Title: Sony Continues Its March Towards An All-Digital Future As It Reportedly Kills Off Its Last 4K UHD Player Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 20:41:01 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/sony-continues-its-march-towards-an-all-digital-future-as-it-reportedly-kills-off-its-last-4k-uhd-player-2000748873 It's part of a larger push by the PlayStation maker to move away from making home electronics, like TVs

Title: Mass Effect 5’s Leaked Trailer: 9 Things We Noticed Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 19:36:14 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/mass-effect-5-universe-leak-trailer-breakdown-liara-bioware-2000748896 The now-canceled Mass Effect: Universe would have included the return of old party member Liara

Title: Valve Employee Accidentally Mentions Half-Life 3 Codename For The First Time Ever Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 19:04:14 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/valve-employee-seemingly-slips-up-and-says-rumored-half-life-3-codename-on-stage-2000748885 Wait a minute, what's HLX?

Title: Here’s Three Actors In The Final Running For James Bond And They’re All Aggressively Fine Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 18:30:52 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/heres-three-actors-in-the-final-running-for-james-bond-and-theyre-all-aggressively-fine-2000748875 Yawn, James Yawn

Title: Steam Pricing Analyst Found Hollow Knight: Silksong’s $20 Price Annoying: ‘I Was A Bit Like, Oh God, Please Price It Higher’ Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 18:00:53 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/steam-pricing-analyst-found-hollow-knight-silksongs-20-price-annoying-i-was-a-bit-like-oh-god-please-price-it-higher-2000748802 Indie devs are facing tighter pricing pressures than ever

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: To Start The New Cyberpunk 2077 Edgerunners 2 Quest, Do These Two Things First Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 22:34:33 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/cyberpunk-2077-edgerunners-2-mission-clampdown-how-to-start/ Cyberpunk 2077 may have come out six years ago, but developer CD Projekt RED has just released a new update. The 2.5 patch adds a plethora of fixes and features, and it's also themed after Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, including a themed quest and rewards to boot. The Edgerunners 2 mission is called Clampdown, and it serves as a prequel of sorts to the events of the anime's new season. It features character King and his crew, and thankfully, it has no spoilers for the actual show. Rather, it serves as an extension, further tying the Cyberpunk transmedia efforts with each other. Depending on the progress you've made in the game, though, you may not automatically gain access to Clampdown. If you're wondering how to start the Edgerunners 2 mission Cyberpunk 2077 so you can dive straight into it and reap the new rewards, we've got you covered. In This Article How to Start Clampdown, The Edgerunners 2 Mission in Cyberpunk 2077Where to Find Wakako Gig Locations in Cyberpunk 2077Rewards for the Edgerunners 2 Mission in Cyberpunk 2077 How to Start Clampdown, The Edgerunners 2 Mission in Cyberpunk 2077 Upon downloading the 2.5 update and booting up the game, Clampdown isn't immediately available. Rather, there are two steps you need to tackle. First, you must ensure that you've finished The Heist. This is part of the main questline, and essentially serves as the culmination of the first act of the story. As such, you'll naturally get to it. Make sure to fully finish it. Then, you must complete at least two gigs with Wakako. Once you're done, you'll have to wait to receive a text message from her. I skipped time for 24 hours, and then for 12 hours, and the message was on my phone right after. You may need to actually open your phone to see it, however. Keep an eye out from a text from Wakako, not a call. This last step can be tricky. Gigs are everywhere on the map, but you never get an indication about who they correspond to until you get close to them. Depending on what you've decided to tackle in your playthrough thus far, you may have already fulfilled this requirement. In case you haven't, don't fret, as we've outlined how to complete the second step in the section below. Where to Find Wakako Gig Locations in Cyberpunk 2077 Your mileage may vary, but we'll be detailing the Wakako gig locations in Cyberpunk 2077 as if you haven't done any of them yet. Remember that you only need two, and the order is indistinct. There's a Wakako gig northeast of where she is located. One of Wakako's first gigs is available in Westbrook, Japantown. From where Wakako is located, look for the gig icon on the upper right corner. The task is called We Have Your Wife, and it's a fairly simple rescue quest. This gig will take you to an underground casino. The second Wakako gig location is in Westbrook, Charter Hill. It's right next to the double-lane highway. Once you get closer to the map icon, you'll be granted access to Tyger and Vulture. It requires you to go underground and access a hidden casino, but it's fairly easy to just follow the map indicator to get there. Clampdown is a full-on quest. Once you're done with the second gig, all you have to do is wait to get the text message. As explained before, I skipped time for 24 hours, and then for 12 hours. Afterward, I opened V's phone, and the message was there, which is labeled as "a request from King." Read it and follow the prompts to gain access to Clampdown. Rewards for the Edgerunners 2 Mission in Cyberpunk 2077 Clampdown is a fairly straightforward but quite fun quest. Along with learning a bit more about the backstory of King and his crew ahead of the show's events, you'll also gain access to an armor set and a weapon. The armor set and gun are themed after King's own gear in Edgerunners 2. Here's the list of rewards for the Edgerunners 2 mission in Cyberpunk 2077: King's Coat (Outer Torso) King's Bulletproof Vest (Inner Torso, +25 armor) King's Glasses (Face) King's Pants (Legs) Icon America Dust Devil Utility Boots (Feet) Coronation (Tier 4 Iconic Tech Revolver, +200 percent headshot damage multiplier, +75 percent armor penetration, 0.5 sec charge time, as well as two empty mod slots) That's all there is to know about the Edgerunners 2 mission in Cyberpunk 2077. Be safe out there, choom.

Title: BioWare Did Something Very Rare For The Time: It Took Star Wars Seriously Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 22:01:28 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/bioware-did-something-very-rare-for-the-time-it-took-star-wars-seriously/ In what seemed to be an inevitability, Electronic Arts announced the closure of BioWare this week, including the cancellation of its current project, a future iteration in the Mass Effect series. The writing has been on the wall for some time, and EA's recent sale to Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) sealed its fate.  Much can (and should) be said about BioWare's ability to create fully realized, original worlds like those of Mass Effect and Dragon Age. But to write the developer's epitaph, we also have to recognize the incredible job it did as the steward of one of the most popular franchises in the world. BioWare truly understood Star Wars, down to its very bones, and that knowledge resulted in one of the best Star Wars games of all time. I barely even need to mention that I'm referring to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The hit from BioWare was its breakout success, remembered for its rich RPG mechanics and a twist that felt mind-blowing at the time. Without it, we may not have ever gotten modern classics like The Witcher 3, to say nothing of BioWare's own Mass Effect and Dragon Age titles. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic The creators of Knights of the Old Republic had the vision to set it in a new era of Star Wars, thousands of years before the events of the original movie, separating its story from the main continuity of films that has become a crutch for lots of modern Star Wars stories both in and outside of games. The Old Republic setting was a bold new direction, allowing fans to see the height of the Jedi Order decades before Disney introduced the High Republic era. The worldbuilding was so rich and seamless, in fact, that even though KOTOR itself has fallen out of official Star Wars canon, many parts have been borrowed and adapted into modern Star Wars lore. Memorable additions like deadly HK droids, the barren planet Malachor, the broad outlines of the Mandalorian War, and even the existence of Darth Revan have become canonized into modern Star Wars in recent years.  KOTOR understood, better than any other game of the time and many since, the fantasy of being a hero in the Star Wars universe. Adapting pieces from the world of pen-and-paper RPGs meant you could specialize as a lucky scoundrel or a clever slicer (aka hacker) wielding a blaster just as easily as a lightsaber. And once you did start down the Jedi path, the game provided a wide array of powers to experiment with, which were in part determined by your affinity to the Light Side or Dark Side of the Force. That itself was influenced by the choices you made. And your companion characters fit into the world, complementing and clashing with each other as they brought different ideologies and priorities to your mission. All of these disparate systems went hand-in-hand to make a game that truly felt like you were living within the world of Star Wars. Perhaps most impressive of all, Knights of the Old Republic took one of the elements Star Wars is most remembered for--the twist at the end of The Empire Strikes Back--and found a new angle on the concept. The question of identity and how it interconnects with fate is core to the Star Wars mythos. Luke Skywalker's struggle to accept Darth Vader as his father, and confronting his own darkness, is a key element that makes the original trilogy so meaningful. BioWare found a way to address similar questions with a reveal that packed extra punch because it was a video game. It tailored the moment to the medium.  Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Since then, many other RPG developers have iterated on KOTOR. Most directly, Obsidian made a direct sequel that was hampered by a rushed production schedule, but has since been modded and patched by fans to restore it to something close to its intended glory. It now stands as a well-regarded story set in the Star Wars universe that poses some unique takes on the nature of the Force and its relationship to its wielders. Other developers have surely been similarly inspired by KOTOR's blend of TTRPG and old-school CRPG mechanics. That's all thanks to the strong foundation built by BioWare. When The Fate of the Old Republic releases, it will inevitably be compared to KOTOR. Studios are made of people, not branding. The talented developers who gave us Knights of the Old Republic have moved on, some of them years before BioWare was closed. But the name still has meaning regardless, and for those of us who fondly remember living out our dreams of heroic quests in a galaxy far far away, BioWare will always be synonymous with Star Wars.

Title: After The BioWare Shutdown, Mass Effect Spiritual Successor Exodus Gets A New Look Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:37:24 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/after-the-bioware-shutdown-mass-effect-spiritual-successor-exodus-gets-a-new-look/ In the wake of the news that EA has closed down BioWare and ended development on Mass Effect 5, Archetype Entertainment—co-founded by former BioWare devs Chad Robertson, James Ohlen, and Drew Karpyshyn—has given players a brand-new look at its upcoming title, a very Mass-Effecty sci-fi RPG called Exodus. Specifically, Archetype has revealed a visual rework of its male player-character model. When GameSpot previewed Exodus in late August, the male version of protagonist Jun Aslan could be seen sporting a five-o'-clock shadow and very different bone structure. Now, he has a whole new face. In a new video uploaded to Archetype's YouTube channel today, Archetype general manager Chad Robertson showed off male-Jun's new look, which he explained is a result of player feedback.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InxJpKrYQAE "We've seen your conversations and feedback over the last few months around our male Jun character model," Robertson said. "We've been listening, and we take that feedback seriously. We've continued to refine Jun as we've worked on him and the rest of the game." Archetype hasn't yet revealed Jun's female character model, but the devs say her reveal is on the way. "Is FemJun on your mind?" a new post on the official Exodus website asks. "Ours too! And we’re happy to say yes, she’s coming... soon™. We’ve got something special cooking for her reveal, and we think it’ll be worth the wait." Exodus launches on April 7, 2027 and is available to wishlist now on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.

Title: EA Has A New Plan For Madden, And It Leans Into Everything The Company Gets Wrong Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:00:06 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-project-gridiron-open-world-football-leans-into-everything-the-company-gets-wrong/ Electronic Arts is developing an American football experience unlike anything it's made before, the company said in a memo shared publicly after closing BioWare and laying off 400 people across the company. In trying to spin the news positively and toward the future, the memo's attributed writers, chief studios officer Cam Weber and chief operating officer David Tinson, spoke about several of the publishing giant's upcoming games, including something EA is calling Project Gridiron. What is Project Gridiron? The memo's exact phrasing calls it a "social-first open-world experience for our American Football team." In other words, EA is getting closer to something I've been writing about for years: Madden (and possibly College Football) heavily cribbing from NBA 2K's The City mode and giving football fans a virtual social space of their own. The memo speaks of Project Gridiron as a glimmering future prospect, ignoring--or perhaps unaware of--the fact that such a mode requires EA to be a totally different company than it has proven to be. A mode like The City demands three things the EA Sports brand has historically lacked: patience, an authentic voice, and community goodwill. In NBA 2K, The City is a social hub that players can jump into with friends and strangers. In this open-world setting, players play pick-up streetball games and limited-time modes, enter tournaments for prizes, work out, practice, or simply cross the virtual hangout space to get to their next NBA game in their custom avatar's solo career.  Importantly, it's also dominated by spending opportunities, including in-game shops that sell sneakers from brands such as Nike and Adidas, streetwear from labels like Fried Rice and Washed Dads, fantasy items like magician and dragon costumes, as well as branded watches, arm sleeves, sunglasses, scooters, and much more. As rich as it is with things to do, it's also packed with ways to spend money.  EA's gamble with its marquee sports games demands it behaves like a company it's never shown itself to be. In essence, the mode blends live-service gameplay with in-game stores that players actually walk into and browse. It might sound corny or overtly cash-grabby to the uninitiated--and to some ever-present degree, it is--but it's grown into the star at the center of the series' solar system. It offers tons to do; there's always something new and interesting going on. Though I get annoyed when my avatar has to work out in the invasively green-and-orange Gatorade Gym, or when Jake from State Farm approaches me in a cutscene to give me new quests, on balance, it's a mode that's well worth its time. The City makes a tremendous amount of money for NBA 2K, and not just from in-game microtransactions. It's become such a must-play mode for so many basketball fans and friend groups that it's helped NBA 2K outsell EA's football games, despite this country's unique obsession with football. That's because the team behind NBA 2K, Visual Concepts, has spent the last decade and beyond building this mode up into something that could attract so many players. What is today, arguably, the game's main attraction actually has roots in NBA 2K14's mode called MyPark, a smaller, more modest hangout space that later grew into The Neighborhood and, eventually, The City. As mentioned, I've been waiting for EA to crib from this mode, so it wasn't surprising to see the company tease it. In fact, such a mode called The Grounds already debuted in EA's soccer game, EA Sports FC, just last month. The FC team is usually first out of the gate with shiny new tech or transferable features like this, so it makes sense that the brand's American football games will follow. That's the company's pecking order.  But EA Sports games rarely show the kind of patience the NBA 2K series is known for. Traditionally, Madden has lacked a long view. I've heard the team speak in terms like "three-year plan" for the series, so I understand the studio plots what's next in the near future, but nothing Madden has ever done feels like it's built on a longer time scale than that. Too often in Madden's history, a new feature would debut; maybe it would be good, or even not so good, but there would be obvious room for improvement, and then players would watch that part of the game stagnate over the next several years.  Even as the most recent entries in the Madden series have shown more interest in building on each successive game--a trait I credit to the braintrust that returned to the company when EA's College Football series was revived--some things still seem stuck in quicksand. Players eagerly waited an extra two months after the launch of Madden 22 for a draft-scouting overhaul, but when it finally arrived, it was lackluster, and five years later, the same system is in use. Often, EA's way of abandoning features leaves the better ones stuck in neutral, feeding the age-old criticism that sports games fail to innovate year over year, while the more poorly received features sometimes get totally removed after a couple of years. Visual Concepts sees a mixed response as constructive criticism. EA's two-headed football team at Tiburon too often sees a mixed response as good reason to drop an idea completely. In most cases, one of these is the right way to handle it, and the other is EA's way. When other game companies mess with players' money, players notice. When EA messes with players' money, players mobilize. But a social hub mode like The City demands patience. The earliest versions probably won't be great, and they might even be bad if FC's The Grounds and WWE 2K's The Island are any indication. In each case, developers tried to apply what The City does so well to their respective sports sims, but both games' communities reacted negatively, citing a lack of meaningful things to do. They've become painfully obvious signals that these modes were built and imagined first as cash registers rather than captivating modes. As overt as NBA 2K's shopping mall aesthetic can be, there's a lot to love outside the shops. Will EA commit to sticking with Project Gridiron when the initial response is likely to be tepid or worse? History suggests not. Maybe NBA 2K uniquely benefited from being the only sports series to try something like this over a decade ago, so Visual Concepts could build it up over time without any comparisons for players to make. That leaves EA's efforts to be judged in the uncomfortable shadow of The City's tremendous appeal. But it's also been nearly 15 years since NBA 2K first signaled that it was headed toward a social-first ecosystem. Where else in AAA game development does a great idea take a decade or more to be copied? EA was slow to compete.  To my eyes, the company didn't want to invest in something on that scale, and it paid for it. Instead, seven years after the earliest drafts of what would become The City, EA tried to extract similar value from a smaller-scope social mode. It introduced The Yard in Madden 21, a social "street" football mode with no shared social space, few events or attractions, and only shop menus to browse. That mode has since morphed into Superstar Showdown, so it does still exist, but the changes are largely cosmetic--swapping The Yard's grassy outdoor field for a confusing laser-tag look. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who cites it as the reason they buy the game. That neon-lit field is emblematic of another issue: EA's cosmetics feel disingenuous, with most paid offerings placed on an uninspiring spectrum from "how do you do, fellow kids?" to garish.  With a straight face, EA asks players to purchase cosmetics that look like this. Some players refuse to spend an extra dime in any game. I'm not such a person. I'll buy skins in Fortnite, outfits in Arc Raiders, and clothes in NBA 2K if I feel like it. But I've never seen anything I wanted to spend money on in Madden. Literally. Not once in a series I play 500 hours a year.  That's not like me, and it's easy to see why. You couldn't pay me to wear them, never mind ask me to fork over my real-life money for such gaudy options. Unlike NBA 2K's cosmetics, which feature some admittedly absurd stuff alongside styles rooted in authentic basketball culture, in Madden, everything carries the aesthetic of a mall kiosk selling meme tees to adolescent boys. How can EA sustain an ecosystem like The City if its players aren't buying lots of cosmetics? While The City offers dozens of brands at once, FC's The Grounds debuted with just a handful. Over time, the quantity of cosmetic options needs to increase significantly, but so does their quality. And if the mode itself is no good, even that won't be enough, because no one will be there to buy those cosmetics anyway. That brings me to the third self-inflicted wound EA will suffer as it builds Project Gridiron: an earned lack of community goodwill. One aspect of The City I've criticized a lot over the years is how it handles gameplay-altering microtransactions. It's not just clothing and mascot costumes you can buy in The City. The series' Virtual Currency can be spent to improve your player. In the NBA 2K community, it's essentially a baked-in tax that all dedicated players pay up front.  You have two options: Buy a bundle of VC once you get into The City, immediately propelling your avatar from a player rated 60 to something closer to 80, or you can buy one of the game's more expensive editions, which include a bunch of VC as a bonus. Either way, for new players in the game's community, it can feel like reading the line items on your phone bill and finding a hidden charge you didn't know you were responsible for. We can't see the exact numbers, but there's no doubt this tactic is a massive money-maker for Visual Concepts and parent company Take-Two Interactive. Walking around The City during the game's launch week every September, it's hard to find players who haven't already paid their way past the initial skill grind. Jump into The City on launch day and see if you can find five people in your lobby who haven't already spent a bunch of extra money. I've previously explained how much this part of the game sucks, despite how much fun the better parts are, and I'm far from the only one who feels that way. Still, the community seems to have accepted this reality. People like me make articles, videos, and memes about the "2K tax," but most of us still pay it year after year because the alternative is being the only low-rated player in your crew and getting left on the figurative bench. Players don't like the hidden fee, but it's been there for so long that most just pay it and move on. EA won't get that same mild response. It's EA. Players love to hate EA, and sometimes EA has given players good reason to feel that way. When EA tries a new money-making scheme, players notice and revolt loudly. Just look to this past summer, when College Football 27 was pissing everyone off due to slower XP gains that the publisher paired with new microtransactions that circumvented those slowdowns. Players protested, and within days, EA removed those paid options, though it said they'll be back. (Good luck to the EA Sports comms team with that one next summer.) Go back a few years and see how a similar rejection of pay-to-win elements in EA's Star Wars Battlefront 2 led DICE to basically rewrite the game's economy in just a few weeks, helping usher in the now-ubiquitous cosmetic-only battle-pass system. When other game companies mess with players' money, players notice. When EA messes with players' money, players mobilize. EA will certainly bring the same pay-to-win scheme we've seen in NBA 2K to Project Gridiron. I'm sure because EA has already brought that scheme to FC's The Grounds. It's even in Superstar Showdown, though, almost comically, it's made less noise there because no one cares about the mode anyway.  The company that gave us viral bad news like "Project $10," day-one DLC, and paid crafting materials in Dead Space 3 simply hasn't earned a tempered response from players, and so there won't be one. Every financial scheme will be forensically investigated by content creators seeking to lay out the greedy math of it all for their audiences.  EA wants to bounce back from the dramatic closure of BioWare and the elimination of 400 roles by pointing to the future. "Today's news is grim, but look at what we have cooking for you," the company hopes to imply. But in chasing NBA 2K's The City, Project Gridiron will need its developer-publisher to be patient, authentic, and generous--everything it's never been.

Title: GTA 6 and Gasoline in Video Games Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/videos/gta-6-and-gasoline-in-video-games/ Vehicles in Grand Theft Auto 6 require gas... sort of. We don't have all the details so Kurt takes a trip down memory lane to share some of his favorite (or most interesting) games that use gasoline as a mechanic.

Title: How to unlock the full Weeping Creek Valley map in Phantom Blade Zero Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2026 02:01:23 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/phantom-blade-zero-how-to-unlock-the-full-weeping-creek-valley-map/ To unlock the full Weeping Creek Valley map in Phantom Blade Zero, you must explore three optional areas, including the land west of the Outpost and the Creek Valley Plains. To unfog the most mysterious spots on the first map, you may have to progress in the main story further than you think.

Title: 8 Cyberpunk 2077 Replay Ideas to Make Night City Feel Brand New Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 23:00:19 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/cyberpunk-2077-replay-ideas/ V is running out of time. That’s the premise of Cyberpunk 2077: a stolen chip is slowly rewriting their mind. The only way out of this particular predicament ushers V through a cast of fixers, rock stars, and corporate killers who all want something from you. And yet, despite those bewildering stakes, there’s a decent chance you spent most of your time in the game clearing gigs, scanning NCPD crime scenes, and wandering Night City’s neon alleys. Then the credits rolled and, within moments, you were back at the character creator.

Title: 'Mass Effect Universe' Leak Promised What Fans Have Waited Decades For Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 22:19:07 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/mass-effect-universe-new-characters-male-quarian-asari-krogan-aliens/ If fans were already sad about BioWare closing down, they're shattered after watching the leaked trailer for Mass Effect Universe. Sure, the trailer was short and a little cheesy — but it could have also signaled a return to form for the stagnant franchise. And at the heart of every good Mass Effect game is a crew of characters that you get to know as the adventure unfolds.

Title: Half-Life 3 Rumors Reignite After Valve Employee Lets Codename Slip Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:16:28 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/valve-half-life-3-hlx/ It's been two decades since we last checked in on Gordon Freeman in Half-Life 2: Episode Two, with the promise of a third Half-Life game languishing for an absurdly long time. In the intervening years, Valve has neither confirmed nor denied a third mainline Half-Life game, though the secretive studio is rumored to have canceled at least one attempt to make Half-Life 3. Surprisingly, there's fresh evidence of a new Half-Life game directly from Valve, though the person revealing that information seemingly didn't intend to.

Title: 'Clayface' Officially Sets Up Another Iconic Batman Villain in the DC Universe Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:00:19 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/clayface-joker-easter-eggs/ Back in the summer of 2025, Clayface was filming in Liverpool. Photos from the set revealed a reference to another, far more famous Batman villain. One featured a wall with graffiti on it, and among the different tags was one that read “The Jokers.” That led to some speculation about Joker’s presence in the DC Universe’s Gotham.

Title: Cloud Deployment Incoming: ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’ Arrives on GeForce NOW Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 13:00:20 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-4/ Lock in and load out this GFN Thursday. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 arrives on GeForce NOW at launch, bringing a new campaign, multiplayer action and DMZ, high-stakes extraction mode to supported devices. The campaign also gets an enhanced look: GeForce RTX 5080-class performance arrives for Ultimate members, bringing support for ray-tracing features in the cloud. There’s a new way to join the cloud, too: Existing supported Fire TV Stick users can now purchase one-month Performance or Ultimate memberships directly through Amazon, making it easier to sign up and start streaming on the big screen. Plus, Square Enix’s FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE brings cinematic pixel art and strategic battles to the cloud, and The Elder Scrolls Online’s Echoes of Skyrim Season adds the entire Greymoor Chapter free for all ESO Standard Edition owners. It’s all part of six games joining the GeForce NOW library this week. Deployment Without the Downloads Squad up and answer the call on the cloud. Activision and Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches today on GeForce NOW. Members can drop into the trenches in Korea, close-quarter combat in New York, high-octane chases through Paris, night raids in Mumbai and city-wide engagements to reclaim occupied territory. Fight as Private Park, a young South Korean soldier facing live combat for the first time alongside his squad as a routine patrol turns into a desperate fight for survival. Beyond the front lines, operator-turned-outlaw Captain Price is operating outside the system he once served, pursuing revenge through covert missions as the conflict spreads. Multiplayer pairs precise combat with fluid movement, a dozen core 6v6 maps from around the world and battlegrounds that are shaped by the campaign’s global conflict. The DMZ extraction mode sends players into contested territory to recover valuable technology, weigh objectives and decide when to get out. Loot, fight, negotiate, betray and extract — it’s all fair in the cloud and battleground. Ultimate members can now experience the campaign with ray tracing, powered by newly added GeForce RTX 5080-class performance across PCs, Macs, handhelds, mobile devices, browsers, supported TVs and more. With game downloads and installs handled by GeForce NOW, members can spend less time preparing a local rig and more time preparing the next loadout. A New Way to Play A new way to join GeForce NOW on Fire TV. GeForce NOW in-app purchase is rolling out to existing supported Fire TV Stick users, making it possible to purchase a membership directly through Amazon using an existing account. Transactions are processed through Amazon’s billing system, creating a more seamless path from setup to gameplay. GeForce NOW transforms Fire TV into a powerful PC gaming rig in the cloud. Members can stream supported PC games they already own or purchase new titles from digital stores including Steam, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect, Xbox PC Game Pass, GOG and EA. The library includes thousands of ready-to-play games, including many of the world’s most-played titles and more than 100 free-to-play games. No downloads, installs, patches or updates stand between a new game and playtime. An Amazon Fire TV Stick, the GeForce NOW app and an Ultimate membership are all it takes to level up the living room with GeForce RTX 5080-powered gaming. A Pixel-Perfect Fantasy Classic roots. A new adventure. Square Enix’s FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE launches today on GeForce NOW, bringing the series’ classic roots into a cinematic pixel-art world. Travel with companions bound by fate and uncover the truth behind a force threatening to bring everything to ruin. Strengthen the party with Visions of beloved FINAL FANTASY characters, each bringing unique skills and abilities to battle. Dynamic camera angles and pixelized 3D models give familiar fantasy a fresh perspective. Exploit enemy weaknesses to stagger foes, break their defenses and seize extra turns before finishing the bonus phase with powerful Resonance attacks. Airships, crystals, espers and moogles bring familiar series favorites to a world filled with secrets to discover. GeForce NOW handles the game’s downloads and storage in the cloud, leaving more space on supported devices for everyday essentials. Save the inventory management for potions and Phoenix Downs. Step Into a New Season in Tamriel Familiar lands. Fresh reasons to return. The Elder Scrolls Online’s second season, Echoes of Skyrim, launched Wednesday, Oct. 21, free for all ESO players and ready to stream through GeForce NOW. Season Two gives everyone who owns ESO Standard Edition access to its Skyrim content and the Antiquities treasure-hunting system. The Markarth downloadable content follows Monday, Nov. 9, rounding out the additions with two classic zones to explore.  The Season also introduces Solo Dungeons, reimagining challenges previously designed for groups. Moon Hunter Keep and March of Sacrifices have been redesigned and rebalanced for players ready to tackle their dangers alone. Earn new rewards and take on new challenges at your own pace without needing to find a group. A new Tamriel Tome also launched Oct. 21, offering both free and premium battle pass reward tracks.  In addition, members can look for the following titles joining the GeForce NOW library this week: We Were Here Tomorrow (New release on Steam, Oct. 20) FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE (New release on Steam, Oct. 22) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (New release on Oct 23, available in the Call of Duty app) CONTROL Resonant (Epic Game Store) Crimson Desert (Epic Games Store) Planet Zoo 2 (Xbox app, supports XBOX Play Anywhere) Dates listed above reflect when games are released on their respective stores. GeForce NOW availability may vary, as games are onboarded after release and added throughout the week. Keep an eye on GeForce NOW channels and GFN Thursdays for availability updates on announced titles. Gamers who want to test out high-performance GeForce NOW cloud gaming can start with a day pass to try premium cloud gaming before committing to a membership. Better yet, the cost of the day pass can be applied toward a first monthly membership — making it easy to try GeForce RTX-powered cloud gaming with the latest releases, then level up for more. What’s on the mission board this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: Dial Up the Cloud: NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 Controls Arrive on GeForce NOW Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2026 13:00:59 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-enshrouded-update/ Dial in the next gaming session this GFN Thursday. New NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 controls give GeForce NOW members more choice over how supported games look and perform in the cloud, even without the latest hardware. Then, step into the Shroud as Keen Games’ Enshrouded leaves early access with its 1.0 release, or let the bolts fly in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2. Both are streaming on GeForce NOW at launch. With 10 new games joining the cloud this week, members can put the new controls to work in supported titles and keep playing across supported devices without downloads, installs or expensive hardware upgrades. Fine-Tune the Cloud With DLSS 4.5 Controls More control, more cloud power. NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 controls are now available on GeForce NOW, giving members more choice over how supported games look and perform in the cloud, even without the latest hardware. DLSS Super Resolution sharpens image quality, while Dynamic Multi Frame Generation delivers lower latency and reduces stutter for smoother streaming, and Ray Reconstruction enhances ray-traced visuals. In addition, Ultimate members streaming on GeForce RTX 5080-powered cloud rigs benefit from the maximum available options, including Dynamic Multi Frame Generation up to 4X.   From James Bond’s globe-trotting missions in 007 First Light — now with path tracing support — to CONTROL Resonant’s reality-bending Manhattan and the shadowy scares of Resident Evil Requiem, the controls help fine-tune supported games for image quality, responsiveness or a preferred balance between the two. These new settings are available in the GeForce NOW app under settings, for Windows, macOS, Chrome OS and Steam OS platforms. Members can read here for more details on using the feature with their membership tier, and more information on how to get the smoothest cloud game streaming for some games on GeForce NOW. Rise, Flameborn Enshrouded 1.0 brings the co-op survival action role-playing game out of early access and into its full release. Rise as a Flameborn, the last ember of hope of a dying race, and venture into a vast world of survival, action and role-playing, where a corrupting fog has consumed a once-beautiful kingdom. The title brings improvements to existing systems, alongside expansions in combat with nine new spells, new mage and archer skills, reworked wands and upgradeable Eternal spells and arrows. New enemy variants keep encounters fresh, while a new biome raises the player level cap to 50 and equipment cap to 55.  GeForce NOW offers Enshrouded 1.0 ready to play in the cloud at launch across supported devices. Skip the 60GB local install to save precious storage space, then step into the Shroud without waiting for downloads or needing to make room for the update. Let the Bolts Fly Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is now streaming on GeForce NOW. The brutal, fast-paced sequel to the retro first-person shooter brings more enemies, more weapons and new ways to purge. Picking up directly after the original game, a branching single-player campaign sends the fight to grimdark new worlds. Choose between the formidable Sternguard Veteran Malum Caedo and the swift Sister of Battle Nyra Veyrath, each with distinct abilities, weapons and play styles. From towering hive cities to jungle mangrove swamps, new enemy types await in every biome. GeForce NOW keeps the campaign ready in the cloud. No local rig upgrades or game installs stand between members and the fight — the Emperor’s work waits for no loading bar. In addition, members can look for the following joining the GeForce NOW library: Deep Dish Dungeon (New release on Steam, Oct. 13) Planet Zoo 2 (New release on Steam, Oct. 13) Total War: SHOGUN 2 – Complete Edition (New release on Steam, Oct. 13) Valor Mortis (New release on Steam, Oct. 13) Among the Trolls (New release on Steam, Oct. 14) over the hill (New release on Steam, Oct. 14) Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 (New release on Steam, Oct. 14) Beyond These Stars (New release on Steam and Xbox, Oct. 15), available on Game Pass Tenebris Somnia (New release on Steam, Oct. 16) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered (Xbox), available on Microsoft Store Also this week, the performance of DLSS 5’s 3D-Guided Neural Rendering model is improving by 2X, enabling even more gamers to enjoy DLSS 5’s transformative uplift in lighting and materials at high frame rates and settings. The new, more performant DLSS 5 model will debut in NBA 2K27 on Oct. 16 on GeForce NOW, GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs and RTX Spark laptops. Dates listed above reflect when games are released on their respective stores. GeForce NOW availability may vary, as games are onboarded after they’re released and added throughout the week. Keep an eye on GeForce NOW channels and GFN Thursdays for availability updates to announced titles. Gamers who want to test out the new 4.5 controls and high-performance GeForce NOW cloud gaming can start with a day pass to try premium cloud gaming before committing to a membership. Better yet, the cost of the day pass can be applied toward a first monthly membership — making it easy to try GeForce RTX-powered cloud gaming with the latest releases, then level up for more. What’s on the playlist this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: Rally Up: ‘Gears of War: E-Day’ Launches on GeForce NOW Date: Thu, 08 Oct 2026 13:00:46 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-gears-of-war-e-day/ Gears of War: E-Day leads the charge on GeForce NOW this week, bringing Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago’s first fight against the Locust Horde to the cloud with GeForce RTX-powered performance. A new way to join the action is also coming: Fire TV users will soon be able to purchase GeForce NOW memberships directly through Amazon, creating a more seamless path from device setup to gameplay. Keep an eye out for availability in the coming weeks. There’s more in store this GFN Thursday, with the cloud serving up 10 games, including seven new releases. Emergence Day Is Here Gears of War: E-Day is now streaming on GeForce NOW following its global release on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Set 14 years before the original Gears of War, the prequel follows Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago as they confront the terrifying arrival of the Locust Horde on Emergence Day. The series’ brutal combat, desperate survival and larger-than-life action return with a new origin story for the legendary partnership. Ultimate members can take on the Horde with GeForce RTX 5080-class performance in the cloud, plus technologies including NVIDIA DLSS and NVIDIA Reflex. From campaign missions to cooperative and competitive modes, GeForce NOW keeps the fight ready across low-power laptops, Macs, mobile devices, handhelds, Firefox and other browsers, and more — no massive downloads or expensive gaming rig required. New on the Cloud Menu Members can look forward to the following games joining the GeForce NOW library this week: Gears of War: E-Day (New release on Steam and Xbox, Oct. 6), available on Game Pass STAR WARS: Galactic Racer (New release on Steam, Oct. 6) Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival (New release on Steam, Oct. 8) Forever Ago (New release on Steam, Oct. 8) Order of the Sinking Star (New release on Steam, Oct. 8) Silver Pines (New release on Steam, Oct. 8) Permafrost (New release on Steam, Oct. 9) Graveyard Keeper 2 (Steam) Solasta II (Steam) Tyr (Steam) The Xbox version of Dune: Awakening didn’t join GeForce NOW in September as previously shared. Stay tuned to GFN Thursday for updates on game availability. Dates listed above reflect when games are released on their respective stores. GeForce NOW availability may vary, as games are onboarded after they are released and added throughout the week. Keep an eye on GeForce NOW channels and GFN Thursdays for availability updates on announced titles. Gamers who want to test out high-performance GeForce NOW cloud gaming can start with a day pass to try premium cloud gaming before committing to a membership. Better yet, the cost of the day pass can be applied toward a first monthly membership — making it easy to try GeForce RTX-powered cloud gaming with the latest releases, then level up for more. What’s on the play list this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: Fall Into 25 New Games on GeForce NOW This October Date: Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:00:54 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-october-2026-games-list/ Spooky season is streaming in. Alongside falling leaves, pumpkin spice and everything nice, 25 new games are joining GeForce NOW throughout October, including six ready to play this week. From a new CONTROL Resonant reward for Performance and Ultimate members to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered joining the cloud, this GFN Thursday is packed with fresh reasons to play. Claim Rewards A new reward from a world gone sideways. CONTROL Resonant is streaming from the cloud for GeForce NOW Performance and Ultimate members. Explore a warped Manhattan on the brink of paranatural annihilation as Dylan Faden harnesses extraordinary powers to battle the Hiss, the Mold and other reality-bending threats while searching for his sister, Federal Bureau of CONTROL Director Jesse Faden. Performance and Ultimate members can claim the Third Ice Baseball Cap reward for CONTROL Resonant. After claiming the reward code, launch the Steam or Epic Games Store version of CONTROL Resonant, select “Options” from the main menu, navigate to “Gameplay” and choose “Enter Redeem Code.” The reward can be equipped after completing Act 1. Cap it off: Claim the reward from Thursday, Oct. 1, through Sunday, Nov. 1, at 11:59 p.m. PT, before it slips into another dimension. The White Wolf Rides Again The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered launched Tuesday, Sept. 29, and is now streaming for Performance and Ultimate members. Follow the iconic tale of Geralt of Rivia, a monster slayer for hire, as he tracks down the Child of Prophecy in a war-torn, monster-infested open world. The remastered adventure brings Geralt’s beloved world back at refreshed specs across nearly any device. GeForce NOW handles the rendering, downloads and storage in the cloud, so there’s no expensive hardware upgrade or lengthy install standing between the trail and the next contract. Ultimate members can take the Continent further with GeForce RTX 5080-class performance in the cloud — high-end horsepower worthy of the White Wolf, with no local hardware upgrade required. In addition, members can look for the following titles streaming this week: Minecraft Dungeons II (New release on Xbox, Sept. 29), available on Game Pass Nivalis Nights (New release on Steam, Sept. 29) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered (New release on Battle.net and Xbox Play Anywhere, Sept. 29), available on Microsoft Store Bookshop Simulator (Steam) Megastore: Tidy Up Together (Steam) Planet Coaster 2 (Xbox), available on Game Pass And look forward to the games coming throughout October: Gears of War: E-Day (New release on Steam, Oct. 6) STAR WARS: Galactic Racer (New release on Steam, Oct. 6) Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival (New release on Steam, Oct. 8) Order of the Sinking Star (New release on Steam, Oct. 8) Silver Pines (New release on Steam, Oct. 8) Permafrost (New release on Steam, Oct. 9) Deep Dish Dungeon (New release on Steam, Oct. 13) Planet Zoo 2 (New release on Steam, Oct. 13) Total War: SHOGUN 2 – Complete Edition (New release on Steam, Oct. 13) Valor Mortis (New release on Steam, Oct. 13) Among the Trolls (New release on Steam, Oct. 14) over the hill (New release on Steam, Oct. 14) Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 (New release on Steam, Oct. 14) Beyond These Stars (New release on Steam, Oct. 16) Tenebris Somnia (New release on Steam, Oct. 16) Dimraeth (Steam) Graveyard Keeper 2 (Steam) Solasta II (Steam) Tyr (Steam) More from September In addition to the games announced last month, 11 more joined the GeForce NOW library. The Blood of Dawnwalker (GOG.com) Death Stranding Director’s Cut (Epic Games Store) DragonSword: Awakening (Steam) Dune: Awakening (Xbox) Everything Is Crab (Steam) LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (Steam) Over the Top: WWI (Steam) Roadside Research (Steam) RuneScape: Dragonwilds (Xbox) Stick It to the Stickman (Steam) Wild West Pioneers (Steam) Dates listed above reflect when games are released on their respective stores. GeForce NOW availability may vary, as games are onboarded after they are released and added throughout the week. Keep an eye on GeForce NOW channels and GFN Thursdays for availability updates on announced titles. Gamers who want to test out high-performance GeForce NOW cloud gaming can start with a day pass to try premium cloud gaming before committing to a membership. Better yet, the cost of the day pass can be applied toward a first monthly membership — making it easy to try GeForce RTX-powered cloud gaming with the latest releases, then level up for more. What’s on the playlist this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: Contain the Chaos: ‘CONTROL Resonant’ Launches on GeForce NOW Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:00:36 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-control-resonant/ A warped Manhattan is waiting in the cloud this week. Remedy Entertainment’s CONTROL Resonant brings Dylan Faden’s extraordinary abilities and a paranatural crisis to GeForce NOW at launch. With the release comes the final days of the CONTROL Resonant Ultimate Membership Bundle. Purchase a 12-month GeForce NOW Ultimate membership through Sunday, Sept. 27, and receive CONTROL Resonant at no additional cost. GeForce NOW support is coming soon to Googlebooks, a new category of laptops bringing together the best of ChromeOS and Android. To top it off, DragonSword: Awakening leads nine new games this week, bringing an anime-style open world to supported devices. Take Control on the Cloud Explore a warped Manhattan on the brink of paranatural annihilation in Remedy Entertainment’s CONTROL Resonant. Harness Dylan Faden’s extraordinary abilities to battle the Hiss, the Mold and other reality-bending threats while searching for his sister, Federal Bureau of CONTROL Director Jesse Faden. Dylan must master his new powers and the ever-changing forms of the Aberrant, his paranatural melee weapon, to face a cosmic threat that has escaped the Oldest House and swept through the city. Ultimate members can stream the next chapter of the CONTROL franchise with GeForce RTX 5080-class performance in the cloud, including NVIDIA DLSS 4, ray tracing, NVIDIA Reflex and Cinematic Quality Streaming technologies, with up to 5K high dynamic range on supported devices. Skip the 100GB local install and expensive PC upgrades, and step into the chaos the moment the mission begins. The clock is ticking: the CONTROL Resonant Ultimate Membership Bundle ends Sunday, Sept. 27. Cloud Gaming Meets Googlebooks GeForce NOW support is coming soon to Googlebooks — Google’s new category of laptops, and the first designed for Gemini Intelligence. Googlebook is crafted with premium materials for powerful performance. Secure by design, its Titan C chip and multigrade protection keep viruses out and hackers away. It also lets users jump from phone to laptop without skipping a beat, and access files and apps from phones directly on the laptop. As Googlebooks begin rolling out this fall, GeForce NOW support will bring the cloud gaming library to the new laptop category, making it possible to stream the latest PC games with GeForce RTX-powered performance — and without local installs. Keep an eye on GeForce NOW social channels for more availability details later this year. Awaken the Dragon Sword A dragon has awakened after 60 years, and the legacy of six heroes waits to be uncovered. Hound13’s DragonSword: Awakening transports players to the radiant, anime-style continent of Orbis, where Lute’s journey to become the hero known as the Dragon Sword begins. Explore meadows, secret cellars, deep seas, caves and dungeons alongside trusted allies and collectible Familiars. Build a team from 19 heroes, stack Status Ailments with Active Skills and chain Signal Skills into spectacular tag-team combos. Each character carries a story of their own to uncover along the way. The journey travels across supported devices, including Steam Decks, Firefox browsers and Amazon Fire TV devices, making players ready for the next adventure in Orbis. The Dragon Sword awaits. In addition, members can look for the following games joining the cloud this week: Dune: Awakening (New release on Xbox, Sept. 22, available on Game Pass) Stick It to the Stickman (New release on Steam, Sept. 23) CONTROL Resonant (New release on Steam, Sept. 24) Wild West Pioneers (New release on Steam, Sept. 25) DragonSword: Awakening (Steam) Everything Is Crab (Steam) LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (Steam) Over the Top: WWI (Steam) Roadside Research (Steam) Dates listed above reflect when games are released on their respective stores. GeForce NOW availability may vary, as games are onboarded after they’re released and added throughout the week. Keep an eye on GeForce NOW channels and GFN Thursdays for availability updates to announced titles. Those new to GeForce NOW can start with a day pass to try premium cloud gaming before committing to a membership. Better yet, the cost of a day pass can be applied toward a first monthly membership — making it easy to level up with GeForce RTX-powered cloud gaming. Which cloud-bound adventure is calling this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: Marvel’s Wolverine: Photo Mode guide Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 14:00:31 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/10/22/marvels-wolverine-photo-mode-guide/ Photo Modes are a rewarding way to get to grips with some essential elements of photography, while letting you more closely examine and appreciate a game’s art design and increasingly photorealistic visuals. Feature-rich Photo Modes put an entire suite of virtual lighting rigs at your fingertips, subtracting concerns about space requirements, or the patience of your models as you get your composition just right.   Insomniac in particular continues to bring a superheroic heft to its photographic options, first established through its Marvel’s Spider-Man games, with Marvel’s Wolverine. The game’s out for just over a month, and we continue to be dazzled by the Photo Mode skills players have displayed since launch. We’ve equally had questions from budding shutterbugs asking for guidance on how to better their shots. Here, we unpack some of the options the studio offers up in Photo Mode and some examples to get you thinking.  Warning: some of the photos here are spoilers for the game’s outfits and mid-game content Set up tips  Chapter select: Once you’ve rolled credits, loading your save file will pop you back in Logan’s cabin. Head to the bed to access a chapter select menu, letting you leap into any location or moment from the story. From Canada’s snowy wilderness, neon-soaked Shinjuku arcades, to the compact districts of Madripoor and more, you got plenty of backdrops, blockbuster moments and quieter character moments to work with.  Photo Mode UI repositioning: Insomniac has packed in a multitude of options in its Photo Mode to cater to every need you’d have. That includes up to 5 independent lighting rigs (plus customisable natural light options!), character poses, miniature mode, filters and more. Extensive options means a chunky, multi-tab Photo Mode UI. Remember: if you find the UI is blocking your shot, you can tap a button to alternate it between the left and right of your screen.  D-Pad Shortcuts: As default you access Photo Mode from the Pause menu, but jump into Settings, and you can map a shortcut to Photo Mode to the DualSense’s D-Pad. And while you’re there, assign another D-Pad button to adjust the game speed, letting you reduce game speed by 30, 50 or 70%. Useful when you want to capture the perfect action moment.   Landscape, portrait or between: You can use the Tilt option to angle the camera from a straight landscape shot, to a dramatic dutch angle, or a 9×16 portrait image. You’ll need to tilt your own head to better compose the shot with that last option (or, if you’re playing on a PlayStation Portal, just turn the handheld device on its side).  I see five lights  A headline feature of Marvel’s Wolverine Photo mode is five independent lights, each offering separate colour spectrums, intensity options, adjustable distances and such. You can choose each light to be Sphere (casting a wider glow from their centre) or Spotlights (a stronger directional beam).  One to two lights: That can seem daunting, but you don’t have to use them all! In fact, for individual portrait shots, just one or two will do. In photography terms, two lights cover your key light, and your rim light. The former is the main light, illuminating your subject from the front. Play about with having this light to the side, above or below your subject to change the mood of the shot. The latter usually is positioned behind your subject at a lower intensity and at a slight angle, casting a soft fall of light onto your model’s side, shoulders or hair, which separates them from the background.  But those guidelines aren’t rigid: play with lighting, shifting from traditional portraiture to something more startling, as I’ve done with the above. (Which positions Logan’s character model within the radius of a gun’s muzzle flash during a fight scene.)  And once you’ve comfortable with one subject, extend it to two models, then group shots. So, 5 lights. There’s a few examples of location-based uses that could help wrap your head around how to operate them.  Try this: Take the arcade early on in the “In the Shadows” chapter. It’s a barrage of colour, glowing cabinet screens and neon ceiling lights battling for dominance. Switch to Photo Mode and use each light to mimic the glow of a different arcade cabinet screen, or infer ones that aren’t even in shot. Tinker with the intensity and light type of each. You’re just trying to best replicate the mood and look of an arcade bar. I applied the same trick to the casino scene below, but with two lights only. One was positioned just in front of the fruit machine to give off that notable glow, which bathed Jean Grey’s left side in purple light. Logan on the other hand was the focus of an off-white light off-camera, mimicking the glow from the wider casino floor. Three lights: The below photo ups the set to three lights, this time coloured to replicate the flow from the two lanterns to the rear of the shot, and the candles on the floor in the foreground. I upped the intensity of the front light to cast a strong shadow on the floor. A similar trick I applied to an alternate version on the arcade scene: notice the shadow of the grabber claw cast on the back wall? Move him as you need him  In all the shots thus far, my focus was ever on the position and body language of NPCs, rather than Logan himself. That’s because with the Character Pose option, you’re able to cycle through a set of different locked poses, and then,  with movement options, you’re free to move Wolverine to anywhere within a generous radius (up, down, left, right, back and forward). You can rotate him, cycle through a variety of facial expressions and switch between any suits or claws you’ve currently unlocked. You can also hide him entirely, or any enemy NPC thanks to a toggle option in the menus.  A good rule of thumb with any photo: once snapped, cycle through the different suits before exiting. Some might fit the mood of a shot better, and the various materials on each react differently to light sources.  Note: Logan’s original position when entering Photo Mode will be taken as the centre point to which the 5 independent lights will circle around, not where he is moved to. So you’ll need to adjust lights accordingly if you want him lit a certain way.  Ready, set, action (figure)  A fun feature making a welcome leap from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: Action Figure mode. Found in the Character Pose sub-menu, one click turns Logan miniature. Ripe for some creative executions. For myself, I envisioned Wolverine sitting in Jean’s outstretched palm. In trying to capture that moment during a combat moment, I stumbled onto something unexpected: the world’s smallest Fastball Special.  Worth noting: despite his (more than usual) diminutive size, mini-Logan’s model has the same movement radius (up, down, left right, forward or back) as his normal-sized version.   The above had a comic book cover-like look I liked, which led me to the rabbit hole of using miniature work, and the ability to switch backgrounds to a specific colour palette to mimic something you’d see on the front of a graphic novel. The above was possible due to another feature worth flagging: Logan has an entirely separate set of poses when he’s airborne, as exampled below. Merging Figures The Wolverine character model isn’t blocked by other character models or environmental objects when moving him,  giving you the flexibility to get characters side by side for some dramatic shots. Don’t worry about any clipping or overlaps between models! The right camera angle will hide that imperfection (such as the shots below: in the first Jean’s right arm is actually clipping through Logan’s jacket, the second, Logan’s knee is clipping through Jean’s back). That said, don’t be afraid to get creative with the clipping. Example below: having Jean and Logan’s heads blend together, a nod to sci-fi movie-style posters and referencing how the game’s story delves into his mind and memories.  Composed and captured your shot? Now pan around  Captured a great shot? Great. But before you back out of Photo Mode, train yourself to do one last pan around. There may be an alternative angle to your setup, a hidden detail just out of view. Heck, there could be a completely different photo worth capturing in the frozen moment. For me, an early example was the below. Originally this was a neon-lit picture of Wolverine in a completely different pose. But I widened the lens and spotted Jean’s hand in the foreground, which made for a fun framing device and also gave a different vibe to the photo.  Now go grab some great photos  The above isn’t intended to be an exhaustive run down of the game’s many Photo Mode options, but a few primers to get you thinking and start on capturing great shots of your own. If you need more inspiration, find a few more galleries below!  Street Photography Gallery Remember to look beyond your immediate view. Every location in the game is rich with cool environments or background characters going about their lives.  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Action Gallery  You can increase the amount of blood or damage on Logan’s character model via a specific menu option in Photo Mode.  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Verify your age to view this content. 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Title: PlayStation Store: September 2026’s top downloads Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 13:00:25 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/10/22/playstation-store-september-2026s-top-downloads/ It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, and free-to-play games topped last month’s download charts. In September, Marvel’s Wolverine led the PS5 charts in the US, followed by EA Sports FC 27, while in the EU, EA Sports FC 27 led the PS5 charts, followed by Marvel’s Wolverine. Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month? PS5 Games US/CanadaEUMarvel’s WolverineEA Sports FC 27EA Sports FC 27Marvel’s WolverineNBA 2K27The Blood of DawnwalkerHalloweenHalloweenThe Blood of DawnwalkerGrand Theft Auto VMadden NFL 27MinecraftOnimusha: Way of the SwordOnimusha: Way of the SwordControl ResonantNBA 2K27NHL 27Forza Horizon 5College Football 27Control ResonantCall of Duty: Black Ops IICall of Duty: Black Ops IIMinecraftValheimValheimThe Witcher 3: Wild HuntGrand Theft Auto VSilent Hill: TownfallSilent Hill: TownfallResident Evil 4Minecraft Dungeons IIMinecraft Dungeons IIForza Horizon 5NHL 27Call of Duty: Black OpsDune: AwakeningDune: Awakening007 First LightResident Evil 4It Takes Two *Naming of products may differ between regions *Upgrades not included PS4 Games US/CanadaEURed Dead Redemption 2EA Sports FC 27Call of Duty: Black Ops IIIRed Dead Redemption 2Batman: Arkham KnightBatman: Arkham KnightGang BeastsA Way OutCall of Duty: WWIICall of Duty: WWIIResident Evil 5Call of Duty: Black Ops IIIResident Evil 6Gang BeastsMinecraftNeed for Speed HeatNeed for Speed HeatLEGO Marvel Super HeroesLEGO Marvel Super HeroesCall of Duty: Modern WarfaretheHunter: Call of the WildCrash Bandicoot N. Sane TrilogyCall of Duty: Modern WarfareMinecraftA Way OutUnravel TwoGod of WarThe ForestStar Wars Battlefront IIMafia TrilogyMortal Kombat XResident Evil 6Crash Bandicoot N. Sane TrilogyResident Evil 5EA Sports FC 27God of WarThe ForesttheHunter: Call of the WildInjustice 2LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 *Naming of products may differ between regions  PS VR2 Games* US/CanadaEUI Am Cat I Am Cat Horizon Call of the MountainBeat SaberBeat SaberPavlovPavlovHorizon Call of the MountainJob SimulatorJob SimulatorCities: VR – Enhanced EditionMetro AwakeningArizona Sunshine VR 2Arizona Sunshine VR 2Bootstrap IslandCities: VR – Enhanced EditionMetro AwakeningVampire: The Masquerade – JusticeHard BulletSwordsman VR *PlayStation Store purchases only. Game upgrades or games bundled with hardware not included Free to Play (PS5 + PS4) US/CanadaEUCall of Duty: WarzoneAniimoOnce HumanFortniteFortniteCall of Duty: WarzoneAniimoRobloxRobloxOnce HumanMarvel RivalsRocket LeagueRocket LeagueeFootballApex LegendsAsphalt LegendsAsphalt LegendsMarvel RivalsFall GuysFall Guys

Title: Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis – the evolution of Lara Croft’s design Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:59:38 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/10/22/tomb-raider-legacy-of-atlantis-the-evolution-of-lara-crofts-design/ When Lara Croft first leapt onto screens in 1996, she was a few hundred polygons and a fistful of pixels. Thirty years later, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis reimagines that same adventurer with technology the original team could only dream of. Through it all, one goal held steady: she had to look like Lara. For a generation of players, their first adventure with Lara unfolded on PlayStation. Tomb Raider and PlayStation came of age together in the mid-nineties, each helping shape what that new era of gaming could be. Thirty years later, that connection still resonates, and Lara’s latest journey continues on PlayStation 5. Play Video Building on the original “Now we have that technology and the computing power, we ask, how do we make this the most realistic-looking Lara while sticking with that original design?” For the character team, the 1996 design is the anchor every choice answers to. “When the original Lara was made, we could only have a certain number of polygons, a certain number of textures,” says Brendon Bengston at Crystal Dynamics. “There were a lot of things we wanted to do to make things look realistic that we just didn’t have the technology for. Now we have that technology and the computing power, so we ask, how do we make this the most realistic-looking Lara while sticking with that original design?” Every console generation since has moved that design a step forward. The PlayStation 2 era of Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld gave Lara smoother geometry and more expressive animation, and the Survivor trilogy pushed her detail and realism further still. Each leap added polygons, texture, and nuance, and each one answered back to that same 1996 silhouette. For the concept team, the harder challenge was balance: pushing the fidelity forward while keeping her instantly recognizable. “You want them to feel believable, but you also want them to look recognizable,” says Aleksandra Skiba, Senior Character Concept Artist at Flying Wild Hog. “You have to figure out what you can do now to make them better.” Rendering a living character The leap from 1996 is most visible in the details that used to be impossible. Take her hair. “Back in the first couple of Tomb Raider games, it was all polygons, all big shapes,” Bengston says. “Now we are able to create hair cards and craft exact strands.” Hair cards are thin, overlapping strips of semi-transparent texture, layered to mimic real clumps of hair rather than the solid, helmet-like shapes of the past. The difference is in the motion. “How does the bang move? What does the ponytail feel like? What does the braid feel like? We can get in and craft every nook and cranny.” Her skin carries the same fidelity. “We can do a lot of things with our materials for the skin. We have subsurface scattering, we have flow maps,” Bengston says. Subsurface scattering is the effect that makes skin look alive rather than plastic, light sinking slightly into the surface and glowing back out, the way your ear looks lit from within when the sun is behind it. The face goes further still. “We can craft custom blend shapes so that when Lara squinches, we see bespoke lines on her face, on the forehead, when she smiles or when she frowns.” Blend shapes are sculpted facial poses the game moves between, letting a single face form thousands of natural expressions. “We weren’t able to do that not long ago. Using this technology from Epic in Unreal has let us take the characters to the next level, not just in their static model but in how they move and emote.” Real fabric, real folds “We actually hired a tailor to create an actual outfit for her. They made it, we put it on a mannequin and scanned it, and now we have a real-world asset of the digital version.” To dress Lara believably, the team leaned on the real world. “Early on we decided to leverage a scanning pipeline,” Bengston says. “We sculpted the base body, got it 3D printed at real scale, sent it to a vendor, put real-world clothes on the mannequin, and scanned that. It gives us real-world cloth. Denim folds differently than silk. It folds differently from chiffon or cotton or wool.” For one of Lara’s outfits, they went all the way. “We actually hired a tailor to create an actual outfit for her,” Bengston says. “They made it, we put it on a mannequin and scanned it, and now we have a real-world asset of the digital version.” What we kept, what we reimagined Technology renders the surface. Identity is what the team fought to protect. John Stafford, Narrative Director at Crystal Dynamics, frames the reimagining in three parts. “What we kept: Lara’s intelligence, fearlessness, and thrill-seeking spirit remain completely intact,” he says. “What we evolved: we deepened her emotional depth and relationships without losing her confidence. What we reimagined: we unified the mythic, grounded, and larger-than-life tones of multiple Tomb Raider eras into one Lara.” It is a challenge the studio has faced before. “Anniversary was about retelling a classic through a modern lens. Legacy of Atlantis is about synthesizing thirty years of Lara into something new,” Stafford says. “Anniversary taught us that, outside of plot points, fans remember how Lara makes them feel. We want to evoke similar emotions from across all previous eras.” That includes the younger, rawer Lara of the Survivor trilogy. “The Survivor era showed us Lara works well when danger has consequences,” Stafford says. “We carried forward her physicality, emotional credibility, and sense of earned resilience. Even at her most confident and badass, this Lara still feels human.” One Lara, every era “No matter the era, Lara must always feel like someone who needs to know what’s behind the next door.”  The result is a Lara built to resonate with anyone who has ever picked up a controller in her name. For players meeting her for the first time, the target is simple. “That she’s the smartest person in the room, and the boldest,” Stafford says. “That adventure isn’t something she survives, it’s something she actively pursues.” One quality, Stafford says, was non-negotiable no matter which era a fan loves most. “Lara’s curiosity and spirit of discovery. No matter the era, Lara must always feel like someone who needs to know what’s behind the next door.” Everything about how she is made has changed. What makes her Lara has not. Pre-order Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis Lara Croft’s greatest adventure begins February 12, 2027. Pre-orders are live now on PlayStation Store, so secure your edition before launch.

Title: Once Human’s Isles of Abyss expansion launches on PS5 tomorrow Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:00:37 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/10/21/once-humans-isles-of-abyss-expansion-launches-on-ps5-tomorrow/ Hey everyone, we have huge news to share with you today. Once Human’s largest free expansion yet, Isles of Abyss, is officially launching tomorrow, October 22 （October 21)  on PlayStation 5. We’ve taken the strange worlds survival you know and love, and plunged it into uncharted waters. Starting tomorrow, you can leave the safety of dry land behind, set sail across five brand-new oceanic regions, and face down brand new threats unlike anything you’ve ever encountered before. Dive into a “living” ocean When we set out to build this expansion, we wanted to make sure that the sea felt like more than just a blue backdrop or a way to get from A to B. In Isles of Abyss, the entire ocean is a massive, conscious entity known as “The Sunken Lord.” The water surface you navigate is its physical body, while the eerie, staring lighthouses “The Tower” and spectral ghost ships “Voyagers” drifting through the fog act as its organs and manifestations of its dark will. The sea is constantly watching you, reacting to your presence, and feeding on your fear. As you explore, you’ll encounter dynamic regional threats – from suffocating mysterious fogs and violent black tides to skies raining temporal fire. To untangle the secrets of this world, you and your squad will need to brave these anomalies, defeat regional bosses anchored in colossal towers, and ultimately confront the Sunken Lord itself. Build your dream Mobile Sea Fortress To survive a sea that actively wants to devour you, a basic wooden raft isn’t going to cut it for long – though that’s exactly where your journey begins. We’ve given you complete freedom to build, customize, and upgrade your vessel into a fully functional, mobile Sea Fortress. Your ship isn’t just transportation; it’s your forward base, workshop, heavy artillery platform, and primary survival tool. Want to build a classic wooden pirate ship armed with heavy broadside cannons? Go for it. Prefer an industrial drilling rig, a sleek sci-fi aircraft carrier, or a completely wild, abstract floating fortress? The design is entirely up to your imagination. How you engineer your vessel serves as your tactical answer to the ocean’s threats. You can team up with friends to form entire player fleets, coordinating your ship designs to tackle different hazards together as you sail through uncharted waters. The land-sea dual progression loop Your survival journey begins as you wake up on a starter island, but from there, the order in which you explore the remaining four oceanic regions is entirely up to you, allowing every player to carve out a unique growth path. Isles of Abyss introduces a seamless, mutually feeding progression loop between land and sea. Resources gathered from exploring mysterious islands fuel the naval tech and heavy weaponry needed to survive open-water encounters. In turn, venturing into the deep sea unlocks specialized materials that enhance your terrestrial gear and base progression. Beneath the waves, a dedicated underwater exploration layer awaits, where you can dive deep into sunken ruins for lost treasure, harvest rare aquatic resources, and engage in deep-sea hunting to sustain your crew and gain special materials. Feel every wave with PS5 features We’ve fully tailored this aquatic journey for the PlayStation 5 to make navigating a hostile ocean feel as tactile as possible: DualSense haptic feedback: Feel the low, rumbling heartbeat of the Sunken Lord beneath your hull, along with the distinct rhythm of crashing waves, roaring sea storms, and hull-creaking impact during naval combat. Adaptive triggers: Experience realistic resistance with every shot as you pull the trigger on heavy naval cannons or launch grappling lines into enemy vessels. Lightning-Fast SSD Loading: Seamlessly transition from land exploration to captaining your ship, or diving deep into underwater trenches, without interrupting your survival flow. Prepare to set sail tomorrow The tide has turned, and the living ocean is waiting. Grab your friends, head over to the PlayStation Store, and download Once Human to be ready for the free-to-play Isles of Abyss expansion arriving on PS5 tomorrow..  We’ll see you on the open sea – try not to let it swallow you whole.

Title: PlayStation Indies: 9 must-play horror games for the spooky season Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:00:31 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/10/21/playstation-indies-9-must-play-horror-games-for-the-spooky-season/ There is joy in being a little scared. From pleasantly spooky atmospheres to frights that make your fingers fidget on the controller. Our team has played many horror-themed indie games, from cozy to creepy, and we’re excited to share some of our favorites to keep players frightened and having fun this Halloween season. CloverPit What’s scary about slot machines? Not much, unless you’ve ever tried to navigate a casino floor with your wallet (and ears) intact. But what if your life was riding on every jackpot? What if you were locked in a grim, rusted-metal nightmare room, suspended above a bottomless pit, with only a broken toilet and a few lucky charms to keep you company? Bet you’d be pretty scared then, huh? Huh!? In any case, that’s the premise of CloverPit, a macabre slot-machine roguelite in which your only hope of survival is to win enough coins to clear an ever-rising debt. This isn’t entirely random; unlocking a few of those charms can tilt the odds in your favor, and learning to synergize them can keep you a few steps ahead of your unseen captors. Also, the longer you survive, the more likely you are to get bonuses you can build strategies around, giving you more breathing room to plan an escape. So don’t get discouraged if your first few attempts send you tumbling into the abyss – there’s always a chance for better luck, even unstoppable luck, on your next run. – Mikel Reparaz, Game Content Analyst Escape the Backrooms Play Video Escape the Backrooms is a horror exploration game that plunges you into the unsettling world of the internet’s infamous Backrooms legend. Traverse more than 30 eerie levels, solve puzzles, avoid terrifying entities, and search for a way out. Just remember: survival is far from guaranteed. Brave the Backrooms alone for a tense, atmospheric experience, or team up online with up to three friends. Proximity voice chat means you’ll need to stick together whilst communicating carefully! The catch? Keep your voices to a whisper; the entities can hear you too.What makes Escape the Backrooms a must-play is how brilliantly it balances psychological horror with chaotic multiplayer fun. Its unsettling environments and unpredictable dangers make solo exploration genuinely nerve-racking, while playing with friends can quickly turn into a chorus of panicked shouting and questionable decisions. Few horror games make being lost so terrifying, or watching your friends make everything worse so entertaining.– Jonty Binns, Global Account Manager Fangtopia Play Video Not every spooky game needs to scare the life out of you. Fangtopia is a cozy, single-player puzzle game where you build your own monster-filled kingdom, one hexagonal tile at a time. Connect forests, towns, mountains, and railways to create a sprawling landscape, then populate it with werewolves, yetis, and other wonderfully weird creatures. And there’s no timer, so you can relax whilst planning each move.Fangtopia is a must-play because it captures the spirit of Halloween without any of the scares. Its charming monsters, playful atmosphere, and satisfying puzzle mechanics make it the perfect game to unwind with after a night of horror. Whether you’re building the creepiest kingdom imaginable or simply seeing what strange creatures you can discover, Fangtopia proves that Halloween can be all treats, no tricks.– Jonty Binns, Global Account Manager Graveyard Keeper 2 Play Video Is it weird to call this medieval apocalyptic game cozy? Because this is exactly how I would summarise this game in one word.I have never played the first game (Graveyard Keeper), so I learned the gameplay mechanics and story just by playing this one. I am usually not a fan of resource-management games, but somehow Graveyard Keeper 2 really hooked me, and I ended up losing track of time while playing! Customization also plays a big part, letting you decide where and what to build as you gradually bring the town back to life.From the characters’ tone to the art style (2D, retro pixelated art), I started wondering why I never played the first one! The gameplay is quite full-on, with multiple things to do depending on what you prefer: complete quests, craft objects, build a zombie army to help you restore the town, or simply look after your church and graveyard. For someone new to the franchise, I recommend this game if you want a cozy, story-driven experience that unfolds at your own pace!Who knew rebuilding a town with the help of zombies could be so relaxing?–  Juliette Common – Go-To-Market Strategist Hunter’s Moon Play Video What I enjoyed most about Hunter’s Moon was how different it felt from most horror games I’ve played. Rather than relying on monsters or jump scares, it draws its tension from the people, places, and beliefs that shape its world. I found myself slowing down to absorb the atmosphere, listening in on conversations, exploring winding countryside paths, and gradually piecing together the lives of the community around me. Some of my favorite moments came from simply observing the stories unfolding inside homes and taverns, while the game’s wonderfully strange mummers, handcrafted visual style, and strong sense of British folklore gave every encounter a distinctive character. One moment I was completely engrossed in the villagers’ lives and dramas; the next I was desperately trying to evade capture when a stealth sequence took an unexpected turn. The result is a mature, atmospheric folk-horror experience that feels genuinely unlike anything else I’ve played recently. – Dominic Kendrick – Producer Phasmophobia Play Video Are solo scares not your thing? Maybe you’d feel braver with some friends along. Phasmophobia lets you team up with three other ghost hunters to investigate extremely haunted locations and gather evidence of the supernatural. Using voice chat and advanced equipment like UV lights, cameras, and thermometers, you’ll creep through dark spaces, hunting for clues about the resident ghost.Just know that the ghosts can hunt you back. While you’re poking around and laughing with your friends, you might see eerie phenomena, lights flickering, doors slamming, or even the ghost itself, but when the front door locks and you hear it coming, it’s time to run, hide, and hope it doesn’t find you. And don’t scream, they’re always listening. Always. – Mikel Reparaz, Game Content Analyst Reanimal Play Video Beautiful dissonance is the shortest way to describe the feeling of playing Reanimal. Juxtaposed against a morose color palette where scares lurk behind every shadow, it’s a tender, cooperative experience that gently guides the player through environmental storytelling at its finest. You play as an orphaned brother and sister on a mission to rescue their missing friends, navigating a nightmarish island through a combination of stealth and puzzle-platforming mechanics.One moment, you may crouch behind an object to hide from a macabre creature; the next, you may be frantically chased through cavernous woods teeming with monstrous surprises. In all of these moments, you’ll have to work with your sibling to survive, forging a shared experience in the dark.From its sumptuously dark atmosphere to its tense pursuits across the island, Reanimal is the perfect companion for spooky season.– Becky Sayers, Independent Partners Team Lead Silver Pines Play Video A private detective lost in a rainy, mostly abandoned mountain town is a natural setup for a Lynchian survival-horror game; a side-scrolling search-action, not so much. Yet Silver Pines blends its inspirations cleverly, delivering a moody, mystery-filled adventure where players hunt for keys and clues while discovering weapons that let them tear through obstacles and misshapen creatures with equal ease.It starts slow. Investigator Red Walker wakes up in a diner with little more than his modest ability to jog and dodge, but the game quickly immerses players in a nightmare mystery as Red delves into decrepit motels, flooded tunnels, and dreamlike spaces in search of missing musician Eddie Velvet. An unusual high-contrast art style and surprisingly effective scares deepen the sense of unease, while satisfyingly brutal, stompy combat makes pushing deeper into the horror more fun. It’s a strange, melancholic, and utterly unique take on survival horror. –  Mikel Reparaz, Game Content Analyst The Midnight Walk Play Video The Midnight Walk is a single-player, first-person adventure focused on exploration, puzzles, and stealth. You travel through a beautifully twisted dark fantasy world alongside Potboy, a small lantern-like companion whose flame is key to your journey. What makes this a standout must-play is its incredible handcrafted art style, with every character and environment sculpted in clay and 3D-scanned into the game. It feels like stepping into a dark stop-motion movie that’s weird, beautiful, and unsettling in equal measure, and unlike almost anything else out there. If you love Tim Burton films or are a fan of Little Nightmares, this is a must-play for you. –  John Vega, Director, Head of Independent Partner Relations Discover more indie favorites on PlayStation Play Video What spooky games are you playing this Halloween season?

Title: A Line Held Tight is a charcoal visual novel about a miner's strike in the 32nd century and choosing your relationships wisely Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:50:40 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/a-line-held-tight-is-a-charcoal-visual-novel-about-a-miners-strike-in-the-32nd-century-and-choosing-your-relationships-wisely We've had about roughly four decades of games as we generally know them now, and yet somehow, so often their stories feel so limited in scope. I'm not talking about a lack of big, bold ideas, in fact there might be too many of those. I more mean that there are aspects to life that often go uncovered in games. For example, when was the last time you saw a game about a workers strike? Citizen Sleeper 2 has one questline about such a thing, but it's just what the entire game is about. A Line Held Tight, a mecha visual novel about a sci-fi miner's strike, may bridge that gap. Read more

Title: Robot smashing catharsis game Virtue and a Sledgehammer is out next week, but there's an experimental visual novella prologue you can play right now Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 20:36:04 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/robot-smashing-catharsis-game-virtue-and-a-sledgehammer-is-out-next-week-but-theres-an-experimental-visual-novella-prologue-you-can-play-right-now Virtue and a Sledgehammer looks like a satisfying game. There is perhaps no more wonderfully chunky and impact frame friendly a weapon than the reliable sledgehammer, and when put into a game with a description like, "Most people resort to therapy. But you chose the brave option. A sledgehammer," then of course I have to give it a look. Unfortunately, I still have to wait a week to check out the full thing. Fortunately, a prologue to the game just dropped for free that offers a tantalising, and quite different, experience. Read more

Title: An internal Mass Effect 5 trailer has reportedly leaked, offering you a glimpse at the sequel you'll never get to play Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 17:45:41 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/an-internal-mass-effect-5-trailer-has-reportedly-leaked-offering-you-a-glimpse-at-the-sequel-youll-never-get-to-play Yesterday, only a couple of months after EA went private after having been acquired by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, equity firm Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner's Affinity, it was announced that BioWare are being shut down, with development on their next Mass Effect game cancelled. Now, only a day after this was announced, a trailer that was meant for internal use only has been shared, showing off a rough idea of what the game would be like. Read more

Title: Dispatch celebrates its first anniversary with commentary and storyboard modes for every single episode, if you've got the deluxe edition anyway Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 17:08:54 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/dispatch-celebrates-its-first-anniversary-with-commentary-and-storyboard-modes-for-every-single-episode-if-youve-got-the-deluxe-edition-anyway I'm going to park my feelings of unease at the fact that it's somehow already been a year since Dispatch came out, as developer AdHoc Studio have revealed some pretty neat sounding additions to the game to commemorate its first anniversary. Well, if you have the deluxe edition anyway (sorry, regular edition owners). Read more

Title: Even at their most chaotic and conflicted, BioWare were the heart of the western computer RPG Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 16:30:00 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/even-at-their-most-chaotic-and-conflicted-bioware-were-the-heart-of-the-western-computer-rpg Life... is strength. The gears of this world are tuned for a quick death. Doomity-doom-doom! We is all doooooo-oooomed! The Guardian says for me to be cheerful, and to not repeat what he says all the... oh. I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favourite store on the Citadel. You simians may merely refer to me as 'Sir,' if you prefer a less... syllable-intensive workout. I have seen the throne of the Gods, and it was empty. Stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls and ask the ghosts if honour matters. There are people like you everywhere. It's just that not everyone has the words for it yet. You exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it. Let's call that finished. You must gather your party before venturing forth. Read more