Another Eden Begins follows Final Fantasy Resonance and Octopath Traveler 0 in a line of JRPGs based on online mobile games that have been forever preserved through premium-release adaptations, and producer Shinnosuke Hirasawa says it's "wonderful" to see them escape the live-service reaper.

Speaking with Automaton, Hirasawa, who oversaw the overhaul of Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space, says it was no surprise to see other developers arrive at the same plan.

"Live-service games have the inherent issue that once services are terminated, they become unplayable," Hirasawa reasons. "Also, when a game continues for a long time, it’s common for the scale of development to start shrinking over time."

Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent and Final Fantasy Brave Exvius got almost the exact same treatment: strip out the live service mechanics, fill the gaps with more story content, and sell a full-price game that non-mobile gamers might actually like.

Asked how he feels about the likes of Octopath Traveler 0 and Final Fantasy Resonance, Hirasawa says, "Keep it coming!"

“I believe creators take pride in the work they’ve created, and I think it’s wonderful when live-service works are released in a form that allows them to remain in the world and keep receiving recognition," he adds. "It’s good for games as a medium, too, so I’d like to see more and more releases like that.”

The inevitability of end of service looms over even the best mobile, gacha, and online games. Even giants like Genshin Impact face the question of what happens when, years or – if developer Hoyoverse has its way – decades down the line, development dries up? Is there hope for an official offline version?

Another Eden Begins is now on Steam and Nintendo Switch (and Switch 2) for $40, and it's launched to mostly positive Steam reviews.

This pocket of preserved games arrives as digital rights and preservation become hotter topics amidst PlayStation's plan to end physical games and Stop Killing Games, rooted in the death of multiplayer games, taking its fight to court.

"Too good to become unplayable": Final Fantasy Resonance exists because a JRPG veteran was "frustrated" players ignored their game the first time.

The unveiling of Diablo 5 during BlizzCon 2026 prompted a range of reactions from oohs and aahs to disappointment at the confirmation that the surprise sequel means no more expansions for Diablo 4. Diablo 4 currently has two expansions, 2024's Vessel of Hatred and this year's Lord of Hatred, and there won't be any more as Blizzard focuses on getting Diablo 5 out the door by its planned release window of spring 2029. The game will still get regular seasonal updates, like the wonderfully nostalgic Season of Hell's Legacy, but full-blown expansions are officially in the rear view for Diablo 4.

We haven't seen much of Diablo 5 yet, but one big departure from series convention is the complete removal of towns and safe zones, which ties into the narrative premise about Diablo having won the big war against humanity before the story kicks off. Even with such a big change from previous entries, a lot of Diablo fans have asked what made Blizzard decide on a full-on sequel instead of more Diablo 4 expansions, and now we have a clear answer.

Talking to GameSpot, Diablo 5 executive producer Matt Zitterman says the decision to make a sequel instead of more expansions came down to a deep understanding of the Diablo community and what it wants.

"Who are Diablo players? Why are they playing Diablo? What do they want out of a Diablo game?" says Zitterman. "That is a really critical step in the early conceptual phase for a game, even before you're thinking about, 'should we make this an expansion? Should we make it a sequel? How do we do this?' Really deep understanding of who are players are."

From there, Blizzard looked at what people liked and didn't like about Diablo 4 and used that feedback to figure out its overall "ambition" for the series. Zitterman says it became clear "pretty early" that "some deeply structural changes" had to happen "in order to achieve what we wanted to achieve with this game," and those changes would've been "frankly hard to do in an expansion."

More importantly, or at least this is my read on Zitterman's quotes, Blizzard just wanted to make a whole game about the Lord of Terror himself, the birthday boy celebrating 30 years, Al'Diabolos. "Diablo is the main villain. Diablo is the guy that we want to tell a real story about," says Zitterman. "We want to tell a story that's on par, and hopefully exceeds, the story that we told with Lilith and Mephisto, and to do that in an expansion just didn't feel right. We needed to give him his own game."

Of course, Diablo has arrived at long last to terrorize Sanctuary in Diablo 4 as part of the new seasonal questline, but Diablo 4 does still very much feel like Lilith's game. With big dawg having appeared as the main antagonist in every Diablo release so far, I'm curious what the distinction will be in Diablo 5 with him being front and center to the game's development.

Diablo 5 is Blizzard's darkest ARPG yet, and that's the best way to honor the game that changed my life 30 years ago

Whenever I play Overwatch with my friends and actually contribute to our success, I'm treated like a child who's 'helping' his parents put away groceries and manages to put the cheese in the right fridge drawer for a change. In short, I suck.

Even when I'm in the zone as my main man, Reinhardt, I'm not sure I've ever gotten MVP in the hundreds of matches I've played over the years. It was to my great surprise, then, that I found myself dominating as new support hero Doctrine over the weekend at BlizzCon 2026.

Don't get me wrong; I still didn't get MVP in the handful of matches I played. But I was surprisingly competent for someone who A) sucks, and B) had never played Doctrine before. Even without much time to get a good handle on the hero's moves, Doctrine's primary ranged attack, speed, and healing speed-buffing drones were so intuitive that my Quick Play performance made me feel like I wasn't being carried for once.

Unfortunately, I have a hunch that I didn't suddenly 'git gud', synchronizing with Doctrine's life energy as a lover of all things vampire myself. No, my impression after a few surprisingly great rounds as Doctrine is that a big, fat, bloodsucking nerf is probably waiting around the corner to take the wind right out of my sails.

Jack of all trades

What surprised me the most about Doctrine is just how incredibly well-balanced he is. With great mobility bolstered by straight-up flight via Infuse, solid DPS for a support, flexible engagement range, and an Ultimate with a nasty HP debuff and simultaneous team heal, it's hard to identify a major vulnerability in the vamp's toolkit.

I foresee his Deliverance Ultimate specifically becoming a real problem as players familiarize themselves with his abilities. It's probably going to be one of the main targets of the hero's inevitable first balance update. Meanwhile, Infuse changing the character's rush and drone abilities makes Doctrine a tough hero to predict and counter. With a perk that dramatically reduces Infuse's damage and healing cooldowns, that unpredictability becomes, well, even more unpredictable.

I brought up Doctrine's versatility in a conversation with Overwatch game director Aaron Keller. He pointed out the new hero's high aim skill floor as a potential downside, while ultimately agreeing with me about "flexibility."

"You need to have pretty high aim right there," Keller says. "He also has a pretty decent amount of mobility as well. He can get in, get out, get to high ground if he infuses his dash. So, I think that there's a lot of flexibility with somebody like Doctrine." Asked specifically what meta niche is being filled by a highly-adaptable hero like Doctrine, Keller says he's "not exactly sure who he's going to replace or what the best synergy is here," but "he's going to be versatile and powerful enough to where he gets incorporated into the meta."

Not another Jetpack Cat

Keller says it's a dangerous game, predicting how a new hero will be perceived – balanced, underpowered, or overpowered – because while the dev team tests out roster additions "a lot," it's still "just a team of a couple hundred people" all operating at "different skill levels."

Still, he insists players will grapple with Doctrine's "high skill cap" and strategic design, hopefully preventing all-out support meta dominance similar to Jetpack Cat at launch. "There's aim skill, and there's a lot of strategic decision-making that you need to do with how and when you're going to use Infuse," he explains of Doctrine's playstyle. "It'll be interesting to see if this becomes one of those heroes that is just played a ton at the high level and maybe played a little bit less at lower levels, or if he's played all over the place," Keller tells me.

If Doctrine really is the easy-to-learn but tough-to-master hero Keller says he is, that's terrifying. In other words, if a scrub like me was able to become a respectable, even valuable, team-player in my very first games as the new hero, imagine his potential in the hands of someone who actually knows what they're doing after six months in Ranked queues? That's why a nerf feels all but guaranteed once Doctrine officially joins the Overwatch roster on October 6.

If Overwatch isn't your thing, be sure to check out our ranking of the best FPS games to find your new obsession.

• Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is perfect if you want hours upon hours of grid-based tactical combat, plenty of role-playing game elements like levels and classes, and so very many different characters.

Here's the 60-second pitch for why you should play Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave this weekend: Fortune's Weave has consumed my life. While that might at first sound hyperbolic, please understand that I nearly completed three out of four protagonist routes before the Nintendo Switch 2 game was even released. I'm not even close to done, either. Between the multiple protagonists, lengthy combat cycles, RPG elements like levels and classes, and multitude of recruitable characters, there's still so much to see and do that I can't wait to experience.

Why play it today?

• Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave feels like a long time coming. It marks the first true sequel (prequel?) to Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the SRPG with a new Fire Emblem continuity that absolutely blew me away back on the Nintendo Switch. It takes all of the elements that I loved so much and enhances them in ways I'd not expected.

My Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave preview gets into it at length, the my biggest problem with Fire Emblem: Three Houses wasn't the length; it was the fact that you essentially committed yourself to a single path several times over. Fortune's Weave gets around this by constructing a narrative reason for you to mechanically swap between different routes at will without making a mess of things. In fact, there's every indication that this might actually be useful to do.

So if you've been looking forward to a meaty, chunky RPG with plenty of combat skills, support conversations, team composition considerations, massive amounts of proper nouns, and a singular conceptually fascinating story told from multiple vantage points, your prayers have been answered in the form of Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave.

Time commitment:

If you're looking for how long it takes to beat Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, the exact amount of time will vary because of how many different paths you take or want to explore more thoroughly. At 95 hours, I've yet to roll credits myself, so expect to spend several long sessions putting your units through their paces.

Play Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave if you love:

Skip Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave if you want:

One thing to know:

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is, to stress again, a game that you'll be in for the long haul. Even if you're looking to put in the absolute bare minimum amount of effort in order to roll credits, you are almost certainly still looking at sinking above 60 hours into it.

A moment you'll remember:

From the moment you begin, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave absolutely dumps you into the deep end. Between proper nouns, references to events in other games, and a wild pivot from fantasy to something much more heavily inspired by science fiction than might be expected, the game doesn't hold your hand, nor does it hold you back. But it is a lot to take in.

The final verdict:

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is really for a particular kind of sicko. The kind of person that happily dumps dozens of hours into moving digital dolls around maps but also goes "and now kiss" from time to time. It's a great RPG with multiple elements from previous Fire Emblem games returning, a smart tactical game with plenty of grid-based combat to go around, and an absolutely massive tome of story and lore for anyone that ever wanted more of what Three Houses was doing. It's not perfect, but I also can't recommend it highly enough.

So, where can you play it?

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is now available on the Nintendo Switch 2, and it's an exclusive; you cannot play it on the OG Switch.

How to get started with Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave:

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is better off for not immersing yourself in tips and tricks, but if you absolutely must know where to start with Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave this weekend before you begin, we've got you covered.

Have your say:

If you're looking for something in a similar vein, more Fire Emblem-style games appear in our best RPG games ranking.

The collective industry is doing its darnedest to avoid GTA 6 this November, and that includes Nintendo. Even The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is avoiding Rockstar's latest blockbuster, and a former marketing lead from the house of Mario believes this is the smartest course of action.

Indeed, Grand Theft Auto 6 will be fully playable on November 19, while Ocarina of Time is coming to the Switch 2 slightly beforehand, on November 5. That's two whole weeks of time for Zelda fans to dive into the long-awaited redux before moving over the Leonida, should they desire.

"I think it's great. Thank God," Krysta Yang, former PR manager for Nintendo of America who now co-hosts Kit and Krysta on YouTube, says of Ocarina of Time's launch date. "If it happened, where this was on the same day as GTA, and I saw that this was a faithful remake, I would be playing GTA."

There are definitely a lot that'd agree with her, for whatever reason, but no doubt plenty who would go the other way and get straight into gathering the Triforce again. Mercifully, Nintendo made sure this wasn't a hard choice, and provided breathing room for players who are down for both.

"I would 100% prioritize [GTA], and now I don't have to," she adds. "Now I can finish this game before it comes out."

She makes a strong point because comparatively, Ocarina of Time is a much shorter game than we can expect GTA 6 to be. In terms of scope and narrative, two weeks is ample time to get through it if you're playing regularly. Placing it at the start of the month is a savvy move by Nintendo, who can then sidestep the Rockstar circus entirely and watch the sales roll in over Christmas.

Nintendo has quietly updated the Zelda timeline, and somehow the Ocarina of Time remake has made it even more complicated.

The launch of Cyberpunk 2077 was a trying time for CD Projekt Red. After years of anticipation, the RPG arrived glitchy and broken, leading to a number of post-launch patches and updates to make it more playable. It was the last major release from the studio to use REDEngine, its in-house engine, before switching to Unreal Engine 5 for The Witcher 4, but one of the company's leaders contends this is more of a coincidence.

Michał Nowakowski, the joint CEO of CD Projekt Red, appeared on the Deconstructor of Fun podcast (thanks, VGC), where he explained why the decision was made to change technology.

"A lot of people think like this, but this is a bit of a false assumption, I would say," he explains when asked about if the sci-fi blockbuster influenced the choice, "because the issue with Cyberpunk was not really REDengine itself.”

The logic internally was that CD Projekt Red makes games, and the REDEngine was really a byproduct of doing that. "The dream of the company was actually never to make technology, it was to, yes, create visually and technically cutting-edge games," he adds. "But most importantly telling the stories in the most convincing and immersive way."

The incentive to switch came about when we got that The Matrix Awakens demonstration of Unreal Engine 5. At that point, the technology wasn't quite where CD Projekt Red would like, but Nowakowski and the rest of the company's leadership could see it was going to be formidable.

"If we form a relationship with Unreal and if we work on certain things which are specifically required to make games of the size and scope and certain technicalities about it that we need for the games, it could actually work," he recalls thinking. "And that's where we came to the table with the guys from Epic. That's where we made the strategic collaboration."

Now CD Projekt Red is one of the few developers helping to forge the engine from the inside. Which makes sense, since not only is it being used for The Witcher 4, it's behind the remaster of The Witcher 3 as well.

"We're actually, I think, the only team in the world outside of Epic that deals with the inside of the 'black box' that the engine is. Nobody else is doing that except for us and them, which we do through collaborative efforts together," he comments. We'll start seeing what improvements this all provides when The Witcher 3 Remastered arrives in just over a week.

The Witcher 3 "is not a monument" says lead writer ahead of Songs of the Past, which means "adding a new expansion is not such a huge deal."

Portal writer and Valve veteran Chet Faliszek says that one of the developers behind the 2007 puzzle game gem wanted it to be a tad more gory – something that the rest of the team, and Gabe Newell himself, didn't want to consider.

Faliszek reveals as much in a new video on YouTube (below), recalling how "someone had suggested we add gore to Portal – the original Portal." They weren't a small dev, either, although the former Valve writer doesn't clarify who it was. He does, however, make it clear that neither he nor anyone else was a fan of the thought.

As Faliszek puts it, "Somebody with enough oomph wants to add a bunch of gore and dead bodies all through Portal, and it's a horrible idea."

He continues, "The entire team thinks it's a horrible idea, but this person is being very verbal about it and calls a meeting and calls Gabe [Newell].

That's when Eric Wolpaw asked Faliszek to "just come into this meeting" and "just say no" – and point out "how stupid this is," because let's face it… Portal is no Half-Life, and gore just wouldn't fit into Aperture Science the way it slots into Black Mesa's own facilities.

"Other people didn't want to get in this fight with this person," Faliszek remembers – so he joins the meeting and breaks the hard news to the hopeful dev. "I'm like, 'Hey, so we're not going to add gore.' Like, I just jump to it. 'We're not adding gore. Just cut this out.'"

It's a bit amusing to listen to, honestly, as a fan of Portal myself. Hearing what Newell thought from Faliszek is brilliant, too, as the company head didn't hold back.

"Gabe's like, 'Why are we even having this meeting? This is the stupidest question ever. We shouldn't add gore to the game,'" as Faliszek says.

So, what happened? "The guy who proposed it kind of just shuffled off and that was it. It was like a five-minute meeting." I suppose no more needed to be said… and judging by comments, the majority of Valve isn't alone in finding gore ill-fitting in Portal.

As one reads, "Cannot imagine Portal with gore… It just doesn't fit with the thematic or expression of the game itself. So odd." Another adds, "Gore in Portal? That's crazy" – and, yeah, I can certainly see why they (and a whole lot of Valve) think so.

Backrooms director posts from Valve's office again, and Portal movie speculation is intensifying.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi warns that the finale of Square Enix's Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy will probably be about 200 GB.

Both Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth shipped on multiple discs allowing people to access the entirety of the game without the need to download anything. Not only was this a cute throwback to the PS1 era which saw the original Final Fantasy 7 ship across multiple discs, but a good way to preserve the game in the event these online stores eventually go down. However, for Part 3, news broke that the game's physical release would still require an online download.

Hamaguchi explained this is happening because the team does not want to "compromise" on the quality of the final chapter, which releasing the entirety of it on disc would require. Speaking to VGC, Hamaguchi is now asked if this means the upcoming RPG will be significantly larger than the first two entries, with the director explaining, "Things are still getting worked out, but it's probably going to be around 200 GB of game."

He adds, "I understand there are a lot of opinions about this topic, but at the end of the day, the fact is we need to overcome the hardware to a certain extent."

However, despite the fact the game will not be released entirely on disc, Hamaguchi indirectly refers to the recent news of Sony abandoning disc releases for PS5 games, and explains, "with Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, we definitely wanted to deliver some kind of physical product. That was really important to us. Trust me!"

However, I do feel for Nintendo Switch 2 owners, because 200 GB is almost the entirety of the console's storage. Although, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is almost 150 GB on PS5 and 102.5 GB on Switch 2, so hopefully things are a little smaller on Nintendo's platform.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss is "so sorry" for what happens to Aerith in Rebirth, but if you're still upset, "you may change your opinion" by the end of the remake trilogy.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake series director Naoki Hamaguchi says that Revelation's story DLCs will dig deeper into their subjects, but he's not telling us when exactly they'll be set.

Earlier this month we finally got confirmation that Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will be releasing next April, and that after skipping DLC with Rebirth, the final entry in the trilogy will be getting two expansion packs. The first is simply titled Sephiroth, while the second is titled Vincent & the Turks, with expansions set to release between Winter 2027 and Spring 2028.

Speaking to VGC, Hamaguchi explains: "It's best to imagine the DLC like what we did with Intermission: digging deeper into the characters of Vincent and Sephiroth." However, the game's director isn't ready to divulge when exactly these stories take place within the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, saying, "In regard to whether those stories take place in the past or the present, I'm not going to tell you that now, but we're excited to reveal that."

Given Vincent is the star of his own game, in the form of Dirge of Cerberus, it is entirely possible that Square Enix's plan for his DLC could be an alternate retelling of that game that factors in the Turks. However, given Dirge of Cerberus originally takes place as one of the latest parts of the Final Fantasy 7 timeline, it seems more likely that it'll be a prequel featuring his time as a Turk.

As for Sephiroth, the possibilities are far more vast. You could easily have some of the events that precede the events of Final Fantasy 7, during Sephiroth's time as a Soldier, or have him off doing something during the events of the game.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss is "so sorry" for what happens to Aerith in Rebirth, but if you're still upset, "you may change your opinion" by the end of the remake trilogy.

Blizzard made the surprise announcement during BlizzCon 2026 that Diablo 5 is officially in the works, with its 2029 release set for six years after Diablo 4. That may seem like a long way off, but it's a huge reduction in the time between entries; Diablo 3 launched 12 years after Diablo 2, and Diablo 4 followed 11 years after.

You might expect that stunted development cycle to result in a sequel that's narrower in scope compared to previous entries. Actually, Diablo 5 sounds like the biggest departure for the series so far, leaving players to navigate a world fallen and enslaved by the series' namesake. That's incredibly depressing – and I think it's the only way to pay homage to the original Diablo just in time for the ARPG's 30th anniversary.

See you in Hell

With its iconic opening cinematic showing a ruined town, bodies swinging from a tree, and a crow pecking out the eyeball of a fresh corpse, 1996's Diablo is still one of the darkest games I've ever played. We see a hero dressed in heavy armor, hopelessly overwhelmed by darkness, and that sense of doom carries over seamlessly into the explorable map. Upon entering the town of Tristram, you're told "dark riders" came and destroyed your village, killing or enslaving everyone who was brave enough to rise up in defense of their hometown.

I was probably way too young to be playing it as a child in the late '90s, but Diablo changed my life. Every day for years, I would saunter over to my neighborhood friend's house to mooch off his coveted internet connection and play Diablo, and it felt like being transported to an entirely different universe.

And in a way, it was. Diablo was a portal to my first-ever shared, online video game world. I remember being transfixed by the idea of playing a game with random strangers from different countries, tackling dungeons before bed with someone who was just waking up and starting their day on the other side of the planet.

I made close friends I would never meet in real life, trudged through vertical layers of progressively bleaker places, and ultimately developed a morbid curiosity for unrelenting horror. It paved the way for me to become a video game journalist who would one day attend BlizzCon in person and watch Diablo 5 be revealed, smiling gleefully as flames engulfed a snarling demon on-screen.

"Sanctuary has been destroyed, and Diablo has won," says senior game director Joe Shely of Diablo 5's central premise. There are no more towns or safe zones, almost every human on Earth has either bowed to the Lord of Darkness or been turned into a demonic follower, and the lone few resistors have been enslaved. Now that's Diablo.

Of course, there's no such thing as a chipper Diablo game, but the visually bright Diablo 3 marked a low point for the series. Diablo 4 turned things around for the better, with a representation of Sanctuary that's much truer to the spirit of the original game. Still, capital cities like Kyovashad are completely shielded from dangers outside its walls; their streets are lively, bustling with players and vendors, and one would almost think humanity is thriving within these safe areas. Everything is pretty awful outside, but inside city limits, you'd be forgiven for thinking good has a fighting chance against evil. Diablo 5 makes it very clear that's not the case by explicitly handing the win to the dark side before the story even starts.

The snapshots we've seen and heard of Diablo 5 so far give little away in terms of gameplay, or major narrative beats. Thematically, though, it sounds like Blizzard knows what we all want: a tortured protagonist fighting back in the face of hopelessness, fire, blood, cracking bones, sons and daughters turned into snarling abominations, darkness, fear, and back-to-basics horror.

What that looks like in a next-gen (assuming 2029 is next-gen) Blizzard release remains to be seen, but I'm hoping it isn't purely a bloodier, nastier, more gruesome ARPG. Don't get me wrong, I want that too, but there's more to good horror than that. In Diablo 1, there's a burdening sense of longing in Tristram hinted at by grassy fields, lights still spilling out of abandoned homes, and even those timelessly haunting guitar chords that seem to vocalize, 'Things were pretty OK here once upon a time, but not anymore.' That adds a weight of real-world human sadness and emotional depth that can't be conveyed by traditional depictions of Hell alone, and we all know from movies like Hereditary and Bring Her Back that sadness amplifies horror.

Assuming Blizzard is walking the walk when it says it's "doubling down on darkness," Diablo 5 is shaping up to be an exercise in doommaxxing, a term that could've spawned out of the original 1996 Diablo rather than 2020s internet culture. And in the wake of Diablo's 30th anniversary, I can't think of a better way to honor the series' roots than by returning straight to them, burrowing ever further into the rotting ground, and bringing players closer to Hell itself than ever. Diablo 5 could be the darkest ARPG since the original, and that's music to my pointy little devil ears.

You probably don't need to be reminded that the Nintendo Switch was a remarkable success. The hybrid console is the second-best-selling system ever, behind the almighty PlayStation 2, and one analyst believes that if it hadn't taken off, the Japanese side of the industry would've taken a serious hit.

Nintendo wasn't in the strongest position leading into the Switch. The Wii U failed to meet anyone's expectations, especially after the Wii, and the makers of The Legend of Zelda and Kirby needed a win. Luckily, they got one, and now the corporation is stronger than ever, expanding into theme parks and blockbuster movies.

"I would say that if Nintendo produced another flop like the Wii U, and if the Switch wasn't the super hit it turned out to be, the Japanese console market would have been completely eliminated," Dr Serkan Toto, CEO of analytics firm Kantan Games Inc, tells The Game Business. "I think that even more people would have turned to smartphones, and maybe even PC."

This stems from Nintendo's position not just as a market leader in Japan but as a pillar of the entire medium in that region. Another underselling console would've tilted players towards other avenues, as Toto points out, potentially shifting the landscape in drastic ways.

"Nintendo not only completely dominates the console segment here in Japan with 70% market share for all gaming content, but they also saved it," he adds.

Now that we're nine years removed from the Switch launching, Nintendo being anything other than a household name seems like a distant memory, but for a minute there its standing lessened. The Wii U's lifetime sales topped out at under 14 million, making it one of the worst-selling pieces of hardware the games giant's ever released.

Nintendo appeared to realize this, since the biggest releases were Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario 3D World. Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the next blockbuster installments of their respective franchises, were saved for the Switch instead, to bolster those sales. It was a strategy that paid off, since people love both, and enjoyed playing them on the machine to boot.

Now Super Mario's raking in billions at the box office, Zelda and Link aren't far behind him, and the Switch 2 is doing healthy numbers. But there's a timeline where none of that happens, and Nintendo's doing PC ports instead. What a world that would've been, eh?

I've already got the Nintendo's Ocarina of Time Remake bundled pin badge, and here's what to expect when it arrives

Only last year, around the launch of the fantastic Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, did I say I was drowning in gaming remakes. Now, as Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter releases – also a sublime remake that manages to add extra detail beyond its predecessor – we're more inundated than ever. Even so, developers and players alike can't seem to agree on what they most want from remakes: vast reimaginings, or dedicated faithfulness? Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter offers the best approach by balancing both, and other developers – RPG studios especially – should take note. This is how you modernize a classic.

In another year crammed with remakes, Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter sneakily became the highest-scoring new release of 2026 overnight for how it revitalizes The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC. It's starting to feel like Gungho's work on modernizing the Nihon Falcom's PC and PSP chibi-style JRPGs is becoming a barometer for measuring the quality of remakes going forward. The second part of a trilogy (which itself forms the first part of a wider ongoing saga well worth playing), this is a luscious reimagining that feels like I'm being sucked into the more abstracted, top-down world of the original, now with a chance to explore it at a truer scale.

Trail as old as time

While Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter wisely, like the original sequel, sticks closely to the first game, improvements to character animations and a tighter script make this aspect shine all the more. That latter change has also been applied through an update to 1st Chapter, creating goodwill by addressing some weaker moments and ensuring that by the time the whole trilogy is remade, it'll be an impressive, cohesive work.

Unlike the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, which splits its pseudo-sequel approach across three entries when the original was just one, Trails in the Sky has always been told across three full-length games that have their own complete story and character arcs. In terms of scope, Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter might add loads more detail by bringing the action closer, but it accurately recreates almost every act and scene from the original (while adding some additional bits as well). I'm reminded of Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined from earlier this year which, though we quite liked it, made the baffling choice to cut out a vast amount of its side-stories, which are some of the strongest parts of the PS1 original.

So far, my favorite moments playing this RPG have been playing scenes side-by-side just to revel in how much more personality has been added in 2nd Chapter's renditions of iconic moments. While the chibi-graphics are no more, this JRPG isn't shy about its anime roots, absolutely dripping with vibrant colors and unafraid to still use shorthand anime expressions as characters emote. It gives interactions a lively feeling, even if at times there's an awful lot of yapping between the action as characters constantly re-state the same things. To be honest, they're personable enough here that I mind it less when getting to see full scenes unfold before me rather than watching from above.

Ironically, these also make for some of my favorite moments in the likes of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. The whole Wall Market sequence feels unreal in how large it makes the antics of the original, and my deep knowledge of Cloud's dress-shopping experience made me fist-pump all the harder when it was reimagined in the shape of a musical number.

But, so many other parts of the game diverge so significantly – and feel so split up having been retooled into a trilogy – that while I love Remake as a spiritual sequel, I can still feel disconnected as an original fan. It's one reason I sweat so much whenever Square Enix hints at giving the likes of Final Fantasy 9 or Final Fantasy 6 the same remake treatment across multiple games. They work well enough as one game as it is! Cease this!

On the other end of the spectrum, something like this year's Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, despite offering higher-fidelity assets, can feel so close to the original that it's sometimes uncanny. How you feel about it comes down to whether you like the muckier-looking characters in the original or the 10% more handsomified models. In my Black Flag Resynced review, I called it "far from smooth sailing, even though I love the original" because of how it struggled to find its balance in this regard.

There's no mistaking Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is a new, distinct take on what I'm already familiar with, while simultaneously having deep reverence for the classic. One of the benefits of remaking an older RPG that's heavy on a birds-eye view perspective and transitioning into random battles arenas is how clear that distinction can be by simply making the world more contiguous.

Still, despite being so respectful of its source material, Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter isn't above making massive changes to how you experience the RPG. To me, that's the core appeal for why this remake works as well as it does. The more abstracted original still exists with its strictly turn-based combat, while 2nd Chapter provides a new way to experience that journey by dashing about its blue-sky, green-grass, gorgeous world.

The biggest change is, of course, hybrid real-time and turn-based combat that offers some of the best battles this surprisingly tactical RPG series has ever had. The original is completely turn-based. Enemies can be battered to pieces on the field, and stance-broken to give you an advantage when you initiate a turn-based battle. This in turn allows for potential bonus strikes like team-up attacks as your party and enemy monsters scrabble into place.

Plenty of foes can be felled purely by cannily dodging and attacking in real-time, though you'll be able to more effectively blast apart health bars by using the command abilities and magic spells only usable while in the turn-based mode. It's a fluid hybrid that feels less delineated than the similar approach in Metaphor ReFantazio (which, for the record, came out after Trails first embraced this system in Trails Through Daybreak).

Several abilities in battle are determined through each character's orbal device. Akin to materia, these are individual powers that, combined into connecting slots, can boost elemental affinities that cumulatively unlock new spells. Connect a bunch of blue ones together and you'll get healing spells, for instance, while red ones (believe it or not) unlock fire spells.

But, plenty of orbments have different amounts (or a mix) of affinities, and can be boosted by character-specific slots. It's easy enough to set and forget tough upgrades, but offers a real chin-stroking layer for those who want to meet Trails' hardest challenges. In recent entries, I've felt this has been flattened down a bit, but Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter manages to embrace the original spirit of this battle system while still remaining friendly to get to grips with.

Despite me constantly saying Final Fantasy 9, with its fairytale art style, doesn't need a remake, that doesn't stop multiple leaks, rumors, and Square Enix themselves from teasing that a proper Final Fantasy 9 remake is seriously on the cards. I'm a chipper sort of fellow, but the prospect has been making me on-and-off grumpy for a while. But, being wowed once again by Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter really does go to show that you can get it right. If Final Fantasy 9 Remake can take some pointers from how elegantly 2nd Chapters modernizes a classic through a remake, by matching it in scope, reviving its spirit, and adding plenty of depth, I can see myself getting with the program.

The real genius of Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is how it avoids the remake pitfall that lies beneath the tightrope between being so faithful you wonder what the point is, and a reimagining so different it feels off. It accomplishes this by removing my worries entirely. I'm simply whisked away to the world of Zemuria, lost in its vibrant world once again – that's the real magical potential of a remake when done right.

Check out our best RPGs and best JRPGs rankings for more adventures!

When I said that "I suspect this won't be the only collection of accessories in store for Zelda and Switch 2 fans" I knew there'd be more on the horizon besides Hori's newest spread of accessories, and PowerA has proven me right.

A new officially licensed Hyrule Crest East-West Bag for the Nintendo Switch 2 from the brand is currently listed for $44.99 at Amazon, with a launch date of September 30 later this month. It hasn't been officially announced, but X (Twitter) user LbabinzUS discovered the flashy Switch 2 case sitting at the US retailer with its classy green lining and subtle Zelda print today, and you can already pre-order it. It seems to be inspired by Tears of the Kingdom rather than the upcoming Ocarina of Time remake, but quite frankly, I might need it for my Switch 2 more.

Rather than being any boring, simple Switch 2 case with a Hyrule Crest, this straight-up looks like a stylish bag that I can imagine Miranda Priestly having on her arm. (That's Meryl Streep's character from The Devil Wears Prada for those not in the know.)

The Zelda iconography that includes the iconic crest and the Zonai-inspired markings is incredibly subtle, as it's embossed on top of the bag rather than painted on, and I adore this sleek design choice. Had the marketing images on the Amazon US listing not included close-ups of the interior, I'd have thought this was a simple official Legend of Zelda bag, like those filling up the online shelves at the official Nintendo online store, and not a functional case for the Switch 2, but that's exactly what it is.

The Switch 2 accessory includes a padded compartment for the console so you can take it on the go, and it's compatible with the older Switch, OLED, and Lite models too. There are two pockets in addition to it, so you can pop in your wallet, purse, or some extra accessories. While I applaud PowerA for its storage options, I'm more impressed by the choice to include not just a pair of traditional handles, but an adjustable shoulder strap that shares the same dark, hunter-green as the bag's lining. This is the kind of Nintendo accessory that fashion-obsessed teenage me dreamed about.

If you're sitting there wondering what the "East-West" bag naming is all about, it has nothing to do with the Legend of Zelda-ness of it all. Instead, that's a name that's widely used to describe handbags with a pencil-case shape.

A Vogue article released on February 10 earlier this year also describes the East-West bag as one that "adds a touch of elegance to daytime looks and also makes for the perfect evening companion" and I think that applies to this Legend of Zelda version indefinitely.

Sure, I'd maybe not recommend you take your pricey handheld out for a night on the town. Cocktails and expensive consoles do not mix, take it from me. Yet at least if you do, this case is definitely a trendy and fashionable way to go about it.

• View all PowerA Nintendo Switch 2 accessories at Amazon

Want more Legend of Zelda goodies? Check out Hasbro's new electronic Master Sword and the new Lego Link and Epona set and the best Legend of Zelda merch while you're here.

Capcom's long-running Monster Hunter series has seen many changes in recent years that have evolved the franchise in intriguing ways. While 2025's Monster Hunter Wilds was an ambitious swing, bringing a more seamless, systemic open world to explore, it also led to missteps that didn't make for a smooth launch of the franchise's next phase.

Nearly 2 years after release, developer Capcom has been steadily refining its flagship entry with new events and improvements that realign the core challenge of a Monster Hunter game. With the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance expansion on the way, the studio aims to upgrade and raise the stakes of its beast-slaying adventure even further with a new super-charged campaign and even spicier battles to dive into. I got some early hands-on time with Ascendance during the week of Tokyo Game Show 2026, exploring the new Skybound Eyrie zone and facing off against new and returning monsters that will shake up tactics and push hunters to adapt.

Back to the Hunt

Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance jumps ahead several years after the defeat of elder dragon Gogmazios in Wilds' main story. The Hunter's Guild faces a new threat with the return of the elder dragon Lao-Shan Lung, who destroys the guild's stronghold. Years later, the guild is more experienced and better prepared to take down the massive monster, they venture to a new region in the forbidden lands known as the Skybound Eyrie. Faced with new monsters to slay and the return of the tar-based affliction spreading through the Windward Plains and its ecosystem, the Hunter's Guild aims to defeat Lao-Shan Lung and stop the corruption's spread.

This first major expansion for Monster Hunter Wilds is very much in the vein of other big updates from previous games – like Monster Hunter World: Iceborne – focusing on adding more locations, gear, and monsters to fight. However, Ascendance and its added scope aim to refresh Wilds by pushing a realignment toward more intense, high-stakes action. For starters, the new Skybound Eyrie location is by far the most vertical zone in the game, even by Wilds' standards. It also boasts the most visually impressive and varied level design that the series has seen yet. I'm immediately taken in by the aerial islands, which remind me of the Avatar films. It's a really exciting change of scenery from the Windward Plains.

But, Ascendance really focuses on updating the core combat. As a post-main story campaign, it's geared toward experienced players, spicing up battles and noticeably increasing battle intensity. I get to play two hunts during my hands-on, with the first focused on defeating the Alpha Araketa, which leads a smaller group of minions that it can coordinate with. This is a great sampling of the upgrades coming to Ascendance. Not only is the new location an interesting battlefield to learn, with Skybound Eyrie's more vertical locations lead to serious pitfalls during fast-paced action – I fell off the map in a couple of instances – but it also showcases how much of an upgrade monster behavior and tactics have gotten.

The Alpha Araketa hunt is incredibly dynamic, requiring a lot of coordination with my team. As both a ground and aerial monster, the Araketa and its minions can attack in unison, group-rushing hunters on the ground and launching into the air to deliver synchronized dive-bombs against the squad. It's impressive to see in action, but it's also quite intense to be on their receiving end. Like other Monster Hunter games, it's all about the chase in these battles, and navigating the dangerous terrain of the Skybound Eyrie adds so much tension. My squad takes two attempts to fell the Alpha Araketa, and during that time we learn its varied attack styles and rhythm – such as one particular combo attack that uses its wings, which have natural gases in them that can create a jet-powered-like impact. It's already one of my favorite new monsters to fight in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Fortunately, Ascendance adds a new edge for hunters to employ in a fight. One of the biggest new additions for the expansion – which will likely inspire some debate among fans – is the Boost Bracer system. Unlocked once you enter the new story, it lets you activate a powered-up state that unleashes a new super attack for each weapon and grants temporary access to powered-up combos during your boosted phase. As you attack foes, you build up a meter with three maximum charges. When you have a charge ready, you can dish out a super attack that's either a combo or a heavy one-hit strike.

I personally find the Boost Bracer to be a really fun and satisfying combat skill to unleash on enemies. My favorite moments come when my squad is unleashing anime-style super moves on a staggered foe, and seeing the chaos of the fight jump up several degrees gives us the shot in the arm we need to keep pushing forward. That said, I imagine this skill might spark debate among long-time fans of the series, especially regarding the perception that Monster Hunter Wilds was already overly generous in its balancing. However, the Boost Bracer takes time to build up, and you can easily waste it if you aren't careful. It's painful enough to miss a standard charged strike, but I actually face-palmed when I whiffed a super attack. Very much like the items in your inventory and the time you have, the Boost Bracer skills are a resource as well, and one that has to be used at the right time.

The other hunt available in my demo is against the elder dragon Teostra – a returning super boss from earlier games that's now powered up in Ascendance. Unfortunately, this hunt doesn't go well at all with my squad. Along with dealing with Teostra's powerful flame attacks and heavy strikes, the battle zone also has quicksand, which makes traversal a serious challenge. I sense a rematch in my future.

So far, Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance makes a strong case for revisiting Wilds. That's not to say Wilds wasn't a worthwhile Monster Hunter game on its own, but this expansion brings a much-needed refresh with a more interesting, better-developed top-level endgame that adds a new skill ceiling for combat. It's been really exciting to get reacquainted with the game, explore its new locations, and get to grips with souped-up weapons that feel fierce and satisfying to use against some of the series' meanest beasts to date.

Hopefully, the full suite of upgrades coming in Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance will make for a well-earned comeback story that can cap off the series' most ambitious entry yet.

Hunting for something else to play while you wait? Our best Monster Hunter games and best open world games rankings have more for you to enjoy!

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is finally here, and a day-one patch has made a crucial addition to the new strategy RPG – you can now use a gacha gun as a weapon.

No, really. Fortune's Weave's first update adds a number of collab weapons from the series' two mobile games – Kurt's Royal Sword from the Among Us-esque spin-off with evil furries, Fire Emblem Shadows, and a trio from the 2017 gacha game Fire Emblem Heroes. Progress through the story enough, and you can get your hands on Heroes protagonist Alfonse's Chosen Sword, Fjorm's Chosen Lance, and most importantly, the Summoner's Breidablik.

If you've not played Fire Emblem Heroes before, the gacha system is rather simple – your self-insert character, the Summoner, has a divine gun they can shoot to summon various Fire Emblem characters out of their individual worlds and timelines and into the mobile game's land of Askr. While it can also be used as a weapon in the mobile game, its main purpose is to burn through all your precious in-game currency (Orbs) as you hope to see your faves pop up on the summoning screen, sometimes wearing fun seasonal outfits.

A screenshot of the weapon in Fortune's Weave shows that its attacking animation imitates the summoning animation from Heroes, which is a neat nod, but also raises an important question – could Leda, Dietrich, Cai, Theodora and the gang use it to bring in a load of duplicate 3-star Robin, Wrys, and Bartres to bolster their teams? Even better… could they fire out people as projectiles? Being hit in the face with a Chrom flying through the air at full speed has gotta hurt, after all.

Unfortunately, in the reality of the game itself, the answer is no – there are no actual gacha or human-projectile situations in Fortune's Weave. But in the lore, I wanna believe they could use it like this if they wanted to.

Fortune's Weave having gun-like weapons in the first place is already very funny, so I'm glad to see the devs took the opportunity to bring in the series' ultimate gun here – the only one capable of pulling beloved characters wearing Halloween costumes out of thin air.

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Metacritic score matches Three Houses, but still isn't the peak of Nintendo's strategy RPG series.

Shape of Dreams, probably the closest any roguelike has come to the Risk of Rain experience, is coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch 2 thanks to console ports shadowdropped during today's Xbox Tokyo Game Show showcase.

Billed as an action roguelike with combat inspired by MOBAs, Shape of Dreams launched on Steam last September and quickly became one of the biggest success stories for Neowiz, best known as the creator of Lies of P and publisher of other indie hits like DJMax Respect 5, Sanabi, and Skul: The Hero Slayer. (The Lies of P team itself has rebranded as Studio Nough, and seems to be working on a sequel called Wonders of O.)

Now one year old, Shape of Dreams is coming to consoles with full crossplay support just in time for an anniversary update packing a new playable character – the ice leviathan Cetus – as well as additional story content and new options for existing characters. All platforms will get the new content simultaneously.

Shape of Dreams has sold over 1.5 million copies, plays well with a controller, and always gave me a comfy Diablo vibe, so it seemed destined for a multiplatform release. I was smitten from its very first Steam demo release, which also ended up becoming much bigger than the creators anticipated.

The similarities between Shape of Dreams and Risk of Rain, which sits near the top of our list of best roguelikes, are no coincidence, as members of the dev team were heavily inspired by the series before and during development. But the overlap runs so deep that it almost feels like fate: like Risk of Rain, Shape of Dreams was made by two college kids who weren't expecting to stumble into a very successful career. Coincidentally, I've also interviewed both them and Risk of Rain makers Duncan Drummond and Paul Morse repeatedly.

Ahead of Tokyo Game Show, I spoke to CEO Eunseop Shim of Korean developer Lizard Smoothie about the game's runaway first year. He says the small studio, which has grown to five people, is still "very chaotic," but now they have more wind in their sails thanks to all the love and feedback from players. "I think we shifted to a generally healthier direction of concerns," he says, no longer worrying if the game will flop.

"I am not letting this game go," Shim says when I ask if he's also dreaming of Risk of Rain 2-style update and expansion support. "There are so many things that players have been asking, and so many things that we want to do. We want a whole new game mode that I probably shouldn't go into. The players are giving us love, so we should keep working on.

"Even without that, we all have a direction on the game. We have a future view, the ideal view of what Shape of Dreams should be going for. It's not yet reached it in our opinion, so we are not letting go."

With some distance from launch, Shim reflects on the hard-won knowledge that he really could've used two years ago. "If I could go back, I would tell myself and our team that you cannot prove a game is fun through internal logic and thought experiments alone," he says. "No amount of experience and confidence will do that. You have to put it in our hands, or players' hands, to know it. Much earlier than what date feels comfortable.

"Especially in the months before launch, we had to make many compromises because we simply didn't have much time to apply all the insights we’d held, and that kind of backfired in spectacular ways. We released the game without enough extensive playtesting. Players had major concerns about the progression and the way we steered our game towards perfection in balancing and a stable experience, rather than the frantic fun that is the very essence of our gameplay.

"We were frantically working overtime to put out the fire. Our intentions were misinterpreted and undermined by so many obvious mistakes we've made that could've been prevented. I still think our launch went great with so many copies sold, but I don't think it was perfect."

Neowiz, members of which joined our call, and Shim don't see an end in sight for Shape of Dreams. "Being so new in the field, it can feel like we work in wonky ways, but I think there is still a charm in that," Shim says. "We'll keep doing our best to learn and to listen to our players."

Worms Galactic Tactics is such a good strategy roguelike that I can't believe it didn't already exist.

If you had asked me about all the bundles likely to see the light of day in 2026, a brand new Nintendo Switch 2 Lite one would not be on the list. Yet that's exactly what's coming to Europe.

Nintendo has announced (as discovered by GoNintendo) that a new Nintendo Switch Lite + Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream bundle will be available on October 28th later this year, packaged alongside a 30-day trial of Nintendo Switch Online. It's a bit of a bizarre revelation, especially given the console is seven years old, and the Switch 2 is the new big thing on the scene, but I'm not going to knock it. Well, so long as it sticks to a reasonable MSRP, we'll have to wait and see exactly how much this Nintendo Switch bundle is going to cost when it hits shelves this spooky season.

If you grabbed one of the brand-new Nintendo Switch 2 bundles, like the one that includes a copy of Switch Sports Resort for $529.99 at Nintendo US, you're likely not going to have much reason to pick up a Switch Lite.

Your new Switch 2 can play Tomodachi Life Living the Dream and pretty much most Nintendo Switch-only games just fine (with a few exceptions). Not to mention, having access to the new generation means you can actually play upcoming games like Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave and The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake. Yet for parents who may not feel quite comfortable putting the pricey Ninty tech in the hands of a small child, particularly after its recent price increase, a Switch Lite is a pretty valid alternative.

You can still grab a brand-new Turquoise Lite for £179 at Nintendo, which is far cheaper than the Switch 2's inflated £419.99 price in the UK. If anything were to happen to it, you'd still have access to warranty and Nintendo's repair service, but £179 is a lot cheaper to replace should it get in harm's way, and this bundle should be too if it sticks to a similar price point. Another handy fact is that the Virtual Game Cards system also works with the older console, so if you are a parent, you can still share digital copies of games from your newer Switch 2 (so long as it's a compatible game) to the Switch Lite - so there are plenty of pros to having one in this day and age.

Personally, I'm just happy to see any attention put on an older piece of hardware. I'm a firm believer that just because the new shiny tech has arrived doesn't mean we should ignore the older ones, particularly as not everyone can afford the next-best thing. In my ideal world, Nintendo would still be releasing brand-new Nintendo 3DS bundles so I could pick up a new one without having to resort to the scary inflated prices on second-hand sites like eBay.

Of course it all depends on the price, but with the Nintendo Switch Lite (Turquoise) + Animal Crossing: New Horizons set still sitting on the UK storefront for £199.99 (Nintendo UK), I highly suspect the Tomodachi Life will stick to a similar MSRP. Once we know more about its price and which exact European stores it's expected to drop at, I'll be sure to let you know as soon as possible.

• View all Nintendo Switch console bundles at Nintendo

Satisfied with your Switch 2? Check out our best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories guide, which includes the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers and the best Nintendo Switch headsets worth adding to your setup.

The 1994 JRPG The Legend of Heroes 3: The White Witch, which you might know by another name (more on that below), is being revived by Neowiz, the publisher behind the acclaimed Soulslike Lies of P.

If you haven't heard of The Legend of Heroes 3 until now, that might be because you're not a giant JRPG sicko and simply haven't encountered it until now. After all, the English localization released in North America in 2006 on the PlayStation Portable, and it remains exclusive to that platform to this day. The Japanese version is available on the Nintendo Switch eShop via publisher D4 Enterprise's EGGCONSOLE series of retro ports, but again, that's just the Japanese version with the option for English text in menus. That means the only way to play the official English localization is on PSP, and online discussion around that version is far from encouraging.

I promised I'd explain why the game is known by another name, so let me do that quickly. As is the case with a lot of Japanese games that are part of wider series that eventually come to the West, they aren't always released perfectly sequentially. The Final Fantasy series is notoriously confusing for this reason, but in this case, The Legend of Heroes 4 released in North America in 2005 as just The Legend of Heroes, so when its predecessor was localized the following year, it was titled The Legend of Heroes 2, a complete reversal.

It seems the remake, or remaster, or whatever it is (Neowiz calls it a revival and recreation), is sticking with the original Japanese naming convention and releasing it as The Legend of Heroes 3: The White Witch, on "PC and console" at an undisclosed date. Not much is known about the project, but Neowiz says it's aiming for a polished, updated adaptation.

"The White Witch has been cherished by RPG fans worldwide for over 30 years," reads a statement from a Neowiz spokesperson. "We want to bring a polished experience that recaptures the emotional experience of the original game, while inviting new and old players to immerse themselves in an updated adaptation. With this agreement, we are looking forward to building a strong partnership with Nihon Falcom." 

You also might know The Legend of Heroes series by its more well-known association, the Trails series, which spawned from the former with The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky in 2004. Coincidentally, Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, the second release in a remake series of the whole Trails series, is launching this week to fantastic reviews putting it even above critical darlings Resident Evil Requiem and Pokopia.

With that extremely nerdy history out of the way, here are the best JRPGs you can play right now.

As we await the rest of the 2026 game flood, including the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake and GTA 6, there's suddenly a new and very unexpected game of the year contender. That's Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, a new remake of a 20-year-old cult classic JRPG, which is launching to the best reviews of any game this year.

Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter officially releases tomorrow, September 17, but critic reviews are slowly trickling in. On Metacritic, the PC version has earned a 93 based on 10 reviews, while the PS5 version has gotten a 92 based on 13 reviews. Either score puts it as the best-rated new release of 2026. (The Switch 2 version is a fair bit lower at 84, but that score is based on fewer reviews.)

Over on OpenCritic, which puts all platform reviews into a single pool, Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter has earned a 92. Across either site, that puts the JRPG ahead of all the best games of 2026, from big publisher releases like Forza Horizon 6, Resident Evil Requiem, and Pokemon Pokopia to indie breakouts like Mewgenics, Mina the Hollower, Titanium Court, and Big Walk.

For decades, developer Nihon Falcom's Trails series was something of an underground sensation – one for the hardcore JRPG sickos. But in recent years, the pool of sickos has either gotten much bigger, or the series has started to find a much larger audience. And with extensive world-building, robust combat systems, and memorable characters, it's no wonder the Trails fandom is growing.

Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, as the name suggests, is the second in a line of remakes that are reviving the series from the beginning. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter launched in 2025 to similar acclaim, and Falcom's president says the success has the company "hoping to continue the remakes for a while." Given the time investment it'd take to play through the entire Trails series at this point, these remakes might just be the jumping we all need.

These are the best JRPGs you can play today.

A few weeks ago, we learned that Terranigma would finally get a modern re-release, bringing the classic Super Nintendo JRPG out in North America for the very first time. Today, remaster dev Clear River Games has confirmed that the new edition of Terranigma will launch on January 14, offering a host of details on the in-game updates and the first look at a super-deluxe $200 collector's edition.

Terranigma was originally developed by Quintet, a now-defunct studio responsible for numerous SNES classics like ActRaiser and Illusion of Gaia. Like many of those games, Terranigma was published by Enix – now one half of Square Enix – and has seemingly been trapped in some kind of licensing limbo ever since. Now it's finally coming out of the vault in style.

The Terranigma remaster launches across PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, and PC via Steam and GOG on January 14, with physical editions available for all current console platforms. You can put $200 into the Gaia Edition, if you're so inclined, netting you a Yomi figure, music box, art book, cloth world map, soundtrack CD, and more. Pre-orders are available through Limited Run Games in the US or straight from developer Clear River Games in Europe.

But for me, the real news today is the remaster itself. Terranigma will feature an "original mode" offering "untouched balance" and the "original save system" for the classic experience. Even in this mode, however, there's a new sidebar alongside the 4:3 game window that shows your current money and experience, as well as a new set of quick access controls letting you quickly swap equipped items.

You can also swap to the "arranged mode," which promises "enhanced progression" and "adjusted difficulty," along with modern retro gaming conveniences like quick saves and rewinds. Best of all is a new minimap that shows your position in the current location.

These are the kinds of features I wish Square Enix itself would invest in for games like the OG Final Fantasy titles. The Pixel Remasters have turned out to be decent ways to play the originals, but those games have aesthetic and gameplay "improvements" that are questionable at best, and even the upgrades don't go as far as Terranigma's minimap and new inventory controls do. Getting the option of going back to the original experience and game balance offers the best of both worlds.

I'd be happy enough getting an official US release of Terranigma in just about any condition, but the remaster devs here are clearly going above and beyond to make sure this will be worth the three-decade wait.

These are the best SNES games of all time.

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave joins Three Houses as the second-highest rated game in the series, but Awakening still rests at the top of the pile.

Not counting The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is undoubtedly Nintendo's biggest release of 2026 – which says a lot considering we've already had the likes of Pokemon Pokopia and Star Fox. The excellent tactical RPG series is returning with what looks to be an incredibly ambitious follow-up to fan-favorite title Three Houses, with four protagonists leading the story this time (although it was almost as high as eight!).

At the time of writing, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave has landed on a score of 89 over on Metacritic. This places it alongside the massively beloved Switch release Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which Fortune's Weave could be a sequel to if some of the character appearances in trailers are any indication. This places it as the joint second-best game in the franchise as far as Metacritic score goes; however, Fire Emblem Awakening – the game that saved the series – still reigns supreme with a score of 92.

Among 60 critic reviews, 15 of those gave the game full marks on their review scale, including the likes of IGN and Eurogamer. Meanwhile the game's lowest scoring reviews are three 7/10 ratings, which is still a pretty great score.

In the GamesRadar+ Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave review, freelance writer Alan Wen awarded the game a rating of four out of five stars, saying "Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave builds on Three House's multi-path structure as an even grander and more ambitious epic, with a gripping story and engaging battles that would shine brighter were it not for the myriad of busywork dragging down its momentum."

It's taken 9 years, but a great feature from one of the best 3DS Fire Emblem games returns in Fortune's Weave, and it's probably going to make the tactical JRPG even bigger.

Balatro creator LocalThunk has leaked a few substantial details about his poker deck-builder's upcoming 1.1 update, which he admits has gone way past its initial 2025 due date, assuming one can truly leak information about their own beloved game.

Let LocalThunk have this, though – "I'm going to give a real honest to goodness leak," he announced to Discord on September 14, "a proper 1.1 leak." Highlights include more Jokers, more vouchers, and a new voucher system fine-tuning how often Tier 2 vouchers appear. The developer apparently has "the current iteration of 1.1" downloaded on his phone, so he should know.

"If people will indulge me," he begins to say about his new voucher system. The current version of Balatro includes 32 total vouchers, half of which are considered strong Tier 1, while the other half is an even stronger Tier 2 that corresponds to the first type of card. So, "if you take a tier 1 vouchers in ante 1 (say, paint brush)," says LocalThunk, "you would have a 1 in 16 chance of finding the corresponding tier 2 in ante 2 (palette)."

But, "If I were to add 32 more vouchers (not a leak, for arguments sake)," the developer continues, "you'd have a 1 in 32 chance of finding palette in ante 2"

"NO BUENO," he continues. "So what if there was a system that kept track of all the tier 1 vouchers you’ve taken and it rolls an N in 16 chance (N being the number of tier 1 vouchers you have without their corresponding tier 2) to spawn the upgraded tier 2 voucher? That way, if you take paint brush in shop 1 you still have a 1 in 16 chance to get palette shop 2." Hm, what if!

As for what new Tier 2 vouchers will be available, LocalThunk gives only a tiny leak – a sprinkle. The developer shares art for the new Tier 2 voucher called Lunker, whose card is emblazoned with a powerful green fish flapping its tail while fighting off the hook stuck in its mouth.

"This fish is my proof of life, yes I'm still working on 1.1!" LocalThunk says. "I'm not leaking the effect btw." Similarly, the developer reveals a new blue stake – currently, the difficulty modifier enforces -1 Discard – but, "Dw I'm not leaking it."

Except, LocalThunk can't help himself from teasing, "It's pretty interesting, and there are some weird implications I would love to break into a blog post. I had to use the quadratic formula ona whiteboard to solve something to implement it." Ah, yes. I'll pretend to understand the implications of using the quadratic formula here.

More straightforward is the new "when card is drawn to hand" mechanic, which "also applies when you open tarot or spectral packs," says LocalThunk. There's a 1.1 content checkbox you can toggle so that 1.0 modders can retain their work, and LocalThunk says he'll "add a new branch on steam well ahead of launch for current 1.0 version."

This last piece of information made everyone on Discord freak out – "I thought [the] lunker was the big ticket item," says a confused LocalThunk – but LocalThunk has one more announcement before taking his last bow: "at least 4 new jokers in 1.1," he writes in a September 15 Discord post.

By now, you're probably frothing under your Joker mask with anticipation for the long-awaited 1.1 update, but you should grab a handkerchief and prepare for more sitting around. LocalThunk says, "I'm happy the leaks are going over so well," but "I never should have given a release window."

"I don't want this to be half baked and wreck Balatro," LocalThunk continues. "I love the game too and I want to play a fun game not a rushed botch job." At the moment, he can only promise more progress updates and the occasional leak or 15, and let you know he's grateful.

"This past year of dev has been probably the most fulfilling work I've ever done," LocalThunk concludes.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 adds Balatro's Jimbo in a surprise new quest with a huge addition to the RPG's best minigame.

The 9-year-old boy behind YouTube channel Mighty Mike Plays has allegedly been forced to make some budget revisions after his dad noticed $118,000 in charges on his company credit card, which, the dad claims, was used without his knowledge to promote Minecraft, Roblox, and other Let's Play videos in comically long advertisements.

An increasingly viral video titled "Message from Dad...Mighty Mike Plays is Over" sees an exhausted father take the microphone to explain what happened here. Now ranked seventh on YouTube gaming trends, the video has gained nearly 400,000 views in a day.

On August 7, Mighty Mike (as I'll call him) began uploading videos, mostly from Roblox but with an occasional Minecraft snippet. As the dad, Dave, explains, the videos didn't get much traction, as you'd expect of the hobbyist clips of a kid thrown into a sea of Roblox. So, Dave says Mighty Mike, likely eager to stand among the YouTubers his generation adores, asked about ways to reach more people.

This led to a small advertisement campaign for the Mighty Mike channel: $20 just to get his videos in front of some eyeballs via YouTube ads. Unbeknownst to Dave, his payment and login information were saved to the Mighty Mike YouTube account, granting his son access to a unified Google account linked to a credit card.

That payment information, tied to Dave's business credit card, was then used by Mighty Mike to push Minecraft video ads in front of hundreds of thousands of people. The ads appear to have included a 34-minute video in its entirety.

You might be wondering how this wasn't caught sooner, how a parent could leave a credit card in the hands of a Roblox-happy kid, or whether this whole thing might be a (successful) bid for virality to drum up the channel. How did the company card get folded into this? Why would you ever use a company card on this account? How did the company, payment controllers, bank, and YouTube overlook what looks to be weeks of blatant fraud? Is Dave just an AI-generated voice?

There's reasonable doubt here, but this wouldn't be the first time a child spent a fortune online while their parent wasn't looking, and there is evidence orbiting this case. A separate video from NeverMyFault, a Minecraft YouTuber with 2.1 million subscribers, was uploaded several days ago. It captures one of these Might Mike video ads in the wild, lending credence to this whole arc. "It's just a kid playing Minecraft for 30 minutes straight," NeverMyFault says. This, in turn, inspired a response video from Mighty Mike.

Several Minecraft videos on Mighty Mike Plays do have unnaturally high view counts for such a fresh, amateur channel. Some of those views were surely a knock-on effect from this newfound virality, but the view spike is centered around three videos: "Minecraft part 1 {new series}," "Minecraft ultra starter guide," and "Minecraft Hardcore part 1 wait for end."

"Minecraft part 1 {new series}" is 34 minutes long and was the target of the wholesale ad shown in NeverMyFault's video. The comments on Mighty Mike's video are filled with users saying they found it through an ad, and I doubt Mighty Mike has the kind of pull to enlist a massive network of bot accounts.

"Apparently my son has been running some high-budget campaigns on YouTube that I was pretty much unaware of," says Dave.

"We just thought he was having fun, playing video games, uploading them to YouTube," he continues. "But basically, today I got called into the office at work. I walk in and we got the corporate manager, we got people from finance. They pull up a laptop, show me some tables on the screen, and basically ask me to explain why there's $118,000 missing from the company card that was assigned to me."

Dave's comments suggest he did intentionally use his company card for that first ad, limited campaign: "I put in the card information myself. Figured that was that. End of story. What I didn't think about, not even for a second, was that saving my company's card meant it was just going to sit there afterward, ready to go, pretty much available anytime he opened an app on his own."

The dad says the situation is nowhere near as funny when it's happening to you, but he stresses he isn't blaming his son for just doing 9-year-old things. "He didn't fully understand what a company card meant or that a large number on the screen represented real money," he says.

NeverMyFault estimated that one Mighty Mike Minecraft ad could run upwards of $6,000. "Not quite, brother," says Dave. "Six figures."

Nevertheless, "this is not a haha funny story, everything worked out fine kind of situation," Dave adds. "I mean, not yet at least. There's a real, genuine chance that I end up personally having to pay some of that, or all of that, back out of my pocket." This, you can imagine, would be a crushing expense.

While Dave sorts this out, he says Mighty Mike will be pausing his burgeoning YouTube career, and probably "mowing lawns until he's 18" to help pay for this.

He also says the magic words: "Moving forward, for anyone who's been asking in the comments already, we're going to set up some real, actual parental controls, spending caps, no more saved payment information on any accounts."

The next Minecraft update, Wilderness Bound 26.3, is here.

Fire Emblem is no stranger to epic narratives with diverging paths that span generations, whether that's with one or multiple protagonists. Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave isn't just Intelligent System's most ambitious iteration of these ideas, but one that ties together its disparate threads into one coherent unifying saga that had been lacking from, say, Fire Emblem: Three Houses' four different parallel routes, or Fire Emblem Fates where you had to pay for the privilege of unlocking its true path.

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave's bold solution, however, is to almost take a bird's eye view, pulling back to reveal the big picture from the outset, not only from the creation of your custom protagonist (canonically named Eshmel), and meeting with godly figures, but in showing what's at stake by having you cut down the game's four heroes – Cai, Dietrich, Theodora, and Leda – within the opening prologue. When you start, the world has already fallen to dark undead forces with the return of demon god Balor imminent, and your high-level character is seemingly already at the endgame.

But, with the aid of Fortuna, the goddess of fate, you can travel back in time five years to rewrite the fate of each fallen protagonist, turning the tables to fight alongside you in the final battle. The time trip transports Eshmel to the year 1449 in Dagsion, a Rome-inspired city that is holding its Heroic Games where each hero is participating for their own reasons, with the victor granted one wish. As to how each can go on to win the Games before joining together in the final act – well, I wouldn't try to think too hard about that in an already fairly convoluted story that features ancient yet futuristic sci-fi tech and undead warriors of past ages.

Four the win

This narrative approach risks feeling a touch too meta and alienating when you're knowingly manipulating characters like chess pieces. But it's also an improvement on Fire Emblem: Three Houses, where everyone has to awkwardly revolve around your mute avatar. By having Eshmel as just a distant observer in the guise of a Pale Raven (a literal bird's eye view), it means you do get to be more emotionally invested in your respective hero's arcs.

For instance, young Cai enters the Games to rescue his imprisoned father from execution, while Dietrich, hailing from the continent of Fódlan (the setting of Three Houses), has an insatiable thirst for battle. Others have even more complex backstories, such as Theodora, the warrior queen from the Kingdom of Samaris, whose tale begins years earlier as you follow her ascent to the throne following assassination and betrayal that could be lifted from Game of Thrones. But it's musician Leda's story that I ultimately gravitate towards the most, witnessing the destruction of her home and her father's murder, which takes her down an obsessive path of revenge. The Games becomes her route to crossing the culprits off her list.

Since Eshmel is essentially a conduit for these heroes, you're not locked into any one route but can return to the Obelisk Chamber, located in the game's present, before hopping over to another hero's path, giving you the freedom to pursue all the campaigns in parallel if you want. Initially, it's a good way to dip your toes into each route and appreciate the differences in how they play, even if they all share the core grid-based tactical battles and team-building downtime that defines Fire Emblem's flavor of strategy RPG, with the exploration loop of more recent entries that takes you beyond Dagsion's walls to the rest of the Dagdan Empire as an explorable world map.

In Leda's case as a musical performer, she can find towns she can dance at where she'll learn new songs that she can play during battle to buff her allies. As the youngest protagonist, Cai has more to prove but can also speak to other allies to receive mentoring, while Dietrich starts off as a seemingly overpowered warrior, all the more deadly as he has the ability to warp several spaces to attack enemy units further away.

These new skills complement the series' solid tactical foundations giving you all the clear information you need, whether it's bestowing your unit a terrain advantage that also baits the enemy to come to you, or the subtle hum of HD rumble warning you if the flying cavalry you're moving is going to be within the fatal range of an enemy archer. Then, there's always the satisfaction when you manage to trump the battle forecast and deliver a critical that kills your enemy in one go while you come away without a scratch.

Yet, being able to alternate between paths is also a double-edged sword, especially in the early chapters, where you inevitably encounter a lot of the same onboarding quests, including the same cinematics, such as when each respective protagonist enters Dagsion for the first time. There are nonetheless differentiations between each character's perspective, not just in the immediate allies you have and can recruit, but also how your protagonist's social status will determine which parts of the city they will have access to first.

It's intriguing seeing how their respective paths overlap, which might have one team working together in a battle, before their next encounter in the arena sees them fighting each other. But, the slow progression and momentum that comes with rotating between paths meant that, after 20 hours, I ultimately prioritized seeing Leda's path through to completion first. However, this focused approach also doesn't remove the game's pacing issues.

Turn on, turn off

If Fire Emblem: Three Houses was the series taking a leaf out of Persona with its expanded relationship mechanics between party members and activities to undertake in between the main quests, then those elements carry over here, including picking a posse for meals, or training your weapon skills required to promote to higher ranked classes. However, the other Atlus title I can't help but think about is Metaphor: ReFantazio, where your considerable downtime can also be used to explore the wider world, whether that's farming resources, discovering towns with unique wares, or just gaining XP through mini skirmishes.

There's even a nod to Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia, with mini dungeons you can explore in third-person. While you take a smaller party than usual in these excursions, that's also because enemy encounters play out as clashes much like classic turn-based command battles. Unfortunately, they lack any of the strategic spark from a Final Fantasy or Persona, and given you can also just skip straight to the automated outcome, I soon find myself defaulting to that for quick XP before moving on. To some extent, these mini dungeons exemplify my biggest problem with Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave. It's so stuffed with filler that feels too granular compared to the larger goals – I don't want to feel bogged down with busywork while I leave the threads of fate dangling.

Your free time is measured not in calendar days but in turns, which can feel inconsistent. It can take multiple turns just to reach another destination on the world map – more if you run into a skirmish or decide to poke around a newly opened path – but, you also have to awkwardly move one turn at a time, as opposed to having the option to use up, say, three turns immediately to reach a farther location. Even then, most activities within Dagsion itself don't cost turns but party members' motivations, a completely separate resource.

On top of that, you do also have to take the calendar into account as many activities in Dagsion have a limit that refreshes every week. Want to spend more time bonding with your allies, or training up their combat skills? You're going to have to kill time out in the world until a week passes. That then also puts a cap on just how far out you want to be exploring, although initially some paths are gated until your Renown has leveled up from story and side quests you have completed.

Do I spend more time exploring the desert and seeing what secrets I can uncover, or do I hurry back in time for my next chance to have a dinner date? Pushing at the boundaries of resource limitations can be where the best Fire Emblem games shine, and to a point having to balance what's important to me can be compelling – but the web of different resources can feel exhausting to navigate for what often feel like low stakes choices.

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave may have dialled back on the series' fanservice, but building relationships remain a core part of the game. It does, however, force you to meet several requirements before you can recruit them, which can feel arbitrary. You can come across a character who has such a high Renown level requirement that you may as well forget about them until you've progressed the story a few chapters, or you meet someone else who technically can be recruited early on except you have to bribe them with enough pointless gifts and activities to raise their bond level first.

But just like friend-bombing, I can't help but feel disappointed by how less emotionally invested I am in my recruits compared to past entries, which is also reflected in how few support conversations party members share between one another, if they have any at all. Even though the real bonds do persist on the battlefield where buffs are applied when units are fighting adjacent to each other, I still find myself pining for the way past games more meaningfully present this by showing a dear ally follow up with an attack, or sometimes jumping in at the last moment to save you from an enemy's fatal blow.

Battle-weary

It frustrates me having to get into the petty things that Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave does to annoy me at every turn (no pun intended), because whenever you do get back onto the main event, it's a really engrossing yarn. While I'm still accustomed to playing Fire Emblem games portably, the presentation – from the flashy cutscenes to the grandeur of the score – deserve to be experienced on your TV.

The grid-based battles carry over the best of the series, including combat arts that enhance attacks, like improving an axe's accuracy level, at the cost of the weapon's durability, while protagonists' new powerful bespoke Blaze arts come at the cost of their HP but also have a risk/reward where using them more unlocks even more powerful options but can also reduce their maximum HP.

The conceit of the Heroic Games also allows for elaborate arena set pieces, where you might be facing against chariot-riding units, or targeting a flying enemy who's immune to arrows, and there's even an unsubtle homage to a certain wooden horse. Yet, as the opening prologue should indicate, it's not a spoiler to say that these Games are just a warm-up before the stakes ratchet up significantly across the story's lengthy runtime.

There's even a whole mid-section that you have the option to skip entirely, though this was ironically where I found Fortune's Weave at its strongest, as it does away with its bloated systems for back-to-back unadulterated sweeping drama and hardcore battles. And from there, the most devious showdowns keep coming, as goalposts shift mid-battle, with more treacherous debuffing environmental hazards to navigate, bosses with more than one pool of health or even regenerating shields, and the kind of relentless pressure of reinforcements more reminiscent of XCOM.

It's the kind of dastardly challenge that may even have purists abusing the game's unlimited rewinds, while you can also unlock divine blessings that give buffs to the whole party that turn that can often prove decisive.

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave has such grand scope and ambition that it might have been the series' high, were it not for its mire of busywork that persists through to the endgame, which doubles down by introducing another kind of grind altogether. Yet, when you wade through some seemingly impossible odds to land the killing blow that ends a gruelling battle in triumph, it does compel me to want to see the other remaining paths through to completion so that I can see this rich tactical tapestry in full. All you need is time, and turns, to spare.

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave was reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2, with a code provided by the publisher.

Kirby and Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai announced that his Game Designers Award will be discontinued due to his inability to find a successor.

Since 2010, Sakurai has presented the award at the Japan Game Awards, and at 2026's event – where Pokemon Pokopia took home the grand prize (its version of game of the year) – the prize went to Word Game by Team9. The award is presented by Sakurai, who is also the head judge and responsible for inviting other judges, with the criteria being those who have made innovative games; these have included the likes of Ico designer Fumito Ueda, Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, and Undertale's Toby Fox.

Upon presenting the 2026 award, Sakurai confirmed he would discontinue it, claiming he was unable to find anyone to replace him as its leader. Granted, this may sound harsh – as if no one is worthy of taking on the role – but the reality seems to be no one else was able to take on the time-consuming responsibility. Sakurai also spoke about creativity in games (translation from Automaton) – something that is central to this award – noting that while "originality doesn’t really have much impact on sales," it's still crucial, as "an industry that loses its originality will simply die a slow death."

In an era when budgets are getting even bigger for every game, it's becoming rarer to see that kind of originality on the AAA scale. A perfect example is given to us by Sony over this last week, where Marvel's Wolverine has caught flak for feeling very homogenous – especially with other Sony first-party games – while the publisher dropped Hideo Kojima's next game, Physint; reportedly due to budget issues.

Opinions on Kojima and his games aside, he is one of the few creators left in AAA whose creativity still shines through. You know when you are playing a Kojima game, just like when I booted up Kirby Air Riders last year I felt the Sakurai shine through; the same goes for a Hideki Kamiya or a Yoko Taro game. Thankfully, indie games have creativity to spare, meaning that even as AAA is forced to be safer than ever, we'll still have people pushing boundaries.

Super Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai sometimes "sounds exactly like Goku," ex-Tekken boss says: "A Saiyan who genuinely believes he's just another ordinary human"

Diablo 4's 15th season, Season of Hell's Legacy, is officially live following a brief delay apparently caused by server issues.

Blizzard fully lifted the lid on Season of Hell's Legacy during BlizzCon 2026, showing off a nostalgic seasonal questline celebrating the entire history of the Diablo series coinciding with its 30th birthday—and confirming a September 15 release date. It's definitely one of the meatiest seasons so far for Diablo 4, so it's not a huge surprise that players had been reporting server issues all day today, leading Blizzard to delay it altogether without confirming a new time/date. Well, thankfully that turned out to be a brief delay, as Blizzard has announced that Season of Hell's Legacy is officially live "now."

I have also logged in and created a character in the Seasonal realm without issue. It is worth noting, however, that Solo Self Found mode has been temporarily disabled and there's no known timeline for its return.

In advance of the new Amazon class next year, Diablo 4 is whisking players off all the way back to the series' roots with a new seasonal activity called Waking Nightmares, which are essentially quests recreating the most iconic boss fights in the series' history. Longtime players will appreciate the return of beloved characters like Deckard Cain as well as some less beloved but equally familiar faces like Mephisto, Baal, and at long last, Diablo himself as Diablo 4's long-awaited final, final boss.

There is something of a horned elephant in the room with Diablo 5 having been announced at BlizzCon and the implications for Diablo 4. And yes, Blizzard has confirmed there will be no more full-blown Diablo 4 expansions as it turns to focus on Diablo 5, but it has also confirmed that seasonal updates like this one will continue to drop for the foreseeable future.

Diablo 5 goes back to a pre-Diablo 4 world of "constant discovery" and procedural dungeons: "The only thing beyond the fog of war is more questions"

When the Ocarina of Time Remake pre-orders dropped, fans had the option to grab a bundle on the Nintendo UK online store, which included an official pin.

This wasn't a pre-order bonus but rather the chance for the retailer to bundle up an existing Ocarina of Time collectible for £61.98 (via Nintendo) in total, likely to shift some extra stock. If that was their plan, it most definitely worked as it has since sold out. Even the digital version is out of stock.

There's still weeks to go the game (and the pin) arrive at your door, but if were curious about how it looked in person and wanted a sneak peek ahead of release day, I have good news for you. I already own this very Ocarina of Time pin amongst my Zelda collection, and want to let you take a look and see what its like before it arrives on your door on November 5. That way you don't have to worry about its quality, and can instead worry about where you're going to put your little ocarina replica instead.

I own a lot of official Legend of Zelda pins thanks to friends and family, but this is definitely up there one one of my favorites. Rather than being an image stuck to a flat plastic backing (like a lot of the promotional Tears of the Kingdom pins), this is a metal and 3-dimensional accessory that lovingly recreates the 7-hole instrument that Link wields to fast travel through the the land of Hyrule.

The paint job is pretty immacuate. The royal deep blue stands out from its plain, black backing and there's not a spot of color out of place. Each of the wind instrument replica are actual crevices which you can run your fingers across and are not painted on, which helps make the pin look even more similar to its in-game model. The details are pretty fantastic, as even the Triforce motif is found just above the mouthpiece alongside the tiny, silver engraved swirls to either side.

All in all, it feels well worth the extra £2.99 cost it introduced to the bundled version of the game. However, if you were planning to wear this out on the lapel of your jacket, or on your backpack, I highly recommend you use a locking pin back to keep it secure. This pin is made from metal and therefore heavier than your average badge. While its fortunately has a rubber back (which you can see in the image gallery below), I can easily forsee it falling off if you aren't too careful.

You can pick up a set of Locking Pin Backs for £5.99 at Amazon, and I highly recommend you do to avoid it falling it getting damaged, falling off, or just falling into the wrong hands - Ganondorf included. In fact, I can't emphasis enough how much you should take extra precausions with this pin when yours arrives later this year, as it can't be easily replaced anymore.

While it was available seperately for £12.99 at Nintendo for months it has since sold out. If you lost it for one reason or another, you wouldn't be able to get another without having to resort to re-sellers online. I can already spot people trying to flog it off for £21.50 at eBay, which is almost double its MSRP and while it's a great-looking pin, it's not 'double the price' great.

Alternatively, you could just keep it as a nice display piece for your shelf, which is exactly what I've been doing over the last few months. It (along with the Navi pin) has been sitting pretty amongst the rest of my Zelda merch, awaiting the day when I can hopefully add the upcoming Hori Ocarina of Time remake to its side. Sure, it's nicer to show off your pretty pin, but this way you'll have something to pop alongside the 3D replicas of the Spiritual Stones, if you managed to snag that snazzy pre-order bonus.

• View all Legend of Zelda merch at Nintendo UK

Love the Legend of Zelda? Check out Hasbro's new electronic Master Sword, the new Lego Link and Epona set and the best Legend of Zelda merch while you're here.

Sometimes, developers like to have a little fun with cheaters. Valheim developer Iron Gate Studio has decided to throw people who use console commands a bone by still allowing them to log achievements – if they enter another, comically long cheat code, that is.

Prior to an update on September 11, players using developer commands in-game relegated them from getting any of Valheim's achievements. A simple, but effective way of accepting this is how some fans choose to play, and making ramifications clear.

Valheim recently entered 1.0, bringing 50 new awards people can gather, and what seems like a review of the community policies regarding those who use these exploits. Now, there's a way to re-enter the arena of in-game trophies, and it's hilariously on the nose.

If you have devcommands turned on, enter the following: "yesiuseddevcommandsbutiwantmyachievementsanyway". All that, no full stop or quotation marks, and you're back achievement hunting like normal.

I mean, what other phrase would you use? Might as well be straightforward about it. Funnily enough, I wouldn't guess this if I were trying to figure it out, because it seems too obvious, which just makes it more fun.

"The fixes include a function to let you opt into using achievements even though you have been blocked from doing so because of previous usage of devcommands," read the patch notes. "We will leave it to your own judgement whether or not to activate this function – Oden will surely know if you use it dishonourably."

Your path to Valhalla is in question here, just be cool and all will be well.

Palworld studio calls Valheim "an inspiration to everyone in the genre" as devs of the survival game drop their own 1.0 update.

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave director Toshiyuki Kusakihara has revealed that the developers of the RPG once considered having eight routes for the game.

Fire Emblem post-Awakening has felt very keen to make things bigger every time. Fates took the Pokemon approach with two different games – you could buy separately, with a third arriving as DLC – then Three Houses took it a step further with the titular three houses (which actually had four routes with side story as DLC).

Engage was a bit more linear, but that seems to be the exception not the rule, as Fortune's Weave is going to one up Three Houses by going for four-tunes (I tried, OK). However, rather than being separate playthroughs, these intersect into one major plotline starring the game's actual protagonist; it sounds huge, but it was apparently going to be even bigger.

In Nintendo's newest "Ask the Developer" interview, Kusakihara explans, "We were very fortunate that so many players enjoyed Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but at the same time, we had an enormous sense of responsibility. We spent a lot of time wondering how we could create something that would surpass it."

He reveals, "we came up with the bold idea of increasing the number of story perspectives from three to eight." While Three Houses' protagonists were working against each other, the idea of stories intersecting into one allowed the game to expand somewhat.

While eight sounds like a mammoth undertaking, the developers seemed to give it a fair chance, with Three Houses director and Engage producer Genki Yokota (who is also a producer on Fortune's Weave) saying, "Going from three perspectives to eight is a pretty big jump. Kusakihara-san had really developed a clear theme for each protagonist, and I felt it could lead to something really interesting." And as games like Octopath Traveller 2 and Live A Live have proved, you can make a compelling RPG with multiple protagonists that eventually cross paths.

However, it proved to be a bit too much, with Yokota explaining, "With eight protagonists, there was almost too much we could do... It seemed like players would have a lot to keep track of, which could make the game feel complicated. So, we decided to put the focus on four of those protagonists instead."

Frankly, I'm pleased. Not only would having more protagonists potentially dilute the stories of each of them, but sometimes a game can feel too big. As much as I adored Three Houses, I didn't have it in me to return for Dimitri or Edelgard's stories after beating Claude's. I was originally worried about the prospect of four in Fortune's Weave, but the idea of them being all one playthrough – even if it takes just as long as doing each of the three houses – makes it seem a bit more manageable.

It's taken 9 years, but a great feature from one of the best 3DS Fire Emblem games returns in Fortune's Weave, and it's probably going to make the tactical JRPG even bigger.

It's no secret that the video game industry isn't exactly being kind, even to the best of folks – including Kurt Kuhlmann, Bethesda Game Studios veteran and legendary Elder Scrolls "lore master" who worked on gems like the original Oblivion and Skyrim.

Although Kuhlmann hasn't been at Bethesda for quite some time now, having reportedly left over Bethesda's "bureaucratic" baggage, in his own words, and broken promises from Todd Howard about leading The Elder Scrolls 6.

He landed on his feet after leaving the company, however, moving on to work as a principal world designer at AAA studio Lightspeed LA… only to lose his role following a wave of layoffs earlier this summer.

Kuhlmann discusses his situation in a post on LinkedIn, putting into perspective just how difficult the industry is for developers right now – old and new.

"Along with most of the Last Sentinel team," he writes, alluding to his job at Lightspeed LA, "I was laid off in July, so I am back on the job market." He then flags potential employers: "If you know of anyone looking for a senior/principal/lead designer, please let me know or pass them my information."

It hits hard, honestly, seeing an industry veteran of his measure with literal decades of dev and leadership experience seeking work – but it's sadly not surprising.

Heck, just take a look at what's been happening all over, from the relentless layoffs at Xbox (which are ongoing, with Microsoft's plan to cut 3,200 employees at Xbox having commenced in July) to those elsewhere, even at indie companies, things aren't easy… anywhere, it seems.

And, as Kuhlmann proves, nobody is immune. He's got loads of know-how in the industry, and then some, as he lays out in his thread: "I spent the majority of my career at Bethesda Game Studios (BGS), and I've done pretty much every design-related thing for BGS games – narrative design and writing, world-building, combat balance, character systems, minigames, crafting, gameplay scripting, etc."

All of this and his time at Lightspeed LA. Kuhlmann concludes that he's "prioritizing jobs that allow remote work but I'm open to any opportunities that are a good match for my skills and experience" – and I sure do hope some come his way soon.

Fallout co-creator tells new devs terrified of layoffs they're "wrong" to expect making games to be a "stable job": "Art itself is inherently unstable."

This is probably the biggest spread of amiibo discounts I've ever witnessed. Nintendo's Customer Appreciation Sale is now live and is Ninty's own way of handing back the tariff refunds to its customer base. While it's disappointing that the refunds haven't gone straight into players' pockets, the sale has brought with it 30% off some of the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories out there, which I can still appreciate as a collector.

Some of these figures have been far cheaper in the past, like the Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom figures. Those are dropped as low as $10 at other retailers, so listing them for $20.99 at Nintendo isn't a big deal - but the other amiibo included definitely are. Kirby and the Warp Star figure from the Air Rider series is one of the newest releases part of this sale, and it has a whopping $15 off today. Even the recent Super Mario Bros Wonder trio has considerable price markdowns. I've rarely ever seen either discounted, so they're definitely some of the better ones to pick up before Nintendo's appreciation comes to an end.

I've included them, and a whole host of participating amiibo down below that I'd recommend adding to your collection. As a word of warning, I'd recommend doing so sooner rather than later, as plenty have already sold out. While you can still grab the stunning (and surprisingly large) Mario and Luma release for just $24.49 today, the Rosalina counterpart is out of stock. I suspect it won't be long before plenty of these figures I've included below follow suit. You snooze, you lose.

Check out our 2026 amiibo list if you're after the latest NFC collectibles.

Nintendo announced two new post-price hike Switch 2 bundles last month, and while the Mario Kart version is still but a promise (even though it's technically supposed to hit shelves earlier), the Sports Resort package is now available for pre-order.

The $529.99 (Nintendo) bundle sits about $30 higher than we've typically seen from Ninty's package deals. Before September 1's price hike you'd be paying $499 for a game and handheld in one box. These days, though, $529.99 actually represents one of the better discounts on the web. Nintendo Switch bundle deals have been difficult to get hold of since previously-priced stock was run off the shelves and with Legend of Zelda Switch 2 pre-orders proving incredibly difficult to secure regular handhelds are in demand.

The Switch Sports Resort bundle doesn't add any fancy decorations to your handheld, but includes the Wii-esque mini-games package as a download in the box. You'll also nab yourself three months of Nintendo Switch Online (worth $7.99) to bump up the value as well.

I steered deal-hunters clear of these bundles before the Switch 2 price increased but now that we're staring down a $500 MSRP for the handheld by itself, Ninty's new bundles represent some of the best savings on the web. You'd be hard pressed to find any straight savings on the $499.99 (Amazon) device, and official bundles like this tend to work seasonally. Nintendo will run with a couple of bundled games for a while and then swap its offering over.

In fact, the only time I'd recommend avoiding these offers now is if a store like Woot or Best Buy returns to its previous renewed prices on Switch 2 hardware. I've seen handhelds back at their old $449.99 rates using this method, but it's a tough discount to stumble upon in the wild. Given the demand levels and the current component shortages, I wouldn't expect to see Nintendo Switch 2 handhelds seeing significant savings over Black Friday either.

• See all Nintendo Switch deals at Amazon

We're also rounding up all the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories including the best Switch 2 controllers and best Switch 2 cases to boot.

The 1TB PNY microSD Express Card I use to store my large game files and thousands of screenshots stopped working over the weekend.

The card has been sitting pretty in my Switch 2 ever since I reviewed it earlier this year without issue. Then suddenly, while taking my gaming handheld over to a friend's house to destroy our friendships over some Dokapon Kingdom, I was greeted with the "this microSD card cannot be read or is not compatible with this console" warning, despite knowing full well it was compatible with the Ninty machine.

Suddenly, the thought of losing my thousands of screenshots I had moved over to the card flashed before my eyes, and I can't lie that some heart palpitations were had. That feeling fortunately didn't last long, as I discovered there was already an official fix out in the wild. Here's what to do should your PNY Switch 2 card also stop being recognized by your Nintendo Switch 2.

How to fix in the PNY microSD Express Card Switch 2 incompatibility error

1. Grab a microSD Express Card reader for your PC
2. Insert the card reader with the effected card into your PC or laptop
3. Go to the PNY microSD Express Firmware Update page
4. Click the 'Firmware Update' button
5. Run program on your PC
6. Select 'Update FW' button on updater
7. Safely eject your microSD Express card

The official PNY firmware update was rolled out on June 17, and was advertised across the brand's social media sites like X (Twitter). PNY recommends grabbing its Performance Prime Card Reader for the "best and fastest experience" while running this update, which can be found for $14.99 at Amazon. That said, any compatible card reader should work fine if you don't want to fork out any additional cash.

After following the steps above with the card reader, my screenshots and save data were thankfully intact. However, even though everything was smooth sailing in no time at all, I was, at the time, still curious as to what caused the issue with one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express cards I've tested to date.

A post on the r/NintendoSwitch 2 subreddit by user Whaleambassador revealed that since downloading console update 22.0.0, their version of the 1TB PNY card became "incompatible with the Switch 2" and they encountered the same warning. They weren't alone, as the comments on this six-month-old post reveal that multiple owners of the brand's Switch 2 cards experienced the same fate - total incompatibility once the Update 22.0.0 update rolled out.

As someone who reviews the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories, I typically update my console to the latest firmware as soon as possible, so it's strange that my PNY card managed to survive update 22.0.0. I believe that it was Update 23.0.0 that was my eventual downfall, as it was released on September 10, just a day before I took my Switch 2 over to my friend's house for some Dokapon Kingdom action.

Whatever the cause, I'm just glad that there was a fix at hand, and that microSD Express Cards can be updated should they run into any bugs or errors alongside future updates. While the fix brought me a massive wave of relief, you can bet I've been scared silly into ensuring that I back up all my screenshots on a regular basis. I highly recommend you do the same - especially as you're bound to take a ton with games like Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave and Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time remake on the horizon.

• View all Switch 2 microSD Express Cards at Amazon

New to Switch 2? Check out the best Nintendo Switch headsets, the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers, and the best Nintendo Switch 2 cases while you're here.

TCG Card Shop Simulator took Steam by storm when it hit early access back in 2024, offering players the thrill of collecting Pokemon-style cards without the burden of actually buying packs and keeping binders full of colorful cardboard. Now, after attracting millions of players and garnering overwhelmingly positive reviews, it's finally gone 1.0.

"TCG Card Shop Simulator was made because I was bored out of my mind after burning out from solo mobile game development back in 2023. I felt aimless and wasn't sure what to do with my life," developer Ding Shen Sia explains in a Steam news post. Having already built a TCG-themed game on mobile, the dev decided to expand the concept with a Steam game.

"From then on, I was a madman. I worked on it everyday and spent at least 90 hours every week for 6 months. And on 15 September 2024, I managed to launch TCG Card Shop Simulator on Steam Early Access, a month earlier than what I've planned. I had no big expectations or plans for it other than making the Steam Trading Cards work, but I would have been really happy if it sold 100,000 copies in a year (it somehow sold that amount in just 3 days!)"

As confirmed in a press release, the game has now reached 4 million players, and they've clearly found something to love. TCG Card Shop Simulator has nearly 50,000 reviews on Steam, and 96% of them are positive. Broadly, it seems that players are taken by the cozy vibes of running a small business – but some of the top reviews also thank the game for helping them kick their pack-ripping habits, so maybe there's a benefit there, too.

The biggest news in the 1.0 update is the launch of PS5, Switch, and Switch 2 versions of the game, alongside the existing Steam and Xbox Series X/S editions. But for existing players, the important part is that Tetramon TCG is no longer just a Pokemon-inspired theme for the products you're selling in store. It's now a real TCG that you can actually play in-game.

Nearly 2,000 new cards have been added in the 1.0 update, bringing the total up to 4,436, so there's at least plenty of variety to be found in the TCG. We'll see how much depth the game-within-the-game has soon enough, but for now, well… I bought my first Pokemon card packs in decades recently. Maybe I should check out TCG Card Shop Simulator myself before this new hobby gets out of hand.

Here are the best simulator games you can play right now.

Once Final Fantasy 7 Revelation comes out on April 8, 2027, the entire Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy will likely total at least 150 hours of Cloud being tormented – assuming the final installment is as long as the two before it. That's already a lot of Final Fantasy 7 remake, but Square Enix company director Yoshinori Kitase might be craving more, and he wouldn't rule out a spin-off, or 12.

He had the same open approach to the original Final Fantasy 7 game in 1997, Kitase tells Malaysia-based games news site GamerBraves. That RPG was meant to be a one-and-done experience until fans' sleepless enthusiasm led to years of related games, like the popular Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII from 2007, which also got remastered in 2022 as Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core Reunion.

Kitase says, "In terms of the remake series with [Final Fantasy 7], we really wanted to feel like, and we really have put so much work into this to feel like we've done everything we possibly can to make this [newest] title have the best quality it possibly can have." At the moment, that assessment seems honest – GamesRadar+ senior producer James Daly writes in his recent Final Fantasy 7 Revelation preview, "I wonder how Naoki Hamaguchi and Square Enix so masterfully manage to weave nostalgia into something so obviously new in so many ways. Maybe I'll never truly understand."

At the risk of sounding cynical, I think it helps that Square Enix developers are so willing to squeeze every single molecule of inspiration from Final Fantasy 7 until it's dry and crackling. The developer learned this approach 30 years ago. "When we created the original Final Fantasy VII," Kitase says, "we really thought like, 'Okay, we're done now. We can move on.'"

But fans of what many consider to be one of the best Final Fantasy games of all time weren't ready to let go. "The characters were so popular and so lasting," Kitase recalls. "The fan reaction to these characters really is what brought on the spinoff games as well like Advent Children and Crisis Core.”

Now, Kitase says about Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, "We can confidently say it's the end of the series." But there's a giant, shining asterisk assigned to that statement. Square Enix is fine with walking away from its remake trilogy, but the overall concept of Final Fantasy 7 might still be holding a few cups worth of spin-off ideas.

"Who knows what's going to happen with fan reaction and how people come to enjoy this series and this finale," Kitase says. The door is open.

After countless memes, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss confirms that, yes, Fortnite partly inspired jumping out of the Highwind.

Nintendo games are arguably the reason to own a Nintendo console, even today. But with developers keen to get their games in front of as many players as possible, you can find plenty of third-party titles among the best Switch 2 games out there. Back in the GameCube era, though, Nintendo's lack of third-party support was downright infamous, and a newly released chart of the platform's best-selling games suggests there's a reason most publishers steered clear of the 'cube.

The 20 best-selling US GameCube games of all time were shared today by Mat Piscatella of industry analysis group Circana. The top spots on the list are dominated by some of the straight-up best GameCube games ever, including titles like Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Kart: Double Dash, and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

Nintendo games absolutely dominate the top 10, with just two third-party entries squeezing in: Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Mega Collection. I was just old enough to recognize how weird it was to be getting Sega games on a Nintendo platform, and I guess that novelty helped propel these Sonic games near the top of the charts.

Happy 25th to the Nintendo GameCube!Here are top 20 best-selling GameCube games in the US, ranked by unit sales.Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Mario Sunshine and Mario Kart: Double Dash!! lead the list.Source: Circana Retail Tracking Service

— @matpiscatella.bsky.social (@matpiscatella.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-09-14T20:11:21.927Z

Things even out in the rest of the top 20, where five of the remaining ten come from third parties, with Lego Star Wars, Sonic Heroes, Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader, Super Monkey Ball 2, and SoulCalibur 2. Namco's fighting game might have had a slight advantage with Nintendo fans, though, since they put Link in it.

Perhaps the most notable absence from the list is Resident Evil 4, which launched as a GameCube exclusive and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest games of all time. Apparently it landed just outside the top 20 at number 21, having sold 7,899 fewer units than Kirby Air Ride. No wonder the Capcom Five eventually went multi-platform.

Unfortunately, we don't have similar stats for the modern Switch era. Wikipedia's list of best-selling Switch games is also top-heavy with Nintendo titles, but that's certainly at least partly due to the fact that third-parties tend not to publicly report sales data per platform. Meanwhile, Nintendo is happy to report every new million that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold.

Given the fact that third-party developers were very willing to put in the work to downgrade their PS4 and Xbox One games to get them running on Switch, it seems all but certain that there was an appetite for third-party games on the platform, and that trend seems to be continuing on Switch 2. But for now, that's just guesswork – maybe we'll actually get stats on how it all breaks down when Switch celebrates its own 25th anniversary in 2042. I wonder if The Elder Scrolls 6 will be out by then…

Donkey Kong 64 beat Pokemon mania to become the best-selling game of 1999 in the US.

There are many, many, many new games being released in the next few weeks, and up until a few moments ago, you could've counted Rayman Legends Retold among them. Ubisoft has just announced that the platformer remake has gone gold, but it's also been delayed out of the absurd game rush that we're currently being crushed under.

"Rayman Legends Retold will release on December 3rd," Ubisoft says in a message on Bluesky. "While the game has officially gone gold, we have decided to take extra time to make sure every detail gets the care it deserves."

I'm not sure I've ever seen a simultaneous announcement that a game's both been delayed and gone gold. Historically, going gold meant that a game had been finalized as its discs went off to manufacturing, but the term's come to mean a lot less in the modern era of digital distribution and day one patches. As with many Ubisoft titles, the front of Rayman Legends Retold's box warns that "internet is required to install the game," so I'm honestly not sure how gold any of this really is.

The game had previously been set to launch on October 1, right in between the likes of – deep breath – Marvel's Wolverine, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, Silent Hill: Townfall, Control Resonant, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, Gears of War: E-Day, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, and many more. Even as somebody who absolutely loves 2D platformers, I'd have had a hard time justifying putting my time into Rayman given that competition.

Ubisoft's statement suggests that the game's delay is more about polish than avoiding the competition, and it's now one of very few games willing to brave the post-GTA 6 weeks of 2026. Who knows – maybe the adventures of Rayman and the crew will be just the palette cleanser we all need in between whatever shenanigans we're getting up to with Jason and Lucia.

Rayman Legends Retold has me struggling to justify its place as a remake, but with platforming this good I can't complain.

Lies of P 2? Maybe not, as it seems developer Neowiz has a different title in mind for the inevitable Soulslike sequel. The company has recently filed a trademark for Wonders of O, which sure sounds like the Wizard of Oz-themed follow-up teased in the original game.

The Wonders of O trademark appeared on the European Union Intellectual Property Office website with a filing date of September 10, as spotted by The Phrasemaker. The trademark covers video game and computer software of various types, including potential for both physical and downloadable games, exactly like the 2022 trademark for Lies of P.

A sequel to Lies of P was already confirmed way back in 2023, just months after the original game's launch. Devs at Nough Studio, the Neowiz subsidiary responsible for Lies of P, recently noted how they're feeling "pressure" to make the sequel even better, but we haven't gotten any concrete details on what the sequel will actually look like.

No details, that is, aside from the narrative teasers present in Lies of P. The original game ends with an MCU-style post-credits stinger where we hear about a character named Dorothy, and we see a brief scene of a girl in ruby red slippers humming and clicking her heels together. Just as the first game turned the story of Pinocchio into a dark Soulslike, it feels almost certain that the sequel will do the same for the Wizard of Oz.

The name "Wonders of O" certainly sounds like what you'd call an Oz-themed follow-up to Lies of P, too. It's also just as potent a source of goofy innuendo, so take that for what it's worth.

Lies of P is one of the very best Soulslike games out there.

The announcement of Metroid Ravenous has caused Metroid Dread to shoot back to the top of the Nintendo eShop charts almost exactly five years after it was released

Last week's Nintendo Direct was considered somewhat disappointing for many, mostly due to the lack of first-party games announced for the Switch 2 as it heads into 2027. However, one thing everyone is agreed on is that Metroid Ravenous looks absolutely sick. Metroid Dread revived the series back in 2021, and as it turned out, completely overshadowed Metroid Prime 4, which has pretty much come and gone despite how long we were all waiting on it. And with Metroid Dread developer MercurySteam seemingly back on board for the next 2D Metroid game, it's safe to say Metroid stocks are high again.

But, those who slept on Metroid Dread upon release – clearly seeing how good Ravenous looks – have taken this opportunity to catch up. As spotted by GoNintendo, the hype for the next Metroid – alongside Nintendo's "we aren't giving you tariff refunds" sale – have caused Samus' latest 2D adventure to shoot straight to the top of the Nintendo eShop in the US ahead of the likes of Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, Super Mario Party Jamboree and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Metroid Ravenous does have a major win over Metroid Dread however, that being the fact you can actually play all of the 2D Metroid games to catch up before it this time. When Dread was coming out I had to bust out the Wii U to play Fusion and Zero Mission as well as the 3DS to play Samus Returns, with only Metroid and Super Metroid being available on the Switch at the time.

Check our list of the best Metroid games of all time, and catch yourself up before Ravenous comes out.

Star Fox designer and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask art director, Takaya Imamura, has caught flak for using AI in a test prototype.

In a post on Twitter, Imamura shared (via machine translation) that he's testing game development using AI, saying that brainstorming with the AI is akin to the old days where he would create titles with programmers, while seemingly being impressed with the tech.

When a response rightfully pointed out the ethical concerns behind using generative AI in game development, due to the models being built on theft and being "very damaging for artists," Imamura responded, saying: "I completely understand your point. However, given my profession, AI is something I simply can't ignore, so I'm experimenting with it as a test."

He notes that he is not a programmer, but is "genuinely amazed by how AI can fill in that gap and actually help me turn my ideas into a working game."

As we saw over the summer with games like Crazy Taxi: World Tour and Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, players are generally rejecting generative AI in games, with other titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Crimson Desert very quickly patching out AI assets found by players.

While its use in development is certainly becoming more widespread, many developers do not want to use it. Pocketpair lead John Buckley explained to GamesRadar+ earlier this year "gamers don't want it." Meanwhile Mewgenics co-developer Tyler Glaiel spoke out about artists using it for small parts of games like poster art seen in Expedition 33, saying "That's where you want to be the most creative."

It's especially disappointing from an artist as prolific as Imamura, whose work at Nintendo included creating the designs of iconic characters like Tingle, Fox McCloud, and Captain Falcon. Those using gen AI for artwork are never going to create anything as impactful as the design of Majora's Mask, so you would hope the artist would see the other side of things.

ChatGPT employee makes a "RuneScape clone," immediately gets slapped by Jagex lawyers, then acts like he's leaving some great legacy behind in a goodbye post surely written by AI.

Last week's Nintendo Direct showcase wasn't all that flashy, but it did unveil two new trailers for Professor Layton and the New World of Steam and Yo-kai Watch 2: Haunted Domain – two new trailers that a follow-up stream from developer Level-5 had folks suspecting the use of generative AI.

Suspicions were everywhere online, with many noting background inconsistencies and the like as to why they believed the recent Level-5 livestream featured gen AI… and, well, they apparently weren't wrong.

Akihiro Hino, the mastermind behind studio Level-5, Professor Layton, and Yo-kai Watch, confirms as much in a new post on Twitter (as machine-translated via auto-translation on the platform, DeepL, and Google).

The developer begins by explaining that the reason Level-5 used gen AI while creating its big showcase was simple: it wanted it to be flashier, more eye-catching, and, as the lead writes, "spectacular."

He does then follow up with an apology, however, noting that people felt uncomfortable as a result of the studio's AI use, saying, "I deeply apologize."

Hino also reassures fans that much of Level-5's work is "created by human hands."

This includes character designs, settings, and more. When it comes to where AI enters the picture, Hino says it's mostly for efficiency and to digitize creations already conceptualized by the devs, "for example, accurately converting original artwork into polygons and such."

He states that no AI-generated data is ever included in released games, describing how the team only started employing its use to speed up development time.

Hino details how Level-5 is "in the stage of trial and error" at nailing quicker production without sacrificing quality, but concludes that the backlash from fans – both in Japan and overseas – is a lesson the studio will carry forward for its next presentation.

As for how fans themselves feel about it all, comments show that they're still not thrilled AI ever came into play in the first place here, citing environmental concerns and more.

I understand myself, as someone who isn't exactly a fan of gen AI at the best of times – but I do wonder what Level-5 has in store for the future now, and how this debacle will affect what its plans were for both the new Yo-kai Watch remake and Professor Layton entry.

Searching for some other new games to look forward to? Browse through our roundup of the best upcoming Switch 2 games to wishlist right now.

Blizzard is making enormous changes to the ever-divisive Sombra in Overwatch Season 5, grabbing her from the DPS category and transforming her into a support hero instead, as game director Aaron Keller admits that she's been considered "anti-fun" for some time now.

Sombra was added to Overwatch all the way back in 2016, and for 10 years she's been one of the most frustrating heroes to face. Between her hacking abilities that prevent enemies from using their skills, the fact that she can turn invisible, teleport out of harm's way, and generally cause chaos from a comfortable distance – away from her team, at that – it's fair to say that she's not everyone's favorite.

Speaking to GamesRadar+ during an interview at Blizzcon, Keller admits that for anyone who's been keeping up with Overwatch, "it's probably apparent that we've had issues with Sombra for a while." Poor Sombra ends up sounding like an unloved child the way Keller describes her though – even if he's right on the money with what players have found frustrating, you can't help but feel a bit bad for her when even her own creators are calling her unfun. But I suppose if the shoe fits…

"We've tried multiple reworks on her, and they're all kind of centered around some of the same issues," he explains. "You know, like she can be described as unfun to play against, or her mechanics are anti-fun. She takes away buttons, or agency from players. The way that she can escape, I think, a lot of times can be frustrating to play against, and the way that she's sort of popping in and out or invisible for large portions of the match can be frustrating too. And it's not that any one of these things is a problem in and of itself, but when you start getting a lot of these sharp mechanics all in one character, it really exacerbates the problem."

Keller acknowledges that the frustration isn't just limited to the team facing Sombra, but also anyone siding with her. After all, if you're trying your hardest to push a payload and one of your allies is nowhere in sight, it can feel like they're not being a proper team player.

"As Sombra is doing her Sombra things, even if she's doing them well, sometimes your team might not realize it. She's just not there enough, and you get that with some other heroes in the roster, but never to the degree with a Sombra," Keller notes. "You know, like Tracer can disappear for a while, Wrecking Ball can disappear for a while, but they typically come back. Sombra will come back when she does her ult, you know, that's the moment you kind of see it."

This brings us to her latest rework, which will certainly offer the biggest changes to the hero we've seen so far. Keller tells us that the devs have tried to solve Sombra's issues "in a lot of different ways because our goal is for her to keep her identity," so it doesn't sound like she's going to be a complete shadow of her former self, though.

"We do want you to be able to do a lot of those same things with Sombra, and I think by moving her over to support, we're able to still allow her to do a lot of that," he continues. "It's just for a much more limited amount of time.

"So, as you put heals on your team, it does give you that opportunity now to go stealth, hit the back line for a bit, do the Sombra things that you're used to doing. But you have a limited duration to do it before you need to get back to your team, start supporting them with heals again, hopefully, for them to be happy with you as a teammate again."

As an Overwatch support main, I'm personally really excited to see what Blizzard does with Sombra next season – she was always conceptually one of my favorites on the roster, but I was never able to click with her (and felt maybe that was for the best if I was just going to annoy everyone around me). Blizzard is also making more changes to Roadhog which we'll see at the same time, alongside the introduction of new hero Doctrine.

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred and Overwatch's resurgence reportedly drove Blizzard to its "first back-to-back years of growth" in almost 10 years.

Fortnite's Kingdom Hearts collab is finally arriving this week, and it looks like it's not just Sora joining Epic's battle royale.

Fortnite's current gaming-themed season, Override, kicked off last month, at which point it was confirmed via the official key art that Kingdom Hearts protagonist Sora would be added to the game soon with his very own skin. Almost a month into the season, folks were starting to wonder where he was, but Epic has now revealed that we can expect him to be added to the game "this week."

A new teaser video gives us our best look yet at Sora and his slightly Fortniteified Keyblade – you'll notice that the keychain attached to it that'd normally be a little Mickey Mouse head has been swapped for a Fortnite llama, instead.

Presumably this will be available to buy as a pickaxe, though it'd be very cool if it was added to the loot pool as a Mythic weapon, too – Epic hasn't confirmed this either way at this stage, though.

That's not all, though. The official Fortnite Twitter account has also posted a series of quotes from different Kingdom Hearts characters, suggesting that they might be joining the game too. After sharing a Sora quote, Epic also posted lines from Riku, Kairi, and Roxas, so it sounds like we could have a full squad joining the fray.

We're still waiting on a number of previously teased gaming collabs to get added to Fortnite this season – Persona 5's Joker was also shown off in marketing last month, but still isn't available yet, and CD Projekt Red has now confirmed that a Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Lucy skin is on the way, too. Epic previously said that Rebecca's Guns will be available as a weapon in the loot pool at some point, so presumably these will come at the same time.

As it stands, Fortnite Override is set to run until the end of October, so here's hoping fans won't be waiting too long for those other crossovers. In the meantime, let's just hope that Kingdom Hearts' already baffling narrative web doesn't get any more complicated with some Fortnite-exclusive lore that'll become inaccessible within a few weeks.

Be sure to check out our guide to Fortnite admin panel codes to get some free bonuses this season.

The newly announced Diablo 5 is a significant departure from series convention in a number of ways. Chiefly, the game won't feature any towns or safe zones and will instead offer adventurers the lesser but still cozy comforts of a team of followers that form a caravan around the player, acting as something of a moving barrier between the myriad monsters creeping and crawling around Sanctuary. This idea comes directly from the influence of Diablo 5's narrative director, Jennifer Hepler, a BioWare veteran and key writer on Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, and Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Hepler joined game director Joe Shely and executive producer Matt Zitterman at a panel during BlizzCon 2026, attended by GamesRadar+, and she explained how her eight years of writing experience with BioWare helped bring traditional RPG roots to Diablo's well-worn ARPG formula. Specifically, she says it's that caravan system that adds just a little bit of Baldur's Gate and Dragon Age DNA to Diablo 5.

"The caravan brings some of the best elements of traditional RPGs into Diablo's ARPG format by giving you that sort of Baldur's Gate or Dragon Age campsite where you can interact with your followers," says Hepler. "They're not going to be Dragon Age followers where you level up their skills and give them clothing and stuff, but they will be followers with personalities... so I think that my experience with traditional RPGs has definitely been a strength in building that out."

The Diablo and Path of Exile-style ARPG is a distinctly different, even diametrically opposed, experience compared to conventional RPGs like Dragon Age and Baldur's Gate, so it's interesting to hear how Hepler's lead role on the narrative team is influencing more fundamental design decisions like the caravan system. I'm curious to see which other elements of Diablo 5 are changing due to her involvement.

Diablo 5's first confirmed classes are the Demon Hunter, Monk, and the all-new Plague Knight: Blizzard says the sequel has "more classes than ever before"

Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Diablo, Diablo 4's 15th season, Season of Hell's Legacy, is a fitting celebration of the action RPG series' entire history, going all the way back to the very first game from 1996.

Blizzard's Diablo team spent the majority of their time on stage at BlizzCon 2026 talking about the past and the future in almost equal parts. Whenever Diablo 4 was the talking topic, Blizzard waxed nostalgic for beloved games like Diablo 1 and 2, and to a slightly lesser degree, Diablo 3, whereas Diablo 5 conversations were naturally more forward-focused. During a panel attended by GamesRadar+, seasons lead Owen Leach dropped an absolute nostalgia bomb on old Diablo heads, teasing a Diablo 4-style return to the original Diablo 1 campaign via a new activity in Season of Hell's Legacy.

The new activity, called Waking Nightmares, are "recreations of key moments from previous Diablo games, but built in D4's art style with D4's compelling gameplay," per Leach. There are three kinds of these throwback dungeons, but the type I'm most interested in are the Prime Evil Waking Nightmares, which recreate "the most iconic moments, the moments that lead up to you killing Baal, Mephisto, Diablo." You'll run right into them in the seasonal questline, and as you might expect, they're basically remakes of the dungeons leading up to each of those three above-mentioned final bosses, culminating in the Lord of Terror himself.

"The last one, and the one I'm probably the most excited about, is actually a recreation of almost all of Diablo 1, so you start in Tristram Cathedral, fight your way to the Catacombs, down to the caves, and then of course into Hell itself to take down Big Red, the Dark Lord, Lord of Terror, Diablo."

There is some earned controversy over Blizzard announcing the end of Diablo 4 expansions in favor of Diablo 5, but if future seasons are anywhere near as substantial as what's being teased for season 15, I think I'll be plenty satisfied for the next few years. That said, I play for an hour or two, max, most nights, so I'm not representative of the most hardcore players, who are likely to rip through seasonal questlines much more efficiently.

Diablo 5 is coming in 2029, and "Diablo has won"

The Final Fantasy 7 Revelation team had to have an "emergency meeting" to rebuild Knights of the Round and turn the iconic summon into a boss battle worthy of their legacy. Square Enix's first pass apparently didn't kick enough butt.

Final Fantasy 7's Knights of the Round materia is legendary - it's easily one of the series' most powerful summons and merely unlocking them is the 1997 game's toughest, most convoluted challenge. No, I don't want to spend hours taming and breeding chocobos, please.

While we haven't seen Revelation's Knights of the Round yet, we do know they're definitely showing up in the trilogy's grand finale. And like some of the other summons across the FF7 Remake trilogy, you'll need to fight the 13 massive Arthurian knights before becoming their pal.

"Summoning Knights of the Round will be in Final Fantasy 7 Revelation," game director Naoki Hamaguchi reiterated in an interview with MinnMax. "Given how powerful the materia was in the original, we're making it a very formidable enemy." Scary.

But translating the epic summon into an equally epic boss battle is easier said than done. Even the original game's summon animation was so long and so grand, players eventually found a glitch to skip it. During development, combat director Teruki Endo decided the team's first iteration wasn't tough enough: "We need to make them stronger."

"So we had an emergency meeting among all the directors, like the art director, motion director, and I had to explain to everyone [that] Endo wants to make this boss entity stronger, so we gotta start from scratch again," Hamaguchi said with a smile on his face.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation launches next April across all consoles and PC.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation's physical disc still requires a download because Square Enix "didn't want to make any compromises"

The Legend of Zelda is a video game as ritual. It's enlivened by ingenious variations from one game to the next, but Nintendo's adventures in the land of Hyrule remain absorbed in the pleasures of careful repetition. These games are curated as much as they are designed; they're gardens rather than wildernesses. And so, at the end of Breath of the Wild, the hero in green defeats Ganon, as he always does.

But wait. This is not quite accurate. At the end of Breath of the Wild - delivered via DLC - Link, the medieval adventurer, gets a motorbike. That was how this particular Zelda ended. And so that was the point at which Nintendo's designers had to decide: what comes next?

It's still hard to know what to make of that parting gift. Noisy, gravel-spitting, rebellious – a motorbike would be unthinkable in any other Zelda game. But then the very idea of DLC would be unthinkable too. How could any of these intricate clockwork worlds have room for even a single additional cog?

This was Breath of the Wild, though, the game that stripped away decades of gadgets and structural rhythms. Link may have defeated Ganon, but much of the rest of the tradition was suddenly scrambled. No more predictable plot beats. No more polite trek from one dungeon to the next, growing more powerful with each step.

Here instead was an open-world Hyrule where the dungeons were largely secondary to the one-shot puzzle or combat Shrines scattered across the earth like a dusting of sugar on a pie. Here was a world where weapons degraded, where beloved horses could be lost forever, and where that familiar trickle of cherished items – the boomerang, the hookshot – was replaced with a handful of new powers granted at the start, and which the game would then rely upon for all its subsequent fun.

What did this mean? Up until now, Zelda had been about containment. The first game was inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto's childhood cave explorations, certainly, but it was born in a moment in which the designer was opening and closing his desk drawers and imagining a garden snug within each. Zelda offers adventuring, but always within safe boundaries.

It's dangerous to go open-world

This approach lasted until Breath of the Wild, which left its players startled, unmoored. Then came the motorbike, and then things took a truly bizarre turn. Two years after the release of Breath of the Wild, it was revealed that the follow-up, Tears of the Kingdom, would reuse the same map and the same structure of Shrines, swapping out the older game's powers but otherwise offering what seemed to be more of the same. What should we make of this? Was all that reinvention just a recalibration, and would we now be back to the business of repetition and ritual again?

Tears of the Kingdom's answer to this question is fascinating, and it takes a while to become clear. On the surface, Link's latest adventure follows a traditional approach to sequels: the stuff you loved, expanded and refined. More Shrines, new powers, another, grander threat to Hyrule. But beware that phrase ‘on the surface'. Underground, Tears of the Kingdom is every bit as wilful and singular as the game it builds upon. Maybe even more so.

Trailers for Tears of the Kingdom at first suggested horror and then sun-baked, sky-minded wonder. You would explore Hyrule, but also an archipelago of ingeniously crafted islands floating overhead. This felt like a sensible approach, but there was a lingering strangeness in the trailers that invited conspiracy theories. Were we really playing as Link? Was this really Hyrule once more? Could things be as simple as they seemed?

Within this online chatter, the dialogue that has dogged almost all Zeldas continued. Since the 8bit days, each new Zelda game has been forced into a conversation with all the others: what's new, what isn't, what are the main reference points? Maybe Tears of the Kingdom was simply a chance for the ground to settle after Breath of the Wild. There's still a princess, a young hero, a landscape that extends to the rosy horizon. But there's something else, too. Something waiting beneath it all.

Something lurking down below

In retrospect, those new powers were an early clue to the true spirit of Tears of the Kingdom. Breath of the Wild offered you ways to engage with the game's physics and bodge your own solutions to the challenges you were presented with. At heart, its powers were abilities designed for manipulating in-game objects in thoughtful ways. They opened up a new, more expressive way of playing, driven by everything from mechanical curiosity to bored tinkering.

By Tears of the Kingdom, though, the powers have become a cross between real-world design tools and explicit hacks. Making use of Ultrahand, Fuse and Ascend, you can craft complex machines and ridiculous weapons, or slip through Hyrule's hidden geometries. Aren't these options that come from a sense of polite frustration with what's come before? Aren't these tools enabling a form of escape?

These powers, pushing at the boundaries of everything from the way the world is created to the way a puzzle can be solved, suggest that the problem with Zelda wasn't that it was becoming familiar, because it had traded in familiarity since the SNES. The problem was that its familiarity could make it slightly airless. That's a hard problem to solve. And so Tears of the Kingdom turned its focus somewhere entirely new, on the game's unseen bedrock, and it built something astounding down there. Something entirely unexpected.

Welcome to the Depths, the underside of Hyrule, far beneath the floating sky islands waiting to be neatly solved, far beneath the grass and sands of the open world itself. Accessed via ugly red-rimmed tears in the earth, the Depths are a vast underworld of darkness and danger. If it's hard not to feel that recent Zeldas are the work of a talented team that is quietly weary of the baggage Zelda brings, the Depths are a perfect response.

Granted, the series is no stranger to parallel worlds, yet the Depths remain very different from the puzzle-piece dimensions of Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time. Those were precise additions, printed circuits that slotted cleanly into place. The Depths connect with the land above them, but they're also filled with a sense of chaos, of being half-complete. They're pitch-black and claustrophobic and, tellingly for a Zelda game, they're frequently optional.

Even so, it feels like these spaces were crucial to the people who made them. Why? Because this is the place where this Zelda's eternal conversation with other Zeldas ceases. Immediacy. The chatter and speculation falls silent, and you are left to the unfolding moment.

What a moment. Deep in theatrical murk, the air around you feels thick and treacherous and alive with adventure. There's no vista to draw your eye with distractions, nothing up ahead to plan an idle five minutes around. Instead, you're exploring in order to survive, working to unlock a network of scattered Lightroots, treetrunk nodes that reach down from the ceiling. Trigger them and you get a pool of light and a matching pool of illuminated map. You get fast travel, the slightest sense of your bearings, and the feeling that you're reclaiming a little of this terrifying space.

There's a puzzle down here, and it leads to a useful reward, but for once in a Zelda adventure it's hard to focus on because you're so thoroughly stuck in the present. With the lights off, the landscape ceases to be earth and slopes and trees, instead becoming something mysterious, almost a form of enemy as it occludes the horizon. Actually, forget the idea of a horizon: everything seems to be looming close, tangling underfoot.

Embrace the depths

Life feels clumsy and precarious in the dark. With the lights on, it's often even worse. With crimson pools of heart-sapping Gloom splattered across the ground and up the walls, this is Hyrule as crime scene. There's something gleefully cruel to the design itself: all alone, resources dwindling, unseen enemies pacing around you. Zelda has always made you feel like you're walking in the footsteps of the designers, perhaps to a fault. No more. In the Depths, the designers seem to have moved on far ahead, and they remain out of reach. Instead you must light your own path, all thoughts of the landscape above forgotten.

Endless jostling horror! But it's almost always a choice for you. Above the Depths there's still a story of rescue and reclaiming to be had, albeit one of the oddest the series has ever told. Ancient evil can still be defeated and the land saved. More crucially, Link's story up there is still built of moments of kindness as he explores Hyrule, solving strangers' problems.

But the Depths, that huge, unprecedented, non-understandable id, are down there all the while. Optional or not, it's theme-stating on a geological scale. The Depths are meant to destabilise. Here, at the very bedrock of the game that every Zelda team has to make, is the game they seem to have actually wanted to make this time.

The inchoate nature of the Depths suggests the designers were following their own path in search of what a Zelda game could be, instead of what it should be. And so Tears of the Kingdom advances the eternal conversation about Zelda and ritual and repetition not by upending things like Breath of the Wild, but by having the courage to ignore the conversation entirely. Down here, a new route forward takes shape, one Lightroot at a time. In the shifting darkness, Tears of the Kingdom opens its eyes.

This Tears of the Kingdom article was first published in issue 400 of Edge Magazine. To get more like this delivered straight to your doorstep (or digital device) consider subscribing to Edge.

After it was memed from the moment the game was announced, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi has confirmed that jumping out of the Highwind Fortnite-style was indeed inspired by Fortnite, though only partly.

The Highwind is set to be the central mechanic of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation. The massive airship that transports the party around was a big part of the original RPG, but in the era of realism and immersion, you can't simply drop to the ground and teleport out of the ship as you did on the PS1 when you arrived.

So when Final Fantasy 7 Revelation got its first showing earlier this year, we were treated to a look at how the Highwind is going to work in the third and final entry in the remake trilogy. You'll be able to fly all around the world and choose which area you're going to pop off into, which is pretty in line with what the PS1 original had. Except this time, your party launches themselves off the side of the ship, and skydives down to the map below.

Naturally, when everyone saw this, we all made the same joke, with a ton of memes of Cloud Strife asking "where we droppin'" emerging in the immediate aftermath. However, when asked about this connection by GamesRadar's Fortnite correspondent James Daly (following the Final Fantasy 7 Revelation hands-on preview), Hamaguchi did admit, "We did get a bit of inspiration from Fortnite, [we] won't lie about that."

It's funny, however, that Fortnite is the inspiration here, when Final Fantasy 7 is one of the only things left on earth that Fortnite hasn't collaborated with, as opposed to, say, Apex Legends, which had a big Final Fantasy 7 crossover and also features the squad dropping out of the sky, or the now-dead Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier battle royale game.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss is "so sorry" for what happens to Aerith in Rebirth, but if you're still upset, "you may change your opinion" by the end of the remake trilogy

With Diablo 5 on the horizon, Blizzard Entertainment doesn't have plans for any new Diablo 4 expansions.

Last night's BlizzCon 2026 Opening Ceremony brought rare good news for the permanently dark and dour world of Diablo. The fantasy series is officially getting an animated Netflix show, Diablo himself is finally coming to Diablo 4, and - surprise - Diablo 5 is set to come out sometime in 2029.

But with so much going on in the world of Sanctuary, don't expect any new expansions for Diablo 4. Speaking to PC Gamer, game director Brent Gibson explained the team are now "all focused on [Diablo 4] seasons and getting to Diablo 5."

"We feel like we told the Story of Hatred," Gibson continues. "We had a great conclusion with Lord of Hatred with what we have with Mephisto, and we are moving towards telling the Story of Terror."

While Blizzard doesn't have plans for a new Diablo 4 expansion in the foreseeable future, never say never. Diablo 2 got a new class and paid expansion after a 25-year break, after all - so long as people play Diablo 4, it'll receive some kind of support, according to Gibson.

Diablo 5's story is also set 100 years after Diablo 4, in a hellish world where "Sanctuary has fallen, and Diablo has won." In the meantime, Diablo 4 seasons will need to bridge the gap between the sort of horrifying world we're in now and the even more horrifying world we'll be entering in 2029.

The 100-year time jump "gives us a lot of room to kind of still ride the wave with all the fans on where the story can go as we make our way there," Gibson told PC Gamer. "So continuity is something that we're really excited about, but we don't necessarily have a perfect picture on exactly where that's going to go because we want to see how fans are reacting season to season."

Diablo 5's first confirmed classes are the Demon Hunter, Monk, and the all-new Plague Knight: Blizzard says the sequel has "more classes than ever before"

After more than three years, Diablo 4 is finally getting its big, bad, final boss: Diablo himself is coming to the game next week in season 15, alongside familiar characters, locations, and items inspired by all eras of the APRG's history.

Diablo was a huge focus of this year's BlizzCon 2026, mostly headlined by the announcement of Diablo 5. Blizzard managed to keep the lid on Diablo 5 ahead of the event, so its reveal was quite the surprise indeed, but the studio made it very clear that it's not ready to abandon Diablo 4.

The game's next season brings everything full circle for the series' 30th anniversary with the long-awaited addition of Diablo, as well as the other two Prime Evils, Mephisto and Baal, as well as the iconic friendly character, Deckard Cain, and new Legendary items inspired by the series' past. Basically, it's one big Diablo birthday party, and it's all kicking off next week with the Season of Hell's Legacy, which launches on September 15.

Still haven't had enough? We also got the announcement of Diablo 4's next new class, the Amazon, which is of course a fan-favorite from Diablo 2 that I can't wait to see return in D4 in "the first half of 2027." The Amazon class wields a bow, naturally, but will also bring an entirely new weapon, the Javelin, which you can see being put to deadly use in the below gameplay footage:

Here are the best RPGs we recommend playing in 2026.