A Black Friday deal that keeps giving through the whole year is a real bargain, and a discount on a gaming subscription service is just that. The two biggies are Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, and they're going about discounts in two very different ways.

According to the Xbox Game Pass discount that Microsoft is offering, super-cheap limited-time trials are the way to go, while the PS Plus discount offered by Sony instead nets you loads of money off an annual plan. It's two very different ways to offer a subscription saving on some of the biggest Black Friday gaming deals, but one saves you a lot more money than the other. Let's take a look at them below:

You may notice some gaps in the deals. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate doesn't have any kind of deal, nor are there ways to save in any way beyond your first week (in Premium) or month (in Essential).

Likewise, PlayStation Plus Essential doesn't have a price cut, and the other tiers aren't reduced in any way.

Should you buy the Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus?

I wouldn't blame you if you were a little disappointed by the Black Friday deals on these gaming subscription services.

After its recent price hike, many fans were hoping for a serious Xbox Game Pass discount to make subscribing a little more palatable. A limited trial for $1 might sway new subscribers to test out the service, but existing fans, or people who want a long-term discount, are out of luck.

The PlayStation Plus deal is a little better, especially when you consider how much you can save over a 12-month contract. Plus, last year saw a 30% discount across the board, so while it's a shame that the cheaper tier isn't available discounted, Premium is actually cheaper this time around.

Unlike other devices during Black Friday, there's not actually much you can do about a lack of discounts on Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus, due to the companies being the main vendor of them. So if you really want the gaming subscription, you're not going to find better discounts elsewhere.

However we're seeing some really good discounts on games in various Black Friday sales, so perhaps you can skip the subscription and just buy the titles you want.

• Shop Black Friday game deals at Amazon
• Shop Black Friday game deals at Gamestop
• Shop Black Friday game deals at Walmart

If you want more deals, we've got a round-up of Black Friday PS5 deals and Black Friday Xbox deals which cover consoles, games and accessories. And if you're treating yourself, why not look at the Black Friday TV deals to appreciate your games better.

For another year running, the best PS5 headset title has been claimed by SteelSeries, but it's the new Arctis Nova Pro Omni that now sits in the top spot. This headset launched on May 5, 2026, and instantly showed it was worthy of taking the Pro Wireless down a peg, as it remains equipped with everything that impressed us with the older headset, but features quality-of-life upgrades that make it just that little bit better.

In the last year, Razer has sent its BlackShark V3, Corsair has posted its Virtuoso Max, and even Sony has been in the running with its new H9 II. The Arctis Nova Pro Wireless always seems to keep its head above these competitive waters, though, surviving on a combination of quality, value, and unique features, which are all present on the new Omni.

As the Omni is still so new, discounts haven't yet appeared, and it sits at a $20 / £20 higher price than the Pro Wireless before it. However, its price still feels justified for such a premium device - it's the best gaming headset on the market, after all. That means there are more budget-friendly trophies to hand out, and some use-cases in which competitors take a slight lead. I've had all the best PS5 headsets across a range of budgets on my head this year, and you'll find all my top picks below.

The quick list

The best PS5 headset overall

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni is more than the best PS5 headset out there, it's our new favorite gaming headset overall, and here's why.

Before now, the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless used to sit in this top spot, and it well and truly deserved the attention. The headset had a rich, deep, and fantastically well textured audio quality and it managed to combine that audio pedigree with additional features that actually make life easier. Gaming headsets often pad out marketing with these extra gadgets, but a multi-platform hub with easy-access EQ settings, hot-swappable batteries keeping you juiced up the entire time, and a retractable microphone makes tangible improvements to any setup.

The Omni is essentially the same headset, but SteelSeries has imbued it with some upgrades that make it even better than what came before. Now, the microphone mutes when retracted, the earcushions are thicker and far more comfortable as a result, but most importantly, the audio quality and Game Hub have been through a bit of a makeover. The Omni can now connect up to four sources (the PS5 included) at once and have the audio of those mixed simultaneously through the hub. It's also Hi-res audio compatible, which isn't really important where Sony's pixel-pusher is concerned, but its sound needs little to no EQ this time around.

Yes, alternatives like the Audeze Maxwell might have an edge in audio quality (it's more neutral and offers a wider, more detailed soundstage overall) but its hard, heavy form factor has nothing on the softer, lighter Nova Pro Omni. Its features are also less focused on gaming overall, with detachable microphone and limited EQ settings on PS5.

The Astro A50 X is better for multiplatform switching with its integrated KVM hub (you can swap both your audio and video feed between Xbox and PS5 at the tap of a button), but this introduces more issues than it solves for a lot of players. Most notably, it doesn't suit those with different setups in different places and can't beat SteelSeries' Bluetooth versatility. Not to mention, you can't adjust the sound of all those sources on the fly via the Game Hub like you can with the Omni.

Both these headsets feature further down the page, but SteelSeries has also beaten the more recent Sony Inzone H9 II and Razer BlackShark V3 Pro. The latter got full marks, with a booming sound quality that emphasises bass tones particularly well the best mic we've used on a PS5 headset. EQ settings are a little trickier to manage here, though, and you're dropping that easy charging system. Sony's own Inzone model is more PC-focused but while it matches SteelSeries in a lot of arenas, it falls particularly short in battery.

Read more: SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni review

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni vs the competition

The best budget PS5 headset

The Turtle Beach Atlas 200 can be found for less than $60 / £50 but still manages to offer premium-sounding audio and a particularly comfortable form factor. Those are often your first sacrifices when hunting down a budget PS5 headset, so Turtle Beach is already off to a good start.

The Atlas 200 really wants you to know it's an officially licensed headset, with a crisp white and blue colorway and PlayStation logos stamped on each side of the elastic headband. It's a clean design, though, and remains in keeping with the PS5's aesthetic. It's also super comfortable, resting neatly on the crown and holding out at just 280g.

Yes, you're dropping a lot of the features that you'd find further up the price scale but for $60 / £50 you really just want comfort and audio. If you want to rip the Band-aid off, Turtle Beach has made its biggest sacrifices in the microphone. It's a tiny plastic detachable number with a thin piece of white foam protecting pop sounds. It sounds as cheap as it is, but it functions (better than some we've tested).

Crucially, it works next to a set of cups that over perform for their price. With Tempest 3D Audio fully supported, Silent Hill f proved particularly powerful in our testing, and more competitive scenarios are well catered for as well. The Atlas 200 maintains precise directional audio in Marvel Rivals, even in a busier soundstage.

The best value PS5 headset

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless is the line's middle child, but it's one of the more recent releases for PS5. That means it can pack even better value than the Nova 4 and Nova 7 it finds itself in between. You lose the hot-swappable batteries, hub, and some of the audio power and build quality of the Arctis Nova Pro Omni, but you're spending significantly less and you even gain some EQ add-ons.

That's because the Nova 5 comes with the Arctis companion app. This software gives you access to a massive number (now 300+) of EQ presets created by sound engineers and game developers themselves and tailored specifically for a huge supply of games. You're getting the perfect EQ settings for everything from Fall Guys to Fallout, all just a click away on console. That's not something we see every day, where EQ settings like this a generally locked away for PC users.

Audio straight out of the box is compelling, but we were surprised by just how well the various EQ presets worked with each game we tested. Yes, some are more useful than others - we're not sure just how much a dedicated Fall Guys option really adds. But there were also some shocks in there - cinematic Baldur's Gate 3 scenes benefitted greatly and - of course - you're getting plenty of competitive options in there as well.

With easy connection options across a massive range of devices, but a specific focus on bringing game-specific EQ settings to consoles like PS5, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless makes for a fantastic headset. It's well priced, excellent value for money, and incredibly versatile. The only reason my eyes would stray towards the similarly priced Razer BlackShark V2 Hyperspeed is if my microphone was particularly important. The Nova 5 has a solid arm on it, but it doesn't reach the super wideband heights of Razer.

Read more: SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless review

The best multiplatform PS5 headset

If you primarily play on PS5, but also have an Xbox Series X waiting in the wings, the Astro A50 X is going to be your best friend. This premium model comes in a similar price point to the Omni, but throws in a unique HDMI switcher feature that lets you hop between consoles at just the touch of a button. Meanwhile, the excellent audio and Tempest 3D compatibility mean the overall experience still remains powerful between the cups as well.

It's less comfortable than the Omni overall, with harsher plastic sides and a thin material covering the headband. It's also got that robot-aesthetic that doesn't quite match the softer lines of the Nova. There's also a Bluetooth problem.

The Astro A50 X only routes your Bluetooth connection through the hub itself. That means no on-the-go play, a major consideration if you're eyeing it up. Have multiple consoles in the same setup and don't need to travel with your kit? This is the best PS5 headset for you.

The base station keeps the full 4K 120Hz signal of the HDMI 2.1 cables intact, and switches seamlessly between the two provided both are set to rest rather than turned off. Both the headset and dock are plastic in construction, but both feel sturdy enough to survive some beating. There's a particularly soft swivel to each side which means the cups will sit flush against your head without pinching on the ears, though this looser approach does make slotting the headset onto the charging contacts on the base station a little more fiddly.

Featuring the same graphene driver tech as the Logitech G Pro X2s, the Astro A50 X is an absolute belter. There's a particularly deft handling of competing audio across all the ranges here, as well as a powerful bass and well-spaced higher tones as well. Between the bullet-hell cacophany of Doom Eternal's battlegrounds and the thwacks of an Evil West fist fight, audio was booming where it needed to be and delicate elsewhere. That makes for a particularly well-rounded listening experience, not only in games but across music and movies as well.

Read more: Astro A50 X review

The best PS5 headset for Tempest 3D Audio

Sony's official PS5 headset is still a top performer and has consistently been one of our favourites. If you're going all in on 3D audio this generation, this is the most cost-effective option we've tested.

Sharing the same design language and aesthetic that the PS5 and its accessories have, the Pulse 3D headset maintains a subtlety in its form - there's no extruding boom mic, and all the tech is discreetly hidden.

That 3D tech really is at the forefront of the Pulse's package, which means there are other sacrifices in this spec sheet. There's no retractable mic, and battery life could certainly be better. Yet, the headset delivers undeniable quality in its sound and comfort.

It delivers gloriously rich and detailed sound as you traverse Astro Playroom's noisy noisy platforms, and gives multi-layered audio detail in the roar of combat in Miles Morales. However, it is in the quieter moments that the Pulse 3D headset and the PS5's Tempest audio magic really blew us away: spaceships zoom past your head in Astro, or footsteps' exact direction of travel being discernible in Miles Morales. There's a reason that this is the official headset, and we can see from our testing and hands-on that Sony invested in it.

The results are awesome, and it is absolutely one of the best PS5 headsets - and it's at an aggressive price point too. Sony's official device goes above and beyond the call of duty for its price point, even if there are some microphone sacrifices to get there.

Read more: Pulse 3D headset review

The best microphone on a PS5 headset

The Razer BlackShark V3 Pro is a sturdy release by itself, even extending a little further into the lower ranges for more bass oomph compared to the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni. However, where it truly stands apart from our top contender is in its microphone.

Razer uses its new full band microphone on the V3 Pro, an upgrade even from the V2 Pro's super wideband model. 'Full band' essentially just means the microphone is capable of picking up frequencies across the entire range of human hearing - nothing is left out here.

Its predecessor was already leading the market, and the newer release polishes that trophy a little further. It's one of the richest mic experiences we've had during testing, with excellent noise reduction, a super textured vocal reflection, and plenty of detailing.

This high-end headset is also decked out with ANC, simultaneous Bluetooth and 2.4GHz audio, comfortable ear cups, and a great sound thanks to its Razer TriForce Bio-Cellulose 50mm Gen 2 audio drivers. It's deeper than SteelSeries' audio, but rather than being directly better it's geared more towards those who prefer power in the bass ranges rather than space in the mids.

The PS5 version of the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro is designed officially with the Sony console in mind, and brings all the impressive qualities that blew us away with the PC version to console players - especially its rich and fantastic sounding full-band omnidirectional microphone that makes it perfect for online gaming fans.

Read more: Razer BlackShark V3 Pro review

The best PS5 headset for audiophiles

The Audeze Maxwell offers the best audio I've heard on a PS5 headset so far, hands down. Why is it not at the top? Because Audeze goes all in on that sound quality, at the expense of comfort, customization and mic quality. If you're going for audiophile listening first and foremost, you'll have a field day here - but as a headset for the vast majority of players looking to upgrade, it's more difficult to recommend.

We'll start with the good. You'll be looking to a set of 90mm planar magnetic drivers (see which gaming headset drivers you should choose for more) to provide that super wide soundstage the Maxwells are known for. Essentially, these drivers use a different method of vibrating the diaphragm between magnets, one that reduces distortion and increases responsiveness. It's truly fantastic sound, I use these headphones not just for gaming but for music listening sessions as well.

It's a beautifully detailed stage, with space for intricacies at both the low and high range to shine through. The size of these drivers and the sophistication of the tech here is unmatched on the market today.

So what do you lose compared to SteelSeries? Just about everything else the Nova Pro Omni has going for it. The Maxwells have a solid 80 hour battery life but you're still plugging in to recharge, EQ presets are a little fiddly and pretty basic on the smartphone app level and the microphone suffers in quality compared to even cheaper gaming headsets. You also sacrifice ANC and simultaneous 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connections.

There's also the build. The Maxwells might feel more durable with their large aluminum and steel parts and hefty weight, but they weigh just as heavy on the head. There's a rubber elastic strap to alleviate pressure, but this is still a two-hour max endeavour.

Read more: Audeze Maxwell review

How we test PS5 headsets

Every PS5 headset we come across goes through weeks of testing before we make our final review assessment, but we don't just leave these cups on the test bench. These headsets are slotted into our everyday play, becoming our daily drivers for work, play, streaming, and music during their testing period.

On PS5, we test across a range of different games, each posing a slightly different question of the device itself. Doom Eternal is used to see how well a driver separates a bassline from more intricate details in the mid-range. Horizon Forbidden West is excellent for measuring a clustered mid-range and how well the headset handles sometimes overpowering environmental sounds when competing with dialogue. Spider-Man: Miles Morales expands upon directional audio in a more condensed environment.

Apex Legends is used to test the directional accuracy of a headset, putting it through its competitive paces for both precision and mic volume. Finally, Dead by Daylight is used to see how the headset deals with a more atmospheric sound, and how it places voice chat within its subtle soundscape.

Of course, we're also playing whatever game sits on our backlog at the time during testing as well. These titles can differ depending on the access of any given reviewer, but it's always pertinent to test headsets during a whole range of games. Ensuring we're using not just the same games across each headset we test, but also brand-new releases is pertinent to recommending each and every set of cups.

Beyond pure audio performance, we're also comparing similarly priced headsets based on design and features. We're continually measuring comfort levels across cushion depth, materials, size, shape, and temperatures as well as headband padding, structural shape, and adjustment options. We then look at the extra features on offer in comparison to other spec sheets, noting connection, EQ, control, battery life, microphone type, and noise cancellation.

Once reviewed, each PS5 headset is scored out of five across six categories; comfort, audio, battery, microphone, versatility, and build quality.

For more information on how we test gaming headsets, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

Also tested

How to choose the right PS5 headset for you

If you don't know where to start in your search for the best PS5 headset, it's worth taking stock of what it is you need from your cups, and what features you need the most where your Sony setup is concerned.

If it's a wireless headset you're after, make sure you're getting a 2.4GHz dongle for the fastest connection. You can push the boat out further with an additional Bluetooth option for additional flexibility as well. Headsets part of this list, like SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, provide both Bluetooth and 2.4GHz connectivity.

If you play in a busier environment, or you want your headset to double up for commutes, you'll want to invest in something with either active noise cancellation (the digital blocking of external sound) or passive noise isolation (the physical blocking of external sound, via a tighter clamp force or larger ear cushions).

Battery life is important to consider if you don't want to be worrying about tapping out due to low power or having to plug in before or during a play session. Battery lives generally range from 20 - 50 hours these days, with 70 hour options and hot-swappable battery features available in more premium models.

Best PS5 headsets: FAQ

Glossary

• ANC: Active Noise Cancellation; a digital process of removing external audio picked up by microphones by adding a separate sound to cancel it out.
• Closed-back: A headset design where the driver is completely enclosed in the body of the cup. This is the norm for gaming headsets.
• Driver: The part of a gaming headset that produces the audio by converting electrical signals into sound waves.
• Dynamic: A driver type; dynamic drivers are the most commonly used in gaming headsets due to their low cost and wide range.
• EQ: Equalizer; a feature usually found in a gaming headset's software that allows for the fine-tuning of each frequency point along the device's audio range. EQ settings are used to emphasize or de-emphasize certain sounds like basslines or treble.
• Frequency response: The range of frequencies a gaming headset can produce, usually sitting at 20Hz - 20kHz, the range of human hearing.
• Graphene: A lightweight but sturdy material used in the drivers of high-end headsets to reduce distortion.
• Latency: The speed at which a wireless headset can receive information from your PS5, a higher latency will result in missed audio cues and is inadvisable for competitive play.
• Open-back: A headset design where the driver is not enclosed within the main body of the headset, offering a more spacious and natural soundstage while also bringing sound bleed in both directions.
• Planar: An alternative, more expensive, driver design that prioritizes clarity in low-end frequencies and reduces distortion while also proving more responsive in-game.
• Tempest 3D Audio: Sony's audio engine that uses object tracking to create realistic directional audio.

If you're not exactly in the PlayStation camp, we're also rounding up all the best Xbox Series X headsets and the best Nintendo Switch headsets on the market right now.

• Back to the top ^

For some, Sword of the Sea will feel familiar. An unnamed protagonist is tasked with cleansing a bygone realm by restoring mythical landmarks to defeat an ancient evil. It's a story that creative director Matt Nava has been telling for over a decade, from indie royalty Journey back in 2012 for Thatgamecompany to 2016's aquatic adventure Abzu and 2020's airborne adventure The Pathless under Giant Squid Studios.

It may seem like a fourth retelling, but Sword of the Sea isn't simply a reproduction, it's a bridge. The majesty of Journey, the action of The Pathless, the tranquillity of Abzu – Sword of the Sea connects them all, the four sharing not only a bold artistic vision but, surprisingly, a shared overarching story too. The result not only reinforces Giant Squid's reputation for creating artful, evocative games that celebrate the joys of fluid movement, but also manages to unite a decade's worth of storytelling into a complete whole.

Playing as a mysterious entity (A soldier? A spirit? Both? Neither?), you need to use your hoversword to explore the remains of a lost culture buried beneath a vast desert and restore a lost ocean to this desolate world by transforming sandy runes to rolling waves.

Taking notes from skating games and the studio's back catalog, the hoversword – which moves like a snowboard, skateboard, and surfboard all in one – feels like an absolute dream. Minimal inputs see you gliding, soaring, and speeding through environments in a way that a comparison to skating games like the Tony Hawk series doesn’t quite fit. You can't really 'be bad' at surfing in Sword of the Sea. There's no face-planting into concrete to kill your vibe. This is a game that wants you to fly.

Even when you're attempting the most ambitious jumps, kick flipping, and spinning as you launch yourself off ramps and cut through waves, your clunky inputs will always transform into the most elegant outputs due to the game's forgiving system. You glide straight through objects in the environment that would usually yeet you clean off your board. Your character is subtly nudged left or right, letting you successfully pull off your landings. The game's active camera constantly positions itself to give you the best view of the path ahead.

Sword of the Sea even understands the cadence of scenes, moment to moment – boosting you through dazzling water planes and slowing you down when exploring the winding corridors of ruins. The game is forever reacting to your movements in a way that makes the protagonist feel less like a surfer and more like a ballet dancer. There’s an ease and lightness to their movements that's communicated effortlessly through the game’s controls.

Surf's up

Unusually for Giant Squid, there's a shaman-like shopkeeper who will let you exchange your collected currency to buy tricks. These more game-y elements feel a little out of place, but they work wonders for replayability. With a total time of 2-3 hours to complete the main story, I spent another 2 hours unlocking these new abilities as well as poking around the environments on the hunt for collectibles. It’s nice to have a reason to return to areas in a game where you can often get swept away with the momentum and speed through levels.

Similar to its predecessors, Sword of the Sea is structured into chapters, each one with a unique area. To progress, you’ll need to press buttons, activate ancient mechanisms, and scale structures to open the doors to the next area. It’s formulaic, but together with different biomes in each chapter and cinematic moments that punctuate the story, it doesn’t feel too repetitive.

It also helps that it’s visually incredibly impressive. Dunes roll and wave like they’re liquid gold. Sand, sea, snow, slate – they’re silky and sleek as our surfer glides effortlessly across them. As you activate runes and replenish the world’s water, these moments are accompanied by bursts of fish, hundreds of them, swimming through the air like they have wings. The boundaries between what is air, water, and land are totally blurred. It’s dazzling.

However, there are some bumps on the road. In between the game’s more meditative moments are action-based sequences, including two areas where your character jumps on the backs of giant sea creatures and lets you control them (using the same inputs as the hoverboard). These creatures are super-sized, meaning that everything is scaled up, and so with that bigger scope comes a lack of control, interrupting the game’s usual seamless flow.

Although riding a giant shark like a surfboard is one of the coolest things I've done in video games in a hot minute, it feels incredibly clunky, especially compared to the buttery smoothness of the surfer on their board. I appreciate the role these sequences have in the overall story (they also add a wonderful sense of drama and spectacle), but unfortunately, they don’t quite land. But hey, it bears repeating, you ride a giant shark and control them like a surfboard, so there's that.

Ride the wave

Even in these clunkier moments, Sword of the Sea continues to be visually impressive. Video game composer and music wizard Austin Wintory has composed a soundtrack so evocative and rich that I can’t help but be swept away in the game’s more emotional moments, and in a game that (for the most part) uses zero text or dialogue to tell its story, that's impressive.

Sword of the Sea's narrative is mostly told through murals, text found on dusty shrines, and environmental clues, all storytelling staples for Giant Squid. These story beats make connections to the studio’s other games more concrete, and range from small, subtle environmental clues to something as bold as a returning character. However, outside of that, Sword of the Sea still tells a self-contained tale.

It follows its predecessors in that you’re still restoring life to a desolate place and overcoming the game’s ‘big bad', but it’s told in a much more dynamic way. Action sequences, dramatic cinematic moments, giant set pieces – they're more punchy than interpretive murals and text. The game ends on a soaring high note – the music swells, the camera sweeps, your character speeds through scenes – it’s impossible not to get caught up in the moment.

Sword of the Sea feels at home with the awe, spectacle, and beauty that's defined its predecessors – Journey, The Pathless, and Abzu – over the years. Together, they're a four-game odyssey that now, more than a decade later, has reached a crescendo. It may flounder in some moments, but overall, Sword of the Sea is a cascade of cinematic moments, complete with a movement system that's both a meditative balm and a jolt of adrenaline. Playing Sword of the Sea is like climbing a mountain and looking back: exhilarating, reflective, and a reminder of how far you've come

Sword of the Sea was reviewed on PC, with a code provided by the publisher.

We also loved Giant Squid's last game. In our The Pathless review, we called it "equal parts calming and arresting".

A brand-new PlayStation 5 bundle has appeared on the official Sony online store and select retailers today, packing in the Sony console and 24 months of PS Plus Premium. The best PS5 bundles in the past year have typically come with a digital copy of a hugely popular game, like Astro Bot, but this time, Sony has put the emphasis on a whopping two years' worth of PS Plus instead.

12 months of PS Plus Premium right now is $159.99 on the official US PlayStation Store, and the disc edition launch PS5 has an MSRP of $429.99. However, this latest bundle is available for $579.99 at GameStop, saving you $170 when you factor in the MSRP of the console, and the almost $320 worth of two years of PS Premium. In the UK, this bundle is available for £679.99 at PS Direct, but it packs in the Slim model instead, so you're saving a total of £40 as opposed to buying everything separately.

Better yet, the disc edition Slim model included in the UK version of this set was not caught in the price hike crossfire last month. So if you had any reservations that this bundle wasn't actually worth it, you'll be happy to know that £40 saving would have existed even before Sony confirmed price increases in the UK, as they only concerned digital PS5s for now.

Sony PlayStation PS Plus bundles aren't new by any means. But the last time I spotted any months' worth of the subscription service bundled in with a Sony console was for the PlayStation 4. So this surprise drop is a sight for sore eyes.

Sure, you could just grab one of the cheapest PS Plus deals and the disc edition PS5 launch or Slim model separately. However, Sony itself only packages up to a year of PS Plus in one go online. So this bundle is one of the few options you have if you want 24 months' worth of online access, new monthly games, cloud storage, exclusive discounts, cloud streaming, and access to the vast game libraries without paying month-to-month.

While PS Plus Premium may not have Xbox Game Pass's Oblivion Remaster and Clair Obscur Expedition 33 as part of their game libraries right now, you can get Ark: Survival Ascended, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, and the huge hit Balatro as part of May's monthly PS Plus drops. Plus, if you grab this bundle in the UK, the Slim model PS5 comes with 1TB worth of storage, giving you plenty of space to download this month's games and recent releases from Lost Records, to The Blue Prince, which are all part of the service.

If you're about to grab a PS5 for the first time, picking up one of the best PS5 headsets and the best PS5 controllers can help complete your Sony-gaming setup. Our best SSD for PS5 guide is also full of extra storage options if the 1TB of the Slim isn't enough for your gaming needs.

Last night I stayed up far too late, and it was all thanks to my PS5. For the first time in a long time, I felt I physically couldn't put the DualSense controller down until I had experienced all the time I could with Swann, Kat, Nora, and Autumn in the brand-new game, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage - which just dropped for PS Plus Extra and Premium members this very week.

I've wanted to spend all morning shouting the game's name to anyone who'll listen, but that can be a big ask for those without access to PlayStation Plus. Fortunately for me, right now you can save $20 off 12 months of PS Plus Premium, taking the price down to just $99.99. Typically, a full year will cost those of you in the US $119.99, but for a limited time, Sony has dropped the price below the big $100 mark, making it one of the cheapest PS Plus deals I've come across in 2025.

If you'd prefer to spread the cost of PS Plus out monthly I wouldn't blame you. (That's what I do.) However, at $17.99 a month, that works out to over $215 for a year, so you save more with a yearly subscription regardless - this discount just sweetens the deal. It's only available for a limited time though - so if you want to play Lost Records and a plethora of new and old games alike, I'd recommend you grab it while you can.

Should you buy a 12 Month PS Plus subscription?

Just this week, the brand-new Lost Records: Bloom and Rage, created by the same studio behind the original Life is Strange, dropped for PS Plus Premium (and Extra) members. While it was likely I was going to check it out anyway as a big LiS fan, thanks to being a Premium member I had to chance to play the game the day of release, saving myself $39.99 in the process.

With its inclusion, I have managed to play my favorite gaming experience of 2025 so far, and the game isn't even finished yet. Lost Records is split into two halves, named 'tapes', with the first tape available as of me typing this. I'm very much a fan of narrative movie-like games, but Lost Records might have overtaken Life is Strange as my favorite stand-out of the genre. Don't just take my word for it, GamesRadar's own Lost Records Bloom and Rage review awarded it 4.5/5. Our reviewer, Rachel Watts, said she was "blown away" by the game, which had "Stephen King, Blair Witch, and Yellowjackets all rolled into one."

You may be thinking, that if Tape 1 is free as a Premium member, I bet they'll charge you for the rest of the game. But no, so long if you grab this deal and become a PS Premium member, or happen to be an Extra member, the finale to the game will be free when it releases this April.

With PS Plus Premium, you don't just get the occasional access to brand-new PS5 games the day they drop. You also get access to online gaming services, free games each month, free trials, exclusive PS Store discounts, cloud storage, cloud streaming, the tips feature, access to the PlayStation game catalog, access to Ubisoft+ Classics, and access to the classics game catalog.

There is a huge current caveat with PS Plus Premium right now. If you didn't hear, Sony is "evolving" its Plus Plus service to include only PS5 games. This is a huge downer as there are a ton of great PS4 games currently in the game catalog, like a favorite of mine, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, which will soon be ripped away from the service.

All is not lost however, as the February PS Plus announcement stated that it won't come into effect until January 2026, so there's still plenty of time to play any PS4 games you had your eyes on. Better yet, any previously claimed monthly PS4 games will still be playable through your account too.

Even without the PS4 games, there's still a plethora of games to play, and as a PS Premium member, you get access to them all. Which includes brand-new day-one PS Plus releases like Lost Records: Bloom and Rage. Whether you want to delve into classic PlayStation games like Toy Story 2 or want to see just why I'm obsessed with Don't Nod's Lost Records right now, having PS Plus Premium will always give you something to play, and honestly, I can't imagine my PS5 without it.

Worried about having enough space for PS Plus downloads? Check out our guide to the best SSD for PS5 to give your Sony console the perfect storage boost. We've also gathered all the best PS5 controllers and best PS5 headsets in one place so you can create the ultimate PS5 gaming setup.

Amazon's ramping up to hold its third major sales event of 2026, and it's the biggest one. Amazon Prime Day will take place from July 7 through to July 13 in 2026, and as is always the case, it's set to have the biggest range and deepest discounts.

During Prime Day, Amazon can usually be relied on to offer steep discounts on peripherals, including gaming headsets, during its sales. Dramatic discounts on consoles or up-to-date gaming laptops doesn't seem especially likely at the moment, though we saw some major PS5 discounts in the second-half of 2025, and even the Switch 2 got a chunk taken off its RRP, despite it newly releasing in June.

Unlike Amazon Big Smile sale or Amazon Mid-Year sale, Prime Day is very much geared towards promoting Amazon's Prime subscription service. So you're probably going to want to be a member, which is free if you use a month-long introductory trial. Just remember to cancel before your first billing.

Current Amazon discounts

Amazon Prime gaming deals: FAQ

Amazon Prime Day gaming deals are still here for the final day of the event, and there have been some great bargains so far across PC, PS5, Nintendo, and Xbox games and accessories. While hardware deals haven't been as good as previous years, there's still great deals on everything else, and a couple of standouts that made the cut.

Amazon's store page is packed; however, it's worth keeping in mind that sometimes products can be artificially inflated before later savings, which is where I come in to let you know what's truly a good deal worth paying attention to. Below is a roundup of the best gaming deals currently live, covering both PC and console offerings. I'm keeping this page regularly updated as Prime Day goes on, so you'll find the latest live discounts here.

So what are you waiting for? Grab your wallets and get ready for savings. Here are the top Prime Day gaming discounts that are worth your time and attention while the event begins to wrap up.

Today's best Prime Day gaming deals

• PS5: games from $9.99
• Switch: accessories from $8.44
• Xbox: 2TB hard drive from $212.49
• Cables: HDMI 2.1 from $5.09
• Chairs: from $76.49
• Controllers: from $39.99
• Desks: from $44.99
• Headsets: from $25.49
• Keyboards: from $14.42
• Mice: from $15.99
• Monitors: from $59.97
• SSDs: from $47.99

The best Prime Day game deals

The best Prime Day gaming tech deals

What to expect from Prime Day gaming deals 2026

Those on the hunt for Prime Day gaming deals this summer are casting a wide net, so to help you narrow your catch, we're rounding up everything we expect to see on a platform basis. You'll find our predictions for the biggest discounts in the worlds of PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch/Switch 2, and PC just below.

PS5

The recent US price increases for Sony hardware have put the Prime Day deals in an awkward spot. So much so that, following the brand's console-less Days of Play sale in May, I'm not expecting to see any discounts on the PS5 Slim, Digital, or Pro consoles this summer.

Those who don't already have a console would do best to keep a close eye on refurbished stock available direct from PlayStation, while those in the lucky position of already owning a device will be looking to games and the best PS5 accessories.

As we've seen in previous years, the biggest discounts will be reserved for long-standing entries in the catalog, but I'm excited to see major debut discounts on newer games like Saros, Resident Evil Requiem, and Ghost of Yotei.

Unfortunately, some accessories will suffer the same fate as the consoles. SSDs have shot up in price over the last six months due to current component shortages. While you could previously find extra storage for about $100, rates have tripled in some cases. We'll still be hunting for the lowest SSD prices this month, but unless you absolutely have to upgrade, I'd recommend holding off for as long as possible.

Instead, the vast majority of PS5 action will take place in the gamepad arena this Prime Day. Razer and Scuf have both recently launched premium PS5 controllers and the Raiju V3 Pro has seen significant discounts already. The Scuf Omega is a little newer, but could see its first price cuts in Amazon's sale. Not only that, but the official DualSense Edge has been a little more lenient in recent months as well, offering a $30 discount during Days of Play.

In audio, there are three of the best PS5 headsets I'd be looking out for in particular. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless has just been superceded by the Nova Pro Omni and is ripe for heavier discounts. The Turtle Beach Atlas 200 is fantastic value in the budget price range, and has been seeing its own wobbles recently. Finally, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 offers an unrivalled mobile EQ preset experience with all the trappings of the luxury audio afforded to its more premium siblings.

Watch List:

Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch 2 is a two-sided coin right now. On the one hand we've got looming price increases pushing rates up to $499.99 for the handheld alone in September. On the other, the brand's choose-your-own game bundle is offering excellent value ahead of that deadline. It's unlikely we'll see a better offer than this on the latest release.

Of course, Prime Day Nintendo Switch deals are a lot more reliable when it comes to games anyway. While we generally don't see the kinds of discounts we would expect from Black Friday here, I still expect to see some $20 / £20 discounts on older Switch releases like Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart, and Super Mario Odyssey. Newer Switch 2 games walk a finer line, but with holiday titles like Pokemon Legends Z-A and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond aging a little further there could be some newer savings up for grabs.

There's also Nintendo Switch accessories to consider. Anything not compatible with the new Nintendo Switch 2 is already tanking in price. The Hori Split Pad Pro Attachment Set has dropped as low as $39.99 ($40 off $79.99) since the new device released, and the Genki Covert Dock is a Prime Day favorite ready to see similar savings.

It's still a little too early to expect discounts on first party Nintendo Switch 2 accessories - the Pro controller and Joy-Con will likely hold firm to their rock-solid MSRPs as they have done since launch. However, third party gadgets have started to see their rates slip recently. The Belkin Charging Case is far more amenable right now, thanks to the release of the newer Charging Case Pro.

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 has seen its price chopped as low as $59.99 (at Woot) in recent months, representing excellent value from an audio perspective.

Watchlist:

Xbox

We haven't seen too many Xbox Series X deals on the shelves in the last few months. Microsoft's price increases have made these consoles particularly difficult to justify and savings are few and far between.

That means the majority of this year's Prime Day gaming deals for Xbox players will be focused on that magic Game Pass code. While discounts haven't been too appealing recently (the best we're generally able to find was $5 off a three-month subscription), these really are the holy grails of Xbox deals.

Thankfully, there's no shortage of kit. Official controllers are going to be the most interesting sellers here; the cheaper Xbox Wireless Controller, mid-range Xbox Elite Series 2 Core Controller, and premium Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller are the stars of this year's show.

Watchlist:

Amazon Prime Day gaming deals: FAQ

Of course, we're also rounding up all the staples like the best Prime Day Nintendo Switch deals and Prime Day tablet deals as well. We're also getting you prepped for this October's Prime Day iPad deals and Prime Day monitor deals as well.

The Amazon Prime Day PS5 deals are still going, so you've picked the right time to grab some deals on games you've been waiting to play, or to splash out on new accessories. So far, we've seen some great discounts, with top deals selling out while new offers are introduced, so it's worth checking back now and then.

This year's Prime Day is another four-day extravaganza where you can expect to see plenty of markdowns on everything, from the best PS5 games to the best PS5 controllers. Just don't expect massive, blockbuster savings on PS5 bundles or standalone consoles. Due to the recent wave of PS5 price hikes, any discounts you see on the console are not going to be as valuable as they once were.

Fortunately, there's still lots of other discounts to take advantage of. There are some major savings on headsets or accessories, not to mention late 2025 and even newer 2026 game releases in this week's sale. I've been covering Prime Day PS5 deals for years now, and am always impressed by the variety of products enjoying a saving.

Today's best PS5 deals

• Save up to 50% on Amazon PS5 deals
• Games: 2025 releases from $24.99
• Controllers: PDP controllers from $129.99
• Headsets: 20% off SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P Wireless
• Walmart: PS5 Bundle discounts
• Best Buy: Up to $50 off consoles
• Target: Save up to $40 on games like EA Sports FC 26

UK:

• Save up to £74.99 on a PS5 console and more at Amazon
• Games: Assassin's Creed Shadows for £27.99
• Controllers: 16% off the Sony DualSense Edge
• Headsets: Turtle Beach Atlas 200 for PS5 from £34.99
• Very: Save on 007 First Light and more
• Argos: Money off merch, games, and more
• Currys: Up to 10% off selected games

What to expect

Prime Day PS5 deals can be the perfect chance to finally make the next-gen Sony upgrade, grab some new accessories, bolster your physical game collection, or just give your existing PS5 a well-needed storage boost. This year, the PS5 is celebrating its sixth anniversary, which is a major milestone. But most importantly, it means that there's six whole years' worth of games and accessories that are more than due for some significant price drops.

As with most consoles, you would expect to see some markdowns on the console itself during sales events like Prime Day, but I wouldn't hold out hope to see that this coming June. Sony announced on May 27 on the official PlayStation Blog that due to the "continued pressures in the global economic landscape" the PS5, PS5 Pro, and PS Portal remote player would receive price increases. These went into effect as of April 2, 2026, and saw the PS5 Pro go from $749.99 / £699.99 to $899.99 / £789.99. Meanwhile, the PS5 Slim disc edition went from $549.99 / £479.99 to $649.99 / £569.99, and the digital version from $499.99 / £429.99 to $599.99 / £519.99.

These new prices have put a damper on the expectation that we'll see any great discounts on consoles this time around. While I don't think console savings will be unheard of, any price cuts are likely still to be higher than the original prices of the console the year before. With that in mind, I'd only recommend picking up the Sony console if you can grab one for as close to their original MSRP as possible.

While consoles are likely not to feature any star-studded discounts this year, there's no question that games will. I'm a physical game collector, and one of the reasons why I adore the Sony console as much as I do is that you only have to wait a month or two until even brand-new titles drop in price. That happens with or without Prime Day, but for the best deals, I recommend keeping an eye on the latest releases.

For me, I'm keeping track of Saros and 007 First Light in hopes of seeing some juicy price cuts. Both games are still at their full $69.99 MSRPs, but with Prime Day right around the corner, it's the perfect occasion to see some debut discounts of at least up to $10 / £10 off. The biggest and best differences will be found with releases that are a few months old, much like Resident Evil Requiem. It launched on February 27, 2026, and has already dropped as low as £47.99 in the UK. While it hasn't budged from its full $69.99 price in the US, Prime Day will mark the first big sales event that has kicked off since its release, so it's bound to be a shining star of this summer's savings.

What to expect from Amazon Prime Day PS5 accessory deals

Prime Day is always an opportune time to grab some PS5 accessories in an effort to breathe new life into the now six-year-old console. This year, I recommend more than ever to check out the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. The premium headset is not immune to sales events, and so I fully expect it to feature during this year's Prime Day simply as it does every year. However, there's a bigger reason as to why I suspect it'll be discounted more than ever this June, and that's because of the existence of the new SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni.

The Omni is the new best PS5 headset that myself or the rest of the hardware team has tested. It's essentially almost identical to the Pro Wireless that came before it, but it features some welcome upgrades from a new Midnight Blue colorway, a better out-of-the-box sound, and a newly upgraded Game Hub that can connect to the PS5 and an additional three consoles. As it's so new, it has yet to shift from its $399.99 MSRP, but its existence alone as the new shiny flagship SteelSeries headset will likely result in the Pro Wireless getting even cheaper over time. Heavily discounting the Pro Wireless this June would be a great method for the brand to get rid of old stock, and that's exactly what I think is going to happen this Prime Day and during every major sales event in the near future.

If you already have a great headset, then Prime Day is also an opportune time to grab a new PS5 controller. During October's Prime Day 2025 sales, the PDP Victrix Pro BFG dropped as low as $149.99, $50 off its full MSRP. It doesn't have the patented haptic feedback of Sony's first-party pads, but it's still equipped with customizable modular sticks and buttons, and four mappable back buttons, which make it a worthy pickup even in 2026. Turtle Beach has launched a new "reloaded" version of this pad, and much like the Omni, this could push the stock of the older iteration to get even cheaper. As a regular fixture of sales events, it's bound to make a return, though don't expect to see the same for the best SSDs for PS5.

The rising SSD prices, as a knock-on effect from the RAM Storage Crisis, have meant that grabbing a hold of PS5-compatible drives is a bit of a challenge. Sure, you're likely to at least find stock of top-performing drives like the Samsung 990 Pro, but you're also likely to find it with an eye-watering price tag attached. The 2TB version of the drive used to sit around the $200 price mark according to my handy CamelCamelCamel price tracker, but it's now as high as $478 at Amazon as of typing. With there seemingly no end to the escalating SSD prices, I wouldn't recommend you spend your time hunting for a new PS5 SSD this June.

Prime Day PS5 deals: FAQ

Check out our guides to the best Amazon Prime Day gaming deals and the best Prime Day Nintendo Switch deals to discover what else you can expect during this week's sales.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are both officially behind us, and yet, from the vantage point of Tuesday morning (December 2) it's still possible to get a PS5 for cheap.

What you'll find below are the PS5 deals that are still live in the wake of November and December's biggest sales events. These probably won't be around for long.

PS5 Black Friday deals

Black Friday PS5 game deals

Black Friday PS5 headset deals

FAQ

What to expect from Black Friday PS5 deals in 2025

There's bound to be plenty of Black Friday PS5 deals in 2025, especially if last year was anything to go by. November 2024 was full of savings on brand-new games, controllers, headsets, PS5 SSDS, and of course - the PS5 itself, which hopefully is a sign of things to come. However, things are off to an awkward start this year. The PS5 price hikes mean that discounts on the console itself (including bundles) won't be as alluring. Sony popped an extra AU$30 on the Slim, so if you're after the console itself, making sure the saving is at least AU$50 or greater is the way to go.

Grabbing one of the best SSD deals is a great alternative if the console discounts turn out to be lackluster. Last year, SSDs from the biggest names in the business, from Samsung, Corsair, and Western Digital all saw their own fair share of savings. There weren't a ton of record lows, but grabbing 2TB worth of storage at a discount will still be cheaper than forking out for a PS5 Pro.

Of course, if we see a repeat of the kind of Black Friday savings we saw last year, expect to see record-low price drops on the latest games. A ton of 2024 releases, like Metaphor: ReFantazio, Dragon Ball Sparking Zero, and even Astro Bot saw their best savings so far, so some 2025 games are bound to follow suit. This year, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Ghost of Yotei, and Silent Hill f are primed to see big savings.

If you're happy with your PS5 and already have plenty to play, Black Friday 2025 won't be shy about savings on the best PS5 accessories. The jury is still out on whether we'll finally see the Sony DualSense controller see any major discounts, but there's plenty of third-party alternatives, like the Victrix Pro BFG or the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro to watch out for instead.

The sudden release of a remastered edition of Quake 2 had been rumored for some time, but the final product has delivered a range of enhancements and options that go well beyond what we've come to expect from other retro rereleases.

The remastered edition of Quake 2 launched on pretty much every modern platform, with crossplay across all of them. The game supports each platform's peak graphical capabilities, all the way up to PS5 and Xbox Series X's oft-forgotten 4K 120FPS modes. It even supports mouse and keyboard on consoles, so you can get the authentic original experience without a gaming PC.

New graphical effects are fairly modest - there are improved lighting effects and updated models - but there have been some notable upgrades to the underlying game logic. This version of Quake 2 now has a 40hz tickrate, up from the 10hz of the original. In short, that means the game is now checking for and reacting to your inputs four times more often, which should make high-level play feel dramatically more responsive. There are also AI upgrades to make enemies a little more dangerous with improved pathing and new attacks.

This package also features pretty much every bit of Quake 2 content you could ask for, from the original expansions to all the levels from Quake 2 for the N64. The developers pulled the levels from what's technically an entirely different game on N64 and ported them back into proper Quake 2. On top of that, modern Wolfenstein dev MachineGames has created a brand-new expansion called Call of the Machine for this release.

That's the above, but here's the beyond: the developers at id and Nightdive have also released the entire source code for this remaster for public access on GitHub, which means modders are going to have a leg up in both making general-purpose mods and keeping the game in shape for modern hardware as technology progresses, even if the official rights-holders aren't building further remasters. The original Quake 2 source has been out for many years - releasing source code was once an id Software tradition - but offering open access to the work done on the remaster is still worth celebrating.

But the most important part is this: the Quake 2 remaster also comes with the unaltered original version of the game, so you can see it just as it was back in 1997 without any modern conveniences. That's essential for preservation of both the game itself and its classic mod scene, but there's an added consumer-friendly benefit, too, since you get a free upgrade to the remaster if you already own the original game on a digital PC storefront.

It's tough not to compare this package with the recently announced release of Red Dead Redemption on PS4 and Switch, which has left fans disappointed with the prospect of paying $50 for a lightly-updated conversion of what is, admittedly, still a genre-defining classic. Meanwhile, Quake 2 - another genre-defining classic - has managed an absolute love-letter of an upgrade that pays tribute to every part of the game's legacy, and it only costs $10. Maybe it's unfair to expect that level of care in every future classic game remaster, but I know I certainly want it.

It's always a good time to revisit the best classic PC games.

Larian says it's working on Baldur's Gate 3 patch 1, but that it won't be revealing the game's roadmap. 

In a community announcement, the studio said that it has "a roadmap for hotfixes and patches," thanking players and developers for their work in finding and fixing bugs and other issues. Larian goes on, however, to say that it won't be publishing a roadmap for any of those fixes or patches "because we need the freedom to push and pull things around when the unforeseen happens without locking ourselves in."

In a game this size, and with this many moving parts, that's fair enough. Larian does, however, say that Baldur's Gate 3's first major patch is currently being worked towards, and that it "will feature a gigantic list of tweaks and changes." I'm excited to see what that actually entails - I imagine Larian has plenty of tricks up its sleeve for post-launch support, but what will make it to the live version first?

Up until now, we've only had a couple of Baldur's Gate hotfixes, which have addressed some of the game's most notable issues. Those include everything from a massive suite of bug fixes to a clipping issue that allowed certain genitals to be visible through clothes. Embarassing.

All of the fixes that have already been made will carry over to Baldur's Gate 3 on PS5. That's great news for console fans, as the PC version already runs pretty well, and if the performance matches up on PlayStation, the PS5 version might be even better than the PC version was at launch.

Check out our Baldur's Gate 3 review in progress to see what we think of this massive RPG.

Baldur's Gate 3 on PS5 will arrive with all of the same fixes as the PC version, developer Larian Studios has confirmed.

The sequel has had a triumphant launch so far, with both critics and players praising, well, just about everything about it. It's also smashing records on Steam for concurrent players and topping the list of best-selling PS5 pre-orders. By all accounts Baldur's Gate 3 is a roaring success, but any game of its massive scope will inevitably launch with a few bugs, and even though this one's relatively clean, a couple of hotfixes have already been deployed to fix various issues.

Over on Twitter, Larian director of publishing Michael Douse confirmed that the PS5 version will release with all of the same post-launch odds and ends as the PC version. "All of the improvements and fixes to the game will be reflected in the PlayStation 5 version and beyond," he said in reply to a concerned player. "And beyond" seemingly refers to its eventual release on Xbox, but a release date hasn't been revealed just yet.

This is no surprise, of course. Generally a newer port of any game will benefit from identified and resolved issues from the earlier released version, although that isn't always the case. Either way, it's good to know Baldur's Gate 3 players on PS5 won't have to deal with penises being so big they clip right through their pants and scare the pajamas off other players. 

Baldur's Gate 3 is undeniably the game of the moment, and it even surpassed Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as the best-reviewed game of 2023. Over on Steam, it currently accounts for over 25% of users' total daily playtime in the US. Once it launches on PS5 on September 6, it will truly be unstoppable.

Here's why Baldur's Gate 3 characters are capped at level 12.

Many Red Dead Redemption fans feel let down by Rockstar following the announcement that the open-world epic will be getting a re-release, but only on Nintendo Switch and PS4. 

After months of speculation, on August 7 Rockstar announced that a "conversion" (note: not a remake or remaster) of Red Dead Redemption was on the way, but that instead of being released for Xbox Series X/S and PS5, it's been made for PS4 and Nintendo Switch. This has gone down like a lead balloon, especially since fans have had their hopes up for quite some time now for a new-gen remake. 

To get into the specifics, the new Red Dead Redemption release isn't actually being worked on by Rockstar. Instead, it's in development at Double Eleven Studios, which previously worked on Fallout 76, Minecraft Dungeons, and the console edition of Rust. It's due to release on October 13 and will be bundled in with the Halloween-themed story expansion, Undead Nightmare. 

The scariest thing about this bundle is that it'll cost $50 - the same price as many brand-new Nintendo Switch or PS4 games. For comparison, you can get Red Dead Redemption on PS3 for about $15 at most, and Red Dead Redemption 2 is usually around $20 on PS4. Hell, Remnant 2, a brand-new new-gen game, comes to mind for the $50 bracket.

I posted this before the announcement, but oh well. from r/reddeadredemption

As I'm sure you can imagine, this is pretty much the exact opposite of what fans were actually hoping for, and you don't have to search far to see this demonstrated online. "$49.99? Ouch. It came out 13 years ago," one Twitter user said shortly after the announcement was made. "No PC version and 50 dollars pricing," another added. 

Others have argued that Take-Two has gone back on its word since it said the company wasn't interested in "simple ports" of its games. Some Red Dead Redemption fans have basically written off the game already, rightly pointing out that the last time Rockstar outsourced one of its games for a quick re-release, we ended up with a GTA Trilogy which released in such a poor state that it eventually forced Rockstar to apologize. 

If this wasn't proof enough that fans aren't happy with Rockstar's latest announcement, just take a look at the like to dislike ratio on the upcoming game's trailer on YouTube. At the time of writing, 18,000 people like it and another 19,000 dislike it. The top comments on the trailer are even more brutal, and all basically playing the same tune: "Our expectations were low but holy crap."

Need something to take your mind off this? Take a look at our games like Red Dead Redemption 2 to find a new distraction.  

Baldur's Gate 3 continues to rocket through its launch weekend, and its success on PC looks to be trickling its way to PS5 players too.

As spotted by @BenjiSales over on Twitter, Baldur's Gate 3 has jumped up the PlayStation Store chart, and is now the second best selling pre-order in the US, beaten only by Madden NFL 24. 

A quick check on GameStatify shows that Baldur's Gate 3 is the third best selling pre-order here in the UK, losing out to EA Sports FC 24 and Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

Over on PC, Baldur's Gate 3 is proving to be even more popular now it's the weekend, as it's beaten its previous record of concurrent players on launch day of 532,876. As recorded by SteamDB, its new concurrent player count is now a whopping 712,28.

Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke previously said he'd warned the IT team to expect a concurrent player count of "100k or so at the max", and it looks like the game's success is well on its way to that figure.

The success of Baldur's Gate 3 on PS5 could be due to a number of things. The excitement from PC players seeing the scope of the game's writing, or typical D&D problem-solving, or even just Larian's own antics is likely filtering over to PS5 users. The game's excellence as an RPG is probably also filling the gap a lot of us are feeling, with the lack of Mass Effect 5 and Dragon Age 4 from BioWare.

For those of you who'll be diving into Baldur's Gate 3 on PS5 once it releases on September 6, just beware of any, um, genital jump-scares please.  

You can read our Baldur's Gate 3 review in progress to see our early thoughts on the game, or visit our Baldur's Gate 3 guide hub for tips and walkthroughs.

Update: The first Baldur's Gate 3 hotfix has officially arrived a day after launch with remedies for over 150 bugs and crashes. Interestingly, the arrival of the patch also brings the death of cross-saves, which Larian Studios says are to blame for broader issues players are having with their save files.

"We've been reading your reports on issues with saving your game, and have found a culprit – our cross-saves. Bearing in mind this will only be a useful feature come September 6 when the PlayStation 5 version launches (and beyond), we've decided to disable it for now to allow us to solve the issue in the interim. You shouldn’t notice anything in-game and Steam Cloud saves are unaffected by this change."

Elsewhere, the patch notes detail fixes for several laundry lists of issues from general "crashes and blockers" to bugs affecting general gameplay, multiplayer, UI, audio, engine, and cinematics. Here's a link to the full patch notes, but be cautioned that within the patch notes are some story spoilers, although they have been blacked out with a togglable filter.

Original story follows...

Baldur's Gate 3's first hotfix is currently "cooking in the kitchen" and should arrive later today, according to Larian Studios' CEO.

Swen Vincke has announced through Twitter that a hotfix for Baldur's Gate 3 is due very soon. "Thank you, everyone, for all the love and support. It brought a tear to many eyes and it's incredibly motivating for all of us. We can't thank you enough," Vincke writes, "that said - Hotfix 1 is cooking in the kitchen and we hope to get it out today."

We doubt you missed it, but just in case you've been living under a rock, Baldur's Gate 3 officially launched yesterday giving fans access to the full game after previously only being able to play the opening hours via early access. 

This trial period was clearly enough to get everyone excited as Baldur's Gate 3's launch may have broken Steam as players reported downloads ranging from 6 hours to 6 months. Let's hope that the upcoming hotfix makes players' entry into the game just that little bit smoother. 

Despite this, it's been heartwarming to see just how well Baldur's Gate 3's fans have responded to the game's launch. In response to Vincke's tweet, countless players have replied thanking Vincke and the rest of the team at Larian Studios for releasing such a fun game. 

"NO THANK YOU, AND YOUR TEAM," one Twitter user wrote, "Everyone can see the love you guys put in this game, and for that, you ended up making a game that's not only worth the name Baldur's Gate, but also made what is probably the best one in the series," another one added. 

Let's hope everything gets ironed out by the time Baldur's Gate 3 releases on PS5 on September 6, 2023. 

Keep up to date with all of the post-release shenanigans with our Baldur's Gate 3 launch live blog. 

Retro beat 'em up Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of Dragons will soon be getting an online co-op mode, its developer just wants to perfect single-player first.

In an interview with Retro Gamer (Issue 249), developer Secret Base discussed its future plans with its recently released fighting game, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of Dragons. Despite launching just last week, the developer already has plans to incorporate an online co-op mode, it just might take a while as "making a game work online is a little bit harder," the studio's founder Raymond Teo tells Retro Gamer. 

"It requires a lot of work and testing and we want to make sure that part is in a good state when we roll it out," Teo explains. "A lesson I have learned from the past is that, despite the effort to make sure a game will be multiplayer, a lot of players actually end up playing single-player, so we want to make sure that the player has a good single-player experience," the developer continues. 

Elaborating using their own experiences growing up, Teo adds: "As a kid, I often played beat 'em-ups by myself and, if you can introduce a good mechanic, then you can improve the experience. So we want to make sure it works for one or two players locally then, eventually, be like, OK, once all of that is ready let's look at how we can integrate the multiplayer [online] aspect." So we may be waiting a little while to test out the new feature ourselves, but it already sounds like it'll be worth the wait. 

If this is the first time you're hearing about Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons, let us fill you in. Released on July 27, 2023, this beat 'em up is a new addition to the long-running fighting game series that originally started in arcade cabinets back in 1987. There's been a lot of iterations over the years, but this particular entry in the series includes roguelite elements and will allow players to team up with a friend via local co-op.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is available now on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. You can read Teo's full interview in the latest copy of Retro Gamer Magazine, which is on sale now and available via Magazines Direct. 

Looking for something else to play? Take a look at our best fighting games list for inspiration. 

The developers of PlayStation cult classic Patapon are back with a new rhythm-based game, which was funded via Kickstarter in less than an hour.

If you were playing games on the PSP back in the early 2000s, you're sure to be familiar with Patapon. The rhythm strategy game saw players take control of a group of anthropomorphic eyeballs called Patapons as they battled against various enemies in time with a sequence of drum beats. The game - as well as its sequels - was later remastered for the PS4, so it's garnered a lot of fans over the years. 

Patapon has so many fans in fact that new studio Ratata Arts (which is made up of some of Patapon's former devs) had absolutely no problem accumulating the funds for its successor Ratatan, another rhythm game with roguelike elements and side-scroller action. This might be the quickest I've ever seen a Kickstarter campaign gain the funds it needs, as a mere 47 minutes after the campaign was launched, it had already managed to meet its ¥200,000,00 / $140,182 goal.

Don't worry if you didn't manage to back the project in those 47 minutes, as it's not too late to show your support. At the time of writing, Ratata Arts has managed to raise over $360,000, surpassing the project's second stretch goal - which was to raise enough to add an online mode to the game. If the project continues to gain traction it could mean we'll get a console version of the upcoming game as well as more features like mini-games.

As for when we can expect Ratatan, according to the project's FAQ page, the team is "actually quite far along in the production cycle" and so "feel very confident in getting everything into the game by April 2025." If fans continue supporting the game and it manages to reach its console release stretch goal, we can also expect to play it on Xbox Series X, PS5, and Nintendo Switch. 

Find out what other exciting projects are on the way with our upcoming indie games list. 

The PS5's new beta firmware update includes an option to adjust the infamous start-up beep sound's volume, all the way down to a full-on mute if you prefer.

The software update is rolling out to PS5 beta testers today, and as we covered earlier, it effectively doubles the capacity limit for replacement SSDs, from the previous 4TB cap to 8TB. However, while us chronic game hoarders were singing the praises of the update, we glossed right over the fact that a PlayStation console trademark since the PS3 days is now fully turn-off-able. 

Buried in the release notes for the update is this golden little tidbit: "You can now mute or adjust the volume of the PS5's beep sound when turning it on or off, or putting it in rest mode."

Assuming this change makes its way to all PS5 users at some point down the road, you'll see a new option in system settings for "Beep Sound," and I just have to say I adore that that's its official name. From there, you'll be able to toggle the beepity beep on and off and use a volume slider to make it quieter or, for the truly lost, louder.

The PlayStation community's reaction to this addition has ranged from apathetic to wildly celebratory, with almost nothing in-between. Apparently, you've either heard so many PlayStation beeps that you're completely desensitized or traumatized by them at this point. 

Personally, I find the beep useful in alerting me to the fact that I have indeed sat on my PS5 controller and that my episode of Love Island is about to be interrupted by the PS5 start-up screen. That said, it's nice to have options.

Beep or no beep, here are the best PS5 games to beep right now.

Another Rockstar website update has hopes for a Red Dead Redemption remake or remaster running high once again, even though this is perhaps the thinnest 'hint' at the project we've seen yet.

Earlier today, prominent Rockstar leaker Tez2 noted on Twitter that "Rockstar's new site update, live an hour ago, added a new reference within the games list," labeled as "Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Presents Ver)." This reference's codename is apparently "RDR1RSP," which Tez2 speculated to mean "RDR1 Remaster SP." Tez2 also attached a "new" version of the Red Dead Redemption logo.

While the notion of a new version of Red Dead Redemption with the "Rockstar Games Presents" branding was obviously enough to set hopes for a modern remake or remaster alight once more, there's just one problem: that logo isn't actually new at all. It's identical to the logo on the box of the original Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Red Dead Redemption, right down to the Rockstar Games Presents label over top. That version of the logo might be new to the Rockstar website, but it ain't new to the world.

As for the RDR1RSP codename, as much as I'd love to be wrong, I fear that's probably just a filename for the 'Red Dead Redemption 1: RockStar Presents' logo version.

Tez2 has historically been a pretty accurate source of Rockstar tips, and I don't doubt all this stuff is part of a recent website update, but I'm definitely not convinced it's a hint at a new version of Red Dead Redemption. Last year, Tez2 reported that plans for a Red Dead Redemption remaster had been in the works, but had been shelved, potentially in response to the disastrous launch of the remastered Grand Theft Auto trilogy.

A few weeks ago, an update to the Rockstar Social Club included a number of new achievement icons for Red Dead Redemption, once again sparking vain remaster hopes until everyone realized it wasn't the only game to get such an update. Shortly afterward, fans started reading way too much into Take-Two financial calls. The one somewhat concrete detail is that Red Dead Redemption did get a new rating in Korea recently, but even that is far from a certain confirmation that a remake or remaster is incoming.

At least modders are here to give us a taste at the potential for a Red Dead Redemption remaster. 

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is now available on PC, which means that developer Insomniac's claims that the game was only possible with the power of the PS5's SSD are being put to the test. Turns out that the developers were right.

Back in 2020, ahead of the launch of both the game and the PS5 itself, creative director Marcus Smith said that "Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is a game that utilizes dimensions and dimensional rifts, and that would not have been possible without the solid state drive of the PlayStation 5." That statement has proven weirdly controversial among console warriors over the years, though it's always been clear enough that the quote was referring more to the type of SSD the PS5 uses than some special property of the console itself.

Digital Foundry's John Linneman provided a clip of the PC version of Rift Apart running on a minimum-spec machine equipped with an original PS4 hard drive, and the results are predictably disastrous. In the game's breakneck opening sequence, where you instantaneously travel through a series of portals to other worlds, just getting through a single portal queues up a loading time over a minute long.

Linneman notes that Rift Apart is somewhat more playable on a faster hard drive in a higher-spec PC, but it's still not a match for a proper, modern SSD. I guess that technically means Rift Apart is "possible" without a PS5-grade SSD, but I'm not sure I'd categorize that clip as appearing at all playable. One dev from Insomniac couldn't resist a little "as we said" jab with these results.

The PC release of Rift Apart has had its own weirdo-driven controversy, with some suggesting that its existence is a betrayal of that original quote. Folks, again, that quote is about SSDs - but for what it's worth, the PS5 version of the game still loads marginally faster than even a high-end PC equipped with a top shelf SSD.

Early testing from Digital Foundry suggests that the game isn't taking full advantage of the highest-end PC SSDs in general, and that there are a few stability issues and missing graphical features that are preventing this from being a perfect port. It's still substantially better than the launch version of The Last of Us Part 1 on PC and much more in line with Sony's better-regarded PC releases. 

Don't miss any of the best PC games.

Promising-looking indie JRPG Sea of Stars is coming to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalogue at launch later this year.

Earlier today, PlayStation announced that Sea of Stars had been signed up to be part of the PS Plus Game Catalogue at launch on August 29. This is a great little get for the subscription service, which is effectively signing up one of the more eye-catching indie games of 2023. 

Sea of Stars is, in case you missed it, a new indie JRPG in the style of some of the best SNES games in history, such as Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG. Sure, those are two incredibly tough acts to follow, but the new turn-based battler is sure shaping up to be something special, with enticing activities like sailing, fishing, and climbing to complement its combat.

How do we know Sea of Stars is so promising? Well, there's a demo out right now across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms alike. You can go ahead and try out developer Sabotage's new game right now ahead of launch later this year, and then see for yourself why everyone's been talking about it with eager anticipation over the past few months.

This means Sea of Stars is coming to PS Plus as well as Xbox Game Pass on day one. Now that's locked in, Sabotage's standout indie is basically coming to a subscription service on all major platforms in August. We've already had some JRPG treats this year in the form of Octopath Traveler 2 and Final Fantasy 16, and Sea of Stars looks set to bolster the offerings. 

You can read our feature on all the upcoming indie games you need to keep an eye on throughout the rest of the year. 

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 fans are praising the game's character models, and developer Insomniac promises that they'll look even better come launch day.

Yesterday, as part of San Diego Comic-Con, Insomniac treated us to a new story trailer for the highly-anticipated web-slinging sequel. The video shows Peter Parker, Miles Morales and Mary Jane Watson, as well as Harry Osborn - who is pretty much confirmed to be the game's antagonist, Venom - and fans were quick to point out just how impressive their new character models look.

"Peter looks 100% better. I hated the v2 face model, but this is a much better version of it," wrote one fan on the Marvel's Spider-Man subreddit. Another said, "Man, I'm so glad they changed MJ's model. Her old face seems so plastic and lifeless to me. Her new face looks like an actual person." A third commented, "Miles' face pairs extremely well with the longer hair and adds some much-needed, I don't know, I guess dimensions? It looks great."

Fans also showed their appreciation on Twitter, prompting a response from Insomniac's community and marketing director James Stevenson, who teased that Pete and the gang could look even more impressive when the game arrives later this year on October 20. "It'll be even better by launch," he wrote.

Alongside the trailer, Insomniac unveiled a limited edition Marvel's Spider-Man 2 PS5 console featuring a black and red design with the Spider-Man logo and what appears to be the symbiote creeping up from the console's lower corner. Pre-orders start on July 28, and if you already happen to own a PS5, the design is also available as a custom console cover.

For more great titles coming to Sony's console, check out our guide to upcoming PS5 games.

PlayStation has revealed a new Marvel's Spider-Man 2 story trailer and limited-edition PS5 console based on the upcoming superhero sequel.

Both the console and the trailer were revealed during San Diego Comic Con 2023. The beautifully designed console and controller feature a black and red design with the Spider-Man logo featured prominently and what looks like the symbiote taking over the console from the lower corner. The limited edition bundle includes the console, DualSense controller, and a digital copy of the game. Pre-orders go live on July 28 via PlayStation Direct, where you'll also be able to buy the custom console covers and controller separately if you already have a PS5.

The story trailer seems to strongly suggest that Harry Osborn, Peter Parker's best friend, ultimately becomes the main antagonist Venom. It's also the first we've seen of Insomniac's take on Harry, a popular character from the Spider-Man movies and comic books who you can read all about right here.

Elsewhere in the trailer, we get our first look at Marvel's Spider-Man 2's Mary Jane, who's now working at The Daily Bugle under J Jonah Jameson. MJ's new boss is keen to clean house, leaving her employment in peril. Meanwhile, Miles is struggling to find time to apply to college, and Peter Parker is underwater on the mortgage payments for Aunt May's house. Basically, everyone's in kind of a rough start when the sequel's story picks up 9-10 months after the first game. Somehow though, I expect things to get much worse before they get any better, as the story trailer ends with Venom in a full rage.

For everything on the horizon, check out our full guide to upcoming PS5 games.

When studios make deals with Microsoft to bring their games to Xbox Game Pass, it also benefits fans on PlayStation consoles, according to Michael Schade, CEO and co-founder of Rockfish Games.

Schade makes the comment in an interview with YouTube channel Xbox Expansion Pass to discuss Everspace 2, developed and published by Rockfish Games, ahead of its release on console.

Everspace 2 was in Steam early access from 2021 until April 2023 when it fully released on PC. In the meantime, the studio has been working on console versions of the game and Schade says the deal with Xbox Game Pass added "nine to twelve months of more production time".

"We could have [made Everspace 2 without a deal with Xbox Game Pass] but it would have been a smaller game," he says, explaining that the extra funding provided by the Game Pass deal allowed the team to add more content to Everspace 2 and polish the game.

This, in turn, benefits players who'll be getting the game on PS5, Schade says. "It's maximum flexibility, extra funding, you just make a better game, and everybody's happy," he states, "even the PlayStation fans get a better game on PS5 because of the deal with Game Pass."

Schade is also asked whether putting Everspace 2 on PC Game Pass hurt Steam sales of the game. "To be frank, I couldn't see any dip," he says, confirming that Steam figures weren't affected by PC Game Pass. He calls the deal with Game Pass "one of the best, if not the best" in the industry, as it allowed Rockfish to remain independent whilst getting the studio more visibility and extra funding.

So no, Game Pass doesn't cannibalise sales and developers aren't going to put worse versions of their game on PS5 compared to Xbox Series X|S. In the case of Everspace 2, at least.

Here's the best space games which let you explore the unknown that you can currently play.  

Microsoft estimated it could get 10 million Starfield sales on PlayStation, but – surprise – opted to make it to an Xbox console exclusive instead.

Yesterday, July 13, a US court released its findings from the case of the Federal Trade Commission against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The court documents reveal Microsoft Gaming's CFO Tim Stuart believed the company could see over 10 million Starfield sales on PS5 alone if it had kept Bethesda's RPG on Sony's platform.

Obviously, we know Starfield isn't coming to PS5 anymore. What persuaded Microsoft to ditch these 10 million potential Starfield sales was the belief the company could recuperate these profits by launching Starfield via the Xbox Game Pass subscription service on both Xbox Series X/S and PC, not to mention increased console sales.

It's a bit of a gamble from Microsoft, which clearly believes Starfield will be enough to get people to buy into Xbox and Game Pass purely for Bethesda's new game. 10 million sales is a hell of a lot to sacrifice for a game, especially one that's been in development for so long at a development studio as big as Bethesda Games.

It's not just Starfield that's mentioned here by Stuart, either. The CFO also  believed the Indiana Jones game from MachineGames, part of the Zenimax umbrella Xbox acquired when it also took over Bethesda, could also see 10 million sales on PlayStation consoles. But just like with Starfield, Microsoft chose to forgo these possible sales in favor of launching exclusively on Xbox Game Pass on day one.

These court documents were published alongside the FTC losing their court case against Microsoft. A judge decreed the FTC hadn't provided sufficient evidence to grant an injunction halting Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and so the planned purchase is now officially cleared to proceed in the US.

Check out our upcoming Xbox Series X games guide for a look ahead at all the new-gen games coming to the console.

As someone who’s been pining for a PSVita successor, Sony’s Project Q PS5 handheld thingy is firmly on my radar. However, one of my biggest flaws is impatience, meaning if I can figure out a way to do something ahead of time, I will. So, in a bid to beat the console giant at their own game, I decided to turn the Logitech G Cloud into a PS5 remote play portable, and it’s way better than I anticipated.

Before we dive into how I conjured up an early Sony Project Q wannabe, I’d encourage you to check out Tabitha Baker’s Logitech G Cloud review. Unlike some of the best handheld gaming PCs out there like the Steam Deck, Logitech’s slick streaming device comes with big cloud caveats, as it relies on both a high-speed broadband connection and services like Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. 

Sounds like the G Cloud is about as much use as a Wii U gamepad, right? Well, sort of, but that’s perhaps slightly harsh considering it’s actually one of the best cloud handhelds out there. It also boasts a very specific, yet experimental, feature that enabled me to teach it how to act like a Sony Project Q, assuming that it’ll solely provide you with remote access to your PS5.

App-ly some pressure 

This will sound a little silly, but both my laziness and Final Fantasy 16 are to blame for this makeshift Project Q project. Sure, most of the time I’m content leathering god-like Kaiju perched on the end of the couch, but when it comes to tedious side quests, I’d rather chip away at them lying horizontal. Thus, it became clear that I’d need a way to visit Valisthea using a mobile device, which naturally meant finding something that’d run Sony’s PS Remote Play app.

At first, I considered pairing my ageing Huawei P30 Pro smartphone with something like the Backbone One. I’m not saying this isn’t a good solution, and our review praises the controller adapter for its high quality buttons and sticks. I guess my hesitancy revolves around the janky nature of my now four-year-old phone, and since I’m used to using the Steam Deck on the reg, I’d prefer to use something with a larger screen.

Before you ask, I did look into whether the Steam Deck can run PS Remote Play, and you can indeed run the app using a workaround. Again, laziness lies at the heart of this project, and I’m not always willing to fiddle around with SteamOS, even if using a Steam Deck dock makes it easier. That’s where the G Cloud comes in, as the fact it runs Android means you can easily fetch the PS Remote Play app from the Google Play store without any faff.  

Standing in the way of control(s) 

As you’d perhaps expect, the PS Remote Play app works on the Logitech G Cloud, and you’ll be able to sync it up with your PS5 just like you would with a gaming phone. However, Sony’s app refuses to acknowledge the handheld’s built-in controls, which served as a huge spanner in the works when it comes to replicating Project Q’s functionality. Thankfully, G Cloud actually comes with a nifty feature that somewhat bridges the incompatibility gap, and I’m happy to report that it almost works perfectly.

The feature in question is dubbed ‘key mapping’, and if you own a G Cloud, you’ll find it in the settings menu under ‘Lab’. As the category implies, the function is experimental, but I managed to cobble together PS Remote Play controller support by assigning the buttons and sticks to the app’s touchscreen controls. The whole process is way easier than you might think, and it pretty much involves labelling each UI icon with a corresponding physical button. 

Correctly matching everything up will effectively trick the app into thinking you're touching the screen, when really you’re letting physical controls do all the work. The feature also seems to translate the inputs with minimal latency, which helps it feel like you’re directly controlling the game. Sadly, there is one caveat that might be a deal breaker for some, as you’ll have to put up with visible virtual buttons on screen. 

It’s worth noting that there is a setting in the remote play app that hides on screen inputs, but it’ll reappear when you start using the G Cloud’s controls. In a way, the caveat makes total sense, as why wouldn’t you want to see what you’re pressing if you’re using your actual fingers. And that’s ultimately what the app thinks you’re doing, so it’s pretty much an annoyance linked to the background trickery involved.

Time to Pretend 

So, now that we’ve vaulted over the controls hurdle, it’s time to look at how far we can go with pretending the G Cloud is an actual PlayStation handheld. To fully commit to the bit, I decided to download Sony’s PS App in addition to the Remote Play one mentioned above. Upon doing so, I was greeted with a ‘controller detected’ message, which is weird and hilarious given that the actual application you’ll use to play games refuses to do that.

Signing in to the PS App essentially acts as a hub, providing access to the PlayStation Store, console game library, and your friends list. Simply put, it offers up all the functions you’d find on your PS5 itself, which is something I’d fully expect Project Q to provide without using Remote Play. I actually think the app’s UI really suits the G Cloud, with options placed in a way that feels suited to a 16:9 screen. That’s perhaps not what I was expecting from something also available on mobile, as I’m used to using the version on my smartphone in portrait mode. 

I guess the one thing that’s potentially missing in the G Cloud compared to Project Q is the promise of DualSense shenanigans. In truth, while I appreciate Sony’s tech, I’m not sure how invested I am in haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. I mean, Final Fantasy 16 uses them to suggest Clive has big muscles and can open heavy doors, but if I’m being honest, the execution just makes it feel like I need to try really hard to give the gruff Dominant orders. 

There is one big feature that could give Project Q an edge over other handhelds, and that’s the ability to stream PlayStation games via the cloud. The initial handheld announcement only mentions Remote Play via Wi-Fi, so there’s a good chance that the new portable won’t actually provide a way to access PS Plus Premium games without using your PS5. Naturally, that’s a bummer, but it’s sort of a win for the G Cloud, as it means it can do almost everything Project Q can. 

At this stage, you might be wondering what the takeaway from my little experiment is. After all, the experience isn’t exactly perfect, and I don’t know for sure whether I’m emulating the exact functionality Project Q will eventually offer. I guess my answer to that is that it doesn’t really matter, as I only set out to play Final Fantasy 16 in bed instead of sleeping. I’m confident I managed to achieve that goal, and if you’re looking for a handheld that’ll link up with your PS5 in the same way, the G Cloud is a worthy contender. 

As for buying advice, I’d urge you not to run out and pay full price for a G Cloud just so you can play PS5 games. If you happen to come across one on offer, and you’re into the idea of cloud gaming in general, then you could do much worse than Logitech’s handheld. However, your money is better spent elsewhere if you’re looking for a portable pal, and options like the Steam Deck will have access to more PlayStation games as they gradually arrive on Steam and the Epic Game Store (albeit with potentially questionable performance strings attached).

Looking for more devices that'll play PS5 games? Check out the best gaming laptop and access both PC ports and the Windows Remote Play app. If you're in need of a new gamepad, our best PS5 controller picks should do the trick.

A new version of The Last of Us 2 for PS5 could be on the way - if the words of the series' composer Gustavo Santaolalla are anything to go by. 

Appearing on an episode of the Blender podcast, Santaolalla talked about his cameo in The Last of Us Part 2, revealing (in Spanish, machine translated) that in a "new edition" of the game, players will be able to approach the composer in-game and request songs for him to play. This was all that Santaolalla said on the topic, but it's got fans convinced that the rumors of a The Last of Us 2 re-release are actually true.

We first got to reunite with Ellie and Joel (five years after the events of the first game) back in June 2020 - a whole three years ago now. Although the game still holds up today, it's important to remember that The Last of Us Part 2 was only released on PS4 - with a free PS5 upgrade released almost a year later - which isn't quite the same as a game designed for the current-gen PlayStation from the ground up. 

Although The Last of Us Part 2 doesn't technically need a re-release, I can't say I wouldn't be interested in replaying it with all new bells and whistles attached. Especially since Santaolalla's quote makes it sounds like Naughty Dog plans to add some new features to the game that we didn't get in the original release. 

It also makes a lot of sense to have The Last of Us Part 1 and The Last of Us Part 2 on the same console, especially with all the renewed interest in the series thanks to HBO's The Last of Us TV show.  

What about a brand-new game? Well, The Last of Us Part 3 rumors have been circulating recently.

The clock is ticking if you want to make the most of Prime Day PS5 deals on either side of the Atlantic. We're keeping you up to date with all the biggest Prime Day gaming deals as they happen, but we decided with most video game purchases being so expensive, it's time we gave a shout-out to smaller deals that come in under $50 / £50.

In terms of Prime Day PS5 deals, there are plenty of savings to be had if you're looking for the console itself, a bundle with some games, or accessories. I wish I could write about a deal that gets you Sony's flagship for under $50, but alas, Jim Ryan and Jeff Bezos aren't that charitable. 

Nonetheless, here are some excellent last-minute Prime Day deals to upgrade your PS5 loadout that don't break the bank. If you have a spare $50 to spend on yourself this Prime Day, these essentials are always a good bet.

Last minute Prime Day PS5 deals under $50

UK: Samsung 980 Pro + Heatsink | £101.49 £65.83 at Amazon

Buy it if:

• You find yourself running out of storage space on your PS5
• You want quicker load times
• You can't afford SSDs at their usual prices.

If you do go for that SSD, that deal is for the model without a heatsink, and you'll definitely need to pair it with a heatsink. Luckily enough, we have one of those on offer under $50 too.

UK: Sabrent PS5 Heatsink | £16.99 £13.08 at Amazon

Buy it if:

• You're buying the Samsung 980 Pro deal above
• You've bought another Prime Day SSD deal and the drive doesn't have a heatsink attached to it.
• You have an additional PS5 SSD installed and you don't have a heatsink already.

Seriously - NVMe SSDs need heatsinks. Please, please make sure you get one. As you can see above, they really aren't expensive, and they'll ensure your drive lasts longer and operates to the best standards. 

UK: JSAUX USB to USB-C cable 2m | £8.09 £6.87 at Amazon

Buy it if:

• You need a longer USB to USB-C cable for your PS5 accessories.
• You want faster charging times.
• You need a more sturdy, braided cable.

UK: AviBrex 8K 2m HDMI 2.1 cable | £10.99 £8.79 at Amazon

Buy it if:

• You need a longer HDMI cable
• You don't have an HDMI 2.1 cable for your PS5
• You're wise and you don't want to overspend on HDMI cables that cost way more.

UK: Razer Kraken | £79.99 £29.89 at Amazon

Buy it if:

• You can't afford a better, newer gaming headset
• You wear glasses and struggle to get a comfy headset fit.
• You want a gaming headset with kitty ears on it - seriously, there's a quarts version with them on it, and it's incredible.

UK: A Plague Tale Requiem (PS5) | £49.99 £29.95 at Amazon

Buy it if:

• You don't have a Game Pass subscription.
• You liked the first game
• You want a new game to play in the stealth, historical, action-adventure genres.

UK: Atomic Heart (PS4) | £59.99 £37.99 at Amazon

Buy it if:

• You want a new first-person action game to play
• You don't have Game Pass
• You like similar games

More of today's best Prime Day PS5 deals

• PS5 Games: 39% off Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Headsets : Snag 22% off Razer's Kaira Pro headset
• Controllers: 30% off a BACKBONE One mobile controller
• SSDs: Get 12% off Corsair's 2TB MP600 PRO drive
• Racing wheels: Grab $200 Logitech's G29 driving sim set
• Charging: DualSense charging stations for under $20

If you want to continue your research and make a more considered purchase, check out the best TVs for PS5, best PS5 monitors, and the top PS5 wireless headsets.

This Prime Day VR deal on the high-end HTC Vive Pro 2 sees one of our favorite headsets on sale for more than $100 off its normal price.

The HTC Vive Pro 2 consistently ranks among the best VR headsets currently available, and for this year's Prime Day it's been discounted to $679 (from $799) on Amazon. That's pretty darn close to the popular VR kit's lowest price ever, though it's worth noting it has had slightly bigger discounts in the past. Even so, a $120 savings is nothing to sneeze at, especially if you're eager to get your hands on a new headset sooner rather than later.

It's worth noting that among today's best Prime Day gaming deals are plenty of other offers for much cheaper VR headsets. Specifically, our guide to Prime Day Meta Quest deals is chalk full of complete VR setups for as low as $269. Of course, you won't get quite the performance and visual fidelity of an HTC Vive Pro 2 with a Meta Quest headset, but it's something worth considering if your budget's a factor.

Should you buy an HTC Vive VR headset?

Although it launched back in 2021, the HTC Vive Pro 2 still boasts class-leading optics with its ridiculously sharp 5K LCD screen (made up of dual 2.5K displays) and ultra-smooth 120 HZ refresh rate. For comparison, Sony's new PSVR 2 has an OLED display with a resolution of 2000 x 2040 per eye, so not quite as high as the Vive Pro 2, although the PSVR 2's price is a little more agreeable.

If you want a completely wireless VR experience, the only option we'd recommend is Meta's line of headsets, which start at $299 for the 128GB model and $349 for the 256GB model. Here are the best Meta Quest deals for July 2023 if you're interested.

More of today's best Prime Day deals

• PS5: Up to $15 off Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and more
• Xbox Series X: Record low prices on storage and games
• Nintendo Switch: Now with $25 digital credit
• Gaming laptops: RTX 30-series rigs starting at $599
• Gaming PCs: HP and Corsair desktops now starting at $399.99
• Meta Quest 2: 128GB now down to $299.99
• Controllers: Razer, PowerA, and Microsoft up to $70 off
• Components: AMD and Intel processors up to $200 off
• Headsets: HyperX, Razer, and Logitech from $19.95
• Keyboards: Save up to $70 on HyperX, SteelSeries and more
• Mice: Gaming mice now starting at $10.99
• Retro: Handheld emulators from $67
• Streaming: Save up to $60 on Elgato accessories

In case you prefer your gaming with a little bit more distance between you and the screen, here are some Prime Day PC deals and Prime Day TV deals to consider. Looking for something portable? Check out guide to Prime Day gaming laptop deals.

PlayStation has confirmed exactly when you can preload Marvel's Spider-Man 2 ahead of its launch on October 20, and we'll have a full week to download the long-awaited sequel before its release date.

According to Twisted Voxel, the official Marvel's Spider-Man 2 preload date is Friday, October 13, and you can download the game starting at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST. This info was reportedly found on the PlayStation Store after a digital copy was pre-ordered.

The download will be available to anyone with a Marvel's Spider-Man 2 pre-order, but just to be clear, it doesn't grant early access to the actual game. The preload just gives you a way to have the game downloaded and ready to go before it releases, saving you time and allowing you to swing into New York as soon as possible. Plus, with a map about twice the size of the already expansive original, we're expecting a pretty chonky file for the sequel, so it'll be handy to have it already installed on your SSD when it launches.

Another reason we expect Spider-Man 2 to eat up all of your gigabytes is that Insomniac Games has made it clear it was made with "no compromises" as a PS5 exclusive. The original Spider-Man was built for PS4 and later remastered for PS5, while the much smaller Spider-Man: Miles Morales launched on PS5 but was developed to run on PS4 as well. PlayStation has yet to reveal the file size for the sequel, but we wouldn't be surprised to see it weigh in at over 100 GB.

For everything on the horizon, here's our comprehensive guide to upcoming PS5 games.

Final Fantasy 16 has finally added motion blur settings in a new update, and players couldn't be more thankful.

Patch 1.03 just went live for Final Fantasy 16 on PS5 earlier today on July 6. Perhaps the most noteworthy feature is the fact that players can now adjust the strength of the game's motion blur, choosing between five overall settings to dictate how noticeable they want motion blur to be.

"THANK YOU FOR THE MOTION BLUR ADJUSTMENTS!!!!!!! This is a HUGE improvement!" writes one Twitter user in response to the new update. "That motion blur option is a lifesaver! Loving almost everything about this game, but the motion blur is a bit much sometimes," adds another user.

Yes, motion blur adjustments really are that big a thing for Final Fantasy 16 players. Prior to this update, you only had one standard setting for motion blur, meaning you couldn't change the setting, or even turn it off at all, if you thought the motion blur was a bit much at times.

"I believe I speak on behalf of the entire community when I say: Thank f***," says one Reddit user, pretty neatly summing up everyone's thoughts on the matter. Aside from that, a lot of people want fixes for Final Fantasy 16's performance mode, which prioritizes frame rate over resolution for what should be smooth 60FPS gameplay. 

Final Fantasy 16 hasn't launched without its issues, including in particular apparently overheating PS5 consoles during huge moments. Square Enix might not have wanted to put out any post-launch patches for the new game whatsoever, but it seems its hand has been forced a bit on this one.

Check out our guide on the best Eikons and builds in Final Fantasy 16 if you're wondering how to get the most out of the titanic powers. 

The developer of the biggest PS3 emulator has now turned its attention to working on one for the PS4. 

As reported by emulation fan Read Only Memo, the team behind the RPCS3 PS3 emulator (which started life back in 2011) seems to be working on a PS4 emulator called RPCSX - as spotted on Github. As pointed out in the original blog post, the project appears to still be in the early stages of development, and isn't the first of its kind, with plenty of other developers also trying to create their own PS4 emulators of varying quality. 

Speaking to one of the project's developers, Read Only Memo discovers that the idea for a PS4 emulator has been floating around amongst the team for a while. "I did some things just after the console's release," the developer says, however, they decided to wait until after the release of the PS5 to work on it further. 

Some of the developers that worked on RPCS3 (PS3 emulator) are on board for the PS4 version too, but the emulator is currently open on Github, meaning anyone able to lend a hand is welcome to contribute to the project.

The project's developer explains some of the benefits of creating a PS4 emulator, revealing that it'll be particularly useful if your favorite game is removed from the PSN, for example, Hideo Kojima's elusive horror game P.T. According to the same post, there's no ETA for RPCSX - since developing it isn't anyone's full-time job - but when it is up and running it'll hopefully run "real PS4 games". 

Considering the jump Sony took between the PS3 and the PS4, it's no surprise that this is already a pretty ambitious task for the team. It'll hopefully be worth it though when fans are able to play their favourite PS4 games on PC one day.

On the topic of PlayStation emulators, the best PS1 emulator now has better online multiplayer than most modern games.

PS5 owners report that Final Fantasy 16 is overheating their consoles, causing them to shut down entirely.

Last week before Final Fantasy 16 even launched, there were strong hints of its boss fights causing PS5s to overheat from those who were playing the game ahead of launch. As first noticed by Push Square, now that Square Enix's new game is out in the wild, others are also chipping in with their experience of their new-gen consoles overheating, just like the poor individual just below.

A lot of speculation surrounding the overheating stems from Final Fantasy 16's graphics mode. This mode, as you can probably imagine by the name, brings all the PS5s weight to bear to make the game look as good as possible, and players are theorizing that it's purely this mode that's causing consoles to overheat during both big and small moments.

However, that's not entirely true. We've had our own experience of a crash in Final Fantasy 16, and it came about while we were playing in the performance mode, which scales down the graphics somewhat for a stable 60FPS output. It looks like, at least from a cursory investigation, the graphics mode isn't the prime culprit here.

It's difficult to say what's causing the overheating, especially because multiple players, like the one above, claim their PS5 is dust-free. Here's hoping Square Enix is at least aware of the situation and investigating, although the developer did previously apologize for the day one patch, so who knows how much apologizing there'll be if a new update rolls around.

You can head over to our guide on the best Final Fantasy 16 abilities for hints on what you should be unlocking for. 

The Nintendo Switch has been an unfortunate casualty of the FTC court case that's potentially set to decide whether the Xbox Activision deal goes ahead, but now its honor has been defended by a federal judge.

A significant part of the FTC's strategy has been to highlight Microsoft's strength in the games industry. If it can do that successfully, it would make its job - of proving that this historically large acquisition is anti-competitive - significantly easier. To do that, it's focused on the three main console providers, attempting to argue that the Nintendo Switch shouldn't be considered alongside the Xbox Series X and the PS5.

If the FTC can successfully disavow the Switch, then the console war becomes a two-horse race between Xbox and PlayStation, in which Microsoft's relative strength theoretically becomes much greater.  If it can't, then Microsoft remains in third place behind Sony and Nintendo, and its apparent position in the industry is weaker. It's not a perfect argument - Microsoft is still well behind Sony, and both Microsoft and the FTC acknowledge that Xbox has lost the console war.

Nevertheless, the attempt to diminish the strength of the Switch remains, with the FTC arguing that it's technically an 8th Generation console that has no place competing with the processing power of Sony and Microsoft's 9th Generation offerings. It's being labeled as almost irrelevant in the modern console landscape - something that pundits have already decried as flawed given the strength of both the Switch's sales and the importance of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, one of 2023's best-selling games.

Microsoft hasn't been leaping entirely to the Switch's defense - the company has been attempting to focus on Sony's strength - although Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick did acknowledge that he should have been more open to the console's potential.  Nintendo's deposition was sealed, so we don't know what it has to say on the matter, but at the last moment, it seems the Switch found an unlikely defender. During yesterday's closing arguments, IGN reporter Rebekah Valentine tweeted a comment from the judge presiding over the case, suggesting that the Switch is "not the same [as Xbox and PlayStation]. In many ways, it's better."

Technical law analyst Florian Mueller offered some more context around those comments. While the FTC stated that witnesses had said the Switch is not the same as high performance consoles, Judge Corley said that they connected to TVs to allow players to play "many of the same games," with Microsoft pointing out that many of the world's most popular games - Fortnite, Minecraft, and EA's Sports games - are available on the platform.

Those comments reflect a common line of analysis during this trial: that it doesn't really matter what generation the Nintendo Switch is part of. What matters is that it's still a popular, profitable console with games that still have the power to sell in the tens of millions. The Switch was never marketed as a direct competitor to PlayStation and Xbox consoles, just as the Wii and Wii U were alternatives to the likes of the Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PS3 and PS4. It's long been discussed that Nintendo has somewhat deliberately thrown off the shackles of the traditional console generations in order to appeal to a different audience, something both the Wii and the Switch have done extremely successfully. It seems that the FTC hasn't been wholly successful in its argument if this is the judge's takeaway, and even though we're still waiting for the Switch's successor, it seems that the original console is still creating new fans. 

Keep up with our list of the best Switch games.

Baldur's Gate 3 is going to come out a month early on PC and a week late on PS5, and we can thank Starfield for that - at least in part.

The PC release now hits on August 3 across Steam and GOG. As the devs say in a Steam blog, "This means the PC version of Baldur’s Gate 3 will be released at a time where you’ll have more time to play it." The long-awaited RPG had originally been scheduled to come out on August 31 across both PC and PS5, just one week before Starfield's September 6 release date, and just a single day before Starfield Early Access drops on September 1.

Developer Larian is pretty explicit about the reasons for the change in date in a comment to PCGamesN: "This is an extremely busy period for RPGs. Earlier in the year, we had new Zelda, then Diablo for the first time in something like a decade, with Starfield and Cyberpunk’s releases coming up as well. Our cleanest window for launch is Thursday, August 3 - we know Baldur’s Gate 3 will be ready on PC then, so it made sense to bring that date forward."

The PS5 version of Starfield will now launch on September 6, the very same day that Starfield comes out. With no Starfield on PS4 or PS5, this will give PlayStation fans another option for a big RPG on their preferred platform, though the devs say the console delay is more about improving technical performance. "Baldur’s Gate 3 is targeting 60 frames per second and we’re close to achieving that on the platform but need a bit more extra time. We don’t want to compromise on quality, and feel it would be a shame to downscale to 30FPS or make other compromises to hit an arbitrary date."

The devs also say they're "optimistic" about bringing the game Xbox Series X, but they're still working to make sure the game's running well across both current-gen Xbox machines in both single-player and local split-screen modes.

That Steam blog linked above also features a lengthy breakdown of all the features planned for release, including a new reveal for the Monk class and a full breakdown of all the races, classes, and origin characters you'll be able to choose from when starting out. Larian also says the level cap will now be 12, up from the previously-announced 10.

If you want to get an early taste of Baldur's Gate 3, it's available now in Early Access on PC, but there's an important caveat: any saves you create now will not transfer to the final game.

2023 promises a bunch of contenders for our list of the best RPGs out there.

An email chain between current and former PlayStation bosses suggest that neither of them were particularly bothered by the Xbox Activision deal. In fact, they both seemed to think it was a bad deal for Call of Duty.

The email chain, dated January 19 and 20, 2022 - immediately after Microsoft announced its plans to acquire Activision Blizzard - was made public as part of this week's hearings over the deal. The first email came after an appearance by Xbox boss Phil Spencer on CNBC, where he said the deal would cement Microsoft's role in mobile gaming. That refers to King, the Candy Crush publisher which is the third pillar of Activision Blizzard.

"Strikes me as more of a King play than COD," former Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president Christopher Deering told current Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan in the email. Deering notes that King sold to Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick for "$5 billion and has now grown to be worth £50 billion." Deering seems to be suggesting that the acquisition - which is on track to cost $68.7 billion - would be a good deal to pick up King.

Not so for Call of Duty, however. "If it was an Xbox exclusivity play, Spencer could have locked up MS console exclusivity for the next 3 COD releases for maybe £5 billion," Deering said, adding that "if this was a play to end run PS5, et cetera, I think it was massively overvalued and will not meaningfully succeed. I guess MS can piss away that kind of valuation without being more harmed than helped, but I am not losing a wink of sleep over the future for our baby."

Deering added in a PS note that Microsoft "would have been better off announcing a new electric car."

Jim Ryan's response to this email had been revealed earlier in the hearings, and he agreed at the time that the deal was "not an Xbox exclusivity play at all" and that he was confident Call of Duty would remain on PlayStation for "many years to come." He added that "I'm not complacent and I'd rather this hadn't happened, but we'll be OK, more than OK."

That's a notably different tone than the one Ryan would take in public soon afterward, repeatedly skewering Xbox's offers to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation and taking a central role in opposing the buyout as a threat to PlayStation's longevity. 

This week's hearings have also revealed Jim Ryan's claims that publishers "unanimously do not like Game Pass."

The Victrix Pro BFG is our favorite controller on the market right now. Although it's our top pick for the best PS5 controller, I'd even go so far as to say that it's one of the best gamepads ever made. Not only does it pack more customization options into its chassis than the DualSense Edge, but it's priced cheaper. It's already becoming a popular choice among folks looking for a pro controller for PS5 and PC, but right now it's discounted at Amazon in the UK, which we haven't seen since its release.

Usually sitting at a retail price of £179.99, this deal lets you pick one up for just £161.87, giving you a 10% discount and £18.12 savings. I suspected this gamepad might see some sort of price drop with Prime Day gaming deals coming up, but I expected that might happen during the event itself, not two weeks before. This might not be the biggest discount in the world, but in the realms of modern pro controllers that are undeniably expensive, every little helps. 

The great thing about the Victrix Pro BFG is that it has a modular design, meaning you can unscrew its face buttons and thumbsticks to rearrange them as you see fit. Not a fan of asymmetrical sticks? Swap 'em around for that classic PlayStation feel. Want a taller thumbstick for precision aiming in competitive FPS games? You get one with your purchase. The controller itself has insane value for money, giving you a seemingly never-ending number of swappable attachments in the case, including a Fightpad which would serve you well when Tekken 8 launches.

When I tested this controller out for our Victrix Pro BFG review, I was amazed at how versatile it was, even when used as a PC controller. Yes, it can feel comically stripped back at times given there's no haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, or even rumble, but the Pro BFG doesn't care about that. This is a gamepad bred for one purpose: pure performance. 

Since that review, I've used the Victrix Pro BFG for any game I want a true competitive edge in, and its four back buttons are a big reason why. More than maybe any controller I've used, its back buttons are comfortable, tactile, and really easy to use precisely. So often, back buttons are placed poorly or can be designed so using them accurately is difficult. Victrix nailed their button placement here, and they never fail to make my life easier in PC-optimised games like HUNT: Showdown.

The DualSense Edge has more software features and integration into the PS5's UI - but this is to be expected since its Sony's first homemade pro controller. The Victrix Pro BFG has official PlayStation licensing though, which I find is all it really needs to feel like a member of the family. Most of the time those extra software features on the Edge go unused anyway, in my experience. I'd rather pay a higher price for a gamepad with more buttons and customisation options on the hardware level, and the Victrix option has that in spades while being cheaper than the DualSense Edge anyway.

Looking for a more situational controller? Take a look at the best PS5 steering wheels, the best joysticks, and the best mobile controllers.

PlayStation chief Jim Ryan says that while he doesn't like Starfield's Xbox exclusivity, he doesn't view it as anti-competitive.

Axios journalist Stephen Totilo reported that, during his deposition as part of the FTC lawsuit over the Xbox Activision deal, Ryan was asked about Xbox's exclusivity practices in the wake of its acquisition of Bethesda. Regarding exclusivity details for both Redfall and Starfield, Ryan said "I don't like it," but "I fundamentally have no quarrel" with Redfall and "I don't view it as anti-competitive" when it came to Starfield.

Ryan's comments about Starfield and Redfall are very different to Sony's stance on Call of Duty. Around the world, several lengthy anti-competition investigations have focused on that franchise, which Microsoft has pledged will remain available on PlayStation for at least ten years, should the deal go through. In most territories, the deal has been approved, with the most notable exception being in the UK, where Cloud Gaming was a bigger stumbling block for Xbox and Activision. Both companies are appealing the decision of the UK's Competition and Markets Authority.

Elsewhere in his deposition, Ryan said he expected both Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 to release on PlayStation before Xbox bought Bethesda. Suggestions that the games might have instead been exclusive to Sony's platforms are understood to have kickstarted Microsoft's purchase of their developer. The ongoing availability of Call of Duty on PlayStation appears to have turned heads at Bethesda, however, as publishing lead Pete Hines queried that decision as "confusing" in regards to his own studio.

Just in case it needed spelling out, Starfield won't be coming to PS4 or PS5.

PlayStation boss Jim Ryan says that Sony fully expected to see Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 on its platforms before Microsoft's buyout of Bethesda.

During Ryan's pre-recorded deposition shown as part of the hearings over the Xbox Activision deal, he was asked if he believed Starfield and TES6 would come to PlayStation prior to the Microsoft acquisition (via Derek Strickland on Twitter). Ryan said "we did," adding that "I think that pretty much every Bethesda game was multi-platform prior to the acquisition." He also said that it was only after the acquisition that Sony learned these games would not be available on PlayStation.

Ryan acknowledged that Sony had contracts for the Bethesda-published Ghostwire: Tokyo and Deathloop prior to the acquisition, which is how those games appeared on PS5 even after the deal closed - as one-year timed exclusives that have only recently hit Xbox at all.

Despite all that, Ryan also said that he wasn't too bothered by Microsoft's decision to make recent Bethesda titles Xbox exclusive (via Stephen Totilo on Twitter). Of Redfall's exclusivity, he said "I don’t like it, but I fundamentally have no quarrel with it." On Starfield, he said "I don’t like it but I don’t view it as anti-competitive."

Earlier in the hearings, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that The Elder Scrolls 6 is "so far out" even he doesn't know what platforms it'll be on, indicating that Microsoft hasn't made a decision on whether or not it'll be an exclusive. According to the company's expected timing, TES6 might even be a PS6 game if it comes to PlayStation at all.

Internal Xbox documents published during the hearings suggest that Microsoft had designs on buying Sega, Bungie, and at least seven other studios.

Lay down your gamepads and stop the button mashing: Microsoft has admitted that Xbox "lost the console wars". As a proud Series S owner, this concession feels freeing. I'm more excited than ever to finally buy a PS5 and reap the benefits of being a multi-trick pony.

No matter which side of the proverbial line in the sand you stand on, I'm hoping we can all agree that the term "console wars'' is unnecessarily dramatic. It's divisive and distracting, dragging us into a corporate rivalry that really has nothing to do with a shared love of games. It's an exciting time to be a console player, and now that the FTC has crowned a winner-by-numbers, I'm all set to expand my collection and welcome PlayStation back into my life.

Soldier for the controller

Even before the recent 'Sony versus Microsoft' scramble to acquire major studios, it's a fact that many of us feel the need to defend our consoles of choice with blind faith. At its core, infighting between gamers in the so-called "console wars" is predicated on the myth that you must choose a side and stick to it. But loyalty to a company feels dubious at best, especially when most of us have long moved on from the first consoles we ever played. 

I still have my brother's old PS2, quietly gathering dust in its bubble wrap after making the successful jump across the world with me when I left Hong Kong in 2022, but I keep it more for nostalgia than anything else. I last used it to replay Resident Evil Dead Aim, mainly to prove to the naysayers that it is actually a fun and silly spin-off in the Resident Evil timeline. When I found that it was a PlayStation exclusive, I felt instantly grateful to have played it at all – and a little bit sad for my friends that never did.

In the grand scheme of things, sticking to one console has done nothing but hold me back. I was raised on PS2 games, but I'll admit it: I love my Xbox Series S, and have no shame in that. Nor should I – it's small, sleek, and makes an excellent Game Pass machine to play day-one releases. Paired with the attractive low retail price being an obvious draw for your average millennial, Xbox seemed the logical choice when I decided to deviate from my PC-only preferences earlier this year. 

But the lure of Sony's gleaming flagship console is too tempting to deny any longer. Sony and Microsoft are home to top-range machines, ones that far outshine the humble Nintendo Switch in power and libraries alone. Recent studio acquisitions means that upcoming first-party exclusives, like Starfield and Marvel's Spider-Man 2, won't be playable on rival consoles. It's been on my mind for months, but I'm finally committing to picking up a PS5 as soon as financially possible.

Playing the even field

Game exclusivity is nothing new, but it's certainly one reason for the Xbox versus PlayStation divide among console players. In-house constraints of various titles means I never got to play Fable until 2023, and I've never felt deprived of Halo thanks to being wholly uninterested in the franchise in general. 

I'm lucky that my older brother has excellent enough taste that we were never short on stuff to play, but his reassurance of the PS2's supremacy over Xbox 360 meant I felt entitled to judge other kids on their console of choice.

Having picked up an Xbox in my late 20s and finally seeing what all the fuss is about, though, I'm starting to question the infighting altogether. Browsing Game Pass, I've been able to play games I've never even heard of thanks to console exclusivity. Filling in the gaps of my games knowledge has been a joy with my Xbox, and it's making me wonder why I've been holding back from picking up a PS5 now that they're no longer in short supply. 

I'd like to think that it was more of a money-savvy decision on my part, but in hindsight, I realize that the fear of being a "double agent" was baked into it as well. Being a PC player lets you occupy a safe middle ground in many ways, with plenty of exclusives eventually making their way to Steam (thank you, The Last of Us Part 1). It was my way to avoid choosing a side. Now, unshackled by the corporate numbers game, it's a relief that I no longer have to.

There's a litany of new games for 2023 and beyond to keep an eye on, no matter your preferred platform.

Ever wondered why there's no native PS5 version of Minecraft? Well, wonder no more. According to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, it's because Sony didn't want Microsoft to have a PS5 dev kit.

Dev kits enable developers to create games for new or burgeoning hardware ahead of its release and are particularly important when testing early and/or unstable games in development. 

But whilst Sony was seemingly "sending [PS5 dev kits] to other developers", Spencer revealed that Sony was "reluctant" to share the tech with its competitor, even though Minecraft has long been available on Sony systems.

"Sony was reluctant to send us development kits for the PlayStation 5 at the same time they were sending them to other developers, which put us at a disadvantage relative to other developers," Spencer said (thanks, IGN). 

"I think Sony could have sent the development kits to Microsoft just as easy as they sent them to any other publisher."

ICYMI, Microsoft says that if the US Federal Trade Commission gets its way and delays its Activision Blizzard purchase, it may just abandon the deal altogether.

As concisely summarized by Jordan, Microsoft began defending its Activision deal against the FTC in court earlier this week with the goal of convincing a federal judge not to grant the FTC a preliminary injunction that would delay the buyout's closing.

Like the UK's own antitrust authority – which shock-blocked the deal in April – the FTC is concerned that Microsoft's $70b purchase of Activision Blizzard would harm competition if it were to proceed. If the judge decides to agree with the FTC and Microsoft's Activision purchase is slapped with an injunction and unable to proceed, however, it wouldn't necessarily mean the deal's over - it would just mean it can't go through until the FTC has a chance to fully review the details against US antitrust law. 

However, Microsoft's lawyer Beth Wilkinson argued in court that a loss for Microsoft after this week-long hearing could result in a "three-year administrative nightmare", and that could cause Microsoft to abandon the deal.

Here are our picks of the best Xbox Game Pass games.

According to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, part of the reason Microsoft bought Bethesda and its parent company ZeniMax Media was out of fear that Sony might make Starfield a timed PS5 exclusive.

Shortly before Microsoft acquired ZeniMax and Bethesda, Sony secured timed exclusivity for games like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo. Those deals were honored even after the buyout went through, and it was a full year before either of those games came to Xbox, despite their developers becoming first-party Xbox studios. In the hearings over the Xbox Activision deal, Spencer confirmed that there were rumblings that the same thing might happen to Starfield.

“When we acquired ZeniMax one of the impetus for that is that Sony had done a deal for Deathloop and Ghostwire... to pay Bethesda to not ship those games on Xbox,” Spencer said in his testimony, as transcribed by The Verge. “So the discussion about Starfield when we heard that Starfield was potentially also going to end up skipping Xbox, we can’t be in a position as a third-place console where we fall further behind on our content ownership so we’ve had to secure content to remain viable in the business."

This effectively confirms reports that Sony was seeking timed Starfield exclusivity back in 2020, even in the months leading up to Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax and Bethesda. It seems the disgruntled gamers behind that silly 'make Starfield a PS5 exclusive' petition might've gotten their wish in an alternate reality.

Revelations from the hearings today have also included the fact that Xbox hasn't decided if The Elder Scrolls 6 will be an exclusive yet.

If you've been waiting for some official statement to mark the end of the last few console wars, the Federal Trade Commission has you covered, as the group has now declared the winners in the battles of Xbox 360 versus PS3 and Xbox One versus PS4.

In advance of this week's hearings on the Xbox Activision deal, lawyers representing the FTC filed their proposed 'findings of fact' - a document that essentially lays out the facts of the case as the FTC understands them. The document lays out the history of the case, including some details on the years of competition between the gaming divisions of Sony and Microsoft.

The public version of the document, which we've reviewed, is heavily redacted to protect the trade secrets of the companies involved, but it has two particular notes that are extremely funny to see in an official court record. The FTC says that "in the United States, Microsoft won Generation 7 with the Xbox 360 pitted against the PlayStation 3," but adds that "Sony won Generation 8 with the PlayStation 4."

The FTC isn't specific about what metrics it's using to talk about the 'winners' here, but it's almost certainly console sales. Publicly reported console sales numbers do indeed suggest that Xbox 360 beat PS3 in the console race in the US - though the PS3 narrowed the gap substantially in worldwide sales, and by some accounts, ended up ahead of 360 by the end of the generation. As far as PS4 and Xbox One, well… yeah, Sony won that one. There are no caveats there.

You'll note that Nintendo isn't mentioned anywhere here, and that's by design. This section of the FTC's findings of fact is headed "PlayStation and Xbox are Fierce Competitors, and Nintendo is Differentiated," arguing that the Switch's hybrid nature, its reliance on first-party games, and its underpowered performance make it quite different from PS5 and Xbox Series X. The FTC estimates that the "Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are at least 26 times (i.e., 2600%) more powerful" than the Switch.

In Microsoft's own proposed findings of fact, the company doesn't get so granular about who won each generation - instead, it says that "Xbox has consistently ranked third in consoles behind PlayStation and Nintendo," and argues that Xbox "lost the console wars."

Essentially, Microsoft's arguments put the console wars as a three-way dance that it's losing, while the FTC's arguments say that Sony and Microsoft are in a closely contested head-to-head competition. Of course, those two perspectives line up with each side's belief on whether or not the Xbox Activision merger would be a major anticompetitive blow to the industry. The courts are going to have to weigh in on one side or the other soon enough.

Microsoft expects the next generations of PlayStation and Xbox to launch around 2028. 

Final Fantasy 16 fans are concerned that the game's epic boss fights are causing their PS5s to overheat.

The sixteenth instalment in the world's most ironically named series is finally here, and the good news is it's, according to our Final Fantasy 16 review, "an experience that stands alongside the series' greats." The not-so-great news for fans eager to experience Clive's epic tale is that your PS5 could get awfully hot in the process.

Several Final Fantasy 16 fans on Twitter have said they've had issues with their PS5 overheating whilst they've been playing the latest entry in the iconic RPG series. User @TheSphereHunter, who had access to the game a few days early, explained that their PS5 switched itself off entirely after it got too hot during a boss battle.

User @JustSlaythe had a similar experience. "I also got the PS5 overheating during big fights in FF16," they tweeted. After opening up the console to see if it needed cleaning, they found not a single spec of dust. "First gen PS5, maybe a design flaw somewhere," they said but added that "only this game does that though", which suggests that Final Fantasy 16 is the culprit, rather than the hardware itself.

That being said, user @DavidFulstow fixed the overheating issue with a spot of dusting, so it's worth trying if you're having similar issues. "I did a clean on my PS5 fan and it seems to have fixed my overheating problem with FF16," they wrote.

Lastly, user @Jim_Crikey also experienced issues when playing the demo version of Final Fantasy 16. "I just had my first ever 'Your PS5 is too hot' message," they wrote. "We're in a heatwave, but the thing is, this happened while the FFXVI demo was running."

It remains to be seen whether we'll see a surge of players experiencing overheating issues as the game makes its way to more PS5s, but its definitely worth making sure that your console is in a well-ventilated area and is dust free if you're planning to delve into Valisthea this weekend.

Check out our PS5 exclusives guide for more games you can only play on Sony's latest console.

Microsoft reportedly expects the next Xbox console and the PS6 to launch sometime in 2028, according to newly revealed court documents.

As IGN reports, Microsoft said during its first day in court with the FTC that the "expected starting period" for the next-generation of consoles to, well, start is 2028. If true, that would mean the current generation of consoles, which includes the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S, is expected to last about eight years.

Today's hearing is the first in the US Federal Trade Commission's attempt to file a preliminary injunction against Microsoft and Activision, which would put the deal on pause while the FTC reviews its compliance with US antitrust law.

While the FTC lawsuit is undoubtedly the biggest hurdle Microsoft and Activision are currently facing, the road ahead is an uphill climb in other ways as well. For example, the UK formally blocked the transaction back in April, with Microsoft and Activision expected to appeal the decision. Meanwhile, the EU approved the purchase in May, marking a significant but far from final victory for the two companies hoping to see the deal reach completion by the end of this month.

Meanwhile, Sony has said it would withhold information about the PS6 from Activision if the Microsoft buyout winds up going through. That would obviously mean that features unique to the next PlayStation would likely not be as thoroughly incorporated into Activision games as they would be with publishers not owned by the console maker's main competitor.

Check out our new games 2023 guide for everything on the horizon for PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Microsoft says Xbox "lost the console wars."

Today marks the beginning of the US's Federal Trade Commission versus Microsoft case, as the latter battled the regulator to approve its attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard King. In the process, Microsoft is keen to show Xbox is in third place, thus making it look less dominant in acquiring the company.

As part of this strategy though, Microsoft admits that Xbox "lost the console wars." As reported by The Verge, Xbox states that in 2021 it had just 16% of total console sales, and that same year, it had just 21% of the total console install base. We don't know whether this is just in the US, or around the world.

Unfortunately, Xbox redacts the parts where they reveal what shares Nintendo and PlayStation controlled of the overall console market. You've got to imagine the Nintendo Switch was beating the PS5 in 2021, considering the latter's supply shortages at the time, but it'd still be interesting to know by how much.

It's very curious for Xbox to admit these figures out in public. The company obviously isn't afraid to make themselves look bad - and two years ago, at that - if it means securing their attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard King.

It's also really, really funny. You can expect the console warriors will be out in full force over this comment, whether it's PlayStation fans going in on Xbox fans, or the latter trying to somehow refute Microsoft's new comments and somehow bend those stats into reading better than they actually are.

This is clearly what Microsoft thinks it's going to take to land them Activision Blizzard King, and the cost couldn't be higher.

Check out our upcoming Xbox Series X games guide for a look ahead at all the exclusives coming to Xbox's new-gen console over the coming year.

The group of random gamers suing Microsoft over the Xbox Activision deal say they have "uncontroverted evidence" that Xbox wants to put PlayStation out of business.

In an appeal filing revealed by Axios, lawyers representing the "Gamer's Lawsuit" say that the court, which previously dismissed the suit, "failed to consider uncontroverted evidence that Microsoft had the intention to put its main competition, the Sony PlayStation, out of the market; and that this merger is a part of that strategy."

That evidence, apparently, consists of an internal email sent by Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty to Xbox's chief financial officer, Tim Stuart. In the public release of the filing the contents of that email, referred to as Exhibit K, have been redacted, as Microsoft characterizes it as an "internal exchange" that should not be shown outside of court.

The Gamer's Lawsuit has been kicking around since December 2022, and reached particularly notable heights as lawyers representing the gamers asked Sony and Nintendo CEOs to come testify. After the suit was dismissed earlier this year, it was amended and refiled with a request that the court make a preliminary injunction against the deal - that request was denied.

This is all separate to the FTC's effort to block the Xbox Activision merger, which is broadly considered quite a bit more serious than the Gamer's Lawsuit. That's on top of the UK's CMA blocking the purchase earlier this year, a move Xbox is set to appeal.

There will surely be no shortage of upcoming Xbox Series X games regardless of whether the deal goes through.

I don't know that I've ever seen a sensible video game petition, but this Starfield one is dumb enough that people are signing it just to dunk on its original creator.

At time of writing, around 2,200 people have signed a Change.org petition demanding Bethesda "Make Starfield a PS5 EXCLUSIVE!!!!" In a bizarre diatribe that calls for PS5 exclusivity while simultaneously decrying Xbox exclusivity, the petition also suggests using political pressure to get Starfield on PlayStation, protests at video game stores, and the pre-emptive cancellation of Microsoft-friendly content creators.

The chance that this is some weird prank is pretty high, because this rant speaks to next to zero understanding of how video games are made or how the companies that make them operate. There's still the possibility, however, that this petitioner is being deadly serious, and that's brought out several signatures from people simply looking to tell them how dumb they're being.

On Change.org, you can only comment under a petition once you've signed it, and I'm yet to see a single comment in support of some sudden swing to PlayStation. The most sympathetic messages suggest that no exclusivity is the way to go, but the vast majority are some reflection on either 'this is delusional' or 'touch grass'. Many opt for both.

Starfield isn't coming to PS4 or PS5, because Bethesda is now a Microsoft studio and god knows Xbox needs some wins from its first-party offerings right now. Personally, I'll be winning by playing Starfield on PC, where I won't even have to worry about the whole 30 fps debacle. 

Perhaps this is the same person behind Starfield's already-negative Metacritic reviews.

PlayStation was sure it would retain Call of Duty simply because of Sony's presence. 

New comments from PlayStation head Jim Ryan were uncovered by reporter Florian Mueller, and they paint a pretty confident picture of the company. Ryan was apparently confident PlayStation would still get Call of Duty releases even if Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard proceeded, purely because of Sony's dominance on the gaming scene. 

It's pretty hard to argue with Ryan's stance here - just look at the extent to which the PS5 is currently outselling the Xbox Series X and S around the world as proof of PlayStation's unavoidable presence in gaming.

Ryan's comments are perhaps a little less of a "bombshell" considering Microsoft literally offered to put Call of Duty on PlayStation devices for a decade. Microsoft was offering damn near anyone a 10-year deal for Call of Duty-related things like game streaming and cloud technology, but their offer to put the franchise on PlayStation for a decade was by far the most noteworthy.

In actual fact, this is the deal that PlayStation and Ryan weren't satisfied with. PlayStation reportedly turned down the deal from Microsoft, and so Ryan's new comments seem to imply that PlayStation was sure it would retain Call of Duty even after they'd turned down the initial decade-long offer from Microsoft. That's a very, very confident stance from PlayStation.

Don't forget, we're still getting a new Call of Duty game this year, according to Summer Game Fest host Geoff Keighley. 

All upcoming Xbox Game Studios titles are now in development exclusively for the current-gen Xbox Series X, Microsoft has confirmed.

"We’ve moved on to gen 9," Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty tells Axios, referring to Xbox Series X and S. Booty confirms that outside of support for older ongoing titles like Minecraft, first-party development on Xbox One is done. Instead, Microsoft plans to "maintain support" for the older platform purely through cloud gaming options, which do allow you to play Series X games on Xbox One.

Prior to this, almost every first-party Xbox Series X game has also launched on Xbox One, from Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 to Grounded and Minecraft Legends. The most notable exception is Microsoft Flight Simulator, a game that pushed even the most high-end PCs to their absolute limits. Microsoft still has a less powerful piece of hardware to scale its games back for with Series S, but it seems current-gen games will soon have a lot more room to meet their next-gen potential.

The transition between generations has been a particularly slow one this time around, and not just for Xbox. Even first-party graphical showpieces on PS5, like God of War Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West, have launched with PS4 versions, too. Whether due to the years-long supply shortages for both consoles or some other reason, many studios - both first and third-party - have kept the old-gen alive much longer than usual.

There is, of course, a cost for next-gen ambitions - development time. Booty acknowledges that modern triple-A game development cycles, which used to be two or three years, are ballooning to "four and five and six year" timelines. "There are higher expectations. The level of fidelity that we're able to deliver just goes up."

These are the upcoming Xbox Series X games you should know about.