Title: PC Gaming Grows Over 200 Percent In Four Years In Japan As Global Hits Break Through Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 14:45:37 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/pc-gaming-grows-over-200-percent-in-four-years-in-japan-as-global-hits-break-through-2000736037 A new report shows how streamer-friendly global hits have propelled Japanese gaming

Title: A Vanillaware Veteran Is Making A 2D Multimedia Fantasy IP With An All-New Studio Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 14:15:43 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/a-vanillaware-veteran-is-making-a-2d-multimedia-fantasy-ip-with-an-all-new-studio-2000737147 The Ignisphere Project, led by a new action RPG named Dawngazer, has ambitions to be more than just a video game

Title: Nvidia CEO Doesn’t Care That Kids Are Forgetting Basic Math Because Of AI: ‘I Actually Don’t Know My Address’ Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2026 21:49:35 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/nvidia-ceo-doesnt-care-that-kids-are-forgetting-basic-math-because-of-ai-i-actually-dont-know-my-address-2000737092 Who needs to know things like your own phone number or home address or how to solve a simple equation like 3x2?

Title: Moderator Of Switch Pirates Subreddit To Pay Nintendo $4.5 Million In Piracy Lawsuit Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2026 21:15:41 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/moderator-of-switch-pirates-subreddit-to-pay-nintendo-4-5-million-in-piracy-lawsuit-2000737079 James Williams, the defendant and an alleged moderator of r/SwitchPirates, apparently never showed up to court

Title: Star Wars: Galactic Racer Looks To Continue The Best Trend In Star Wars Gaming In Years Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2026 21:00:19 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/star-wars-galactic-racer-looks-to-continue-the-best-trend-in-star-wars-gaming-in-years-2000736273 Not every Star Wars game needs to be a third-person action thing or shooter

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: Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave Tips For Beginners And Veterans Alike Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 22:06:51 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fire-emblem-fortunes-weave-tips-for-beginners-and-veterans-alike/ Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is the latest in the long-running series to garner critical acclaim and a welcome return to form for Nintendo's premier strategy series as one of the best RPGs in 2026. Now you’re probably thinking that these tips will only be for combat, but thanks to the rather robust tutorial, understanding how to fight is actually relatively simple. No matter if you decided to begin with Casual or Classic settings enabled, the real complexity of Fortune’s Weave actually lies in the downtime between story quests, and chances are that at least one, if not most, of the core decisions you need to make will be more than a bit befuddling. In this guide, we'll go through some things to note ahead of time that will help you understand its complexities ahead of time so you can plan your moves. In This Article Fast-travel everywhere in Dagsion with ZRRecruitment requirements at a glanceCarry over progress by completing campaignsHow turns and days workConsult the Adventure Guide for next stepsPin a reminder days before key events in your calendarSave your money for shopping in towns and travelling merchantsReturn to Dagsion for weekly activitiesGold borders on names indicate new dialogueGive potential recruits gifts early so you can invite them to mealsView Support Level conversations as they appearVisit the Posthouses early to get caravan routesUse the temple warps to cover great distancesMaster your Flame Lord’s primary method of renown-gatheringReposition your army before every battle and turn on enemy rangeExploit the buffs for all weapon types The ZR button brings up the fast-travel menu, which includes all stores and recruitable characters. Fast-travel everywhere in Dagsion with ZR By far the biggest tip to eliminate any time-wasting is to fast-travel to zip across Dagsion. By pressing the ZR button, you'll bring up a list of locations that you can instantly warp to. These include: Key locations in each part of town, such as the arena. Shops and other facilities such as temples or the license vendor. Any potentially recruitable characters you have talked to at least once. You can also fast-travel to a side-quest giver at any time by opening the quest menu and selecting the job with the A button. You’ll get a prompt asking if you want to fast-travel to the job-giver’s location. This is useful if you need to hand in a quest to an NPC, but forgot where they were in Dagsion. That said, don’t solely rely on zooming across Dagsion whenever you visit. We recommend at least giving each area a courtesy explore whenever you’re in town, though, as some events only appear for a limited time as glowing pale circles on the mini-map. The conditions to unlock Noctula as a companion are at the bottom left of the fast-travel screen. Recruitment requirements at a glance With the ZR button list, you have the ability to warp to any character, but pay attention to the left side of the screen before you do so. This allows you to see precisely what the Renown and Support Level requirements are for each one (more on that in our Gifts guide), allowing you to plan ahead. They're sadly not in alphabetical order, nor can you sort them by Renown or Support Levels, but in-game this is a handy tool in a pinch. Dietrich and Mikaela sharing in a common activity they both enjoy: playing with cats. Carry over progress by completing campaigns A lot of places are pointing out that you can switch campaigns at any time by visiting the Perch and returning to the Obelisk. You can do this, but we do not recommend starting another campaign before finishing the one you've started. This is due to how the game saves multiple bits of progression once you finish a Flame Lord's story. Let's say you begin Dietrich's story, but feel you need a change of pace to begin Cai's tale. If you then return to Dietrich and finish his 12 chapters, you will need to restart Cai's story to benefit from the transfer of progression. Here is everything that carries over once you conclude a Flame Lord's story: Support Levels for every character. Completed Subquest rewards (including Renown). Locations discovered on the world map. Blessing progression. Hidden class unlocks. Theodora is selected, and the blue line indicates how far she can move in one turn. How turns and days work Like Fire Emblem: Three Houses, you have some downtime before each main quest battle to prepare by recruiting characters and exploring the world map. However, you may have noticed that the number of days does not equal the number of turns you have left. This is because Fortune’s Weave splits a day into four turns via six-hour chunks: morning, day, evening, and night. This is important for any day/night-dependent side quests, as you'll need to visit Dagsion and other places at specific times, for example, to thwart a marauding monster rampaging through the shopping district. So read any quests carefully, in case they mention times of day you need to plan for ahead of time. The Adventure Guide shows what you should be doing during your remaining turns. Consult the Adventure Guide for next steps If you are stuck on your next steps, the first page of the Adventure Guide has some tips on what to do with your free time. This includes which units you should be recruiting and activities you need to do to increase your renown. The left side lists activities done primarily in Dagsion, while the right lists those on the World Map. Any with three stars at the top of the task's banner are top priority, and you should aim to complete them as soon as possible, while two-star and one-star tasks are ones to try and finish before your next major fight. For illustrative purposes, this day is pinned, but you should set a reminder a few days prior instead. Pin a reminder days before key events in your calendar The same option screen has a calendar as well as the Adventurer Guide. This can be vital to maximizing your potential gains, such as celebrating one of the gods' holy days, consulting the psychic, or watching an exhibition match in the arena. By pinning these days a few days in advance, you’ll give yourself time to return to Dagsion for the event. You have three pins that you can use at any given time, so plan wisely. The list of items on sale in Regia, a nearby city, which includes discounted licenses. Save your money for shopping in towns and travelling merchants It can be tempting to spend all your hard-earned cash in the markets and other vendors in Dagsion and be done with it, but the best gear is actually found in the surrounding cities. Regia, for example, has a whole bunch of cheap gifts for food lovers and children alike, while also selling far cheaper licenses. Other locations specialize in particular weapon types, with some items not found anywhere else. Some towns even sell maps, which reveal all places in the local area. Tobias and Noctula training inside the arena to boost weapon skills. Return to Dagsion for weekly activities While we're on the subject of planning ahead, all weekly activities refresh every Sunday. This also includes your roster's motivation, as indicated by the flames next to their name, which you can also partially replenish by sharing a meal. Weekly activities include the following: Interacting with the Pale Raven to increase your support level with the protagonist character. Giving a gift to each potential recruit. Having meals with your party. The number of times you can do this is limited by the dishes on offer, but there is also a 50% off meals offer on Sundays. Cleaning or worshiping at a deity’s temple to build up that god’s Blessing Level and gain Renown. Participating in training at the arena. Feeding animals at the stable if you're playing Cai's campaign. Shops in Dagsion will also restock weekly, so if you're looking for more gifts to give to potential recruits or weapons to buy for them once they're in your army, you only need to wait a short time. Both Dadao and Sha Lan have gold borders around their names, showing they have something new to say. Gold borders on names indicate new dialogue Do pay attention to the borders around the names above a potential recruit or a member of your army. If they shine gold, they have something new to remark about or a question for you to answer. Occasionally they may have questions for you to give your opinion about, and if they are your allies, this sometimes increases your support level. Dietrich, Fabio, and Mikaela sharing a meal by candlelight. Give potential recruits gifts early so you can invite them to meals While we’re on the subject of weekly activities, if you start building your support levels with characters you’ve not recruited yet, you may see them appear on the list of choosable dinner guests. This can greatly increase your support level without the need to give gifts, fast-tracking your progress to eventually recruiting them. Dietrich is having a lovely chat with Esmeralda over sweet treats. View Support Level conversations as they appear When your support level increases between two units in your party, you can view conversations between the two that will give some kind of buff. However, there is a limited time in which you can view them, with some not being watchable in subsequent parts. You’ll want to visit the Innkeeper as soon as they become available. Some conversations also can’t be watched until a future chapter, indicated by a lock, so if you see this, then you are caught up. The Carriages menu shows the destinations you need to visit first before you can go there in one short trip. Visit the Posthouses early to get caravan routes If you plan to zip around the map to grab all the valuable materials and treasures the land of Dagda has to offer, visit the Posthouses first. These unassuming locations allow you to travel across large areas of the map at the blink of an eye to another posthouse. You will need to have visited your destination first before you can use the carriage to travel there. The map shows Mars's Temple as usable, but Jurah's Temple isn't because Dietrich hasn't unlocked it yet. Use the temple warps to cover great distances For activities in regions far from the city of Dagsion, you’ll eventually unlock temple warps in the capital that send you to that god’s minor temple location. Put simply, these teleportators reach far-flung corners of the map instantly. You can then use these locations to zip to Dagsion in time for time-limited events, rather than making the trek all the way back on foot. Dietrich is about to use the Bloodletting skill on a Dread Warrior. Master your Flame Lord’s primary method of renown-gathering Each of the four Flame Lords has a drastically different focus, so it's worth learning their quirks to boost their individual renown rating. They also occasionally have tangible rewards worth seeking out. Cai's whole deal is that he is the salt-of-the-earth type. Therefore, he has Kindness Quests, which act pretty much the same as regular side-quests, but are unique in that you accept them by talking to folks with a pin with a hand in it above them. Focus on completing as many of these quests in addition to fighting foes on the map and partaking in weekly activities, and you should see his renown increase quickly. There are also For Dietrich, he aims to become the strongest. And one way he does this is by challenging strong foes. Whenever you use Answerer’s Cry after each turn on the world map, you can summon enemies to nearby locations, then defeat them for a small renown boost. This isn't a good long-term renown-gaining strategy, but you can also fight Dread Warriors. You can accept these unique duel requests from the Headhunter after reaching certain Renown levels. You'll find them hiding in dungeons, and once defeated, you’ll not only get a chunk of gold and Renown from the Headhunter back in Dagsion, but Dietrich will also learn a new Combat Art as soon as he beats the Dread Warrior. Theodora's main focus is on her people back home in Saramis, and her vassal Bonaventure is the go-between for her exclusive delivery quests. These require a large quota of items found on the world map, which you can either search for while at a location or deploy spare battalions to find on her behalf. The icons on square spaces indicate the type of materials you're likely to find when scavenging. Fish are exclusive to coasts, rivers, and lakes, while common drops elsewhere include crops in fields and minerals in mountains. Hover over each icon to see specifically what items you'll find so you don't waste turns searching areas that don't have your current quarry. Turning in these quests gives a lot of renown, but also a healthy boost in gold to your war chest. Finally, Leda is a performer, and thus takes her act on tour across the land of Dagda. Each performance quest grants her a huge boost to her renown, as well as new Blaze Arts in the form of songs to boost your party. Since Leda is a powerful support character, these songs are vital upgrades you should seek out as soon as possible to avoid missing the deadline. Before every battle, check your positioning with Swap Spaces Reposition your army before every battle and turn on enemy range Now we finally get to some tips for battles. Before any skirmish begins, select the Swap Spaces option to view the map. Not only does it let you shift your party members to positions that might be beneficial, as you may find the distribution less than ideal for your party composition, but you can also get a good look at the enemy's stats, as well as view the entire battlefield to find potential hazards or opportunities for ambushing. On a related note, as soon as a battle starts, press the ZL button on your controller. This toggles the UI to show the distance all enemies can attack you from, allowing you to strategically place your allies just out of range. This is particularly handy in case an aggressive enemy decides to advance on your position. Should they stoically remain rooted to the spot, you can set it up so an ally with an advantage against the enemy unit that would attack them is the one to draw them into range. Tobias using Bronze Gauntlets against a Gladiator class with an axe makes this fight a foregone conclusion. Exploit the buffs for all weapon types No, this isn’t a tip to revise the weapon triangle. That isn’t a feature in Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave. Instead, each weapon type has its own perks, with some focusing on weaknesses against certain enemy types, while others have their own binary perk regardless of which foe you go up against. Magic users are extremely effective against heavily armored foes. Use archers and other projectile units against flying enemies. Spear-wielders are the best against any land-based cavalry. Cavalry can quickly make up the distance to attack both magic users and archers. Swords deal 1.2x damage on follow-up attacks. Axes always do a minimum of 5 damage whenever they hit. Gauntlets increase evasion to non-gauntlet weapon types. Flying units ignore impassable and harsh terrain. With these traits in mind, experiment with all kinds of combat roles, as any one can have advantages in specific scenarios. If you encounter a uniquely defensive foe with low HP, consider swinging axes for that guaranteed damage. If there's a particularly dangerous sword-based melee attacker with a high critical hit percentage, use ranged attacks or the gauntlet class to avoid getting hit.

Title: Get In The Pilot Seat With Ace Combat 8 At A Nice Preorder Discount Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 14:30:00 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/get-in-the-pilot-seat-with-ace-combat-8-at-a-nice-preorder-discount/ Flying is cool, and the Ace Combat series manages to make it even better with a symphony of gunfire coming from fighter jets and the smell of exhaust. Well, you can’t smell it in the cockpit, but I imagine it’s a smell that makes you feel cool. It has been seven years since the last entry, but Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is letting you jump back into the pilot’s seat with a fresh campaign and a huge multiplayer mode, and right now, Fanatical is making the ticket price even cheaper right ahead of launch. Typically, I’m not a huge fan of simulation games that involve flying around the open skies. Microsoft Flight Simulator? I’d rather play anything else, despite the fact that I understand the appeal. However, being the leader of a squadron of fighter jets is fittingly awesome, and dogfighting might be some of the most fun I’ve had in any game, ever. Star Wars Squadrons made me fall in love with the idea, and years later, Ace Combat 8 is capturing my interest. In the campaign portion, you play as a silent protagonist who serves as the weapons systems officer for FCU naval aviator Jan Cope. After Cope is killed in action, you need to take up the mantle of the Wings of Theve, leading the Joker Flight squadron into the Sotoa-Usea War. Your combat performance, as well as some other key decisions, will determine whether your squadron thrives under pressure or is defeated by the enemy, forcing you to make tough choices in the heat of the moment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9qkuwuU0dg There are a total of 30 aircraft to choose from, each offering its own strengths and weaknesses. And to make things even more interesting, unlike previous games, you can now damage enemy aircraft by shooting at any part of the vehicle, meaning you don’t need to lock onto specific weak points. Although that might still be beneficial. After practicing in the cockpit with the campaign mode, it’s time to suit up and jump into your aircraft for Ace Combat 8’s multiplayer option. Huge lobbies allow you to walk around the airbase with your own custom avatar before choosing between a PvE mode that sees you take on hostile forces, or a warfare mode that requires you to work with your team against other players and non-playable enemies, with a variety of land, sea, and air targets to take down. Ahead of launch, you can preorder Ace Combat 8 for just $60.19 / £52.45 at Fanatical, netting you a Steam key and letting you play at a 14% discount compared to the usual price. Alternatively, you can also grab the Deluxe Edition for just $77.39 / £64.49, which grants you a cosmetic set, the Premium Ace Pass Plus voucher, and three days of early access, so you can practice flying before most players join the skies. If you’re looking to get a cheap flight and get on the highway to the danger zone, well, this is a great pre-order discount. See you in the skies, pilot. Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom. This story was created in collaboration with Fanatical's deals team.

Title: Ace Combat 8 Is Utterly Absurd–And Better Off For it | Review Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/videos/ace-combat-8-is-utterly-absurd-and-better-off-for-it-review/ Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve picks up where Ace Combat 7 left off, underlining that the series is well and truly back to its best. The story could've been stronger--more introspective--but is entertaining regardless, and while there are some pacing issues with filler missions and some uneven momentum, much of the game is excellent, providing the series' signature blend of melodrama, stirring music, and thrilling aerial combat.

Title: Ace Combat 8 Is Utterly Absurd–And Better Off For It Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ace-combat-8-is-utterly-absurd-and-better-off-for-it/ I never knew I could be so enamored by clouds. There were times in my youth–typically sitting on a train or in the back of a car–when I would absentmindedly stare out the window at interesting cloud formations. Nowadays, phones, laptops, and handheld consoles tend to distract me from the world passing by, but in Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, clouds are its ever-present pièce de résistance.  For all the high-tech jets, explosive action, and melodrama at the game's core, it's the bountiful sky and its stunning portraits of a version of our planet at varying altitudes that truly grab the eye. Flying through a rain cloud as it douses the cockpit window with droplets of water never gets old, and simply cruising through the air is almost tranquil at times.  Yet Ace Combat 8's clouds aren't mere window dressing. From gauging your altitude by the density of the clouds around you to using them as cover to break a missile lock, Ace Combat 8 uses this technology to push the series forward in tangible ways that go beyond aesthetics. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is one of the best examples of a game singlehandedly reviving a dormant series–and earning back its goodwill after the disappointment of Assault Horizon–so Ace Combat 8 didn't have to change all that much to keep the good times rolling. It stays true to the series' arcadey dogfighting roots while implementing a number of incremental improvements, making for a slightly more dynamic and intense experience as you go from sustaining heavy G-forces to unleashing a barrage of missiles.  The story is more prominent and also personal this time around, too, strictly focusing on the members of a single squadron amid a major conflict. Set in Ace Combat's fictional war-torn world of Strangereal, the story begins as the Republic of Sotoa invades the Federation of Central Usea (FCU), quickly occupying much of the nation and scattering its military forces. Outmanned and outgunned, the FCU relies on propaganda to keep morale alive. This is where the eponymous Wings of Theve comes into play: a legendary fighter pilot known for taking down dozens of enemy aircraft in the fight against the invading Sotoa forces.  Except none of the pilot’s legend is true.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5irVTl0mD8 War propaganda is nothing new, of course, but this immediately reminded me of Ukraine's Ghost of Kyiv. This mythical flying ace was alleged to have shot down six Russian planes over the capital city of Kyiv back in February 2022. The Ghost's exploits quickly spread like wildfire in the media and online, but two months later, the Ukrainian air force revealed it was simply propaganda to boost morale. It's easy to see how this might've influenced developer Bandai Namco Aces when creating Wings of Theve. But this is also an Ace Combat game, so it doesn't take long for things to get weird. Top Gun has always heavily influenced the series, so just imagine a scenario where Top Gun: Maverick opens with Tom Cruise crashing and dying, then passing his spirit on to a new pilot who adopts the Maverick callsign.  For the rest of the movie, Tom Cruise exists as a dead guy in the new, silent protagonist's head, passing on sage wisdom and sharing his jaded thoughts on the war with a melancholy similar to the most recent Wolfenstein's B.J. Blazkowicz. Oh, and Top Gun is an anime now, too. That is Ace Combat in a nutshell. A dead pilot narrating from inside your head might sound odd if you've never played the series before, but this kind of left-field choice is par for the course. Okay, maybe it has never gone quite this far--the Johnny Silverhand gimmick suits Cyberpunk much better--but it still fits the eccentric tone. There's no rhyme or reason to it, and the story wouldn't change all that much if it were removed entirely, yet I can't help feeling oddly gleeful that it even exists.  Unfortunately, the basic premise doesn't hold up to much scrutiny. The pilot killed in the opening was the propagandized Wings of Theve, alleged to have shot down multiple enemies despite not opening fire on a single foe. Their famed callsign is now yours, but because this is a video game, it doesn't take long to turn fiction into fact. The Wings of Theve isn't an idea anymore; it's a real pilot who's gunning down enemies and turning the tide of war almost single-handedly, so anything interesting that might've derived from the propaganda angle is disappointingly absent. Similarly, Ace Combat 8 lays the groundwork to comment on modern warfare in the age of social media, AI, and the mass sharing of disinformation, but all of these themes are ultimately window dressing. Social media is bad when the bad guys use it but good when the good guys do--this is the kind of social commentary you can expect. Nuanced discussions aren't on the menu; instead, Ace Combat 8 basks in melodrama, with writing full of bold ideological statements and rousing speeches about borders, heroism, and the big blue sky. In the wrong hands, it could feel ham-fisted, but there's also a wide-eyed earnestness at play that's both endearing and optimistic.  The new first-person perspective in cutscenes regularly features moments where you need to hit A to salute, shake hands, and so on, which veers into "Press F to pay respects" territory. Yet without Call of Duty's self-seriousness, it works in a campy sort of way.  Humanizing touches also help the cast's pronounced personalities shine through, from Tasha Severskaya, a pink-haired civilian who's the squad's best pilot but hasn't yet pulled the trigger, to her wingman William Coster, who stays mostly silent until a mission where he learns one of the pilots you're trying to rescue used to be in his favorite rock band. Ace Combat 8 does a good job building up your squad by delving into their unique character arcs through cutscenes and radio chatter during missions. The story has issues and is fairly by-the-numbers, but its bombast is entertaining enough, especially when it indulges in absurdity in a way only Ace Combat can.  Where else would you face off against an ominous land battleship equipped with a railgun that can wipe out entire city blocks in an instant? Or regularly run into an evil squadron of enemy pilots that plays ominous music over the radio whenever they show up; music that gradually evolves each time they appear, eventually culminating in a pulse-racing dogfight set to some of the best video game music you'll likely ever hear. Again, this is par for the course, whether it's a sweeping orchestral piece, a prolonged Spanish Guitar solo, or an up-tempo J-rock track. Ace Combat 8 lives up to the series' reputation for phenomenal music, adding another indispensable layer to the game's thrilling combat. Flying through a rain cloud as it douses the cockpit window with droplets of water never gets old, and simply cruising through the air is almost tranquil at times. Piloting its assortment of real and fictional jets is surprisingly simple, letting you get into the swing of things relatively quickly. Ace Combat 8 still has that classic arcadey Ace Combat style, but the planes feel slightly heavier than before--like there's more heft beneath the joystick--adding to the satisfying sensation that hits when you accelerate at full tilt and break through the sound barrier.  The unmistakable crack of a sonic boom, accompanied by the distinctive vapor cone that engulfs your jet and then dissipates just as quickly as it arrives, is always exciting to pull off. Combine this with the way you can execute high-G turns, either to attempt to stay on the enemy's tail or dodge incoming missiles, and the act of soaring through the air is enjoyable in and of itself.  Blowing up enemy aircraft is its own kind of reward, of course. Tougher enemies ensure that it's challenging to simply stay on their tail and achieve a missile lock-on, using tricks you would expect human pilots to use, such as dashing through clouds to break line-of-sight, launching flares, and pulling off cobra maneuvers to turn the hunter into the hunted. Some larger aircraft also have multiple lock-on targets, letting you pick whether you want to focus on, say, taking out their anti-aircraft guns first or destroying their propellers to send them tumbling out of the sky.    Between knocking down buildings in the path of the aforementioned land battleship and shooting down suicidal drones to prevent them from destroying a space elevator, there's also plenty of variety from one mission to the next. After 30 years of Ace Combat, it feels like Bandai Namco Aces picked a few of their favorite scenarios from the series' past, while sprinkling in some new sortie types as well.  One mission, for instance, has you flying an unarmed aircraft through a valley while avoiding detection from enemy radar. Others have you establish airspace dominance, follow contrails to locate massive stealth bombers, and take out coastal ground forces to protect your naval fleet's advance. There's a plethora of blood-pumping moments, although it does stumble into some pacing issues as well. With 30 levels in total, Ace Combat 8 seems stretched at times. Some missions feel like filler, slightly nudging the story forward while tasking you with fairly basic objectives as though you're simply painting by numbers. They're not intrinsically bad, but these missions typically follow some of Ace Combat 8's more dramatic endeavors.  I understand potentially wanting to break these levels up with more relaxed sorties to help you catch your breath, but it has the adverse effect of stalling the game's momentum. Fortunately, this isn't a problem as the campaign ramps up toward a particularly histrionic conclusion, yet I can't help but feel like it could've been a more tightly paced experience if a few missions were cut. That said, I must commend some of these levels for being more open-ended, giving you the freedom to pick and choose your targets, which ties into Ace Combat 8's deeper pre-flight options.  Before each mission, you can select your plane, its armaments, and a number of parts geared toward enhancing your mobility, weaponry, and other miscellaneous stats. You unlock all of this through an extensive Aircraft Tree, giving you new jets, weapons, and upgrades to play around with throughout the entirety of the game. Some jets are tailored more for speed and dogfighting, while others excel at wiping out ground targets with bombs and land-based missile strikes. You can further improve these aspects with upgrade parts that enhance maneuverability, shorten air-to-air missile lock-on time, expand your bomb payload, and more. This isn't a rigid, universal system like before, either; each aircraft has a specific capacity for each upgrade type, making some of the more expensive jets feel much more powerful. You can also outfit each squadmate with specific aircraft and weaponry, maybe balancing land-based attacks with air support, or fully favoring one or the other. However, I never noticed much difference in practice. The return of squad commands is more palpable, letting you order your squadmates to utilize their special weaponry when heavy targets appear, encourage them to be more aggressive, or demand that they fall back and support you.  If you'd prefer having actual humans by your side, Ace Combat 8 also features the series' most exhaustive multiplayer suite so far. There are 100-player lobbies where you can customize your pilot avatar and wander around, visit the arcade to play Pac-Man, or head to a supply shop to obtain loot crates, among other distractions.  There's also a battle pass--called the Ace Pass--with both free and premium tiers that unlock upgrades, consumables, and cosmetics for both your avatar and aircraft. We were only given a short multiplayer session to try out before launch, so it remains to be seen whether any pay-to-win aspects are at play.  You can purchase new aircraft with an in-game currency earned by completing matches, but you're also limited by your rank, so you can't just buy the best jets right away. This seems like a good solution, but it depends on what's available if you're willing to spend real money. Ace Combat 8's multiplayer rests on two main pillars: Co-op Assault and Co-op Warfare, which let you jump into PvE or PvP matches, respectively. Co-op Assault challenges teams of two to four players to complete a shared objective, rewarding victory to the team with the highest score.  Co-op Warfare is similar, only you can destroy players on the other team as well, racking up points by taking out computer-controlled units and real players alike. Once again, the highest score wins, but escalating scores also raise the threat level, adding a score multiplier to each kill. The higher the threat, the bigger the swings, making for some intense matches.   Additionally, limited-time modes occasionally pop up in lobbies. Scramble lets a team of four go head-to-head against powerful computer-controlled squads, while Emergency Sorties task eight players with defeating iconic super-weapons from previous Ace Combat games. Special PvP events also crop up from time to time, featuring four-on-four deathmatches and eight-player free-for-alls.  Dogfights against human players are inherently fascinating, because even the best enemy AI can't possibly compare with the human mind. There's also plenty here if you'd prefer to team up with friends; the only question marks I have are centered on the battle pass and whether there are any other ways of spending real money to potentially gain an advantage. All of this remains to be seen. Even if the multiplayer favors those with expendable cash, Ace Combat 8's single-player adventure is still worth the price of admission alone. The story could've been stronger--more introspective--but is entertaining regardless, and while there are some pacing issues with filler missions and some uneven momentum, much of the game is excellent, providing the series' signature blend of melodrama, stirring music, and thrilling aerial combat. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve picks up where Ace Combat 7 left off, underlining that the series is well and truly back to its best

Title: Gears Of War: E-Day Roadmap After Launch Is Starting To Take Shape Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 13:46:48 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gears-of-war-e-day-roadmap-after-launch-is-starting-to-take-shape/ Gears of War: E-Day looks like it'll be a dark and brutal prequel to the mainline games, but what lies beyond the campaign? Like other games in the series, multiplayer modes will carry Gears of War: E-Day after you've wrapped up a tour of the Emergence Day battlefields, and the game's developer, The Coalition, has some big plans for how it wants to support its various online modes after launch. While it hasn't gone into too much detail yet, The Coalition has confirmed that a seasonal roadmap will be revealed closer to launch. One part of the multiplayer suite that is getting a lot of attention is Horde Siege, The Coalition's new spin on classic Horde mode action. This is where teams will take on waves of Locust forces, with up to 12 players split across three squads pursuing objectives. According to the developers, Horde Siege will be updated with new classes, maps, missions, modifiers, and seasonal content, such as limited-time events like Trick or Treat mode during the Halloween Event, as part of the broader post-launch plans for Gears of War: E-Day. Gears of War: E-Day cosmetics and customization items Customizing the look of your Gear will be a big part of the multiplayer experience, and The Coalition says that players can unlock a selection of "gritty and imaginative designs" just by playing the game. While some content will require you to spend the premium in-game currency, Iron, to unlock new character and weapon skins, The Coalition says these will be limited in number. "Our legendary skins are a bit more over the top, celebrating gritty and imaginative designs inspired by the vibes of our brand," senior production manager Noah Benesch said during an E-Day multiplayer deep-dive. "When it comes to collecting and growing your own collection of customization items in E-Day, we've taken a more old-school inspired approach. That means nearly every single piece of customization in E-Day can be earned by just playing the game. You'll unlock new items through completing seasonal and event challenges, unlocking achievements, and by earning medals from our Classic Medal System." "Everything else can be obtained by completing matches and earning coins, which unlock items in the Barracks. We'll have a few things that are pay-only, but they're limited to our Premium Edition items and charity or partner content like the Ride the Lightning Weapon Skin set we've created in partnership with Metallica. Every season will grow our lineup of Cog and Locust characters, as well as adding new weapon skins, poses, customization elements, challenges, medals, and events. All of this is to say there's no battle pass. No pay-to-win. No bulls**t." Here's the full list of items that can be earned in the game: Character skins Weapon skin sets Poses Banners Emblems Icons Titles Menu music Gears of War: E-Day multiplayer modes https://youtu.be/cmawSe1PkPg As for the multiplayer modes, Gears of War: E-Day will include several options at launch. All Versus modes are 4v4 by design, with no weapon mods active so the playing field remains balanced. Team Deathmatch In E-Day, Team Deathmatch has been improved with a dynamic respawn system to move spawn locations closer to where fights are playing out. Like previous iterations of the mode, it's focused on eliminating the pool of lives that the opposing team has, instead of chasing scores.   Conquest King of the Hill with a Gears twist, Conquest is all about occupying and defending specified zones around the map. Demolition In Demolition, teams battle to take control of a bomb. They then need to deliver and plant it at one of two enemy bomb sites, while the opposition works to stop them. Crucible In Crucible, teams battle to claim a Power Core and then keep control of it within a designated zone. As the round progresses, the zone will move and shrink while teams fight for dominance. The good news for holders of the Power Core is that they can use it offensively, as it holds an electrical charge that can blast the enemy's flesh right off their surprised bones.

Title: Control Resonant Devs Officially Confirm Fans’ Most-Requested Feature Is Coming in Post-Launch Update Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 14:39:30 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/control-resonant-post-launch-plans-new-game-plus-photo-mode/ Control Resonant is now out (though not yet physically), and developer Remedy Entertainment has already deployed a patch to further fine-tune the combat, so early enemies won't feel too tanky. More updates are on the way, and on Friday, Remedy shared its post-launch plans for the action RPG.

Title: The Resident Evil Movie Ruled — Now What? | Point It Out! Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 14:10:37 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/video/why-resident-evil-worked-and-what-future-video-game-movies-need-to-do-next/ On this week's episode of Point It Out! Patches is back from France to guide Simone through a history of Resident Evil movies, and figure out where Hollywood should go next now that they've figured out how to make a good adaptation.

Title: Hytale's Next Major Update Promises Dungeons and Other Huge Changes Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 14:06:39 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/hytale-chapter-one-dungeons-goblins-abilities-trailer/ The Minecraft-like sandbox game Hytale has been off to a strong start. After Riot canceled the game in June 2025, its original creator, Hypixel Studios, bought back the rights and launched it in Early Access this January. Hytale has apparently exceeded the studio's own expectations, which is impressive given its lead designer, Simon Collins-Laflamme, said he expected the game to hit over 1 million players on release day.

Title: Ace Combat 8 Is a Triumphant Return for One of Gaming’s Best Series Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 14:00:15 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/ace-combat-8-wings-of-theve-review/ It’s easy to lose sight of those questions throughout the always-thrilling Wings of Theve. For the series’ first game in seven years, the newly formed development team at Bandai Namco Aces goes all-out for a spectacular war game filled with a diversity of aerial operations that test your flying skills every which way it can. Bombing runs against megatanks and speedy jet chases through the clouds often tempt you to stop asking what you, a pilot for the Federation of Central Usea (FCU), are fighting for.

Title: The Original Castlevania Is Free Right Now, but There’s a Catch Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 13:58:41 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/castlevania-40-anniversary-free-mobile-download-limited-time/ This year marks the 40th anniversary of Konami's Castlevania series. Since its debut, there have been countless games, spin-offs, and adaptations telling the story of the Belmont family's ongoing fight against Dracula and the forces of evil. But it all started in 1986 with the first game's release on the Famicom in Japan. Konami is making the original game available for free as part of the anniversary celebrations, but you only have a limited time to claim it.

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: 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: (For Southeast Asia) Lisa x PlayStation arrives this October: First look at the DualSense wireless controller Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 01:03:04 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/09/21/20260922-lisa/ Last year, we teamed up with Lisa for the first time on our global PS5 campaign. Today, we’re taking our collaboration a step further with an all-new DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition designed with Lisa herself. Play Video Lisa’s journey has taken her from her roots in Thailand to Korea and beyond, as she’s become a defining figure in global pop culture – from her dynamic stage presence to her bold approach to fashion. Hear from her directly on the collaboration: “Gaming is something I do whenever I have time to relax, so getting to create this collection with PlayStation was very exciting. I had a lot of fun adding in little details that I knew my fans would notice, and I wanted the fans to have something they can connect with. I’ve always loved expressing myself through music and fashion, so this collaboration gave me a new way to be creative and show a different side of myself. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do.” – Lisa Fans won’t have to look far to find Lisa in the details. From the very start, we worked closely together to incorporate elements that held personal meaning for her. Her iconic bangs and eyes take center stage on the DualSense wireless controller touch pad, joined by her signature stars and bold “LL” lettering, all set against a Chroma Pearl colorway – Lisa’s personal favorite. In Southeast Asia, the DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition will be available in highly limited quantities at participating retailers beginning on October 30 for a recommended retail price of SGD 115 / MYR 419 / IDR 1,549,000 / THB 2,890 / PHP 5,411 / VND 2,399,000. Pre-orders will begin on October 2, while supplies last.  Alongside the DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition, fans can also look forward to the release of her new EP, Press Play, on October 23. Come and Press Play! View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image

Title: Lisa x PlayStation arrives this October: First look at the DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition and all-new merchandise Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2026 12:00:58 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/09/21/lisa-x-playstation-arrives-this-october-first-look-at-the-dualsense-wireless-controller-lisa-limited-edition-and-all-new-merchandise/ Last year, we teamed up with Lisa for the first time on our global PS5 campaign. Today, we’re taking our collaboration a step further with an all-new DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition and a new merchandise collection designed with Lisa herself. Play Video Lisa’s journey has taken her from her roots in Thailand to Korea and beyond, as she’s become a defining figure in global pop culture – from her dynamic stage presence to her bold approach to fashion. Hear from her directly on the collaboration: “Gaming is something I do whenever I have time to relax, so getting to create this collection with PlayStation was very exciting. I had a lot of fun adding in little details that I knew my fans would notice, and I wanted the fans to have something they can connect with. I’ve always loved expressing myself through music and fashion, so this collaboration gave me a new way to be creative and show a different side of myself. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do.” – Lisa Fans won’t have to look far to find Lisa in the details. From the very start, we worked closely together to incorporate elements that held personal meaning for her. Her iconic bangs and eyes take center stage on the DualSense wireless controller touch pad, joined by her signature stars and bold “LL” lettering, all set against a Chroma Pearl colorway – Lisa’s personal favorite. The DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition will be available in highly limited quantities directly from PlayStation and at participating retailers globally beginning on October 30 for a recommended retail price of $84.99 USD / ¥12,480 (including tax) / €84.99 / £74.99. Pre-orders will begin on October 2 at 10am local time, while supplies last.  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Lisa x PlayStation merchandise pictured above available on Lisa’s official Amazon store beginning October 23.  Lisa x PlayStation merchandise collection Launching this October in the U.S., the Lisa x PlayStation collaboration goes beyond gaming with a collection of PlayStation merchandise featuring Lisa’s designs, including apparel, hats, tote bags, keychains, stickers, a DualSense controller carrying case, and more. The collection gives fans new ways to bring their love for PlayStation and Lisa into their everyday lifestyle. The Lisa x PlayStation merchandise collection will include two unique assortments available in limited quantities in the U.S. Select merchandise will be available to pre-order directly from PlayStation on October 2 at 10am ET, and launch on October 30. Additional items will launch on October 23 on Lisa’s official Amazon store at amazon.com/lisa and in the Amazon Music app.    Alongside the DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition and Lisa X PlayStation collection launching this October, fans can also look forward to the release of her new EP, Press Play, on October 23. We can’t wait to see how fans make the Lisa x PlayStation look their own when it launches.  Come and Press Play! View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Buy direct from PlayStation purchase information Starting at 10:00am ET on October 2, players in the US will be able to pre-order the DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition and Lisa x PlayStation merchandise collection direct from PlayStation through direct.playstation.com in limited quantities, while supplies last. Starting at 10:00am local time on October 2, players in the U.K., France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, players will be able to pre-order the DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition direct from PlayStation through playstation.com/store/hardware in limited quantities, while supplies last.

Title: Microsoft's failure to find a home for Ninja Theory voids the one, very tenuous upside to Senua's SGF reveal Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 14:04:10 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/microsofts-failure-to-find-a-home-for-ninja-theory-voids-the-one-very-tenuous-upside-to-senuas-sgf-reveal There’s plenty to dislike about this latest round of corporate-mandated Xbox misery. The hundreds more human beings losing their livelihoods. The embracing of risk-averse factory line development. The fact that nobody, still, knows what on earth is happening with Arkane. Read more

Title: Hytale's Chapter 1 update is all about them goblins, adding its first proper boss and "handcrafted" dungeon in October Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/hytales-chapter-1-update-is-all-about-them-goblins-adding-its-first-proper-boss-and-handcrafted-dungeon-in-october After months of smaller patches, Hytale’s early access phase is getting its inaugural Chapter update, confirmed release date and all. Chapter 1 is out on October 12th, and it’s a bundle of (mostly goblin-related) firsts: chiefly the game’s first "handcrafted" dungeon, a gruesome underground lair, and Hytale’s first bonefide boss fight, against a flamethrowing gob-king. Read more

Title: I got whomped by an Ork horde in Total War: Warhammer 40,000, definitely on purpose, to teach you a lesson about positioning Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 11:05:00 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/i-got-whomped-by-an-ork-horde-in-total-war-warhammer-40000-definitely-on-purpose-to-teach-you-a-lesson-about-positioning Demo sessions are often terrible ways to see a game, doubly so at conferences. You want to sink into a game at your own pace (and with unbroken access to fresh cups of tea), not get dropped into the middle of the action, hoisted up again 20 minutes later and plonked into another section of a game. However, that's the nature of these things sometimes and it suits some games more than others. Total War: Warhammer absolutely does not suit it. Grand strategy games are built for armchair generals. Not just any armchair, either, a wingback one where the leather on the arms is nearly worn through where said general has rested their elbows in deep contemplation. They're not games made to be played in short bursts. As such, I can't really speak to Total War: Warhammer 40,000's end quality from its Gamescom demo, but perhaps it says something that after an hour where I played 20 minutes of the battle tutorial, 20 minutes of the campaign tutorial, and 20 minutes in a scenario where my Space Marine army faced an overwhelming assault from an ork horde, I still came away keen as the baked beans found in an Astra Militarium ration pack to play the full game. Read more

Title: Colourful JRPG Armed Fantasia has been cancelled, four years after a successful Kickstarter campaign descended into delays and lawsuits Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 10:12:53 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/colourful-jrpg-armed-fantasia-has-been-cancelled-four-years-after-a-successful-kickstarter-campaign-descended-into-delays-and-lawsuits Armed Fantasia, a JRPG pitched as a spiritual successor the PS2-era roleplaying series Wild Arms – and led by former Wild Arms producer Akifumi Kaneko – has been cancelled. Digital Bros, the parent company of Armed Fantasia publishers 505 Games, announced in a financial statement that it was one of several games for which "The Group decided to discontinue development," the others being a sequel to F2P strategy game Battle Islands and action RPG Directorate Novitiate, which had already revealed its own demise in May. Read more

Title: Arc Raiders is testing a PvE mode because "a large and growing group" refuse to hunt each other Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 09:01:56 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/arc-raiders-is-testing-a-pve-mode-because-a-large-and-growing-group-refuse-to-hunt-each-other Arc Raiders developer Embark Studios is bowing to the pacifists and trialing a PvE mode in their extraction shooter. If you play between October 13th and 20th, you'll be able to flick a toggle that means you load either into the traditional world of Arc Raiders, where human players vie for the valuable scraps left behind in a ruined world watched over by killer robots, or a slightly safer version where the machines are still deadly but the humans can't hurt you. "We’re seeing a large and growing group of Raiders who come to the Rust Belt for the co-op and the ARC, not fighting with other Raiders," Embark say in the post announcing the trial. "That group has become a core part of our community, so it’s important we learn how to support them properly rather than leave them working around the game." Read more