Title: UK’s Largest Tabletop Convention Bans AI With Few Exceptions Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 20:30:50 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/uks-largest-tabletop-convention-bans-ai-with-few-exceptions-2000737334 As AI generated material consumes much of the gaming and entertainment world, major tabletop players like UKGE refuse to roll the dice with the unpopular tech

Title: Comedic Filmmaker John Wilson Discovers Foundational Metaphor In The History Of Concrete Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 19:35:03 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/comedic-filmmaker-john-wilson-discovers-foundational-metaphor-in-the-history-of-concrete-2000737329 Building off his HBO series, Wilson’s feature length poetic odyssey examines why it’s hard to get excited about the future when the present visibly crumbles

Title: Everything We Saw At Minecraft Live, Including The First New Dimension In 15 Years Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 17:28:16 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/minecraft-live-dungeons-ii-ice-caves-the-sift-microsoft-mojang-2000737181 The Sift will be the fourth dimension in the game, joining the Overworld, Nether and the End

Title: Wild Arms Spiritual Successor Armed Fantasia Seemingly Discontinued By Publisher Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 17:10:22 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/wild-arms-spiritual-successor-armed-fantasia-seemingly-discontinued-by-publisher-2000737311 Despite a successful Kickstarter in 2022, this could be the end of the trail for the beloved, languishing JRPG series, leaving its gothic sibling project Penny Blood up in the air

Title: Family Aghast At Resellers Using 12-Year-Old’s Death To Flip Pokémon Cards: ‘This Does Not Honor Avery’s Generous Heart’ Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 16:05:05 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/family-aghast-at-resellers-using-12-year-olds-death-to-flip-pokemon-cards-this-does-not-honor-averys-generous-heart-2000737305 As scalpers turn to misprints and contextual excuses to inflate prices on cards from the 30th anniversary set, one eBay listing sinks to a depressing new low

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: Minecraft Is Getting Its First New Dimension In Over 15 Years Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 18:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-is-getting-its-first-new-dimension-in-over-15-years/ Announced today during Minecraft Live, Mojang is adding the first new dimension to the blocky sandbox game in more than a decade and a half. The Sift is an ethereal-looking fourth dimension that was first marketed for Minecraft Dungeons 2, and it's now been confirmed that it's coming to the base game in 2027. The Sift is a major new addition for Minecraft, marking the first new dimension since 2011's The End, where players go to fight the Ender Dragon in the end game. Speaking to GameSpot, Minecraft Dungeons 2 creative director Mans Olson explained that the team wanted to make sure that The Sift felt distinct from the Nether and The End rather than becoming another hostile environment. "We wanted to make sure that it was different. That it doesn't feel like the ones that already exist in the game," he confirmed. Unlike the Nether and The End, where the environments feel immediately hostile thanks to dangerous environmental hazards and angry mobs, the developers wanted it to feel like somewhere players could potentially live. "We thought of it more as a, kind of, different Overworld ... it's this idea that it should be a place where you could see yourself living, a place that's a bit peaceful, sometimes maybe even serene," Olson explained. "We already have two dimensions that clearly scream, 'I'm evil!'" That doesn't mean that The Sift will necessarily always be completely safe. In Minecraft Dungeons 2, the dimension is under threat from the Illagers, leaving its ecosystem in danger. https://youtu.be/1tINxp9ZPZA "We wanted to make sure that, although it is dangerous, it doesn't feel as hostile or as imposing as the Nether and The End," Olson said. "But rather just be an ecosystem of its own, to be rich and lush and vibrant, and provide a new color palette that's pretty different from what we've seen already." The Sift was originally created because Minecraft Dungeons 2 needed a new dimension for its story, but the developers have been working closely with the vanilla Minecraft team throughout its development. "When we do something new, we always look at, like, is there something there that we can reuse, or modify, or change that will suit the purpose? If there isn't, the new thing that we do, could it be added to [vanilla] Minecraft?" explained Olson. "That doesn't mean that it will or that it has to, but we want to make sure that everything could theoretically fit in there." In terms of visuals, The Sift is a vibrant landscape made of red and orange stone, green vegetation, sculk-like elements, and pools of a hazardous liquid called icor. You'll enter the dimension either through mysterious rifts that are opening across the Overworld, in the case of Minecraft Dungeons 2, or via Ancient City portals, which seem the more likely access point for Minecraft, where players control their experience more closely. While there are multiple new mobs in The Sift in Minecraft Dungeons 2, it's not yet been confirmed which of those will be making an appearance in Minecraft. There are Sifters, Singers, Neesters, and Sprouts to name just a few. The Sift will first appear in Minecraft Dungeons 2, which launches September 29. It will then make its way into vanilla Minecraft in 2027.

Title: The Next Minecraft Update Adds Ice Caves, A New Mob, And More Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 17:30:00 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-next-minecraft-update-adds-ice-caves-a-new-mob-and-more/ Minecraft's next game drop will add a new underground environment to the sandbox game, along with a new hostile mob, and items that bring frosty mechanics to exploration and combat. Announced during Minecraft Live on September 26, the upcoming game drop is expected to follow the usual drop cadence of once per quarter, releasing in December 2026. Its biggest addition is ice caves--a rare underground extension of Minecraft's existing cold biomes. Ice caves are a new underground biome coming to Minecraft. Ice caves will add more environmental variety to cold areas, giving you another reason to venture underground when exploring snowy regions. The caves will also contain ice crystals, which can be collected and used for decoration. Ice crystals can be placed vertically or horizontally, and they'll also produce light, giving you another way to illuminate your creations. However, ice caves aren't entirely peaceful. A new hostile mob in the form of the Frozen Zombie will lurk underground, bringing new combat mechanics with it. Frozen Zombies can apply a stacking freezing effect with their melee attacks. If you take too many hits you'll eventually freeze, making getting surrounded by Frozen Zombies especially dangerous. They can also throw ice balls, which deal damage and knock players back. Being hit with an ice ball will give you the Frozen effect. To create a Frozen Zombie, a regular Zombie will need to be exposed to powdered snow. Fortunately, when killed the Frozen Zombie will drop ice balls. Although if you're not coming across any, you can also craft ice balls. Frozen Zombies are a new variant of the existing Zombie mob. The ice balls can be used as weapons to deal damage and knock enemies back in the same way you would be if you were hit by one. They can also be used to brew a new potion that applies a freezing effect. While Minecraft's next update hasn't yet got a name, you can expect it to be released around late December 2026. Following that, Mojang also announced that the first new Minecraft dimension in 15 years will be released in 2027.

Title: Major League Baseball Is Headed For A Lockout: What Happens To The Video Games? Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 13:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/major-league-baseball-is-headed-for-a-lockout-what-happens-to-the-video-games/ Major League Baseball's collective bargaining agreement with the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) ends on December 1, 2026. A new agreement has to be reached prior to the start of the 2027 season the following spring, and as it stands, there are some very big sticking points in negotiations, particularly around the topic of a salary cap. Should a new agreement not be made prior to the season, we're looking at a lockout, with owners refusing to give players access to their facilities, as we briefly saw back in 2022.  But it feels different now. In 2022, the start of the season was pushed back but a full 162-game schedule was kept intact. This time, the owners (MLB) and the players (MLBPA) seem to be so far apart on the matter of a salary cap that it could cause a reduction in total games for 2027, assuming there's a season at all.  Every year, just prior to the start of the baseball season, Sony releases a new MLB The Show game, bringing with it the latest real-life rosters for all 30 MLB teams. Should there not be a new CBA in place, however, what happens to the baseball video games we expect every year? Will they even release as planned? I wanted answers, not just because I write about games for a living, but because I will undoubtedly be playing hundreds of hours of a baseball game in the event of a lockout that leaves me unable to watch real-life Major League action. Well, to be fair, I would probably do that even without a lockout, but now it's especially important.  MLB The Show 26 So, what could MLB video games look like if they launch before a new agreement can be reached? Last time, the lockout didn't last long enough for it to actually have a tangible effect on The Show, and an agreement was reached to save the baseball season a few weeks before the game's launch.  Sony--honestly, understandably--hasn't responded to my request for comment on its MLB The Show plans in the event of a lockout. These plans could very well still be changing, as the owners and MLBPA continue sending offers and counter-offers back and forth. We can, however, look to another major sports franchise for some insight. I spoke to Matt Bertz, former Game Informer managing editor and current senior VP of Games at consulting firm Magid, to explain how this went in the past. He pointed to a similar situation that happened with NBA 2K12. "That game dropped in 2K's typical October release window, even though the league lockout started in July and extended until December," Bertz said. "The money train needs to stay on the track, and those licenses aren't cheap.  "During that time, updated rosters and rookies were not available until the lockout was resolved," Bertz added. "To help create a draw without having the latest and greatest rosters, [developer] Visual Concepts leaned heavily into NBA history with the NBA's Greatest mode, which replaced the previous release's popular Jordan Challenge. The mode honored the careers of 15 of the league's best players, creating era-specific presentation packages and asking the commentators to wax nostalgic about NBA legends like Magic Johnson and Bill Russell. Given the MLB's storied history, I imagine a similar strategy could be employed by San Diego Studio."  We could be seeing a whole lot of this. There is certainly plenty of historical content that The Show could draw from, as legends of the past--including the Negro Leagues over the last handful of years' games--have been a major part of the experience. But typically, this content exists as a supplement to the live rosters of current players in the MLB rather than the main attraction. Perhaps the game could really lean into the Field of Dreams content, giving baseball fans a chance to see even more greats of yesteryear compete while a never-ending army of fathers and sons plays catch off to the side, but this likely wouldn't have the legs of a traditional full-season content rollout.   As it stands, only Sony knows what San Diego Studio's plans are for the potential lockout. However, even though The Show is the only traditional MLB baseball game on consoles today, it's not the only game with MLB licenses. One major--and very different--alternative is Out of the Park Baseball, a baseball sim that lets you manage your team down to the incredibly fine and minute details. I asked Out of the Park Developments president Rich Grisham back in August about the licensing agreements and the constant changes and uncertainty that come with making an annual sports game, and was a little surprised by the prevailing message: Baseball video game fans shouldn't lose sleep over this, at least not yet.  "I think history is the best guide in terms of video games, and luckily, we've been blessed with Major League Baseball not having a lot of labor issues over the last, you know, 10-15 years. But if you look at history where there have been labor disputes in the past, the video games around the sport, their release schedules didn't change," Grisham told me over a video call. "So I don't think video game baseball fans have any reason to be concerned about their video games. We're not expecting to not be able to make the games or anything like that." Grisham's confidence regarding the 2027 season existing, at least in some form, was a little surprising to me--not just because of the stalemate the MLB and players are in, but because Out of the Park Baseball relies heavily on nitty-gritty details like a new CBA to work authentically. The development team aims to have any changes implemented into the game as soon as possible, but it can't plan for all potential outcomes before the dust is settled.  Out of the Park Baseball 27 "Will there be baseball exactly on time or a little later? You know, that is all up in the air, but there will be baseball," Grisham added. "So, if there is a labor stoppage, you know, we'll do what we do to the best that we can do it, and we'll make sure that the games are as good as they can possibly be, and then, you know, let the chips fall where they may. But we're certainly not going to have two or three different versions of the game." We've seen The Show take an extra year to update all of its modes with rule changes, like when the universal DH was added to Diamond Dynasty one year after it happened in real life, and Grisham says Out of the Park, too, will continue to adapt--just maybe to a greater extent than in other years.  "We're always making adjustments, because even in non-CBA years, there are rule changes, you know? Different taxes come into effect, you know--different rules around the draft. So we're always implementing those in Out of the Park Baseball. As they come out, we then put them in the game."  It will be impossible to immediately implement all the changes that come about from a new CBA, especially if it happens post-lockout and with a shortened MLB season, but existing rules can act as a stopgap measure. "If there's not a CBA come March, then we'll probably just have the rules be the same as they are [now] until we find otherwise. And whatever the new CBA [states], we'll then [implement it] as quickly as possible--within the time allowed, because obviously you've got to put [the rules] in, you've got to test, it, you've got to run a billion simulations to make sure, you know, how it all works. We take it as it comes, is sort of the bottom line."  It's an approach you can see in the most successful baseball teams, weathering the storm of injuries that inevitably crop up over the course of the season, shifting resources and moving around existing players to best compete against the rest of the league. We don't know exactly what the future holds, either for real-life MLB games or their digital counterparts, but we'll have some sort of baseball to enjoy in 2027. Whether that digital version immediately reflects the on-field reality remains to be seen. 

Title: Crimson Desert Has Kept Me Trapped In Its Opening Area, And You Could Join Me For $1 Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 13:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/crimson-desert-has-kept-me-trapped-in-its-opening-area-and-you-could-join-me-for-1/ Crimson Desert is an action-RPG. It’s also a medieval fantasy game. It’s kinda sci-fi, kinda like Dragon’s Dogma 2, with a sprinkle of The Witcher 3, and there are even some Breath of the Wild and Assassin’s Creed comparisons to throw into the increasingly ridiculous pot. It’s completely overwhelming, completely wild, and completely fun, and if you’ve been waiting for an excuse to finally give it a shot—especially with its countless updates and new Enhanced version—you could try your luck at getting it for just $1 with Fanatical’s Mystery Crate. Crimson Desert is, admittedly, a bit of a strange game. The story of Kliff and rebuilding the Greymanes is maybe fourth or fifth on the priority list for Pearl Abyss’s single-player game, and normally, that would make it a less compelling experience. Yet, the higher priorities, like a solid gameplay loop and absolutely bizarre worldbuilding, make it so captivating that even hours later, I was still losing myself in Hernand Town, the game's opening area. Unlike The Witcher, which puts storytelling over combat—and for good reason—Crimson Desert decides to turn the combat in a typical action-RPG into something closer to a fighting game, and it works. Dishing out supernatural abilities while slicing apart enemies as quickly as lightning doesn’t feel button-mashy. It just feels right. Even simple actions like putting a flag into the correct position require a combination of buttons that initially feels stupidly complex for no reason, yet over time, it becomes apparent that it’s simply… fine. It’s just second nature at this point. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyNKlUyk9DI As you gain access to new abilities, Crimson Desert just gels so well that, despite the long list of inspirations I started this article with, it all fits together naturally quite well. Grappling up to clifftops and nailing enemies with a bombardment of skills that would make Mortal Kombat characters look tame in comparison is just a sliver of what to expect. Admittedly, it can be hard to get used to at first, but keep pushing, and you’ll start to wonder how you ever played without all of these ridiculous tools at your disposal. Crimson Desert is an absolutely solid game, and with a whole batch of updates and the newly released Enhanced Edition, it’s now better than ever. If you’re feeling lucky, you could try out the Fanatical Mystery Crate experience, getting cheap Steam keys starting from just $1 / £1 each, or 25 for $17.49 / £17.49, and each crate is an opportunity to get Crimson Desert—or another AAA game, like The Blood of Dawnwalker or Silent Hill: Townfall. Even if you don’t manage to get Crimson Desert, which is admittedly likely, you’ll still have plenty of new titles added to your Steam backlog. And every crate is an entry into the grand prize draw, where one lucky buyer will get the swanky new Steam Machine. Don’t miss your chance. Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom. This story was created in collaboration with Fanatical's deals team.

Title: Here’s Why Fortnite Sucks This Season Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 01:52:38 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/heres-why-fortnite-sucks-this-season/ There's way too much going on in Fortnite's core Battle Royale mode in Chapter 7 Season 4. With sprites giving everybody a bonus ability, and Overrides fundamentally changing the way the game works in the middle of matches, we've got kind of a large pile of gimmicks that show up in matches at random, if they show up at all. It's made for a disorienting and inconsistent experience that's difficult to strategize for, because there's no real status quo to get used to. It's a big mess, and it seems to be affecting player numbers in a big way, both for the core Battle Royale mode and Fortnite as a whole. The thing about battle royale as a genre is that it's already, by its nature, varied enough from match to match. Loot is random, and the other players are random, and so there's always plenty of variety even if you drop in the same spot every single time. This has been one of the key selling points of the battle royale genre since before Fortnite existed. But at a certain point, adding more randomness doesn't make the game more engaging; it makes it more annoying, because some of these gimmicks change the rules mid-match. Take the Speed Shooter Override, for example, which makes everyone's guns fire much faster and gives Fortnite a lower general time-to-kill (TTK) than it's ever had. You have to change your playstyle when that one is active, and you have to do so on the fly, because it happens in the middle of a match. Making it worse is that Override doesn't come up consistently enough that you can get used to it, unless you play like it's your job. And now that we're deep into the season, and Epic has added lots of other Overrides, Speed Shooter comes up even more rarely, which makes it even harder to adjust to when it does. Heaven help you if your enemies are lucky enough to claim the Squad Speed Shooter, which gives that power-up only to a single team.  While squad Overrides mark the team that has them on the map for everyone to see, those markers don't tell you which Override they took. The only way to find out if they have Speed Shooter is to fight them, and probably die because their TTK is twice as fast as yours is, and you had no way of knowing that in advance. And then you're a little more mad than you usually are when you lose in Fortnite. There are Overrides I like, too, like the Power Pickaxe. That one lets you one-hit-kill anyone with your pickaxe, which I find delightful. But one of the reasons it ends up being so fun for me is that other players don't necessarily adjust their play at all when it comes up. It's an enormous change in the way the game works, and in order to really take advantage of it you'd have to play in a very unintuitive way, so I think a lot of people just don't worry about it. So I may have some easy pickings in those matches, but my victims probably found it just as obnoxious as I find those Overrides that enhance everyone's guns.  These Overrides have all the downsides of the Medallions we saw in past chapters, but once again it's the lack of consistency that makes the current mechanics so much worse than what we had before. Those Medallions were often overpowered, but you knew they were there every single match, and if you defeated somebody who was carrying one, you could loot it off their corpse and take its power for yourself. But neither of those things is true for Overrides, which are a much more capricious mechanic.  Despite these issues, it's not that hard to deduce the rationale Epic was using when it filled Fortnite with all these gimmicks. It's not even that complicated--to a corporate boss or middle manager, "So many different things could happen!!!" sounds abstractly like a great way to keep players coming back. But not all unpredictability is a boon in practice, and this is one of those cases, as players have been making very clear. In September, according to numbers compiled by fortnite.gg, Fortnite's main BR mode saw its second-biggest month-to-month drop (38%) in average players since those numbers became publicly available in 2023. But it's worth pointing out that the record-holder in this case--when we moved from the nostalgia-chasing Chapter 2 Remix in November 2024 into Chapter 6 the following month--the average number of players fell from a very high number (over a million) to a pretty good one (just over 600k).  This time, though, we've gone from August's decent average (537k) to a bad one in September (333k). It's a slightly better percentage drop than we saw in 2024 (38% vs 42%), but a drop like that is a lot worse when it comes from a lower starting point. This mess of gimmicks has had me spending much more time in Reload than in regular BR this season. Even now that Epic has resumed rotating Reload's maps every 20 minutes, Reload is the much more consistent experience. While each of the three maps in rotation (Oasis, Surf City, and Springfield from The Simpsons) has a different loot pool, it's not a big deal because you know which map you'll be playing on when you ready up. You won't be blindsided by a random enemy having some gross unfair advantage that you didn't have the chance to get yourself. You won't have to adjust your playstyle mid-match to account for a fundamental rule change you didn't ask for. Reload is the better battle royale experience, and it's not close. Let me put it a different way: Reload, right now, feels like the real Fortnite, while Battle Royale feels like a desperate, gimmicky sideshow. It's practically a role reversal of the two modes, though I very sincerely doubt it was intended to be.  While Reload is filling the gap for me, that clearly hasn't been the case for everyone. Reload's numbers are way down in September as well, and the average player numbers for Fortnite as a whole are down 28% in September, which is the single biggest month-to-month percentage drop that Fortnite has had since we've been able to track those numbers. Despite the growth of Epic's metaverse, the core BR mode remains Fortnite's beating heart. It's is the reason people install Fortnite, and when those same players delete Fortnite off their drives, it's usually because they got tired of BR. That mode's performance is still a bellwether for Fortnite's overall health. For BR to regain its form in Chapter 8 in December, Epic will need to make some major philosophical changes to its approach, because tossing in as many gimmicks as they can clearly isn't going to cut it anymore.

Title: Former D&D Leads Say Critical Role's Daggerheart Represents a ‘Fundamental Shift’ for TTRPGS Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 21:00:15 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/critical-role-daggerheart-dnd-designers-interview-perkins-crawford/ Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford are responsible for a lot of what Dungeons & Dragons looks like today. As two of the lead designers for the 5th edition of the game, they, along with Mike Mearls and many others, shaped much of D&D’s modern look, work that later carried on into the game's 5.5 edition.

Title: 5 Nintendo Games That Still Need a Switch 2 Edition Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 20:00:15 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/nintendo-games-no-switch-2-edition/ The Nintendo Switch 2 is already on one heck of a run. Though it has yet to see new installments of some heavy-hitter franchises, Nintendo’s latest console has built up an impressive library of games over its first year and a half. A chunk of that list includes excellent Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of the Switch’s best games. Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and more have gotten substantial updates that have helped make great Nintendo games even better. That trend is continuing too, as evidenced by the upcoming Pikmin 4 — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy.

Title: 10 Years Later, Critical Role’S Most Heartbreaking Quote Still Lives in My Mind Rent-Free Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 19:00:15 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/critical-role-the-legend-of-vox-machina-best-quote/ It would be naive to expect zero changes when adapting something as expansive as Critical Role’s actual play Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. The series has over 100 episodes, and each can run between 2 and 4 hours. So when the group announced plans to turn their first campaign into an animated series, it was obvious that some moments from the original campaign would change or disappear altogether.

Title: Minecraft Is Getting Its First New Dimension Since 2011 Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 17:30:15 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/minecraft-live-news-recap-sift-dimension/ In the wake of layoffs and studio reshuffling at Xbox earlier this week, Mojang held a Minecraft Live showcase to make several Minecraft-related announcements. While we didn't get a look at the next movie, Mojang revealed a game-changing addition to Minecraft. Next year, the Sift dimension from Minecraft Dungeons 2 will come to the survival crafting game, marking the first time a new dimension has been added to Minecraft since it hit 1.0 in 2011.

Title: 13 Most Influential Video Games of the Past 45 Years Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 17:23:35 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/most-influential-video-games/ Developers don’t always set out to make the most influential games they can. A lot of them are just trying to provide players a good time, blissful escapism, mental stimulation, or thoughtful commentary. But sometimes, the sum of those efforts amounts to more than that. Every so often, a game comes along that forever shifts the landscape of the medium, and it doesn’t even have to be as big as Grand Theft Auto 6 to do it (though we’d bet that one will have influence, one way or another). Every new game in a particular subgenre owes something to those trailblazers, and by extension, so do we. Here’s our list of the 13 most influential games of all time.

Title: Cute Critters Come to the Cloud: ‘Aniimo’ Launches on GeForce NOW Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:00:55 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-aniimo/ A new creature-catching adventure is ready to stream from the cloud this week. Pawprint Studio’s Aniimo arrives on GeForce NOW at launch, inviting gamers to explore the vibrant continent of Idyll across supported devices. Also this week, 007 First Light receives a path-tracing update on GeForce NOW, alongside a smashing limited-time Deluxe Edition sale on Steam and Epic Games Store. Gaijin Network’s fractured-multiverse action game Active Matter and Annapurna Interactive’s acclaimed space mystery Outer Wilds are also among 11 new titles joining the cloud this week. Explore Idyll With the Cutest Companions The path to Idyll begins now. Aniimo is a free-to-play, open-world creature-catching role-playing game where every creature encountered can become a companion. Catch Aniimo with Aniipods, then Twine with them to take on their form and use unique skills to solve puzzles, win battles and overcome challenges. Glide, dive and burrow across Idyll, then return to a personal RV to build a warm, interactive Homeland alongside Aniimo companions. Stream Aniimo on a Steam Deck, in the newly supported Firefox browser and across any other supported devices — without waiting through its 45GB download or making room in local storage. There’s always room in the Homeland for one more Aniimo. Choose Your Path Licensed to render. In the critically acclaimed, multimillion-selling 007 First Light, follow James Bond as a young, resourceful and sometimes reckless recruit in MI6’s training program, and discover a reimagined origin story of the world’s most famous spy. Incorporating IO Interactive’s signature stealth gameplay with world-class Bond action, players can embark on missions in breathtaking locations around the globe, drive iconic vehicles and dive into a cinematic adventure in pursuit of a rogue agent who’s always one step ahead. Path tracing has now been added to 007 First Light, introducing extra-detailed lighting, shadows and reflections, making its levels and set pieces even more cinematic, immersive and realistic. And NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction ensures the fidelity, clarity and accuracy of these additions are at their absolute best. Ultimate members can stream with GeForce RTX 5080-class performance, with up to 5K high dynamic range and cinematic-quality streaming. DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution and Dynamic Frame Generation accelerate frame rates and enhance image quality. A limited-time opportunity awaits: the 007 First Light Deluxe Edition is on sale on Steam from Sept. 15-29 and on Epic Games Store from Sept. 3-18. The mission is on sale. The getaway car is in the cloud. Matter of Time Gaijin’s Active Matter, a realistic military shooter set in a fractured multiverse, has launched on GeForce NOW. As an operative stuck in a time loop, join dangerous raids for loot or intense player vs. player battles. Fight against rivals from other timelines, survive physics-breaking anomalies and try to stay alive. Harvest active matter, gather loot and extract to a safe place before the whole zone ceases to exist. Ultimate members can take on each raid with GeForce RTX 5080-class performance in the cloud, delivering high frame rates, advanced graphics features and low latency across supported devices. The zone won’t wait — and neither does the next loop. Let’s Get Loopy Every loop holds another secret. Outer Wilds joins the GeForce NOW library this week. As the newest recruit of Outer Wilds Ventures, search for answers across a strange, ever-changing solar system trapped in an endless time loop. Gamers can trace mysterious signals, decipher alien writing and discover hidden locations before an underground city is swallowed by sand or a planet crumbles beneath their feet. There’s even more to stream this week: Active Matter (New release on Steam and Gaijin, Sept. 15) Aniimo (New release on Steam, Sept. 15) RuneScape: Dragonwilds (New release on Xbox, Sept. 15, available on Game Pass) Train Sim World 7 (New release on Steam, Sept. 15) The Guild 1 Remake: Europa 1410 (New release on Steam, Sept. 17) The Blood of Dawnwalker (GOG.com) Mixtape (Steam) Neon White (Steam) Outer Wilds (Steam) Stray (Steam) What Remains of Edith Finch (Steam) Dates listed above reflect when games are released on their respective stores. GeForce NOW availability may vary, as games are onboarded after they’re released and added throughout the week. Keep an eye on GeForce NOW channels and GFN Thursdays for availability updates to announced titles. Ready to take this week’s new games for a spin? Start with a day pass to try premium cloud gaming before committing to a membership. Even better, the cost of the day pass can be applied toward a first monthly membership — making it easy to level up with GeForce RTX-powered cloud gaming. What’s on the playlist this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: Boots on the Ground: ‘WARDOGS’ Goes All Out on GeForce NOW at Early-Access Launch Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2026 13:00:18 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-wardogs/ Gear up: The latest PC games and major updates are ready to play on GeForce NOW this week. WARDOGS drops onto the cloud at early-access launch, alongside the Valheim 1.0 Deep North update and Bus Simulator 27 — part of nine new titles joining the cloud. The newest PC releases can demand serious hardware, storage space and upgrade budgets. GeForce NOW puts GeForce RTX-powered performance in the cloud, so members can jump into the newest titles across supported devices without needing expensive PC upgrades to keep up. From a 100-player tactical firefight to a frozen Viking frontier and a growing bus empire, every adventure is ready when members are — no downloads or storage management required. Who Let the ‘WARDOGS’ Out?   Take on the Control Zone: WARDOGS launches on GeForce NOW today, bringing BULKHEAD’s large-scale tactical first-person shooter to the cloud at early-access launch. Up to 100 players across three teams battle to control randomized zones in a large-scale military sandbox, where tactical gunplay, combined-arms combat, building and destruction can change the course of a match. There’s no single route to victory. Outfit a loadout, coordinate a squad, fortify a strategic position or take the fight to the enemy in vehicles. Every team play action earns cash, giving players more ways to invest in gear and vehicles that can turn the tide. Ultimate members can stream the fight with GeForce RTX 5080-class performance in the cloud for a tactical advantage. Pick up the battle across supported devices without waiting on a huge game install or clearing local storage first. Ice, Ice in the Deep North, Baby Sharpen the axes and raise the shields – Valheim has left early access with its 1.0 update, letting members stream the final biome in Iron Gate’s Viking survival saga through Steam and Xbox Store.  Set sail for the Deep North, a frozen frontier filled with new enemies to face, weapons to craft and strongholds to build before the cold closes in. The 1.0 launch also arrives alongside new platform versions with full crossplay support, making it easier to rally the clan. Whether returning to a long-running world on a PC or Mac or beginning a fresh voyage on a Steam Deck or Amazon Fire TV Stick, members can head to the Deep North across supported devices without waiting for downloads. The Wheels on the Bus Go ‘Round in the Cloud The route to the top starts here. Hop into the driver’s seat. Bus Simulator 27 is now streaming from GeForce NOW.  Drive a fleet of more than 45 officially licensed buses from 13 manufacturers through Felicia Bay, a sunny region with two cities, 20 districts and a full day-and-night cycle. Build routes, manage timetables and grow a successful bus company in Story, Career or Sandbox mode. And there’s even more to stream from the GeForce NOW library this week: Bus Simulator 27 (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Halloween: The Game (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Honeycomb: The World Beyond (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Wanderburg (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Shroom and Gloom (New release on Steam, Sept. 10) Train Sim World 7 – Advanced Access (New release on Steam, Sept. 10) WARDOGS (New release on Steam, Sept. 10) Welcome to Elderfield (New release on Steam, Sept. 10) Death Stranding Director’s Cut (Epic Games Store) Dates listed above reflect when games are released on their respective stores. GeForce NOW availability may vary, as games are onboarded after release and added throughout the week. Keep an eye on GeForce NOW channels and GFN Thursdays for availability updates on announced titles. One GFN community member recently returned after six years, saying NVIDIA DLSS 5 technology renewed their interest in GeForce NOW cloud gaming. Ready to try it out, too? Start with a day pass to test premium cloud gaming before committing to a membership. For those who decide to keep playing, the cost can be applied toward their first monthly membership. What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: ‘NBA 2K27’ With NVIDIA DLSS 5 Leads 28 New Games Coming to GeForce NOW Date: Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:00:35 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-september-2026-games-list/ September is here with 28 more games streaming on GeForce NOW this month, led by a slam dunk: NBA 2K27 with the NVIDIA DLSS 5 3D-Guided Neural Rendering feature. Through NVIDIA’s close collaboration with Visual Concepts and 2K, DLSS 5 brings a new level of lifelike lighting and material detail to the court — tuned by developers to support the game’s authentic broadcast-style presentation. Members can also walk the line between human and vampire in Rebel Wolves’ The Blood of Dawnwalker and step into genma-haunted Kyoto in Capcom’s Onimusha: Way of the Sword — part of the 10 games joining the GeForce NOW library this week. Take the Court With DLSS 5 Showcase your moves. NVIDIA, Visual Concepts and 2K have brought DLSS 5 3D-Guided Neural Rendering to NBA 2K27, delivering a new level of sports realism for players streaming from the cloud at launch.  DLSS 5 enhances and tunes lighting and materials to make the action feel even more lifelike — from how light catches hair and skin to the detail preserved in the facial geometry of real-world athletes — achieving new levels of authenticity.  GeForce NOW Ultimate members in NVIDIA-operated regions can stream NBA 2K27 across PCs, Macs, handhelds, mobile devices, TVs and more. DLSS 5 is available when streaming from a GeForce RTX 5080-powered rig in the cloud. Tip off without waiting for downloads or managing storage, and experience NBA 2K27 from the cloud with the visual fidelity of DLSS 5. Walk the Line Between Day and Night Human by day. Vampire by night. Rebel Wolves’ newly launched The Blood of Dawnwalker is streaming from GeForce NOW. The open-world, dark-fantasy action role-playing game transports players to 14th-century Europe, where war, plague and rising vampire powers have reshaped history. Play as Coen, a young Dawnwalker fighting to save his family while caught between his humanity and cursed vampiric strength. His abilities — and the choices available to him — change between day and night, shaping how players explore, fight and uncover the secrets of the world around them. Sink teeth into the fresh adventure from nearly any supported device, with Ultimate members tapping into GeForce RTX 5080-class performance in the cloud. Skip the installs and let GeForce NOW handle the heavy lifting, leaving more time to take a bite out of everything Coen’s new world has to offer. Skip the Downloads and Sharpen the Sword Pick up the Oni Gauntlet. Capcom’s Onimusha: Way of the Sword arrives on GeForce NOW at launch, giving members a way to jump straight into the series’ return instantly from the cloud. Fight across a twisted vision of Edo-period Kyoto as a lone samurai wielding the mystical Oni Gauntlet. Master precise swordplay, unleash powerful abilities and absorb the souls of fallen enemies while battling relentless Genma beneath mysterious clouds of Malice. Ultimate members can stream every clash with GeForce RTX 5080-class performance in the cloud across PCs, Macs, handhelds, mobile devices, TVs, the newly supported Firefox browser and more. Cut to the chase by skipping any downloads and storage management and step into battle. In addition, members can look for the following titles streaming this week: Breathedge 2 (New release on Steam, Aug. 31) Serious Sam: Shatterverse (New release on Steam, Aug. 31) Crimson Moon (New release on Steam, Sept. 1) The Blood of Dawnwalker (New release on Steam, Sept. 2) NBA 2K27 (New release on Steam, Sept. 3) SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass, Sept. 3) Onimusha: Way of the Sword (New release on Steam, Sept. 4) How to Fish (Steam) Shelves and Sorcery: Tidy Up the Enchanted Shop (Steam) VHOLUME (Steam) And look forward to the games coming throughout the month: Bus Simulator 27 (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Halloween: The Game (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Honeycomb: The World Beyond (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Wanderburg (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Shroom and Gloom (New release on Steam, Sept. 10) WARDOGS (New release on Steam, Sept. 10) Welcome to Elderfield (New release on Steam, Sept. 10) Active Matter (New release on Steam, Sept. 15) Aniimo (New release on Steam, Sept. 15) Train Sim World 7 (New release on Steam, Sept. 15) The Guild 1 Remake: Europa 1410 (New release on Steam, Sept. 17) CONTROL Resonant (New release on Steam, Sept. 24) Nivalis Nights (New release on Steam, Sept. 29) Mixtape (Steam)  Neon White (Steam)  Outer Wilds (Steam)  Stray (Steam) What Remains of Edith Finch (Steam) All the Extras From August In addition to the 26 games announced last month, 18 more joined the GeForce NOW library.  Cat Mail Co. (Steam) Monster Hunter Wilds Prologue Demo (Steam) Stars Reach (Steam) DIVE or DIE – Children of Rain (Steam) Escape the Backroom (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Hell Is Us (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Parcel Simulator (Steam) The Thaumaturge (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered (Epic Games Store) STAR WARS Zero Company (EA app and Steam) Baldur’s Gate 3 (GOG) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (GOG) Cold Fear (GOG) IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator (Steam) Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (GOG) Mount & Blade: Bannerlord II (GOG) No Man’s Sky (GOG) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (GOG) Dates listed above reflect when games are released on their respective stores. GeForce NOW availability may vary, as games are onboarded after release and added throughout the week. Keep an eye on GeForce NOW channels and GFN Thursdays for availability updates on announced titles. New to GeForce NOW? Start with a day pass to try premium cloud gaming before committing to a membership. Better yet, the cost of the day pass can be applied toward a first monthly membership — making it easy to try GeForce RTX-powered cloud gaming with the latest releases, then level up for more. What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: GeForce NOW Gives Gamers More Ways to Play at Gamescom 2026 Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2026 13:00:33 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-gamescom-2026/ NVIDIA’s Gamescom announcements are revealing what’s next for GeForce NOW, with new ways to play, more supported devices and platforms, and even more big PC games headed to the cloud. New NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 technology controls give members more ways to fine-tune gameplay, while expanded support for new Steam devices, GOG single sign-on, Firefox browser support and more Amazon Fire TV devices continue broadening where and how GeForce RTX-powered PC gaming can be enjoyed. Gamescom is also bringing a blockbuster lineup of PC games to GeForce NOW. CONTROL Resonant, Gears of War: E-Day, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, The Blood of Dawnwalker and STAR WARS Zero Company are all coming to the cloud at launch.  For a limited time, members can also get CONTROL Resonant with the purchase of a 12-month GeForce NOW Ultimate membership. The Gamescom extras don’t stop there. To celebrate, GeForce NOW is giving away more than 40 prizes in our Community Giveaway — including gaming hardware and GeForce NOW Ultimate memberships. There’s even more fun to come. Check out the list of 13 games joining the GeForce NOW library this week. Next-Level Cloud Gaming More ways to choose how to play. This fall, GeForce NOW is introducing new NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 controls in the cloud, giving Ultimate members more choice over how supported games look and perform, even without the latest hardware. Powered by NVIDIA RTX graphics, each control offers something different: DLSS Super Resolution sharpens image quality, while Dynamic Frame Generation delivers lower latency and stutter for smoother streaming, and Ray Reconstruction enhances ray-traced visuals. Together, these technologies make it easier to tune supported games for image quality, responsiveness or a preferred balance between the two.  Stay tuned to GFN Thursdays for details about best practices for enabling DLSS 4.5 overrides and how Dynamic Frame Generation can help Ultimate members enable more graphic settings while still getting smooth streaming. Stream full steam ahead with the Steam ecosystem. GeForce NOW is also adding community-requested support for Steam Machine with Steam Controller later this fall, and later for Windows and macOS, delivering more ways to play and making it even easier for longtime Steam players to jump into the cloud using familiar hardware. The additions build on existing Steam Deck support and expand compatibility across the Steam ecosystem. Get your GOG on with one click into the library. Launching GOG games just got even easier. With GOG single sign-on now available on GeForce NOW, members can securely link their account once, automatically sync supported games and launch them without having to sign in to GOG again — all with a single click. With fewer steps between opening the app, skipping any downloads and jumping into gameplay, it’s another way GeForce NOW continues streamlining access to PC gaming libraries, making it easier to play the GOG library of games on TV platforms since gamers are automatically logged into their GOG accounts. Find popular titles, like Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, in the app in the dedicated GOG row. Or search and filter for GOG games, then jump into supported titles from almost anywhere — all streamed from the cloud. Check back on GFN Thursdays for the latest games joining the GeForce NOW library, including newly supported games streaming from GOG. Outfox nearly any device with GeForce RTX gaming. Plus, GeForce NOW is now officially supported on Firefox, expanding browser access across all major Windows browsers. Members can jump into supported PC games directly from Firefox without downloading a dedicated app. Ultimate members can enjoy GeForce RTX-powered gaming at up to 1440p and 120 frames per second. Simply download the latest version of Firefox and visit play.geforcenow.com to get started. The cloud handles downloads, installs and updates, keeping local storage free while games stay ready to play in the cloud.  Bring the fire to living rooms with GeForce NOW. GeForce NOW is expanding support to additional Amazon Fire TV devices. GeForce NOW first launched on Fire TV devices earlier this year, and will soon expand to the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, a 4K streaming stick that’s ready to game right out of the box. Streaming from the cloud means supported PC games are ready to play using a compatible controller, making it easy to enjoy GeForce NOW on the biggest screen in the house with even more options to play from the comfort of the couch.  And that’s not all the awesomeness from Amazon. Later this year, Fire TV users will be able to purchase GeForce NOW memberships directly through Amazon, creating a more seamless path from device setup to gameplay. These new features will arrive alongside some of the biggest games coming to the cloud throughout the year. Get Ready for Launch Five newly announced and highly anticipated games are coming to GeForce NOW at launch: CONTROL Resonant, Gears of War: E-Day, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, The Blood of Dawnwalker and STAR WARS Zero Company.  Better yet, members can lock in one of them early: For a limited time, purchase a 12-month GeForce NOW Ultimate membership and receive CONTROL Resonant at launch at no additional cost, and be first to experience Faden’s next chapter. The offer is available Tuesday, Aug. 25, through Sunday, Sept. 27. Ultimate members can stream the full lineup with GeForce RTX 5080-class performance in the cloud, including NVIDIA DLSS 4, ray tracing, NVIDIA Reflex and Cinematic Quality Streaming technologies, with up to 5K high dynamic range on supported devices.  Whether diving into new worlds or returning to iconic franchises, GeForce NOW lets members skip expensive hardware upgrades, massive installs and storage management so they can jump straight into the action the moment each game launches. Here’s a closer look at what’s coming: Contain the chaos. Explore a warped Manhattan on the brink of paranatural annihilation in Remedy’s CONTROL Resonant. Harness Dylan Faden’s extraordinary powers to battle the Hiss, the Mold and other reality-bending threats while searching for his sister, Federal Bureau of CONTROL Director Jesse Faden. Emergence begins. Experience the horror and brutality of Emergence Day in the Coalition’s Gears of War: E-Day. Fourteen years before the original Gears of War, join Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago in a gripping origin-story campaign as the Locust Horde first erupt from below, igniting a desperate fight for survival. Rally squads and fight on in multiplayer with a reimagination of Gears’ iconic PvE mode, Horde Siege, or go head to head with a refined versus PvP. Pick up the Oni Gauntlet. Fight across a twisted vision of Edo-period Kyoto in Capcom’s Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Wield the mystical Oni Gauntlet, master intense swordplay and battle relentless demonic Genma beneath mysterious clouds of Malice. Walk the line between day and night. Step into 14th-century Europe in Bandai Namco’s The Blood of Dawnwalker, where war, plague and rising vampire powers have reshaped history. Play as Coen, a young Dawnwalker torn between humanity and cursed strength, and shape his path while fighting to save his family. Command the galaxy’s finest. Lead an elite squad behind enemy lines in STAR WARS Zero Company, a single-player turn-based game set during the twilight of the Clone Wars. Command former Republic officer Hawks and Zero Company through tactical battles and high-stakes missions where strategy, squad composition and player choices shape the fate of the galaxy. More Ways to Win Gaming gear and Ultimate memberships are up for grabs. GeForce NOW is marking Gamescom with a community giveaway featuring more than 40 prizes. Gamers will have a chance to score a MacBook Neo, Steam Deck or Chromebook — each paired with a one-year GeForce NOW Ultimate membership — along with Amazon Fire TV Sticks and GeForce NOW Ultimate memberships ranging from one month to one year. Head over to the GeForce NOW community on Reddit for all the giveaway details and how to enter. The Hunt Is On Squad up and fight for survival in Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, streaming on GeForce NOW this week at launch. Assemble a four-player fireteam of Colonial Marines and battle through swarms of Xenomorphs, deadly new threats and increasingly desperate encounters. With deeper squad mechanics, new and improved classes, smarter enemies and expanded customization, every mission puts teamwork — and nerves — to the test. Members can also look for the following games joining the cloud this week: Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 (New release on Steam, Aug. 25) Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy (New release on Steam and Xbox, Aug. 27, available on Game Pass) STAR WARS Zero Company (New release on EA app and Steam, Aug. 27) Baldur’s Gate 3 (GOG) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 – Open Beta Weekend (Battle.net, Steam and Xbox available from Aug. 28 10am PDT  to Sep. 1 at 10am PDT. For more information please visit the Call of Duty website). Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (GOG) Cold Fear (GOG) IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator (Steam) Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (GOG) Mount & Blade: Bannerlord II (GOG) No Man’s Sky (GOG) Paradise Killer (Steam) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (GOG) Dates listed above reflect when games are released on their respective stores. GeForce NOW availability may vary, as games are onboarded after release and added throughout the week. Keep an eye on GeForce NOW channels and GFN Thursdays for availability updates on announced titles. To experience GeForce NOW, gamers can start with a GeForce NOW day pass and try premium cloud gaming before committing to a membership. Better yet, the cost of a day pass can be applied toward a first membership purchase, making it even easier to level up when ready. Check back every GFN Thursday for new games, new features and even more ways to play on GeForce NOW. Which Gamescom announcement has you most excited? Let us know on X or in the comments below.  The future of PC gaming is on display with GeForce NOW. DLSS 4.5 controlsExpanded device support Upcoming AAA games More ways to play Community giveaway Firefox browser support… and more! #gamescom Details https://t.co/Rz6RnX0Pt4 pic.twitter.com/sShKRhzrD3 — NVIDIA GeForce NOW (@NVIDIAGFN) August 25, 2026

Title: Leading Publishers Bring Blockbuster PC Games and Technology to NVIDIA RTX Spark Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2026 15:30:48 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/gamescom-rtx-spark-pc-games-technology/ NVIDIA is bringing the next wave of RTX gaming to the Gamescom conference running this week in Cologne, Germany, with support for new games, anti-cheat technologies and increased visual quality.  Electronic Arts, Embark and Ubisoft are among the latest game publishers and developers bringing their blockbuster titles to NVIDIA RTX Spark ahead of its launch this fall. They join the publishers that announced RTX Spark support at COMPUTEX in May, including KRAFTON, NetEase, Riot Games and XBOX.  NVIDIA is working closely with game developers and ecosystem partners to ensure today’s top PC games — including EA’s EA SPORTS F1 25 and Apex Legends, Ubisoft’s Anno 117: Pax Romana and Embark Studios’ ARC Raiders and THE FINALS — run seamlessly on RTX Spark devices. “We’re excited to bring Anno 117: Pax Romana to a new generation of RTX-powered PCs,” said Stéphane Jankowski, Ubisoft executive producer of Anno 117 : Pax Romana. “Our teams build the game to be seen wide: full districts, long sightlines, thousands of details at once. Seeing RTX Spark hold that level of fidelity from a single chip is genuinely impressive.” RTX Spark reinvents personal computing, bringing personal AI agents, advanced content creation and high-performance gaming together in a platform engineered from the ground up for the next wave of Windows PCs. For gamers, RTX Spark combines Windows devices with NVIDIA RTX technologies, including DLSS and Reflex.  Bringing Anti-Cheat to RTX Spark Supporting modern PC gaming goes beyond running the game itself. Many of today’s biggest online games rely on sophisticated anti-cheat technologies, to enable fair play across the multiple platforms these games run on.   NVIDIA has been working with EA to bring native EA Javelin Anticheat support to RTX Spark, including for EA’s biggest multiplayer games, such as EA SPORTS F1 25. RTX Spark launches this fall.  RTX Delivers Next-Generation Gaming RTX Spark is just one part of NVIDIA’s lineup of gaming announcements at Gamescom, including: DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction is available now, featuring NVIDIA’s latest second-generation transformer model to deliver even higher image quality in ray- and path-traced content. It replaces traditional denoisers with an NVIDIA supercomputer-trained AI network to reconstruct higher-quality pixels in the parts of a ray-traced frame where rays were not sampled. Path tracing comes to CONTROL Resonant and 007 First Light to deliver new levels of visual fidelity.  NVIDIA ACE technologies are coming to Aniimo in early 2027, letting players naturally interact with their creatures. Gears of War: E-Day includes RTX Mega Geometry integration, advancing image quality on GeForce RTX GPUs, alongside ray tracing and DLSS 4.5. RTX Remix keeps remastering PC classics, with a major Painkiller RTX mod update available now and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind RTX coming soon. GeForce NOW gives members more ways to play with new DLSS 4.5 controls, expanded support for Steam Machine and other devices and platforms, plus blockbuster PC games including CONTROL Resonant, Gears of War: E-Day and more coming to the cloud at launch. Find more on NVIDIA’s announcements at Gamescom in this GeForce article. 

Title: Official PlayStation Podcast Episode 548: September Selects Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 17:20:35 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/09/25/official-playstation-podcast-episode-548-september-selects/ Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here Hey, everybody! We’re back this week to talk through September’s big releases and other recent titles we’re still playing. Stuff We Talked About Next week’s release highlights: Minecraft Dungeons II | PS5  Toem 2 | PS5  Way of the Hunter 2  | PS5  End of Abyss  | PS5  Dynasty Warriors 3 Complete Edition Remastered | PS5 Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition | PS5  Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve | PS5 Silent Hill: Townfall hands-on  — Discover how the new claustrophobic perspective makes even mundane actions like checking emails and opening doors a terrifying experience, along with more inventive ways the latest entry in the franchise elevates gameplay. Experience it now for yourself.  Lisa DualSense collab — Lisa fans can pre-order the new Lisa Limited Edition DualSense on October 2. Designed with the help of the lady herself, this new controller will be a fun way to glam up your collection. Head to PlayStation Blog for the full details. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Hands-on  — Ahead of its October 2 launch, learn how the game uses first-person to tell a more intimate story full of compelling characters, giving players a reason to come out on top in every dogfight. 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 Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, 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 O’Dell Harmon Jr. – Content Communications Specialist, 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: Share of the Week – Marvel’s Wolverine Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 16:00:47 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/09/25/share-of-the-week-marvels-wolverine/ Last week, we asked you to share ferocious moments from Marvel’s Wolverine using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. Here are this week’s highlights: adambomb2mk shares Wolverine’s claws illuminated in the shadows NickVPgamer shares a hairy and shirtless Wolverine crisg_art shares Wolverine lunging past a fiery backdrop RhodWulfLeon Wolverine taking on Omega Red scionjay96 shares Jean ready to attack lets_gaming.vp shares Wolverine crossing his claws to strike Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: Marvel’s Wolverine – LoganSUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on September 30, 2026 Next week, share heroic portraits of Logan in Marvel’s Wolverine using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Title: How Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve uses first-person to tell a more personal story Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 14:00:34 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/09/25/how-ace-combat-8-wings-of-theve-uses-first-person-to-tell-a-more-personal-story/ The world of Strangereal, setting of the Ace Combat games, has developed a deep and storied history over the course of the series. But with Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, developer Project Aces has changed its approach to storytelling to create a more intimate and emotional tale than it has in the past. That approach brings you a lot closer to the desperate attempts of the Federation of Central Usea’s battered navy to fight off the invading Sotoans, and the many characters fighting that war. Play Video The biggest change is that, in Ace Combat 8, you play a fighter pilot silent protagonist who is, nevertheless, a major character throughout the story. The game opens with a cutscene in which you’re found floating in a life raft after a battle by the Endurance, one of the FCU’s last remaining aircraft carriers.  After you’re aboard, you’re sent up as navigator for fighter pilot Jan “Rex” Cope, whose job isn’t to engage in battles, but to serve as a propaganda tool. He’s known as the Wings of Theve, a legendary fight pilot ace named for the FCU’s capital, but you quickly find out that Cope isn’t the incredible ace he’s portrayed to be on social media. Instead, his instructions are to run from every fight, but when the two of you are shot down, Cope is killed in action.  But the Wings of Theve is too important to the struggling FCU to go out that way, so you inherit Cope’s call sign and secretly replace him. As the new Wings of Theve, you have a central role in the war effort, and your skills help bolster the propaganda — for better or worse. First-person cutscenes put you in the story Previous Ace Combat games have told their stories through detailed cutscenes, but in Ace Combat 8, those cutscenes are mostly presented from a first-person perspective, putting you in a room or on the deck with other characters. The story unfolds as if you’re living it both in and out of the cockpit, rather than having it narrated to you, and haptic feedback in the DualSense controller helps make those moments feel realistic and intense, especially in the heat of battle. While your character Rex, as in past games, is silent, you occasionally get the chance to answer yes-or-no questions by pressing left or right on the DualSense’s D-Pad, and to interact during cutscenes by looking around with the right analog stick or responding to prompts at key moments by hitting Triangle or Square. Through those minor interactions, you can do a bit to shape Rex as a person, and the other members of Joker Flight, your squadron, will respond to how you choose to lead them with your decisions. Becoming part of the squadron Ace Combat 8 puts a big emphasis on all its characters, especially the members of Joker Flight. You spend almost the whole game with them, whether it’s hanging out during cutscenes between missions that expand on the plot, sitting through briefings where they’ll chime in with comments or information, or listening to them over the radio while you’re taking down enemy aircraft.  That focus on characters makes the story of the FCU’s battle to repel Sotoa feel immediate, personal, and harrowing. You’re not just running a series of disjointed missions, you know the stories of the pilots who are being asked to risk their lives to complete them, and you know what’s at stake if you fail. You also get a lot of chances to make small decisions that give the sense that you’re influencing your squadron’s perception of you. In one early mission, you encounter an allied group of pilots who are also a famous rock band — and a member of your squadron, Coster, is a big fan. When he asks if he can briefly leave your formation to help them, the choice is up to you, but Coster appreciates it if you let him lend his guns and missiles to protect his heroes. Little moments like this help create a bond between you and the rest of Joker Flight. Those extra character moments also get you invested in your squad’s well-being. You can issue orders to them with the D-Pad, sending them out to engage targets on their own, calling them back in formation to attack your target, or asking them to cover you. Since your squad feels like a group of able pilots who you know personally, it helps push you to put their skills to use and to rely on them during the story, as well as to help them out when they get into trouble in the skies. A war effort full of individuals The radio is a huge part of Ace Combat 8’s storytelling. Throughout missions, you’ll communicate with your commanders and your squadmates via radio as they give you key information and comment about what’s happening. But the radio, and the sound design that accompanies it, also do a great job of selling what it feels like to take part in missions. When a mission to retake FCU territory turns into an ambush by Sotoan forces, you hear the struggle and fear of your ground forces as they all yell into their radios at once, reporting their situations or begging for help from the Wings of Theve. The radio also gives you chances to do a little to shape your story. If troops on the ground call for your aid and you respond, they acknowledge it — and often, those same characters might show up on later missions. The legend of the Wings of Theve affects more than just the number of likes on social media, and while the story doesn’t change based on your decisions, those small character moments with the people who fight alongside you make it feel like your contributions to the war effort are important ones. Through its approach to its Story Mode, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve pulls you into the struggle of the FCU in a way that’s deeply personal and often intense and emotional. You can fly the skies of Strangereal yourself when Ace Combat 8 takes off on October 2 on PlayStation 5.

Title: Luma Island is coming to PS5 Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:00:40 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/09/24/luma-island-is-coming-to-ps5/ We’re Feel Free Games, the team behind Luma Island, and we’re very excited to share that Luma Island is coming to PlayStation 5! Luma Island launched on PC in November 2024, and since then more than 800,000 players have joined us on the island. Now we’re getting ready to welcome PlayStation players too. Play Video Luma Island is designed to bring different kinds of players together, whether you’re an experienced gamer or new to games. Different difficulty modes and plenty of ways to play mean everyone can explore the island at their own pace. In Luma Island, players start out with an old caravan and a rundown farm. From there, what you do is really up to you. You can build and decorate your farm, grow crops, raise animals, choose from eight professions, meet townsfolk and hatch Lumas, magical companions that join you on your journey. But there’s a lot more to discover away from the farm. Explorable environments on Luma Island include forests, mountains and thick jungles, along with caves full of resources, ancient temples with puzzles and traps, hidden treasure and plenty of secrets waiting to be uncovered. You can also make your way to Pirate Cove, with its own areas to explore and pirate-themed minigames and challenges. Gameplay variety is an important part of the Luma Island experience. You can spend an evening working on your farm or fishing, then head out the next day to explore the island or venture into its many mysterious temples. There’s always something else to discover, and exploring one part of the island can lead you towards your next adventure. You can do all of this by yourself, or play together with up to 4 players online. Build together, share resources, explore the island, or head out looking for your next challenge. Luma Island will also support cross-platform play across PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, so you can explore the island together, even when your friends are playing on another platform. Players get to decide how relaxed or challenging they want their adventure to be. Luma Island has three difficulty modes: Cozy, Adventure and Hero. In Cozy Mode, there’s no combat unless you choose it, while Adventure and Hero add more challenge. There are no stamina bars or inventory limits either, so you’re free to spend your time on whatever you feel like doing. If you want a relaxed evening tending your farm, decorating or fishing, you can do that. And when you’re ready for something more adventurous, you can grab your tools and see what else the island has waiting for you. We’re really excited to finally bring Luma Island to PS5, and we hope PlayStation players will feel right at home on the island. Luma Island is coming to PS5. You can wishlist it on PlayStation Store starting today.

Title: Fading Echo makes a splash on PlayStation 5 today Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 15:00:40 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/09/22/fading-echo-makes-a-splash-on-playstation-5-today/ Hi PlayStation players! This is Sylvain from Emeteria, a New Tales studio, the team behind Fading Echo, and we’re excited to share that our fast-paced elemental action-adventure RPG is launching today on PlayStation 5. In Fading Echo, you play as One, a young Legend fighting to save Corel, a fractured world being consumed by a mysterious force known as the Paradox. To survive, you’ll experiment with One’s powers, manipulate the elements around you, and shift between realities to find new ways through combat, exploration, and puzzles. So, let’s dive in! Become water – then weaponize it Water – or Æther, as it’s known in the world of Fading Echo – is at the heart of One’s abilities. She can manipulate it, use it against enemies, and even transform herself into a living blob of it. One of our goals with Æther form was to make movement itself part of your toolbox. As a blob, you can build momentum, surf through pipes, squeeze through narrow cracks, and launch yourself across the environment. This can help you reach new areas and solve environmental puzzles, but it can be just as useful in combat. Get above an enemy, for example, and you can water-bomb them on the way down, making quite a splash. It’s as effective as it is fun. And movement is only the first ripple. One can also unleash waves of Æther and powerful charged blasts, drenching enemies and changing the state of the battlefield. But drenching an enemy is just the beginning: Æther reacts with elements such as lava, toxic waste, and even Paradox corruption, opening up all kinds of possibilities. Drench an enemy before conducting energy through them. Solidify elements to change the battlefield. Or look to your surroundings and set off a chain reaction that turns the situation in your favor. Play Video We designed these systems to reward experimentation rather than push you toward a single sequence of attacks. When you enter an encounter, we want you to look at the enemies, the environment, and the elements at your disposal and ask yourself: What happens if I try this? Sometimes everything will flow according to plan. Sometimes you’ll find a solution we didn’t see coming. There’s rarely just One answer. Bend reality to find another way Corel is no longer one stable world. The Paradox has fractured it into alternate realities, and One can shift between different versions of the same space – and even different versions of herself. Reality shifting is another system we wanted players to use across exploration, puzzles, and combat rather than for one specific purpose. A path blocked in one reality might be accessible in another. An element you need to solve a puzzle could exist on the other side of a shift. Sometimes, instead of looking for another route through the space in front of you, you’ll need to think about what that same space looks like in another reality. Combat follows the same principle. Shifting can change the resources, hazards, and elements available around you, so the same encounter can play out differently depending on where you choose to fight. For us, Æther, movement, elemental reactions, puzzles, and reality shifting are all parts of the same toolbox. We want you to learn how each system works, then start combining them and finding your own solutions. Explore a world consumed by the Paradox Of course, One has bigger problems than finding increasingly creative ways to deal with enemies. Paradox Corruption is spreading across Corel, twisting reality and consuming what remains of the world. At its center is Maddock, the ruthless leader of the Paradox on Corel, who stands in the way of One’s attempt to save it.Your journey will take you across floating islands and fractured realities as you search for a way to stop the corruption before there’s nothing left to save. And while Fading Echo is a single-player adventure, One won’t make that journey entirely alone. Across Corel, you’ll meet a small group of unlikely allies. Some stand beside One out of loyalty, others out of guilt, and some because they have nowhere else left to go. Each has their own relationship with this decaying world, and with One herself. But One’s journey isn’t only about saving Corel. It’s also about discovering who she is, uncovering the mysteries of her past, and finding the answers she’ll need to save her future. We’ve built Fading Echo around experimentation and giving you the freedom to find your own way through its world. If you’d like to get a first taste before jumping into the full adventure, a demo is also available today on PlayStation 5.  Now it’s time to dive in, PlayStation 5 players! Fading Echo is yours, and we can’t wait to see how you make your way through Corel.

Title: TALON TOWERS is a Fumito Ueda-coded parkour platformer about hopping around massive structures while avoiding falling to your foggy doom Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 21:55:08 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/talon-towers-is-a-fumito-ueda-coded-parkour-platformer-about-hopping-around-massive-structures-while-avoiding-falling-to-your-foggy-doom If your game immediately makes me think of any of Fumito Ueda's in any sort of way, the likelihood is that I am to play it. There are only so many Ueda games (three, by my count) and there will only be so many (hopefully more that upcoming fourth one isn't the last), so when something rocks up that fits into that vibe like TALON TOWERS, a parkour platformer set on dilapidated structures that stand high above an infinitely stretching fog, I'm going to be pulled in. Read more

Title: Suplex and shatter glass enemies after being in prison for committing a cardinal crime in the psychological horror beat 'em up Brokensides Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 20:28:05 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/suplex-and-shatter-glass-enemies-after-being-in-prison-for-committing-a-cardinal-crime-in-the-psychological-horror-beat-em-up-brokensides Just hearing that a game has mashed two genres together does not generally excite me. It's a useful shorthand, maybe, but there's only so many roguelike deckbuilders I can take. Once in a while, however, a mashup comes along that makes me think, "well that doesn't seem right," and my ears perk up like a dog that's learned how to spell walk. Today, that mashup comes in the form of Brokensides, a psychological horror beat 'em up where you play as a violent sea bunny recently freed from imprisonment after committing a Cardinal Crime. Read more

Title: Video Game Menu: The Game is all about everyone's favourite gaming pastime: pressing random buttons in the menus and seeing what they change Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 17:51:31 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/video-game-menu-the-game-is-all-about-everyones-favourite-gaming-pastime-pressing-random-buttons-in-the-menus-and-seeing-what-they-change Tense platforming? Riveting, punchy action combat? Complex, thought provoking puzzles? Is this what we come to video games for? Of course not! It's for the menus, those sweet, sweet collections of pixels that let us tailor our experience and commit crimes like turning off the music so you can listen to a podcast you'll only half pay attention to. Well, that's at least what Video Game Menu: The Game will have you believe, a video game about video game menus (perhaps I didn't need to explain it to you, it's kind of in there in the name). Read more

Title: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty's Chimera tank boss fight was apparently so complex it took two years of "reiterating over and over" to get it right Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 16:56:58 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/cyberpunk-2077-phantom-libertys-chimera-tank-boss-fight-was-apparently-so-complex-it-took-two-years-of-reiterating-over-and-over-to-get-it-right My first thought when I played through the Chimera tank boss fight in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty was probably something along the lines of, "wow, this sure looks expensive!" It's incredibly flashy to start off with, this Ghost in the Shell-esque tank chasing after you in a big set piece moment that ultimately culminates in it unwillingly hunkering down in one spot for your killing convenience. And as it turns out, such a big, boisterous boss fight takes a lot of work; two whole years, in fact. Read more

Title: "Do 665 runs if you want!": Control Resonant is getting a new game++ mode next month, and don't worry you happy snappers, a photo mode is on the way too Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 15:57:33 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/do-665-runs-if-you-want-control-resonant-is-getting-a-new-game-mode-next-month-and-dont-worry-you-happy-snappers-a-photo-mode-is-on-the-way-too A developer's work is never done! On the very same day it launched, Control Resonant received a hotfix that tackled various complaints that were levied against the game's combat, making it slightly more manageable for those having a tougher time. While a fuller update won't be coming until next month, developer Remedy have outlined their plans for the next couple of updates, namely a New Game++ mode, and a photo mode. Read more