Title: Carolyn Petit’s Top 5 Games Of 2025 Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 20:38:55 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/best-games-2025-despelote-terminator-2d-absolum-pac-man-shadow-labyrinth-blippo-2000656278 The post Carolyn Petit’s Top 5 Games Of 2025 appeared first on Kotaku.

Title: HP Is Offloading 14″ Laptop Bundle to Its Lowest Price, Now Cheaper Than an Entry-Level iPad Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 17:05:15 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/hp-is-offloading-14%e2%80%b3-laptop-bundle-to-its-lowest-price-now-cheaper-than-an-entry-level-ipad-2000654516 The post HP Is Offloading 14″ Laptop Bundle to Its Lowest Price, Now Cheaper Than an Entry-Level iPad appeared first on Kotaku.

Title: Amazon Clears Out a Mac Mini Alternative as the Acemagic Mini Gaming PC (32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) Drops to an All-Time Low Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 16:05:44 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/amazon-clears-out-a-mac-mini-alternative-as-the-acemagic-mini-gaming-pc-32gb-ram-1tb-ssd-drops-to-an-all-time-low-2000656167 The post Amazon Clears Out a Mac Mini Alternative as the Acemagic Mini Gaming PC (32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) Drops to an All-Time Low appeared first on Kotaku.

Title: Anker’s HDMI Switch Crashes Below $10 With Final Discount, Compatible With TV, Laptop, PC, Xbox, Playstation, Projector, and More Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 15:05:16 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/ankers-hdmi-switch-crashes-below-10-with-final-discount-compatible-with-tv-laptop-pc-xbox-playstation-projector-and-more-2000656187 The post Anker’s HDMI Switch Crashes Below $10 With Final Discount, Compatible With TV, Laptop, PC, Xbox, Playstation, Projector, and More appeared first on Kotaku.

Title: ChatGPT Is Already Exploring Bold New Ways To Sell You Out Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 14:24:07 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/chatgpt-is-already-exploring-bold-new-ways-to-be-completely-useless-2000656223 The post ChatGPT Is Already Exploring Bold New Ways To Sell You Out appeared first on Kotaku.

Title: Legendary game creator Vince Zampella has passed away Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2025 09:03:58 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/vince-zampella-call-of-duty-co-creator-passes-away-55 Vince Zampella, known for co-creating the Call of Duty series, among many other roles, has died. Zampella, 55, died in a car crash in Los Angeles on Sunday. The fatal crash killed him, along with the occupant of his car. Read more

Title: Heartopia finally gets a release date... on everything but Steam Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2025 09:17:55 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/heartopia-release-date-pc-android-ios Heartopia developer XD Games has delivered the news anyone who tried out the life sim game had been waiting for. The Animal Crossing-like cozy multiplayer game will finally arrive on January 7 across Android, iOS, and PC - with one caveat. Read more

Title: FC 26 adds upgraded Pina alongside 3 new Heroes in full Winter Wildcards promo Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/fc-26-adds-upgraded-pina-alongside-3-new-heroes-in-full-winter-wildcards-promo EA Sports has revealed 3 new Heroes coming to FC 26 Ultimate Team as part of Team 1 of the Winter Wildcards promo: Ivan Zamorano, Claudio Pizarro and Jill Scott. Read more

Title: Zenless Zone Zero's big end-of-year update brings multiplayer combat, free Zhao, and the first dual-form Agent Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:25:26 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/zenless-zone-zero-update-2-5-ye-shunguang-zhao-multiplayer Zenless Zone Zero’s latest Special Program has delivered the good news on Version 2.5, To Be Fuel for the Night. This chapter is a big deal for a few reasons, not least of which because it brings an end to Season 2. Read more

Title: It’s official: Battlefield 6 is 2025's best-selling game, but Black Ops 7 still managed to be November’s top-seller Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2025 09:20:57 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/game-hardware-sales-circana-november-2025-battlefield-6-black-ops-7 Circan’s November 2025 video game sales report has easily been one of the most anticipated. For one, November is always one of the most lucrative for the games industry, but this year in particular has seen several major hits - including new entries in two rival series. Read more

Title: Pokemon Go January 2026 Events: Raid Bosses, Spotlight Hours, Community Day, And More Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 12:30:00 -0800 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-events-raid-bosses-spotlight-hours-community-day/1100-6533384/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f Pokemon Go's Precious Paths season rolls on with a variety of events in January. In addition to a new assortment of Raid bosses and Spotlight Hours, this month will see the arrival of a handful of new Pokemon, including the rock type Klawf and shiny Dhelmise.On top of that, the game will host two Community Days in January, and Unova's legendary dragons are returning to Gyms for a special Kyurem Fusion Day. The nefarious Team Go Rocket are also crashing the festivities later this month, culminating in another Shadow Raid Day event.There are plenty of other activities on the horizon beyond that. You can read more about the biggest Pokemon Go events happening in January below.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Title: Pokemon Go December 2025 Events: Raid Bosses, Spotlight Hours, Community Day, And More Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 12:00:00 -0800 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-december-2025-events-raid-bosses-spotlight-hours-community-day-and-more/1100-6537122/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f Pokemon Go's new Precious Paths season is officially underway, and the mobile game is ushering it in with a variety of events and activities in December.On top of new Raid bosses and Spotlight Pokemon, this month will see the arrival of a few new Pokemon like Nacli and Clobbopus, while every featured Pokemon from the past year is coming back for December's two-day Community Day event.Pokemon Go is also getting into the festive spirit this month with a big two-part Winter Holiday celebration, which will include a special Winter Weekend mini-event. And before December wraps up, the mobile game will hold a New Year's celebration to ring in 2026 in style.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Title: How Atomfall Makes Every Path Feel Important Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0800 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/videos/how-atomfall-makes-every-path-feel-important/2300-6466620/ Atomfall does something daring with its quest logs—or Leads, rather—that few games are brave enough to do: not categorize them. In doing so, the game unravels in a novel way, leaving the order of events solely up to the player. The result is quite inspring.

Title: Skin Deep Is 2025's Best Cat Game Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0800 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/skin-deep-is-2025s-best-cat-game/1100-6536978/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f My favorite moment in Skin Deep, an immersive sim and stealth game about rescuing cats and fighting your evil clone in deep space, was always the one immediately after a thoroughly developed plan inevitably went sideways. The skittish way that I was forced to sprint and crawl under a table or into a vent. The manner in which my strategy devolved into simply batting things off of shelves in order to incapacitate a roaming guard or noisily distract them from looking in my direction. The way that I leapt onto a guard's back, dug my claws in, and careened them into surfaces in order to knock them out. If you were to close your eyes, I'd argue you could almost hear that distinctive, feline yowl mid-action.In short, I think Skin Deep best captures the experience of being a cat, even if Nina Pasadena, the game's protagonist, is decidedly not one. And for this tremendous feat, I am rewarding it with the honor of being the best cat game of 2025. Long live Skin Deep.In a typical Skin Deep mission, I often tried to keep to the shadows, as is the norm for a game in its genre. I would relegate myself to the ventilation, the pipework surrounding it, and the undersides of tables. Like Batman, I skulked around the perimeter looking for a precise opening that'd enable me to punch a hole in the level's defenses while keeping my cover. Of course, in Skin Deep, it almost never worked out in my favor. Because I am not, in fact, Batman. I'm just a (cat) girl.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Title: PlayStation Plus Free Games For January 2026 Revealed Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 08:38:00 -0800 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-plus-essential-free-games-for-january-2026/1100-6537102/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f PlayStation has revealed this month's batch of free games for PlayStation Plus subscribers. All PS Plus members will be able to claim Need For Speed Unbound, Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, and Core Keeper starting January 6 and they will remain available until Monday, February 2.NFS Unbound promo art.The most recent Need for Speed game, NFS Unbound, has single-player and multiplayer campaigns set in Lakeshore City, which greatly resembles Chicago. Street racing is a key part of the experience, but so is outrunning the cops. As your "Heat" index rises after each race, the police will pursue players with greater intensity as they establish their rep outside of the law. Between races, players can customize their rides and compete in weekly qualifiers to get into the ultimate street racing contest: The Grand.Mickey unleashes his paint brush in promo art for Epic Mickey: Rebrushed.Epic Mickey was a Wii exclusive upon its 2010 debut until THQ Nordic's 2024 remaster, Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, brought the game to modern consoles. The visuals and gameplay have been noticeably improved as Mickey Mouse is sucked into the Wasteland where forgotten characters and concepts have languished for decades. This game is one of the reasons why Disney made a deal to gain the rights to Walt Disney's previous creation, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. And for the first time, Mickey has to come face-to-face with his brother, Oswald, and reconcile with him if he wants any chance of escaping the Wasteland.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Title: The 10 best manga I read in 2025 (that you've probably never heard of) Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 20:36:41 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/best-underrated-manga-2025/ As the manga industry keeps growing, it becomes harder to keep up with everything noteworthy coming out each year. Inevitably, the most popular series get the spotlight and monopolize the attention of manga fans worldwide, but there’s a plethora of gems waiting to be discovered.

Title: 3 movie masterpieces buried on Amazon Prime Video to watch right now Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 17:55:17 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/3-masterpieces-on-prime-video/ These days, I turn to Amazon’s Prime Video streaming hub to watch more movies than Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus combined. The service has “the goods” (i.e. movies made before 2011, tons of schlock). But, boy, the interface stinks. Whether navigating on a TV device or a laptop or a phone, trying to find something half-decent on the service is often a chore. So let me do you a favor.

Title: Sony's patent for PS5 AI tutorial 'ghosts' sound like a nightmare Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 17:45:08 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/sony-ai-tutorial-ghost-player-ps5-patent-how-does-it-work/ Tutorials might well be the bane of the video game industry's existence. Teaching a player how to do something is surprisingly difficult to do. Even if a developer crafts an educational and entertaining tutorial, there's no telling whether the player will find it, try it, or pay enough attention to learn from it. When was the last time you actually used the PlayStation 5's built-in Game Help feature? Exactly. Perhaps this is why Sony has been exploring more ways to get players on the same page, this time with AI.

Title: PlayStation Plus January 2026 games revealed, including Epic Mickey Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 17:37:13 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/playstation-plus-january-2026-free-games-list-ps4-ps5/ PlayStation Plus subscribers’ free Essential games for January 2026 are Need for Speed Unbound, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, and Core Keeper, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced Wednesday. Players can download the trio of games beginning Tuesday, Jan. 6.

Title: All new video games releasing in 2026 Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 17:00:18 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/new-video-games-2026-release-dates/ In addition to Rockstar’s ambitious new crime epic, we can expect Playground Games’ new Fable (finally!), Bungie's Marathon (finally?), a Halo: Combat Evolved remake, three heavy hitters from Capcom (Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword), Housemarque’s Returnal follow-up Saros, FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods, and two long-awaited new franchise entries from Nintendo: Rhythm Heaven Groove and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. Marvel will also have a big year, with a new fighting game, a new WWII game starring Captain America and Black Panther, and the long-awaited arrival of Insomniac Games' Wolverine.

Title: Deck the Vaults: ‘Fallout: New Vegas’ Joins the Cloud This Holiday Season Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:00:12 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-fallout-new-vegas/ Step out of the vault and into the future of gaming with Fallout: New Vegas streaming on GeForce NOW, just in time to celebrate the newest season of the hit Amazon TV show Fallout. To mark the occasion, GeForce NOW members can claim Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 as special rewards, completing a wasteland-ready trilogy in the cloud. Whether scavenging the ruins of post-apocalyptic America or rebuilding hope in the Wasteland, gamers can experience every choice — and every radroach — even sharper in the cloud. Take a detour from the desert dust to the enchanted halls of Hogwarts in Hogwarts Legacy — and relive Harry’s years at school, brick by whimsical brick, in LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-7. This week’s GFN Thursday lineup of five games proves adventure comes in every form, from radiation to incantations. Plus, GeForce NOW is joining Ubisoft to celebrate 10 years of Rainbow Six Siege: a decade of clutch plays and tactical showdowns streaming strong in the cloud. Have Yourself a Merry Little ‘Fallout’ It’s a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. GFN Thursday. Bethesda’s Fallout: New Vegas is rolling onto GeForce NOW with a suitcase full of wasteland wit. Set in the Mojave Desert after a bombing, the title follows a courier carrying a valuable chip through a desert full of schemers, gamblers and nuclear scars. The adventure drops players into a three- or more-way tug-of-war for the fate of New Vegas, where every decision can shift who runs the Strip and who ends up buried in the sand. Choices matter at every turn: talk fast, sneak smart or go loud, all while navigating sharp, darkly funny writing and factions that rarely fit cleanly into good or evil.​ In the cloud, the Mojave feels right at home, with high-fidelity visuals, fast response times and no need for a monster rig or huge downloads. The wasteland spins up in just seconds on underpowered laptops, phones and more, making it easier than ever to drop in for a quick caravan run or a long night on the Strip. To sweeten the deal, GeForce NOW Ultimate members can claim a stack of classics — including Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 — while supplies last. It’s a tour of the Fallout universe, ready to stream from the cloud. Members can look for an email with details on how to redeem. Magic Without the Wait GeForce NOW is making spirits bright this season with two enchanting adventures in the cloud. Step into the wizarding world with Hogwarts Legacy and relive the full saga of the “Boy Who Lived” in brick form with the LEGO Harry Potter Collection. Whether exploring the Forbidden Forest or causing mischief in Hogwarts, gamers can experience plenty of magic to go around. It’s not sorcery, it’s the cloud. In Hogwarts Legacy, players can chart their own path as a fifth-year student at Hogwarts in the 1800s. From learning powerful spells to taming magical beasts, the castle and its grounds are packed with secrets waiting to be discovered. It’s a world of intrigue, danger and wonder — with rich storytelling and breathtaking visuals that shine perfectly in the cloud. GeForce NOW Ultimate members can experience the magic of Hogwarts like never before — every spell, shadow and shimmering corridor brought to life with GeForce RTX 5080-class power and NVIDIA DLSS 4 technology for spellbinding performance and ultrasmooth gameplay. No floo powder needed — just jump right in with GeForce NOW. The LEGO Harry Potter Collection offers a lighter, more playful spin on the saga, combining all seven years at Hogwarts into one charming package. Revisit major moments, cast silly spells and collect enough studs to make Gringotts jealous. It’s the ultimate magical mashup — family-friendly, full of humor and packed with puzzles and co-op fun. No need for spells or waiting around for sorting — the magic starts right away with GeForce NOW. Members can stream both titles in jaw-dropping detail from nearly any device. Seize the Cloud No floo powder needed — just jump right in with GeForce NOW. Rainbow Six Siege is turning 10, and the tactical chaos is streaming strong on GeForce NOW. For a full decade, squads have been breaching, droning and clutching rounds in one of the most precise, team-focused shooters around, instantly accessible from the cloud on a range of devices. Rainbow Six Siege is rolling out free in-game rewards all month to mark a decade of creativity, competition and tactical mastery. Players jumping into the game can look forward to a steady stream of goodies — from themed cosmetics to special packs and daily surprises — to commemorate the anniversary, on top of seasonal updates and the ever-evolving Operator roster. Celebrate and stream the iconic game on GeForce NOW, with anniversary matches just a few clicks away — from quick warmups on a laptop to long sessions on the living room TV. Squads old and new can mark 10 unforgettable years of Rainbow Six Siege together in the cloud. In addition, members can look for the following: Pioner (New release on Steam, Dec. 16) Fallout: New Vegas (Steam, Epic Games Store and Xbox, available on PC Game Pass) For the King II (Steam) Hogwarts Legacy (Steam, Epic Games Store, and Xbox, available on PC Game Pass, GeForce RTX 5080-ready) LEGO Harry Potter Collection (Steam) GeForce RTX 5080-ready games, in addition to Hogwarts Legacy: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (Steam and Ubisoft Connect) Starting in January 2026, some games currently available to all members will no longer be available on the free tier as the basic rig type does not meet these games’ — Enshrouded, Alan Wake 2 and Cities: Skylines II — minimum system requirements. Premium members can continue to play these games uninterrupted. What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below. Treat yo'elf to our Half Price Holiday offer — for a limited time, premium memberships are half off for the first month. Go here https://t.co/eLwaS9Go5Z #GeForceSeason pic.twitter.com/QLdVpROB7T — NVIDIA GeForce NOW (@NVIDIAGFN) December 17, 2025

Title: Ride Into Adventure With Capcom’s ‘Monster Hunter Stories’ Series in the Cloud Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-monster-hunter-stories/ Hunters, saddle up — adventure awaits in the cloud. Journey into the world of Monster Hunter Stories as Capcom’s acclaimed role-playing classics join GeForce NOW. Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin are soaring into the cloud this week, bringing colorful worlds, charming companions and turn-based monster battles across devices. They lead seven new games joining the cloud this week, on top of an ARC Raiders “Electrician Backpack: Emerald Wave Variant” reward for Ultimate members who want to drop into battle in style. It’s also been a big year for games, and this year’s major gaming awards nominees show just how strong gaming is right now — with many of those fan-favorite titles playable on GeForce NOW, no downloads required. Look for the “The Game Awards” row in the GeForce NOW app to dive in instantly. Saddle Up Capcom’s Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin arrive in the cloud this week. Members can explore vibrant worlds, bond with quirky monsters and experience turn-based role-playing game (RPG) adventures across devices. Saddle up for egg-citement. In Monster Hunter Stories, an RPG that expands the Monster Hunter world, players are no longer hunting monsters but raising them. In this story featuring heroes known as Monster Riders, players live alongside monsters and form lifelong bonds with them. The first installment of the Monster Hunter Stories series returns, fully voiced in Japanese and English, with additional features such as a new museum mode where players can listen to music and view concept art — offering an even deeper dive into the world of Monster Hunter Stories. When fate calls, answer on a dragon’s back. A new adventure awaits in Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin: the second installment of the turn-based RPG series. Become a Monster Rider and form bonds with friendly monsters known as Monsties to fight alongside them in the game’s epic story. These adventures can be enjoyed on almost any device, powered by high-performance GeForce RTX technology. Seamlessly switch between phones, laptops and desktops, and experience every lush landscape and thrilling battle with cloud-streamed visuals and smooth gameplay — no downloads, installs or upgrades required. And the Cloud Goes to … GeForce NOW It’s a big month for games, and this year’s major gaming awards make it an especially great time to be a gamer. Many of the buzziest nominees and fan-favorite titles are playable on GeForce NOW, where it’s easy to jump into the action, catch up on the hits and see what the hype’s all about — all instantly, no downloads required. What a game. A stack of nominated titles are available in the cloud through GeForce NOW, including a majority of Game of the Year (GOTY) contenders like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hollow Knight: Silksong and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. RPG fans can marathon some of the year’s best titles in the genre through the cloud. Avowed, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Monster Hunter Wilds and The Outer Worlds 2 are all streamable on GeForce NOW.​ A masterpiece. Members can also dive into other nominated favorites such as Battlefield 6 and DOOM: The Dark Ages for Best Action, Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle and Split Fiction for Best Adventure, The Alters and Sid Meier’s Civilization VII for Best Sim/Strategy, ARC Raiders and PEAK for Best Multiplayer, plus esports staples like Counter-Strike 2 and DOTA 2. Whether chasing GOTY, exploring indies like Blue Prince and Hollow Knight: Silksong, or sticking to long-running hits like Fortnite and No Man’s Sky, gamers can always find a top title ready to stream. Loot, Shoot and Look Good Doing It Pack up and stand out. Ultimate members can claim the ARC Raiders “Electrician Backpack: Emerald Wave Variant” — an in-game cosmetic item that adds a distinct look. The Emerald Wave design offers a clean, modern touch for Raiders ready to stand out during extraction missions.​​ Jump into battle with style, powered by GeForce RTX 5080-class servers on GeForce NOW, delivering up to 2.8x higher frame rates and a new Cinematic-Quality Streaming mode that makes every firefight shine. The reward is available to Ultimate members through Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, or while supplies last. Keep an eye on email for instructions to redeem this stylish advantage for the journey ahead. Once claimed, navigate to the Electrician Backpack and select the Emerald Wave color variant to equip it and head off in style. Fresh Crop of Games Where the cows know your name. Everdream Village, a cozy farming adventure from publisher Untold Tales, lets players turn a sleepy island settlement into a thriving, story-filled village. Tend crops, befriend quirky villagers and wrangle a menagerie of charming animals while terraforming the land and sail off to discover new magical islands — all while shaping a laid-back little paradise. In addition, members can look for the following: Skate Story (New release on Steam, Dec. 8) Dome Keeper (New release on Xbox, available on Game Pass, Dec. 9) Death Howl (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass, Dec. 9) RuneQuest: Warlords (New release on Steam, Dec. 9) Everdream Village (New release on Steam, Dec. 12) Monster Hunter Stories (Steam) Monster Hunter Stories 2 (Steam) GeForce RTX 5080-ready games: Age of Wonders 4 (Steam, Epic Games Store and Xbox, available on the Microsoft store) Cities: Skylines (Steam and Epic Games Store) Cities: Skylines II (Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass) What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below. What's on the top of your gaming wishlist this holiday? — NVIDIA GeForce NOW (@NVIDIAGFN) December 10, 2025

Title: Game the Halls: GeForce NOW Brings Holiday Cheer With 30 New Games in the Cloud Date: Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:00:37 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-dec-2025/ Editor’s note: The Game Pass edition of ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ will also be supported on GeForce NOW when the Steam and Epic Games Store versions launch on the service later this month. GeForce NOW is decking the digital halls with 30 new games to keep spirits high all month long. Join the fun with Hogwarts Legacy, the LEGO Harry Potter Collection and a sleighful of new adventures streaming straight from the cloud. The “Half-Price Holiday” sale keeps the savings rolling after Black Friday, with premium GeForce NOW memberships available at 50% off for the first month for a limited time. And GeForce NOW is bringing members a new way to jump into the worlds of some of the most iconic games. Stream select Activision titles through Ubisoft+ Premium in the cloud for GeForce RTX power  — including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, with more to come. That’s not all: Battle.net single sign-on is now live, making it easier than ever for members to leap into Overwatch 2, Diablo IV and other titles without multiple logins. Link once and play instantly, no matter the device. Plus, the GeForce NOW Community Video Contest is rolling on — creators are decking the halls with epic clips and their merriest cloud gaming moments from all over the world. There’s still time to jump in with a clip of a favorite game or a memorable match. Submit a clip and score two Ultimate day passes — one to share with a friend and one to keep — plus a chance to win a one-year Ultimate membership. Half-Price Holiday Wrap up the year with half off. The holiday season continues with more ways to play. Even after Black Friday, GeForce NOW is keeping the celebration going with its “Half-Price Holiday” offer. For a limited time, premium memberships are half off for the first month. Performance and Ultimate tiers unlock shorter queue times, longer gaming sessions and access to more than 2,000 additional Install-to-Play titles powered by GeForce RTX in the cloud. The “Half-Price Holiday” sale is the perfect opportunity to experience premium gaming at a fraction of the cost and keep the winter gaming streak alive. The sale wraps up on Tuesday, Dec. 30, while supplies last, so now’s the time to lock in that first month at half off and head into the new year with the GeForce NOW premium experience. Auto Sign-In, Auto Win One login, endless worlds. GeForce NOW is making it easier than ever for members to jump into games from Blizzard Entertainment, Activision and more. Starting today, members can link their Battle.net accounts directly to GeForce NOW for automatic single sign-on across all supported devices. After a quick one-time setup, members are automatically logged in for future cloud gaming sessions — no extra steps, no password juggling, just instant access to Battle.net favorites like Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV. The update expands on existing automatic login support for Xbox, Epic Games and Ubisoft, further streamlining the GeForce NOW cloud gaming experience. Whether at home or on the go, members can enjoy faster, simpler, smoother access to the games they love. A Very GeForce NOW December Eight travelers, one very GeForce NOW cloud. Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler 0 brings the series’ signature wanderlust and quiet drama back to Orsterra, this time with a fresh cast and a few extra tricks up each traveler’s sleeve. The prequel leans into sharp character banter, devious Path Actions and choices that can charm, swindle or strong-arm just about anyone in the way. Expect rich pixel art, big feelings and plenty of scheming as players embark on an adventure of their own creation, navigating revenge and restoration. MARVEL Cosmic Invasion (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass, Dec. 1) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (New release on Ubisoft, Dec. 2) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (New release on Ubisoft, Dec. 2) Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (New release on Ubisoft, Dec. 2) XOCIETY (New release on Epic Games Store, Dec. 2) Spyro Reignited Trilogy (New release on Ubisoft, Dec. 2) Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (New release on Xbox, available on Game Pass, Dec. 2) OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0 (New release on Steam, Dec. 4) ROUTINE (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass, Dec. 4) MIMESIS (Steam) GeForce RTX 5080-ready games: Enshrouded (Steam) Fallout 76 (Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass) Catch the full list of games coming to the cloud in December: Dome Keeper (New release on Xbox, available on Game Pass, Dec. 9) Death Howl (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass, Dec. 9) Everdream Village (New release on Steam, Dec. 12) ARC Raiders (Epic Games Store) Dying Light: The Beast (Epic Games Store) Citizen Sleeper (Steam) For the King II (Steam) Jurassic World Evolution 3 (Epic Games Store) Hogwarts Legacy (Steam, Epic Games Store, and Xbox, available on Game Pass) LEGO Harry Potter Collection (Steam) Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Pigeon Simulator (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Pacific Drive (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Powerwash Simulator 2 (Steam) Shape of Dreams (Steam) Storage Hunter Simulator (Steam) Sword of the Sea (Steam) Underground Garage (Steam) Warhammer 40,000: SPACE MARINE 2 (Epic Games Store) Witchfire (Epic Games Store) ‘Tis the Season for Extra Games In addition to the 23 games announced in November, an extra 10 joined over the month: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy (Steam) The Crew Motorfest (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Cricket 26 (Steam) Kill It With Fire (Xbox, available on PC Game Pass) Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault (Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass) Of Ash and Steel (Steam, GeForce RTX 5080-ready) Prologue: Go Wayback! (Steam) Sacred 2 Remaster (Steam) Songs of Silence (Epic Games Store) Zero Hour (Epic Games Store) To improve the overall quality of service for the most played games on GeForce NOW, members will see movement of games in the catalog. Some titles with little-to-no playtime that are currently available in the Ready-to-Play catalog will start moving to Install-to-Play on December 12. Premium members can continue to play these games as part of their Install-to-Play benefits. See this article for details. Some of the most popular Install-to-Play games — including Megabonk, R.E.P.O  and RV There Yet? — have moved to Ready-to-Play, so they’ll always be kept up to date for instant streaming. What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below. Health pots, extra weapons, alternate armor — what's an item you never remove from your inventory? — NVIDIA GeForce NOW (@NVIDIAGFN) December 3, 2025

Title: The Ultimate Black Friday Deal Is Here Date: Thu, 27 Nov 2025 14:00:37 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-black-friday-2025/ Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season — 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership. That’s GeForce RTX 5080-class power in the cloud for half the price. The completed Ultimate upgrade. The NVIDIA Blackwell RTX upgrade is now fully live across all servers — including in Stockholm, the final region to receive the upgrade — bringing even faster performance and lower latency to more members. To celebrate this milestone, Ultimate members can claim a Battlefield 6 reward to show off in style. Kick off a gaming-filled weekend with seven new titles joining the GeForce NOW library. And the GeForce NOW Community Video Contest continues. Submit epic gameplay moments or share what makes streaming with GeForce NOW special for a chance to win Ultimate day passes or even a full year of Ultimate access. Keep those clips rolling — there’s still time to enter and level up chances to win. Black Friday, GFN Thursday Green is the new black. The Ultimate Black Friday Sale is the perfect time to upgrade to peak cloud performance, with Blackwell RTX now live worldwide. Through Sunday, Nov. 30, the first three months of an Ultimate membership are 50% off. An Ultimate membership delivers GeForce RTX 5080-class power from the cloud, powering the fastest frame rates, ultrasmooth gameplay and breathtaking visuals with NVIDIA DLSS 4 technology. With cinematic-quality streaming up to 5K 120 frames per second, every session plays out with premium precision. Top titles like Battlefield 6, Borderlands 4 and Outer Worlds 2 shine with GeForce RTX 50 Series performance. From explosive action to expansive worlds, Ultimate transforms every adventure into a showpiece. The Ultimate Black Friday Sale — available in the U.S., Mexico and Japan — ends at the end of this week. Take advantage now for epic savings and next-level performance. Built for Victors Dominate the battlefield. Ultimate members will turn heads in Battlefield 6 with a new free reward: an in-game weapon skin for the Marksman SVK-8.6 DMR, forged for those who thrive where chaos reigns. The fight takes on new style with a skin that means business, featuring battle-scarred alloy, digital accents and just enough swagger to stir envy among any squad. This weapon skin stands ready for gamers who lock in on victory, even as the odds explode around them. The limited-time reward is available through Friday, Dec. 26. Ultimate members can sign in to GeForce NOW and claim an edge in the midst of chaos. Zoom to New Games Born to push the limits. Project Motor Racing is an ambitious racing simulation game that captures the intensity and challenge of professional motorsport, featuring a wide selection of meticulously recreated cars and global circuits. Designed for both seasoned sim racers and newcomers, it offers deep single-player career modes and robust online competition, all built around immersive physics, dynamic weather and a dedication to authenticity. Every race is a fresh test of skill, with relentless attention to detail and a vibrant, competitive racing community. Check out this week’s new games here: Of Ash and Steel (New release on Steam, Nov. 24, GeForce RTX 5080-ready) Kill It With Fire (Xbox, available on PC Game Pass, Nov. 25) Project Motor Racing (New release on Steam, Nov. 25) Brotato (Steam) Cricket 26 (Steam) GODBREAKERS (Steam) Zero Hour (Epic Games Store) And another GeForce RTX 5080-ready game atop this week’s addition Of Ash and Steel: Phasmaphobia (Steam) Launch dates shared on GFN Thursdays reflect release dates for new titles, which will arrive on GeForce NOW within the following week. Before digging into a gaming weekend, check out the question below. Post answers on X or in the comments below. So, here's the deal. Literally. The Ultimate Black Friday deal is live! GO https://t.co/mMt5aYmSsH #GeForceSeason pic.twitter.com/idnvq6VBlO — NVIDIA GeForce NOW (@NVIDIAGFN) November 25, 2025

Title: Ultimate Cloud Gaming Is Everywhere With GeForce NOW Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-ultimate-is-everywhere/ The NVIDIA Blackwell RTX upgrade is nearing the finish line, letting GeForce NOW Ultimate members across the globe experience true next-generation cloud gaming from anywhere. Everyone’s talking about Ultimate memberships — including GeForce NOW partner 2K. “With GeForce NOW Ultimate, top-tier streaming truly goes everywhere,” said Sean Haran, head of partnerships and licensing at 2K. “Anyone can experience the glory of Borderlands 4, with breathtaking graphics and flawless gameplay powered by GeForce RTX 5080 servers, even without the latest devices. Jump into the cloud and play at high settings, whether you’re at home or on the move.” The community has plenty to say about Ultimate, too. The GeForce NOW Community Video Contest invites gamers to share how GeForce NOW has changed the way they play. Participants can earn two Ultimate day passes — one to keep and one to share with a gaming buddy — and a chance to win a one-year Ultimate membership, just for submitting a clip. Plus, the celebration continues with free in-game skins for both Guild Wars II and Borderlands 4. And Capcom’s Ace Attorney headlines the lineup of nine new titles joining the cloud this week, alongside even more ways to jump in with the new Chromebook Fast Pass. Stockholm will soon be the final region to get Blackwell RTX power, completing the rollout of GeForce RTX 5080-class performance worldwide. Ultrasmooth streaming, cutting-edge visuals and lightning-fast responsiveness are unlocking new levels of performance for Ultimate members. The Ultimate Leap Ultimate is everywhere, with Stockholm to be the final region to upgrade. GeForce RTX 5080-class performance is lighting up regions around the globe, powered by the Blackwell RTX upgrade. Ultimate now streams at up to 5K at 120 frames per second or up to 360 fps at 1080p for sharp, competitive play. Expect cinematic-quality visuals, advanced ray tracing and AI-powered performance that makes every frame shine on nearly any device. From the neon buzz of Cyberpunk 2077 to the over-the-top chaos of Borderlands 4, gaming has never looked — or felt — this good. With high-dynamic-range visuals, support for racing wheels, ultrawide displays, gaming handhelds running up to 90 fps and an expanded library of over 4,000 games thanks to the Install-to-Play feature — GeForce NOW enables every gamer to play bigger, go longer and jump right into blockbuster adventures without worrying about hardware. The Ultimate Contest Members can join in celebrating GeForce RTX 5080-class power streaming all over the world by sharing gameplay videos of why the Ultimate experience stands out. Submit entries on the Blackwell upgrade page. Participants will earn two Ultimate day passes — either for keeping or sharing with a friend. Top 10 entries will win a one-year Ultimate membership to keep the gaming going. Calling All Heroes The celebrations don’t stop there. GeForce NOW members are in for a treat: fantastic rewards are up for grabs in Borderlands 4 and Guild Wars 2. Stand out in the mayhem. GeForce NOW Ultimate members can claim the bold ECHO-4 drone skin in Borderlands 4 to show off their style while experiencing the game with cinematic-quality streaming and up to 2.8x higher frame rates, powered by NVIDIA Blackwell RTX servers. Rule the realm in style. And in Guild Wars 2, Ultimate members can unlock the regal and ruthless Bloody Prince Outfit, perfect for making a memorable entrance in the new “Visions of Eternity” expansion. Jump into epic quests across Castora to carve legends, harness ancient magic and stand out among heroes. It’s all about perks, effortless streaming and instant access — no downloads required. With a GeForce NOW membership, play with style, power and rewards that let members shine in the worlds they explore. Claim member rewards in the GeForce NOW account portal, then follow the instructions to collect the in-game reward. For Borderlands 4, enter the provided SHiFT code in the in-game menu. For Guild Wars 2, log in to the GeForce NOW account to redeem. Ready to Battle It’s justice time. Apollo Justice’s legal journey begins anew. In Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy, join rookie attorney Apollo Justice and his mentor, the legendary Phoenix Wright, in this collection of three games. It features the 14 episodes of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice, as well as two special episodes that were previously only offered as downloadable content, for a total of 16 episodes. Also included is a mountain of extra goodies — such as xx, yy and zz — sure to satisfy any Ace Attorney fan. Stream this legendary courtroom drama anywhere with GeForce NOW. Experience the sharp wit and thrilling investigations of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy across laptops, Macs, phones and other gaming devices. With GeForce NOW powering the action, every objection comes through in high fidelity — no long downloads, no waiting, just instant access to justice. Zoom Down the Fast-Pass Lane Gotta go fast. Gaming just got a major upgrade for Chromebook users. The GeForce NOW Chromebook Fast Pass unlocks a full year of cloud gaming with no ads or waiting in queues for a year — simple, accessible and Chromebook-friendly. With this exclusive perk, Chromebook owners get 12 months of priority access to stream over 2,000 Ready-to-Play PC games from major libraries, all at 1080p and 60 fps, and without ads.​ It’s never been easier to turn a Chromebook into a high-powered gaming rig. Grab a Fast Pass, jump into the action and take favorite PC games anywhere — whether at home or on the go. This offer is available for new Chromebook and Chromebook+ owners, as well as new and existing GeForce NOW free users. Let’s Play Today Rise from the rubble. “Season 1: California Resistance” is Battlefield 6’s second major update, transforming luxurious pools and private golf courses into a sprawling combat zone, with new updates to Battlefield 6 and free-to-play ‘REDSEC’ experience. New maps stretch across abandoned city blocks and fractured coastlines, while fresh factions, vehicles and gadgets bring new strategies to the fight. It’s the dawn of a new chapter for Battlefield 6, full of surprises waiting behind every collapsing wall and cloud of dust. Squad coordination, reactive destruction and cinematic weather events keep every round unpredictable. Storm idyllic fairways and jump into chaos with an all-new Golf Cart on the new MP Map Eastwood. Even on the back nine, every explosion feels and takedown feels bigger, bolder and more cinematic than before. In addition, members can look for the following: SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide (New release on Steam, Nov. 18) Long Drive North (New release on Steam, Nov. 18) Demonschool (New release on Steam, Nov. 19) Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass, Nov. 20) Monsters Are Coming! Rock & Road (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass, Nov. 20) Prologue: Go Wayback! (New release on Steam, available Nov. 20) The Crew Motorfest (New release on Xbox, available on PC Game Pass, Nov. 20) Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy (Steam) Sacred 2 Remaster (Steam) GeForce RTX 5080-ready game: Star Wars Outlaws (Steam and Ubisoft Connect) To access supported Ubisoft titles from Xbox PC Game Pass on GeForce NOW — such as this week’s addition, The Crew Motorfest — refer to this article for further details. Launch dates shared on GFN Thursdays reflect release dates for new titles, which will arrive on GeForce NOW within the following week. What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below. Rewards are on their way! @GuildWars2 Bloody Prince Outfit for GFN members@Borderlands 4 ECHO-4 Drone skin for Ultimate members Opt-in for GFN Rewards on your account so you don’t miss out https://t.co/BgW4GNBmUE pic.twitter.com/JamlTcQ8db — NVIDIA GeForce NOW (@NVIDIAGFN) November 17, 2025  

Title: PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for January: Need for Speed Unbound, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, Core Keeper Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 16:30:00 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2025/12/31/playstation-plus-monthly-games-for-january-need-for-speed-unbound-disney-epic-mickey-rebrushed-core-keeper/ Enjoy hours of electric, adrenaline-pumping racing action, embark on an epic journey through a realm of forgotten Disney characters and explore a long-forgotten cavern teeming with untold secrets with the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for January 2026. Need For Speed Unbound, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed and Core Keeper will be available to PlayStation Plus members from Tuesday January 6 until Monday February 2*. Let’s take a closer look at each of the games.  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Need For Speed Unbound | PS5 Start at the bottom, race to the top in the latest entry in the iconic Need for Speed franchise. With separate single and multiplayer campaigns, this latest edition in the Need for Speed franchise from Criterion Games delivers hours of electric, adrenaline-pumping racing action. Race against time, outsmart the cops, and take on weekly qualifiers to reach The Grand, Lakeshore’s ultimate street racing challenge. Pack your garage with precision-tuned, custom rides and light up the streets with your style, exclusive fits, and a vibrant global soundtrack that bumps in every corner of the world.   View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed | PS4, PS5 Play as Mickey Mouse and embark on an epic journey through Wasteland, a realm of forgotten Disney characters. Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed brings the magic of Disney to life in a vibrant 3D platformer. This beautiful remake sends Mickey into a fantastical world where you use paint and thinner to shape your adventure and the fate of this alternate world. Every stroke of your magic brush matters! Use paint to restore beauty and harmony or thinner to alter your environment and uncover hidden secrets. Encounter iconic characters like Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt Disney’s first creation. Collect virtual Disney pins and tackle creative challenges while exploring classic platforming levels inspired by animated films and shorts. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Core Keeper | PS4, PS5 Awaken as an explorer in a long-forgotten cavern teeming with untold secrets. In this award-winning, 1-8 player mining sandbox adventure, your choices shape an epic journey. Harvest relics and resources, craft advanced tools, build your base, and explore a dynamically evolving world waiting to be unearthed. Level up your skills, defeat legendary Titans, and unveil the power of the Core. Grow your garden, fish in mysterious waters, master a vast array of recipes, raise and care for animals, encounter the Cavelings, and carve out your own unique world in an enchanting underground adventure. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Last chance to add December’s PlayStation Plus Monthly Games to your library  PlayStation Plus members have until Monday January 5 to add Lego Horizon Adventures, Killing Floor 3, The Outlast Trials, Synduality Echo of Ada and Neon White to their game library.  *PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup may differ in certain regions. Please check the PlayStation Store on launch day for your region’s lineup.

Title: 2025 was a great year for ninja and samurai games on PlayStation Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2025/12/29/2025-was-a-great-year-for-ninja-and-samurai-games-on-playstation/ Ninjas and samurai have always been a staple of video games, but even with their perennial popularity, 2025 has been an exceptionally good year for titles about deadly Japanese warriors. A bunch of ninja- and samurai-themed games hit PlayStation 5 this year, offering a huge variety of takes on the idea of becoming a sneaky, sword-wielding fighter in dark clothes. From fast-paced combo-ridden action games, to slower and stealthier assassin-themed takes, no matter how you like your ninjas, 2025 has had something for you. Assassin’s Creed Shadows Sure, the Assassin’s Creed series is about two ancient orders of ridiculously influential warriors battling one another throughout history, and also there are godlike aliens. But what the games sometimes lack in narrative realism, they make up for in nailing historical settings. Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ depiction of feudal Japan is unmatched, and the series’ focus on stealthy takedowns is right in line with the ninja sensibilities of its protagonist, Naoe — after all, “assassin” is right there in the name. But if you’re looking for some variety, good news: Assassin’s Creed Shadows has two protagonists, so you can get the ninja experience and a taste of the samurai life throughout the course of its lengthy story. Publisher: Ubisoft | Developer: Ubisoft Quebec | PS5 Ghost of Yōtei Like Ghost of Tsushima before it, Ghost of Yōtei sports a “Kurosawa mode,” named after the famed Japanese filmmaker, and that’s a pretty good indication of the cinematic experiences that await you. Yōtei is a lot like playing through a samurai film, but with a whole lot of shinobi elements thrown in along the way. Its protagonist, Atsu, isn’t a ninja or a samurai, per se — she’s a mercenary, and she uses every advantage she can to win battles on her quest for revenge. What Ghost of Yōtei channels from the ninja experience is the idea of stealth and silent takedowns. For example, Atsu’s upgraded kusarigama can snare enemies from a distance. She can also unleash kunai for chained assassinations and disappear with smoke bombs. Each enemy encounter demands clever improvisation to match the threat, and that’s Atsu all over. Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment | Developer: Sucker Punch Productions | PS5 Ninja Gaiden 4 Team Ninja’s and PlatinumGames’ titles are often all about speed — overwhelming your foes through ridiculously fast reactions and unrelenting combos. With Ninja Gaiden 4, it’s all slashing, dodging, and obliterating enemies. While there are a lot of classically ninja-esque elements at play, as you might expect from all the uses of the word “ninja” in this paragraph already, what Ninja Gaiden 4 really grabs onto is an over-the-top mobility and agility in its ninja experience. You’re incredibly fast as you run along walls, grapple over gaps, and dodge past enemies, and once you start laying into opponents, you’re able to combo them so fast they can’t even react. If you’ve got a need for ninja speed, this is the game for you. Publisher: Microsoft Corporation | Developer: Team Ninja, PlatinumGames | PS5 Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Side-scroller Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound channels the early entries in the Ninja Gaiden series, mixing modern game design ideas with an old-school charm. You fight through hordes of enemies, including a whole lot of demons, with weapons that kill most enemies in a single hit. The ninja fantasy isn’t so much in the blades, speed, or abilities — although those elements are all there — as it is in mastering the battlefield. You’ll need to size up your foes, and the order in which you need to defeat them, so you can make the most of power-ups to take down tougher foes, or avoid potentially devastating attacks. Publisher: Dotemu | Developer: The Game Kitchen| PS5, PS4 Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remastered Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, as the name suggests, falls on the samurai side of the spectrum, but it shares a lot with 2025’s crop of ninja games, like powerful fighting abilities and a focus on battling demonic enemies. Capcom’s remaster of this 2002 classic sends you on a quest of revenge against an army of fiends, encouraging you to engage in smart swordplay as you balance slashing, blocking, and nailing powerful Issen counters. Onimusha 2 also gives the samurai experience a slightly different spin, drawing on elements of Capcom’s contemporary games of the time, like the Resident Evil series, to channel a bit of a survival-horror vibe. Publisher: Capcom | Developer: Capcom Production Studio 2 | PS5, PS4 Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Similar to Ragebound, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance also reinvigorates a famed ninja series by reaching back into its 2D side-scrolling past. Shinobi plays up the ludicrous power and skill of its ninja, Joe Musashi, with an emphasis on weakening enemies so that you can perform a blazing fast assassination on several of them at once. Strategically whittling down the life of every enemy on the screen without outright defeating them, just so you can watch Musashi zip around at lightning speed to finish them off, is always satisfying. With a katana, kunai, and powerful, magical Ninpo and Ninjutsu abilities, you have all sorts of ninja-themed options at your disposal to take on anything the game throws at you. Publisher: Sega | Developer: LizardCube | PS5, PS4 Honorable Mention: Ninja Five-O Another side-scrolling ninja title returning from the past, Ninja Five-0 was previously a super hard-to-find game that was only available for portable systems way back in the early 2000s. But with Ninja Five-0 making its way to the PS5 this year, you’re finally free to answer the age-old question: What would happen if a cop was also a ninja? You’ve asked that question, right? Ninja Five-O gives you a pretty in-depth answer as you use ninja skills and abilities to save hostages and take down bank robbers and other criminals. Firearms are no match for your speed, skills, or the arsenal of classic weapons at your disposal, including a katana, a grappling hook, and shuriken. Publisher: Konami | Developer: Hudson Soft | PS5, PS4 While 2025 might be drawing to a close, don’t worry — it seems we won’t be short on ninjas and samurai on PS5 in the New Year, either. Sucker Punch is gearing up to deliver cooperative multiplayer action with the release of Ghost of Yōtei Legends next year.* Ghost of Yōtei Legends will be free DLC for all Ghost of Yōtei owners.* Nioh 3 is already preparing to strike on February 6, and brings a whole set of ninja skills and abilities to complement its deep samurai gameplay. Ninja Gaiden 4 is arming itself with a major expansion in early 2026 that adds new story content and weapons for its ninja protagonists. And Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the first new mainline entry in Capcom’s series in two decades, will launch a sneak attack sometime next year. *Available via patch update. Internet connection and account for PlayStation Network required. PlayStation Plus subscription (sold separately) required for online play or multiplayer. PS Plus is subject to recurring subscription fee taken automatically until cancellation. Age restrictions apply. Terms apply: play.st/psplus-usageterms .

Title: 10 indie games from 2025 that delighted the PlayStation Indies teams Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2025 16:00:40 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2025/12/22/10-indie-games-from-2025-that-delighted-the-playstation-indies-teams/ The joy of working with indies is never knowing what you’ll stumble upon next. Every year brings something unexpected and delightful, no matter what your genre of preference is. The indie-focused teams here at Sony Interactive Entertainment have bundled up some of their personal favorite indie games from the past year. Here are some of the games that surprised, enchanted, and tickled us in 2025. Baby Steps Developer: Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett FoddyPublisher: Devolver Digital Play Video An irreverent, physics-driven stumble-through-life adventure built on those wonderfully punishing physics that made Bennett Foddy’s Getting Over It so iconic. Why we love it: We had a hard time really explaining the elevator pitch to our colleagues after we played it — this is one of those games you simply have to feel to understand. When we handed a controller to SIE’s Sid Shuman and his character immediately slid helplessly down a mountain in the most dramatic way possible, he broke into that tears-in-your-eyes kind of laugh. And it went on for a while. That’s when it clicked for us: the chaos, the tenderness, the humor — it all makes sense the second you take that first clumsy step. Ball X Pit Developer: Kenny SunPublisher: Devolver Digital Play Video A chaotic, neon-soaked arcade blast where everything moves fast, loud, and just slightly unhinged. Why we love it: A few of us got an early look at this one from Devolver, and we knew it was sticky when several folks on our team found themselves compelled to keep playing it long after they’d already finished writing up the review. It’s pure, joyful chaos — the kind of game that grabs you immediately and refuses to let go. And for me personally, seeing Kenny Sun behind this made it even better. I’ve followed his work since my early editorial days and loved his 2016 platformer Circa Infinity. Watching his evolution from those minimalist, mind-bending roots to something this loud, playful, and polished — all as a single developer — is incredibly cool. Blue Prince Developer: Banana Bird StudiosPublisher: Raw Fury Play Video A surreal, shifting-room puzzle mystery that constantly reinvents itself as you explore. Why we love it: There’s nothing better than a hypnotic, mysterious puzzle game that refuses to play by the rules, and Blue Prince nails that feeling. Several of us ended up having the same unexpected experience with it — even though it’s a single-player game, it became something we played alongside our partners or friends at home. We’d compare notes, swap theories, and brainstorm puzzle solutions together like we were part of some shared secret. That sense of quiet discovery, of unraveling something strange and elegant piece by piece, is exactly what makes this one so special. It’s stylish, clever, and lingers with you long after you stop playing. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Developer: Sandfall InteractivePublisher: Kepler Interactive Play Video A striking, painterly RPG about breaking a prophecy and claiming a future that was never supposed to be yours. Why we love it: The art direction grabbed us immediately, and the combat hits that sweet spot between thoughtful and cinematic. Such a beautiful game with tremendous acting, tight gameplay, and possibly the greatest gaming soundtrack ever. Montpellier-based team Sandfall Interactive wears their inspirations on their sleeve — from European illustration traditions to the emotional arc and iconic gameplay of your favorite RPGs. You can feel those influences in every character, creature, and brushstroke. It’s bold, beautiful, and exactly the kind of creative vision we love. Despelote Developer: Julián Cordero and Sebastian ValbuenaPublisher: Panic Play Video A grounded, slice-of-life adventure set in early-2000s Quito, capturing a neighborhood—and a country—caught up in Ecuador’s historic 2002 World Cup qualifying run. Why we love it: Despelote captures a cultural moment that meant so much to so many Ecuadorians, and it does it through small, everyday details that feel incredibly personal. We were struck by how intimate it felt. The narrative is a step back in time drawn from the creators’ childhood memories in Quito. The art style adds to that effect with a gentle, dreamlike quality that makes the world feel both real and surreal. It’s warm, human, and a heartfelt celebration of their people. Dispatch Developer: AdHoc StudioPublisher: AdHoc Studio Play Video A sharp-witted episodic superhero workplace comedy where you’re not the hero, but the one sending them. Why we love it: From the get-go, Dispatch had us hooked: it draws you in with its vibrant art style, razor-sharp writing, and versatile mechanics that fluidly shift from thoughtful narrative choices to challenging puzzles and the chaos of superhero dispatch management. What sets it apart, though, is how quickly these larger-than-life characters develop as you play. Beneath the capes and theatrics, they’re full of surprising warmth, messy emotions, and a delightful streak of pettiness that fuels hilarious office drama. It’s a refreshing twist on the narrative-driven adventure games and super hero content we’ve all grown accustomed to. Dispatch finds its own unique voice in that space, which is a superhuman feat in itself, and focuses on unmasking the larger-than-life personalities to study the flawed people behind the costumes. AdHoc reminds us why this genre continues to be so compelling. Hollow Knight: Silksong Developer: Team CherryPublisher: Team Cherry Play Video The long-awaited sequel to Hollow Knight, delivering sharper movement, richer combat, and a haunting new world. Why we love it: Few modern indies have had the cultural impact of Hollow Knight — it became a touchstone for precision platforming, atmosphere, and handcrafted design. Silksong builds on that legacy with the same meticulous attention to detail that made the original so beloved. Team Cherry’s craftsmanship is extraordinary for a studio of their size, and once again, we found ourselves completely lost in their world. It’s elegant, ambitious, and a reminder of just how far great artistry can go. Lumines Arise Developer: EnhancePublisher: Enhance Play Video A modern evolution of the puzzle-rhythm classic, polished into a hypnotic little gem. Why we love it: Enhance has been behind some of the most transcendent puzzle experiences ever made — from Rez Infinite to Tetris Effect — and Lumines Arise carries that same lineage of arcadey, synesthetic brilliance. They’re simply the best at what they do. When the visuals, music, and patterns lock together, it drops you into that unmistakable flow state where your brain finally exhales. It’s stylish, soothing, and one of those games we keep “accidentally” playing for an hour. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yo-Yo Developer: Pocket TrapPublisher: PM Studios Play Video A stylish, fast-moving action-platformer built around a surprisingly deep, yo-yo-based moveset. Why we love it: This is one of those games that feels instantly good the second you touch it. The movement is expressive, the combat has real snap, and the whole thing radiates personality. We were impressed by how they took such a simple mechanic and stretched it into something with real depth and momentum. Sword of the Sea Developer: Giant SquidPublisher: Giant Squid Play Video A serene sand-surfing adventure from Matt Nava and the team behind Journey, Abzû, and The Pathless. Why we love it: Watching Nava’s artistic evolution over the years has been such a joy, and Sword of the Sea feels like a culmination of everything he does best — movement, atmosphere, emotional quiet. It’s already gorgeous and calming on its own, but what really elevated the experience for us were the subtle, innovative touches he layered in. The DualSense haptics in particular add this gentle, tactile dimension to surfing across the dunes — you feel the world in a way that’s impossible to describe until the controller is in your hands. It’s thoughtful, immersive, and one of those experiences that stays with you long after you sign off. Honorable Mentions Citizen Sleeper 2 Demonschool Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist Hotel Infinity Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders Lost Records Bloom & Rage Ninja Gaiden Ragebound Promise Mascot Agency Rematch The Alters The Midnight Walk To a T Wanderstop Wheel World These games represent just a fraction of the incredible creativity happening across the indie landscape. We’re thrilled to support such creative, genre-defying work and we can’t wait to see what’s next.

Title: Behind the scenes of Lumines Arise with Enhance Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2025 13:00:06 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2025/12/22/behind-the-scenes-of-lumines-arise-with-enhance/ Hello everyone! I’m Takashi Ishihara, the Game Director and Art Director for Lumines Arise at Enhance. It’s been a little over a month since we released Lumines Arise, a reimagining of the Lumines puzzle game series originally introduced in 2004, on PlayStation 5 with optional PS VR2 support. Hopefully, you’ve been enjoying playing through the Journey mode, exploring the Mission mode and its Training missions and Challenges, battling other players around the world in Burst Battle, or taking part in Weekend Loomii Live events. I’d like to give you more insight into the development of Lumines Arise and how the team at Enhance brought this project to life. Defining next-generation Lumines We already knew that after Tetris Effect: Connected, we wanted to revisit Lumines. The big question in our heads at that time was, “What defines the next Lumines?” An image began brewing in my head, and I spent time thinking about key words and colors that would represent the new game. It was all very abstract at first, but slowly the main idea took shape. This is when I sat down with Executive Producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi to align on the core concept and where we’d like this iteration to go. Once that was agreed upon, I went full tilt in designing individual stages, picking out moments or feelings I wanted to see visualized, including the UI/UX, getting an idea of the musical styles that might pair with each. As it came together, I made a pre-visualization video. That’s when a real team was starting to take shape so I shared it with them. We started talking about how to make the concept even better and improve on the foundation. After this initial shaping and polishing process, that’s when we really started building out the game. Developing Stages over time A common question that we get is how long does it take you to create a full stage from start to finish. Well, that’s a bit of a difficult one to answer, since during development we continually polish, improve, and tweak little things throughout. It’s become a bit of our house style at Enhance! At no point do we say, “OK, we’re done with that stage time to move to the next!” The initial design for a single stage is quite broad—its visuals, music, and sound, and the feeling that we want it to evoke. Then, as we work, each person on the team, be it a visual designer or a member of the sound team, contributes tweaks and changes. This back-and-forth process doesn’t stop, but if you laid it all out on a timeline, it might show that it took three or four months per stage from start to finish! At times we would shift focus to certain stages and leave others to “breathe” and come back to them later. Every component of a stage—visuals, sound effects, music—needs to work together in harmony. The design informs the music, the music informs the design, and we change things throughout the process until the very end. When we reach the point where it’s in harmony and feeling good to play, that’s when we know the stage is working and everything is in its most polished, perfected state. Speaking a little more about matching the music to a stage’s visuals, at the beginning it’s very broad. From what I just described, you could say our development style is very flowy. But at the start, we do a lot of music-related planning, analyzing sound waves, looking at the MIDI, timing and BPM data. However, it’s very similar to making something out of a mountain of clay. You have a plan, but as you’re creating it you take things away, add textures, or maybe you have to add elements back to it. Maybe a shape or curve you added doesn’t work anymore. You’re always perfecting and correcting, and our development style gives some room for that flexibility. On the cutting room floor Now, were there any stages we cut from the game? There were a few that we’d started working on very early in development that just didn’t fit thematically. One had an ocean theme, and another was a forest theme—in the end, these didn’t feel cohesive to the Lumines experience we were building. I’d set a high bar for what I wanted out of this new Lumines game. After working on these types of games over the last 20 years, focused on the core synesthesia experience, I had to dig deeper and it turned out that the more darker, cooler feeling tones worked better than the brighter and sometimes softer epic-scale vibes that fit more naturally in a game like Tetris Effect: Connected. That VR feeling This is the first time a Lumines game has been playable in VR, too—have you tried it in PS VR2? We wanted playing Lumines in VR to feel like being in the front row at a concert. The lights, the energy, the stage in front of you. It took quite a bit of tuning to get the camera positioning perfect to elicit these feelings, too. If you’ve played on PS VR2 you may have noticed there are lights and particles and things happening that are not visible when playing on a TV. Those little details, along with the headset vibration, help immerse you in the experience even further. An Immense Task The games in the Lumines series up to now were all built in 2D. With Lumines Arise, we’re bringing all this into 3D, which means we’re working with a ton of assets, lots of sound components, and music. Every stage’s visuals, music, sound effects are different across all 36 stages. It was so ambitious in scope that we increased our production schedule by six months to get it all done. The finished project hopefully appears effortless, but the scale and volume of making this happen were immense. It was an absolutely huge effort by our team over three and a half years. In that time, our team grew, we learned a lot of new technology that we hadn’t used before, tuned each stage to painstaking detail, and we shipped a game that plays on your TV, PlayStation Portal, and in VR via PS VR2. I am so proud that we were able to overcome all the challenges that this game presented to us. Lumines Arise is available right now on PlayStation 5 with optional PS VR2 compatibility. If you’re a PS Plus Premium subscriber, there’s even a game trial available so you can try out the game for yourself.

Title: Official PlayStation Podcast Episode 530: Wrapped With a Bow Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2025 17:03:03 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2025/12/19/official-playstation-podcast-episode-530-wrapped-with-a-bow/ Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here Hey, everybody! Sid, Kristen, and Brett are back this week to discuss their top games of 2025, both in terms of hours played and the ones they can’t stop thinking about. This episode also includes a spoiler-filled Ghost of Yōtei interview with Sucker Punch Creative Directors Jason Connell and Nate Fox. Stuff We Talked About Holiday Cards 2025 — Celebrate the holidays with festive cards from our studio friends and developers. See if you can find your favorite characters getting into some yuletide shenanigans. Marathon new features and updates — Get detailed information on all the changes and updates made to Marathon ahead of its March 2026 release. Extract all the data and be prepared to run as a squad or solo. Saros developers reflect on Story Trailer — The Housemarque team breaks down the new story trailer, going over the emotional throughlines of the title, working with seasoned actors to bring the vision to life, and more. Helldivers 2 update —.Blast into some mandatory holiday cheer with the Festival of Reckoning on December 18. Enjoy limited-time access to a host of stratagems and other themed goodies. PlayStation Blog GOTY 2025 Winners — The votes are in, and it’s time to see what the community’s top picks are for 2025. The Cast View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Kristen Zitani –  Globlal Content Content Communications Manager, SIE Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

Title: The eleventh RPS Christmas Cracker 2025 Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-eleventh-rps-christmas-cracker-2025 We eight scribes from RPS are, Bearing jokes, we wrote in the past, Christmas crackers, god we’re knackered, After twelve months of graft. O, reader of wonder, loved the most, Why not subscribe to Supporters posts? January leading, still proceeding, See you once we’ve munched our roasts. But first, time to enjoy your lovely joke! Read more

Title: Edwin's most anticipated PC games for 2026 Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 14:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/edwins-most-anticipated-pc-games-for-2026 Most anticipated? Oh reader, you gentle, innocent child. Hark at you, ambling in here with supple joints, eyes clear as springwater, and the scent of hope in your hair. I have grown old, dear reader. I no longer feel this emotion called "anticipation", anymore than I remember the taste of strawberries in the Shire. Years of waiting for another Legacy of Kain game have broken my spirit. My heart is a sponge of sorrow. My beard coils round my ankles like a listless cat. All has become grey. Read more

Title: The RPS Selection Box: Callum's bonus games of the year Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-rps-selection-box-callums-bonus-games-of-the-year When I looked back on 2025 to assemble my advent calendar votes, I was surprised how many of them were smaller titles, especially in a year that saw both a new Silent Hill and Doom hitting the shelves. But then I remembered this year the Steam algorithm's whispered in my ear like the Green Goblin Mask to Norman Osborn, guiding me to lovely indie gems (and telling me to squash that Spider-Man). Read more

Title: The tenth RPS Christmas Cracker 2025 Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-tenth-rps-christmas-cracker-2025 We eight scribes from RPS are, Bearing jokes, we wrote in the past, Christmas crackers, god we’re knackered, After twelve months of graft. O, reader of wonder, loved the most, Why not subscribe to Supporters posts? January leading, still proceeding, See you once we’ve munched our roasts. But first, time to enjoy your lovely joke! Read more

Title: Julian's most anticipated games for 2026 Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2025 14:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/julians-most-anticipated-games-for-2026 While the old saying goes 'A game in the basket is worth two in Steam Wishlist', as we teeter into a new year it's good to highlight a couple of the games shuffling our way. Especially when there are quite so many of them that include big stompy mechs. Some of them as big as cities. My engine oil-starved heart beats and thumps in anticipation. I've tried to keep the list to games confirmed for release next year – tragically cutting The Free Shepherd, which is planned to release in 2027 – but there is one exception. So let's begin with the outlier that's likely to wander tardily into 2027. Read more