Of all the surprise new games to top Steam's charts this year so far, Dressmaker might just be one of the most mind-boggling – but I'm so here for it.

If you haven't spotted it on your storefront home just yet, Dressmaker is a cozy new indie sim that does exactly what it sounds like it does: places you in the shoes of a dressmaker running a busy little boutique.

As developer Cozy Lives describes it on the wholesome game's official Steam page, you get to "choose fabric, cut out patterns, and sew them all together to satisfy (or sabotage!) townsfolk in this cozy crafting game inspired by real dressmaking."

Yes, sabotage. We love a bit of chaotic flair in our otherwise relaxing experiences, right? It seems most folks agree, anyway, seeing as Dressmaker already boasts a solid 96% rating and "Overwhelmingly Positive" reviews overall… and it only released yesterday, y'all.

The hype is so, so real. As one person comments, "This game is everything I wanted it to be and more." Another adds, "You should buy this game. You can feel the love poured into it."

In fact, I can't find even one negative review unless I specifically filter for them – that tells you all you need to know about what players think of Dressmaker so far.

That and the fact that it's sitting nicely in ninth place over on Steam's list of global top sellers, beating out the likes of Control Resonant and Diablo 4. That's no small feat, especially for a small sim about making dresses.

I'm counting this as a win for us fashion-loving girlies, honestly.

Now we just need a solid remake of the early Bratz hits on Wii and Barbie's fashion DS titles – then I'll be satisfied. Until then, though, I'll be cutting cloth and designing dresses.

Searching for more gems to wishlist? Browse through our roundup of the best upcoming indie games to look forward to this year and beyond.

Pre-orders for Graveyard Keeper 2 are reaching some big, big numbers for an indie release. So much so that publisher tinyBuild is anticipating a huge launch for the horror-themed Stardew Valley-like.

On Twitter, tinyBuild CEO Alex Nichiporchik posted about where Graveyard Keeper 2 is currently sitting on Steam. The sequel's been wishlisted over 1 million times in total and has over 147,000 pre-orders, generating more than $2,500,000 in gross revenue. In a more recent post, this figure is inches off $3 million.

A recent demo brought in around 22,000 players, and since progress can be brought over into the main game when it's out, tinyBuild believes there are going to be "high launch day numbers." On the list of nice things to hear as a studio, this must be up there.

"Edging towards $3,000,000, tomorrow is the last pre-order day," Nichiporchik says, quoting developer Lazy Bear Games. "The launch for Graveyard Keeper 2 might be massive."

It's not hard to see why this is happening. This follow-up is eight years in the making, as Graveyard Keeper launched in 2018. That game's maintained a steady audience in those years through regular DLC and updates, peaking at over 42,000 players on Valve's store according to Steam Charts. The game's on Switch, PlayStation 4, and a number of other platforms too, meaning its audience is quite a bit larger in total.

Those numbers aren't too shabby for a project from a small team. As the name implies, the game centers around you maintaining a local graveyard, with all sorts of spooky goings on in the meantime. It's Stardew Valley for people who grew up reading Goosebumps - like me, who put a considerable number of hours into the first game and reviewed it once upon a time.

Interest in ConcernedApe's hit farming sim has only ever grown, and nowadays people are always clamoring for their next cozy, agricultural adventure. Graveyard Keeper 2 is primed for that, just in time for Halloween too - it launches tomorrow, September 22.

"Just buy the game on Steam": Indie publisher behind a recent banger that sold 300k copies in its first week warns against key resellers after canceling hundreds of scalped keys.

The cozy life sim genre is becoming an increasingly crowded one. As the likes of Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and Story of Seasons can attest, it's a formula that just works. However, with more competition, it's getting harder and harder for cozy games to do something different.

After one hour with Petit Planet, HoYoverse's galactic spin on the genre, I'm hopeful the Genshin Impact devs might have something up their sleeve here to set it apart from its clear inspiration – even if many factors will feel, for better or worse, very familiar to anyone who's spent hours of their life in debt to Tom Nook.

Reach for the stars

My preview session allows me to explore what the first hour of Petit Planet has to offer, welcoming me to the cosmic setting and introducing me to its basic mechanics.

Your journey begins with you setting up life on your very own, teeny tiny planet. While you might have to do some space travel to get started, life in your personal world quickly feels very akin to a certain other life sim.

As I run around with my bug net and fishing rod, shake fruit from trees, and place decorations around my house (the string lights immediately make it feel more homely), it feels like stepping right back into Animal Crossing: New Horizons – a fact not helped by the animal characters you find yourself living with. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does feel like HoYoverse is playing it rather safe, and it makes it impossible not to draw comparisons, too.

It's this familiarity that makes me curious about how Petit Planet will feel in the hours past its intro, when I've settled into the more standard, long-term gameplay loop. It was the long haul that lost many New Horizons players back in 2020 once the repetition set in, after all. It's fair to say that longevity is the key factor that can make or break a life sim.

For now, at least, my goal in Petit Planet is to nurture a mysterious Luca seed into a big tree – one that can only be grown by pouring magical essence (also called Luca) onto it. I quickly collect jars of the stuff each time I'm introduced to a new task – be it the aforementioned bug catching or fishing – with each growth spurt bringing more life and activity to the planet, and in turn more Luca to harvest.

This story is pushed forward by Petit Planet's cast of bubbly characters, who, unlike Animal Crossing's own, notably all have actual voices.

I imagine individual players' enjoyment of the voice acting may vary, though. One of the main cast of characters, a large white dog called Mobai, has a sweet, calm demeanour with the endearing mannerisms of an old man. As he offers you tea and a chat, it's hard not to find him a pleasant chap. Unfortunately, he's also got a habit of saying "mo" instead of "no" in various phrases that, in the first hour of the game, are used constantly. "Mo rush," "mo worries," he constantly tells me, and I can already find myself reaching for the button to skip to the next dialogue box so I don't have to hear him say either aloud again.

Character building

That mild gripe aside, it's the characters and the way that they're handled that have me most intrigued about Petit Planet, giving it an edge that could help it break out of Animal Crossing's shadow.

My first proper 'villager' is Yunguo – a shy, fox-like farmer girl who quickly decides she wants to move in right next door to me. Not only does she immediately have a lot of personality, but flicking through the game's menus, I see pages that suggest a deeper level of relationship-building and character development than simply watching an Animal Crossing cat light up at being gifted a pear.

There's nothing wrong with the latter, but it appears that there'll be a focus here on making Petit Planet's characters more defined individuals, rather than creatures locked down into pre-set personality types.

Alas, an hour with a sprawling life sim could never be enough to know if Petit Planet has what it takes to take on genre juggernauts, but it certainly has a lot of the right ingredients. Above all else, it's extremely cute – charming character designs and inviting visuals make it impossible not to smile at what HoYoverse has got cooking up, which goes a long way in making a good first impression on anyone setting foot in the Starsea. Let's just hope it can stick the landing when Petit Planet launches later this year.

Lose yourself in these games like Animal Crossing if you're looking for some other wholesome life sim adventures!

Build a Boat for Treasure codes are a great way to help you complete the classic experience's quest for the Roblox the Hunt 20 event. Once again, you'll need to build a boat, but the treasure this time is some special celebratory birthday cake. Get across the lake and bring it back to claim your exclusive event reward - and using these promos can help you get there.

While you're claiming all the Roblox the Hunt 20 items you can, there are also plenty of general rewards that can be used across all experiences, so check out our list of the current Roblox promo codes for those.

All Build a Boat for Treasure codes

These are the Build a Boat for Treasure codes you can redeem during Roblox The Hunt 20:

• =D - 5x Gold
• =p -5x Gold
• hi - 5x Gold
• chillthrill709 was here - Classic Firework

While Build a Boat for Treasure codes aren't case-sensitive, they are a little strange, with some featuring classic smilies and others including spaces, so I'd recommend just copying and pasting them from my list above.

How to redeem Build a Boat for Treasure codes

To redeem Build a Boat for Treasure codes, hit the Menu button on the right-hand side of the screen before scrolling over to the Settings tab on the left. Scroll down this page, and you'll find the codes redemption box above the contributors section near the bottom, where you can enter any of the codes as they appear on my list.

Expired Build a Boat for Treasure codes

Given that Build a Boat for Treasure is an older Roblox experience, there are loads of expired codes, so I won't include them here. However, I will move the current codes down here if and when they expire to save you any disappointment.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

When Pocketpair announces a farming game featuring its colorful crew of Pals, it's only reasonable for people to start calling it Palworld Stardew Valley. But that's not quite what Palworld: Palfarm actually is, according to studio publishing and communications lead John "Bucky" Buckley. It is cozier and less violent than the survival game itself, but the farming sim is still going to defy expectations.

Pocketpair has only provided a scant few details on what to expect from Palfarm, and Buckley was asked for a little extra insight as part of a recent Gamescom interview for Gaming World Interviews. Presumably struggling to come up with something to say outside of the game's marketing plan, he notes that "Palfarm is in development. The team has grown a lot. A lot. That team has grown a lot. They're a very funny team. Just the guys themselves, very, very, very humorous people."

But then he adds that, "I think Palfarm is going to be a little bit different than what people expect it to be. I saw someone throw around the phrase 'Palworld Stardew Valley' and I would say not really, actually."

Now that's an intriguing bit of mystery. It's impossible for any cozy farming game to escape the shadow of Stardew Valley, since it defined the genre for a generation of players – well, those who hadn't first seen Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons, anyway. What makes Palfarm different? Is it the ability to set Pals to work tending your farm? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

"One thing I will say is it's not going to be as violent as you might think," Buckley says. "It is more on the cozier side. It's more like the cozy Palworld, but it definitely has that Palworld 'tongue-in-cheek' to it, shall we say? But it's pretty cool."

Valiantly finding one more thing to add for the interview, Buckley says that Palfarm is "very pretty. I think it's very pretty. I think it's a very, very pretty game, which I think people will appreciate."

"What you're talking about is Palworld 2": Pocketpair lead desperately asks players to stop asking for features that just "aren't possible" like terrain digging.

I guarantee you'll want to redeem these Mini War codes since they award players with Gems, a valuable currency you can only spend at the in-game Black Market on exclusive units and buildings.

You can't always access the Black Market in this Roblox city-builder and management sim, in fact it only appears for 20 minutes every hour, so you need to ensure you have enough Gems saved up to spend when it does open. So, redeem these Mini War codes while you have the chance, and keep an eye out for the special vendor's arrival.

If you'd also like some rewards that can be used in many other experiences as well, then we have all of the current Roblox promo codes too.

All Mini War codes

These are the Mini War codes you can redeem in-game right now:

• GENERALS - 50x Gems

Most Mini War codes award players with Gems, which you can spend in the Black Market on special factories, buildings, units, and more. If you don't already have Gem mines, that's what I'd recommend spending your Gems on first, as you'll get more in the long-run, and those earned for free from codes help boost your balance.

How to redeem Mini War codes

To redeem Mini War codes, you just need to click on the Shop button on the left-hand side of the screen indicated by a basket icon. Scroll to the bottom of the shop window to see the code redemption box, enter a code from above, then click Redeem to claim your rewards.

It's worth noting that Mini War codes are case-sensitive, so you must ensure you enter codes exactly as they appear above or they won't work. It might be worth copying and pasting from the list if you can, to ensure the code you're entering is definitely accurate.

Expired Mini War codes

• tungtungsahur
• NOLAGPLZ
• MINIWAR
• DISCODOGTOPSECRETMEGAHIPERULTRACODE

A few Mini War codes have expired already, and those in the list at the top of the page will likely join them, so redeem any active promos as soon as you see them.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

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.

If things keep going the way they're going, finding the real Needle In A HayStack Simulator on Steam will be just like the title. Several pretenders have emerged since the original was announced, prompting the devs to make sure the game stands out amid the fakery.

You can probably surmise what Needle In A Haystack Simulator wants you to do, but I'll describe it anyway. There's a needle lost in a haystack of around 5 million pieces of hay. You have to find it.

That's pretty much it. You can find treasure in your search that you can sell for tools that'll make the process easier, but really it's just about bounding through piles and piles of hay. The release, from Studio Bitdot, managed to get a bit of online attention due to being so on-the-nose and perfunctory, in the way meme games tend to in the era of friendslop and streamer bait.

I mean, I want to play it to see how infuriating it'll be, and if I can bring some friends along for the ride, all the better. The game itself is due out during the last quarter of this year, and since the Steam page went up, a bunch of others have appeared like a bad rash.

At time of writing, there are eight other games, similar in concept and title, available on Valve's marketplace. Some have slightly different aesthetics, but they're all based around the exact same thing - finding a needle that's somehow become lost in an absurd amount of hay. When I say similar, I'm referring to games like:

• Needle In A Haystack
• Needle In A Haystack (yes, again, verbatim)
• Needle in a Haytask (behold, a lowercase "a")
• Needle in a Haystack (two lowercase words in the title, dare we dream)
• A Needle In a Haystack (in case you were unsure of how many needles there are)
• Needle in a Million Haystacks (now we're just getting silly, the world's not ready for this much hay)

Bitdot has responded the only way possible, really: by slapping an "Original" bumper sticker on its Steam listing art. I mean, what else can you do? It's not exactly an original conceit, though it's certainly more original than the above, and these are indie devs with limited resources. You're got to use what you've got. I know which one of these I'll be playing, and it's not one of the bandwagon jumpers.

After 4 years of work, solo dev breaks down in tears after opening Steam and learning his game made $250,000 in a week: "I feel like I really don't deserve this."

September 22, 2026: I've added another new Search for the Needle code to our list!

Search for the Needle codes can help you get a leg up when scouring through hay piles for a tiny needle. It's a tiresome task, and any boost that helps you clear the hay that little bit faster is a godsend, be it a useful Class skill like increased earnings or faster hay collection or some more cash to spend on better tools.

Thankfully, these Search for the Needle codes give you exactly that, usually in the form of Gems which you can exchange for Class Rerolls. Be careful, though, as you're not guaranteed a decent class, so think carefully before rerolling. Don't think before redeeming these codes, though, as they can expire at any time.

For other more general rewards that you can use across all of your experiences, then take a look at our list of the current Roblox promo codes you can use.

All Search for the Needle codes

These are all the valid Search for the Needle codes right now:

• CLANS - 200x Gems new!
• WEATHER - 120x Gems
• PETS - 200x Gems, 30-minute 2x Luck Boost for Class Rerolls

As you can see from the list above, there are a few different rewards to be had by redeeming Search for the Needle codes, but primarily you're looking at Gems. There may be the off opportunity for update-specific items sometimes, too.

How to redeem Search for the Needle codes

To redeem Search for the Needle codes, simply click on the Codes button on the right of the screen, indicated by the blue bird icon. Enter the code into the box and hit Redeem to receive your rewards.

Expired Search for the Needle codes

• ALIEN - 200x Gems, 200x Alien Coins

Now there have been a few more Search for the Needle codes, some promos are starting to expire, with those above sure to join them in the near future, so redeem any promos as soon as you see them.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

All Star Tower Defense codes might have been around a long time, but they're still showing no signs of slowing down as the popular game stands the test of time. Whether you're just getting involved for the first time or you're a long-term player, the following promos will be super helpful to your progression.

Anime tower defense games are rife on Roblox, so it's hard to know which ones to play, but thanks to its longevity, you know ASTD is a good choice. As you assemble your best team of anime champions and prepare to take on your next boss, redeem these ASTD codes for a boost.

Plus, if you want more general rewards that apply to all your experiences, take a look at our list of the latest Roblox promo codes up for grabs.

All ASTD codes

These are the All Star Tower Defense codes you can redeem right now:

• ReturnOfTheLobbies - 4,000x Gems, 150x Stardust
• ALateSummerAwaits - 4,000x Gems, 100x Stardust
• AwesomeBeginnerCode - 4,000x Gems, 50x Stardust, 1x Otherworldly Pickle

As you can see, ASTD codes tend to grant players with a combination of Gems and Stardust, which you need to summon new units to your team. On occasion, you may even get a special Unit, which could either be pretty weak but fun, or incredibly powerful, so don't miss out.

How to redeem ASTD codes

To redeem All Star Tower Defense codes, you must first click on the Settings button in the top-left hand corner of the screen. You'll find the codes redemption box at the bottom of the window that opens up. Enter the code into the box as it appears above then hit Enter or your platform equivalent.

There is no on-screen message to let you know that the code has been redeemed unless it awards a Unit, which will pop up, but if it's been successful, you'll see a change in the amount of currency beneath the window.

Expired ASTD codes

• FusionReborn - 4,000x Gems, 150x Stardust
• TheOverlordArrives - 4,000x Gems, 250x Stardust
• WhoInvitedThisGuy - 4,000x Gems, 250x Stardust
• tboicats - 3,000x Gems, 170x Stardust
• sorryfordelayandmonkeyking - 4,000x Gems, 280x Stardust
• yickadee - 2,000x Gems, 230x Stardust
• twete93dont - 2,700x Gems, 170x Stardust
• tungtungnobannersahur - 2,700x Gems, 170x Stardust
• cosmicrebel - 2,700x Gems, 170x Stardust
• omgupdate2026 - 2,700x Gems, 170x Stardust
• fordanielxd - 67x Gems, 67x Stardust

Since ASTD has been around for over six years, there have been plenty of expired codes, including the selection seen above. The valid codes will also expire at some point, so it's worth redeeming them as soon as you see them to avoid disappointment.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

These Anime Dice codes grant a handsome number of rewards, all of which are useful for obtaining better characters and upgrading your best for increased earnings and better fighting abilities.

Anime Dice is a combination of some of the most popular Roblox experiences, rolling Gacha and combat into one. Not only do you need the best anime-inspired characters to rake in as much cash as possible, but you can also pit them against bosses in a combat card game to climb the tower and earn even more rewards. You'll need all the help you can to get as far as possible, so redeem the Anime Dice codes below.

If you're searching for more general rewards that you can apply to all of your experiences, then we've got the latest Roblox promo codes you can claim.

All Anime Dice codes

These are all the Anime Dice codes you can redeem right now:

• UPDATE5 - 3x Lucky Spins, 20x Trait Rerolls, 20x Gems, 20x Tickets new!
• 250KLIKES - 2x Lucky Spins, 20x Trait Rerolls, 20x Gems new!
• 30KCCU - 2x Lucky Spins, 10x Trait Rerolls, 10x Gems latest!
• 40KCCU - 2x Lucky Spins, 10x Trait Rerolls, 10x Gems latest!
• 100KLIKES - 2x Lucky Spins, 10x Trait Rerolls, 10x Gems latest!
• 10KCCU - 2x Lucky Spins, 10x Trait Rerolls, 10x Gems latest!
• 20KCCU - 2x Lucky Spins, 10x Trait Rerolls, 10x Gems latest!
• UPDATE4 - 3x Lucky Spins, 10x Trait Rerolls, 10x Gems, 10x Tickets latest!
• 5KCCU - 2x Lucky Spins, 5x Trait Rerolls, 5x Gems
• 1KCCU - 2x Lucky Spins, 5x Trait Rerolls, 5x Gems
• UPDATE3 - 2x Lucky Spins, 7x Trait Rerolls, 7x Gems
• UPDATE2 - 2x Lucky Spins, 5x Trait Rerolls, 5x Gems
• UPDATE1 - 2x Lucky Spins, 3x Trait Rerolls, 3x Gems
• RELEASE - 1x Lucky Spin, 2x Trait Rerolls, 2x Gems

As you can see from the list above, Anime Dice codes tend to reward a combination of Lucky Spins, Trait Rerolls, and Gems. While Lucky Spins can get you some superb rewards if luck is on your side, Trait Rerolls and Gems can be used more specifically to upgrade your best characters.

Anime Dice codes aren't case-sensitive, so you only have to worry about spelling, but you should still just copy and paste them from above if possible to avoid mistakes.

How to redeem Anime Dice codes

To redeem Anime Dice codes, you must first click on the Shop button in-game. The confusing thing is that there are two Shop buttons, so you must choose the one on the left-hand side of the screen, marked by a shopping basket icon. You can also get here by heading to the Market stall in the center of the arena.

Either way, you should then scroll to the bottom of the shop screen where you'll see the codes redemption box. Enter a code into the box as it appears above, and then hit Redeem.

Expired Anime Dice codes

• There are no expired Anime Dice codes.

Anime Dice is still a relatively new Roblox experience, so no codes have expired since release. However, I don't doubt that those codes above will expire at some point, when I'll move them down here, so redeem them while you can.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

September 22, 2026: I've added the latest Anime Fighting Simulator codes to our list.

These Anime Fighting Simulator codes will come in super handy as you're levelling up your weapons and abilities in the fighting game. Whether you need to buff you Chakra, your sword, or your durability, you'll be able to do so with most of the codes below.

Luckily, redemption codes come in thick and fast for this Roblox experience, and I'll be keeping an eye on the latest announcements so you don't miss any. So, whether it's Tensei Shards or a training speed boost you're after, take a look at the Anime Fighting Simulator codes below.

If you'd also like some rewards that can be used in many other experiences as well, then we have all of the current Roblox promo codes too.

All Anime Fighting Simulator codes

These are the Anime Fighting Simulator codes you can redeem in-game right now:

• DEMONLORD - 2x Tensei Shard Boost, 4x Stat Boosts, 4x Yen Boosts, 1,500x Tensei Shards, 1x Titan Serum, 3,000x Chikara Shards new!
• UPDATE9 - 5,000x Chikaras, 3,000x Tensei Shards, 12x Trait Rerolls, 4x Stat Boosts, 4x Training Speed Boosts new!
• 400KMEMBERS - 2,000x Tensei Shards, 5x Fruit Rolls, 4x Yen Boosts, 1,000x Tower Tokens new!
• TOURNEYFIX - 1x Temporary Server Boost, 4x Stat Boost, 4x Chikara Boost, 2x Tensei Shard Booster
• TRIPLET - 2,000x Tensei Shards, 1,000x Tower Tokens, 2x Shifting Serum, 4x Training Speed Boost, 4x Stat Boost

As you can see from the list above, there are a load of great rewards to be had from redeeming these Anime Fighting Simulator codes. New codes often come through every few days, so I'll be updating this list regularly. Check back frequently to make sure you don't miss out.

How to redeem Anime Fighting Simulator codes

To redeem Anime Fighting Simulator codes, simply access the Shop via the basket button on the left-hand menu. From here, you'll see the Codes tab at the end of the top bar. Select this, enter your code into the box, and hit Redeem.

Enter codes exactly as they appear above to ensure that you get your rewards.

Expired Anime Fighting Simulator codes

• FASTFIX - 1x Server Boost
• FIGHT - 2,000x Tensei, 4x Speed, 4x Stat, 10x Trait Rerolls
• TOURNEY - 1,500x Chikara, 1,500x Tensei Shards, 4x Training Speed Boost, 4x Stat Boost, 4x Yen Boost
• 7.5SHUTDOWN - 1,500x Tensei, 1x Temp Server Boost
• SEASON2 - 750x Tensei Shards, 4x Stat Boosts, 4x Training Speed Boosts, 10x Trait Rerolls
• MOREFIXES - 1x Server Boost, 2x Stat Boosts, 750x Tensei Shards, 2x Yen Boosts
• FLAMEBREATHING - 5,000x Chikara, 750x Tensei Shards, 5x Stat Boosts, 5x Training Speed Boosts, 5x Yen Boosts
• MIDWEEK - 500x Tensei Shards, 2x Training Speed Boosts, 2x Yen Boosts, 10x Trait Rerolls
• DIM2FASTFIX - 500x Tensei Shards, 1x Server Boost
• DIM2FIXES - 1x Temp Server Boost, 500x Tensei Shards
• DIMENSION2 - 500x Tensei Shards, 2x Yen Boosts, 2x Stat Boosts, 2x Speed Training Boosts
• UPDFIXES - 1x Temporary Server Boost
• LIBERATION - 2x Stat Boost, 2x Yen Boost, 1,000x Chikara, 1x Server Boost
• WTOPSPEED - 1x Temp Server Boost
• RUMBLING - 4x Stat Boosts, 2x Training Boosts, 10x Trait Rerolls, 1x Temp Server Boost
• SHUTDOWNBOOST - 1x Temporary Server Boost
• FIVEUPDATE - 2,000x Chikara, 2x Stat Boosts, 2x Yen Boosts, 2x Training Speed Boosts
• UPDATEWED - 2x Stat Boosts, 2x Yen Boosts, 1,000x Chikara, 1x Server Boost
• UPD4RELEASE - 3x Stat Boosts, 2x Yen Boosts, 1,000x Chikara, 2x Fruit Rolls
• SWORDINCIDENT - 4x Stat Boosts, 2x Yen Boosts, 1,000x Chikara, 2x Limbo Keys
• MIDBUGFIX - 1,000x Chikara, 1x Server Boost, 2x Stat Boosts, 2x Yen Boosts
• BPEXP - 400x Battle Pass XP
• 100THOUSANDLIKES - 1,000x Chikara, 3x Stat Boosts, 3x Fruit Rolls
• HOTFIXPATCH - 3,000x Chikara, 2x Fruit Rolls, 2x Stat Boosts
• UPD3RELEASE - 3x Chikara Boost, 3x Yen Boost, 3x Stat Boost, 1,000x Chikara, 1x Champion Luck Boost
• MIDWEEKUPD - 3x Stat Boost, 3x Yen Boost, 3x Fruit Rolls, 1,000x Chikara
• QUICKSHUTDOWN - 2,000x Chikara, 2x Stat Boosts, 2x Yen Boosts
• UPDATE2PLAY - 3x Yen Boost, 3x Stat Boost, 3x Fruit Rolls, 12x Trait Rerolls, 1,000x Chikara Shards
• DELAYCODE - 8x Dungeon Keys
• QUICKFIX - 3x Server Boosts
• THANKYOUFOR50K - 3x Fruit Rolls, 2x Yen Boosts, 2x Stat Boost, 10x Trait Rerolls, 2x Training Speed Boost
• 100KFAVS - 2x Chikara Boosts, 10x Trait Rerolls, 3x Fruit Rolls, 3x Stat Boosts, 500x Chikara Shards
• UPDATE1 - 1x Stat Boost, 1x Chikara boost, 1x Yen Boost, 12x Trait Reroll, 5x Fruit Rolls, 1x Malevolent Key, 1,000x Chikara
• THANKYOUSUPPORT - 1x Fruit Roll, 2x Stat Boost
• RELEASE - 600x Chikara Shards, 1x Speed Training Boost

Loads of Anime Fighting Simulator codes have already expired, as you can see from the list above, so be sure to redeem any current codes while you have the chance.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Back in 2006, Rare found itself at a crossroads. The developer had spent the 1990s working with Nintendo, creating some of the SNES, Game Boy, and N64's most beloved titles. In 2002, though, it was acquired by Microsoft, becoming a first-party developer for its new game console. In the transition, some of Rare's magic seemed to have been lost. None of the four games it developed in the intervening years were hits, critically or commercially, on anything like the scale of its Nintendo golden years.

As such, 2006's Viva Piñata was positioned as a comeback for the studio. The game was aimed at a younger audience and was intended to be the beginning of a fully fledged franchise, complete with its own animated TV show. On these terms, the game was not the success it deserved to be – but it proved that the embers of that old Rare magic still burned bright.

In Viva Piñata, the player is handed the deeds to a rough patch of land and tasked with turning it into a bustling garden by filling it with plants, decorations, and – the game's undisputed stars – animals. Piñatas, to be precise, of which there are 60 varieties, from Arocknid to Zumbug, to attract into your garden with the hope that they'll make it their home.

This is achieved by meeting a tick list of needs for each species: the right kind of tree for them to nest in, enough water for aquatic creatures to splash around in, and the component parts of their diet. It's a gentle start to the game, but the process of winning over a piñata is truly satisfying. Spotting a new species for the first time is a treat. All 60 are charmingly designed, with names that pun on a type of sweet, like Profitamole or Buzzlegum. Visiting piñatas start out monochrome, but convince them to become residents and they'll bloom into full colour, revealing their vibrant blues, yellows and purples – the perfect visual reward for your efforts.

It's not hard to see why Microsoft saw the opportunity for a kid's TV series in Viva Piñata. Cuteness can be an easy thing to dismiss, but Rare pulls it off here with the kind of deft hand usually reserved for Disney cartoons and litters of puppies. Every bit of incidental animation is charming, bringing the piñatas and their world to adorable life.

Don't you dare smash one

Back in the Nintendo days, Rare had created Banjo-Kazooie, a series of kid-friendly games which were among the biggest sellers on the N64. In the Donkey Kong Country games, it filled out DK's supporting cast with the likes of Diddy and Cranky Kong. After the failure of Kameo: Elements of Power, an Xbox 360 launch title with a similar Saturday-morning cartoon aesthetic and a Pokémon-like cast of creatures, Viva Piñata provided much-needed proof that the design talent behind those older games was still alive and well.

Viva Piñata is more than just a pretty face, though. As the game progresses, it drip-feeds the player a steady stream of new challenges. First, the introduction of ‘piñatavores', which won't settle in your garden until they've eaten one of its existing residents. There's a certain old-lady-who-swallowed-a-fly logic to attracting some piñatas at the top of the food chain: you lure in a Mousemallow to feed to a Syrupent, then feed the Syrupent to a Macaracoon and so on. This is further complicated by the ability to breed animals, which involves checking off another set of requirements to help get them in the mood. Smaller piñatas, it seems, serve as the perfect aphrodisiac. This can test your loyalties – say you want to breed the foxy Pretztails, but have grown attached to the two Bunnycombs who have settled in the garden. Naturally you get the latter to do what rabbits do best, and make another Bunnycomb – so you can feed that cute little baby straight to a Pretztail.

As you nudge forward through the game, waiting for the right animal to wander into your garden, tending to plants, and building homes for your favourites, the initially gentle pace begins to snowball. Viva Piñata introduces ‘sour' piñatas, who drop sweets that can poison a resident; weeds that can spring up and choke your existing plants; masked Ruffians who vandalise and start fights. It's around this point that you begin to glimpse the game's hidden dark side.

Rotten candy

Family-friendly games weren't the only thing Rare was known for. Titles such as Killer Instinct, GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark brought a vital edge to Nintendo's catalogue. Conker, one of the cutesy animal characters created for Diddy Kong Racing, was revamped into a sweary, hard-drinking squirrel armed with Uzis and a chainsaw. By 2006, though, games had to work considerably harder to shock. Six months after the launch of Conker's Bad Fur Day, Rockstar changed the gaming landscape with the release of Grand Theft Auto III. Xbox consoles had made their name with the likes of Halo, Splinter Cell and – launched just days before Viva Piñata – Gears of War. An attempt to return to Rare's more bloody roots with Perfect Dark Zero proved disappointing.

While it may not have been obvious on the surface, though, some of this spirit lived on in Viva Piñata. The violence is kept strictly PG – when a piñata is killed, they pop open and spill their sweets on the ground, accompanied by the sound of children cheering – but it's effective because the game has encouraged you to invest in these creatures. The early game incentivises naming your piñatas with mechanical reward, sneakily building attachment. After all, which are you going to care more about, ‘Horstachio 1' or the one named after your childhood pet? As anyone who's watched Bambi or The Lion King will tell you, the death of loved animals isn't exactly out of the realms of children's entertainment, but Rare finds new opportunities to twist the knife. Those spilt sweets will get eaten by passing piñatas, meaning it's not unusual to catch a treasured Fudgehog snaffling up the innards of its former lover. The circle of life, lovingly rendered in all its gory glory.

And then Dastardos floats into your garden. The game's equivalent of the Grim Reaper, Dastardos is genuinely sinister. He glides just off the ground, a rigid expression on his Picasso mask, towards any piñatas who have fallen sick. "Dastardos has invented a cheerful song to help him through the day and make piñatas calm while he ‘fixes' them," reads the in-game description. By fixing, of course, it means bashing them open with a big stick. Suffice to say, Dastardos is not a welcome presence in your garden. But as the pace picks up, he's an increasingly common sight.

Viva Piñata increases the tension through something that's either a trick smartly borrowed from survival-horror games or a brilliant accident: the tools it gives you are just a little imprecise. The game plays out in real time, and its controls often make it feel like you're trying to complete a very delicate task with a very long pole.

This is an offshoot of the god-game genre, but one which casts you as a hapless god. Your shovel can be brought down like a lightning bolt from Zeus, but you lack that all-important omniscience – meaning you can only react to things once they've already started happening.

Turn your back for one second too long, and a wild piñata can sneak into your garden on the hunt. The game pings you with a notification when this happens, but if you don't act quickly, it'll all be over before you can intervene. When things start to go wrong, you can suddenly find yourself drowning in notifications, trying to pick through all the ones about plants drying out to get to the real trouble.

Two of your favourite piñatas are fighting, so you reach for the shovel and… Too late. One of them falls to the ground, sickly green. You notice a gate open in the pen separating predators from prey… Too late. A Cocoadile is gulping down your beloved Donald, the Quackberry you spent time and money dressing up. You spot a sour piñata, and look for the seeds it inevitably left behind… Too late. Red, ugly plants climb up, spitting fire and poisonous gas, choking and trapping whole piñata populations, meaning you miss the poisoned candies the sour also dropped on the other side of the garden.

Self-flagulation

When these disasters start to happen, you notice the game doesn't offer any quick save or load options. It's not exactly Ironman mode, but Viva Piñata is pushing you to stick with the consequences. The only way to sidestep the game's permanence is by shutting it down mid-session, praying for a convenient autosave.

That this option is so tempting is testament to Viva Piñata's success, building just slowly enough that you get invested in this cutesy world, before baring its teeth. The game works because it blends the brightness of Banjo-Kazooie with the harder edge Rare that showed in early games such as Killer Instinct and Battletoads.

Unfortunately, when it came to finding an audience, this meant that Viva Piñata fell between two stools. The game did well enough to launch a handful of sequels and spin-off games, but sold a small fraction of what Rare's biggest hits had managed. After a couple more games, the studio was folded more closely into Microsoft, working on avatars for Xbox Live and a string of Kinect games. It's only now, with Sea of Thieves, that Rare is stepping back into the spotlight – and so in 2018, the developer once again finds itself at a crossroads, with a bold new game positioned as its big comeback.

Until we ever get a new Viva Pinata, why not try these games like Palworld?

Substructure is an attempt to take one of the factory sim genre's most celebrated mods, and transform its core idea into a game of its own. Factorio's Ultracube, which limits production to the vicinity of the eponymous cube and tasks players with expertly navigating the bottlenecks that inevitably brings, is a lauded but daunting twist on the genre leader. By the time Substructure's devs have finished showing me how their game reimagines that idea across a multi-level map, I'm feeling dizzy at the extent of mental juggling I've had to do.

After a 'rogue planet' drifts its way into the solar system, you're dispatched to its surface to investigate. Upon arrival, you quickly begin extracting the resources you find near your landing site; silica serves as a basic building material, from which you can construct what you need to farm the local fauna, burning it as biofuel to power more complex buildings. Automation, of course, is the aim, and conveyors and robotic arms are quickly sorting and transporting fuel, raw materials, and seeds to be replanted around your growing planetary footprint.

Rock and roll

But among the more simple material is something else; a rock that can only be mined at night, and which will eventually dissolve away if not processed effectively. It's the first sense of the logistical challenges that Substructure will impose, but also that there's more to this planet than the plants and minerals on its surface are ready to reveal. Eventually, a drill allows you to burst through the crust, opening a cavernous new internal frontier to explore.

It's from here that the real complexity of Substructure's automation begins to open up. Beneath the outer shell, the planet has another level, this one dark, humid, and home to bioluminescent fungus. Bore down another layer and the climate changes again, glowing crystals combining with a building toxicity to create an altogether harsher climate. Developer Dubious Design has already teased a journey taking you all the way to the planet's core, and the deeper you delve the more clues you'll find to suggest this rogue planet hasn't always been as empty as it currently seems.

But, while progress might be downwards, it's not a straight line. Those drills don't simply allow you to bust holes in the planet for the fun of it – they help you build massive elevator shafts that can be used to carry materials to and fro across the various levels you've explored. Material mined from lower levels might need to be brought up to the surface for expansion, and material processed on the surface will need to go back into the depths.

As your automation becomes more complex, the elevators themselves can become their own mega-factories, yoyo-ing between levels to take advantage of the differing environmental conditions. Certain catalysts will speed up production – sunlight, for example, speeds up the production of the plants in your fields, while darkness will slow it down – so managing exactly where your elevators are and at what thresholds they move (all while balancing where their output goes) is crucial to pushing substructure's efficiency.

By the time just three planetary levels have offered up their secrets, my head is spinning. I'm being guided through Substructure's opening hours at breakneck pace, admittedly, but there are already so many moving parts, all reliant on so many other systems. Despite that, studio co-founders Mike Donoghue and Stu Taylor say they have to fight the urge to add things that are "too complicated."

Instead, the aim is to gradually introduce players to more and more complex ideas. Guiding them directly through the experience isn't an option – the team's internal mantra is "'all game'", the idea that nothing should be interrupting the player on their own journey to understanding. Mastery might be a long time coming, but the belief is that that friction – catalysts, time-sensitive resources, the game's sheer verticality – is all a necessary part of the game.

"You need friction for it to be interesting," says Taylor, as Donoghue doubles down: "I think humans derive inherent satisfaction from solving things and feeling like they've achieved something. We really believe in this idea of 'sense of accomplishment by playing', where indirect guidance is where you get the highest sense of accomplishment. Our games work best to some extent when they are maddening you."

Keep your own play ticking over like in Substructure with our best strategy games ranking, and games like Stardew Valley recommendations!

Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone has shared an update on his upcoming chocolatier sim Haunted Chocolatier as we approach the fifth anniversary of its announcement: the game is still happening.

Now that Hollow Knight: Silksong and Mewgenics are out, the gaming community needs a new indie that's taking ages to launch to rally around. For me, that's Little Devil Inside (which was originally announced for the Wii U, to tell you how long that's been), but I imagine there's a whole lot of people who have been desperately waiting for the next game from Stardew Valley developer Barone instead. His upcoming Haunted Chocolatier was announced all the way back in 2021.

To his credit, Barone has been way more open about the development of Haunted Chocolatier than the Silksong devs were or Little Devil Inside devs are. He's well aware that Haunted Chocolatier is "taking a long time," but he's now shared a new update on the game's development through the Haunted Chocolatier website.

"I'm still here, still making progress," Barone says, thanking the fanbase for waiting patiently, and apologizing for how long development is taking. He adds, "I've been very productive on this project lately even though I am busy with many things. Working on Haunted Chocolatier is what I'm most eager and driven to do, out of everything."

However, despite his apologies about the development time, Barone isn't stressed about it, as, "That's just how it is" He explains, "I won't compromise on the quality of the game by rushing it or releasing it too early. Then all my time would be wasted, anyway." Barone also notes that the community is supportive, adding that "I do appreciate how understanding you guys are."

"My goal is to make a game that I am proud of and personally enjoy. And I am certain, at this point, that I will enjoy the game when it is finished," Barone says. "I already enjoy playing it in its unfinished state, especially after some recent additions i made… I hope others will like it too when it’s ready."

Given that Stardew Valley has become one of the most beloved games of all time, and it has been consistently been updated alongside the development of Haunted Chocolatier, I reckon we let Barone cook – because he's right, it'd be a waste to rush the process.

Haunted Chocolatier is "way bigger than Stardew Valley," says ConcernedApe: "Everything is cranked up."

Paralives just got a brand-new update, addressing some of the most common bugs and adding various hotly requested features to the indie life sim – including alternative camera controls, which I might be a tad bit too excited about.

As per the Paralives roadmap, there's still plenty to come to The Sims 4 competitor, but the developers have undeniably been on the case. Recently, we saw improvements made to baby Paras' uncanny appearances – and, now, we've got more columns in the Paramaker, new camera controls, fresh animations, and more.

Paralives Studios reveals as much in a post over on X, showcasing some of patch 0.1.8's big highlights

The alternate camera controls are such a big deal, in fact, that they've spurred their own little follow-up thread from the studio, in which it says, "You're welcome."

Attached is an amusing edit of various – and I mean various – complaints and screenshots from Reddit and the like regarding the old Paralives camera controls and the (previous) inability to change them. The comments are nice there, too, with many a "thank you" rolling in.

How do the alternative camera controls work, though? "Notably," as Paralives Studio writes, it "allows players to rotate the camera with middle click and scroll their view with right click." Yes, please.

As for everything else that 0.1.8 has to offer, the column customization in both the Build Mode and Paramaker is pretty dang great if I do say so myself – especially as someone who uses Sims 4 mods to properly adjust the columns in Create-A-Sim.

There's also a new set of embarrassed animations, because we all know our Paras might find themselves in some less-than-ideal situations at times. Plus, "various optimizations" to the game's code, the ability to turn the TV or radio on – something we lost along the way "in the past few patches," and loads of other bug fixes.

All in all, 0.1.8 is a decent update, and I'd recommend giving the full notes a read on Steam for those able.

Excitingly enough, Paralives Studio has more up its sleeve underway as well, noting that the devs are "still hard at work trying to find proper reproduction steps for many ongoing issues."

Until then, I'll be hopping back into the Paramaker for the hundredth hour.

Searching for more new games to wishlist? Here are the best games like The Sims 4 out there right now to explore if you want a Paralives-adjacent experience.

Roblox has been in the limelight the past couple of days thanks to Steal an Egg, a pet-raising simulator that encourages users to continuously doomscroll through reels while running on a virtual treadmill Black Mirror-style – or, well, used to encourage.

Used to, because Roblox actually deplatformed the game yesterday following folks' outrage online over Steal an Egg's encouragement of short-form video overconsumption (you know, doomscrolling). At first, users weren't sure why Roblox removed Steal an Egg – but now, it all makes sense.

The company explains its reasoning in a new post, confirming that it won't allow Roblox to host such games any longer. So, what do we mean by "such" here? Well, games that encourage doomscrolling, basically.

"Effective immediately," as the Roblox developers write, "games will not be allowed in Roblox Kids and Select if they combine all of the following: A media feed (short-form videos, images, or story-style posts). A feed that autoplays, loops, or scrolls on its own. A reward, or implied reward, for continued watching."

The devs conclude with their reasoning here: "Rewarding users to consume a continuous feed of content without natural stopping points is not appropriate for younger users."

They specify what kinds of games and what sort of content isn't okay further, then, but it's safe to say that this was a pretty decent move on the Roblox team's part. Between Grow a Garden and Steal a Brainrot, there's already plenty of mind-melting content to fall under the spell of, anyway.

Comments show users happy to see the change, too. "This is incredible," reads one. "I am extremely glad that the team is making changes in response to creator and community feedback. I really appreciate how fast this change was made as well."

Another replies, "This is a genuine breath of fresh air to see Roblox actually making good decisions for the health and quality of the platform instead of whatever will pump the stock up."

The comments make sense here, considering past statements from the company, like CEO Dave Baszucki's instructing parents to simply not "let your kids be on Roblox" when they raised concerns… and seeing as it's basically the biggest gaming platform in the world now.

Fan of the virtual platform yourself? Here are some up-to-date Roblox promo codes to use for free, effortless goodies.

Story of Seasons (previously known as Harvest Moon outside of Japan), the cozy series that inspired Stardew Valley, is returning five years after its last original entry with another gem – and a fresh JRPG spin-off for Rune Factory stans, too.

In case you're out of the loop, Story of Seasons – which used to be Harvest Moon, but is now a separate franchise overseas – hasn't seen the release of a new mainline entry since Pioneers of Olive Town back in 2021.

Sure, we've had remakes and all, like the recent (and, yes, good) Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, but a never-before-seen release? It's been five years, y'all. Turns out developer Marvelous Inc has one up its sleeve, however.

The team confirms as much in a new live stream over on X, unveiling a brand-new Story of Seasons with some downright adorable footage. I'm talking bubbly cows, crystal-blue waters, and a charming seaside town I can't wait to learn more about.

That's not all that Marvelous has in the works, though. It showcases Rune Factory 6 as well, the latest entry in Story of Seasons' spin-off JRPG series… and, yep, it looks just as gorgeous.

As excited as I am for both, the most wholesome part of the stream stands out as a message from Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone – the mastermind behind Stardew Valley himself.

"The Harvest Moon and Rune Factory series are the best games of my life and have played a huge part in shaping who I am today," it reads (as translated in-house by GamesRadar+). "Playing Harvest Moon on the SNES as a child it was obvious that it set itself apart from every other game I had played."

He explains why: "Many games focus on grand adventures, battles, and saving the world, while Harvest Moon presents a very different world, a little life that's centered around farming, the bonds people share, and building a home. It reminds me of the unspoken comforts of slow-paced everyday activities."

That it does, ConcernedApe. That it does – and that's probably why so many of us harbor so much love for it.

We'll likely learn more about both Marvelous projects soon, but for now, I'll be rewatching the live stream over and over again for better glimpses of Story of Seasons' farm animals and Rune Factory 6's chibi little beast-like characters.

Searching for other new games to play? Browse through our roundup of the best games like Stardew Valley to hop into while you wait for Story of Seasons and Rune Factory 6.

Look, sometimes you're really proud of something and want to show it off. Even as the CEO of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata was not immune to this, since he apparently made sure everyone at Nintendo Europe was playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf ahead of the game's launch.

Speaking on the Back Page podcast (spotted by FRVR), Ashley Day, a former PR and social media manager at Nintendo UK, recalls the experience in a retrospective on the Nintendo DS. "There was a very unusual push behind-the-scenes to make [Animal Crossing: New Leaf] a success," he remembers.

"This came from the top. This came from Iwata," he said. "Certainly in Europe, I don't know what it was like in the States or in Japan, but every single employee at Nintendo Europe and all of its subsidiaries was given a free copy of New Leaf months before the game came out."

This wasn't normal for the games giant. Employees had access to freebies, sure, but not before the shelf date. Iwata made an exception for the handheld Animal Crossing installment, because he wanted everyone to understand the charm and rhythm of the series.

"Iwata made a point and said, 'I want everyone, it's now your job to play New Leaf, like play it every day,'" Day says. "He wanted people to understand at Nintendo what it was like to play Animal Crossing habitually."

I'm not an Animal Crossing fan, really – I respect the series much more than I actively enjoy it – and even I'll say, having your boss come in and utter the words, "It's now your job to play New Leaf" is truly the dream. Forget real capitalism, we're partaking in fake capitalism with bells and Tom Nook now.

Of course, "he was right," and Nintendo's European operations became a hot bed of Animal Crossing aficionados, because New Leaf dailies became fundamental to everyone's days. "It was amazing to see," Day adds.

"Some of the older generation of sales people who were in their late 50s and didn't really touch games all that much suddenly became ultra obsessed with Animal Crossing," he remembers. "They were trading on the Animal Crossing stock market and making clothes."

New Leaf wound up being a massive release, and Day puts some of that down to this mandate. Whether that's true is hard to actually verify, but having everyone behind the game definitely won't have hurt.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf became a benchmark for the series, remaining a fan-favorite to this day. If even your accountants and admin staff are into it, the thing must be good, right?

Nintendo got "a lot of angry calls" from parents who thought Animal Crossing's "skin-colored" gyroid "looked like a wiggling penis."

Grow a Chicken Fighter codes can give you a head start in the process of hatching, fusing, and battling your expanding collection of chickens to create the ultimate feathered fighter! Take them to the Tower and try to defeat every boss as you climb the floors, or head into the Pit to fight for money against other players.

The promos that have dropped so far will increase your bank balance, while also providing fresh eggs to hatch and temporary boosts to speed up your progress in this Roblox experience. If you think you've got what it take to train the best, then these are the codes for Grow a Chicken Fighter and how to redeem them.

If you're searching for some more general promos that apply to all of your experiences, then we've got the latest Roblox promo codes covered.

All Grow a Chicken Fighter codes

The following Grow a Chicken Fighter codes can be claimed now:

• CHICKENCLASH – 50x Arena Medals, 100x Charm Dust, x2 Hatch Luck (15 minutes) new!
• BATTLEREADY – 100x Charm Dust, 1x Royal Egg, x2 Hatch Luck (15 minutes)
• 50MVISITS – 60 Cash, 1x Thunder Egg, x2 Money (20 minutes)
• ASCEND – 50 Cash, 1x Thunder Egg, x2 Money (30 minutes)
• EGGSCELLENT – 50 Cash, 1x Thunder Egg, x2 Corn (30 minutes)
• LETMECOOK – 50 Cash, 1x Thunder Egg, x2 Money (30 minutes)
• SERGIOVERSE – 50 Cash, 1x Scratch Egg, x2 Corn (30 minutes)
• WELCOME – 50 Cash, 1x Nest Egg

There are a decent number of codes for Grow a Chicken Fighter available, all of which give you some Cash alongside other handy items such as Eggs to hatch and test your RNG luck. Boosts to your Corn and Money earning are also included, but these run in real time and don't stop if you leave the game, so make sure you're ready to use them when you redeem the code.

How to redeem Grow a Chicken Fighter codes

To redeem Grow a Chicken Fighter codes, all you have to do is hit the Ticket icon at the top of the main screen, which will open up the CODES menu. From there, use the TYPE YOUR CODE... text box to enter a promo, before using the REDEEM button to receive your reward. Codes for Grow a Chicken Fighter are not case-sensitive, though when I was redeeming them on mobile the game kept adding extra letters as I was typing, so watch out for that.

Expired Grow a Chicken Fighter codes

• 40KCCU – 1x Blazing Egg

Although they haven't been around for long, expired Grow a Chicken Fighter codes have already started appearing! That means there's extra reason to go and grab those active promos as soon as possible, as they may also end up down here soon.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Just last night, the future was looking pretty bright for Starsand Island, the anime RPG inspired by Stardew Valley. It was about to get its 1.0 update and launch out of early access after months of generally positive impressions from early adopters, slightly offset by claims of fake Steam reviews which developer Seed Sparkle Lab has denied. However, it seems the tide could be changing away from Seed Sparkle's favor as early reviews of the 1.0 update are mostly negative on Steam.

To be very clear on the math here, Starsand Island still has a "very positive" rating overall on Steam, but the distinct "recent reviews" rating is now "mixed," which directly correlates with the launch of 1.0. In fact, Steam lets you sort reviews by exact date, and if you look at today, which is when the update launched, 61% of reviews are negative. That's a huge downward swing compared to lifetime reviews of the game from the launch of early access until now, strongly suggesting people aren't digging the 1.0 offerings, which apparently are pretty slim.

"undisclosed ai, tencent backing. not an indie studio. kickstarter was a success, scammed tons of people who STILL haven't gotten their keys," reads one particularly scathing review marked as one of the "most helpful" by Steam due to an abundance of community rewards given by other users. "the day 1 dlc is $20 for a recolored $100 kickstarter tier outfit. idk. just not a good look."

Another propped up Steam review claims "the game is riddled with AI" and echoes other common criticisms that Seed Sparkle hasn't been upfront about funding for the project and, more pertinent to the game itself, that multiplayer hasn't been well-implemented. "Multiplayer is locked behind hours of single-player gameplay, so you can't play together from the start," says one Steam user. "And to make things worse, progress is only awarded to the host. If you join someone else's game, your own progression doesn't carry over."

It's not just on Steam, either. If you look through Starsand Island's subreddit, you'll find similar complaints from that community. "Nothing worth coming back for tbh," reads a Reddit thread with 90 upvotes and comments generally in agreement. "Nothing new apart from some weird fox girl in front of my house. No new blueprints, no new outfits, seeds," says the Redditor.

"I couldn't agree more. I got bored before finishing the ranching and gardening professions. And 1.0 added nothing," reads the top reply.

In pre-release update notes for 1.0, Seed Sparkle listed multiplayer as the headline addition and teased expanded dating and romance features, and well, technically all of that is in the game today. I'm not seeing anything to suggest the studio straight-up promised features that aren't included in 1.0, but the general vibe is that the launch update simply isn't packing enough to distinguish it from the early access version. Pair that with widespread claims of undisclosed AI and multiplayer features apparently being locked behind hours of gameplay, and things aren't looking good right now.

Of course, it's way too early to say a consensus has been formed on Starsand Island 1.0, and I'll be eager to see if and how Seed Sparkle responds to the AI claims and other complaints about the update. There are definitely still people enjoying the game while we wait for answers, including a few of us here at GamesRadar+, but if accusations of uncouth practices and unfulfilled promises were previously a small thorn in the side of an otherwise successful early access game, they've grown into a festering wound on the first day of its full launch on PC and consoles.

In the meantime, here are some of the best relaxing games we recommend when you've had One of Those Days.

As an avid fan of the best farming games, I'm always looking out for cozy life sims that let me carve out an idyllic existence. Naturally that means I'm desperate to play Fields of Mistria (thanks in no small part to our Features Editor's adoration for it), the anime-inspired game like Stardew Valley which left Early Access in August with the addition of marriage and kids – social sim elements that speak to my romance-loving heart. But as a console player who doesn't own a Steam Deck, a port is my only hope… The wait for that, though, is anyone's guess, with the team looking at a release on other platforms "at a future time".

Fortunately, another big farming-RPG-life-sim-hybrid has just launched on PS5 and Switch 2 after leaving its own Early Access period: Starsand Island. Not unlike Fields of Mistria, I've had Seed Sparkle Lab's cozy adventure on my radar since it was announced last year, and now that it's gotten a host of updates and its wider console launch, I've thrown myself into the pastoral world and its many cute critters. I may only be around five hours in after getting an early code from the publisher, but I'm already surprised by how much there is to do and work towards.

A crafter's life for me

I'm well-versed in the classic farming life sim formula, and Starsand Island starts out as many do. Trading off corporate city life for a quieter existence in the countryside, you return to your picturesque hometown and reunite with childhood friends to start over. Where Starsand Island diverges a little, though, is the way it throws a bunch of different professions at your feet. Want to become an expert crafter who makes gadgets and gizmos for the community? How about becoming a proficient angler, farmer, explorer, or rancher who raises animals?

The beauty of it is that you work towards progressing in all of these professions at your own pace, which constantly gives me goals to work towards – with each one laying out questlines that help you advance and unlock more skills, better equipment, useful crafting features, and sometimes open up the world in different ways. Angler, for example, led me to discover I could ride out on a boat. Everything you can develop in these jobs feed into the classic mainstay features I've come to expect from the genre, from sowing seeds and helping them grow, to gathering resources with my axe or pickaxe, and doing a spot of fishing.

But with each profession having its own unlockable skill trees, connections to certain NPCs (which can go some way to helping you increase your bond with them), and routes to follow, there's a satisfying loop in chipping away at job milestones and completing tasks that give you new ways of doing things.

I've spent 13 in-game days in Starsand Island so far, and being a crafter is far and away my favorite profession. I'm used to gallivanting about on the back of a horse, but I love the way my crafty ways have led me to unlock all sorts of vehicles and means of travel. Sure, Starsand Island involves a lot of 'make or get this thing and give it to someone' – especially if you're taking on requests from the local community board – but when I can go and deliver it on the back of a skateboard? Or zip down the lane in style wearing my trusty rollerskates? Well, you best believe it's way more fun.

Better yet, I can even rent a snazzy moped, or even a sports car, and cruise around the landscape delivering watermelons, fruit pulp, and whatever else someone is after. I'm absolutely planning on saving up to purchase my own, more advanced rides. As a gearhead who loves driving in games, having vehicles really just adds to my farming experience (even if the Rancher path gives some adorable mounts).

Bonding with the locals

Truth be told, what I'm really here for is to get to know the characters. For me, the chance to develop bonds and even establish romances is at the heart of what I really love about so many farming sims out there. I love how meaningful the relationships feel in the likes of Stardew Valley or Studio Drydock's Wydle Flowers, and I'm always yearning for more experiences that let me form attachments to the locals and build up a life with them in this way.

With Starsand Island's frankly huge lineup of local residents, I could hardly wait to get to know them and see who I would invest my time and energy bonding with. The 1.0 launch is said to have expanded dating activities for 14 romanceable characters, with the likes of picnics, kite flying, and more, along with the promise of bringing to life more varied interactions. While I can't speak to changes or improvements directly since I didn't play in Early Access, I have been enjoying meeting the vast cast and increasing my affection level so far.

In the social tab, though, it does refer to these bonds as "friendships", with the last unlockable goal being that your friend moves in with you. With no marriage option in sight as of yet, or more relationship advancement beyond that, I have a feeling Starsand Island isn't going to rival its peers in the romance and relationship department, but I really hope more time with the game will prove me wrong (if only to make the wait for Fields of Mistria and its marriage update more bearable).

Even if marriage doesn't appear to be on the cards in this world, I have been impressed by the amount of variety there is when it comes to Starsand Island's professions. Not to mention the wealth of customization it offers; from letting you build and design your own home and land, to changing up your character's look with various hairstyles and outfits. My experience on PS5 so far has also been pretty stable, with no major bugs stopping me from progressing – even if load times can be a little on the slower side at times.

If you're looking for a new life sim farming RPG you can easily sink lots of time into on console, then Starsand Island fits that bill. With a host of goals to work towards, unlockables to get, and plenty of room to build and decorate your own piece of land in its cozy setting, it's certainly scratching my genre itch while I continue to hold out for Fields of Mistria.

As a long-time Stardew Valley fan, here's why I'm converting to Fields of Mistria.

Remember Starsand Island? The impossibly cute anime RPG explicitly inspired by Stardew Valley? It was a huge hit at Steam Next Fest earlier this year and fully captured the hearts of several GamesRadar+ writers, myself included however briefly. Well, it's back with the full 1.0 update, launching out of Steam Early Access on Tuesday, August 18 with a bevy of new and expanded features.

Developer Seed Sparke Lab, a name I just adore, revealed the contents of Starsand Island's 1.0 update in a couple of Steam developer updates. The big selling point is the addition of multiplayer, which, you guessed it, lets you hang out with your friends online in the game. Similar to how it works in other life simmy games, the host of the island can open it up to other players, including friends and randoms, and set permissions as far as what resources can be harvested.

There's also a new in-game economy tied to the multiplayer system that doles out points for doing specific activities with your friends, like fishing, farming, exploring, and taking pictures with them. You can head to the new multiplayer shop to exchange your points for "a variety of useful and lovely items."

The 1.0 update also has some pretty neat-sounding narrative stuff that should add a new dimension to your relationships with the other islanders. New "relationship stories" are unlocked once your relationship status with an islander reaches three hearts, and from there you'll unlock letters from them as well as special quests deepening your relationship with that islander even further. Speaking of which, the dating system has been "upgraded" and "expanded" for 1.0 with new activities like picnics, arcade game challenges, and kite-flying.

With 1.0 nearly here, you might be wondering what's next for Starsand Island, but so far the developer has only said it'll be "listening to your feedback, fixing issues, and improving the game" after launch. Given the early access success the game's seen so far, and the longevity associated with farming sims, 1.0 is likely the beginning of a long road ahead for Starsand Island.

It's worth noting that Seed Sparkle has been accused of forging Steam reviews to boost the game's profile, although the developer has strongly rejected those claims and insisted someone else was behind the fake reviews.

Stardew Valley "3DVR" mod looks like a whole different game, is "fully playable" and compatible with all of your existing mods

The saga between former Saber Interactive writer Stella Sacco and Saber CEO Matt Karch reaches day three with hardly any progress as Sacco maintains she was fired and replaced with AI, and Karch summons all the antagonism in the galaxy to say she's mistaken. Only one aspect of the spat between them has been resolved: Saber finally added an AI disclosure label to upcoming driving sim Rideshare "Stimulator" on Steam.

Sacco initially wrote in an August 11 Bluesky post about the game, "I was lead writer on this one! And Saber replaced me with ChatGPT midway through development. All the passenger voices were AI too. Either they changed direction at some point or they're not disclosing it on Steam." Karch then hit back on August 13 to say "it was always [Saber's] intention to reveal" its AI usage, and that Sacco was actually "terminated for a variety of reasons," though "I would frankly in retrospect have been happy to replace her with AI." Right. Well, though Karch suggested Saber would only update the Rideshare "Stimulator" Steam page with an AI disclosure "once it's finalized," the developer apparently had a change of heart.

Now, the bottom of the Rideshare "Stimulator" Steam page explains, "The main Campaign story, characters, and dialogue are written by a team of human writers. AI tools are used for voice generation and some localization.

"The optional Free Ride mode includes AI-generated passenger missions and localized dialogue. Free Ride mode is separate from the main Campaign and can be skipped by players who prefer to experience only human-written narrative content."

This broadly lines up with statements from both Karch and a Saber representative, who told GamesRadar+ earlier this week, "Rideshare's story was written entirely by real people. The game will also feature an experimental, free-ride mode that by necessity incorporates AI as the number of passengers in the game is infinite."

But this new Rideshare "Stimulator" Steam disclosure also reveals "a mix of radio stations featuring human-made music and AI-generated music. Stations containing AI-generated music are clearly labeled as such in the game." So my calculations tell me, that's a lot of AI content. Players and critics alike have discredited other games for less, like when Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 had its Indie Game Awards wins retracted in 2025 for launching with some AI-created textures.

Sacco comments on the new Rideshare "Stimulator" disclosure on Bluesky, writing, "It's even worse than I said it was. I can see why the CEO crashed out when I pointed it out."

It's certainly curious that Saber didn't want to reveal its AI usage sooner considering the scope of it, though fellow hyperactive driving sim Crazy Taxi: World Tour received tornado-wind levels of blowback over its own AI-assisted production so, maybe that's why. But I'd like to remind developers that a good way to avoid controversy over your generative AI usage is to actually not use generative AI. GamesRadar+ recently found out this is also the advice a lawyer would give; video game lawyer Haley MacLean recently told us that she wants studios to know, "Don't touch [gen AI]. It's not worth the legal liability that it brings to you."

That said, Karch claims in a new interview with IGN that Saber isn't "shying away" from its AI usage in Rideshare "Stimulator." He says, "It required us adding two writers and multiple coders to work with AI tools to try and get a reasonable result. Maybe we are bad at business but the net cost of incorporating these features was significantly higher than leaving them out."

He is confident that "AI can and should help shape gamer experiences," though "my PR team is always terrified by even broaching the subject."

"It's not and has never been about efficiencies and team reductions," Karch concludes. Nonetheless, Sacco hasn't budged in her version of events, writing on Bluesky, "Everything I said was true." She maintains that Karch's cynical statements were inappropriate, "and combined with the AI use it will do far more damage to Saber's reputation than it ever could mine." No need to ask ChatGPT if that's true – it sounds right to me.

"It creates lesser games": Indie game studios are supposed to love generative AI, so why do the 25 devs I spoke to avoid it?

Generally speaking, you're best off using official channels for any video game purchases. There are exceptions when it comes to delisting and preservation and whatnot, but the simple fact is Steam, GOG, and others protect your investment more than third-party resellers, and one indie dev is reminding people of that by deactivating illegitimately gotten copies of their game.

The repair shop sim ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs managed to shift 300,000 copies in its first week. An incredible result for a small team, but it's been tainted slightly because a small percentage of them have been blocked by publisher tinyBuild because they were ill-gotten keys.

"We just revoked 649 game keys for ReStory most of which were confirmed to have been sold on shady key reseller websites," Alex Nichiporchik, CEO of publisher tinyBuild, said on Twitter. "If you bought the game off shady reseller websites and lost access, contact said shady reseller website."

To make his gripes here clear, he shares a news story from 2016, where tinyBuild says it lost $450,000 due to key resellers. A decade later, and it's still a problem.

"We identified the leak and will not be working with that part moving forward," he adds. "Also just buy games on Steam. If a deal looks too good to be true, it's probably not true."

This is fundamental to how these sites operate - they tend to offer keys at discounted rates compared to proper channels. In some cases, they operate on a lottery, where you pay in a certain amount and can end up with a major triple-A release, or something smaller. Either way, it's money the devs and publishers are losing out on, and you're risking your funds on a platform with very little in the way of customer support.

For what happened here, Nichiporchik explains that scalpers bought copies on Steam priced cheaper in certain regions. If you release a game on Valve's store and don't set the price in each region individually, universal pricing creates discrepancies where this can happen. These were then being sold on less regulated marketplaces.

Remember, most games aren't coming from huge corporations. Any lost sales can hurt them. Nichiporchik clarifies afterward that some Green Man Gaming copies have been lost in the mix, which will be restored in time. "If you bought the game through GMG - a replacement key is on its way! No action needed on your end," he says.

"Just pirate it": Roguelike dev would rather you download its games illegally than buy from Steam code resellers.

Although The Sims 4 sadly doesn't feature an open-world map the way that The Sims 3 (my beloved) did, one talented modder has stepped up to the plate and is making it feel a lot more seamless and united.

How is he doing that, you might ask – and the answer is, well, by changing up the boring world selection screen and transforming it into a map that's almost reminiscent of The Sims 2 (minus all of the customization, but we can't win 'em all).

Aptly dubbed "The Immersive World Map" by creator SimMattically, the mod is rightfully making rounds online as it does what Simmers have hoped EA would do for years.

SimMattically describes it in a recent online post, calling the exciting new mod "a complete overhaul of the world selection screen, featuring a custom map design and a seamless layout that connects all Sims 4 worlds together."

He notes that it's available in early access over on Patreon, and you bet I'm running… not walking.

An attached video shows the map in action, too, and I'm all the more convinced I need it in my game.

It's downright stunning as well, combining all worlds into one unified map that just… well, makes sense. From Chestnut Ridge to San Myshuno, everything appears to fit perfectly, with bodies of water spacing out "continents."

Thematically, it all aligns, making navigation easier and less of an eyesore. I'm evidently not alone in thinking so, either, as comments show many already deem it one of the best Sims 4 mods to date.

"Beautiful and gorgeous," writes one Simmer. Another calls the mod "so sick." SimMattically confirms that it works with custom world map replacements, too – a dream come true.

He put a lot of effort in as well, stating he "did a ton of research" on every region "to see what real-world places they're based on." Then, he "tried to match them with the right culture, climate, and geography." EA could (or, perhaps more accurately, would) never.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a Patreon to subscribe to and a brand-new world map to behold – borders be damned. Maybe one day we'll even see a worthy open world mod come to light, too… a girl can have hopes here, right?

EA finally admits adding autosaves to The Sims 4 is a good idea after 12 years, slapping a band-aid on over a decade of heartbreak from crashes and lost progress

The CEO of publisher Saber Interactive has responded to writer Stella Sacco's claim that she was replaced by AI on developer Unigine's upcoming driving sim Rideshare "Stimulator," and it's bizarre. He says Sacco is mistaken, but he wishes he did replace her with AI.

On August 11, Sacco explained on BlueSky about Rideshare "Stimulator," "I was lead writer on this one!" But "Saber replaced me with ChatGPT midway through development. All the passenger voices were AI too" – and Saber CEO Matthew Karch doesn't outright refute this in the extravagant statement he gives This Week In Videogames.

Sacco also noted the Steam page for Rideshare "Stimulator" doesn't yet reflect the use of any AI tools. Another statement from Saber, given to GamesRadar+, roundly shoots down these claims. "Neither Saber nor Unigine have replaced any writers with AI for Rideshare or any other game," the company says. "In fact, Saber's staff of writers has tripled since 2023. Rideshare's story was written entirely by real people."

Sacco stuck to her guns in a follow-up comment to PC Gamer. "They took me off the project to use ChatGPT to write the rest of the text, including planned live updates," she says. "If they changed plans in the intervening years, that's great, but again: I was there, and it was my job to write the game, and then it wasn't once Matt Karch decided using ChatGPT would be great publicity for the game."

Karch responds, "Stella who? I had to ask Claude because I have never spoken to her or seen her," he says to This Week In Videogames. "We have already said we are using AI for certain parts of the game and will update the Steam page once we have finalized the feature set."

He maintains the Rideshare "Stimulator" script is all human-written, adding that, "Were it to win an award, it would go to someone who can walk up on stage and receive it."

Karch then claims Sacco "violated her confidentiality clause" by mentioning the game's incorporation of AI before Saber could. "It was always our intention to reveal this," he says.

"We look at our use of AI in this particular game, which will be a lower-priced title, as a plus for consumers," Karch adds. "As far as Stella is concerned, she was replaced by someone more talented and terminated for a variety of reasons a few months later. From what I can gather she enjoys controversy even more than I do. I would frankly in retrospect have been happy to replace her with AI. At least we would be dealing with someone programmed to be honest."

In another public post, Sacco triples down on her original comments. "I think it should be obvious to anyone who reads that statement that he's lashing out because he did not want people to know there was AI use in the game," she writes. "Everything I said was true. Here's more truth: that statement is remarkably pathetic for the CEO of any company to be making, and combined with the AI use it will do far more damage to Saber's reputation than it ever could mine."

I certainly wouldn't say Saber or Rideshare "Stimulator" are looking particularly good here. Generative AI is becoming pretty common in the industry, though replacing devs outright is a whole other level of ick. Plus, at the time of writing, Rideshare "Stimulator" still doesn't have the boilerplate AI disclosure on Valve's marketplace.

"Once it's finalized, we will update the Steam page," Karch tells IGN when asked about this. "In Rideshare we added an unrelated experimental mode to the game to play around with these concepts. It's not the core experience. And even in this case it required us adding two writers and multiple coders to work with AI tools to try and get a reasonable result."

He defends Saber's AI use by claiming it's about helping the process rather than downsizing. "It's not and has never been about efficiencies and team reductions. Rather it's about how AI can improve the game experience," he claims.

Baldur's Gate 3, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 star didn't believe she was in Space Marine 2 until fan messages sent her sleuthing through receipts.

Update: In a statement issued to GamesRadar+, Saber denies that any writer was replaced with AI on Rideshare "Stimulator" or "any other game."

However, an "experimental," free-ride mode in the game does feature the use of some AI "as the number of passengers in the game is infinite."

You can read the full statement below:

"Neither Saber nor Unigine have replaced any writers with AI for Rideshare or any other game. In fact, Saber's staff of writers has tripled since 2023. Rideshare's story was written entirely by real people. The game will also feature an experimental, free-ride mode that by necessity incorporates AI as the number of passengers in the game is infinite.

"We are firm believers in using AI tools to improve or enhance gameplay experiences and improve NPC behavior as we have done since Saber was founded in 2001. As the industry has continued to contract, Saber continues to hire. None of our 3000+ employees have to worry about being replaced by AI."

Original story: Publisher Saber Interactive allegedly heavily used generative AI in the upcoming driving sim Rideshare "Stimulator," even directly replacing some staff with AI bots like ChatGPT, without disclosing AI use in the game's Steam store page.

Rideshare "Stimulator" was announced in a trailer released on July 30 by Saber and developer Unigine. Today, August 11, former lead writer Stella Sacco reacted to the news on Bluesky, suggesting Saber has buried its AI use.

"I didn't even see this had been announced. I was lead writer on this one! And Saber replaced me with ChatGPT midway through development," Sacco says. "All the passenger voices were AI too. Either they changed direction at some point or they're not disclosing it on Steam."

Sacco also points to a post she originally shared on December 21, 2023, which reads, "I got replaced on one of my games at work. With ChatGPT."

Her LinkedIn career history shows she was with Saber from July 2023 through July 2024 as "lead writer for STUNTMAN HOLLYWOOD and other games across Saber’s portfolio."

Rideshare "Stimulator" is billed as a driving simulation game spliced with a rideshare business sim. Players plot and navigate routes through a city, speak to passengers, and aim for high driver ratings.

"Dodge traffic, follow the rules, and race the clock to drop off your quirky passengers, each with a story that's either captivating, hilarious, or just plain weird," reads its Steam description. A freshly minted page on Saber's website echoes this wording.

Notably absent from that Steam page is any sort of AI use disclosure. Games that use generative AI for "content that ships with your game, and is consumed by players" are required by Valve to disclose that usage on Steam. "This includes content such as artwork, sound, narrative, localization, etc.," per Steamworks content survey documentation.

Many developers have told GamesRadar+ that they support Valve's gen AI policy, though its stance has seen opposition in the games industry, notably from Epic Games (and Epic Games Store) boss Tim Sweeney.

Already, these accusations have made their way to YouTube comments on that announcement trailer, even for the PS5 version of the game. (Not that Sony needs any help inviting negative YouTube comments right now.)

"'We replaced the writers and VAs with AI !' We can tell bro," reads a comment posted one hour before press time.

"AI writing and voice work," adds another, posted one hour earlier.

"I notice there is no AI disclosure on the steam page, are you gonna rectify that? Seems at least one of your writers got pushed out in favor of using chatgpt," a third recent comment says.

I've reached out to Saber Interactive for comment on Rideshare "Stimulator" and its AI use and policies.

In stranger news, Saber CEO Matt Karch recently confirmed that Rideshare "Simulator" does, indeed, contain a dig at Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford.

Half of all games released on Steam will use AI by 2028, study predicts: "AI lowers the barrier not just to make a game but to make several."

You run an electronics shop in mid-'00s Tokyo, and it's your job to meet with all kinds of oddball anime characters and repair off-brand PS1s and Polaroid cameras for them. That's the pitch for ReStory, and if that pitch has you rushing to check out this new indie game on Steam, you're not alone.

ReStory launched on August 6, and within 12 hours it had already made its budget back. That's according to Alex Nichiporchik, CEO of publisher tinyBuild, who shared some detailed stats about the game's release on Twitter.

By the day after launch, the game had grossed over $1 million, selling nearly 80,000 units. As of today, August 10, Nichiporchik says the game has reached $3 million in sales. Clearly, there's something here beyond the nostalgic pitch, as the reviews on Steam are firmly in "overwhelmingly positive" territory, with 96% of players leaving a positive rating.

ReStory is maybe my ideal cozy game, since it's all about what I try to spend most of my evenings doing: touching various old electronics. There are proper, licensed Atari consoles in here, as well as other electronics with the actual branding sanded off. You'll be fixing "Nony PlayMachines," "PMP" handhelds, "Pokia" phones, and even a few "Mapple Mypods."

Notably, ahead of the game's release, some players were looking at trailers and making accusations about AI art. "One glance at the trailer and you can see the key imagery has poorly-generated keyboards and a sticky note with scribbles on it," as one poster on the Steam forums put it.

"There are no AI-generated assets in ReStory, and there never will be any AI-generated assets in ReStory," the devs responded. "Everything in the game is created by our team of extremely talented and skilled artists who have been doing it for many years, and who simply don't need any AI to create amazing visuals."

Here are the upcoming indie games you need to know about.

Dig and Clean codes can help you make better discoveries hidden beneath the sands, as you sweep the beach with your detector in search of buried treasure. Once you've found an item, you can grab your bottle and give it a spray to clean it up, then put it on display for tourists to admire (and pay you for) or sell it for a profit.

The current promos will help you clean faster, and give you a Luck boost that improves the quantity and quality of the items you detect, which in turn will help you to earn more money and progress further in this Roblox experience. If you're ready to uncover a fortune, then here are the codes for Dig and Clean plus instructions for how to redeem them.

If you'd prefer some more general promos that can apply to all of your experiences, the Roblox promo codes can help with that.

All Dig and Clean codes

The following Dig and Clean codes can be claimed now:

• UPDATE3 – 2x Luck for 30 Minutes new!
• UPDATE2 – 5x Instant Cleans
• UPDATE1 – 2x Luck for 30 Minutes
• SECRET10 – 10x Luck for 10 Minutes

Codes for Dig and Clean provide various rewards, which currently includes Instant Cleans that can be used at your Cleaning Table to speed up the process, and Luck boosts for a set period of time that are represented by an icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen along with a countdown. Note that Luck boosts run in real time and don't stop if you leave the game, so make sure that you have time to get the maximum use out of them before redeeming.

How to redeem Dig and Clean codes

To redeem Dig and Clean codes, all you need to do is hit the Shop icon on the left side of the screen and then scroll down to the bottom of the menu that appears. Type a promo into the Enter code here... text box, then tap the Redeem button to collect your reward. Dig and Clean codes are not case-sensitive, so you don't need to use all caps as long as the spelling is correct when you enter them.

Expired Dig and Clean codes

• No expired codes

At the moment there are no expired Dig and Clean codes to report, as they haven't been available for long. They won't last forever though, so make sure you've claimed any active promos as soon as you can.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

+1 Speed Monkey Escape codes will help you to level up quicker, as you attempt to navigate obstacles and clear increasingly difficult courses to get wins. While every step you take will make you faster, there are ways to make that process even more efficient to improve your progress.

There are promos that will give you a free spin of the prize wheel, while others add potions to your inventory that can be consumed to temporarily double your speed or your wins in this Roblox experience. If you're climbing the walls (in a good way), then these are the codes for +1 Speed Monkey Escape and how to redeem them.

If you're looking for some general promos that can be used in all of your experiences, then check out the Roblox promo codes.

All +1 Speed Monkey Escape codes

The following +1 Speed Monkey Escape codes are currently available:

• PULSEISANOOB – x2 Speed Potion (1 Hour)
• 1MCCU – x2 Wins Potion (1 Hour)
• 300MVISITS – x2 Speed Potion (1 Hour)
• 250KCCU – x2 Speed Potion (1 Hour)
• 100MVISITS – x2 Wins Potion (30 Mins)
• STREAK – Streak Boost
• [Discord reward code, see below] – x1.5 Treadmill, "Member" Tag, x2 Wins Potion (1 Hour)

There are a decent number of codes for +1 Speed Monkey Escape at the moment, for a selection of different rewards. Some, like the Streak Boost or Free Spin, are applied immediately when the code is redeemed, while potions are deposited into your Backpack so they can be activated at a time of your choosing.

To receive your personal Discord reward code for +1 Speed Monkey Escape, you need to join the official Discord and then head to the #reward-code channel in the Important section. Type the command /getcode into this channel and a bot will provide your claim code in the format xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx. Open the game in Roblox and hit the Rewards icon, then go to the Server tab (rather than Codes) and type/paste in your personal code to unlock a selection of rewards.

How to redeem +1 Speed Monkey Escape codes

In order to redeem +1 Speed Monkey Escape codes, you must first join the 100% ALGO SHOT Community. If you haven't done that already, a pop-up will prompt you to do so during the next step.

There are two routes available, so either tap the Shop icon and scroll all the way to the bottom of that menu, or hit the Rewards icon followed by the Codes icon to go directly to the entry screen, then enter the promo in the text box and press the Redeem button. Codes for +1 Speed Monkey Escape are not case-sensitive, so all you need to do is use the correct spelling.

Expired +1 Speed Monkey Escape codes

• 80MVISITS – x2 Speed Potion (30 Mins)
• CODESYAY – Free Spin
• 50MVISITS – x2 Speed Potion (10 Mins), x2 Wins Potion (10 Mins)

We now have some expired +1 Speed Monkey Escape codes to report, as some of the earlier promos are no longer valid. As always, make sure that you claim all of the active codes listed earlier while you still can.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

After two years in Steam Early Access, Fields of Mistria has fully launched with its 1.0 update adding key features like marriage, children, and player-requested quality of life improvements.

Fields of Mistria, the conceit of which is often synthesized as Sailor Moon meets Stardew Valley, launched into Early Access in August 2024, almost exactly two years ago. In that amount of time, it's become one of the foremost indie darlings in the cozy gaming scene, alluring the perpetually anxious among us with shojo-style anime cutscenes, a gentle progression loop built around farming, fishing, crafting, building relationships with villagers, and tinkering with the game's unique magic system. As you might expect, you, as the player, are tasked with restoring a disaster-ravaged homestead to its former picturesque glory.

Reactions to Fields of Mistria have been so universally positive that I often forgot it was in early access until today. In the two years it's been in testing, the game has received more than 26,000 reviews on Steam, and 97% of them have been categorized as positive. GamesRadar+'s Andrew Brown recently wrote about Fields of Mistria's deep RPG systems and "easy-living fantasy" that offers value in every possible progression avenue, which is especially impressive given the modest $14 price tag.

Now, with 1.0 having launched on Steam, there's even more to do. You can check out the full patch notes here, but arguably the biggest highlight is the addition of marriage and weddings to bring your romances to a narrative conclusion. Finally, instead of living the bachelor life and romancing several characters, it's time to pick one to settle down and have kids with. It's been two years, y'all, enough playing around.

The 1.0 update also lets you finally complete the Town Repair questline and go up to 100 in Town Renown, complete your museum, and start collecting Steam achievements. Some player-requested QoL features include the ability to rotate your avatar in the customization menu, the ability to disable break-up letters, and an option to disable the status change from Dating to Best Friends that happens automatically after engagement. And finally, you'll start seeing cloud shadows on the ground around town, which is entirely insignificant from a gameplay perspective but is nonetheless lovely.

There are no right answers to the supernatural murder plot in Grave Seasons, and that "moral ambiguity" is what has me so excited about the cozy horror game

Life as a Nintendo Game Counselor in the early '00s sounds like a wild time. One moment, you're helping someone find the Ghost Ship in Zelda: The Wind Waker, and the next you're assuring a deeply concerned parent that their child isn't playing a game that prominently features a giant, gyrating penis.

Yes, that is a real thing that happened. People really did get stuck on Wind Waker's Ghost Ship quest. I know, can you believe it? Oh, you're more interested in the gyrating penis thing, of course you are. Yes, that was also a very real concern back in the early aughts, according to a newly resurfaced magazine snippet featuring former Nintendo Counselor Rick Sandbom.

As spotted by Sasha's Retrobytes, and verified by GamesRadar+, the August 2004 edition of Electronic Gaming Monthly featured a quote from Sandbom about a very specific but recurring complaint he remembered hearing from Animal Crossing players calling Nintendo for advice. Their concern, apparently, was that the gyroid in front of each players' house was actually some sort of marital aid.

"We got a lot of angry calls about Animal Crossing," said Sandbom. "A skin-colored hydrant in the game caused a stir with parents, who thought it looked like a wiggling penis."

I've been playing Animal Crossing for 25 years going back to the first English language game from 2001, so I refuse to allow my precious childhood memories to be soiled by this story, but unfortunately I can't deny that I can understand the misperception having Googled what gyroids looked like that the time, especially distorted by old CRT hardware. Apparently, these complaint calls were so frequent that Nintendo implemented an official policy on how to deal with them.

"Our database even had a special page on dealing with the call," added Sandbom. "I waited every day to take this call, but it was always routed to hotline veterans."

What an honor, to be such a loyal employee of Nintendo that you're granted the privilege of taking calls in which you try convincing angry parents that what looks like a duck and gyrates like something else is in fact just a friendly neighborhood thingamabob that lets you save the game – although it's very much reading into the much more macabre origin story behind these bizarre and apparently phallic creatures.

I'm deleting my 1000-hour island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons to play the Switch 2 update from scratch, and I never thought I'd be so excited to owe Tom Nook bells again

A wildly new ambitious MMO called SEED sees the entire player base touch down on a freshly-colonized planet, build a couple Seedlings who aren't too far off your typical The Sims characters, and collaborate to "build real, functional societies" that run even when you're not looking.

"SEED is a persistent, player-driven life and MMO simulation," developer Klang's website explains. But the nitty gritty details are what make SEED seem really exciting. You essentially build autonomous characters, each with their own personalities who will go about their routines whether you log in or not. Before long, they'll have built up societies that mirror our real life, only this time on a faraway planet. It's basically Rimworld but it's always online and borrows from The Sims.

Players can choose to either join one of "thousands of burgeoning societies" or begin anew, making your Seedlings go out for crafting materials to build almost everything from scratch. Bed rooms, houses, factories, pubs, hospitals - all with your expertly tuned interior design skills, of course. The coolest part is that societies exist in the same world no matter what, which I imagine could lead to some cool political drama as the game inches closer to 1.0. Even when you're not logged in, you can check in and text with your Seedlings on your real-world phone.

The trailer down below dives deeper into the juicy details: "How societies run is up to the players. They can form everything, from a top-down aristocracy to grassroots democracy, and then elect leadership, draft laws, levy taxes, and do everything modern governments do today on every scale." There's even a working real estate system, political elections, and inter-community trading.

"We're launching in Early Access because real society needs real people! Join early and get a chance to be one of the first to shape this ever-evolving new world," the developer writes. For now, the game's only available through the standalone SEED launcher on the company's website. A Steam launch is planned for later in the year.

For more, check out the new games of 2026 and beyond.

Just five months after entering early access, the 1.0 launch of Starsand Island is coming up soon. The more tropical take on Stardew Valley will be coming out fully in August, making the transition less than three weeks away.

Developer Seed Sparkle Lab made the announcement today, July 31, on Steam. Starsand Island will go into 1.0 on August 18, with the biggest addition being four-player multiplayer, "allowing you to farm, fish, build, explore, and enjoy island life together."

The studio notes that community insight has been a major factor in getting this far. "Thanks to your support, we've added new content, refined existing features, and made island life even more enjoyable," the team writes.

"To every islander who has joined us on this journey – thank you," the post continues. "Your feedback, encouragement, and passion have helped shape Starsand Island into what it is today."

Going from early access to the full version in six months is an impressive turnaround for any game. Projects often gestate for years before moving out, if they ever do. But 88% positive reviews suggests Seed Sparkle Lab is definitely doing something right.

Looking more like Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons in aesthetic, Starsand Island takes a coastal perspective on farm life. While you're tending to your crops and animals, you can enjoy a bit of sunbathing on the beach, or even head out on a boat for a little cruise. It's all delightful and summery, making this the perfect time of year to put it out.

There'll be a special launch discount, so if your interest is piqued, you can wait until the day of to buy a copy. "Version 1.0 is just the beginning," the developers add. "We'll continue bringing new content, improvements, and exciting updates to Starsand Island in the future."

8-year-old indie game on Steam goes from "like 10 reviews" to over 500 as players use it to play an Undertale multiplayer mod, and the dev behind it just thinks it's "really cool."

Stardew Valley's wonderfully active modding scene has brought PC players many, many unofficial delights over the years, like the addition of a bear mount or, bless it, a mod that lets you see where all of your neighbors are on the map at any given moment. The latest marvel coming courtesy of a dedicated Stardew modder looks like a whole new game, one with a 3D world, a first-person perspective, motion controls, and VR compatibility.

"Play Stardew Valley in Full 3D or VR with Motion Controls," says mod author GingasVR. "I'm Serious. Lightweight and Compatible with Everything."

It's a tempting proposition to be fully absorbed in a 3D transformation of Stardew Valley's impossibly cozy world, but GingasVR cautions that the mod is still a work-in-progress. Despite "some visual weirdness," which you can see in the clip below, the mod is "fully playable" and "won't mess up your save." According to GingasVR, you can install and uninstall it seamlessly and switch between 3D, 2D, and VR modes with hotkeys.

Even GingasVR admits this mod looks a little janky here and there, saying "there's only so much you can do with C# scripting to create voxels out of sprites that are meant for 2D," but if it's really as smooth in motion as it looks, it's still mighty impressive. I don't have near enough qualifications to explain how it all works, but fundamentally, it uses procedural generation to create 3D voxels from the game's existing 2D assets. That's how GingasVR was able to make the mod in a matter of months rather than years.

I'd be interested to play it out of pure curiosity, and if you're so inclined, there's a video tutorial from GingasVR on how to get it all set up. It doesn't sound particularly complicated, but if you aren't used to installing mods for games, you should probably watch the guide.

Stardew Valley doesn't have mod support on console for "numerous reasons" says creator ConcernedApe, but he's not "opposed" to it if it's ever possible

These Be the Final Boss codes are the best way to boost your Soul resources for getting new Units, but you can also get Luck Potions, Spins, and more. If you want to survive as many waves as possible, you're going to need to decent team of units to defend your base from incoming swathes of, I guess, 'heroes'.

Units aren't the only thing at your disposal in this Roblox experience. Unlike a tower defence game, you too can fight - you are the final boss, after all. Buy weapons with Coins and forge armor from Forge Stones, all of which you can also get with the Be the Final Boss codes below, so let's get to them.

But quickly, I'll also just mention that there are plenty of other Roblox promo codes available, too, for use across all your favorite experiences.

All Be the Final Boss codes

These are the current Be the Final Boss codes you can redeem right now:

• BOWTOTHEBOSS - 1 Coin Booster, 7.5k Coins new!
• NOHEROCANWIN - 3 Epic Fusion Shards, 1 Fusion Booster
• RAIDTHECASTLE - 6 Uncommon Fusion Shards, 3 Forge Stones
• ARMYOFBOSSES - 15 Uncommon Fusion Shards, 2 Spin Tickets
• CLAIMTHETHRONE - 125 Souls, 2 Forge Stones
• BOSSMODEON - 6k Coins, 2 Forge Stones
• ULTTHEBOSS - 1 Health Booster, 1 Attack Booster, 5 Spin Tickets
• CANTKILLABOSS - 1 Soul Booster, 5 Fusion Shards, 3 Spin Tickets
• UNSTOPPABLEBOSS - 1 Coin Booster, 5k Coins
• FINALBOSS4LIFE - 2 Epic Fusion Shards, 2 Spin Tickets
• BOSSMAN3000 - 5 Rare Fusion Shards, 1 Luck Booster
• BIGTHRONEKING - 10 Uncommon Fusion Shards, 1 Spin Ticket
• SLAYDEMHEROES - 100 Souls
• BIGBOSSMAN - 2.5k Coins
• BETHEBOSS - 1k Coins

Be the Final Boss codes reward you with a range of rewards, including Spin Tickets, Coins, and Fusion Shards. This gives you a few different ways to obtain new Units to defend your base, as well as various boosters and buffs.

These promos aren't case sensitive, but you could simply copy and paste the codes from above to avoid any mishaps.

How to redeem Be the Final Boss codes

To redeem Be the Final Boss codes, you just need to hit the Settings cog button in the top left-hand corner of the screen and scroll to the bottom of the settings page. Enter you code into the box, hit Redeem, and enjoy your rewards.

Expired Be the Final Boss codes

• There are currently no expired Be the Final Boss codes.

No Be the Final Boss codes have expired yet, but I'll move them down here when they do to save you the time and disappointment of entering invalid codes.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

These Anime Astral Simulator codes grant some essential rewards, including potions for boosting your power, luck, and more. With your stats buffed, you can then defeat bosses more quickly, thus earning more rewards, eventually leading you to new worlds, new pets, and new bosses.

What's more, Anime Astral Simulator is one of the rare Roblox experiences that's pretty much entirely free-to-play, allowing you to swap the in-game shop currency from Robux to F2P Tickets, a ton of which you can get by redeeming these rewards - so let's get to it.

Plus, there are even more rewards to be had with our list of Roblox promo codes, granting avatar items and more for use across experiences.

All Anime Astral Simulator codes

These are the Anime Astral Simulator codes you can redeem right now:

• UPDATE15
• SERVANTS
• SHADOWPASSIVE
• ZENKAI
• 85MVISITS
• 75MVISITS - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• 50MVISITS - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• 25MVISITS - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• 100KFAVORITES - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• 75KFAVORITES - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• 50KFAVORITES - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• 25KFAVORITES - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• 35KLIKES - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• 30KLIKES - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• 25KLIKES - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• 20KLIKES - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• 15KLIKES - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• 1MGROUPMEMBERS - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• 1.25MGROUP - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• FIXESFORUPDATE15 - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• FIXEDEXCHANGE - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• MINI14.5 - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• VESSEL - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• SCIENTIFICMODIFICATIONS - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• TAILEDBEASTS - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion new!
• UPDATE14 - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• KARMA - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• CHAKRA - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• NINJAEXAM - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPDATE13.5 - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• SORRYFORLAG - 1,500x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• DROPRATESPIRITBUFFED - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• FIXEDPETAVATARS - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPDATE13 - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• SPIRITS - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• SANCTUARY - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• SORRYFORKEYS - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• SORRYFORKEYS2 - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• MINI12.5 - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• QUINQUE - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• 2GACHAS - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• SORRYRELICS - 250x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• 12.5FIXES - 300x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPDATE12 - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• KAGUNES - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• FRIENDSLEADERBOARD - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPDATE11.5 - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• AUTOSPAWNBOSS - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• HUNTERLICENSE - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPDATE11 - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• ASTRALRARITY - 500x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• NENHXH - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPD11FIXES - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• MINI10.5 - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• AUTOENTERGAMEMODE - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• GAMEBOOSTS - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPD10PATCH - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPDATE10 - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• PRIMORDIALS - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• TITANPASSIVES - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• SORRY4DEL4Y! - 1,000x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPDATE9.5 - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• SPAWNBOSS - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• HEROTEST - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• SORRYFORUPGRADES - 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPD9FIXE - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• MONSTERS - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPDATE8.5 - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• ONIPUNCHI - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPDATE9 - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• DEMONKING - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• GODDESS - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPDATE8 - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• COMMANDMENTS - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• LIONKINGDOM - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• FIXEDRANKS - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPDATE8FIXES - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPDATE7.5 - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• AUTOCOLLECTFINGER - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• GATESNOTCLOSINGANYMORE - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• !FIXEDABUG! - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPDATE7 - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• CURSEDRUSH - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• KINGOFCURSES - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• UPDATE7FIXES - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• FIXEDINDEX - 200x F2P Tickets, 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion
• PROMOTION - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• TOMBRAID - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• 10KLIKESALREADY - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• LIKES5K - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• 5MVISITSINGAME - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• VISITSASTRAL10M - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• 10KFAVORITESINTHEGAME - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• ASTRAL20KFAVORITES - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• UPD6.2FIXES - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• UPDATE6.2 - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• FIXEDWHITEBEARDQUEST - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• UPDATE6.1 - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• KIEVOLUTION - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• UPDATE6EXTRAFIXES - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• 2MVISITSNEW - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• LIKES3KNEW - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• 30KACTIVE - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• 20KACTIVE - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• 7.5KFAVORITES - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• !ASTRAL40KCCU! - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 250x F2P Tickets
• UPDATE6RELEASE - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• UPDATE6FIXES - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• FIXEDAVATAR - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• SKILLTREE - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 150x F2P Tickets
• UPDATE5.5 - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 150x F2P Tickets
• UPDATE5 - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 150x F2P Tickets
• DUNGEONS - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 150x F2P Tickets
• PETPASSIVES - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 100 Pet Passive Tokens, 150x F2P Tickets
• MINIUPDATE4.75 - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 150x F2P Tickets
• DIVINEPASSIVES - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 150x F2P Tickets
• UPDATE4.5 - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 150x F2P Tickets
• SUMMERMOUNT - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 250x F2P Tickets
• UPDATE4 - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 250x F2P Tickets
• TRIALMEDIUM - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 250x F2P Tickets
• UPDATE3.5 - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 250x F2P Tickets
• UPDATE2.5 - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 150x F2P Tickets
• MOUNTS - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 150x F2P Tickets
• TRACKER - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 150x F2P Tickets
• BATTLEPASS - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 150x F2P Tickets
• UPDATE2 - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 150x F2P Tickets
• UPDATE1.5 - 1 Damage II Potion, 1 Luck II Potion, 1 Power II Potion, 1 XP II Potion, 1 Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• UPDATE1 - 1 Damage I Potion, 1 Luck I Potion, 1 Power I Potion, 1 XP I Potion, 1 Yen I Potion, 150x F2P Tickets
• NPCNERF - 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• EXCHANGE - 1x Damage I Potion, 1x Luck I Potion, 1x Power I Potion, 1x XP I Potion, 1x Yen I Potion, 150x F2P Tickets
• RELEASE - 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion, 1x Damage I Potion, 1x Luck I Potion, 1x Power I Potion, 1x XP I Potion, 1x Yen I Potion, 250x F2P Tickets

As the list above shows, Anime Astral Simulator codes are incredibly generous - and they also last a long time, too. Each code grants not just one reward, but usually one of each potion at either level 1 or 2 and a stack of F2P Tickets, which can be exchanged for anything in the shop - simply toggle the currency type at the top of the shop window from Robux to Tickets. Occasionally, you'll also get some Pet Tickets to redeem for useful passive buddies.

How to redeem Anime Astral Simulator codes

To redeem Anime Astral Simulator codes, click on the Menu button in the top right-hand corner of the screen, then select Codes from the drop-down list. You can then pop your code into the box and hit Reedem [sic] to fill your inventory with loot.

Anime Astral Simulator codes aren't case-sensitive, so you only have to worry about getting the spelling right. That said, I'd still recommend just copying and pasting from our list above.

Expired Anime Astral Simulator codes

• YETANOTHERFIXSHUTDOWNOPTIMIZATIONS - 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion, 200x F2P Tickets
• 18MVISITS - 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion, 250x F2P Tickets
• 35KLIKES - 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion, 150x F2P Tickets
• BACKTOASTRAL - 1x Damage II Potion, 1x Luck II Potion, 1x Power II Potion, 1x XP II Potion, 1x Yen II Potion, 1 Drop II Potion, 5,000x F2P Tickets

Anime Astral Simulator codes do seem to last some time, with even some very old codes still available to redeem right now. However, as the list above shows, some have expired, so you should redeem valid codes as soon as possible just in case.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Fans sighed but understood when EA's free-to-play Skate reboot from 2025 started its ongoing Early Access period with microtransactions, but EA vice president of advertising Alexander Dao seems curious to see if that sigh could turn into a dry-heave as the publisher toys with in-game ads.

Dao recommends some developers start designing in-game ads during their production periods, telling The Game Business in a new interview, "As you think about new games that are coming out, as you think about free-to-play experiences that are happening on the console side – like our Skate game – those are opportunities where, if you actually design them with the right advertising and brand experience in there from the get-go, it just makes it easier."

Earlier this summer, EA established the EA Advertising "platform" for brands eager to test gameplay ad placements, emphasizing in an announcement that EA Sports games were particularly ripe for "participatory experiences where brands come to play."

If you're gagging, that means it's working.

At the time, EA had already introduced the home improvement store Lowe's to Madden NFL, partnered with Visa credit cards, and added Vans shoes to Skate. But Dao reminds developers, too, to invest in the "huge opportunity" of in-game ads.

"Building the advertising experience is really retrofitting it in," Dao says about the current state of in-game ads, but if developers help, "it makes it feel more native and it creates more flexibility in the types of brands that can come in and out."

I recoil at the idea of advertisements feeling "native" to video games that aren't inherently advertisements, like the promotional games of yore spanning diet sodas, fast food, and beer. At the same time, EA Advertising is really just making an enthusiastic return to those Wild West days of video games between the '80s and early 2000s when games like NFS: Underground 2 were glad to laser-blast you with Best Buy billboards while you were cruising.

Many of my favorite games from childhood were congested with ads, and the in-game product placement in the dress-up game Stardoll at age 10 still influences my closet with fashion brands like Miss Sixty and DKNY. It worked!

I find that frightening – especially now that companies have more opportunities via smart refrigerators and unskippable YouTube ads to tattoo our retinas with their stuff.

In 2026, game developers are already tasked with navigating mass layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations – if EA ends up successful in guiding them to create more in-game ads, forcing them to obey the financial interests of a company that could dissolve their job at any moment, then there will be no more room for artistry. Just fear and Mountain Dew assets.

After "incomprehensible" Xbox layoffs, id Software producer says worker-owned studios are "the only path forward."

The day I never thought I'd witness is near – EA is finally introducing an autosave feature to The Sims 4… you know, a good 12 years after its 2014 launch.

How many Sims have I lost to random crashes? How many houses have perished before my eyes due to buggy shutdowns? Too many to count, I'd say – and sure, I could've been more vigilant about saving, but The Sims 4 has needed an autosave feature for well over a decade now.

Some of the best Sims 4 mods (I'm looking at you, MC Command Center) have tried to rectify the issue, but EA hadn't officially addressed it… until now. On July 21, the studio is finally adding an autosave ("AutoSave," as EA calls it) option to the life sim – but that's not all.

As outlined in its latest Laundry List of upcoming fixes, EA says, "This month we're introducing a new AutoSave to The Sims 4, and rolling out Memory Boost to Mac and console players to improve overall performance for more Simmers."

The team is also looking to target "the top-reported issues from players via EA Forums."

The autosave feature is undeniably the most eye-catching tidbit here, though. So… how will it work, exactly? "Quietly in the background, automatically creating save points at key moments while you play," apparently.

"You can customize when AutoSave happens in Game Save Settings, with options like saving after traveling between lots, after a period of playtime, or at important gameplay milestones."

There's another option for Simmers who hate themselves (I kid, I kid). "If you'd rather stay in control, Save Reminders like the friendly (or slightly grumpy) gnome notification… can prompt you to create a manual save at the frequency you choose. Together, these features help reduce the risk of lost progress while giving you the flexibility to save the way you want."

Not bad, EA. Not bad at all. It just took, erm, 12 years.

EA goes into some of its other big tweaks, too, like the Memory Boost system that "improves how The Sims 4 manages memory while you play, helping deliver a smoother experience with reduced lag, improved frame rates and responsiveness, shorter loading times, and a lower risk of memory-related crashes."

It sounds like, all in all, The Sims 4 will crash less – and when it does crash, it'll be far less painful thanks to autosaving.

I don't know about you all, but I think this is a step in the right direction – even if it's coming a bit late to The Sims 4. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some mods to delete…

The Sims 4's microtransaction Marketplace has officially shown me the door after 24 years of Simming.

These days, it's hard to imagine a world without Stardew Valley. Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone's pixel perfect village escape is the modern standard bearer by which all other cozy and retro-styled games are measured against. Explicitly inspired by the early Harvest Moon games, Stardew Valley has ballooned in popularity beyond anyone's expectations since its release in 2016, taking on its own identity and inspiring countless other indie games of the cute and cuddly variety. None of this would be true, however, if Barone hadn't been able to salvage the game data from a computer crash that happened about a year into development.

PC Gamer recently republished a 2016 interview with Barone in which the solo developer brushed with the idea that his ragtag Harvest Moon-like could become a phenomenon. Barone couldn't have had any idea just how revolutionary Stardew Valley would one day become, but he had the foresight to know he was very lucky to recover from a PC crash that almost put Stardew Valley in a pixelated grave before it was ever born.

Barone told PC Gamer that the project was almost canceled when the PC he was using to develop the game unexpectedly crashed. Since he had no backups, Barone thought it was over for Stardew Valley, but was ultimately able to restore the project from the old hard drive and build a new rig.

"In retrospect, it feels crazy that it all worked out," he said. "The whole development was so sloppy. It was the most indie development you could imagine: no professional style at all, figuring it all out as I go, and just the scrappiest code you could imagine. I'm almost embarrassed to have other people look at my code!"

Barone's next game, Haunted Chocolatier, very much seems to be being built using the foundation laid down by Stardew Valley, and with Barone having all of that experience under his belt, not to mention a small team helping him put everything together, fans can expect a much smoother development process while they wait for the darker, sweeter follow-up.

Haunted Chocolatier is "taking a long time," admits Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe – but going "over every last detail" is just what it takes "to make a game I'm satisfied with"

I'm no stranger to Stardew Valley and all of the cozy farming sims it's inspired since its 2016 release – but Moonlight Peaks might just be my favorite in concept yet.

In case you've not heard of it yet, Moonlight Peaks is a wholesome farming and life sim that takes everything I love about games like Stardew Valley and gives it a Monster High-esque twist. It ticks all of the genre boxes – bug-catching, cooking, farming, fishing, questing, and, of course, romance – but also adds a bit of morbid magic. There are vampires (whom you play as yourself), mermaids, werewolves, witches… what more could a girl want?

The town itself follows a unique nighttime schedule, too. You don't wake up in the early morning to farm through the day in Moonlight Peaks. Instead, you rise out of your coffin at the turn of the night and take care of your daily tasks before sunrise… because, well, you are a vampire.

Visually, it's appealing, to say the least – but it also adds an extra "cozy" layer to the game, in my opinion, with all of the purple-y blue visuals.

Moonlight Peaks boasts an adorable aesthetic overall, honestly. I'm sold thanks to the Animal Crossing: New Horizons-esque designs and cute itty-bitty beasts (is that a three-eyed cat?) – it's a nice cartoon-y change of pace from the pixel-y style other recent genre gems like Fields of Mistria have opted for.

The whole mystical, magical side of the game from indie developer Little Chicken is what really has me hooked, though. From potion-making to spell-casting, there's no shortage of witchy, whimsical vibes to be found in Moonlight Peaks. The devs even tease mystical crops – whatever that might mean. It's spooktacular, but not in a legitimately frightening way that would break the cozier immersion we farming sim stans crave. The game is, as Little Chicken so aptly puts it, "a sweet and spooky journey."

If you're just as obsessed with cute monster people and farming games as I am, you can grab the game over on Steam, Nintendo Switch, or Switch 2 when it unlocks tomorrow.

Searching for more to look forward to? Browse through our roundup of the best new games coming this year and beyond for other great titles to wishlist.

It was love at first sight. I knew I was meant to play cozy horror farming sim Grave Seasons as soon as I learned about its unconventional story of an ex-convict restoring the dark fairytale town Ashenridge, where handsome farmers, werewolves, and other serial killers exist in bloody disharmony.

"Grave Seasons is really special in that we don't hold back on the horror elements," developer Perfect Garbage co-founder and narrative director Emmett Nahil tells me during a Summer Game Fest 2026 interview, where I was happy to discover the game seems just as bold as I'd hoped.

I got to play a bit of Grave Seasons' introduction, where I wander a farm and dig up some plots for carrot plants, but I arrive in Ashenridge in a conspicuous prison jumpsuit. From just this experience, it's easy for me to determine the pastoral town isn't your typical, green suburbia, where khaki shorts neighbors smirk privately at those they think dress a little funny, and it isn't your Animal Crossing island, either, where you suppress feelings of hatred for community members because their little piggy noses are pretty cute. Developer Perfect Garbage's eerie countryside is different: there's death and emotional challenges as you define your new life as a reformed criminal, which makes my interest swell – like a diseased artery!

You have one in-game year to learn who's the supernatural murderer terrorizing Ashenridge, whether or not they're the love of your life, and what you should do with that information. Save the world and prove that you've changed? Or keep filling up your watering can like nothing's wrong?

It'll probably be tougher than you think. Nahil says, "I always want to see more moral ambiguity, generally" in story narratives, and Grave Seasons has no easy answers.

Nahil continues, "I find a lot of game writing, when done to the broadest audience possible, can fall into a sort of good-versus-bad binary. Some of the games that I like most have really embraced the middle area, embrace that moral grayness, embrace the complicated repercussions of player decisions."

Putting players into the trudging shoes of protagonist Dara – whose appearance is customizable, but who begins Grave Seasons in that sickly orange jumpsuit no matter what – is the perfect way to force a nuanced mindset from the beginning. Nahil says he wants players to "embrace the fun, roguish nature of Dara. I really want them to feel like they can experiment with their choices and have fun, and also experience the consequences of maybe not-so-savory reactions."

This is the kind of daring narrative ambition I always crave in horror, specifically, which I think has a duty to be visceral, itchy, and extra-impactful on an innocent audience member's sense of self. More specifically, Nahil says, "I want players to learn that it's worthwhile to get to know the people around you, to really learn deeply about the people that are in your community, no matter what kind of person you are. That's what Grave Seasons does best."

Maybe I should switch to rollercoasters, or a glass of wine, but I've always had the desperate need for art to encourage me toward emotional places I never thought of going before. With its unique premise and magnanimous thoughts about community, it seems like Grave Seasons can do that with only a few bite marks and bags of carrot seeds.

I can't wait. Grave Seasons' original August 14 release date has been delayed to this fall, but I'll sit around until its new launch time is announced. Not patiently!

I'm convinced this farming sim horror demo is better than anything you'll play during Steam Next Fest.

Stardew Valley creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone is still hard at work on his next game, Haunted Chocolatier, even if it's taking a while – but he's not quite ready to share more sneak peeks of his exciting project just yet.

He'd rather perfect what he's working on first. The mastermind indie developer says so in a new update on the official Haunted Chocolatier website, amusingly dubbed "Still here, still grinding."

He begins by confirming what he's confirmed quite a few times in the past: "Yep. I'm still working on the game." He says it "feels kinda dumb posting this same thing over and over, but that's the reality." So it is, indeed.

ConcernedApe is well aware that Haunted Chocolatier is "taking a long time" – but he wants to be "very thoughtful about every aspect of the game." He feels the need to ensure that every feature is "perfect," or as close to perfect as features can be. "They need to be seamless, clear, intuitive, satisfying, aesthetic," in his own words.

Plus, "it's a big game. So there are many things for me to fuss over." Understandable… heck, Stardew Valley itself is massive.

The dev has said before that the "world of Haunted Chocolatier" will somehow be even "larger" than that of Stardew Valley and that "everything is cranked up" in the new sim. So, why isn't he sharing any more sneak peeks of it, when there's so much?

"I don't like to share too many screenshots or even talk about the systems in too much detail while the game is in development," ConcernedApe admits.

He likens it to baking: "Partly, it feels like I'm serving a half-baked bread. I would rather serve a fully baked bread. Also, I know that many parts of the game will likely evolve and change before release, so if I reveal them early, I risk disappointing players if the final product does not match their expectation. Fortunately, I'm in a position where I don't need to market the game, so I can take my preferred approach."

I'd certainly say so – Stardew Valley continues to stand the test of time as one of the most successful indie games… heck, games, of all time. ConcernedApe does not, in fact, need any marketing, something he acknowledges himself.

While I'd love to see more of Haunted Chocolatier myself, of course, I understand where he's coming from. He's got a lot on his plate between the new sim and Stardew Valley's own 1.7 update, and he wants to make sure his work is complete enough to show folks.

The legendary dev closes with a grateful message to us fans, writing, "As always, I really appreciate your patience" – and to that I'd respond that we really appreciate his work and transparency. Here's to more Haunted Chocolatier… whenever it may come.

ConcernedApe spends 5 days a week on Haunted Chocolatier and 2 on Stardew Valley, says the new game is "a lot harder" to make.

Stardew Valley mastermind Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone has been chipping away at his new game, Haunted Chocolatier, since 2020 – and even though he's aware it's taking a while, it's all with good reason.

The legendary indie developer shares as much in a new update on the official Haunted Chocolatier website, aptly dubbed: "Still here, still grinding." He explains that yes, he is still working on his upcoming sim – and yes, he's said that many times.

"I know it's taking a long time. A big part of that is that I am being very thoughtful about every aspect of the game," he admits – and, yeah, that makes sense. Plenty of us are fellow perfectionists.

As ConcernedApe writes, "The things in the game which the player will be interacting with or using very often need to be 'perfect.' They need to be seamless, clear, intuitive, satisfying, aesthetic." He looks to the game's chocolate recipe book, as he adds: "I torture myself over every last detail."

I get it. The standards that Stardew Valley set – or should I say, expectations – likely don't help here… neither does the size of Haunted Chocolatier. "It's a big game," after all. "So there are many things for me to fuss over."

That checks out – especially with what he's said in the past, that the "world of Haunted Chocolatier" will somehow be even "larger" than that of Stardew Valley and that "everything is cranked up" in the new sim.

All in all, it's a lot to work with, "but this is what it will take to make a game I'm satisfied with," as per ConcernedApe's own words. That's not to mention Stardew Valley's own 1.7 update, which I'm sure will be massive.

As for why the dev hasn't shared more sneak peeks at his game-in-progress, he simply doesn't want to. "I don't like to share too many screenshots," says ConcernedApe, "or even talk about the systems in too much detail, while the game is in development." I'm certainly fine with that.

I'd rather he feel comfortable when he does post screencaps or teasers, rather than "risk disappointing players," as he puts it himself.

Not that I think he'd ever disappoint us – heck, I'd be happy with pretty much anything after the gem that Stardew Valley was (and continues to be). I'm certain that Haunted Chocolatier will step up to the plate and impress just as much… whenever that may be.

ConcernedApe spends 5 days a week on Haunted Chocolatier and 2 on Stardew Valley, says the new game is "a lot harder" to make.

Paralives, the vibrant life sim now rivaling EA's own life sim gem, The Sims 4, is racking up quite the community after just a month in the wild – one that now boasts over a million fans, in fact.

The recent indie release's developer, Paralives Studio, reveals as much in a new post aptly dubbed "1,000,000 copies" on Steam. After thanking players for their support and promising "to keep improving the game thanks to all your suggestions and feedback," the team goes on to unveil some fun statistics.

First, it looks back at the six patches and hotfixes that have arrived since Paralives' May 25 launch. Then, it covers the life sim's average daily players: a whopping 80,000, just last week. Folks playing have spent on average 11 hours or so in-game as well, sent in 350,000 feedback and bug reports, and created 22,000 mods for the Steam Workshop – now that's impressive.

Doubly so as devs have spoken out in support of modding (yes, even NSFW mods), and it appears that fans have been very receptive to that.

There are some amusing stats in there, too. A good 170 "naked Charlies" have popped up in people's games (unprompted, might I add). In case you missed the whole Charlie situation, it involved a bug in which a nude man could "appear in your household if, after giving birth, you exit without saving," as Paralives Studio previously put it. He was named Charlie, and boy, did he cause some chaos in many a random Para's home.

The devs conclude with an amusing mystery stat: how many players have married Jason and broken his once-happy family up. If you don't get it yourself, I suggest giving "Paralives Jason" a quick Google – the man is fine.

Comments are as funny as you might expect as well, with one fan exclaiming, "Poor Jason!" Others commend the indie team for its hard work on the life sim… a sentiment I can certainly add to myself.

Paralives is undeniably a solid entry to the genre, and I can attest this – heck, I've already managed to land nearly 100 hours in it, and that's between the plethora of other games I spend far too much time in.

Searching for more new games to wishlist? Here are the best games like The Sims 4 out there right now to explore.

With Merge a Nuke codes, you can get some much-needed cash to upgrade your nuke spawns or shield time, but you can also get some nukes to spawn instantly on your plot. This is particularly great if you suffer a loss at the hands of another player, so use these codes wisely.

While your main objective in this Roblox experience is to destroy the central city, you can attack other players, destroying their nukes in the process (which seems pretty pointless if you ask me). Even if you're leaving other people alone, there's a chance they'll come for you and your nukes, so get yourself back on track with the following Merge a Nuke codes.

For other rewards that you can use across all of your favorite experiences, then check out our list of general Roblox promo codes, too.

All Merge a Nuke codes

These are the Merge a Nuke codes you can redeem right now:

• DELAY - 300 Nuclear Waste latest!
• BOOM - 5,000x Cash

As you can see from my list above, Merge a Nuke codes tend to offer a combination of cash and nukes. While cash will always give you a boost to your bank balance, and the ability to get upgrades faster, there is a caveat when it comes to redeeming nuke codes.

That is that you won't get these nukes unless there's room for them on your plot. For example, if you have a Max Spawn of five and you have four nukes on your plot already, you'll only get one, wasting potentially nine or 19 nukes you could have had. This means your current Max Spawn Upgrade needs to be at least big enough for the reward, but you also need to account for any nukes you already have on your plot.

How to redeem Merge a Nuke codes

To redeem Merge a Nuke codes, launch the game on Roblox, then click on the Shop button in the main menu. Scroll to the bottom of the Shop window to find the codes redemption box, enter your codes as they appear above, and click Redeem to get your rewards.

Rewards are instant, so as I've mentioned above, be sure you have room for the any nukes before redeeming those codes.

Expired Merge a Nuke codes

• ATOMIC - 10,000x Cash, 20x Nukes
• UPDATE2 - 10,000x Cash, 10x Nukes

A few Merge a Nuke codes have now expired, and we've listed them above so you don't waste time trying to redeem them. Now we know Merge a Nuke codes can expire, redeem any valid ones as soon as possible so you don't miss out.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Redeem the latest Speed Keyboard Escape codes for a little bump to your speed in the Roblox experience by SecretVerse Studios. In this walking (or running) simulator, obby, and satisfyingly clicky-clacky ASMR game, speed is the goal, and the faster you go, the further you'll get. Stop along the way to pick up 'Wins', which can then be used to buy items that further boost your speed.

Since higher levels naturally give out more Wins, you want to get as far as possible as fast as possible (again, that's literally what this Roblox experience is about), so any little boost helps, and that's exactly what you can get from these +1 Speed Keyboard Escape codes.

For more rewards that can be used across every one of your favorite experiences, then run on over to our list of Roblox promo codes, too.

All Speed Keyboard Escape codes

This is the only valid Speed Keyboard Escape code right now:

• BYP4SS1 - Extra Speed

There is only one Speed Keyboard Escape code so far, which grants bonus speed. I got 15,000, but this reward may differ depending on your current level. Whatever you get helps towards your steady speed increase, though, getting you closer to more valuable Wins.

Remember, the codes we list here are for the +1 Speed Keyboard Escape game by SecretVerse Studio. There are many Roblox experiences with very similar names, so be sure you're playing the right one if the above codes don't work.

How to redeem Speed Keyboard codes

To redeem Speed Keyboard Escape codes, simply launch the game and click on the Code button at the top of the screen. Enter the code at the bottom of the window that appears, hit OK, and you'll automatically receive your rewards.

Speed Keyboard codes aren't technically case-sensitive. You'll notice that whether you enter lower or upper-case, they'll appear as the latter, so just make sure you're spelling the code correctly - or copy and paste it from above.

Expired Speed Keyboard codes

• There are no expired Speed Keyboard codes

Since codes are relatively new to +1 Speed Keyboard Escape, there are no expired codes at the moment. As soon as any codes start expiring, we'll move them down here, but I'd still recommend that you redeem Speed Keyboard codes as soon as you see them to avoid missing out.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Kynseed, the impossibly charming Stardew Valley-ish life sim from a team of former Fable developers, is coming to consoles on August 4.

Indie developer PixelCount Studios, founded by two Lionhead veterans who worked on "every Fable game," according to the studio's website, announced on Steam that Kynseed will release on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on August 4. "That means more players will soon be able to grow a family legacy, run shops, explore Quill, and now, of course, manage their very own tavern," says PixelCount, with that last bit referring to a new system that just launched on PC.

PixelCount says tavern management has been one of the most requested features from the community since Kynseed launched, and I believe it. Management sim and cozy RPG go hand-in-hand, and there's nothing cozier than a good tavern. Dimly lit by candles, warmed by fire, and lively in atmosphere, I can't think of a better place to hang out and unwind than a tavern, and now Kynseed players will get to do exactly that while making sure no one gets too drunk. (That's not true: PixelCount clarifies this is a non-alcoholic bar.)

"You can welcome villagers through your doors, serve drinks and food, hire entertainers and build up another cosy little corner of your Kynseed life," the studio says.

Kynseed is often referred to as a Stardew Valley-like, and it definitely shares a lot of elements like farming, crafting, and managing relationships, but there's a dark fantasy theme spread throughout the world that feels distinctly Fable-inspired. Like Stardew, there's combat involved, but in Kynseed, you're tasked with taking down the evil Hob army, which has been creating totems from dark magic and using them to destroy crops and buildings, just to be jerks, I guess.

When Kynseed launches on consoles in a few weeks, I suspect it'll cost $25 just like it does on Steam.

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Paralives, the colorful new indie answer to EA's own life sim gem, The Sims 4, encourages all sorts of mods (yes, even NSFW mods) – but the most famous adult mod in the entire genre won't be making its way to the recent game.

The mod in question here is WickedWhims. If you've not heard of it, it adds a whole lot of spice to The Sims 4… as well as various real-life features, like birth control, family planning, health simulations, and much more. It's known very well in the Simming community – heck, it's launched a whopping 400,000 times a day. So, it comes as no surprise that fans have been wondering whether or not its developers would bring it to Paralives.

Husk, also known as HelpfulHusk, who helps work on WickedWhims (and its more SFW counterpart, WonderfulWhims) alongside creator TURBODRIVER, says that it isn't – sad news for all of us who hoped for a Paralives counterpart of the adult mod.

They confirm as much in response to a fan asking about it online, writing, "Sorry to say that's not happening!" When asked why not, Husk explains that they're not too certain.

"I dunno, just telling you what TURBO said," Husk states. They do tease "what the other person said is as good of a list of reasons as any," though, pointing to another reply under their own.

That one cites a few potential reasons that WickedWhims won't come to Paralives – a different game engine, the difficulty in transferring assets, problems with re-exporting animations in Blender, and "mod files can easily be stolen in the [Steam] Workshop."

To top this all off, "They'd have to do all this and keep up with their current mod." Well, this all certainly makes sense – but that doesn't mean "someone else" won't step up to the plate, as folks are now discussing over on Reddit.

As one person puts it, it's "the way of the Internet." Indeed… and a quick browse at the Steam Workshop shows me that we've already got a very aptly named "UncensoredParas" mod available to download.

Over on NexusMods, there are even more. So, yeah… we don't have too much to worry about, although I will admittedly miss all of the extra features that WickedWhims adds to The Sims 4 in Paralives, honestly.

Searching for more new games to wishlist? Here are the best games like The Sims 4 out there right now to explore.