The industry is reeling at the moment from Sony's announcement that it'll be ending new physical discs for PlayStation consoles in 2028. Though the pivot appears quite sudden, barring more extraneous market factors, a new report suggests it's been coming for some time, and the main factory involved is already changing direction.

This comes from ORF Salzburg, an Austrian outlet who spoke to the head of Sony's flagship disc-producing plant in Thalgau about the shifting tide in business. Apparently, some 600,000 discs come out of the facility every single day, 50% of which are for PlayStation devices.

It was once part of a small phalanx of factories, with two based in the United States, but one of those was shuttered in 2011 and the other pivoted toward the auto industry. As of 2022, it's been all based in Thalgau, according to Dietmar Tanzer, the president of Sony DADC, and as translated by The Verge, it's since been treated as the centre of Sony's disced operations.

But since from 2028 onwards, those 300,000 pieces of circular plastic won't be going to PlayStation-related systems, the focus will apparently be on making microlenses, a practice that began coming in toward the end of 2024, The Verge notes. These are made using transparent discs, and per the report, Sony's recently allocated €30 million into the technology for manufacturing them, and there's potential to move into auto-motion too. It's claimed that employees are planned to be retrained extensively in the future, with plans to begin mass production of microlenses potentially as soon as next year.

Alas, the choice to discontinue physical games on PlayStation consoles wasn't made in a hurry, and it appears Sony's not about to give up on a start-of-the-art factory like in Thalgau. I'm relieved to see it doesn't appear jobs are being lost on this front, anyway, which was among my fears when hearing about the shift away from allowing us to buy discs in boxes.

This is a small upside thus far, and the industry's been collectively voicing their concerns and disappointments. The future of game preservation and consumer rights in the medium is in danger of regressing further. At least we'll have good microlenses.

Former PlayStation boss warns Sony won't be able to replicate a key factor to the PS2's success "in the current generation" due to hardware costs.

Sony is ending physical disc production for new PlayStation games in 2028, and the widely controversial decision could affect how Xbox and Nintendo approach physical media, according to the company's ex-boss.

Earlier this week, PlayStation made everyone and their unborn children mad by announcing that it plans to discontinue physical production of new games releasing on PS4, PS5, and inevitable PS6 consoles from January 2026. "Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only," the company explained.

Former PlayStation Worldwide Studios head, Shawn Layden, who led the company across its PS4 golden years, recently chimed in on the "dramatic decision" in an interview with Eurogamer.

Speaking on how PlayStation's disc-less future could impact the other two console makers, Layden essentially says it's not good news: "Certainly this is an industry where if one company, particularly the leader of the industry, makes a decision of this magnitude, that's going to heavily influence what the other ones do."

The Nintendo Switch 2 is a fairly new console that supports physical cartridges, despite a few less-than-ideal Game-Key Card releases. The likelihood of the Big N completely ditching physical games any time soon is pretty low, then.

Meanwhile, Xbox has pretty openly discussed its next-gen plans for Project Helix, a console that can also apparently play your PC games. What shape that takes isn't totally clear, but there haven't been any promises of a built-in disc drive at the time of writing.

Ending support for physical releases isn't a new point of debate for the company, Layden says, since was apparently asked about it "every year for the last 20 years." But he was always hesitant to pull the trigger until he was "comfortable enough to believe that worldwide, broadband throughout is good enough to support that download experience, good enough to reach the majority of customers," he tells Eurogamer. While he was in charge, that reality obviously never came to pass, though he acknowledges that he no longer works for PlayStation and, thus, no longer knows what their internal data says about the matter.

Regardless, Sony's decision has been hugely unpopular. Developers and publishers across the industry spoke out against PlayStation's all-digital future, citing concerns around game preservation and consumer rights.

Despite huge declines over the last two decades, one analyst recently revealed that spending on physical games in the US actually increased over the last 12-month period. Around $1.6 billion was spent on physical video games in the US alone – certainly nothing to scoff at, and the small increase in business indicates that it's not a market that's ready to die by itself.

Game preservation expert says stop killing games if you don't want piracy, because companies like PlayStation and Rockstar "refuse to offer a meaningful alternative"

It turns out Sony had plans for a battery-powered PS1 crammed inside a DualShock controller, and it would have been a plug-and-play precursor to the PlayStation Classic. Armed with a memory card slot and a moulded composite video cable, it would have provided the Brazilian market with a way to play ten classic games via a memory card, but "Sony Licensing couldn't get their act together about the royalty terms."

Dubbed the PlayStation PUGA, the retro console Dualshock hybrid features in a talk by legendary game developer Brian 'Biscuit' Watson. Hosted at The Retro Collective vintage computing museum in Chalford, UK, the ex-DMA Design dev spills the beans on their 40-year-long career within the industry, which includes his time at Sony working on PS2 emulation and the cancelled PS1 plug-and-play prototype.

"Yes, it's a PlayStation controller, but it's a PlayStation controller with PS1 inside of it," explains Biscuit as he shows off the prototype. "It worked off batteries; it was specifically for the Brazilian market, because they had import restrictions, so the consoles you could only get on the grey or black market there," adds the Scottish developer.

Elaborating on why the "PUGA" was intended for Brazil, the industry veteran explains that by manufacturing the PS1 plug-and-play in the country, "you got around a lot of their import regulations." This is a strategy that has been used throughout console history, with the likes of Sega teaming up with Samsung to make Mega Drive and Master System consoles in South Korea due to Japanese import bans.

Sadly, Biscuit says the prototype he has to hand no longer works as he doesn't have the software to get it out of debug mode. When it was functional, though, the developer says, "it really was working really well! We had about ten games on a 4GB card," but laments that the project was ultimately cancelled due to licensing issues.

"The unfortunate problem is that Sony licensing couldn't get their act together about the royalty terms for each of the games." That is to be expected when dealing with third-party developers, and Bisucit touches on Rockstar and "a few other places" wanting too much in terms of royalties. However, the dev says that "even if it was a Sony game, they had to negotiate with a separate unit of Sony, and they were never happy about how much royalties they were getting."

To add salt to the wound, Biscuit says that due to the cheap MSRP, the royalties would have been roughly 10 cents per unit, but the internal disputes were enough to end development. "I almost left Sony over that one," he admits, while revealing that it's the first project he worked on that was cancelled.

Delving into specs, the developer reveals that it uses a TI-OMAP 3530 system-on-a-chip with an ARM CPU, meaning it's effectively an older version of the MediaTek MT8167A chipset within the PS1 Classic. While it also appears to have a DC jack in the centre next to its composite video cable and memory card slot, it also has space for four AA batteries around back, and that's apparently enough to keep it running for 20 hours.

Yes, the PlayStation PUGA sounds like it'd be closer to one of those cheap plug-and-play consoles from the 2000s shaped like SpongeBob or a questionable Spider-Man appendage. Yet, the software was later used in the Sony Xperia Play, and I can't help but feel like Sony was doing more to provide access to the classics even in the early 2010s, even if that phone hybrid was a flop.

Given the news this week that Sony will end PlayStation disc production in 2028, it feels like it won't be returning to more physical ideas like the PUGA or even the PS1 Classic anytime soon. Yes, the company's mini console has its issues, but it and its cancelled plug-and-play predecessor at least felt like more of an effort to preserve some sort of offline physicality, and that's something we'll desperately need as we sail to an always online digital future.

Check out the best retro handhelds if you're itching to play PlayStation classics on the go.

Consoles are running on adrenaline. Serious damage has been dealt but the pain hasn't fully set in yet, so like an MMA fighter blissfully unaware that their forearm has gained a cool new elbow, manufacturers are staggering through the same old motions. And in today's AI-driven component drought, consoles are hurting. Gaming has never been less affordable. But what actually scares me is the apathy I feel at the thought of another console generation.

We're coming up on the seventh year of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. The same old motions demand a new box be enshrined in the hallowed media center, but many of the factors hurting current-gen consoles will only get worse with a new generation. This leaves me wondering: does anyone actually want new consoles any time soon?

The next generation

The Nintendo Switch 2 just barely made it. Even Nintendo, whose strategy of staying well behind the cutting edge of processors is really paying off today, has marked up prices in response to ballooning production costs (and US tariffs). And Nintendo got lucky, launching its latest handheld just before the landscape soured.

Valve, the latest living room contender, got unlucky, and its Steam Machine's dizzying price offers a glimpse of what is staring down the PS6 and Xbox Project Helix. Nobody is happy with the Steam Machine, least of all Valve. The company wanted, and planned, to price its box significantly lower. Even if you like the Steam Machine – and it has some genuinely solid features and upsides, including a great OS – there's no denying that it costs too much for what it can do. Because of course it does. Everything costs too much right now! And in a world where Valve is selling a weaker PS5 for $1,050 at base, I don't see the PS6 or Xbox Project Helix getting over the price hurdle.

Console gaming faces mounting challenges. First of all, if you hike the price of consoles too high, you risk pricing them out of relevancy altogether. Microsoft just went through this with Xbox Game Pass. It got so expensive that it lost its use case for millions of people. Everything has a price threshold where people stop caring, and that's especially relevant here because affordability and convenience are core selling points for console gaming. You pay $500 for a box that plays games. Oh, how good we had it.

This is an essential part of the console bargain. It's the fast food problem – worse, really, because games aren't a need. But I get fast food because it's cheap. If fast food and sit-down food are the same price, I'm not going to Taco Bell. In this analogy, console platform holders can thank their lucky stars that PC gaming hardware is also on fire and everyone is pawing their way through the smoke.

But games exist elsewhere, too. Free games that run on phones and potatoes alike are already eating a huge chunk of the rapidly aging gaming market, to say nothing of other media in the attention market. Never mind bringing new or younger players into the next generation; an intimidating price could also block existing console gamers from trading up, and consoles have survived this long by remonetizing the same people in a matured market. Underpinning this is the existential threat of a vanishing audience, which is worthy of its own screed.

Your money's worth

Now put two more bricks on the scale. New consoles have to justify themselves with software and hardware. Does this have enough awesome new games to warrant a purchase? Does it run or display my games appreciably better?

Performance gains have gotten smaller and smaller with each passing console generation. Now more than ever, Sony and Microsoft have to deliver big enough upgrades to distinguish new systems without pushing the price so high that people tune out, and I don't know if any architect can do that with the AI monkey on their back. Godspeed, Mark Cerny.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to buy a new console right now anyway, not just because life has gotten more expensive, but also because my PS5 and Xbox Series X still work fine and, frankly, feel untapped. This has not been a great generation for exclusive games, and for many reasons.

A lot of the bids on live service games and studio acquisitions amounted to nothing at best and disaster at worst. Remakes have been injected into release schedules like liquid bandages. As much as a third of developers have been laid off in the past few years. Loads of studios have canceled exciting projects or closed their doors entirely. And bloated production cycles have given us between zero and maybe two games from almost all of the big first-party hitters in the past seven years.

I do not want to minimize the far more important human toll of the games industry's contraction. I just want to also point out that there ain't many system sellers 'round here. (Again, I think Nintendo's strategy of not firing its best people is pulling ahead.) The list of PS5 exclusives could fit on a napkin, or a gum wrapper if you trim it to console exclusives. Xbox is in even worse shape because Microsoft's primary export is layoffs. Sony and Microsoft haven't done a great job securing games for the newest consoles I already have. How are they going to sell me on an even more expensive version?

PlayStation, for one, is transparently charging more for less. In January 2028, PlayStation will end production of all new physical games. The future of the brand is digital-only, and if you think the new consoles won't follow suit, I've got a bridge to sell you. Maybe programs like Microsoft's rumored disc-to-digital library can take the sting off backwards compatibility, and maybe we get another add-on disc drive to bring PS5 games forward. But physical copies are also a major selling point for consoles. Losing discs hurts, and it hurts everyone.

I'm not predicting the end of console gaming, but year after year of unprecedented times has upended the industry's established cycles. Now does not feel like a good time for new consoles. Few seem ready or willing to buy one, and platform holders appear equally incapable of delivering a product people will or should accept. Frankly, as soon as we got consoles with NVMe SSDs, I was basically comfortable for life. I'd be happy to hunker down for several more years, enjoy the consoles I have, let the AI monkey jump into a woodchipper that it hallucinated was a pile of money, and talk about a new console generation when we aren't living through a particularly heavy chapter of future history books. I would like my times to be a little more precedented. And at this point, I'd be happy if the next few years somehow go that smoothly.

On the topic of using what we already have, check out the best PS2 games that made Sony's second-gen console such an icon.

The PlayStation 2 is one of those systems that'll endure for many years to come, not for a strong library but because of the standards it set within the industry. It's the best-selling console ever, and its numbers are unlikely to be touched any time soon, with prices getting higher and market conditions making it harder to justify reductions, says a former higher-up at Sony.

During an appearance on the PSI podcast, Shawn Layden, the president and CEO of SIE America from 2014 through to 2019, lamented the state of hardware sales. "We know the chip and semiconductor market is under a lot of pressure right now," he says.

"After cryptocurrencies, AI is now obsessing manufacturers," he adds. "So, console manufacturers are having trouble achieving economies of scale. As a result, hardware prices aren't falling anymore."

This has been the crushing reality for a number of years now. The technological demands of AI have squeezed already tight pipelines to pretty tough degrees, causing supply to be well outweighed by demand, and for prices to rise across the board.

One of the knock-on effects is that hardware prices aren't dropping as quickly. Typically, consoles would drop their price-tags around halfway through the lifecycle, to encourage more people to get on board. Early adopters of a rival brand might then pick up the other, or those with tighter budgets can not afford it.

This was crucial for the PS2, which became very cheap towards the end of its life, with several models and bundles to pick up through-out its time of availability. You can't do that now, and Layden considers that an absolute shame.

"Take the PS2, the best-selling console of all time with nearly 160 million units sold," he comments. "If you look at the numbers, a large proportion of sales came after the console's price dropped to $199. The price cut boosted sales, and that's probably something we won't see in the current generation."

I would say he's very correct on that. Where the PS5 lands in overall sales will be intriguing to see, and then we have the PS6 awaiting us over the horizon. I'll tell you one thing for sure - it'll almost certainly cost you more than a PS2.

"Long live physical media": Devs and publishers of Baldur's Gate 3, Silksong, and more call Sony's decision to end physical PlayStation games "genuinely heartbreaking"

Between the controversy that Rockstar Games has sparked with its upcoming GTA 6 release (one that sees digital download codes in "physical" copies rather than discs) and Sony ending physical disc production for new PlayStation games in 2028, it's been one heck of a week.

It's not looking good for collectors or general fans of physical media, that's for certain. On the one hand, we've got developers like Rockstar moving away from discs. On the other, there are even bigger companies like Sony announcing that it'll cut the production of new game discs for its consoles altogether in just a couple of years. Then, there's Nintendo with its introduction of game-key cards on the Switch 2 – so, yeah.

This, coupled with all of the Stop Killing Games chatter surrounding the end of live-service titles, has made for much discussion regarding consumer rights – so much so, in fact, that preservation experts like Video Game History Foundation director Frank Cifaldi have chimed in on the matter.

Most recently, he has responded to a person on social media asserting that "piracy is the only extant form of media preservation that exists in games right now."

Cifaldi doesn't exactly disagree there, writing, "As the director of a historical video game preservation institution, and someone who has dedicated his entire adult life to this cause, this is accurate. We have attempted to work with the industry's trade organization to find a legal path forward, but they refuse to offer a meaningful alternative."

As the director of a historical video game preservation institution, and someone who has dedicated his entire adult life to this cause, this is accurate. We have attempted to work with the industry's trade organization to find a legal path forward, but they refuse to offer a meaningful alternative.

— @frankcifaldi.bsky.social (@frankcifaldi.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-07-02T15:26:34.299Z

That certainly makes sense – heck, new games like GTA 6 are only the tip of the iceberg of the problem at hand.

This also lines up with what Cifaldi said yesterday, as Sony announced its plan for physical discs on PlayStation consoles – that downloading GTA 6 with the "hope it'll run in 50 years is not a preservation solution."

He dubbed the entire situation "unfortunate news for those who still prefer buying games on physical media," which, you know, isn't exactly a minor portion of video game consumers. There are quite a few collectors out there, too.

Here's hoping the industry itself takes note of people's reactions – although I doubt it'll be enough to convince companies like Sony to back down on their decision to step away from physical media. Times are changing, after all… I suppose.

Nintendo probably won't ditch physical games just because PlayStation is, analyst predicts: "Nintendo is going to be Nintendo, for better and/or worse."

Now that Sony's set the precedent of ending new physical games on PlayStation systems come 2028, one question is whether the competition will follow. One analyst doesn't think Nintendo is going to follow suit, because, well, the house of Mario and Zelda is a trendsetter, not follower.

As of now, the plan for Sony is to stop making discs for any new PlayStation games as of January 2028. It's a radical move, and one that's not sitting well within the industry. But it's unlikely to have ramifications for every other major force within the medium, because Nintendo, at least, plays by its own rules.

"My gut says Nintendo does what Nintendo wants to do," Mat Piscatella, senior director and video game industry advisor at Circana, tells VGC. "I don't see them changing anything in their plans based on what Sony or Microsoft do on anything, really. Nintendo is going to be Nintendo, for better and/or worse."

New physical video games will last only as long as the console manufacturers allow them to.Been saying this for years, and here we are.

— @matpiscatella.bsky.social (@matpiscatella.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-07-02T15:05:05.698Z

This has been the reality for decades now, going back to the Nintendo 64 having cartridges instead of discs and the GameCube being the only major console of the era not to have a built-in DVD player. Nintendo goes its own way, and while this is something the company will likely notice, the probability seems low it'll impact any plans.

As Piscatella points out, Nintendo's still a big force in the world of games retail. Switch 2 games are some of the biggest sellers globally at the minute, and the likes of Pokemon, Mario, Kirby, and Zelda are merchandise machines.

"Retail has already leaned into Nintendo support more and more over the past few years (Nintendo also holds very strong share of physical software and hardware sales since the launch of Switch 2 in particular), so this could continue to increase, sure," he says.

"It's not like boxes on shelves will go away entirely with this change," he continues. "There will be more codes in boxes, more merch, maybe more special editions with swag included, that kind of thing. But the change should also result in the continued decline in physical game retail spend."

Bethesda not-so-subtly brags about its physical Oblivion Remastered Switch 2 cartridge, mere hours after Sony announces the end of new PlayStation discs

Recent comments from Sony executives affirm PlayStation is eagerly exploring applications of AI, including the use of "synthetic assets" in game development.

A translated Q&A from the company's recent games and network services meeting includes joint remarks from Sony president and CEO Hideaki Nishino, studio business CEO Hermen Hulst, and senior vice president of finance and corporate development Lynn Azar.

In the meeting's opening presentation, Nishino says, "We also see AI as an important foundational technology supporting our strategy. AI is already helping us across various fields by improving development efficiency, enhancing the player experience, improving content discovery, and enabling creators to build richer content."

Nishino adds that, "With our global player base, deep library of IP, and integrated ecosystem, AI is an exciting long-term opportunity for us."

Nishino notably doesn't specify generative AI, which many game developers have pushed back on, but Sony does discuss how AI may be used in game development. Some of its messaging echoes previous chatter of expediting or removing tedium from game production, but it also looks at more operational applications across the business.

One questioner asks, "As new content emerges in the age of AI, how do you plan to differentiate your platform?"

Sony's joint response is wide-reaching. "With the introduction of AI, we are now able to analyze data at scale much more quickly, and we are seeing strong progress in advancing data utilization," it begins. For example, given the "enormous" volume of PlayStation Store transactions and the risk of "very significant" financial impact from fraud, Sony says "AI engines are being used to assess transaction reliability with a high degree of sophistication, contributing to the prevention of fraud."

Quick to stress that "as a creative entertainment company, we prioritize our creators," Sony says AI can enhance that creative work by "by removing repetitive tasks and enabling faster iteration and higher-quality outputs."

This includes the use of "synthetic assets, including synthetic voices, as early placeholders." Indeed, artificial voices have been used as placeholders in some games for quite some time, and the likes of Arc Raiders even shipped with many artificial voices. Today, the risks of AI-generated placeholder assets, especially art, slipping into the final version of a game and causing a stink among players have increased.

Former Dragon Age narrative lead David Gaider discussed this exact risk in scathing comments on generative AI. "All you'd need is one lazy developer or one temp asset that's been forgotten or was placed by someone who's since left the team and you'd have an issue on your hands," Gaider says.

Sony says these synthetic assets are "less about cost efficiency and more about improving quality and development speed, which we see as highly valuable." Of course, since game development costs are largely a function of labor over time, saving time via AI is unavoidably tied to cost efficiency.

Sony also squarely focuses on how games may benefit from AI. "For many years, AI has been deeply embedded in our development processes, and we are increasingly seeing its impact on more immersive in-game experiences, where characters and worlds are enhanced by AI capabilities," the company explains. It's unclear how far back Sony is looking, or how much of this sentiment stems from the fact that AI – as a broader technology and a means of, say, directing NPCs – was woven into games long before the term AI gained new meaning in the ChatGPT decade.

This rhetoric seems to veer closer to that of Ubisoft, which has made much of player-facing gen AI, including visions for more dynamic and responsive companions and other non-player characters. We've also seen some developers question the feasibility and fun of this application of gen AI, with concerns percolating that this approach will just result in poorly defined writing that tries to do everything.

"At the same time, we are experimenting at a more fundamental level with smaller, AI-first initiatives, while remaining realistic about near-term efficiency gains," Sony concludes, seemingly blunting the sensationalism seen in some circles of AI discussion. "These efforts position us to stay at the forefront as AI continues to evolve, both in development processes and in shaping future player experiences."

Instead of putting its games on PC, Sony apparently wants to escape the reputation that "PlayStation equals the living room" by selling monitors and speakers.

The PlayStation Disc Drive is one of the best PlayStation 5 accessories, as it allows anyone with a digital-only Slim or PS5 Pro console to still get access to physical games. You just need to remove the back console cover of the PS5 to hook it up, and you're able to play your discs as you see fit, even though you invested in a digital-only console. Magic.

However, with Sony's announcement that it's ending physical disc production for new games in 2028, that once handy accessory now feels pretty redundant. From January 2028, all new games will be available on the PlayStation Store or at retailers as "in digital formats only" and so new releases will soon be inaccessible to Disc Drive owners. Sure, new games released in 2028 will still be able to be purchased digitally, but that's still not the best consolation prize if you recently invested $79.99 / £69.99, assuming you'd have access to any upcoming games on the platform.

Before Sony's disheartening announcement, I was more than happy to recommend the official Sony Disc Drive to PS5 players. Its $79.99 (Best Buy) / £69.99 (PS Direct) price is a little higher than I would prefer for an external disc drive, but I was always a fan as it meant that physical games were accessible to more players. Including the discounts that can often come with them.

Physical games, especially where the PS5 is concerned, can be subject to alluring price markdowns, even right after launch. For example, I've been eyeing up Assassin's Creed Shadows, but its full £69.99 MSRP here in the UK was a little more than I was willing to spend at launch. As of typing, it's now £37.76 at Amazon for the disc edition of the game on the PS5, a price I'm glad I have access to, not just myself, but anyone with the official Disc Drive attached to their console.

The official PlayStation Store does have plenty of sales events of its own. If you have a PlayStation Plus membership, you can also be offered exclusive deals on certain titles. However, purely relying on a digital-only experience removes your ability to shop around, one of the reasons why I used to herald the official Disc Drive as a great option for digital PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro owners. While digital-only console owners were once locked to sticking with the PS Store, the Disc Drive opened up a new world of possibilities.

One of those possibilities is being able to borrow games from a friend. I know for a fact it has been a handy way for my friends to experience recent Triple-A titles while saving some cash. As a big physical game collector, I'm often the one they come to when they want to play new releases but are saving their cash. I've accumulated quite a collection, and it's one I'm always proud to loan to others.

Sharing new titles with those closest to me was always a nice social aspect to gaming I really enjoyed, especially as I'd eagerly await the day they'd hand it back and divulge all their favorite experiences.

The Disc Drives also allowed my friends (and myself) to pick up releases that didn't have physical copies here in the UK. Amongst my gaming shelf, I own both Slitterhead and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name physically, despite both games being digital-only releases. The region-free playback allowed me to import Japanese copies, which played fine (including their English language options) on both my disc-edition PS5 and the official Disc Drive on my friends' consoles

The lack of future physical PS5 games isn't just bad for Disc Drive owners, as it means the likelihood of losing access to second-hand games in stores and the ability to borrow games from a friend. But it also means you've essentially wasted your money on a device that will no longer help to provide access to brand-new upcoming games that are released in 2028.

If you have a huge existing physical PS5 game backlog to get through, and that will be able to satiate your needs for a while, then I'm happy for you. You've also got 547 days until new physical PS5 games are no more, and that's still over a year's worth of playtime at your fingertips.

I used to be comfortable recommending the official Sony Disc Drive, but Sony's recent announcement has changed my tune. Now, I'd be much more eager to recommend you go off the deep end and pick up a second-hand PS2 instead. If you do, I'm sure our retro gaming expert Phil Hayton will most definitely support you on those retro-Sony endeavours.

If you want to move away to other platforms, our team has rounded up the best Nintendo Switch 2 bundle deals, the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers, and the best Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express cards available today.

As Bethesda Game Studios plans for the Switch 2 release of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, it reassures fans that the RPG remake will indeed be "available on a physical game card" – an assertion that catches the eye, to say the least.

In case you're out of the loop, fans of physical media have had a heck of a week. Yesterday, Sony announced that it's ending physical disc production for new games on PlayStation consoles in 2028, stating "general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs" – and, boy, did that cause a stir.

Unsurprisingly, folks aren't thrilled… and it's not too difficult to see why. The move away from discs and cartridges has been a hot topic. Bethesda, however, isn't dipping out of producing physical copies of its games just yet – and it's reassuring players that Oblivion Remastered on Switch 2 is no exception in that regard.

A new post from the company (which, mind you, went live mere hours after Sony announced its plan to axe physical disc production for PlayStation) reads that "The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered Deluxe Edition is available on a physical game card."

You know, "for those seeking to add to their collection!" The attached video shows the cartridge itself being waved around front and center, just to get the message across. That's totally just a conveniently timed coincidence and most definitely not a jab at Sony… right? Well, it's not like Bethesda names any names here or anything – but it does appear the community finds the timing amusing.

"This after Sony announces that they'll end disc production in 2028," as one fan's reply puts it. Another jests, "Alright, Bethesda. You got my attention!"

Honestly, I'm glad – joke or not – that Bethesda is still letting fans choose between going digital or physical. It's not as though Sony is the only big name to make moves away from the latter, anyway, with Nintendo having sparked similar controversy with its introduction of game-key cards on the Switch 2 last year.

That wasn't a complete wipe of physical copies for Nintendo's console, however, but it shows that times are certainly changing.

As someone who enjoys collecting games myself, I do hope more companies follow suit here and let consumers choose whether or not they want digital or physical releases. Choice is the key here, I'd say – and stripping that away is the core of the contention.

"Pretend we kept patching Oblivion. What would we have done if we kept supporting it?" – Todd Howard explains the "thought exercise" Bethesda went through for its remaster.

Yet another shockwave's been sent through the industry, as starting in 2028, Sony will no longer be producing physical discs for new PlayStation games. This is not going down well with many, including plenty of developers and publishers, who are crestfallen about not getting to see their projects transition from being purely digital on the platform.

"As a company on a mission to preserve video games, we are deeply saddened by the recent news from PlayStation on ending physical disc production from 2028," indie publisher Lost in Cult says in a statement. "We aim to do everything in our power to preserve video games to the best of our ability and will continue to do so for as long as we can."

This is an increasingly common sentiment, as creatives reflect on what this means for the medium, and their plans for putting their games on PlayStation 5 and the prospective PlayStation 6. "Extremely sad to think I'll never release another physical game for PlayStation," Billy Basso, the developer of Animal Well, says on Twitter.

"Releasing the physical versions of Animal Well was a huge motivator all throughout development," he says. "It really kills my desire to develop for the platform. I'm hoping they reverse this decision."

Michael Douse, the director of publishing at Larian Studios, calls the decision "genuinely heartbreaking," and says the Baldur's Gate 3 physical edition was "both my pride AND quite literally joy." He notes that putting together the special disc run of the RPG took a lot of time, money and effort, but "it's fucking cool and made people happy."

He adds that the brazen nature of Sony's blanket policy is particularly dispiriting. "I just wish they would license one company to manufacture discs as an option for collectors," he says. "Where there is digital there will always be a sizable audience who want tangible."

These views are echoed by Edmund McMillen, co-creator of The Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy, and Mewgenics. "I collect physical media and will always find a way to release my games physically," he posts on Twitter. "The fact is, if mainstream publishers stop, independent boutique publishers will continue making collectors editions that will be way better anyway."

Sadly, there are a few hurdles to that: firstly, in Sony's case, you need corporate approval to proceed, which may not be as forthcoming; secondly, consoles going all digital would make this redundant anyway; and third, the rising costs to begin with. It's becoming a nigh untenable proposition.

Nonetheless, the resolve from independent publishers and companies is strong. "Even if you play mostly digital games, we know many of you buy our physical releases to have a tangible representation of your favorite games. A copy you can own, borrow, or give as a gift. We take a lot of pride and care in that," Fangamer, the publisher behind physical versions of Hollow Knight: Silksong, Stardew Valley, and more, says on Twitter.

"It means the world to us that we can help bring you that experience, and we'll continue sharing the collective joy that physical media brings." Similar comments were made by iam8bit, a publisher who also does vinyl releases of video game soundtracks, as well as physical releases for games including Blue Prince, which ends on a rousing statement: "Long live physical media."

As PlayStation kills discs, former Blizzard boss says "we can't live in a world of fear if our games will work in the future or not."

A former Microsoft gaming executive and Blizzard Entertainment's ex-president, Mike Ybarra, has reacted to the news of PlayStation's all-digital, disc-less future with some notes for console makers.

Sony Interactive Entertainment yesterday announced that physical production for new PlayStation games will end in January, 2028, effectively meaning games released after that point will no longer be printed on discs for the PS5, PS5 Pro, and inevitable PS6. A huge blow to game preservation and consumer rights, to say the least.

Former industry leader Mike Ybarra reckons platform holders have a lot of work to do before they're ready to ditch physical games and force gamers into an entirely digital future, based on a lengthy post to social media. "Sad to see this happening across the entire gaming industry. I guess it was going to happen at some point, but I didn't think it would be this soon," he tweets.

Top of the list? "You need to establish a digital promise for consumers. We can't live in a world of fear if our games will work in the future or not. You owe everyone a clear vision for our 'digital locker' that gives us confidence our games are actually our games. You don't get to just turn the games off (I get [multiplayer] games are different from [single-player] games, etc.)."

Reactions to PlayStation's decision have been heated, which might be putting it lightly, and a big worry is that games can simply be scrubbed offline or revoked for people who have spent real, hard-earned cash on them. Digital consumer rights in most countries haven't totally caught up yet, so nothing's legally stopping Xbox or PlayStation from going down this route.

"You need to innovate game sharing," Ybarra continues. "Lending my game to my friend should be as easy as handing him/her a disc. It's possible to do, I've lived it and looked into it before. As players, we should be able to share our games. You can have restrictions on it but fundamentally this should 'just work' 75%+ of the time. A 'friends and family' of 3, 6, 9, or whatever number is a solution others have in place. Mirror it and make it industry standard."

The former Blizzard boss then pitches a pretty radical idea that would let people "have an open marketplace" on consoles to resell their digital games to other players "for store credit or cash" – with the platform holders taking a cut of that money. "Game developers will not like this," Ybarra acknowledges, "but being consumer friendly has to go both ways here. A used game marketplace is a must have in my view."

He then asks console makers to make digital libraries more public, like achievements are, and to communicate what this all-digital future looks like more clearly. "All of this is possible. Make your platform the best place to play."

Downloading GTA 6 with the "hope it'll run in 50 years is not a preservation solution," Video Game History Foundation says as PlayStation kills discs.

Still tip-toeing around a reported retreat from PC releases of PlayStation games, Sony leaders recently highlighted plans to reach players outside the console-standard living room by selling them PC-adjacent products and peripherals, seemingly in place of actually letting them access the company's games outside its consoles.

This week, Sony released a translated Q&A with joint comments and responses from three presenters: Sony president and CEO Hideaki Nishino, studio business CEO Hermen Hulst, and senior vice president of finance and corporate development Lynn Azar.

Asked how PlayStation can attract gamers "who migrated to gaming PCs during the COVID period," Sony agrees that "PlayStation has long been strongly associated with the idea of playing in the living room."

Rather than the rise of PC gaming, the platform showing the most growth in many regions and the greatest diversity of top-selling games globally, Sony focuses on how, "in recent years, more users globally have been using personal monitors." This, apparently, is more like where it hopes to meet PC gamers.

"In response, we are selling peripherals such as monitors and speakers to break away from the fixed perception that 'PlayStation equals the living room' and to broaden usage scenarios," Sony says. "For the next-generation platform, rather than simply serving as an alternative to PCs, we aim to deliver value that is unique to PlayStation. This includes not only technological advancements but also an expansion of usage styles, enabling a seamless experience that can be enjoyed naturally beyond the living room."

Separately, Sony examines the position of PC gaming. "Creators may push to expand titles to other platforms such as PC to maximize reach, while our responsibility is to take a broader view and optimize total value for SIE, avoiding sub-optimization," it says. "We engage in constructive dialogue to ensure all our decisions are based on clear logic and rationale."

Former PlayStation head Shawn Layden has wondered what logic Sony is following in its approach to PC gaming, arguing that PC ports weren't cannibalizing console sales.

Another questioner argued that "it seems logical to expand content across platforms and evolve beyond a console-centric business," but Sony was reserved. Pertinently, protecting the appeal of its consoles is said to be a key driver of its revised PC strategy, to say nothing of reportedly disappointing returns on some investments.

The company's answer stresses that "the value of our proprietary device lies in the experience, not the hardware itself," with PlayStation hardware providing "seamless, immediate access to content" whereas "general-purpose devices" put "multiple layers before gameplay."

Sony does acknowledge that "most of the value of our ecosystem is driven by third-party publishers" and "this supports a shift toward a true digital platform business." But while "opportunities exist beyond console (e.g., mobile and PC), we aim to proceed carefully, ensuring we are not constrained by our own hardware ecosystem. Overall, we see expansion potential over the next five years."

A key note in the reports of Sony pulling back from PC was the exception of live service games, which would still be multiplatform even if the big single-player games remain console exclusives. This is mentioned in passing in this meeting: "In some areas, such as live service games, broader platform expansion can make sense."

Of course, the focus this week is a distinct shrinking of PlayStation, namely the impending end of physical games on the platform. Come January 2028, PlayStation games will be digital-only. Alongside this, we've learned that the PS3 and Vita digital stores will also shut down – as soon as next month in some regions.

A PS6 handheld is seemingly on the table as PlayStation CEO says Sony will be "leveraging technologies that can be used in various forms and locations."

This morning, Sony announced that physical PlayStation game discs will cease production in 2028 and, well… I'm not surprised, I'm just disappointed. I've been a physical game collector for years, but the writing's been on the wall pretty much since the start of the PS4 generation. The advantages of digital distribution are too numerous to count – if you're a game publisher. But for those of us out here actually buying and playing games, the consequences are vast and severe even for players who prefer the digital format.

The existence of digital distribution has been a net positive for gaming, since it's allowed small and mid-sized developers to create games and sell them to a wide audience they never would've been able to reach before. Without digital game sales, the likes of Stardew Valley, Hades, and Terraria simply would not exist. But while I'm happy to support indie developers by buying their digital games, if I'm faced with a choice between paying $70 (or, at this point, $80) for a physical game or a digital one, I'm going for the physical option every time.

Preserving the past

Despite the fact that some (not all, not even most, but some) discs are essentially unlock keys that contain very little game data, they are still physical objects that hold value in the real world. I can lend these discs to friends, or sell them on eBay, or use them to revisit favorite old titles instead of rebuying the latest remaster – all things that, presumably, publishers like Sony would prefer us not to do.

The vast majority of current game discs, which do contain fully playable game installs, are essential to ensuring the games of today remain available in the future. Sony is proving this true even now as it promises (for real this time) to shut down the PS3 and Vita stores. The same thing has already happened with Wii, Wii U, 3DS, and Xbox 360 online stores, and while users admirably still have the ability to redownload purchased games on those platforms, if you want to go back and play a digital-only release you might have missed out on in that era, your only option is piracy.

The secondhand NES that I got as a kid in the '90s still works, albeit with a bit of repair work. The same goes for all of my old games, with many hundreds of other titles still available to buy secondhand. When I spent $700 on a PS5 Pro, my expectation was that it, too, would continue to work for another 30 or 40 years, and that I'd be able to play its library of thousands of games whenever I got around to them. But what good is the promise of that investment when the PS6 comes around and every single game I purchase is tied to a server that Sony could choose to shut down at any time?

Protecting the future

With the end of physical games, PlayStation now controls its entire ecosystem, just as the company once ridiculed Xbox for trying to do in 2013. The company can now ensure it gets a cut of every single game sold on its platforms, with no threat of players spending their money on cheaper used titles. And without a genuine market for new and used retail games to determine what people actually want to pay, we're about to enter a new Wild West for pricing.

This future is all the more concerning given the "dynamic" pricing that Sony is already experimenting with on the PlayStation Store. With a retail game, everyone sees the same, clearly marked retail price. In an all-digital ecosystem, that clarity is gone, replaced by an individual price for each user, with little clarity about who's getting which price and why.

This threat is not purely theoretical. It's called surveillance pricing, where online retailers use your personal data to set prices according to whatever they think you're willing to pay. In most cases, competing retailers carry similar products so that if, say, Instacart decides to gouge you on grocery prices, you can at least use a different service or head to a local store.

PC games have, of course, effectively been digital only for years without running these sorts of scams, but PC is an open platform. If Steam were to suddenly take a dramatic turn for the worse, alternatives like GOG, Humble, or even the dreaded Epic Games Store could start to pick up the slack. Sites like IsThereAnyDeal already keep PC stores honest with comparative pricing history going back years.

But as of January 2028, the PlayStation Store will be the only place you can buy new PlayStation games, barring whatever mysterious format these now discless games show up at retail in. I've got my fingers crossed that Sony decides not to, you know, be evil, but my willingness to trust corporate altruism is pretty low these days. The end of physical discs benefits no one but Sony and, perhaps, the increasingly small handful of AAA publishers.

Get these upcoming PS5 games on discs while you still can.

Now that Sony's revealed it's discontinuing physical games in 2028, the big questions are: when is the PS6 going to arrive, and will it allow you to play discs at all? One analyst believes we might be waiting a while for the new system, and doesn't expect Sony to emphasize discs in the standard version of its new-gen console.

Piers Harding-Rolls, senior games research analyst at Ampere Analysis, shared his thoughts with Game File. "This pretty much guarantees that PS6 won’t arrive until 2028 at the earliest," he says of the PlayStation's physical news, adding that "the base version of a PS6 will not include a physical media drive."

He primarily points towards Sony's desire to manufacture consoles as cheaply as possible as the motivating factor, and that definitely tracks. Just recently, PlayStation leadership affirmed they do not plan to sell hardware at a loss. The entire hardware pipeline has only become more expensive in recent years, and it doesn't seem like those costs are going to come down any time soon.

Hard as it may be to believe, we are coming up to the time in the PS5's lifecycle where the prospect of the PS6 is looming. The PlayStation 5 arrived just under six years ago, and it'll be seven years old when 2028 starts. Seven years separated both the PS5 and PS4 from their predecessors.

However, the landscape has shifted in that time, and not only is sourcing hardware components harder than before, I'd also argue that the general need and appetite for upgraded systems is lower. GTA 6 comfortably launching on the current console generation certainly seems to indicate we won't be seeing PS5 pushed to its absolute limits for a while.

Harding-Rolls is likely correct that a disc drive may be an optional luxury, at best, for the next PlayStation console. PS5 disc backwards compatibility is a factor, but Sony presumably wouldn't discontinue physical games without plans to phase out support for the format altogether, and it also probably wouldn't want to rush out a console right before the end of physical games hits. And we're already starting to see major games push toward digital-only as a means of distribution - GTA 6 won't have physical copies at launch, for one, and Rockstar hasn't confirmed that it's ever getting any.

Just one generation ago, PlayStation couldn't shut up about how great physical games are: "Keep it forever"

As Sony announces it's doing away with new disc releases in 2028, people are recalling the big song and dance the company made about physical games and game sharing to dunk on the Xbox One back when the PS4 was announced.

Back in 2013, Xbox made headlines thanks to its DRM policies, which was the beginning of the tailspin the console has been in ever since, and a way for Sony to capitalize on it, giving the PS4 the starting momentum it needed after a weaker PS3 generation to become one of the most successful consoles of all time.

Former president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, Jack Tretton, got on stage at E3 2013 off the back of Xbox's disastrous showing and announced, "PS4 won't impose any new restrictions on the use of PS4 game discs," and was cut off by mass applause. He highlighted many ways a PS4 disc can be used, capping off with the fact that you can "keep it forever."

Jack Trenton on stage at Sony's E3 2013 press conference says PS4 discs will let players keep their games forever to roaring applause in the room.

— @ethangach.bsky.social (@ethangach.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T15:53:47.784Z

Following that same E3 presentation, Sony released the "Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video" which featured former president of SIE Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida and ex-vice president of third-party relations Adam Boyes simply handing a game over to each other. A move that has been remembered to this day, only now it'll be remembered with a heap of irony.

And here we are. One console generation later, and Sony is now in the mood to kill off its physical game production forever, which means you'll be stuck to digital purchases – which Sony has recently proven it can just wipe off your account (with movies, at least – thanks, Kotaku). It's also a signal that the PS6 could have a terrible approach to backwards compatibility if you're unable to use PS5 discs with it, with the chance of the next console having a disc drive now seeming significantly less likely.

PlayStation Store on PS3 and Vita to shut down 5 years after Sony first decided against it – starting as soon as next month in some regions.

Although PC ports have done quite well for the company in recent years, Sony's reportedly decided to pull back on their frequency, at least for big single-player games. To what end is unclear – there weren't all that many to start with – but a former higher-up from the corporation doesn't see the logic here, because the games were finding players they would never have otherwise.

On the PSI podcast (via VGC), Shawn Layden, former chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, explains he can't quite wrap his head around Sony seemingly pushing away the PC audience.

"First of all, the games don't go on PC for like a year or whatever it is," he says. "It's not day and date, and if they think that a game coming out 18 months after its launch on another platform somehow stopped a sale from happening 18 months ago in the hardware business, I would like to see how they can prove that thesis."

A year and a half is actually on the lower side. Some of the ports we've seen on PC, such as Marvel's Spider-Man, Ghost of Tsushima, and God of War, took years to move away from PS4 and PS5 and onto the likes of Steam and the Epic Games Store.

As Layden points out, on that timescale, it's probably safe to assume those fans weren't going to be buying the base console. "If someone's waiting 18 months for something to come on PC, we didn't lose a sale to them," he says, emphatically. "They weren't going to buy the hardware anyway."

He believes the development cost for these versions was likely the largest contributing factor to Sony's reported pivot, and he points out he didn't push the business in this direction to make money. It's about making PlayStation-associated franchises available to greater amounts of people.

"The PC thing, in my mind anyway at the time, was not to make money, frankly, it was how do I get my intellectual property in front of people who wouldn’t normally see it?" he says.

"How do I get the world of Horizon to be seen by people who aren't in the PlayStation world?" he adds. "Not necessarily because they're going to buy a PlayStation, I wasn't that crazy. I didn't think that was going to happen."

It's a fair argument, and now that the Steam Machine exists, you have to wonder whether Sony's cutting off its nose to spite its face here. Alas, this is the reality at present, but we'll see what the future holds.

PlayStation is ending physical disc production for new games in 2028 as Sony says "general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs."

It's the end of an era – Sony has announced that it's officially closing down the PlayStation Store on PS3 and Vita… five years after it first decided that was a bad idea.

Announcing it in a blog post today, Sid Shumen, senior director of Sony Interactive Entertainment's content communications, writes: "After nearly two decades of supporting the PS3 console generation, we wanted to let you know we will be closing the PlayStation Store on PS3, as well as on PS Vita."

Getting déjà vu? You might remember that we've been here before. Sony announced this was going to happen back in 2021, before it quickly U-turned on the decision and kept the stores running. Now, though, we're running out of luck.

For some regions, the closure is as early as next month. For Mexico, Honduras, and Nicaragua, "PlayStation Store on PS3 will close starting August 2026," it's stated. Then, for "additional Latin American and Middle Eastern countries," the PS3 store will close in late 2026. Finally, "in all other countries, PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita will close in July 2027."

"We know this news may be disappointing to PS3 and PS Vita players who hold a special place in their hearts for this generation of gaming. PS3 and PS Vita represent an important era in our PlayStation history, so this was not an easy decision for us to make," the post reads.

"As we continue to expand the PlayStation experience on newer devices that most of our users are playing on today, we need to focus more resources on delivering the best gaming experiences on these platforms as we look ahead towards the future."

But why now?

Sony explains: "As the PlayStation Store continues to evolve to support modern commerce systems, including updated payment processing standards, PS3 and PS Vita are no longer able to support these updates at the level required."

At the very least, while you won't be able to make new purchases, you will still be able to redownload any previously purchased content.

It's reminiscent of Nintendo's decision to close the Wii U and 3DS eShops in 2023 – a huge blow to fans, and also potentially a devastating loss for game preservation as it becomes harder and harder to access older releases.

PlayStation is ending physical disc production for new games in 2028 as Sony says "general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs."

It's official – Sony has just announced that, in a couple of years, it'll no longer support the production of physical discs for new games on consoles like the PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro.

The trend of moving away from physical discs in favor of digital codes has been a hot topic for the past couple of years, to say the least. Games like GTA 6 immediately spring to mind, and it's certainly not the only title to ship out codes in boxes rather than, you know, actual discs. In fact, discs might soon end up being a thing of the past entirely.

In a new blog post, Sony explains that they will be for PlayStation consoles anyway – much to many players' dismay, I'm sure.

"As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital, physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028," says Sid Shumen, senior director of SIE's content communications.

"Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only." The post does however clarify, "This transition has no impact on games that already released, or will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format" – although I'm not sure that softens the blow here by much.

Sony states that it will "continue to prioritize our resources to drive innovation in how players can access games and provide choices as to where players prefer to purchase new games, whether that's at retailers or PlayStation Store," concluding, "We remain committed to delivering a world-class gaming experience to our fans and we thank you for your continued support."

There's no telling how the community will react just yet, but I have a feeling a lot of folks won't exactly be thrilled. Heck, many of us still collect physical media – including games, of course – and Sony isn't the first to let those of us who do down in this sense.

Nintendo sparked similar controversy with its introduction of game-key cards on the Switch 2 last year – and that wasn't even a 100% wipe of physical copies like Sony's is going to be in a couple of years on PlayStation consoles.

Regardless of how we feel, though, times are definitely changing.

I'd suggest anyone who isn't looking forward to the 2028 change from Sony snag whatever physical releases they can for now... backlogs be damned.

Multiple retailers drop GTA 6 after physical version is confirmed to be a code in a box.

Video games, like any other popular form of art, can be excellent advertisements for tourism. I always get the bug to browse flights after playing a new Assassin's Creed, for instance, and I don't think that's a coincidence. On the back of Ghost of Yotei, the eponymous Yotei area of Hokkaido is pushing for more visitors, apparently signing a deal to sell associated merchandise to curious travelers.

According to Japanese outlet Nikkei, Niseko, a resort town for skiing in the area, has entered into an agreement with Sony through a third-party firm to produce a line of Ghost of Yotei items visitors can buy. The first iteration of this agreement is a set of wooden knick-knacks from Kumagera Seisakusho, a producer of pendants, fridge magnets and other products that use locally sourced timber.

The aforementioned items and many more, including pin badges, come emblazoned with symbols associated with the historic open-world game. From the promo images, it seems there are quite a few available, which will no doubt encourage hardcore fans to do some collecting.

A representative of Niseko told Nikkei that they hope the game inspires more people to visit after seeing the area through various in-game seasons. This is yet another layer to what's proving to be a happy relationship between developer Sucker Punch and Japan's tourism industry.

Ghost of Yotei's predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima, likewise caused a spike in tourists for its island setting, to the point that the local economy enjoyed a meaningful jump thanks to more guided tours and merch attached to the game. Leads from Sucker Punch even became ambassadors.

Where the Ghost series goes next might be a heated choice, as other places have surely started noticing the knock-on effect. All I know is that whenever I go to Japan, there will be two stops on my list, and two particular games made sure I won't be missing them.

When it comes to RPG design, Fallout: New Vegas lead Josh Sawyer says Ghost of Tsushima and Yotei have "some of the best armor I've ever seen"

With GTA 6's physical edition now confirmed to be nothing more than a code in a box, you'd be forgiven for fearing that every AAA game is set to follow suit. Well, it seems Marvel's Wolverine is at least safe from that particular mark of shame. In the wake of a new wave of concerns from game collectors, developer Insomniac Games has confirmed, thankfully, that the physical version is a real one.

"The physical version will include a disc in box," Insomniac says on Twitter, making its stance perfectly clear in response to a question from one concerned fan. In fairness, first-party, Sony-published PS5 games have shown no signs of ditching discs just yet, but here in 2026 you can never be perfectly certain.

GTA 6 (like Mario Kart World before it) has also seemingly opened the gates for $80 games, but that's another path Wolverine won't be following. In response to another player begging the studio not to charge more than $70 for Wolverine, Insomniac simply tweeted a link to the game's PlayStation Store page – where it is, of course, listed for $69.99. You can pay $80 if you really want the Deluxe Edition, though.

Rockstar's next game was likely always going to sell boatloads regardless of price, and it seems unlikely that what's effectively a digital-only launch will slow down GTA 6's momentum at all. Physical game sales are actually slightly up in 2026, but disc-buying hold-outs are still a far, far smaller audience than the one GTA 6 is courting.

Multiple retailers drop GTA 6 after physical version is confirmed to be a code in a box.

So, to recap, Destiny 2 studio Bungie was just smashed over the head with mass layoffs, certain Xbox Game Studios teams are reportedly moving toward the same fate, EA disposed of many Battlefield 6 devs despite selling over 20 million copies, and these are just some of the apocalyptic changes the video game industry has endured since spring. Naturally, even developers unaffected by layoffs are feeling the effects of all the carnage.

One such developer is Cyberpunk 2 associate game director and CD Projekt Red designer Paweł Sasko, who writes in a harrowing Twitter post, "Some days I feel our industry is imploding.

"Teams and game projects are getting slaughtered every second day," Sasko continues, "to the point it's hard to keep up. We are blessed to be still hiring, for all our games." The developer encourages others to browse CD Projekt Red's open job listings, which span multiple departments for titles like The Witcher 4 and the secretive, new IP Hadar.

CD Projekt Red began laying off about 9% of its staff in 2023, so it itself isn't impervious to the destructive past few years that gaming legend Brenda Romero described as "crashier" than the infamous video game crash of 1983. All the more reason, then, for CD Projekt Red developers to be as outspoken about the industry layoff trend as they have been; the studio's localization QA analyst Paula Mackiewicz-Armstrong also urged other devs this April to unionize in response to the "over 1,000" positions at Epic Games impacted by its recent, ruthless batch of layoffs.

Mackiewicz-Armstrong said at the time, "I've seen some hard times and some remarkable changes and improvements that make CDPR a great place to be right now. I just wish others in the industry could have the same." I'm sure many share that sentiment.

Bungie studio head reportedly leaves after 16 years with the company following mass layoffs and Destiny 2 death spiral.

Bungie studio head Justin Truman is reportedly leaving the company after nearly 17 total years across positions, including Destiny 2 design director and general manager.

Bloomberg News reporter Jason Schreier shares in a Bluesky post that "people familiar with the situation" say Truman is stepping down as studio lead after, according to his LinkedIn, 11 months. Truman took the position over from controversial ex-lead Pete Parsons, who a former Bungie writer Robert Brookes credited earlier this year with being "the real Destiny killer."

GamesRadar+ has reached out to Bungie for comment on Truman's current role at the company, but we did not receive an immediate response. At the moment, the studio has only made generalizations clear, in that it's undergoing huge layoffs. "Destiny 2 fell short of expectations," according to Bungie's statement posted on Bluesky, and "we unfortunately could not continue operating at our previous size."

Bungie claims it has "future projects still in early incubation," but Destiny 2 received its final live-service content update earlier this month, and since then, former devs been happy to share that their laboring on the MMO and other Bungie properties was "the most toxic, dysfunctional experience of my professional life," as Destiny 2 narrative lead Michael Zenke put it.

Destiny struggled throughout the 10 years Pete Parsons served as Bungie CEO, and though he'd once hoped "to transform the Destiny business" by 2025 – ultimately, the year he left Bungie – the former executive also lost fans' confidence after he apparently spent $2.3 million on old school cars around the same time Bungie laid off 220 people.

Sony initially purchased Bungie for $3.6 billion in 2022, while studio execs built Hollywood signs in their hearts and dreamed of making a Destiny 2 TV show. But dreams can either come true or dissolve into embarrassment, and, well – there aren't currently any production studios with plans to make a Destiny 2 TV show.

Ex-writer Brookes quipped in a Bluesky post this spring about Bungie leadership ahead of Destiny 2's last update, "Don't worry they're suffering in their *checks note on hand* multi-million dollar payouts."

As I wait on an official response regarding Justin Truman's job status, I'm choosing to find the silver lining anyway: at least someone can afford the $599 Xbox Series S 1TB.

Destiny 2 fans shouldn't "blame yourselves" as Bungie closes the door on its 9-year-old MMO, says community lead: "This is just the way it goes sometimes."

GTA 6 pre-orders are now live, and amongst the latest details of the new contents and flashy vehicles we can drive around the streets of Leonida, the official PlayStation Store page states that you'll be able to "immerse yourself in Leonida's distinct soundscape" once the game launches on November 19 later this year, as it's equipped with Tempest 3D Audio.

What's Tempest 3D Audio, you ask? Well, it's essentially the name given to Sony's proprietary spatial audio technology, which allows you to don one of the best gaming headsets and hear your game's audio in a more realistic way. Instead of being able to pinpoint a character's location as they send a barrage of bullets your way from left to right, you can more accurately and realistically hear exactly where they're coming from in a 3D environment, which is going to be very handy when it comes to the crime-laden streets of the latest Grand Theft Auto.

The neat thing about it is that you don't need a specific headset to enable Sony's spatial audio tech. The console provides it out of the gate, so any of the best PS5 headsets will do the trick. Equipping your setup with cups specifically catered to the Tempest 3D Audio tech will have the best results, but I've gathered an arsenal of both, so you have plenty to suit your budget and PS5 needs - especially if your budget is a little low after securing your GTA 6 pre-order this week.

Check out our guides to the best PS5 controllers and the best SSDs for PS5 if you want to stay prepared for GTA 6 this November.

Hello. Hello. Follow my PS5 Prime Day deals. Okay.

Ahem, hey fellow Sony fans! Prime Day PS5 deals are officially underway, and so I'm here today to track down the best discounts on PS5 games, controllers, headsets, and more and serve them up to you on a new 'n' tasty platter as and when I find them.

As a heads up, if you're looking for savings on the PS5 console itself, or even the PlayStation Portal remote player, I wouldn't get my hopes up. So far, there hasn't been much in the way of console discounts, but that's sadly what I expected after the last wave of price increases. That doesn't mean this Prime Day is devoid of savings worthy of your PS5 setup this summer.

There's already been plenty of record-low savings on some of my favorite PS5 headsets I've tested, like the Sony Inzone H9 II, which is marked down to $248 (Amazon). While it's still pretty pricey, that's over $100 that's been shaved off one of the comfiest cups I've tested all year. This Prime Day has been equally great for games too, as the Life is Strange Collection is down to a record low $39.99 (Amazon) price, and that includes not one, but all the games in the much-loved series besides Reunion.

If you don't like those deals and don't see anything you like so far, feel free to bookmark this page and check back in later. I won't be mad, especially as there will be plenty more PS5 deals for you to sift through. For all those who need and want to know about the best PS5 deals as and when they happen, let's get crackin'.

Today's best Prime Day PS5 deals

US:

• Games: Astro Bot from $39
• Controllers: 20% off Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded
• Headsets: new Sony Inzone H9 II Wireless record low price

UK:

• Games: $15 off Invincible Vs
• Controllers: 8% off the Midnight Black PS5 DualSense
• Headsets: Turtle Beach Atlas 200 for PS5 from £34.99

Live updates

Good morning!

If you caught that Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee reference above, then we can most definitely be friends, and you're likely in the best place.

I'm here today to bring you all the PS5 Prime Day deals I can find, so you don't have to spend your valuable time sifting through Amazon hunting for PlayStation-related bargains. That's my job, and I'll be posting savings on games, headsets, controllers, and more throughout the entire day. Well then, let's get to it.

The ideal Sony headset for GTA 6 hit a new record low price this Prime Day

Grand Theft Auto is known for its incredible soundtracks, and to this day, I still listen to the Vice City OST in my spare time. There's nothing quite like driving in a car on a hot summer's day with Self Control by Laura Branigan blasting out the in-car speakers.

We don't have an insight into what tracks are included in the upcoming GTA 6. However, if you want to equip your setup with a headset that will be able to give justice to whatever iconic music is included this time around, the Sony Inzone H9 II is a fantastic choice, especially now it's down to a record low price today.

The pair is powered by the same 30mm drivers as the Sony WH-1000XM6, one of the brand's well-known cups designed for music alone, and through my own testing, the H9 II lends itself to music listening. When I originally tested the pair, I was deep into playing the Daft Punk Experience in Fortnite, and it sounded so fantastic that I was transported back to the first day I ever listened to the band's Discovery album. Plus, this pair is also equipped with some powerful ANC, so you'll be able to truly immerse yourself in the music of Leonida when GTA 6 launches on November 19, 2026.

Sony Inzone H9 II wireless headset: $248 at Amazon

If your PS5 DualSense sticks aren't comfortable, these KontrolFreek Prime Day deals will help

Ever been curious about grabbing a pair of thumbsticks for your DualSense?

Well, today's a great day to indulge in that curiosity as KontrolFreek has dropped the prices on a plethora of its PS5 grips for Prime Day. These little accessories easily slip onto the sticks of your controller to add a little extra comfort. I have one pair on every single one of my PS5 pads, as my thumbs don't quite like the feel of the default sticks. They've not only helped me aim better in my favorite online games like Marvel Rivals, but they also add an extra spot of color on top of my otherwise pretty boring gamepads.

If you're eager to try them out for yourself, I've gathered some of the best KontrolFreek PS5 thumbstick deals down below:

FPS Freek Galaxy Black Performance Thumbsticks: $12.74 at Amazon
FPS Freek Galaxy Purple Performance Thumbsticks: $12.74 at Amazon
Aim Boost Kit for PlayStation 5: $16.49 at Amazon
KontrolFreek Performance Thumbsticks - Heist Edition: $13.59 at Amazon

Rosalie PS5 Shopping Tip 101 - Check the latest PS Plus additions before buying new PS5 games

Before you add any new PS5 games to your online shopping basket this week, do be sure to triple-check they aren't titles you already have access to through PlayStation Plus.

For example, Sonic X Shadow Generations is included in this summer's sales and is down to £14.94 at Amazon right now. However, it was added to PS Plus this month, and is available to those with a Premium/Deluxe subscription. There's no point buying it if you're already got access to it right this very moment, so it's always good to familiarise yourself with the latest PS Plus additions so you know what games to pick up and what to avoid.

Well, unless you're a weirdo like me who needs to own everything physically regardless.

Gotta go fast to grab these Sonic the Hedgehog PS5 game deals

This week isn't just Prime Day, but it also marks the Sonic the Hedgehog 35th anniversary. To celebrate, I've tracked down the best PS5 game deals starring everyone's favorite blue blur, which includes the Amazon Exclusive Edition of Sonic Racing CrossWorlds.

If Mario Kart World didn't quite fulfill your kart racing-loving needs, CrossWorlds should do the trick. It's an exhilarating ride, and it includes a plethora of iconic SEGA-related characters to play as. I typically like to main Ichiban from Like a Dragon, but Classic Sonic has just been added, and I'll be making sure to take them for a test drive as soon as possible.

Sonic x Shadow Generations: $14.94 at Amazon
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Amazon Exclusive Edition: $19.99 at Amazon
Sonic Superstars: $19.99 at Amazon

I wish I waited for this PDP Riffmaster guitar controller deal, but at least you can

If you love a bit of Fortnite Festival as it reminds you of the glory days of Guitar Hero, the PDP Riffmaster controller will heighten that sense of nostalgia in the best possible way. This nostalgia sadly comes at a lofty cost of $149.99 on a typical day, but Prime Day has come to the rescue.

It's now dropped to a record low of $79.99 today, which is a deal I wish I had waited for back when I first picked up my own Riffmaster. I was so desperate to relive my childhood days spent cooped up indoors playing Franz Ferdinand's 'Take Me Out' that I paid full price. But you fortunately have the opportunity to learn from my mistakes and grab this deal instead.

PFP Riffmaster: $79.99 at Amazon

Razer's Kraken Kitty Kitty V2 USB headset is part of Prime Day, but you're better off with the V3 Pro

While browsing through the best PS5 headset Prime Day deals today, I spotted that Razer's adorable Kraken Kitty USB wired headset was down to $47.48 (Amazon) this week.

It's not a bad deal, especially considering the pair is equipped with Razer's iconic 40mm Triforce audio drivers, but it's not compatible with the PS5. This wired headset doesn't use a 3.5mm headphone connection, and so you can't pop it into the headphone jack of the DualSense controller.

If you want a cat-ear headset that is PS5 compatible, you're far better off sticking with the Razer Kraken Kitty V3 Pro, which is $169 at Amazon instead. It comes with a 2.4GHz wireless dongle, so you've got PS5 support right out of the box. Sadly, the white version I reviewed (and that you can see above) is not included in the sales, but you can grab the pink and black versions, which are equally cute and also include those customizable RGB cat ears (and PS5 support).

Razer Kraken Kitty V3 Pro: $169 at Amazon

I'm on the hunt for a PS Portal case this Prime Day, and these are the deals I'm eyeing up

I've been playing my PlayStation Portal a lot more lately.

The handheld allows me to make more progress in games like Lego Batman while still binging through my favorite TV shows via my smart TV, and I can't get enough of that lovelyh bit of multitasking. But whenever I set it aside for the night, I'm very aware I do not have a case to protect it.

That's why I'm currently hunting one down, and these are the deals I've found so far. If you're in the same boat, feel free to have a look yourself:

PowerA Protection Case for PlayStation Portal Remote Player: $27.49 at Amazon
JSAUX Carrying Case for PlayStation Portal: $27.99 at Amazon (with coupon)
Spigen PlayStation Portal Remote Player Carrying Pouch Case: $24.79 at Amazon

Not sure what PS5 game to play next? Let me ruin that backlog for you with these Prime Day deals

I'm pretty notoriously known amongst my friends for having a ridiculous gaming backlog. I take full responsibility for my own bad habits and for not finishing games, and buying new ones 24/7. However, if I were to highlight some PS5 deals right now, at least that would be making your backlog worse and not my own.

If you're okay with my devious deeds, I've gathered some PS5 discounts down below that are worth checking out. As always, be sure to check you don't already have any in your collection first before you add these to your online shopping basket:

The Oregon Trail PS5: $27.99 at Amazon
Assassin’s Creed Shadows - Limited Edition: $29.99 at Amazon
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora From the Ashes Edition: $24.99 at Amazon
Octopath Traveler 0: $34.99 at Amazon
Silent Hill 2: $19.99 at Amazon

Rosalie Prime Day Shopping Tip 2: Add your favorite PS5 deals to a personal wish list to keep track of discounts

If there are a few items that you have been keeping a watchful eye on but aren't ready to take the plunge and buy right now for one reason or another, get them added to an Amazon wish list.

I use wish lists all the time to not just show friends and family what I want for the holidays, but to keep track of any discounts on any games and accessories I'm itching to buy. For example, right now I've got Ys X Proud Nordics Deluxe Edition sitting in one, and I'm eagerly waiting for the day Amazon will let me know that it's been marked down in price.

You can view your wish-listed items and whether they're currently on sale by navigating to "Accounts & Lists" in the top right toolbar of Amazon. After clicking, all of your available wish lists will be laid out for your viewing pleasure.

There aren't any PS5 Pro Prime Day deals, but that's just what I expected

I've been in the market for a PS5 Pro for a while now, namely as my chonky launch model console feels like it's about to give up the ghost. But I wasn't holding out hope to see any Pro deals this week.

Why? As the pixel-pushing beast received a price increase as recently as April 2, 2026, earlier this year. It was $749.99, and now it's $899.99, a price that I simply can't budget for.

Right now, despite the Prime Day savings, the console is still sitting at $899 (Amazon) today, a price that I simply don't feel comfortable buying myself or recommending to anyone, even those who have yet to get any PS5 to call their own.

Its new loft MSRP is not likely to change any time soon. And if the prices of the Steam Machine are any indication, I have a feeling the PS6 Pro is going to be even more eye-watering when it comes into existence.

This wireless headset makes your head literally shake with excitement, and it's $120 off this Prime Day

The Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720 wireless gaming headset is one of those pairs of cups I've reviewed that's garnered a "woah" reaction from friends and family, and for good reason.

It includes additional bass drivers in each cup that make it shake alongside the bass frequencies of your favorite games. During testing, I used the pair to play Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth, and it made fights even more exhilarating as the excitement was literally coursing through my body. Ichiban would be proud.

The headset also sounds incredible, and it's down to just $149.99 off today. There's a PlayStation and an Xbox model available, but if you want to save the most cash, I recommend sticking to the Xbox version. It works fine with the PS5 (trust me, that's the one I tested), and you're saving an extra $30 off by grabbing it. Sure, you have to add an Xbox-green accessory to your setup, but who cares when that's $30 you could put towards more PS5 deals this week?

Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720 Wireless Gaming Headset: $149.99 at Amazon

This official Astro Bot controller holder is not on sale this week, but it's worth grabbing anyway

Cableguys is a brand that has a range of little statues based on a ton of iconic characters that can hold your controller, and I'm obsessed with their Astro Bot version.

As you can see from the image above, I use it to hold my Seagate Astro Bot hard drive or my Astro Bot controller, as it feels super fitting. But regardless of what I put in his little robot hands, it looks absolutely adorable sitting in front of my PS5 at all times.

Begrudgingly, it's not part of this week's Prime Day deals, but if you're an Astro Bot fan, I'd even recommend it at its full $29.99 price. You can use it to hold not just your PS5 pad, but your phone, or even an Xbox controller if you're feeling rebellious.

Cableguys Astro Bot Controller Holder: $29.99 at Amazon

Resident Evil Requiem has dropped to a tasty record low if you're itching for some classic survival horror

Resident Evil Requiem is a fantastic addition to the franchise, but it was pretty pricey at launch. I'm not surprised if even the most die-hard of Resi fans have been waiting for it to get a little cheaper, and today is definitely that day.

Instead of an eye-watering $69.99, it's now a more reasonable $55.99, a new record low for the standard PS5 physical version of the game.

If you are going to finally grab the game, just be sure not to play the opening Grace segment with all the lights off. I made that mistake, and it kept me up all night and had me looking like a sleep-deprived zombie for the next few days. That's not the kind of zombie experience you want with Resident Evil, trust me.

Resident Evil Requiem: $55.99 at Amazon

If you've ever wanted a neon DualSense controller light on your wall, do I have the deal for you

This is a bit of a cheeky deal to bring to your attention.

It's not a DualSense controller that you can use to play your favorite PS5 games, but an officially licensed neon light of one by Paladone. Regardless, it's a really neat thing to add to any PS5 gaming setup, and I'm even contemplating hunting down where I get my hands on one in the UK to do just that.

I have plenty Paladone products in my home, and the brand's quality never misses. But I'd sooner have this adorable PS5 pad on my wall that shows little bots from Astro Bot hanging out on the touch pad instead. If you want to show off your Astro Bot love this week, it's down to just $21.49 today, 20% its full $26.99 MSRP.

Astro Bot Wall Mountable LED Neon Light: $21.59 at Amazon

I wish there were PS5 DualSense deals this Prime Day, as all of my controllers have seen better days

My DualSense controllers are all showing their age, and I'm desperate to pick up a replacement.

Sadly, Prime Day is pretty barren with any deals on an official alternative, which is super disappointing. Only the DualSense carries Sony's haptic tech, which is one of the reasons why I adore the current-gen console as much as I do.

At least there are some PS5 controller deals to be found, like the Razer Raiju V3 Pro Wireless Esports Controller, which is down to $136.80 (Amazon) and is officially licensed for the console. It even comes with a protective carry case to help keep it protected and safe between uses, something that'd likely make it last longer than my other pads. It's naturally missing the haptic tech, but if you're also looking for a DualSense replacement, it's worth checking out this week while its Prime Day savings last.

View all Prime Day PS5 controller deals at Amazon

Newegg's PlayStation Gift Card deal is back, and it could help with your upcoming GTA 6 pre-order

This is another not-technically-not-a-Prime-Day-deal, but it's definitely worth bringing to your attention, as you can grab a $100 PlayStation Gift Card to top up your account for just $88. (So long as you're based in the US.)

If you had your heart set on grabbing that GTA 6 Ultimate Edition pre-order tomorrow, this is going to help with that, as you'd essentially be saving $12 off its $99.99 MSRP. Well, so long as that collector's edition can be ordered through the PlayStation store.

You will need a coupon to get your $12 off (Newegg), but once you order your gift card, you'll be emailed a code to redeem on your console, and that $100 worth of digital funds will be yours.

If it were me, I'd be spending it all on Marvel Rivals currency, but GTA 6 is probably a healthier purchase if I'm honest.

Sony PlayStation Store $100 Gift Card: $88 at Newegg

Silent Hill f is down to a record low price today, but it will change the way you look at scarecrows

Silent Hill f has dropped to $29.83 at Amazon today, a new record-low for the Amazon Exclusive Day One Edition that sports some of the most gorgeous box art I've seen on any PS5 game to date. But if you do grab today's deal, please be warned that scarecrows will be ruined for you, forever.

Growing up, I loved scarecrows as I was a big fan of the 1939 MGM Wizard of Oz movie. Now, looking at them fills me with chills and the fear that they'll lunge toward me with a sickle in hand. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you will once you play through Silent Hill f.

Silent Hill f Amazon Exclusive Day One Edition: $29.83 at Amazon

PS5 SSD deals are not a thing this Prime Day, but some extra storage will help with that upcoming GTA 6 install

If I'm allowed to put my tinfoil hat on for a moment - I wonder if one of the reasons behind Rockstar's decision not to provide discs with the physical PS5 copies of GTA 6 is because the game is simply too big.

If that's the case, you should prepare for the hefty install size to come with a PS5 SSD, if you haven't got one already. I currently have a 4TB SSD similar to this Lexar 4TB NM790 drive available for $559.99 at Amazon in my own PS5, so I should be okay once GTA 6 drops on November 19, later this year.

Sadly, there isn't a Prime Day saving to be found on this SSD, or any others, really. The ongoing effects of the RAM Storage Crisis mean drives are as pricey as ever. However, this SSD was as high as $719 in March earlier this year, according to our handy CamelCamelCamel price checker, so it its price could be a lot worse.

View all PS5 SSDs at Amazon

Not picking up the Life is Strange Collection will have consequences, the consequence of missing out on a great Prime Day deal

Life is Strange is one of my favorite game series of all time, namely as I love media with timey wimey plots and top-tier game soundtracks, of which the series has plenty of.

Square Enix recently popped the franchise into one collection, which is currently on sale right now for $39.99 at Amazon, a saving of $20 off its full $59.99 price. It is missing the latest entry to the franchise, Life is Strange Reunion. However, you can always pick it up afterwards if this collection manages to turn you into a die-hard Life is Strange fan. One of us, one of us.

Life is Strange Collection: $39.99 at Amazon,

I'm playing Marvel Rivals again, and these discounted PS5 thumbsticks helped me secure my MVP status

Earlier today, I wrote a little about KontrolFreek's PS5 thumbsticks and the fact that I have a pair on every single one of my DualSense controllers. However, if I were to pick my favorite from the lot, it'd be these Strawberry Sage Edition versions.

I adore the bright pastel coloring of these thumbsticks, as they help lighten up my otherwise dreary old PS5 gamepads. But it's not just their gorgeous color palette, which is why I hold them in such high regard. It's actually down to how comfortable and grippy they make my pad's sticks.

These thumbsticks have a slightly sticky texture, which helps make gripping a lot easier, even during the sweatiest and most heated of Marvel Rival matches. With these, I've been able to get my first MVP in ages as Jeff the Land Shark in Blood Hunt mode, which is a nice change after being away from the game for so long.

The only issue with these grips is that the textured surface is prone to catching dust and debris, so they do need cleaning on a regular basis. But otherwise, these are a great addition to any PS5 pad, especially when they're under $10 for Prime Day.

KontrolFreek No-Slip Thumb Grips – Strawberry Sage Edition: $9.74 at Amazon

Slimy tentacles slithering out of a decapitated skull. Flies descending on a corpse, grey and mottled beneath a waxy sheen of rot. Watching the latest ILL trailer shown during Summer Game Fest, every frame feels meticulously crafted to make your skin crawl.

"We have our own vision of how horror should work," studio co-founder and ILL's creative director Max Verehin tells me. While the game is inspired by survival horror games like Resident Evil – specifically the "resource scarcity and management, exploration, and the level design" elements – Team Clout aims to "lean towards the physics-based action gameplay."

The heft of each movement, be it the weight of a gun in the protagonist's hand as the trigger is pulled or the feeling of prising a pipe out of a wall by force, are paramount in creating a "fun playground for players to play with these characters". A distinct physicality sits at the heart of ILL's design ethos, from its anatomically-precise dismemberment system to the weapons used to defend yourself.

Having worked as an artist for IT: Welcome to Derry and various other Universal and Sony productions, it's clear Verehin lives and breathes the horror genre. This cinematic edge can be keenly felt in ILL, as Team Clout approaches its upcoming horror game with the creative techniques of filmmaking to make each gory scream off the screen.

Knifemare

Body horror is a huge hook in ILL. It's also one of Verehin's fascinations when it comes to what makes the genre tick in film, especially in terms of practical effects, with ILL recapturing "the feeling of making a shot" by taking the theory of cinematic mise en scene – the composition of a camera shot, from framing to characters, items, lighting, and more – and applying it to a video game.

"ILL is definitely a cinematic experience by its nature," says verehin. "When we started to grow the project and decided that there was going to be a story with [cinematic] cutscenes, we used our experience in how movie production works – how they make their animation drafts, and how they turn into the final results that you see on screen.

"I had the opportunity to see very early drafts of the scenes from Welcome to Derry, for example, and we are actually trying to make it the same [way] in ILL," Verehin says of the draft animation to final-product pipeline. Team Clout also storyboards each scene shot for shot, bringing the frames to life in steps. "Of course, there is the limitation of not being able to reproduce super photo-real visuals, but [we are] aiming in that regard to the fidelity of what you see visually in the movies, and using camera tricks to make it cinematic as well."

Along with a visceral dismemberment system and gnarly weighted weapon impact, striking a cinematic tone is "our main goal," he says. "We are trying to stay true to [a cinematic feel] and make it feel as immersive as possible, but we are never aiming for super realism," Verehin clarifies. "It is not a simulator game. We are trying to exaggerate things, so it feels cooler."

That means certain video game rules still apply – all melee weapons are breakable, though can be upgraded to enhance their hardiness. Bullets are in short supply, too, though the core combat function is more heavily weighted toward gunplay, though we can expect some scenes where the protagonist (voiced by Resident Evil Requiem and Remakes' actor, Nick Apostolides) finds himself totally defenceless.

Camera tricks come into play in all of the cutscenes we've seen so far, especially in the latest trailer, which is the first piece of story exposition we've been treated to. "We are trying to stick to the first person [perspective], but we allowed ourselves to be more real here, and we actually sometimes bring the camera away from the protagonist."

Verehin knows that some FPS fans might find that a bit immersion-breaking, but hey – they did it in Dying Light: The Beast, and no one batted an eye. "You cannot really create a cinematic experience if you're not playing with FOV or zoom effects, so we're playing a lot with this and having some fun around that."

One key difference between Dying Light hero Kyle and Nick Apostolides' character in ILL is the fact that we don't actually get to see his face. Shades of Resident Evil 7 again, right? Kind of – keeping the character's face a mystery is not only helpful for creating a similar "everyman" feeling to that of Ethan Winters' character, but it helps avoid "a lot of [development] headaches," Verehin laughs. "There are a lot of headaches. This is one of them."

Slay and pray

Seeing the world through the eyes of our as-yet nameless hero, woken from a coma to nightmarish horrors overtaking the research facility, is a sight to behold. I pick up on strange bits of retro tech in certain frames, old computers and typing equipment that would seem more at home in the 80s rather than the 2020s. "We are trying to create this feeling of analog sci-fi horror," Verehin says, channeling the retro '80s sci-fi movies that inspired him in the first place in a style similar to that of Alien: Romulus. "The game is set in the '80s too, but I'm not going to spoil exactly when."

One thing's for sure, though: ILL is not a zombie game. "We're actually trying to get away from the feeling that we have zombies in our game," Verehin says. The game's official Steam page describes the humanoid monsters as "aberrations" with violent tendencies and "unique behavioral abilities," though where they came from and what exactly happened at the facility is yet to be revealed.

There also seems to be a degree of unpredictability as to when and where Aberrations might show up. "They might appear in really funny and surprising circumstances, animation-wise," Verehin says. "You might walk around, see a fridge, and there is an enemy in the fridge who just slams open the door and takes you into the fridge. This is a random situation. This is not from the game, I'm just making it up," he says, but the point is that the enemies don't always do "bad" things – they get a little weird, too.

In a trailer filled with blasted-off limbs, grinning naked men inching toward you with a weapon, and a gigantic toothsome head crashing through a solid concrete wall to take a side-swipe at you, being yanked into a refrigerator sounds quite relaxing. ILL's penchant for cinematic oddity seems tapped from an endless well of grotesque, delightful weirdness, and I can't wait to experience the ghoulish torment for myself when I finally get my hands on it in 2027.

We're getting a new God of War game, and Kratos has a brand new look! He has long, luscious hair, a proclivity for magic, a slim, feminine build, and even appears to have lasered off his body-length tattoo – wait. Hold on a moment; I'm getting reports that this is not Kratos, but in fact Laufey the Giant, his late wife and the star of God of War Laufey.

This is a huge deal – God of War is Kratos' series. Kratos could be perceived as an "alpha male," although he contains far too much emotional intelligence and willingness to mature, but the impact of shelving him in favor of a woman should not be taken for granted. Streamer Asmongold took offense to God of War starring a "43-year-old suburban mom," while Domino's Pizza UK Twitter account decided it wanted people to hate its pizza even more, and compared a lack of Kratos to a lack of pepperoni on a pizza. Santa Monica Studios didn't let the remark slide, responding with a sardonic “ok thanks for the feedback, dominos pizza corporate account.”

Playing as a woman in an action-adventure game or an RPG isn't unheard of. Lara Croft is a veritable OG, The Last of Us has certified badass Ellie Williams, and while her gender is optional, Mass Effect's Captain Shepherd is a beloved leader. Women in leading roles still face loud pushback from misogynists, but their vitriol is being ignored. In the last year alone we've seen Atsu in Ghost of Yotei, Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem, a tiny mouse lady named Mina in recent indie hit Mina the Hollower – and now Laufey will be leading her very own God of War game.

Her turn

While women in gaming are medievally criticized for their looks, the argument that Laufey isn't attractive is not only false, but irrelevant. I wasn't aware that being attracted to the playable character was a requirement to enjoy a game, because as a lesbian that would mean I forgot to hate the majority of the games I've played. The claim that Laufey is a downgrade in terms of combat and strength is also laughable: while she may have a different fighting style, we know from God of War Ragnarök that the woman went toe-to-toe with Thor, leaving behind a frozen lightning bolt as evidence of their realm-shaking battle.

The story being offered by Santa Monica Studios is also undeniably intriguing. We know Laufey as Faye, and from the very start of the God of War reboot, she's a wife and mother who has recently passed, the cause not revealed to the player. But her influence permeates throughout the first story, as she leads Kratos and Atreus to Jotun, the land of the Giants, so Atreus can learn who he really is. Now, we get to follow Laufey as she wakes up after her body has been burnt on the pyre, and she must fight through the afterlife of the gods, Everywhen, to protect the journey laid out for Kratos and Atreus.

A wife and mother fighting to protect her family even after her living body has perished. How is that not the sickest shit you've ever heard?

The fact of the matter is, the majority of gamers are excited. I saw a handful of reels on Instagram already of men showing excitement for Laufey's story. And this extends to other games as well, as I recall another video of a man dancing in excitement about the announcement of the Resident Evil Veronica remake. Women are taking up more space as protagonists in games, rather than simply being customizable character options or living solely within a few beloved game series, and their presence is being increasingly welcomed.

Their stories are being shared, not just in the periphery or in-tandem to a male protagonist, but from the player's viewpoint. Stories of female hardship and victory are being pushed to the forefront in both the indie scene and mainstream, and it's being done successfully. Hades 2 traded out their fan-favorite protagonist, Zagreus, for his sister Melinoë, and her story resulted in one of the best games of 2025. Silent Hill f forces players to reconcile with the suffocating reality of a Japanese schoolgirl in the 1960s as Hinako, and has earned itself a place in the series' hall of fame.

Female stories are being told, whether they be hopeful and victorious, or brutally real and devastating. And players are flocking to them. The vitriol we're seeing towards Laufey is that of a loud minority; one that's going to get left behind. This is the future of gaming, and it's better for it.

Is God of War Laufey about to join the ranks of the best PS5 games ever? Time will tell...

Josh Sawyer, best known for his work on RPG gems like Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity, says Sucker Punch Productions and Sony Interactive Entertainment created some of the greatest armor sets he's seen in video games.

To be precise, the developer and publisher did so in Ghost of Tsushima and its more recent sequel, Ghost of Yotei.

Speaking in a new Q&A on YouTube, Sawyer admits as much, first explaining that artists gain far more freedom during development when they don't have to "worry about every single part of the body" separately or "follow very strict rules for where every part of armor is broken up."

Not only does it look great, though, but it's technically more practical as well. "The stat bonuses are all built into one suit of armor, and the themes can be just built right around that," Sawyer describes. "All the stats just grow in a very straightforward way."

He does go on to share the appeal of other systems, in which armor sets are "divided" differently and allow the players, rather than the artists, "a lot more freedom," too, though.

Honestly, I feel as though varying armor systems fit well in their respective games – much like Ghost of Tsushima and Yotei's do. It's part of the core identity that titles, especially RPGs, carry with them… and there's no one right way to do it.

Itching to play something fun yourself? Browse through our roundup of the best RPGs out there, or check out a few of the most exciting new games coming this year and beyond.

Somehow, it's been almost six years since the PS5 launched, and Sony has still said very, very little about the console's successor, presumably to be called the PS6. Release date rumors have been circling for months now, with the most optimistic guesses saying late 2027 and the most cynical predicting 2028 or 2029, or even into the 2030s. With the ongoing memory crisis keeping RAM prices significantly elevated, not to mention other economic variables making gaming consoles in particular expensive to make, hardware manufacturers across the board are facing a dilemma: stick to the regular console release cycle of six to seven years and force buyers to deal with exorbitant prices, or delay everything until things inevitably level out.

According to Embracer Group's latest annual financial report (via Resetera) Sony is considering moving the PS6's debut to 2028 or 2029 due to AI-driven price increases and tariff-related volatility in the US. "Both factors could potentially have a negative impact on console retail prices, which would, in turn, hamper market growth," reads Embracer's report. "In the longer term, higher RAM costs could also cause operational delays to the launch of future consoles.

"In fact some analysts believe that Sony is now considering pushing back the debut of its next PlayStation console from 2027 to 2028 or even 2029."

This is certainly a reasonable estimation given, well, *gestures broadly*, but I do have to wonder if these "analysts" Embracer is citing are actually just the sources at Bloomberg who claimed the same thing back in February. It's very possible that a publisher of Embracer's size has its own inside knowledge, but the fact that they're attributing that knowledge to "some analysts" gives me pause. If they are just going off Bloomberg's reporting, it's worth noting that the publication also correctly predicted Nintendo's Switch 2 price hike from May, lending further credibility. Either way, that reporting and Embracer's apparent analyst pals both stop short of saying the PS6 has already been delayed internally, so it's too soon to count 2027 out now.

PS6 price and release window is still undecided, but Sony reports "an increase in investments" into the next-gen PlayStation

It seems like it's been an eternity since PlayStation and Xbox were both moving toward multiplatform releases for big first-party titles. As Xbox seemingly returns to the idea of good old-fashioned console exclusives, reporting from Bloomberg suggests PlayStation is doing the same on PC, opting for first-party releases that stay on PS5 permanently instead of coming to other platforms after a period of timed exclusivity. Now, we have comment from PlayStation CEO Hideaki Nishino that seems to add further weight to that reporting.

In the latest issue of Japanese magazine Famitsu, spotted and machine-translated by Resetera user Red Kong XIX, Nishino responds to reports that PlayStation is stepping away from releasing first-party single-player games on non-PlayStation platforms.

As we've come to expect from CEOs of massive companies, his words are vague, and there's an inherent fuzziness to machine-translated quotes, but the implication reads pretty clear to me and mirrors Bloomberg's reporting: first-party single-player games will be PS5 exclusives, while live-service games will continue to be multiplatform. Still, it sounds like Sony will consider each release on a case-by-case basis.

The machine translation reads:

"We've always determined platform selection based on the characteristics of each title. If releasing a title on PC would maximize the gaming experience, we'll continue to consider that option. Our current main policy is that, for single-player games developed in-house, we will further refine the value of the gaming experience that PlayStation can offer.

"At the same time, we believe it is important for live-service games to reach a wider audience through online multiplayer, so we continue to view releases on both PS5 and PC as the standard. Regardless of the platform, we will make decisions based on the principle of delivering the best possible gaming experience that maximizes each title's unique features."

Commenting on Nishino's remarks today, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier adds, "there's no 'case by case' here" and PlayStation Studios' single-player swings will all be PlayStation exclusives.

Sony never embraced multiplatform releases to the same degree as Xbox, which ported major first-party Xbox games like Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and others to PS5 before the foundational leadership shakeup in February 2026 that saw longtime Xbox boss Phil Spencer and president Sarah Bond leave the company.

PlayStation warmed up to PC with ports of big games like Horizon, The Last of Us, and Marvel's Spider-Man, but straight-up Xbox versions of PlayStation games never became commonplace, and it sounds like even PC is being reconsidered now, at least when it comes to the sort of big-budget, narrative-driven titles the PlayStation brand is synonymous with.

Releasing PlayStation games day one on PC isn't "a good strategy" for its AAA titles, former Sony head says, but he hasn't seen proof its abandoning the platform altogether.

The SanDisk Optimus Collection finally launched on June 16, 2026, with the debut Optimus GX PRO 850P, a line of officially licensed PS5 drives. With the SSD prices continuing to rise, I typically fall back on recommending these kinds of SSDs to those in need of giving their Sony pixel-pusher a little boost, so I was eager to see this new line finally hit the online shelves. That was, until I caught a glimpse of the price for the 8TB model - it's $2,959.99.

Not only is this new PS5 SSD $2,959.99 (SanDisk), but the official SanDisk product page states that this is actually reduced from its $3,699.99 MSRP. Brand new drives typically have an introductory price that shaves some dollars off to make it more appealing to consumers, but I don't think almost $3K on a single SSD is going to be appealing to anyone, especially given it's more than the cost of three post-price-hike PS5 Pro consoles combined.

An 8TB SSD wasn't going to be cheap, whether we were living during a time with unprecedented and escalating SSD prices or not. However, if you take the 8TB WD Black SN850X SSD, it was sitting at around $543.99 in October 2025. It's still more than I spent on my PS5 at launch, but it's far easier to stomach than $2,959.99.

The drive has since risen to $1,309.72 (Amazon), but that's still far less than this new 8TB SSD. Not to mention, the specs are also pretty similar, so you aren't even getting faster speeds with this new extortionately priced drive. The 8TB WD Black SN850X boasts sequential write speeds from 7,000MB/s to 7,300MB/s, and read speeds from 5,300MB/s to 6,300MB/s. Meanwhile, this new Optimus GX PRO 850P SSD boasts it can achieve read and write speeds of 7,200MB/s and 6,600MB/s.

If you were on the market for a new 8TB drive, I'd be sooner to recommend you try and find the 8TB WD Black SN850X SSD as close to its launch price as humanely possible, than this new drive. However, the arrival of the SanDisk Optimus range could affect stock even further than the RAM Storage Crisis has so far.

The new range isn't just a new batch of products, but a rebranding of the pre-existing WD Black and WD Blue drives. With that in mind, once stock of the older WD Black and WD Blues is gone, it's likely you won't see them again outside of the SanDisk Optimus, SanDisk Optimus GX, and SanDisk Optimus GX Pro packaging, alongside these new eye-watering prices.

Remember, you at least don't have to grab an 8TB model. I have a 4TB SSD in my console's M.2 slot, and I struggle to fill it up even halfway, and I've got a PS Plus Premium subscription. Not to mention, the new Optimus GX PRO 850P NVMe SSD range is available in capacities including 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB, starting from $379.99 (SanDisk), which is a lot more reasonable. It's still higher than these capacities were priced at before AI data centers started doing their worst, but at least you wouldn't have to fork out more than your PS5 in order to get more storage for your PS5 games.

At least the Prime Day PS5 deals are incoming, which could help drop older SSDs closer to their original prices. I wouldn't keep my hopes up to see the best bargains on storage, but there should hopefully be prices more realistically in line with your budget than this SanDisk Optimus GX PRO 850P NVMe SSD.

• View all PS5 SSD deals at Amazon

For more storage options, check out our guides to the best Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express Cards, the best Xbox Series X hard drives, and the best SSDs for gaming.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 seemed to have been put to bed as developer Insomniac switched its focus to the upcoming Marvel's Wolverine, but apparently there's at least one more surprise in store. Alongside the release of today's Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer, Insomniac revealed that Spidey's new look is coming to the game in a free update on PS5 and PC.

"Get a fresh start in Marvel's Spider-Man 2," the studio exclaims in a tweet. "Swing across skylines in Peter Parker's 'Fresh Start' suit inspired by the upcoming film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, in theatres July 31! The suit will be available in-game via update July 28 on PS5 and PC at no additional cost!" You can get a very brief look at the new suit at the end of the trailer below.

The game already features an array of suits paying tribute to Spider-Man's varied appearances across different media, including designs inspired by both the Sam Raimi films and the modern MCU movies. But this update is particularly notable simply because it's the first major change to the game in over a year.

In fact, the last update of any kind for Spider-Man 2 appears to have been a May 2025 hotfix for the PC version. That version, of course, launched some time after the PS5 original, and brought with it the sad news that no story DLC was planned for the game, despite some seemingly obvious teases for it in one of the side stories.

With that in mind, it's notable that Spider-Man 2 is getting what's likely its final update in time for the upcoming film. Any excuse to go swinging through digital NYC again is a good one in my mind.

These are the best Marvel games of all time.

Sony has been known to file the most bizarre controller patents on the internet, oftentimes just for the sake of it. Most PlayStation patents never see the light of day, mainly serving as a "this is mine, you can't have it" level of legal protection. But after seeing the latest one, which resembles the shape of one of the best joysticks, you might wonder why on earth Sony would want the rights to some of these ideas.

The latest published patent from the Japanese gaming giant is shaped just like a typical gaming joystick - you know, those things your uncle used to play flight sim and starfighter games with back when he was young.

I'll warn you now; it's very difficult to read you the description of this patent without my immature sense of humour forcing a giggle or two, but I'll try and keep it together and be professional for you. (If you want to have a giggle to yourself, I've put the funny bits in italics for you)

"This operation device is provided with an operation member that receives an operation from a user. The operation device is provided with: a contact part that is disposed on the surface of the operation member and receives a force applied by the user for the operation; and a hardness control unit that changes the hardness of the contact part."

I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous, but I swear to you that's the actual description of the patent. The patent was originally filed back in November 2024, but only published in May of this year under the name Operation Device, Information Processing Apparatus, Control Method Thereof, and Program. It's since been spotted by Cheat Happens, but has been reported on by numerous gaming outlets.

Beyond its very silly, slightly creepy description, I do think the product that's depicted in the patent is really just a broad example, and this patent has been filed so that Sony can explore the concept of it in the future. In fact, it could point to the brand's controller plans for the PS6.

For instance, I don't think Sony is going to be releasing a joystick with hardening and softening button actuations anytime soon. I think really, the thing Sony wants legal rights to could be a progression of the haptic feedback we've seen with the PS5 controller, the DualSense.

Imagine if there wasn't just haptic feedback in the grips of your gamepad, and imagine if that adaptive trigger resistance that feels so cool in Returnal or Astro Bot was applied to each button on your DualSense. That would open the door to so many enhanced moments of game feel and fun character bits in games.

If you were playing as Ellie in The Last of Us Part II and you were trying to crawl toward a gun on the ground during a scripted fight scene, the buttons could get harder to tap just for that moment, which might help to indicate how much of a struggle it was for the character. Your jump button could have a different actuation while playing as Astro Bot than in another game, or your axe recall as Kratos could feel even heavier. That certainly opens more interesting doors for players than done-to-death quicktime events.

If anyone's interested in the mechanics of the patent, the adaptive resistance in the buttons would function using a magneto-viscoelastic elastomer - which sounds made up. Essentially, it's a material that uses attached magnets to harden and soften resistance.

As weird as it is at first glance, this patent does really intrigue me. Not the weird joystick-sex-toy looking thing, the concept of enhanced button resistance. As a PC controller nerd, I really like when companies can push the envelope to give us a more immersive feel in video games. I also feel a tad disappointed with how haptics and trigger resistance have been implemented this generation, because I'm not sure they've lived up to their potential.

To be completely honest, I'm not sure a more conclusive suite of feedback options would be something developers would go in for next generation if the current options have gone underutilized. Even so, if the mechanics and potential are there, it could mean a future with even better feedback as we play.

Do you play on another platform? Check out the best Xbox Series X controllers, the best Switch 2 controllers, and the best TMR controllers.

Wired gaming headsets come in all shapes and sizes, but I rarely get to test one that's as fancy-pants and rich-sounding as the Sony Inzone H6 Air.

More often than not, the best gaming headsets of the wired variety that pass my testing bench are designed to be a low-cost alternative to gamers on a smaller budget first and foremost. However, at $199.99 / £179.99, the InZone H6 Air is definitely not that.

This headset may be wired, but it shares the same driver components as Sony's MDR-MV1 studio-grade headphones, and flaunts an open-back form factor that prioritizes a rich and natural creamy sound. Instead of being designed for the budget-conscious, the pair is more concerned about providing an immersive and realistic sound for RPG and single-player game fans, and it definitely gets the job done and then some.

Key specs

Design

If you've got experience with the Sony Inzone H9 II headset, you'll have already come face-to-face with the design used for the Inzone H6 Air.

Sony has essentially re-used the same form factor, right down to that unique headband. It's comprised of a leather band suspended under a rope-like strap, which contributes to the pair's light 199g weight. It's in fact lighter than the 260g of the H9 II, and it's one of the most comfortable headsets I've tested to date.

Where it differs from its H9 II brethren is that there's no longer that glossy texture to the exterior of the earcups. Instead, you're met with a series of perforated holes, which help give the sound more freedom to reverberate and create that immersive soundscape open headsets are known for.

Features

The standout feature of the Inzone H6 Air lies in its open-back acoustic design. It allows the sound generated from the 40mm-sized audio drivers to freely resonate around the cans.

Besides this, the H6 Air isn't as feature-full as other cups in the Inzone line. It's a wired only headset, so there's no Bluetooth or 2.4GHz wireless options available. Instead, you can connect the PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and other devices with the USB-C port of the USB-C Audio Box, or you can detach this and use the 3.5mm cable instead - the latter of which is best suited for the PS5 players in particular.

Even the onboard controls are minimalistic, as all you have is a mic mute button and a volume wheel, and that's it. At least the mic mute button is a great one, as it copies the H9 II by including a large, rounded button that's textured and perfectly sized for the tip of a human thumb.

The left earcup, where these controls are located, also plays host to the headset's microphone. It's detachable, which is a massive preference of mine, and it carries a unidirectional cardioid pattern. The H6 Air also includes audio monitoring, support for Sony's 360 Spatial Sound technology, and support with the Inzone Hub, where you can take advantage of the "RPG/Adventure” equaliser profile for single-player RPGs developed alongside PlayStation Studios.

Performance

Sony sent me out this loaned headset around the same time my PS5 Lego Batman Legacy of the Dark Knight pre-order arrived at my door, which felt like a sign that I needed to hook it up to the Sony pixel-pusher before all else, and I'm glad I did. You wouldn't expect there to be a lot of depth in the soundscape of the latest Lego game, but the brick-built version of Gotham can get very atmospheric, and the H6 AIr managed to bring that to life.

Whether it was being able to hear every pitter-patter of the rain as it filled the Gotham streets, or the waves of wind that blew as I glided across the different villain-littered districts, the H6 sounded sublime. I did assume as much, as past experience with open-back headsets like the Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720 also emphasised the sound design to any game, but this came in handy particularly with Lego Batman, as it makes the satisfying clicks of collecting studs sound all the more satisfying.

Traveller's Tales' Lego game wasn't ideal for testing the game's score, as the Batman theme is used pretty sparingly, so I made sure to dig out the usual testing titles like Marvel Rivals and Doom Eternal. Just as I thought, the 40 mm-sized drivers are well-equipped to take on busy soundstages. I could hear every nuance of the Scarlet Witch's "Pure Chaos" voice line as I took out half a team of enemy players, almost like I was right in the vocal box alongside the actress, and the mids and highs of the ending match jingle had just as much clarity.

The only personal gripe I had with the sound was visible when I loaded up titles like Doom Eternal. With an emphasis on dialogue and high-pitched sounds, audio on the lower end of the scale felt a bit lacking. And with no way to use both the wired headset and the Inzone Hub EQ settings simultaneously on PS5 (if there was, I didn't discover it), I was left wanting more on Sony's own current-gen console.

PC was a different story. I had the Inzone Hub software at my fingertips, which let me toggle on spatial audio, adjust the sidetone, and select from a few pre-made EQ settings, including ones tailored for FPS games. It's a good thing Counter Strike happens to be one of my go-to PC headset testing games of choice, that's for sure, as I adored what it could do. For the first time, I was able to rake in the kill shots. Sure, it was the practice range as I still don't dare join online matches with actual hardened players, but even being able to stand my own amongst a sea of bots is usually unheard of for me.

The main reasoning behind my new skills was the FPS 1 preset, as it brought down the emphasis on sound effects despite stating it does quite the opposite. Out of the box, gunshots in CS2 were loud and startling. But with FPS1 toggled on, I could feel satisfied with the crunch and bang of each shot without having to worry about my ear health. Talking of presets, I also made sure to try out the RPG setting that Sony states it "developed with sound designers from PlayStation Studios at Sony Interactive Entertainment."

The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt was my RPG of choice, given I wanted to start a new file anyway with the new DLC on its way, but I didn't notice much of a huge difference. The preset is meant to set a sound "which is sensitive to the spatial information of games,” but it sounded pretty similar with or without it. Which is fine, as that sounds great, but I'm wondering if Sony has a certain type of RPG in mind that I just didn't get around to playing.

Before I round things up, let's talk about that microphone. I really like the design of the mic, as it has a large circular diameter at the end rather than the typical tear-drop shaped bulb you find on other headsets.

But as you can hear from the sample above, the cardioid boom mic is pretty prone to picking up white noise. When you're in the middle of a Marvel Rivals match, or chatting to a large group of friends on Discord who are all talking over each other, you won't notice it much. Yet it's not one I'd recommend you use for streaming, podcast audio, or any other situation where you want crystal clear vocals.

Should you buy the Sony H6 Air gaming headset?

The Sony Inzone H6 Air seems like it's designed for a very niche individual. Someone who cares deeply about how their games sound, but who wouldn't benefit from any wireless support via Bluetooth or a wireless 2.4GHz dongle that's crammed into the boxes of most of the best wireless headsets on the market.

Personally, that isn't me. If I'm spending $199.99 / £179.99, I like to ensure I'm getting plenty more bang for my buck, but that doesn't mean I don't see value in this open-back headset.

A modern pair of Sony MDR-MV1 open-back headphones, that the H6 Air shares a lot in common with, will set you back $419.99 at Amazon. Meanwhile, these are $220 less and add a microphone into the mix, and a USB-C cable over a 6.3mm stereo plug. It definitely feels like Sony has re-wrangled the MDR-MV1s into a package more suited towards single-player gamers who love their FPS and RPG games, and if that sounds like you, then the H6 Air would likely be right up your ally.

How I tested the Sony H6 Air gaming headset

The Sony Inzone H6 Air was on my testing bench for a little over two weeks, where I used the pair to play the PS5, PC, and the Nintendo Switch 2. With the PS5, I had the headset hooked up to my DualSense controller while I explored the brick-built world of Gotham in Lego Batman, played multiple matches of Marvel Rivals, and re-explored the hellish depths of Doom Eternal.

On PC, I dug out Marvel Rivals again to compare the two versions, alongside Counter-Strike 2, and Mina the Hollower. Meanwhile, Mario Kart World, Pokemon Pokopia, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Donkey Kong 64 were my testing games of choice on the Switch 2, and I also used the pair while re-watching HBO's Girls and Hacks on Now TV. For more information on how we test gaming headsets, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

If the Sony Inzone H6 Air isn't for you, check out our guides to the best Nintendo Switch headsets, the best PC headsets for gaming, and the best Steam Deck headsets for a look at other premium pairs.

You may have noticed a certain tentpole studio from Sony was missing from this year's State of Play showcase preceding Summer Game Fest. Despite the ongoing development of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and rumors of more, Naughty Dog had no part in the offerings, and a former contributor to the studio was quick to explain why.

Retweeting a post speculating on the team's general absence, Del Walker, an artist who worked on The Last of Us: Part 2 Remastered, made the reasons clear. "Every time a [triple-A] game studio has to move resources over to making a trailer, it causes the game to lose about 4 months of actual dedicated development iteration time," he writes.

"Look, do you want a new game or not?" Walker finishes, laying out the paradigm. It seems we either get footage and a material update on what's going on with Intergalactic - or anything else the devs might be working on - or we let them work and get a finished game sooner.

The general cost of contributing to these events tends to re-emerge around Summer Game Fest, Gamescom and The Game Awards, as hopes and expectations are kept in line with the reality of putting together a teaser. As Walker says, it's labour, and usually quite intensive labour at that, since everything needs to be approved from the top down and cleared for public viewing.

I'm sure there are things Naughty Dog and Neil Druckmann would like to discuss and show off, but it probably just wasn't worth the effort at this point in time. Ideally, since Intergalactic's been revealed, you want something truly headline-grabbing, like a release date, and the space-based sci-fi adventure likely isn't there quite yet.

This is compounded by the growing belief The Last of Us 3 may be in the works. When and how that might be revealed just fans the flames of anticipation, followed by disappointment afterward at the silence. Either way, patience is a virtue - we'll hear more when the time is right.

Years before The Last of Us put up 20m sales and spawned a successful TV adaptation, a Sony exec and several Naughty Dog devs thought "It's not going to do very well" because it was too different from Uncharted 3

Destiny world design lead Niles Sankey recalls that one of the game's early challenges was inspired by Dark Souls.

Maybe not as much in the modern era where we all know what a Souls game is, but the first Dark Souls was a magical moment. After the introduction boss area, you arrive in the Firelink Shrine, and I'd wager a lot of us didn't realize we had to go into the aqueduct behind us first thing, and instead ventured straight into the graveyard in front of us. In said graveyard, you'll inevitably have gotten rocked by a group of skeletons and pondered if the game was really this hard. But this was an important lesson in where not to go in this vast world.

Sankey recalls working on Destiny's Cosmodrome area and hiding mysterious areas behind high level enemies. After a fan mentioned the "skull health bar knights" (the Hollowed Knight enemy from the Destiny beta), Sankey reveals: "I specifically placed the 'skull health bar knights' in Cosmodrome for this reason. It was inspired from my experiences playing Dark Souls."

However, Sankey also says that he had to fight a lot to make sure these enemies stayed in the game. "There were situations where other devs would say 'These knights are too high level, this must be a bug. Delete them.' and I would say 'Nooo!!! Please leave them please, it's by design.'" But over ten years later, Sankey is "happy to know players still have fond memories of these guys."

He also teases a "really tragic but also funny development story about these Knights," but says it'll be saved for "another time."

Personally, I do have an appreciation for games that will let you get your ass kicked as a learning experience, but I am also ashamed to admit that those Dark Souls skeletons I mentioned earlier got around an hour or so of battering me before I realized what the game was trying to tell me.

Destiny 2 and Bungie as a whole were "very close" to closing before Sony buyout, according to ex-community lead: "It was an emergency acquisition."

I usually have a rule to avoid most collector's editions. Often, the extra merch that's packed inside these pricey versions isn't of the quality you'd want to show off in your house, gaming room, or even your bathroom. Let's not forget the Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater statue, shall we?

That being said, I'm finding it pretty hard not to go all in with the $249.99 (Amazon) Persona 4 Revival Collector's Edition, and it includes a figure that has me reaching to click that 'add to basket' button. The $250 version of the game includes a 9.8-inch statue of 4's silver-haired protagonist, alongside his persona, Izanagi, sitting on a pile of old CRTVs, and if I may, it looks bloody fabulous. That pile of TVs included in the base looks good enough that I could jump right inside.

My rule of thumb for Collector's Editions is usually this: unless a well-known figure brand like Banpresto or Kotobukiya is behind the statue included, I'm not going to bother.

Having a recognized name brand can give you an idea of quality even without seeing the finished product. For example, I have the AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative Collector's Edition and felt incredibly comfortable adding it to my Switch game collection for the simple fact that the Aiba figure included is part of Good Smile Company's Pop-up Parade line. As I already owned a lot of Pop-up Parade figures, I had a basis of what kinda of sculpt and paint job to expect.

For now, the SEGA site doesn't include those details for Persona 4 Revival, bar the fact that it's "identical to the one that comes with the limited edition in other regions" and comes pre-painted, but I'm willing to take the risk today.

I have plenty of other SEGA-produced Persona figures on my shelf, and haven't been let down yet. Just keep your fingers crossed for me, and any of your Persona-loving friends who grabs it, that the Protag and Izanagi don't look like that Snake statue's distant relatives.

• View Persona 4 Revival: Amazon Edition for $69.99 at Amazon

Check out our Fable pre-orders, Wolverine pre-orders, and Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave pre-order pages if you like to secure your games ahead of time.

Players are making sure Destiny 2 goes out with a bang. As the final update rolls out on the shooter, it's had a sudden surge through the ranks of Steam, with fans hoping to send Sony a message about the first-person shooter's popularity.

Monument of Triumph, the last major patch for Destiny 2, is now out, capping off almost nine years of work for Bungie on the cosmic FPS. Intended as a swansong, it's drawn in lapsed members of the community as well the diehards, pushing the game through the charts of Valve's marketplace.

At time of writing, Destiny 2 is the number one top seller on Steam, usurping the almighty Counter-Strike 2. Not only that, it has two other spots in the top five as well, as the expansions Renegades and The Edge of Fate are in places third and fifth, respectively.

Even with heavy discounts on everything Destiny-related, those are some decent numbers, to say the least. The concurrent player count has shot up as well, at 167,867 on Steam, which is over half of the MMO's all-time record. And, as fans were quick to point out, that's more than double Marathon's peak concurrent player count on Steam since launch.

So many are trying to get in for one more go, there are reports of server problems. Again, these numbers are just for PC, too; include PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S players and you've another stratosphere entirely. This kind of excitement does tend to be a double-edged sword for the infrastructure, as servers are stretched to capacity, and beyond.

There are sides of the fandom who're hoping this will all reverberate from Bungie up to Sony, and convince the corporation to invest more in the studio and Destiny as a whole. "The big thing is Sony is seeing that Destiny can still make money, something Marathon has failed to do," writes one player on Reddit.

"This whole situation is extra baffling today seeing these numbers," another commenter says. "Absolute buffoons for ceasing Destiny support," a third Redditor comments.

I wouldn't hold my breath on any of this bringing us closer to Destiny 3. But for now, it's clear the people who love Destiny 2 aren't going down quietly.

Destiny 2 bug that destroys bosses in "a few well-placed shots" disabled by Bungie ahead of the MMO's last update: "We want to ensure your experiences aren't trivialized."

Destiny 2 is really ending, huh. Bungie's recently announced Monument of Triumph update, a caution-to-the-wind blowout marking the end of active development on one of the most influential games of the past decade, is out today, June 9. Destiny 2 players have answered the call, turning out in numbers not seen since the beloved Final Shape expansion.

SteamDB shows that Destiny 2's concurrent Steam player count has jumped to 165,856 at the time of writing (up 9,000 from when I started writing this article) following characteristic queue issues. This makes the Monument of Triumph the most active Destiny 2 update since summer 2024, which nearly matched the all-time player peak of 316,750.

Bear in mind, Destiny 2 was in such dire shape that, for nearly all of 2026, it's averaged well under 20,000 concurrent players on Steam. On May 4, it was sitting at roughly 12,851. The big sendoff – packed with balance changes, updated loot, new abilities, reprised activities, and a festive farewell – has clearly resonated.

This is, of course, bittersweet. To get Destiny 2 players to actually come back, all Bungie had to do was kill the game. That's a little harsh, but it's just plain true. The Monument of Triumph is packed with excellent changes and outright corrections that many players wanted well over a year ago, but it's demonstrably too late.

The Destiny 2 servers will stay on for the foreseeable future – heck, even Destiny 1 is still playable – but there are no more updates coming barring minor technical hotfixes. The aspirational element, the excitement and anticipation of summiting the next mountain, is gone. This is it.

In the background, Marathon, now Bungie's only active game, is once again in a slow decline following the start of Season 2, which peaked at under half of the game's launch boom (itself already smaller than the crowd that the free beta drew). Some fun new content, improved progression, and a free-to-play week have boosted the game, but increasingly it feels like Marathon just doesn't have the legs of an evergreen hit. It remains unmatched as a game for sickos, though.

Meanwhile, mourning Destiny 2 players are desperately asking Bungie and owner Sony to greenlight development of Destiny 3, which, to be completely and utterly clear, is not in the works. Bungie has not announced any new projects. All it has said is that it's begun incubating potential ideas. A related Destiny 3 petition has over 373,000 signees, which is a solid turnout for this kind of movement, but given Bungie's position, we may as well ask the stars in the sky.

Destiny 2 bug that destroys bosses in "a few well-placed shots" disabled by Bungie ahead of the MMO's last update: "We want to ensure your experiences aren't trivialized."

This Summer Game Fest graced us with our first look at God of War Laufey, a brand-new God of War title from Santa Monica Studio and Sony Interactive Entertainment.

The big reveal came during the PlayStation State of Play showcase, promising a game that places us in the shoes of Kratos' late wife Faye rather than the demigod son of Zeus.

It's undeniably stunning, but a quick watch of God of War Laufey's new trailer sparks a very important question – might we see gods that Kratos himself killed in the series' past titles, judging by the new deities we'll evidently run into?

GamesRadar+ had the opportunity to ask director Ariel Lawrence if allowing players to run into previously butchered gods is something Santa Monica has considered at all – and, yeah, the future looks bright.

"I think that's definitely the kind of long-term potential for a franchise that has killed as many gods as we have," explains the lead, "being able to see what happens in a place where those folks could come together."

Understandably, though, Lawrence doesn't want to give away too much – although it sounds like whatever gods we do bump into will have to fit into the grander story.

"But we also want to make sure that the people that you're running into, that all [is supported] in the story," she says. "I'm not going to make promises about how many of those people we may or may not come in contact with, but yes, I think as a possibility… absolutely."

That's certainly exciting to hear – heck, it almost sounds like God of War Laufey itself could perhaps re-introduce some of these older gods… but I suppose that only time can tell now.

Thankfully, there's likely not too long left to wait. Judging by all of the gameplay that Sony highlighted during its event, the new Santa Monica title appears to be quite far in its development already. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a 2027 release, personally.

Until then, there are plenty of brutal beasts and gods to take on in God of War Laufey's iconic predecessors… so I'll be doing just that for the time being.

As God of War Laufey puts Kratos to one side, its director hopes "we can keep telling stories about everybody going forward."

Just because Destiny 2 is ending its updates doesn't mean Bungie is going to let game-breaking exploits slide. A powerful combo that lets players decimate any bosses in the cosmic FPS is being dismantled as the dev team prepares for the game's final bow.

Members of the community have realized that using Howl of the Storm, a Titan Aspect, in conjunction with a Hunter's Golden Gun can take apart more or less every big encounter available in the shooter. "A few well-placed shots" is all it takes, according to Bungie, and the studio's putting an end to it.

"With Monument of Triumph launching" today, Bungie is "disabling Howl of the Storm," the studio says on Twitter. "Even if we're not shipping a new raid, MoT invites you to visit a large slate of endgame content, the new Pantheon lineup, and even Gambit!"

As the swan song for Destiny 2, Monument of Triumph is a huge moment for the game and its fanbase. Even without a raid, it sounds like there's going to be plenty to explore – the patch notes alone will take half a day to go through – and the fun would be deflated if you can turn most of the enemies into Swiss cheese.

"We generally want to avoid disabling abilities or weapons," Bungie says, and "especially for days" like this, "but we want to ensure your experiences aren't trivialized by the bug.

"We'll get this fixed up as soon as possible," the company continues. "If anything comes up during testing or validation leading to a delay, or we're able to move the fix up to an earlier release date, we'll let you know."

Monument of Triumph goes live today, June 9. If you want a final hurrah with Destiny 2, now is the time, and then you can join the chorus hoping for Destiny 3.

Destiny 2 lead says the final update won't just fade out: "Yes, there's story, yes, we get to say goodbye."

Jason Momoa has exited the upcoming Helldivers movie, which is based on the Arrowhead Game Studios’ video game franchise. While the movie remains very much alive, a reason has not been given for the Game of Thrones star's exit as of yet, per Deadline.

It will be a real blow for director Justin Lin though who recently teased at CinemaCon back in April that they were about to head to New Zealand to start filming. At the time, he also opened up about why Momoa was the perfect person for the movie, telling audiences: "Helldivers balances satire with humanity... and the only person who I think can pull this off is Jason Momoa."

Momoa did have a lot on his 2026 plate already with filming currently taking place on A Minecraft Movie 2 and pre-production taking place on the next Fast and Furious movie. In terms of releases, he'll be busy with press too with Supergirl, Dune Part Three and Street Fighter all arriving this year.

Plot details for the Helldivers movie are being kept under wraps but it's expected that it will be based on the game sequel Helldivers 2. This follows a group of elite soldiers called the Helldivers who must work together to protect Super Earth from aliens amid an intergalactic war.

No replacement actor has been named yet for Helldivers, but the community does have an idea. "The best idea, in my opinion, is a bunch of stars or cameos, who die within minutes and then move on to the next one," wrote one fan on Reddit. "After all, they're supposed to be wearing helmets and we won't recognize them, and I don't think they'd spend a fortune hiring actors whose faces we never see. But instead of having a single protagonist, it would be better to have the protagonist change with each death." What do you reckon, Sony?

Helldivers is expected to arrive on November 10, 2027. In the meantime, check out our guides to all of the upcoming video game adaptations and our list of the most exciting upcoming movies coming soon.

The mind-melting world of Remedy's Control is back for a sequel with Control Resonant, which is set to launch on September 24, 2026.

Control Resonate pre-orders are now live, and there are a few different versions out there for both the PS5 and Xbox Series X. To start with, there's the traditional standard edition available for $59.99 (Amazon) / £44.99 (Smyths Toys) on the PS5 and $59.99 (Amazon) / £44.99 (Smyths Toys) on the Xbox Series X.

If you care more about cool collectibles than saving cash, the Amazon Exclusive version available for £49.99 (Amazon) in the UK includes an art print in the box, alongside a collectible slip case.

By spending $10 / £10 more at Amazon and a slew of other US and UK retailers, you can alternatively pick up the SteelBook version, which includes not one but three art prints in total, alongside a poster, and a stylish alternative case for the game.

There's no Collector's Edition this time around, so the SteelBook version is as good as it gets for swag-hunters. However, Remedy is known for producing some weird and exclusive merch based on its games. The Alan Wake 2 Thermos, anyone? So it wouldn't be entirely unheard of for the studio to produce some exclusive Control Resonant-themed goodies in the future. If a Collector's Edition is revealed closer to September, I'll be sure to let you know.

Control Resonant pre-orders in the US

Control Resonant pre-orders in the UK

Control Resonant FAQ

Check out our guides to the best PS5 controllers, the best Xbox Series X controllers, and the best PC controllers to grab a new premium pad in time for Control Resonant this September.

It's an odd moment for the industry right now, as we prepare for Halo: Campaign Evolved to launch on not just the Xbox Series X/S, but the PlayStation 5 as well. Master Chief's struggle against the Covenant is not exclusive to the green brand any more, to the point publicity is actively using Sony's hardware.

Summer Game Fest 2026 gave us more footage of the remake of the iconic and genre-defining first-person shooter. Amid all the bullets and explosions, a small boiler-plater sticks out: "Captured on PS5 Pro."

Yes, the latest compendium of the most famous Spartan taking on alien masses to prevent mass genocide wasn't even made using an Xbox system. Instead, the gameplay comes from the latest iteration of Sony's platform.

There are likely two central reasons for this: the first is to play into the game coming out on a Sony system and show how good it looks, and the second is probably because it runs really nicely on the PS5 Pro, providing sharp, smooth clips of the FPS. Either way, it's definitely odd, and onlookers are a bit taken aback.

"Seeing that and Halo together kind of makes my brain fry a little bit. If you showed me this 15 years ago I would have called this an impossibility," says one fan on Bluesky. "On the official Halo channel is insane," another adds.

"Microsoft can't even console war correctly smh," a third player adds. One person makes a bold prediction: "A year. I give E-Day a year."

Funnily enough, Gears of War: E-Day very nearly joined Fable and Halo: Campaign Evolved on PS5, and a port is reportedly almost finished. One year may be right on the money. We'll see how Master Chief does against the Flood, first.

3 years after releasing one of the best indie JRPGs, Sea of Stars devs roll out the "final update" and tease a new game

Many of the world's greatest successes had doubters at one point or another. Speed metal pioneers Motorhead were voted the 'Worst Band in the World' by NME ahead of their debut album, and the script for Back to the Future was famously rejected dozens of times before it went into production. The Last of Us is no different, as a higher-up at Sony failed to see the potential of the zombie horror on first impression.

"Some high-level executive at Sony looked at the game, and was supposed to give a marketing budget for The Last of Us, looked at it and said, 'It's not going to do very well, I think it just needs a small marketing budget,'" Quentin Cobb, a former designer on The Last of Us, tells Kiwi Talkz (video below).

"People did not know how good that game was," he says. "Even inside the studio. Where we were done, there were some people that were like, 'I don't know if it's going to be good, I don't know if people are going to get it.'"

At risk of stating the obvious, Joel and Ellie's journey across the Cordyceps-torn United States managed to strike a chord with players the world over, to the point that it's one of the biggest PlayStation series ever. That's quite the feat considering there are only two actual entries.

But, as Cobb explains, the first installment arrived in a different landscape within Naughty Dog. "They had just done Uncharted 3," he points out. "And going to The Last of Us, it was just so different. That's an intense, pretty wild game, if you think about it, in 2013. People didn't know."

Even beyond the contrast between Nathan Drake's harebrained misadventures and crawling through infestations of zombified people, The Last of Us was bigger and more mainstream than survival horror tends to be. The Silent Hill and Resident Evil games had production values and big fanbases, sure, but without crunching any numbers, I doubt they were ever on the same scale as what Naughty Dog commanded as a flagship studio for Sony.

And now it's a successful TV show and all! Somehow, I don't think anyone at HBO doubted whether it would do numbers.

"We had influenced the industry" – The Last of Us and God of War tackling "serious, emotional subjects" made the creator of a PS3 classic feel like they had left their mark

The long-awaited reboot of Lionhead Studios Fable has been delayed until February 23, 2027. But while you can't yet make all the best (and wrong) decisions in Albion you can at least secure your pre-order, and the squakingly good Chicken Suit Cosmetic outfit along with it.

Fable pre-orders are available on both the PS5 and Xbox Series X if you prefer to to add a physical copy to your collection. The Standard Edition is currently $69.99 (Best Buy) on both platforms. Meanwhile you can pay £89.99 / $89.99 for the Premium Edition for the digital artbook and soundtrack, access to some exclusive cosmetic outfits, and Order of the Hero post-game DLC. You'll also get 5 days Early Access with the Premium Edition, letting you explore the new Albion before everyone else.

If you have more gold to spare, there's the £189.99 (Xbox) Fable Collector's Edition up for grabs. It features the base game and all the Premium in-game goodies, but adds statuette of iconic series baddie Jack of Blades into the mix. There's more spoils to be had too, including a hardcover art book, a steelbook case, and a Guild Seal pin so you can look at dapper as your champion. No matter which version you grab, your chicken chaser-loving heart will be glad to know the Chicken Cosmetic will also be included.

Fable Collector's Edition

Fable pre-orders in the US

Fable pre-orders in the UK

FAQ

Check out our guides to the best PS5 controllers and the best Xbox Series X controllers if you want dive back into Albion with a champion gamepad.

The leading lady of God of War Laufey may not be a one-off protagonist. While God of War 2018 director Cory Barlog has assured players that the series will, "always tell stories about Kratos," that doesn't mean there isn't room for other people to share the spotlight.

That comes from Laufey director Ariel Lawrence, who tells GamesRadar+ that the series has the potential to tell many stories, not just the beloved Spartan's.

"I hope that all the characters that we introduce across all of the games are deep enough, resonant enough that they could carry their own game forward," she says. "If Kratos had been in the Everywhen, he may have been a little bit more stoic and a little bit more closed off to the experience.

"So, I think for Faye, that curiosity and that exploration of the world allowed us to have the player have that curiosity and that exploration for the world, and where she goes beyond this on the adventure, hopefully we can keep telling stories about everybody going forward."

God of War 2018 began Kratos's Norse saga, which has spanned two games so far. If Lawrence believes that Faye isn't too different from her husband, then it stands to reason that there is plenty of potential for her arc to cover more than just what we will see in God of War Laufey. The story of Faye's game will also run parallel to the 2018 reboot and its sequel, Ragnarök, with fans already theorizing on how the games will overlap.

In an interview with GameSpot, Lawrence states that Barlog "always knew how important Faye was" to the future of God of War. In many ways, it feels like God of War Laufey is just the beginning for the character. Even if Faye does not get a second game, her presence in the ongoing story of Kratos and Atreus means she will likely show up in the future in one form or another. The excitement surrounding Laufey also shows that audiences are ready for stories in the God of War universe that leave Kratos on the sidelines, even if only for a moment.

God of War Laufey director says Marvel humor won't infect the series through the big, silly cube: "He's not meant to be a joke"

Two things jumped out during the God of War Laufey reveal. Firstly, Faye, guardian of the Giants and Kratos' long-dead wife, is now clashing with other gods in the divine afterlife. Secondly, she's got a big, silly cube friend named Phranque. The internet seems equally infatuated with the two, but also slightly worried that Phranque could conflict with the tone of the series, which is already seeing major changes with Kratos sidelined for now. But Laufey director Ariel Lawrence says the cube is serious, and so is the game.

GameSpot asked Lawrence about the fears "around the Marvelification or the Joss Whedonification of God of War" following Phranque's introduction. Lawrence notes that we don't get a great grasp of Phranque's personality or role in the limited slice of the game shown at the June State of Play showcase, as he only "got six or seven lines in the reveal," suggesting there's much more to him. But Sony Santa Monica knows what it wants to do with him, she says, and the plan is not to crowbar in gags or one-liners.

"I would say as we are still in development on all of these things, we’re treating Phranque as we would any companion character," she says. "His earnestness, his honesty about being in the moment is kind of integral to his character, but that doesn’t make him completely unserious. For us, we want to find his humanity.

"And as we’ll discover, in the world of Everywhen things are not great right now. So for him, I think it’s really about helping Faye see the world as it is. So he’s not meant to be a joke in that kind of capacity."

Lawrence points out that, when the focus was on Kratos in God of War 2018 and Ragnarok, "levity of other people stands in contrast" to his gruff, serious personality, which doesn't change all that much outside rare moments of vulnerability and introspection. The Huldra brothers come to mind – often crass and comedic, but never distracting, and consistently loved by fans. Phranque seems to be slotting into Laufey in a similar way.

"I think we have real people as much as we can, but I think the reveal is just a very small section of the Everywhen, and so as we kind of open up the world to see the next things, Phranque fits into that part," Lawrence adds.

In a "meet the cast" video, Phranque actor Jack Quaid said, "When you start playing this game, you get the feeling that the Everywhen is in trouble and Phranque will stop at nothing to protect all the living creatures that inhabit this world."

Phranque has also stoked discussion around the mythology or theology that seemingly inspired his character. Laufey features myriad gods, which leaves the door open for all manner of celestial powers, potentially including Metatron's Cube.

God of War Laufey star Deborah Ann Woll says "Kratos gameplay is so fantastic because he's such a heavy hitter," but new protagonist Faye is "just as strong and just as good a warrior."

Whenever I'm after the best sound possible for my latest PS5 game obsession, I'm picking up a wireless headset. Right now, I'm obsessed with Lego Batman, and I've been cruising over the Gotham building tops with the best PS5 headset, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni, pressed up on my head like the Dark Knight's cowl and loving it.

Yet even with the pair's hot-swappable battery tech in my utility belt, there have been a few occasions where I've just been too lazy to ensure the pair is all juiced up - enter, the Atlas 200 for PS5.

This headset is wired, so it takes the pressure off remembering to charge it. The best part? It sounds better than other wired headsets I've popped into my DualSense, so I haven't missed any of the Lego game's hilarious quips of that iconic Batman score.

During the many, many hours that I've been playing Lego Batman, I've had the Atlas 200 at arm's length. It sits in a hamper next to the sofa, originally intended for blankets, which has instead been relegated to storing all the best PS5 accessories I want to have easy access to at all times.

I'm glad I decided to add the Atlas 200 to the accessory pile, as it's made my lazy Lego Batman and gaming days a treat. The headset takes seconds to hook up, and afterwards, I can stay on the sofa for hours without having to ever get up for a charging cable because it doesn't need one. It relies purely on its 3.5mm cord, and that's that. At just 280g, it's also super lightweight and doesn't get grating on my head after I've noticed I've been running around collecting Lego studs for 5+ hours.

Most importantly, it sounds pretty darn impressive despite being a budget-friendly wired headset, so I can be lazy without having to forgo any sound quality. Batman games, even in their Lego form, are known for their great music, and I've been able to fully appreciate every moment of it.

It's usually $59.99 / £49.99 when there are no deals kicking around, and that price alone feels like you're getting plenty of value for what its 50mm Nanoclear Drivers can muster. Gotham gets pretty loud in Lego's latest game, as you're constantly bombarded with police alerts and nearby citizens barking at you, but the Atlas 200 makes every bit of audio sound levelled and balanced.

Right now it's down to $44 (Amazon) / £39.99 (Amazon), which is a record low for both the US and the UK, and a deal worth grabbing if you want to be lazy and comfortable too. Of course, you could always wait a bit for the best Prime Day PS5 deals to drop on June 23, where there's likely more headset savings to come. But if you have your eyes on a no-fuss all-must PS5 pair, I doubt you'll find much better than this.

• View all PS5 headset deals at Amazon

If you've already got a perfect pair for your PS5, check out the best PS5 controllers, the best SSDs for PS5, and the best monitor for PS5 instead.

Things have been slightly quiet on the Horizon front since the release of Lego Horizon Adventures back in late 2024. That's set to change relatively soon, as two massive spin-offs are in the works, and one of them is due to launch next year.

The world of Aloy and the mechanized dinosaurs will expand considerably with upcoming MMORRPG Horizon Steel Frontiers, and publisher NCSoft's latest financial report has given us a release window. According to the slides breaking down the company's upcoming slate, the game will come in the first half of 2027.

Nothing more specific is provided, but that's enough to get excited about, considering the dearth of releases from the franchise last year and this year. A free-to-play MMO, Steel Frontiers will take players to the Deadlands, where players will scope out fresh dinosaurs to take down and group up into factions for team-based combat.

It sounds somewhat similar to Monster Hunter, though with more PvP for the resources and prizes and resources available. It marks a bit of a seachange for the Horizon universe, as it's the first installment thus far not set for a PlayStation system.

It's due for PC and mobile devices at present, but I'm sure if it's popular we'll be able to play with a DualShock at some point. A co-op game, Horizon Hunters Gathering, is also on the way, coming from Guerrilla Games. That will come to PlayStation 5, and it's a more casual experience, pitting teams of up to three against various missions.

We still don't have word on the status of Horizon 3, the sequel to Forbidden West. Given the popularity of Aloy and the property generally, it seems a lock, but we haven't had any sort of reveal. Maybe at this year's Summer Game Fest? Watch this space.

GTA San Andreas devs "regretted" adding stealth, Rockstar veteran says: "We ended up stretching ourselves too thin"