Online (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Farever (Steam) World of Tanks: HEAT (Wargaming) Finally, Pro Cycling Manager 26 is now scheduled to launch on Monday, June 15, and Denshattack! is now expected to launch on Wednesday, July 15.  What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: NVIDIA, KRAFTON, NC and Reigning ‘League of Legends’ Champions T1 Celebrate RTX Spark at Korea’s PC Bangs Date: Sun, 07 Jun 2026 07:00:15 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/krafton-nc-t1-korea-gaming-pc-bang-rtx-spark/ At GTC Taipei at COMPUTEX last week, NVIDIA unveiled RTX Spark, the superchip that reinvents Windows PCs for the era of personal AI agents. On the heels of this announcement, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang headed to South Korea, where he introduced RTX Spark to the nation’s passionate gaming community. Leading game developers — including Korea’s KRAFTON and NC — are already working to bring their titles to RTX Spark-powered systems.  Designed for local AI, creating and gaming, RTX Spark brings together 30 years of NVIDIA innovation to slim Windows laptops with all-day battery life and small, ultraefficient desktop PCs.  With the superchip, gamers can play AAA games at 1440p resolution and over 100 frames per second with NVIDIA ray tracing, DLSS and Reflex technologies. In addition, RTX Spark supports all NVIDIA RTX technologies, including the recently announced DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction, which features a second-generation transformer model for realistic image quality.  RTX Spark Ignites Korea’s Gaming Community Korea has played a major role in spearheading esports and driving the boom in PC bangs, or internet and gaming cafes. With longstanding collaborations rooted in the country, NVIDIA in October celebrated 25 years of GeForce in Korea with a free festival for gamers, highlighting the rich gaming ecosystem that has been built over decades.    On Friday, Huang headed to T1 Base Camp — a PC bang owned by T1, one of Korea’s top esports teams. There, he met with T1’s reigning League of Legends World Champion team, including six-time World Champion Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok to unveil RTX Spark.  NVIDIA and Riot Games — developer of League of Legends — are collaborating to bring the title as well as VALORANT to RTX Spark, expanding gamers’ access to high-performance gaming on slim laptops.  To mark the occasion, T1 Base Camp attendees had the chance to win RTX Spark laptops, League of Legends and T1 merch signed by Huang and Faker, as well as GeForce RTX 5090 GPUs.  Surprising PC-Bang Gamers  Later, Huang headed to Seoul’s Gangnam district, where he surprised PC-bang gamers with a first look at RTX Spark with KRAFTON and NC.  At the first stop, Optimum Zone PC, Huang and KRAFTON Chairman Byung-gyu Chang showcased PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS and Subnautica 2 on RTX Spark to a captivated crowd of gamers.  Gamers then got the surprise chance to play with the unreleased PUBG Ally, a co-playable character built with NVIDIA ACE technologies on RTX Spark laptops. PUBG Ally resulted from AI research and development at KRAFTON and NVIDIA, part of an initiative to create next-generation game characters that act like teammates and enable more meaningful, immersive engagements with players. Next, Huang stopped at another PC bang, Portal PC, where he showcased NC’s CINDER CITY and AION 2 on RTX Spark, with support from Taekjin Kim, co-CEO of NC.  NC and NVIDIA began working together in the early 2000s on the Lineage franchise and have since collaborated to integrate RTX technology into many of NC’s flagship games, including Lineage 2, AION, Blade & Soul, AION 2 and CINDER CITY.  Gamers at Portal PC were given the chance to play a demo of NC’s highly anticipated open-world massively multiplayer online tactical shooter CINDER CITY on GeForce RTX-powered PCs.   CINDER CITY will support the DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation and Super Resolution features at launch. Plus, gamers will be able to experience the title on slim RTX Spark laptops and compact desktops when the game is released later this year.  In addition to KRAFTON, NC, and Riot Games, 100+ Windows software providers and game developers are embracing RTX Spark. These partners include NetEase, Remedy Entertainment and XBOX.  Learn more about RTX Spark and its launch partners.

Title: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 5 launches July 23, full details Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 17:00:46 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/13/call-of-duty-black-ops-7-and-warzone-season-5-launches-july-23-full-details/ Get ready to unleash the arsenal. The machines rage on in Season 05, and the next major update delivers new Maps, Limited Time Modes, Weapons, Events, and more across Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Call of Duty: Warzone, launching Thursday, July 23. Play Video Black Ops 7 Endgame Overview New Assignment: Burn RunRace against the clock in a bomb-rigged vehicle that’s ready to explode. Stay the course, blast through fiery checkpoints, and run over objects and enemies to earn bonuses and add additional time. Ability Boosts Upgrade your Major and Minor Abilities with enhancements that can be acquired in Zone IV and Nightmare regions, offering reduced cooldown times, extra ammo, and other improvements.  Multiplayer Overview New Maps Jubilee (New)Fight through a rural Japanese town as a festival turns to chaos and the streets erupt in conflict. Frequency (Remastered)Deploy to the mountains of Hunan and battle for control of the listening station’s global surveillance capabilities. Dig (Remastered)Battle alongside ancient ruins at an archaeological dig site in Avalon where rival forces clash over what lies beneath. Turbo Tilt (New) (Mid-Season)Shrink down to size and enter a pinball machine in a wild Mid-Season Multiplayer map inspired by the history of Nuketown. Freeun: Descent (New) (Mid-Season)Jump, dive, slide, and more in an all-new Freerun obstacle course. New Limited Time Modes (LTMs) Overdrive Domination (New) (LTM)Capture objectives and eliminate targets with style to earn stars and gain Operator buffs. Gauntlet Rush (New) (LTM)Compete across a gauntlet of game modes: Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, Domination, Hardpoint, and Roulette. Stay active to earn buffs and collect Gain Stacks for extra score. Cranked Moshpit (Returning) (Mid-Season) (LTM)Eliminate enemies to activate the Cranked timer and earn Operator buffs. Your life ends when the timer runs out, so don’t let up. Black Ops 7 Ranked PlayRanked Play returns, bringing new seasonal rewards for those who climb the ranks. Zombies Overview New Survival Map: Eidskallen LighthousePush for the highest round using the resources available in a confined section of Totenreich comprised of Beacon Island and the Lighthouse. Earn rewards for reaching round milestones. Kowakujō Directed Mode, Starting RoomGet extra guidance on the Main Quest as Directed Mode comes to Kowakujō. In Starting Room, drop into the Outer Ward and survive with whatever’s on hand. Rogue Run: Astra MalorumDrop into three new Rogue Run playlists taking place on Astra Malorum. Beat the round, pick your upgrade, and earn rewards for reaching milestones in this roguelite twist on Zombies. New Round-Based Map (Mid-Season)Get prepared to confront the Warden in the Round-Based Zombies finale arriving at Mid-Season. Perk, GobbleGum, Legacy Weapons (Mid-Season)Shrug off the horde with help from the Widow’s Wine Perk, a new GobbleGum, plus two Legacy Weapons. Call of Duty: Warzone Overview New Verdansk POI: Drone Labs (Launch) A new POI arrives east of TV Station and south of Quarry, unleashing Drones across Verdansk. Scour the main buildings for loot or fight across the drone obstacle course out back. Rumors suggest the presence of an armed JLTV on site, for those who can secure it. New features HKDs Killstreak (Launch): The Guild’s deadly drone tech arrives in Resurgence and Battle Royale. Seek out the devastating killstreak to drop an aerial payload on your foes. Quickdrop Kit (Mid-Season): Return to the match more quickly with this stackable reward that cuts down your squad’s redeployment time. Resurgence Ranked Play: Rank up and earn rewards in a new season of Ranked Play: Resurgence. Battle Pass & BlackCell overview No job too difficult, no target off-limits. Spectre headlines the latest Battle Pass, bringing the cold precision of a free-agent assassin into the fight. Progress through the Season 05 Battle Pass to unlock new Weapon Blueprints, Operator Skins, and more. Purchase BlackCell for additional rewards including the New Operator Cipher and a Mastercraft Weapon Blueprint, each featuring additional unlockable variants via in-game challenges. New Weapons: In the Battle Pass, unlock the FG42 Assault Rifle and the dual wield Gremlin SMG. Through in-game Events and Weekly Challenges, get the Mammoth LMG and Mace Melee weapons. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Call of Duty: Warzone is available on PS5 & PS4.

Title: Coloratura: Designing a world where sound is the only guide Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 16:00:12 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/13/coloratura-designing-a-world-where-sound-is-the-only-guide/ The idea to create Coloratura was born from a revolutionary premise: creating a game that wasn’t just an audioguide but an experience you can play blindly, using spatial orientation and sensory perception as its main core. The project was born from Museful, a Game Jam prototype that served to confirm that tridimensional movement was possible without visual guiding. The team took inspiration from several sources. They analyzed games designed to be played blindly like The Vale or A Blind Legend to understand what worked, and what kind of visual aids they wanted to avoid in order to maintain the purity of a true sightless experience. For the narrative and world building, they took great inspiration from titles such as Life is Strange, embracing a musical indie tone with slice of life themes and a big focus on the inner conflict of the main character. Audio-focused gameplay design Coloratura is a single-player narrative adventure where you play as Alex, a talented musician who has lost her sight due to an accident. Far from limiting movement, this game breaks the limits of traditional accessibility designs: the player has total freedom in a 3D environment without cardinal boundaries, being able to rotate the camera and freely explore the scene. To ensure the player’s ability to navigate the levels intuitively and comfortably, the team designed some innovative audio mechanics: Radar and memory systems: Alex can concentrate to feel elements at different distances. The game uses a “memory” system to assign a positional sound to objects such as a table or a coffee machine once they are discovered. This allows the player to create a mind map of the space. The objective “button”: To avoid the player feeling lost, the team implemented a bell sound to indicate the direction they have to follow. This was an effort to translate the classic visual objective tracking from games to a guide that was purely based on sound. Musical puzzles: The goal is to locate sound sources that become puzzles. Once resolved, the player can build up melodies and form the final game soundtrack, mirroring Alex’s life stages. Art direction and world building In Coloratura the sound design is a main part of the visual design in a way. The world is built through a rich sound landscape that embraces the player and allows them to triangulate their position at any point. The musical identity, designed by José Ramón “Bibiki” García, is very well defined – acoustic guitar riffs are used to represent Alex’s personality and conscious state, while piano sounds evoque more introspective and dreamy moments. The 3D environment was also created with a focus on fluidity. They eliminated strict collisions and designed scenes with broad walls to allow the player to move around without dealing with the frustration of getting stuck against an invisible object. On top of all that, there was a comprehensive dubbing work that included professional actors capable of transmitting deep emotions with almost an ASMR vibe. This allowed the voice acting to hit the right spot without feeling overwhelming. Challenges during development The main challenge the team faced was “unlearning” how to create video games. Traditional game design rules and processes, originally created for visual games, didn’t really work for Coloratura. On a technical level, the team faced challenges such as adjusting positional sound to clearly indicate when an object was at the player’s back. This prevented users from turning around and walking sideways (or, as the team says, walking like a crab) in fear of getting disoriented. To overcome these challenges, the team relied on constant iteration and playtesting. They also worked closely with blind players throughout development, whose feedback was vital to the project. One of those collaborators was Sergio Vera, who is blind. Sergio not only helped validate and refine the game’s spatial movement, but also shared personal experiences that informed Coloratura’s story and helped make its portrayal of blindness feel authentic. The goal wasn’t to create a game solely for blind players, but an accessible experience that people both with and without visual impairments could enjoy on equal terms. The experience on PlayStation Nowadays the industry and platforms like PlayStation are making a strong bet in inclusion and accessibility, with initiatives like the Access controller. Coloratura arrives in this context with a pioneering project, showcasing the full potential of PlayStation 5’s sophisticated 3D audio and providing the players with a level of technical immersion that few narrative games achieve. The game includes a mode with a supporting interface made of sketched illustrations and text for people with dyslexia or other needs, but the true magic is in its inclusive gameplay. Coloratura invites PlayStation players to put on their headphones, blindfold themselves or play in total darkness, and lose themselves in the experience. As the team at Nakama Studios points out, there are no graphics more powerful than those drawn by our own imagination when the outside world fades away and only sound remains. Enjoy Coloratura when it launches on PS5 later this year.

Title: Share of the Week: Portraits Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2026 16:00:05 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/10/share-of-the-week-portraits-2/ Last week, we asked you share portraits from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: Cog_VP shares Aloy resting in the grass in Horizon Zero Dawn ​​ call_me_xavii shares a portrait of Bond in 007 First Light artenpixels_ shares a black and white portrait of Alicia in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 JAA_PhMode_0510 shares Jackie striking a pose in Cyberpunk 2077 Falconswift87 shares Kratos in the snow of God of War Ragnarök themarkplumb shares a lantern-lit portrait from Red Dead Redemption 2 Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: SunSUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on July 15, 2026  Next week, share moments in the sun from the game of your choice. Use #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Title: Get ready for PlayStation at Comic-Con 2026 in San Diego Date: Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:01:01 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/09/get-ready-for-playstation-at-comic-con-2026-in-san-diego/ Comic-Con 2026 is nearly here, and PlayStation is gearing up with a full slate of panels and activities. If you’re joining us down in sunny San Diego, we’ve gathered details on everything you need to know. For those that won’t be there in person, don’t worry – we’ll keep you updated on any announcements here at PlayStation Blog.   Comic-Con 2026 panel schedule Marvel’s Wolverine – Deep Cuts  Thursday, July 23, 2026 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM PT Room: Hall H We’re not just scratching the surface; we’re cutting through it. Insomniac Games’ Creative Director Marcus Smith, Game Director Mike Daly, Narrative Director Walt Williams, and Sr. Project Director Jess Reiner-Reed are joined by actors Liam McIntyre (Wolverine) and Krizia Bajos (Jean Grey), along with Executive Producer Eric Monacelli from Marvel Games to unveil exciting new details from the highly anticipated Marvel’s Wolverine, releasing on September 15 on PlayStation 5 consoles. Moderated by media personality, Naomi Kyle, the panel will offer a behind-the-scenes look into the game’s story, characters, and exclusive never-before-seen content.    MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls — Behind the Battle  Thursday, July 23, 2026 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM PT Room: Hall H Step into the arena with MARVEL Tokōn: Fighting Souls. Moderated by fighting game commentator and streamer Sajam, Game Producer Takeshi Yamanaka (Arc System Works), Localization Director Amber Seitz (Arc System Works), and Senior Product Development Manager Michael Francisco (Marvel Games) take you inside the making of the game and the creation of MARVEL Tokōn’s place in the Marvel Universe. The development team is joined by Mike Deodato (Marvel Comics artist and Knights of Doom illustrator) and voice actor Josh Keaton (Iron Man and Spider-Man) to showcase behind-the scenes-looks, and surprise announcements you won’t want to miss.  God of War Laufey – Forging God of War’s Next Heroes  Friday, July 24, 2026 5:30 – 6:30 PM PT Room: Ballroom 20 God of War Laufey Game Director Ariel Lawrence and Santa Monica Studio Head of Creative Cory Barlog lead an in-depth conversation with the cast including Deborah Ann Woll (Laufey), Chris Judge (Kratos), Jack Quaid (Phranque), and Perlina Lau (Rue) for the first time since the game’s reveal. Panelists will share new details about the heroes of God of War Laufey, including behind-the-scenes insights from development and the performance capture that brings each character to life.  Around the convention corner From July 23-26 on the San Diego Convention Center show floor, fans will have a chance to sink their claws into the Marvel Booth (Booth #2329), where players can drop in for a Marvel’s Wolverine photo opp and walk away with giveaway items like Marvel’s Wolverine Claws and a copy of the Marvel’s Wolverine Prequel Comic written by Narrative Director Walt Williams while supplies last.  While traveling around the convention center and downtown area, be on the lookout for the Marvel’s Wolverine wrapped San Diego Trolley. Players can head to the Omni Hotel Lawn to cool down with a Madripoor Sunrise Slushie and take a photo alongside a looming Proto-Sentinel Head, before grabbing Marvel’s Wolverine Claws.  Fighting game fans can head to the San Diego Ballroom of the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina for a chance to play MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and take pictures with Doctor Doom and Storm statues.  See you in San Diego, then check back here after the show – we’ll be updating with full recordings of the panels!

Title: The Blood of Dawnwalker: unique time-driven quest system and player choice detailed Date: Tue, 07 Jul 2026 16:01:28 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/07/the-blood-of-dawnwalker-unique-time-driven-quest-system-and-player-choice-detailed/ The world has gotten very small for you and your family, Coen. It was never a grand world to begin with, tied as you all were to your farm in the tiny village of Laslea, but with the arrival of the plague, your sister’s illness, and then the vampires, it has shrunk even further. When you wake up, it’s the day of the Blood Mass for Laslea. Tonight, the vampires, the vrakhiri, will arrive to collect the oblation of their livestock. Every adult in the village must attend and give of their blood to sustain their rulers, Brencis and his clique. It is known. It is normal. Shockingly, it’s becoming more normal every day as the hope of change or salvation withers among the people of Vale Sangora. Not everyone is cut out for this new normal. Your mother is barely able to hold herself upright under the weight of her fear. Your father, pulled in two directions by his family and his past, has become grim and hard. Your siblings are struggling to understand everything happening around them. And you, Coen, a young man in your prime, are stuck staring down a long future of being bled every fortnight, little hope for anything other than the life of cattle. Is it any wonder some say it’s the end of the world? And yet, the daily concerns of life must go on. Your mother is in no condition to attend the Blood Mass tonight and if she is not present, your family and maybe the entire village will suffer. The gates are guarded by Knyaz Brencis’s men – no one will be permitted to leave until the offering is extracted. Between dawn and sunset, the day is divided into 8 parts. You must use that time to find a solution. So, you wander the sunny dirt paths of Laslea. Somehow, in spite of the clamp of the vrakhiri around your neck, even in this tiny village, the possibilities are endless. You could decide to go directly to Anca, the local herbalist, and ask for medicine for your mother and wind up spending most of the day reading Latin, soaking up every moment you can in her presence. You could punch one of the Uriash, gigantic ram-like warriors occupying the village at Brencis’ command in an attempt to burst the boils of rage festering in your heart. You could go looking for an escaped pig or a lost neighbor, you could save the weaver by searching for a stolen tapestry commissioned by the vrakhiri, you could beat an upstart boy for insulting you, you could even uncover the start of a revolution against the vampires… but you may not be able to do it all. You see, as long as you are wandering, watching, listening, never intervening, the sun will stay high in the sky. The Blood Mass will not arrive. The day will never turn to night. To move time forward, you will have to choose. So you wander. You speak to an old woman weeping by an unearthed grave. You confront the man who lurks by the river. You ask your sister about the dark dreams that jolt you awake at night. You practice your sword skills on the animals in the woods. And, in your own time, you choose how your day unfolds. Yet it is quickly made clear to you that some choices are out of your hands. There is no combination of actions and words at Coen’s disposal that can stop the Blood Mass once the sun sets. Some events have their own tides that cannot be resisted. Everyone has their own free will and no matter how earnestly you try, you can’t control the power of grief, of fear, of revenge. The Blood Mass goes poorly. Decisions are made by you and your family that cannot be taken back, and deep in the night, you wake up in the bowels of Laslea’s silver mine with a strange new hunger. You are no longer fully human. The wrath of the vrakhiri at the defiance of Laslea has chosen you as its scion. Brencis picked you to turn into one of his own, a familiar face to destroy your friends and neighbors as one more twist of the knife. The surviving villagers, including your father, mother, and siblings, will be made a sacrifice to his coronation in 30 days. Your family has been crammed into the darkness of a cell, your existence squeezed down into the palm of Brencis’ hand. And yet. As the village burns, as the sun rises, you are given a new choice. All is not lost. The light of the sun does not burn you, sear your flesh. Not even the vrakhiri could control this. In that moment, the world opens up, the shackles fall away. For you now have all the power and ferocity of a vampire, but all the feelings and connections of a human. You have something denied to you for so long: the ability to choose. As you step out of the remains of your home, your village, the whole of Vale Sangora lays before you. There is a sword at your side. Your arm still aches from the magic runes Anca carved into your skin. The taste of copper lingers in the back of your throat. You realize that, with enough blood and rage, you could rip this valley from the vrakhiri’s claws and feast upon its riches yourself. You could join the revolution, save your family and dispose of the vrakhiri. You could wash your hands of the entire affair and pursue whatever pleasures the next moment offers you. You are a unique thing, Dawnwalker, and no one will ever write a future quite like yours. A new day is beginning; how will you spend it? The Blood of Dawnwalker rises on PlayStation 5 this September 3, 2026.

Title: "A kick in the teeth for the fired workers": Unionised former MindsEye devs protest alleged fan playtest at Build A Rocket Boy Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 16:08:52 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/a-kick-in-the-teeth-for-the-fired-workers-unionised-former-mindseye-devs-protest-alleged-fan-playtest-at-build-a-rocket-boy The IWGB union have held a protest with former Build a Rocket Boy (BARB) staff outside of the MindsEye studio's offices. The union accused the company of hosting an expenses-paid fan playtest event following layoffs, with IWGB chair Spring McParlin-Jones dubbing it "a kick in the teeth for the fired workers who are seeing fans brought in to do jobs that would otherwise have been theirs". Read more

Title: Rally Point: I am extremely here for turn-based strategy game The Great Villainess, and not just for gay reasons Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:30:25 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/rally-point-i-am-extremely-here-for-turn-based-strategy-game-the-great-villainess-and-not-just-for-gay-reasons LESBIANS BAGPIPES STREAMING LET'S GO! Read more

Title: Well, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is now only barred from purchase in 117 countries according to Steam's backend, which is a start Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:40:04 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/well-marvel-tokon-fighting-souls-is-now-only-barred-from-purchase-in-117-countries-according-to-steams-backend-which-is-a-start Good news! Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls' Steam backend no longer lists it as not being available for purchase in 132 countries. It's now only listed it as not being available for purchase in 117 countries. That's 15 whole countries removed from the list of excluded nations, which looks like it could be linked in some way to the need to have PSN account to access certain bits of the game. Read more

Title: Obsidian still have "the same DNA" that went into New Vegas and KOTOR 2, The Outer Worlds 2 director insists, following chatter around layoffs Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:16:11 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/obsidian-still-have-the-same-dna-that-went-into-new-vegas-and-kotor-2-the-outer-worlds-2-director-insists-following-chatter-around-layoffs Last week, Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2 developers Obsidian lost around quarter of their staff to Microsoft's mass layoffs. The studio were subsequently reported to be pivoting to start work on a new Fallout game helmed by New Vegas director Josh Sawyer, with a sequel to Avowed all but canned in the process. Cue, naturally, people like me discussing what sort of game the shift towards a new Fallout all these years after New Vegas could result in, and also some voices declaring that Obsidian just aren't as good as they used to be. Outer Worlds 2 director Brandon Adler, naturally, disagrees with the latter group of loudmouths. Read more

Title: This week in PC games: vert-ramping trains, a retold murder mystery, and Cthulhu’s new gig as an AI Director Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:39:30 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/this-week-in-pc-games-vert-ramping-trains-a-retold-murder-mystery-and-cthulhus-new-gig-as-an-ai-director Merry Monday, readers. Edwin’s been struck down by a post-TennoCon lurgy, and we were only too happy to allow him some rest, provided he file his Soulframe and Warframe: Tau stories before collapsing into a feverish heap. We even agreed to feed the Maw in his absence, albeit without reaching a similar accord on responsibility for the litter tray. Thus: new PC games this week. Here are some of them. Read more