Title: Hasbro Tries To Force Child Actors Into Signing AI Voice Contracts Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:00:22 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/hasbro-force-child-actors-ai-voice-contracts-peppa-pig-2000710552 An open letter is fighting to protect the rights of Peppa Pig's child cast from being horribly screwed over

Title: Xbox Now Offering Loans As It Jacks Console Prices Up Past $750: ‘The Entire Consumer Electronics Industry Is Struggling’ Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:47:02 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/xbox-price-increase-2026-tariffs-buy-now-pay-later-2000710565 Microsoft is increasing the prices of Xbox Series consoles once more and introducing a 'Buy Now, Pay Later' option

Title: Steam’s LGBTQ+ Tag Reportedly Blocked In China As It ‘Violates Local Laws And Regulations’ Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:44:58 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/steams-lgbtq-tag-reportedly-blocked-in-china-as-it-violates-local-laws-and-regulations-2000710504 According to reports, the LGBTQ+ tag has been marked as 'inappropriate' on China's Steam store and can no longer be accessed

Title: Star Fox Players Are Already Making Its Characters Say Wild Things With Its VTuber Avatars: ‘You Gotta Do Your Own Research On The Vaccinations, Fox’ Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:30:14 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/star-fox-switch-2-nintendo-avatars-fox-falco-slippy-2000710547 Who could have foreseen this?

Title: I Want Joker To Finally Confess His Feelings For Batman In His New Animated Show Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:18:02 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/joker-laugh-riot-dc-animation-batman-2000710507 Joker and Batman sitting in a tree, K-I-L-L-I-N-G (each other...sensually)

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: All Dead By Daylight Free Skins And Quests For The Black Banquet Event Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:04:13 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/all-dead-by-daylight-free-skins-and-quests-for-the-black-banquet-event/ With 70 million players to date, Dead by Daylight is more than a cult hit, but its Black Banquet event is a literal cult affair. The multiplayer horror game's annual anniversary event is back once more, and it's bringing several free skins to the celebration, as well as other free cosmetics and new paid skins. To claim most of them, you'll need to complete the Black Banquet Quests during the event, which runs from June 25 to July 16, with a new slate of challenges added every week. The Black Banquet event includes a few unique mechanics as well as a new limited-time currency, Banquet Coins, you'll use to grab most of the free cosmetics. Below, we've explained everything you need to know and do to get the most out of your dark dinner party. In This Article All Black Banquet questsMorsels, banquet tables, and poisoningBanquet Coins and rewardsBlack Banquet store itemsBlack Banquet DBD Twitch Drops All Black Banquet quests Currently, there are 13 Black Banquet quests to complete, with more to come each week during the event. Several quests are milestone quests, meaning as you complete them, they will escalate to higher versions of themselves that are able to be completed again. Others are completion quests, meaning you'll unlock their rewards when you finish a set number of other quests. It's these quests that house the free Black Banquet cosmetics for characters Dwight Fairfield and The Trapper, though there are even more free items to get elsewhere in the event.  One community quest also asks the entire DBD community to complete 100,000,000 total trials in these three weeks, which the community seems primed to do, as the event has only just begun and, as I type this, the total is already upwards of half a million. Below are all the quests and their rewards for the Black Banquet event. BLACK BANQUET QUESTREWARDCommunity quest - Complete 100,000,000 Black Banquet trials20,000 Bloodpoints20 Rift FragmentsComplete 4 Black Banquet questsAppetite for Greatness Dwight cosmeticRightful Place Trapper cosmetic100 Rift FragmentsComplete 8 Black Banquet questsFeed the Leader Dwight cosmeticJust Desserts Trapper cosmetic100 Rift FragmentsComplete 12 Black Banquet questsWeak Stomach Dwight cosmeticBrand New Man Trapper cosmeticComplete 14 Black Banquet questsRefined Beak badgeStill Standing banner100 Rift FragmentsCollect 10 morsels from food carts (milestone x4)10,000 Bloodpoints50 Banquet Coins25 Rift FragmentsPlace 5 morsels on banquet tables (milestone X4)10,000 Bloodpoints50 Banquet Coins25 Rift FragmentsPoison 5 objects (milestone x4)10,000 Bloodpoints50 Banquet Coins25 Rift FragmentsPoison 5 survivors with poison bottles (milestone x4)10,000 Bloodpoints50 Banquet Coins25 Rift FragmentsComplete 12 trials10,000 Bloodpoints75 Banquet CoinsEat 15 morsels10,000 Bloodpoints75 Banquet CoinsHit 60 survivors with a basic attack10,000 Bloodpoints75 Banquet CoinsCarry survivors over 500 meters OR escape 10 chases10,000 Bloodpoints75 Banquet Coins Morsels, banquet tables, and poisoning Whether you're new to DBD or have been playing for a long time, the Black Banquet includes some unique mechanics that you'll need to understand to complete all the quests.  Morsels are pieces of food that survivors can find and eat, or place on banquet tables for allies to find and eat during a round. If you use the Toothy Torte Offering, available in the Bloodweb during the Black Banquet event, you'll start a round with a morsel already in hand, making placing and eating them much easier. Different meals you can find offer different buffs, such as instant healing and faster movement. Black Banquet morsels and their effects Killers, meanwhile, start each round with a number of poison charges, and the Toothy Torte maximizes the number of charges for killers using that Offering in their loadouts. Poison can be used on banquet tables, pallets, generators, and portals. It can even be thrown at survivors. If a survivor eats a poisoned morsel, their sprint ability will be debuffed. Once four generators have been activated (or one survivor remains), morsels and poison can't be collected anymore, at which point interacting with a banquet table will give the survivor or killer either: Haste boost Elusive/Undetectable Endurance or Blindness immunity Note that morsels, poison, and banquet tables only spawn if you queue into the Black Banquet matchmaking specifically, so be careful not to jump into regular games due to muscle memory. Banquet Coins and rewards As you progress through the quests above, you'll collect lots of Banquet Coins for use exclusively during the event. Any unspent Banquet Coins will be converted into Bloodpoints when the Black Banquet concludes.  To collect every reward, you'll need to amass 1,375 Banquet Coins. The first slate of Black Banquet quests already offers 1,100 Banquet Coins, and there are still two waves of quests to come, so you won't likely need to complete every quest in order to gather every last freebie. Black Banquet store items There are four more Black Banquet-themed items available in the shop, with each on sale for 1,080 Auric Cells, or about $10 a piece. They are: Claudette's Dearest Claudette skin The Doctor's Dearest Herman skin The Legion's Dearest Julie skin Kate's Dearest Kate skin Black Banquet items you can buy with Auric Cells Black Banquet DBD Twitch Drops If you're a DBD completionist, or maybe you just want more free stuff, there's one more skin you can unlock for free by watching partnered DBD streams on Twitch during the Black Banquet event. This includes a new outfit, mask, and weapon for The Oni killer, which you can see below. If you haven't linked your Behaviour and Twitch accounts yet, you can do so here. Black Banquet Twitch Drops for DBD The Black Banquet ends on July 16, so make sure you get everything done before then if you want to maximize your rewards.

Title: Xbox May Have Another Price Hike Up Its Sleeve In 2027 Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:00:15 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-may-have-another-price-hike-up-its-sleeve-in-2027/ If you thought today's Xbox price hike was jaw-dropping, it appears that Microsoft is preparing for another one in the next year. Following the June 25 announcement that Xbox consoles will increase worldwide by $100 and $150 starting August 1 (depending on the model), the company confirmed that 2027 (or maybe 2028) could see the cost of Xbox consoles going up one more time. "Last October, we increased Xbox console price by $20-$70 in the US." Microsoft wrote in a June 25 Xbox Wire blog. "We hoped another price increase would not be necessary, and we have spent the last several months working with suppliers on options. Unfortunately, console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x, and we expect another doubling by the fall of 2027." This suggests that Microsoft could be planning to jack up the price of Xbox consoles as early as winter 2027. 2028 is entirely viable, too, and while we don't know how much the company plans to increase the cost of Xbox systems, there's the anticipation that another price hike may come in the next couple of years. This comes not long after Microsoft already bumped the prices of its consoles. A price hike was implemented in May 2025, which saw Xbox consoles increase between $80 and $100 (depending on the model), and another came in October 2025, which pushed up the cost of Xboxes between $20 and $70 (though that was only in the US). While the ongoing chip shortage is affecting almost every piece of technology--from consoles to laptops to phones--these frequent price hikes are starting to price game consoles out of relevance.

Title: Buying GTA 6 And A New Console This Fall? You Better Be Rich Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:38:38 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/buying-gta-6-and-a-new-console-this-fall-you-better-be-rich/ When Grand Theft Auto 6 arrives on November 19, 2026, it will undoubtedly be one of the biggest--if not the biggest--entertainment launches in history. The game will, at least initially, only launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles, which have been available for nearly six years. Typically, consoles that have been available for such a long time would be priced significantly lower than they were at launch, letting the current-gen stragglers pick up a console for a nice bargain when it's time to play GTA 6. But nothing is "typical" anymore, and players face a very frustrating reality in 2026. Not only will you not get a discount as reward for your patience--you're going to have to pay much more for a system that's basically identical to the one released in 2020.  Let's back up a little bit to examine what the situation was like in 2013, when Grand Theft Auto 5 arrived and became the most profitable entertainment product of all time. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were on their last legs, with their successors scheduled to arrive just a few months after GTA 5's launch. When the Xbox 360 first arrived in 2005, it was priced at $300 for the cheaper Core version. The PS3 arrived the following year, priced at $500 for its cheaper 20GB model.  These might as well be pictures of diamonds and gold bars. But by 2013, both systems had received multiple redesigns that not only added more features and improvements, but came with reduced prices. A new model of Xbox 360 released in 2013 with a $200 price tag. Similarly, the PS3 "Super Slim" released in 2012 and its cheaper 250GB model retailed for $270. Both prices were drastically lower than the launch versions of either system, and in the case of the PS3, it was nearly half off. Sure, the new systems were due to arrive soon, but Grand Theft Auto 5 didn't require them, and this could feasibly be the only game someone played for months or even years at a time--especially with GTA Online. Anyone willing to wait that long before buying a console was rewarded with massive savings.  In 2026, things look a whole lot different. Due almost entirely to the AI industry's never-ending need for chips, the price of computer hardware has gone through the roof. GPUs and RAM are exponentially more expensive, and the problem affects not just the cutting-edge components, but also standard, consumer-level chips. Rather than gradually lower in price--like we've seen video game consoles do for decades--both the PS5 and Xbox Series X have gotten dramatically pricier. Both standard systems were $500 back in 2020, and now sit at $650 (more on that a bit later). The PS5 Digital Edition is also more expensive than it was at launch--$600 versus $400--so anyone looking to capitalize on GTA 6 not launching with a physical disc isn't even going to be saving much money this way.  There's been no cheaper redesigns this generation, even though a "slim" PS5 did release back in 2023. The console-makers went from the infrastructure nightmare that was launching a console during a worldwide pandemic almost directly into the AI-led chip shortage. With enough trouble already sourcing components for their existing SKUs, launching a new, cheaper model makes little sense. Launching a more expensive version for price-insensitive gamers with monocles and fancy tuxedos seemed to make sense, though. Regardless, if you want to play GTA 6 at its highest possible fidelity and performance come November 19, it'll cost you $900. If you want the Ultimate Edition of GTA 6, that's another $100 on top of that. And sure, you could save $20 and pick up the standard edition--but it is missing several missions.  We've never seen such a high barrier to entry for playing a Rockstar game, unless you were just itching to get your hands on Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis a few months after the Xbox 360 released. GTA 4 launched a few years into the 360/PS3 console generation, with prices starting to decline already. Red Dead Redemption followed in 2010, with the systems becoming even more affordable, and Red Dead Redemption 2 launched in 2018--again, years after the PS4 and Xbox One had launched, with their prices much lower than they were initially.  It would be easier to remain optimistic about the future if it seemed like there was some glimmer of hope--some sign that we were eventually going to get over this hump and see the cost of gaming hardware start dropping again. Instead, the opposite is happening. As I was preparing to wrap up this piece, Microsoft announced yet another price increase on Xbox consoles, bringing the Xbox Series S 512GB console up to $500, which is what the 1TB Xbox Series X cost at launch back in 2020. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Xbox Series X 1TB will now be $800, and the 2TB version is being completely discontinued, likely so Microsoft doesn't have to price it at $1,000. How magnanimous.  Video games aren't supposed to be a luxury hobby. Grand Theft Auto V would never have sold more than 200 million copies if they were. We're entering a dangerous period that could see the industry morph into something that only the wealthy can even afford to enjoy, and those aren't the people who need to be carjacking someone and stealing their Lamborghini in GTA. At this rate, the people buying an Xbox or a PlayStation will be the same ones buying a Lamborghini in real life.

Title: 12 GameSpot Game Of The Year Winners Are Ridiculously Cheap Right Now Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2026 18:54:00 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/13-gamespot-game-of-the-year-winners-are-ridiculously-cheap-right-now/1100-6538905/ Looking to add more games to your never-ending backlog? Steam's summer sale is back once again, and with it comes some seriously steep discounts on a ton of games. With all these options, it's only natural you might want a few recommendations to help you narrow it down. With that in mind, can I point you towards some of GameSpot's previous Game of the Year selections? From Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 all the way to 2010's Red Dead Redemption, many of our favorite games of all-time are currently available for up to 90% off their usual price. While Nintendo's lack of presence on Steam means we're missing a few notable Game of the Year winners (sorry, Link), the following list has you covered all the way back to 2010. Oh, and we also went ahead and double-checked how these games were priced at Fanatical as well, in order to ensure you're getting the best possible deal around. Former Game of the Year titles on sale Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - $40 ($50) Metaphor: ReFantazio - $26 ($70) Baldur's Gate 3 - $45 ($60) Deathloop - $12 ($60) Half-Life: Alyx - $15 ($60) Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - $30 ($60) Red Dead Redemption II - $15 ($60) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - $4 ($40) Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - $3.39 ($20) Journey - $3 ($15) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - $9 ($40) Red Dead Redemption - $25 ($50) Already played the hits? Fortunately we have plenty of fantastic, non-GOTY-winning titles to recommend as well. If Resident Evil Requiem left you longing for even more Leon, the Resident Evil 2 remake rules and is currently on sale for $8. If you like your horror a bit more psychological, Silent Hill F is currently 50% off. The sensational co-op adventure game Split Fiction is only $32, while macabre base-builder-plus-roguelike Cult of the Lamb is only $12.50. For even more recommendations, be sure to check out the gallery below. Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom.

Title: Why Do Game Console Prices Keep Going Up? Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:23:00 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-chip-shortage-is-coming-for-your-games/1100-6538293/ On June 25, Microsoft announced that it is increasing Xbox consoles prices yet again, marking the latest in a flurry of cost increases, following Switch, Switch 2, Steam Deck, PS5, Steam Machine, and Xbox itself, among many other devices. In the feature below, originally published in February 2026, we explore how the ongoing chip shortage is coming for your games. Gamers have been getting hit hard for years, thanks to Bitcoin, COVID, NFTs, and more affecting GPU price and availability, and things aren't letting up. The rapid investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has pushed the tech world into a major chip shortage that has sent the price of memory chips--the stuff that makes up RAM and SSD storage--skyrocketing. It's a problem that will eventually affect all kinds of consumer electronics. This could mark a huge turning point for games. The Eaters of Memory First, let's talk about the chip shortage itself. AI (setting aside the confusion that term causes) is everywhere, with data centers going up daily to support it. The massive data centers required to run AI applications are filled with server computers, and the component that allows anyone in the world to request an image of Sonic the Hedgehog delivering a baby while SpongeBob holds his hand is RAM. The massive demand for RAM comes from just a few companies, including OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Meta, and others like them. OpenAI's Stargate project, for example, has resulted in that company alone buying up 40% of the global RAM production per month, for who knows how long. As more people look to use AI (whether personally or in a production setting), these companies are gobbling up memory faster than the few providers out there can make it. Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung are the biggest providers, and Micron notably just exited the consumer memory market entirely, instead deciding to focus on providing its memory to other businesses. Samsung Semiconductor recently rejected an order for RAM from Samsung Electronics for the next round of Samsung Galaxy phones, as one standout example of how intense the demand is right now. Makers like these are still supplying consumers with RAM, but only insofar as providing the memory included with pre-built computers. The result of this massive AI expansion is that memory is becoming more difficult to buy, causing RAM prices to skyrocket, with a knock-on effect that bleeds over into anything that uses RAM--like GPUs, phones, computers, gaming consoles, and more. The effects of this shortage will be far-reaching. Three months ago, 64GB of DDR5 RAM would've cost somewhere between $200 and $300; it now climbs up toward $700 and $800. At that same time, 32GB of DDR5 RAM would've been a relatively trivial $175, and now costs around $450--as much as a modern CPU, which is traditionally one of the most expensive components of a new computer build. Businesses would rather work with other businesses, which make large, regular orders, than sell to retail or work directly with individual customers, where sales are smaller and less predictable. It's a choice between potentially selling one or two sticks of RAM to tens of thousands of users, or reliably selling tens of thousands of sticks to a single customer. Everything about working directly with another business is simpler and more profitable, and shows how we consumers might sometimes be more trouble than we're worth, especially in a situation like the one we find ourselves in. DIY PC Builders are already feeling the effects This is going to affect gaming in ways we haven't yet seen and may not see for another year or two, or more. But one area is already acting like a canary in the coal mine: do-it-yourself consumer PC-building. Buying parts to put together your own PC, what was once a way to save money in PC gaming, is likely to become a luxury hobby, at least for a while, thanks to exploding costs. Boutique PC builders like Maingear and Falcon Northwest, many of which focus on gaming PCs with high-end GPUs and lots of RAM, will be affected, too, as they don't have access to the same large contract deals that bigger companies do. "We've seen over time, the DIY market has not grown significantly," said IDC analyst Jay Chou in an interview with GameSpot. "People like the challenge and aesthetics, but overall that's shrinking, and most people are content with buying a gaming laptop. The market has preferred the big vendors. Smaller vendors occupy an important part of the market, but were never number one." This will affect everyone eventually The DIY market is one example where this effect is particularly heightened, but RAM underpins much of the high-end consumer electronics market--all those devices we mentioned before, with anything built for gaming likely to feel the effects first. While we haven't seen as much of an effect on GPU prices yet compared to memory, it's all but guaranteed that they'll get more expensive, too, thanks to the top-of-the-line GDDR memory on board. Big PC makers have an advantage here in that they have supply lines of RAM, stock that will last for some time, and the ability to negotiate prices at scale, and so we most likely won't see a squeeze on your average pre-built PC--at least for a while. As PC makers look to off-set the high costs of RAM, though, we'll see the prices of higher-end specialty PCs rise the earliest. "When you have high margins, to hold onto a reasonable price point, vendors will focus on more premium products," Chou said. "PC makers will probably be forced to spec down a bit to hit a price point people can tolerate." PC makers will "probably try to pivot toward not just gaming, but creative, AI workstations," Chou said, such as introducing workhorse PCs that use professional GPUs (expensive GPUs focused on accuracy and reliability rather than delivering maximum frames per second), like Nvidia's Blackwell line, instead of gaming GPUs. Those boutique PC builders--smaller shops that offer higher-end PCs aimed at gamers--are making moves of their own to keep system prices down at retail. They don't have the same kinds of huge deals that companies like Dell or HP would have, so they're much more vulnerable to these shifts in hardware costs. Maingear, for example, is offering the option to let you send your own RAM to them, and they'll install it and set it up in a PC you buy from them, free of additional charge. This is an all-but-unprecedented move for a boutique PC shop. Chou expects that we'll probably see some consolidation of smaller, gaming-focused builders, like iBuyPower and CyberPower, as they either struggle to stay afloat or get snapped up by bigger companies. Note that those are just examples of potential companies that could be affected. Some PC makers are beginning to offer lower-spec computers, with 8GB of RAM instead of the current standard 16GB. Nvidia is reportedly looking to reintroduce the RTX 3060 line of GPUs, which it first launched more than half a decade ago and discontinued in 2024; Nvidia has released two generations of more powerful cards since. This is currently unconfirmed, but sourced from reliable industry leakers. Consumer behavior will change Depending on how long this shortage lasts, the situation will only get more complicated. Some people will simply move on from gaming to more affordable hobbies. Pre-built PCs, with those often pared-down configurations, will be more affordable to those who do continue to game. And many gamers will deal with the costs by holding onto their existing configurations longer. If players can't afford new hardware and keep their old hardware for longer, that's going to have an overall effect on games themselves. One big problem, according to industry analyst Mike Futter, is that the "ability to acquire or recapture players who have not yet upgraded to new consoles or a new PC is severely stunted." In other words, the people who want to play the games developers are making will be unable to obtain the hardware required to play them without a significant financial squeeze. Game developers have to target certain hardware, with that target varying based on the platforms they plan to release the game on and what they want to do with the game from a technical perspective. Games meant to push the boundaries of graphical capabilities will generally target hardware they expect to see a few years down the road for the high end, with medium settings targeting a relatively common level of hardware that lets studios sell to as many customers as possible, while still retaining the look they're going for. If consumers are holding onto their PCs longer, game developers and publishers could significantly cut down their audience by targeting those high-end specs. "If no one can play your game because they can’t afford the necessary hardware, you’re going to have a tough time making back your development costs," Futter explained. "It also means that developers who were targeting anticipated consumer specs for games coming three years from now may have to seriously review their plans." More casual players, meanwhile, may back out of gaming completely. It's a lot easier to justify the expense of a $500 console or PC than systems climbing toward a full grand. Those looking to play their yearly Assassin's Creed or sports game may begin to look to cloud gaming as a solution. Grand Theft Auto 6 is of particular note here, too, as a game that has historically driven hardware sales as people use the game as an excuse to update their previous consoles. If these gamers aren't able to afford the hardware to play one of the few games that gets them spending money, cloud gaming could be one potential solution. Cloud gaming could be a huge boon to publishers for situations like this--a way to provide games to interested customers who can't afford to spend the cash for an entire console system or PC, and who might not use it for anything else anyway. But if the experience is noticeably different from home gaming, then it's all a moot point. "Until someone can show me that cloud gaming performs indistinguishably from running a local copy, I do not expect it’s going to be the solution that AAA hopes it will be," Futter said. "Additionally, this drives even more of a wedge between players and game ownership, which has become a huge topic of conversation thanks to the efforts of campaigns like Stop Killing Games." This has been a dream of publishers and platforms for a long time, and one in which they're finding mixed success even now. An even longer console generation "I expect that the current console generation will last longer," Futter said. "That was a double-edged sword during the Xbox 360/PS3 era. However, we don’t have the same conditions now. Console prices are increasing, rather than decreasing via price cuts and bundling." The length of that console generation was pushed out a few years, thanks in large part to the recession that began in 2008. By the end of the consoles' life cycles, console manufacturers had nailed down manufacturing and released slimmed down iterations of their systems, and were frequently offering relatively inexpensive bundles to potential new customers, but the internal hardware was long past its end-of-life date in terms of power and capabilities. Bundling has long been a way to tempt potential consumers into making the big expenditure involved in buying a console, but Futter noted a dearth of software bundles accompanying consoles in recent years. Futter recalled seeing dozens of Xbox bundles in previous generations for just a single holiday season, compared to an almost total absence now, save for exceptions like the Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart World bundle, and earlier, the PlayStation 5 Spider-Man 2 bundle. These consoles are increasing in price, and profit margins are narrow enough, or possibly even sold at a loss already (a common truism in console sales for years), that their makers are unable or unwilling to flex on price even to attract a new or returning customer. A longer console generation has advantages we'll get into later, but Futter notes that "eventually, AAA developer ambition and publisher pressure will necessitate more powerful hardware. This is, long-term, a pretty terrible thing for an industry already in crisis." Adding fuel to the "longer console generation" theory is the fact that Sony is reportedly looking at monetizing the PlayStation 5's existing install base in order to circumvent chip shortages. According to an Automaton report, Sony CFO Lin Tao said that while the company is "already prepared to gather the minimum amount of memory chips necessary to meet the year-end sales season," it is now focused on minimizing the impact" of rising memory costs through methods such as "monetizing the installed base" and growing software and network services revenue. The potential consumer benefits While the chip shortage could potentially have far-reaching and long-running effects on the gaming landscape, it's not all bad news. Chou noted that computer maker HP has been talking with CXMT, a China-based memory company, about sourcing some memory from it. While Donald Trump's tariffs on Chinese products are still a concern there, potentially driving up the costs to import those components, having another big name in memory manufacturing could go a long way to balancing out the shortage. As we noted before, there are just a few companies making memory, so any new players will help shift the field, increase the available resources, and lessen the pressure on all of these companies. There's also game development itself to think about. About 25 years ago, the pace of technological improvements in game development began to accelerate, and game budgets grew along with them. Game development cycles are much longer than they once were, particularly for AAA games leveraging high-end graphics. Developers chasing a genre trend in the early 2000s could capitalize on its popularity relatively quickly; today, a game might take five or six years to create, making that all the more impractical. A slowdown in technological advancement could actually be a powerful boon for game developers, rather than a hindrance. Look, for example, at a game like The Last of Us, which was released at the tail end of the PlayStation 3's lifespan. That game wouldn't have been possible in the first days of the system's life. It needed both the accumulated knowledge among developers that allowed them to get the most out of the PS3's hardware, and the creation of development tools during its lifespan. If component shortages make it tough for console makers to release upgraded systems, the resulting longer hardware generations could give developers more time to push current hardware to its limits. If developers aren't constantly reaching (or being pushed by publishers to reach) an ever-rising high bar when it comes to tech and graphics, that could allow the people who make games to focus more on optimization for older hardware, and in the process, learn how to better exploit the existing hardware for better-looking and better-performing games. If GPU makers like Nvidia are extending the lifetime of their older cards, they'll have a much greater impetus to continue developing new features and hardware optimizations for existing cards. The tools game developers use, too, would have to adhere to this, and this could lead to improved tools for development. "Developers will likely have more time to perfect their pipelines with the current hardware, which will yield better results with the same hardware," Futter said. As game developers start to collect more of that knowledge, get better tools, and improved access to the hardware people are gaming on, that could lead to faster and less expensive development. That one is harder to say with certainty, and the continuing layoffs in the game industry certainly weigh against that as they drain institutional knowledge from studios. All of this could, potentially, serve to make gaming more accessible--a hobby that chases experiences rather than novel technology. Even as the self-proclaimed Ray Tracing Guy, this is an exciting notion--more games designed as games and art first, and technical showpieces last. Escaping the AI Bubble So when do we climb out of this AI-imposed chip shortage? It's hard to say right now. This is a multi-year process, and the shortage right now is a result of orders being made for next year. AI companies are planning new data centers with the notion that AI usage will continue adoption at the current pace. That's not necessarily a given, though, as many have speculated that AI is a bubble that may soon burst--and many consumers view the technology negatively even now. All the uncertainty makes it tough to predict what might happen. Chou noted that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the biggest manufacturer of CPUs, spent $50 billion to expand its capacity this year, and still believes that to be a worthwhile investment. At the very least, Chou said, he expects the shortage to continue through all of 2026 and deep into 2027. After that, it's harder to predict. "A lot of PC vendors have tried very hard over multiple years, they've tried hard to make sure their North American demand is made in factories outside of China [to spread out manufacturing]," Chou said. "Top-tier PC vendors are able to fill most of their North America volume [using components available] outside of China." This could mitigate the role that tariffs have played in the price increases of hardware we've seen over the last year, which have been further exacerbated by this artificially-induced shortage. It might not bring prices down, but it could help avoid seeing them rise even higher as a result of tariffs. Futter is less optimistic, though. "I don’t see this letting up until the AI bubble fully bursts," he said. "The issue right now is that the bubble is cornering RAM, GPU, and storage stock for AI data centers that haven’t even been built or approved yet," Futter continued. "That means that Nvidia, AMD, Micron, and others have put a lot of eggs in the AI basket." When things go downhill, "[those companies'] market capitalization will tank, because shareholders will be rushing to get their investments out. If you thought the DotCom bubble bursting was bad, hold onto your butt," Futter said. The bursting of the AI bubble could also wreak havoc on AAA game publishers, Futter said. They've "sacrificed their institutional knowledge and a stable, satisfied, and secure labor force for a technology that never had a chance of fulfilling its promise." Investors are skittish A big warning sign of instability in gaming caused by AI, Futter said, is the recent debut of Google's Project Genie 3 and investors' subsequent response of selling off a variety of game stocks, including those of GTA 6 publisher Take-Two Interactive. Project Genie is a large language model-based generative AI aimed at letting users create and navigate around a virtual world. It currently has some severe limitations--there's no interaction to be had, and you can only walk a character around any generated virtual space for about a minute. Keep in mind that AI-generated videos are short for a variety of reasons; one of them is that every additional frame of AI video takes more and more energy, compute power and, yes, memory than the last, because the AI generator has to know what happened in every previous frame before to maintain any kind of coherence. The same issue applies to these virtual worlds. That is to say that, while it's possible that we could see AI-generated games at some future point, the costs of creating such a thing is so astronomical as to put them out of the realm of possibility for the foreseeable future, even when accounting for how quickly generative AI has advanced. Why does this response to Project Genie matter? It shows both how uninformed and skittish investors are right now. "This kind of investor cannibalism is a major sign of weakness," Futter said. "You have companies who have made a point of appeasing investors by going so far in on AI that if it fails, they've done irreparable damage to themselves. At the same time, 'success' of AI in Google Genie 3 has been interpreted by investors as AAA publishers and developers having less value. It says to me that there is absolutely no winning from this over-investment. The sell-off signals a massive vulnerability in the tech as executives have promised it will be used." This memory shortage and the technology fueling it are both sources of great frustration and concern for PC builders, artists, gamers, and everyday people alike, not to mention the companies that supply hardware to all those consumers--and they'll continue to be for some time. And with this being such a tumultuous moment for both the games industry and the PC industry, it's hard to say just how it'll shake out. All we know for sure is that these variables will steer the future for gaming for the next handful of years, at the very least.

Title: Brad Pitt's Fury is now free to stream on Pluto TV Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:00:20 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/fury-movie-brad-pitt-streaming-free/ If you've played enough Battlefield, you've probably had the fantasy. You're the tank commander. Your crew is unstoppable. Shells explode around you as you roll across the battlefield, shrugging off enemy fire and carving a path through the chaos. It's one of gaming's oldest power fantasies, and few films have ever captured it better than Brad Pitt’s 12-year-old war movie..

Title: All amiibo unlocks and rewards in Star Fox Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:41:35 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/star-fox-amiibo-unlocks-rewards/ Star Fox's amiibo support is slightly more limited compared to Nintendo's other recent first-party games, though you can still get a handful of rewards for scanning select figures. These have no bearing on gameplay, though. They don't unlock special items, more lives, or anything like that, so don't feel like you're missing out if you don't own or buy one of the Star Fox-series amiibo.

Title: The history of Star Fox leading to the Switch 2 game, explained Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:30:20 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/star-fox-story-history-explained/ If you saw Fox McCloud in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, you'd be forgiven if your first thought were, "hey, it's the guy from Smash Bros!" The Star Fox series has struggled to maintain momentum since its inception in 1993, with Nintendo launching fewer Fox games over the series' lifespan than its other major franchises. Even Donkey Kong, abandoned for so long until Bananza, had spin-offs, and the ape made guest appearances in Mario Party and Mario Kart. Not so for Fox. Nintendo didn't alternate releases between handheld and console Star Fox releases like it did for other franchises, and after 2005, there were much longer gaps between launches. Velan Studios' Star Fox remake sees the vulpine mercenary barrel-rolling back onto the scene. It's a muted return after years of silence and stagnation, though there are some signs it's the start of something better.

Title: Microsoft reveals another Xbox price hike is coming, the third increase since 2025 Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:17:47 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/xbox-price-hike-june-2026-what-is-new-cost-microsoft/ If you want an Xbox and don't already own the console, now might be the time to pull the trigger. Microsoft's gaming division has announced that, beginning on August 1, some Xbox models will become more expensive while others will be phased out altogether. It's the third price hike Xbox has implemented for its beleaguered gaming consoles since May 2025.

Title: Where to find the soccer field in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3 Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:10:48 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/fortnite-chapter-7-season-3-soccer-field-location-striker-sprite/ The soccer field is the only location where you can get a Striker Sprite in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3.

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

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

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

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

Title: Forecast: Fun Ahead — 18 Games Join in June to Stream on GeForce NOW Date: Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:00:27 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-june-2026-games-list/ June’s forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming. GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies ready for the spotlight. Members can dive into fresh worlds, squad up in new playlists and discover “just one more run” favorites — all streaming from the cloud, no downloads or upgrades required.  Eighteen games are coming this month, starting with the 10 games arriving this week with the highly requested Neverness to Everness.  A World Beyond City limits end where reality bends. Step into a surreal, supernatural open world in NTE: Neverness to Everness from Hota Studio. Reality bends, streets twist into impossible angles and the uncanny waits around every corner. Play as an anomaly hunter drawn into a strange metropolis alive with anomalies, cosmic oddities and dreamlike encounters. Explore the city’s districts at street level or from impossible heights, uncovering secrets, side stories and hidden paths woven through the tangled skyline. Combat and exploration blend together as players move between quiet, eerie spaces and sudden bursts of action.  Every alleyway and rooftop hides something strange and new, from bizarre characters to otherworldly phenomena that reshape the environment in unexpected ways. Streaming with GeForce NOW lets the game’s distinctive art direction and atmospheric lighting shine, keeping the city’s moody glow, deep shadows and supernatural effects crisp and sharp.  Whether wandering its streets on a big screen or checking in from a laptop, NTE: Neverness to Everness stays fluid and immersive — powered by the cloud. June Games Juicing Up the Cloud A legend returns. Return to the Valley of Mines in Gothic 1 Remake, a faithful rebuild of the original experience that expands the world with more detailed questlines, additional nonplayer character routines and reactions, new traversal abilities and a fully modernized combat system. Step into the role of the Nameless Hero and explore a dangerous prison colony filled with rival factions, ancient magic, deadly creatures and choices that shape the journey ahead.  Whether revisiting a classic or discovering it for the first time, GeForce NOW makes it easy to jump into the adventure instantly across nearly any device, no downloads required. Check out what all is available this week: Jurassic World Evolution 3 (New release on Xbox, available on Game Pass) Fatekeeper (New release on Steam, available June 2) House Flipper Remastered Collection (New release on Steam, available June 4) Pro Cycling Manager 26 (New release on Steam, available June 4) GOALS (New release on Steam, available June 4) Gothic 1 Remake (New release on Steam, available June 5) NTE: Neverness to Everness (Launcher) The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition (Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass) Tomb Raider I-III Remastered (Epic Games Store) XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Steam) And look forward to the games coming throughout the month: STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions (New release on Steam, June 11) SpaceCraft (New release on Steam, June 11) Denshattack! (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass, June 17) The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (New release on Steam, June 18) Dark Scrolls (New release on Steam, June 22) Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains (New release on Steam and Ubisoft, June 30) Farever (Steam) FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves (Steam)  More From May In addition to the 16 games announced last month, 18 more joined the GeForce NOW library: Alchemy Factory (Steam) Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes (Steam) Blades of Fire (Steam) BeamNG.drive (Epic Games Store) Directive 8020 (Steam) Disco Elysium (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure (Epic Games Store) Ostranauts (Steam) Planet Coaster 2 (Epic Games Store) PowerWash Simulator 2 (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Resident Evil Requiem Demo (Steam) Romestead (Steam) SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Subnautica 2 (Steam, Epic Games Store and Xbox, available on Game Pass) Sunderfolk (Epic Games Store) TerraTech Legion (Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass) Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II (Steam) World of Tanks: HEAT (Steam) What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know X or in the comments below.

Title: Introducing the five new games of Jackbox Party Pack 12 Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:01:08 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/06/25/introducing-the-five-new-games-of-jackbox-party-pack-12/ Jackbox isn’t rocket science but we take our task of silliness seriously. We’re proud of our Chicago comedy roots, and every aspect of our games is high-touch to set fans up for a successful night.  Play Video What sets The Jackbox Party Pack 12 apart? It’s a pack especially focused on helping players build deeper human connection in fun ways. We’re excited to share more about what to expect this fall, along with some work-in-progress screens from each of the games. We Forgot a Card For Party Pack 12, we wanted to lean into the special events our games are often paired with. “We were inspired by all the funny cliches around greeting cards,” says Studio Creative Director Arnie Niekamp, “and that familiar feeling of being in a not-great store but you have to find something fast because you’re already late to a party.” Players design a card that fits an unusual gathering with limited time and bizarre options, pairing stock imagery with player-written taglines for the funniest outcome. “‘Quick, get to the jokes’ is practically the theme of this game,” says Niekamp. In the final round, players create a talking plush to pair with their card. It’s a gift that keeps on giving! MegaPals In MegaPals, players are given a one-word prompt and must submit as many associated words as they can before the timer runs out. Points come from matching with other players. Match the most and you’re MegaPals! “We were inspired by folk games like Mind Meld and Contact where you try to think alike in very few words,” says Game Director Alina Constantin. “The pitch was an idea from Editorial Lead Liz Anderson. We wanted to spotlight the common takes as well as the weird misses, and allow players to riff off their group’s train of thought.” Prompts for subsequent rounds are based on player inputs, giving the game endless replayability. “This game is great for players who enjoy adding a personal flair to simple word association and discovering unexpected compatibilities,” says Constantin. Idol Factions Idol Factions is a team-based game where words are served up to be sorted into the right category. The words don’t stop coming, so players must communicate and work together to land them in the right spot. “This game was pitched by Lead Engineer Chase McClure and started as a solo experience. Even then, Chase had made it so that players had to communicate quickly and clearly, which was immediately fun,” says Game Director Warren Arnold, “We want players to be the right amount of stressed out.” “This game is going to be perfect for gathering on a big ol’ comfy couch so you can scream your heads off about why an answer belongs in the category ‘Type of Cheese’ and not ‘The Last Name of a British Prime Minister.’” said Arnold. Debate and Switch In Debate and Switch, you’re in a town hall that has gone sideways. Everything up for discussion is a bizarre hypothetical and you need to form an opinion and defend it. Fast. “The original inspiration was the movie Rat Race, and then I realized there was already a board game version of what I was working on: Pricetitution. So we ditched the terrible scenarios and pricing and delved more into debate mechanics.” says Nate Sandberg, Senior Audio Lead, who originally pitched the game. “We loved building out the running characters, created by Senior Art Lead, Hector M Padilla, to act as voters during debates. Those little guys are just the best,” says Game Director Michael Siciliano, “It was harder to hone in on tone for the debate topics. We’ve had to pivot on exactly how strange or detailed they get. Allowing players to craft their own topics was an evolution we’re really excited for people to play with.” Hyperface In Party Pack 11, we played with the phone’s microphone for Hear Say. In Party Pack 12, we’re playing with the camera! In Hyperface, players edit a photo in response to a prompt. Players can choose to use a stock photo or they can take a selfie and edit their face in wild ways. “The reveal is often the highlight,” says Game Director Tim Sniffen. Seeing what others chose to do, whether going all-out or doing a tiny subtle eyebrow-raise, is usually the high point of any playthrough.” We want players to smudge, squash, stretch, and draw on their photos to create the wildest result possible. “Who among us hasn’t added a mustache to a magazine photo? If you’re ready for the power-user version, where you’re smudging someone’s nose like it’s made of taffy, this game is for you,” says Sniffen. The Jackbox Party Pack 12 is coming to PS4 and PS5 this fall. 

Title: How roguelite shooter Void/Breaker’s destruction combat uses PS5 features Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:00:15 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/06/24/how-roguelite-shooter-void-breakers-destruction-combat-uses-ps5-features/ There are two types of players. One type enjoys high-octane gameplay – fluid movement, satisfying gunplay, the thrill of pure destructive chaos. On the other side of the axis are players who like to strategize. They’re driven by a need to optimize for the most efficient outcome. What if I told you there’s a solo developer – Daniel Stubbington – who decided to make a game for someone who has both of those in them? A roguelite shooter with fluid, fast-paced movement, where survival means mastering an environmental destruction system and combining it with a weapon modding system deep enough to create synergies crazy enough to make even the developer gasp? That game is Void/Breaker. And it’s coming to PS5 – we think this is going to be the best way to play it. What’s changed since we announced the PS5 version? The arsenal has grown. To the Pistol, Assault Rifle, and a Shotgun, we’ve added the SMG and the Sniper Rifle (Daniel’s own personal favourite). These weapons are the archetypes, and each one has its own character and that’s where the gun modification system comes in place. Every weapon has its own grid, and into that grid you place modules – weapon mods, ability mods, fire mode mods, melee mods. The modules aren’t isolated upgrades. They interact with each other, sitting next to one another on the grid to form combinations that are often more powerful than the sum of their parts. A mod that freezes enemies. Another that guarantees a critical hit against frozen targets. A proximity mine that deploys every time you slide. Some modules even expand the grid itself, unlocking more space. Stack the right things in the right place, and you’ve built something that carves through a room before your brain has caught up with what just happened. On PlayStation 5, the developer is exploring how adaptive triggers and haptic feedback can bring each weapon’s identity into your hands – so the resistance and feedback of firing the Sniper Rifle feel distinct from the rapid pull of the SMG. Gyro aiming is also being looked at, giving players who want it an extra layer of precision for a more immersive feel. That thinking extends to abilities, grenades, and the gravity tether too. All are being explored for how haptics could make each one feel distinct and satisfying to use. Gameplay built with the community, not just for them Daniel has remained firmly committed to the early access roadmap, working closely with the community and incorporating feedback to make Void/Breaker the best it can be ahead of its PlayStation 5 launch. And the community has been a huge part of shaping where Void/Breaker is today – not in a vague, “thanks for the feedback” sense, but in ways you can point to directly in the game. Wallrunning is the best example. Daniel experimented with it early in development, but decided against adding it. Players kept asking for it anyway. He listened, brought it back, and it’s now one of the features that gives the game’s movement the fluidity it’s known for. Melee tells a similar story. It used to be a fallback for when in a tight spot. Now it’s a genuine playstyle. New melee-specific mods arrived alongside a rebalance that scales damage relative to enemy health, so it holds up deep into a run rather than falling off. It’s another area where the DualSense controller’s options are being looked at, in the hope of making melee combat in particular feel memorable and satisfying. The story that grows  Underneath all of this sits a narrative that gives the gameplay real meaning. You’re a prisoner, caught up by a malevolent AI entity whose goals aren’t clear, and your goal is to break free from an endless cycle. You’re not doing it alone, though. Early into the escape, you find an unexpected ally – a chip left behind by a former prisoner makes contact and starts offering support, guiding you through the zones as the story builds toward its conclusion. Void/Breaker’s narrative leans heavily on Returnal as an influence, not just for its gameplay loop but for how it builds a story into a roguelite structure. It’s a big part of why the zones aren’t just combat arenas – they’re chapters in something larger. Five zones have been completed so far, each with its own distinct theme and identity, and the plan is for Void/Breaker to launch on PS5 with six zones in total, with the final zone bringing the story to its conclusion. Try it yourself A PS5 demo is available right now, letting you explore Zone 1 and get a feel for the core of the game. It’s running without DualSense-specific features for the moment – the adaptive triggers, haptics, and gyro support we’ve talked about here are still being built, and they’ll be ready for the full launch. Add Void/Breaker to your PS5 wishlist.

Title: Upgraded PSSR comes to Doom: The Dark Ages on PS5 Pro Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2026 15:00:06 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/06/24/upgraded-pssr-comes-to-doom-the-dark-ages-on-ps5-pro/ Free Update 4 releases alongside Doom: The Dark Ages | Revelations on July 7, allowing all PlayStation 5 Pro players a new way to experience idTech8’s vision of medieval Hell with the advanced version of PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR). This upgraded version of PSSR, rolled out on PS5 Pro earlier this year, means players can jump straight into the cleanest image we can deliver on the platform. The Doom Slayer moves fast, and that is exactly why image reconstruction matters. A still screenshot can show sharp armor edges, icy cliff faces, weapon silhouettes and distant demons, but the real test is what happens when the player is sprinting, turning, parrying, Shield-Sawing and filling the screen with particles. PSSR uses machine learning reconstruction to build a higher quality image from the frame idTech8 renders, using information such as motion, depth, exposure and sub-pixel sampling to keep the final picture sharper and more stable. In practical terms, the image feels cleaner. Fine details that may shimmer with traditional temporal upscaling, such as snow patterns, broken stone, chains, spikes, sparks and thin geometry, hold together more consistently. The result is a sharper and cleaner image, even in motion. The supplied image pairs are meant to be read less as a color-grading comparison and more as a clarity comparison. Look at the places where the scene has many small shapes competing for attention: cliff edges, weapon geometry, snow, sparks and distant enemies. PSSR’s value is that it keeps more of that information coherent from frame to frame, not just in a paused image. PSSR gives idTech8 an enhanced reconstruction path for Doom: The Dark Ages | Revelations on PlayStation 5 Pro. The game is constantly pushing large combat spaces, dense effects, high octane combat, and a lot of fine surface detail, so stability matters as much as sharpness. With PSSR, idTech8 can preserve more of that detail in motion while maintaining the performance and gameplay feel players expect from DOOM. idTech8 was built to scale across a wide range of hardware while keeping the things that make Doom feel like Doom. Responsive input, high framerate action, large battlefields, rich materials, dynamic physically based rendering (PBR) lighting and shadows, blistering particles, and a renderer that can react quickly to whatever the player does next. Adding PSSR to that pipeline lets us take advantage of the PlayStation 5 Pro’s dedicated machine learning reconstruction path while continuing to lean on idTech8’s dynamic resolution and temporal data. It is extremely important because Doom: The Dark Ages is full of high frequency detail. The Slayer’s armor has scratches, grooves, and bright highlights. The world is packed with jagged silhouettes, layered architecture, cloth, metal, ice, fire and Sentinel technology. PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution helps preserve those details while reducing the visual noise that can appear when many thin elements overlap or move across the screen. The difference is especially noticeable in wide combat arenas. Distant enemies and environmental edges stay easier to read, while surfaces keep more of their texture definition. In close-ups, characters and weapons look more resolved. During effects-heavy moments, bright particles and lighting remain less distracting because the underlying image is crisper.  The best image reconstruction is the kind players don’t have to think about. With PSSR on PS5 Pro, idTech8 can push detailed environments, aggressive combat, and effects-heavy scenes while keeping the final image sharper, steadier and true to the speed of DOOM. For players, the short version is simple: if you are playing DOOM: The Dark Ages on PlayStation 5 Pro, PSSR is designed to give you a sharper, more stable presentation of the same brutal idTech8 action. DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations is available July 7th on PlayStation 5, with PSSR support exclusive to PlayStation 5 Pro.

Title: Grand Theft Auto VI plays best on PS5 November 19 Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:00:13 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/06/24/grand-theft-auto-vi-plays-best-on-ps5-november-19/ Since Grand Theft Auto first arrived on the original PlayStation in 1997, the series has defined generations of play. We know players are excited for Grand Theft Auto VI, which heads to the state of Leonida — home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond, in the biggest, most expansive evolution of the series yet.   Thanks to the close partnership between Sony Interactive Entertainment and Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto VI will play best on PS5 by taking advantage of PS5’s immersive features to deliver a deeply engaging single-player experience when it launches on November 19. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image PS5 puts you in the center of the game world with the DualSense wireless controller reacting to your actions and bringing the sights, sounds, and sensations of Jason and Lucia’s story into the palm of your hands. The controller’s haptic feedback offers responsive vibrations, while its adaptive triggers provide dynamic resistance. The controller’s integrated speaker also adds another dimension to key moments and interactions, with sound effects from the controller enhanced by haptic feedback. With Tempest 3D AudioTech, you can surround yourself in the distinct soundscapes of Leonida. From the streets of Vice City to the moments that unfold all across the state, this highly accurate audio positioning enhances your perception, helping to bring this world to life around you in unmatched ways. Grand Theft Auto VI also leverages the PS5’s ultra-high speed SSD, enabling you to experience the expansive world of Leonida with near-instant load times. Check out the official Grand Theft Auto VI cover art reveal: View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Pre-order at PlayStation Store on June 25 Pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI begin June 25 at midnight local time at PlayStation Store, including the Grand Theft Auto VI: Ultimate Edition, which features an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action threaded across Jason and Lucia’s story. Purchases made before November 20 will also include the Vintage Vice City Pack, a collection of items inspired by Vice City’s neon-soaked past. Players who pre-order any edition on PlayStation Store will also receive a redeemable free month of GTA+. For new players who are looking to jump in, it’s a great chance to also see why PS5 is the best place to play. Players can pick up a PS5 or PS5 Pro at direct.playstation.com (where available) and at local retailers. Grand Theft Auto VI marks an exciting new chapter for one of gaming’s most iconic series, and we’re proud to help bring the best experience to players on PS5. We can’t wait until the game arrives on November 19 and we look forward to celebrating its launch with Rockstar Games and our PlayStation community around the world. Visit here for more information on Grand Theft Auto VI on PS5.

Title: Meet Yoshie: Revealing Denshattack!’s first boss battle Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:15:34 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/06/23/meet-yoshie-revealing-denshattacks-first-boss-battle/ Hi everyone! On behalf of our studio Undercoders, and ahead of the game’s launch on July 15, we’re thrilled to give you an exclusive in-depth look at the first boss of Denshattack! Denshattack! is a frenetic trick-based action game where you kickflip, ollie, and grind… as a train! Set in a colorful dystopian version of Japan, you must rack up points, complete objectives, and race rivals to become the best Denshattacker of all time. We took inspiration from some of our favorite extreme-sports series, such as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and SSX, and combined them with the energy of classic arcade hits and the fascinating Y2K, colorful, cel-shaded aesthetics seen in games like Jet Set Radio or Auto Modellista. Play Video Denshattack!’s world is built around outsiders Denshattack! takes place in a future version of Japan where a climate catastrophe has left the rich untouchable inside their air-purifying domes, while everyone else is forced to survive in the undomed wastelands. A rebellious movement known as Denshattack has reclaimed the abandoned legacy railroad tracks, using them to fight for recognition in underground duels of speed, tricks, and technique. Emi, a young but skilled ramen delivery girl, discovers Denshattack when she crosses paths with a journalist and sets off on an intense journey of discovery, growth, and challenge. From the southern lands of Kyushu to the freezing north of Hokkaido, she will need to make her way across Japan, crossing the ruins of the once-powerful railway network, meeting outcasts, learning new techniques, improving her skills, and battling local gang leaders. Gang Bosses: an epic train showdown! When designing the game, the team had a clear vision for the story arcs: just like in a classic shonen anime, each chapter had to end with a catharsis that felt impressive, creating a challenge to put all the newly learned mechanics to the test. In Denshattack!, each of Japan’s regions is controlled by a gang of outlaws led by a powerful fighter. Each gang has its own visual identity, personality, fashion, and musical character, directly inspired by Japan’s suburban culture. These leaders each have their own motives, signature moves and secret techniques to provide the perfect base for a meaningful boss battle. But how do you create a boss fight with trains? Going on rails may sound like a big limitation, but when your train can defy gravity to jump, wallride, trick, or grind, it can also dodge punches, parry projectiles, stomp on a shield, or launch itself against a mecha with a force of fifty tons! Train-to-train (or train-to-giant-machine) combat turns out to be pretty interesting. And when combined with a cast of unique characters, local folklore, and Japan’s endless source of pop culture influences and aesthetics, it opens up a lot of opportunities to create original boss fights. Kogals Unite! Meet Yoshie from the Dashing Queens Yoshie is an influencer from Fukuoka whose popularity became so powerful that the government branded her a threat. In reality, they simply fear her influence. Her visual design and bubbly personality clearly embody gyaru, a Japanese subculture that challenges traditional Japanese beauty standards by centering glamour, volume, and confidence. You can see this in her hair, makeup, clothing, accessories, and, of course, her train. But most of all, you can see it in her transformation sequence. Reminiscent of classic Sentai shows or anime such as Sailor Moon, Yoshie’s train joins forces with her soldiers and morphs into a huge magical girl-esque mecha. The gyaru elements extend here too, with bows, stars, and hearts galore. Every boss fight follows a classic structure of different phases, where players need to identify patterns, avoid damage, and look for openings to perform counter-attacks. In this fight, Emi first uses tricks and combos to access the main battle, then performs quick rail changes to avoid the punches and uses grinds and ground pounds to deliver blows to the mecha. All these techniques are introduced throughout the first chapter and then put to the test during the fight. The level’s music reflects Yoshie too: her battle theme is a collaboration between composer Sean Bialo, leading Vocaloid producer Yunosuke, and pop singer (and real-life gyaru idol) Alice Peralta. Onto the next station! Our publisher, Fireshine Games, loved the duel against Yoshie when we first presented it, but raised an interesting question: if this is the first boss fight and you’re already battling a giant mecha… where do we go from here? The only possible answer was: up and beyond! Boss fights have been one of the most fun and interesting design challenges we’ve encountered while creating Denshattack!. We’ve been working hard to create set pieces that feel intense, challenging, original, surprising, and, above all, memorable. We can’t wait for you to play them! Denshattack! launches on PS5 on July 15.

Title: I don't know what a flesh disk jukebox is, but the Lynchian adventure game Something Beautiful makes me want to find out Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:07:22 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/i-dont-know-what-a-flesh-disk-jukebox-is-but-the-lynchian-adventure-game-something-beautiful-makes-me-want-to-find-out I want to see something beautiful. Enter stage left Something Beautiful, a "music-driven" point-and-click adventure game that has the vibe of a cursed CD-ROM you find in your parents storage unit where you look for answers in a strange, surreal, unsettling world filled with fleshy, anthropomorphic puzzles. Read more

Title: Enshrouded makes October even busier with a 1.0 release date, more details coming this summer Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:10:26 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/enshrouded-makes-october-even-busier-with-a-10-release-date-more-details-coming-this-summer There comes a time in the life of most early access releases that they most abandon that moniker in favour of a fully fledged 1.0 launch. And it appears said time is arriving for Enshrouded, the fantasy survival game that comes with a whole lot of building options, as developer Keen Games GmbH have locked in a 1.0 release date. Read more

Title: Following the last Destiny 2 update, layoffs at Bungie are underway, with most of the shooter's team affected Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:59:40 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/following-the-last-destiny-2-update-layoffs-at-bungie-are-underway-with-most-of-the-shooters-team-affected Back in May, Bungie announced that their long running shooter MMO Destiny 2 would be getting its final ever big update in June. At the time there were rumours that layoffs would follow not long after the update arrived. Now, a little over two weeks since the update dropped, Bungie have confirmed that layoffs are taking place. Read more

Title: "We have our own list of features that we wanted to add": Valve say the Steam Machine's update support will be similar to the Steam Deck's Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:22:03 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/we-have-our-own-list-of-features-that-we-wanted-to-add-valve-say-the-steam-machines-update-support-will-be-similar-to-the-steam-decks The Steam Machine will get a comparable level of post-launch software support and feature updates to what the Steam Deck has enjoyed, according to a Valve hardware designer. In an RPS interview last week, just prior to the Machine’s launch and price confirmation, Lawrence Yang told me that Valve already have a wishlist of extra tricks and tools to add to their boxy lil' PC, including some which weren’t quite ready in time for release. Asked what future Steam Machine support will look like, Yang says that it's "Pretty similar to what almost all of our hardware looks like. Whenever we ship something, we're never like, 'Okay, we're moving on.' We always continue shipping updates and improvements, especially in the first month or so." Read more

Title: Despite investors moaning that Elden Ring's success hasn't been milked hard enough financially, FromSoftware parent company's CEO has kept his job Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:56:25 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/despite-investors-moaning-that-elden-rings-success-hasnt-been-milked-hard-enough-financially-fromsoftware-parent-companys-ceo-has-kept-his-job Forget anything that happened to twist Elden Ring's Lands Between into the shape the Tarnished finds them in during their wander from boss to boss. All of it pales in drama to the corporate battle currently going on behind-the-scenes at FromSoftware's parent company Kadokawa. Their CEO, Takeshi Natsuno, has kept his job at the firm's latest annual meeting, despite ongoing attempts to oust him by an activist investor group who claim Kadokawa haven't wrung the maximum amount of cash out of Elden Ring's success. Read more