After multiple credible rumors and a glitched out website, Blizzard Entertainment has finally revealed the return of StarCraft. The next game in the legendary sci-fi series is coming sometime in 2030, and unlike the strategy hits that made StarCraft a household name, this one's an open-world shooter.

Announced at BlizzCon 2026's Opening Ceremony, details on the new StarCraft game are light. It's called StarCraft, it's an open-world shooter, and it's being led by former Far Cry lead Dan Hay - but we did get a gorgeous, tone-setting debut trailer for the Blizzard project. Check it out below.

"We are here to make StarCraft, and it's about damn time," Hay said on stage.

StarCraft (2030) is the beloved series' first game since 2017's StarCraft Remastered and the first all-new experience since 2016's single-player DLC, StarCraft: Nova Covert Ops.

This is a developing story. More to come...

I did not mean to kill Xanthe in The Blood of Dawnwalker. At least, not yet. As a fledging Level 11 or 12 vampire trying to explore Svartrau Cathedral at night, stumbling right into the withered palms of the game's highest-difficulty boss fight seemed like suicide. Yet it turned out to be the smartest move I've made so far in the RPG.

Killing Knyaz Brencis' formidable lieutenants, known as boyars (or boyaresses, in Xanthe's case) is a fundamental part of the action loop. Usually you'd need to anger them first by disrupting their duties in their respective parts of the map. Xanthe seems to be the exception to the rule; despite holding dominion over the most challenging portion of the open world, you can and should ambush her early in Coen's 30-day push to dismantle the vrakhiri claim to Vale Sangora and rescue his family. Especially if you, too, want an early unlock for the most overpowered and best Blood of Dawnwalker perk in the whole RPG: Blood Surge.

Penitent one

Blood Surge is no joke – it's a favorite of our Games Editor in his Blood of Dawnwalker review, if you won't take my word alone for it. Ironically, the sheer might of Xanthe's personal perk – which can only be unlocked by defeating her in combat and drinking her blood – is what makes her so formidable when the tables are turned.

Capable of exploding a lower-level enemy in one shot, it's the kind of power Coen can only dream of at Level 11 – and one she can use to pop a Coen like a blood bag when challenged as part of The Court side-quest to take out vampiric ruler Brencis' supernatural allies.

It's also something I know nothing about when, during a quest called A Monk and a Saint, I make her acquaintance by falling off some scaffolding. I'm here to investigate the murals inside Svartrau Cathedral on the hunt for a powerful sword, expecting a slice of Sherlockian vampire detective work rather than a claws-out brawl. Even Coen himself whispers that he'd best stick to high ground, inspect the artwork from a distance, and avoid the boyaress below. That's precisely what I intend to do, assuming an encounter this early on would mean instant death, or that Coen would even take control away from me and refuse to enter her sight.

But, The Blood of Dawnwalker isn't the kind of game to say 'no'. I find that out through sheer clumsiness – I have never been the most dextrous of gamers, so while aiming my vampiric shadowstep ability to teleport across the cathedral scaffolding, I overshoot my target by a hair's breadth and watch in dismay as Coen falls right into Xanthe's path.

A short cutscene plays out – my first time actually hearing the wizened crone speak – in which Xanthe dismisses the puny, insignificant Coen as not being worth her time. She's not wrong; I have barely any notoriety at this point and have been foregoing a lot of side quests in favor of seeking out ways to weaken Brecis (see again: big scary sword quest). The cutscene flows into combat and I immediately regret everything.

But there's one thing on my side. My favorite thing about The Blood of Dawnwalker's combat, specifically the direction block mechanic, is how much it reminds me of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. That game, too, is all about timing, and despite being two very different action-RPGs, they have one thing in common: If you can parry it, you can defeat it.

If there's no such thing as being too under-leveled in Clair Obscur as long as you reflexes permit, the same applies to Dawnwalker. I've seen people defeat Brencis in the prologue, for goodness' sake, all off the back of being able to block each hit and counterattack opportunistically. I remind myself of this when I pause and hover over the "load game" button. If Coen can beat Brencis on day zero, why can't I defeat Xanthe early into my quest?

Parry it!

It is not an easy battle. Fending off her Blood Guard entourage is simple enough, providing me with ample health top-ups as I sup on their blood between claw strikes. Once the room is cleared of lackeys, though, the undead priestess descends like a fearsome nightmare and the fun really starts.

Xanthe is the first lieutenant I have fought at this point, and I don't know what to expect. Short of blocking attacks and getting the odd swipe in here and there, I rely primarily upon my swordsman abilities like Artery Strike after swapping from claws to a blade and throwing muck in her face with Dirty Trick. I can't even feed on her with Voracious Bite, since she's just that powerful and simply shrugs me off. Once her health drops low enough, she spawns blood orbs that heal her up like a medical drone, so I dash between each to destroy them as fast as I can.

Thanks to an odd quirk, Xanthe seems to be a little easier to duel here than later on her specific side-quest (perhaps she simply needs more R&R the extra days would provide). In this version of the fight, I never do get to witness Xanthe using Blood Surge on Coen. I'm left stumped by how seemingly easy the fight was, considering she is the ruler of the map's harshest, most haunted regions encompassing the Tantari Woods. But by fighting her early, I've actually nerfed Xanthe and robbed her of Blood Surge altogether.

I don't even know of the spell's existence until I've bested the woman and been spirited away to vampire Hell, otherwise known as Anachora, to have an actual conversation. Admittedly, what she has to say breaks my heart. I didn't expect The Blood of Dawnwalker to make me feel quite this bad for killing someone supposedly evil, but as she mourns the loss of her child (what child? No one told me she had a child!) and confides in me that all she did was for the good of her daughter, my heart softens.

She begs me to leave her here in Anachora to let her soul get torn apart and finally rest in pieces after such a horrid life. My brand of mercy seems to her quite the opposite when I invite Xanthe inside my own psyche to live on in Coen forever.

She hates this idea. But I kind of love it, because it's granted me witchy granny commentary when I explore some areas on top of her blood bursting power.

I don't know how I'd have bested most of the game's hardest enemies without Blood Surge; it takes huge chunks off larger, hardier baddies while outright obliterating anything with a single-chunk health bar, meaning I have gotten some excellent use out of it in my 22-hour playthrough so far. Sure, she's not full Johnny Silverhand, but I appreciate the odd remark to add some color. I'm also a little regretful that killing her during our first meeting means I missed most of Xanthe's torrid backstory, but doing so has given me the chance to ignore a whole corner of the map and stay focused on my quest.

I truly think Blood Surge is a must-have perk, and it's probably the only thing that will ensure I can kill all the boyars before confronting Brencis. To me, that makes it worth taking a little trip (literally) in Svartrau Cathedral if you happen to be there at midnight. I promise Xanthe's legend is worse than her bite.

Looking for love in Vale Sangora? Here's all the romances in The Blood of Dawnwalker, from Crake to Lacra and even "old" witch Anca.

Saber Interactive had a breakout hit in the form of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and you can attribute at least part of its success to the fact that it was not made in North America. The company's chief creative officer, Tim Willits, says it's been dramatically scaling down its operations in the region.

In fact, Saber has "no real development in North America any more," as Willits tells GamesIndustry.biz. The company is headquartered in Florida, and a handful of its subsidiaries are based in the US, but the vast majority of its development wings are spread across Europe.

Why the move? Well, it's gosh-darned expensive to make games in North America, where industry salaries are driven up by their placement in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Make a game in countries where salary expectations are substantially lower, and the cost of development goes down dramatically.

"The problem is stuff like this: big North American development studios, they run about $2 million+ in burn rate a month," Willits says. "A month. SnowRunner, which has made hundreds of millions of dollars, costs us $6 million to make. That's literally three months of development time in California. So just run the math on that. If it takes [a big studio] five years to make a game, that's 60 months, that's $120 million just in salaries."

Cheaper game development means that publishers are free to take more risks, too. Back in 2024, Willits lamented that there are AAA projects that can't even break even if they don't sell five million copies. Saber seems more keen on building games for (relatively) smaller niches that might actually appreciate them.

"Sometimes I play these games – I won't mention the game – and I can just see the wasted money," Willits continues in the new interview. "I can see dollars falling out of the monitor. But I can tell you that the development cost for [Warhammer 40,000] Space Marine 2 was a third of a major game that just released not too many months ago from a big North American studio. It was a third, and it sold 11 million more copies. You don't need to spend $150 million to make a billion."

Unfortunately, Saber's business bets also include a big emphasis on AI, which came to a head when the publisher finally added an AI disclosure to Rideshare Stimulator amid CEO Matt Karch's public feud with a former writer who claims she was replaced by ChatGPT. Karch is further convinced that "Half-Life 2 of AI" will someday come along change everybody's minds about the tech. Me? I'll be happy if we just get more human hands making games like SnowRunner and Space Marine 2.

The Witcher 4 dev is "still predominantly using people" over AI in development, says CEO, but "everybody has to make those judgments on their own."

Take a deep breath, because Touhou Koumakyou: New Classic - the Embodiment of Scarlet Devil came to Steam on September 9, some 24 years after its original Japanese release. In the days since, it's amassed an impressive 2,958 user reviews sitting at 98% positive, making New Classic (as I'm calling it) one of the highest-rated Steam releases of the entire year. It's also available on PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Switch 2.

The original Embodiment of Scarlet Devil was actually the sixth game in the Touhou Project series by creator ZUN, but it was the first one made for Windows after a string of PC-98 releases. It put in a lot of work turning Touhou into an icon of underground doujin games, quickly becoming the series' best-seller and cementing it as a pillar of Japanese shoot-'em-ups and bullet hell.

New Classic is exactly what it sounds like: a more polished version of the original game. Alliance Arts has worked to preserve the original as much as possible – so much so that New Classic "can only be purchased as part of a bundle" on Steam.

"The price is the same, and the Classic version is included," the studio clarifies. Classic doesn't actually have English support on Steam, but it's still a fascinating, fairly navigable trip through time. The base bundle is $17.99 for both games, and the pricier $24.63 bundle also includes the New Classic soundtrack.

The Steam blurb for New Classic reads: "Dodge the barrage, defeat the enemies, and brave the Scarlet Mist Incident. The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil returns with fresh music and graphics. Control the shrine maiden Reimu and the magician Marisa, weaving between bullets that fill up the screen. The soundtrack has been fully remade by ZUN."

Touhou overall is a bit tougher to explain. The layman's evaluation isn't far off: a bunch of magical girls, or anime girls who'd pass as magical girls, fend off supernatural incidents in Gensokyo, sort of a mythological mirror to the real world.

For our purposes, the important thing to know is that Touhou has spawned a bunch of kickass games, several of which are also on Steam. I especially recommend Touhou Luna Nights, a 2D bullet hell Metroidvania from the immaculate Team Ladybug and in the same vein as Rabi-Ribi. I'm less familiar with it, but I believe Touhou Mystia's Izakaya, a cute restaurant sim, is the highest-rated Touhou game on modern platforms (and is only $6 at base on Steam).

Aggregate tools like Steam250 put New Classic among the top seven best-reviewed Steam releases for the past month, and (rapidly rising) in the top 50 for all of 2026. If your company is a modern classic like Valheim (a lovely Viking survival game fresh off its 1.0 update) and a surprise hit like How to Fish (a very normal game about fishing), you're doing pretty well.

Here are the biggest new games of 2026 and beyond.

Every day, another generative AI provider discovers that pretending something you stole was always yours to begin with is an idea that is fundamentally incompatible with many copyright laws. That's too bad for those generative AI providers, but, in this case, great news for Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse, which has just been awarded approximately $112,000 in a Shanghai court.

Automaton reports an unnamed "AI service provider" likewise located in Shanghai must now cough up 750,000 Chinese Yuan after wrongfully reproducing 63 Genshin Impact characters' voices. The provider was ruled to have sold AI voice packs with "nearly identical characteristics" to those gacha game characters, and it used modified images of those anime babes and boyfriends to promote its already copyright-flouting packs.

Therefore, the Pudong New Area People's Court of Shanghai decided the AI company was not only infringing on HoYoverse's in-game content, but also on its character designs. It's unjust competition, the court ordered, even though its voice packs seemed to have a much more intimate purpose than the average Genshin session – they appear to have presented slightly changed versions of Genshin characters as chatty virtual avatars.

In any case, HoYoverse has triumphed over delinquent generative AI this time around. However, its $112,000 reward is a much smaller payday than it was hoping for. The company behind Honkai: Star Rail and other anime wonders originally sued the AI company for 5 million Chinese Yuan, which totals to about $745,000, and it wanted an immediate injunction.

HoYoverse ended up with a smaller version of that punishment, but the People's Court of Shanghai also demanded the AI company immediately stop its infringing behaviors.

Recently, the AI company withdrew its appeal on this judgement, making its $112,000 payment inevitable. Hopefully Grok can explain to it what went wrong.

Why so many game developers don't want to use generative AI.

Since you're already thinking about how much Marvel's Wolverine disappointed critics, you might as well start reminiscing about the awful X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie in 2009. From there, you'll be led to the more pleasant memory about the unprecedentedly solid PS3 game with the same name, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which we now know is partly so great because of how relaxed its production was.

Its production was relaxed because – to satisfy our thought spiral and return to that terrible X-Men Origins movie that makes Hugh Jackman kill military operatives while fully nude – X-Men Origins: Wolverine was delayed a year. One of the tie-in game's developers, Allison Salmon, explains on Bluesky, "We had LOADs of time…"

"We actually never worked crunch on it cause the movie got delayed," Salmon says about the X-Men Origins: Wolverine game. Its matching movie was originally pushed back in 2007 because, apparently, Baz Luhrmann's 2008 drama Australia (which also stars Hugh Jackman) was hogging all the Fox sound stages. Then, Wolverine's Mexico release got shoved back again in 2009 because too many people were getting swine flu. Finally, the movie shone across theater screens on May 1, 2009. GamesRadar+'s original 3 out of 5 X-Men Origins: Wolverine review said it "sadly substitutes the bold ethnic cleansing subplot of the first three for a hackneyed Hulkstyle story of the military wanting better weapons." So. 3 out of 5.

The X-Men Origins: Wolverine game, however, has only earned goodwill in the years since it established that tie-in games – effectively, expensive advertisements – can also be thoroughly entertaining standalone experiences.

Even better, its developers didn't have to sleep in an office cot while proving it. Production crunch was virulent around 2009 – developers for major games like Red Dead Redemption and Dragon Age 2 have illustrated that with countless horror stories of sleep deprivation and red eyes at the computer. But X-Men Origins: Wolverine devs were protected from all of that and blissful. In fact, "I was on maternity leave for the beginning," Salmon remembers about the game's production, "came back and we still had time to goof around with making the unreal engine a deferred renderer (that we didn't use!)."

As you might have suspected, it seems creativity is best suited to free and encouraging environments. But the video game industry never learns that lesson.

Marvel's Wolverine was inspired by one of the few video game movie tie-ins that doesn't suck: "We had the same challenges as those devs."

With Sony fielding a class action lawsuit claiming its store terms suggest ownership but convey the licensing of digital games, aptly named consumer rights group Consumer Rights Wiki has seen PlayStation fans assemble an incomplete but in-depth list of PlayStation verbiage indicating that users do, in fact, "own" the games they buy.

The Consumer Rights Wiki has a freshly updated page dedicated to the "Sony PlayStation digital game ownership lawsuit," which hinges on a California law (per AB 2426) requiring digital vendors to clearly tell consumers that they are purchasing licenses, not purchasing products. Steam maker Valve seemed to adjust its own verbiage after the law's passage in 2024.

In a response to the lawsuit, Sony argued "reasonable consumers would not be misled" by its terms. This follows a serendipitous email reminder telling PlayStation users "software is licensed to you, not sold."

Sony's terms of service do clearly state this, but the PlayStation Network itself, where users actually make purchases, is filled with allusions to owning digital games. This goes for PlayStation Store product listings and myriad help pages, dozens of which have been collated by Consumer Rights Wiki contributors, with links to live versions of those pages and archived web snapshots available for each.

For example, the explainer for how to "Upgrade an eligible PS4 digital game on a PS5 console with a disc drive or PS5 Digital Edition console" specifies that you will need "an eligible digital PS4 game you already own."

On the main UK PS5 hub, now branded with a warning that PlayStation will abandon physical games in January 2028, Sony writes: "Track your PS5 journey with info on your total play time, games you own and more." This bit is tucked underneath a section showing the disc drive-equipped and all-digital PS5 consoles, but is less of an explicit reference to digital games.

A common PlayStation Store DLC blurb – here, dutifully represented by a $2 costume for Dead or Alive 5: Last Round – clarifies: "This costume was previously distributed by some retailers as a gift with purchase of DOA5LR. Be careful not to purchase content you already own."

Upgrade pages tell a similar story. The blurb for the Final Fantasy 7 Remake upgrade for PS4 version owners reads: "You are eligible to receive a free PS5™ digital version of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE at no extra cost if you already either (i) own a PS4™ digital version of the game or (ii) own a PS4™ disc version of the game and also own a PS5™ console with a disc drive (you must insert the disc each time you wish you to download or play the PS5™ digital version of the game)." This includes a "digital application or game."

It doesn't get much more digital than cloud-streamed games, yet an explainer for "how do I use PS5 Cloud Streaming" notes that "Select games that you own can be streamed direct to your PS5 console or PlayStation Portal."

The list goes on and on. By my count, there are 34 examples of PlayStation pages mentioning, in some form, how players "own" games, many of them clearly defining digital games.

This may sound incredibly clear-cut, as AB 2426 prohibits "a seller of a digital good from advertising or offering for sale a digital good, as defined, to a purchaser with the terms 'buy,' 'purchase,' or any other term which a reasonable person would understand to confer an unrestricted ownership interest in the digital good, or alongside an option for a time-limited rental."

However, the bill also spells out exceptions: "unless the seller receives at the time of each transaction an affirmative acknowledgment from the purchaser, or the seller provides to the consumer before executing each transaction a clear and conspicuous statement, as specified."

It's here that Sony may argue its agreed-upon terms cover any store purchases, and its claims thus far echo this point. Sony has also bizarrely argued that people can't own digital games because then only one non-fungible digital copy could exist. But really, Sony just wants to kick this into arbitration, which resolves cases outside courts and historically leans toward the side of big companies.

Yet the bill also states "each transaction" must see user affirmation of terms of licensing, restrictions, and the risk that a digital purchase may be "unilaterally revoked"; or "a clear and conspicuous statement" informing users "in plain language that 'buying' or 'purchasing' the digital good is a license" and in some way links or embeds more detailed terms and conditions. All this talk of ownership and "buy" buttons may actually give plaintiffs some ammunition, even if class action gaming lawsuits don't have the best track record in, or making it to, court.

Sony has topped a generational run of self-owns: abandoning Hideo Kojima's next Metal Gear right as Marvel's Wolverine falls flat.

• The Blood of Dawnwalker's 30-day time limit is not as punishing as it sounds, making it the perfect weekend play for a more languid RPG experience or something to dip into all week.

Even after learning of its high-stakes time limit, The Blood of Dawnwalker has been one of my most-wanted RPGs of 2026. Developer Rebel Wolves has more than delivered upon its promise to "push the genre forward" by making time itself a currency, and instead of letting myself get side-tracked at every turn, I've found that the extra pressure has kept me focused on main and character quests instead.

I spent all of last weekend playing the new game and managed to beat it on Day 10, so there's no reason you can't do the same! That said, don't be fooled by thinking you need to race through The Blood of Dawnwalker due to the 30-day time limit: I went about things pretty languidly and spent a lot of in-game hours leveling up, yet still finished with a third of the allotted time remaining.

Why play it today?

• The Blood of Dawnwalker has some of the coolest lore and most inventive storytelling devices I've seen since The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

I'm a (blood)sucker for a decent RPG story, and The Blood of Dawnwalker is a masterclass in narrative design. The open-world sandbox means you decide how much of Vale Sangora's lore you want to dig into, from haunted places to pixies and beyond, but I love how key characters quests unfold to teach us more about not only the world he lives in, but Coen's past itself.

From uncovering what happened to his late little brother to father Pieter's past as a roving merc-soldier, Rebel Wolves does a beautiful job of setting Coen up as a saga-spanning hero to rival The Witcher 3's Geralt by slowly peppering these tales through the open world. It's just one reason why I recommend approaching The Blood of Dawnwalker unafraid of the 30-day limit. I promise you'll have plenty of time to dig into Coen's backstory and rescue his parents from Brencis' clutches. This level of storytelling demands it!

Time commitment:

The best thing about The Blood of Dawnwalker is that it really is up to you how you approach its time restriction. You could use it as an opportunity to get laser-focused on the main story and some important NPC missions and finish it in 25-35 hours. This would have you ending the game with around 15 to ten days spare out of the 30-day timer.

You could also squeeze a bit more out of the open world's various side quests at the same time and still finish up in time to save Coen's family a day or two before the timer runs out (perhaps taking you around 28-35 hours).

You could even go full completionist. Bin off the timer altogether and deliberately fail to confront Brencis at all in those initial 30 days, and Coen's goal to becomes to avenge rather than rescue his family, scrapping the 30-day countdown. I don't recommend doing that, really. It might give you free rein to do as much side content as you like, but the timer its pretty forgiving and you really can get a lot more done in it than you might think.

Play The Blood of Dawnwalker if you love...

Skip The Blood of Dawnwalker if you want:

One thing to know:

I have run into a few crashes and performance issues while playing The Blood of Dawnwalker on my Xbox Series S, and the same has been reported by PC players. Thankfully, Rebel Wolves has already released a second update patch since the RPG's September 3 release date, this time targeting game stability and some amusing bugs (chatty corpses, giant torches... You get the gist).

Dawnwalker definitely feels much smoother to play now for many, though PC and Series S owners might need to have a little more patience. Performance seems to vary at the moment (I'm still getting a few crashes on here and there), and the latest patch has made some loading screens a bit slower over the past day for me.

So, could you stand to wait out another patch? Sure. Game crashes suck and it's frustrating if an autosave fails to kick in just beforehand. But if you have a PS5 handy, I'd say it's a perfect time to rip that bandaid off and get stuck into Coen's adventure now.

A moment you'll remember:

Exploring a creepy fog-enshrouded convent with herbalist-witch Anca, who returns to her Sisters to find their plague-ridden reanimated corpses still roaming the grounds. It's a thrilling taste of terror to really knuckle down on the gloomier side of Vale Sangora's often picturesque setting (if you ignore the blood farms, distilleries, and more), and is the first longer dungeon-style mission that requires a more hefty timesink. Very worth it though, especially if your goal is to woo Anca.

The final verdict:

Even with its performance issues, some repetitive enemy types, and a few teething problems (pun intended), The Blood of Dawnwalker is an incredibly worthwhile game to play this weekend. The impressive scope of it is truly astounding, especially when you factor in the lower budget the ex-CD Projekt Red devs at Rebel Wolves are working with compared to a traditional triple-A studio. With gorgeous voice acting, inventive mission design, and a super varied combat system, the result is a pacy thrill ride that's not afraid to let you do things differently. In our The Blood of Dawnwalker review, despite some misgivings, we did praise that "hands-off exploration is mostly respected" in its RPG open world.

So, where can you play it?

The Blood of Dawnwalker is out now on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5.

How to get started with The Blood of Dawnwalker:

Getting to grips with The Blood of Dawnwalker's directional parries, three combat systems, and twisty RPG framework can be confusing, so here are some handy guides to get your adventure in Vale Sangora off to a good start:

If you're saying "fangs, but no fangs" to Dawnwalker, check out our best RPGs round-up to find the right fit for your weekend

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

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

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

All Search for the Needle codes

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

• ALIEN - 200x Gems, 200x Alien Coins

The code above is the first and only Search for the Needle code so far, as codes have only just been introduced to the popular game. I would expect future codes to grant similar rewards, though, including more Gems and update-specific coins that you can use to open update-specific chests for update-specific items!

How to redeem Search for the Needle codes

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

Expired Search for the Needle codes

• There are no expired codes.

As the promo above is the first and only Search for the Needle code so far, you haven't yet missed out any free rewards. However, I've no doubt that this code, and future codes, will expire eventually, so redeem any promos as soon as you see them.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Among the additions coming in the upcoming The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past DLC is a new kind of weapon for Geralt, a big old chain he uses to whip and lasso enemies. It's a cool, nifty piece of equipment, and something CD Projekt Red has had in its back pocket since making the original game, over a decade ago.

Two developers, Jakub Rokosz, game director on Songs of the Past, and Despoina Anetaki, senior quest designer at CDPR, discussed the subject with BBC News. "We were talking about implementing the chain even during the original The Witcher 3," Rokosz recalls.

"It was impossible to do at the time for various technological reasons and challenges," he continues. "A few things had to click together, and we were able to address those challenges and issues during the remaster, so then we were able to implement a weapon that feels just natural and very fluid."

He says it "realizes a fantasy" you may have if you've read the Witcher books, since Geralt wields a chain regularly in the novels from Andrzej Sapkowski. Further connectivity between the source material and the games is good to see, and having more combat options makes Songs of the Past even more appealing, since this is a real late-game addition.

Anetaki explained a little more about why it made sense to include the chain now. "It fits with the narrative theming of the Songs of the Past," she says. "It fits with all the new enemies that work with the chain. We were able to do crowd control with the swarmions, that swarm you and you have to keep them away from you."

She points out it's a "cool weapon" for people "who might be sick of the crossbow by now." More versatility is always welcome, and considering there are players who'll have put in hundreds of hours over the years, it's especially so here.

The Witcher 3's Songs of the Past expansion wouldn't be "possible" without the RPG's remaster, says CD Projekt Red: "The stars had to align."

These Legacy Piece codes offer you a ton of rewards, including Chests, Potions, Shards, and Boss Tickets, so you can battle bosses for even more valuable rewards. To do that, though, you'll need to increase your strength and buy weapons, and these codes can help with that, too.

In this Roblox RPG, you'll adventure across a series of islands, defeating foes and destroying deadly bosses, and the further you travel, the more of a challenge they'll provide. Use these Legacy Piece codes, then, to get better weapons, better passive items, and a helpful boost of Gold.

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

All Legacy Piece codes

These are the current Legacy Piece codes you can redeem right now:

• HELLUPDATE!! - 10x Almighty Chest, 2x Drop Potion, 1,000x Boss Tickets, 10,000x Shards new!
• SORRYFORDELAY7!! - 1x Secret Gem Chest, 1x Drop Potion, 10,000x Shards new!
• UPD2.0!! - 5x Almighty Chest, 50x Secret Fish Chest, 5,000x Boss Tickets, 10,000x Shards new!

The latest Legacy Piece codes grant loads of chests, which you can open for valuable rewards including special fish, which you can equip to grant you passive buffs. Otherwise, you'll see you can get plenty of Boss Tickets, which usually cost 10,000 Gold, so you're getting your money's worth by stocking up for future boss fights.

Legacy Piece codes are not case-sensitive, but I still suggest you copy and paste codes from my list to make sure enter them correctly, as they've all been tested as they are.

How to redeem Legacy Piece codes

To redeem Legacy Piece codes, hit the Settings button in the menu on the left-hand side of the screen and you'll see the codes redemption box at the bottom. Enter a code as it appears above and hit Enter, or the equivalent button on your device, to claim your rewards.

Expired Legacy Piece codes

• 19KLIKES!! - 5x Heavenly Fish Chest, 2,500x Trait Reroll, 500x Clan Reroll, 1x Drop Potion, 10,000x Shards
• 18KLIKES!! - 2,000x Boss Ticket, 5x Heavenly Fish Chest, 2,500x Trait Reroll, 500x Clan Reroll, 1x Drop Potion, 10,000x Shards
• UPDATE1.75!! - Spawns Ancient Infernal Core, 5,000x Boss Ticket, 25x Heavenly Fish Chest, 2,500x Trait Reroll, 500x Clan Reroll, 2x Drop Potion, 10,000x Shards
• SORRYFORDELAY5!! - 2x Drop Potion, 10,000x Shards
• DONTKNOWWHATTOTYPEFORTHISCODE!! - 2,000x Boss Ticket, 100x Ultimate Chest, 10,000x Shards
• BALANCECHANGE1!! - 1,000x Boss Ticket, 10,000x Shards
• 4MVISITS!! - 15x Whale Blessing Chest, 10x Secret Fish Chest, 10,000x Shards
• OCEANUPDATE!! - 10x Whale Blessing Chest, 5x Secret Fish Chest, 10,000x Shards
• THANKSFOR17KLIKES!! - 10x Whale Blessing Chest, 5x Secret Fish Chest, 10,000x Shards
• SORRYFORBUGS10!! - 100x Clan Reroll, 10x Fireforce Chest, 10,000x Shards
• SORRYFORBUGS9!! - 100x Clan Reroll, 10x Fireforce Chest, 10,000x Shards
• SORRYFORDELAY3!! - 20x Whale Blessing Chest, 10x Secret Fish Chest, 100x Clan Reroll, 10,000x Shards
• UPDATE1.5!! - 20x Whale Blessing Chest, 10x Secret Fish Chest, 10,000x Shards
• SORRYFORBUGS11!! - 1x Ultimate Enhancement Gem, 50x Abyssal Chest, 1,000x Shards
• BUGFIXFORUPDATE1.1!! - 100x Clan Reroll, 50x Abyssal Chest, 10,000x Shards
• SORRYFORDELAYYY2!! - 50x Abyssal Chest, 1x Godly Ascension Stone, 10,000x Shards
• SORRYFORDELAYYY!! - 100x Clan Reroll, 50x Abyssal Chest, 10,000x Shards
• UPDATE1.1!! - 100x Clan Reroll, 50x Abyssal Chest, 10,000x Shards
• THANKSFOR4KCCU!! - 5x Aura Crate, 10x Ultimate Chest, 100x Clan Reroll, 10,000x Shards
• FIREUPDATE!! - 100x Clan Reroll, 10x Fire Force Chest, 10,000x Shards

Plenty of Legacy Piece codes have expired since the game launched, as you can see above, so be sure to redeem current codes while you have the chance. When they expire, I'll move them down here so you don't waste time redeeming invalid promos.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

It seems only right that GTA 6 would go heavy on advertising in Miami, Florida, since the game's location, Leonida, is based on the city. Plans for some discreet advertising there passed the city council but just barely, amid concerns over the violence therein.

On September 10, the City of Miami Beach voted 4-3 to allow for Rockstar's proposed campaign to roll out across the area. The exact extent of what's planned is unknown, but the ensuing debate revealed a few details.

There'll be umbrellas and beach chairs from Boucher Brothers, a supplier of beach equipment, emblazoned with the VI symbol from the game's logo. Rockstar's total investment is expected to come in at $3 million across the entire advertising rollout, which will run from October 15 through to the end of 2026.

The time period certainly makes sense, since it pushes the release around the holiday period for Christmas presents and such. From the sounds of things, it seems like the idea will be to make GTA 6 fully synonymous with Miami Beach by placing logos and symbols around the city in less immediately noticeable ways.

Or at least, that's my guess from the outset. Rockstar could just as easily be planning a massive boat race. Nonetheless, there was a back-and-forth between the commissioners on the council over the appropriateness of associating with the game, which can be viewed in full on YouTube.

"You can't spend years telling the world that Miami Beach has changed, imposing some of the toughest Spring Break restrictions we've ever had, to change our brand and our image," commissioner David Suarez says. "And then turn around and voluntarily promote the very image we're trying to leave behind."

He then showed a GTA 6 clip of the various violent crimes you can commit. In response, Commissioner Monica Matteo-Salinas points out that she's a fan of the series. "I played it in 1997, when it first came out; I played it in 2002 when it came out, the Vice City version, and I'm going to play it again when this one comes out," she proclaims.

"It's a video game; it's fake. We can be who we are and make a nod to this video game without endorsing it," she argues. "This won't affect our brand. This is a win for gamers, and gaming nerds, such as myself."

The adverts won't touch city property, nor will they be part of Art Basel Miami, an annual art fair that happens in the first half of December.

GTA 6 fans track down real-life nudist resort featured in leaks just to write unflattering fake reviews that are driving its owner to madness: "A nudist resort DENYING exposure?"

A new report sheds more light on why Sony and PlayStation dropped Hideo Kojima's action-espionage game, Physint, in a high-profile announcement that saw the project handed to Microsoft and Xbox.

Bloomberg, citing several people familiar with the game poised to become the successor to Kojima's Metal Gear series, reports that Physint had missed production deadlines and is on track to go "well over budget" as it still needs years of work.

With Sony tightening development milestone check-ins after numerous live service games fell through, left gaps in the PS5 release schedule, and even consumed entire studios, this excess has come at a time of increased fiscal stringency, the report adds.

Further financial concerns stem from the sales and relationship PlayStation saw with Kojima's two Death Stranding games, which reportedly missed Sony's targets. With the Death Stranding games ultimately coming to PC at a time when Sony is purportedly backing away from the platform to double down on console exclusivity, a similar timed exclusive deal for Physint is less appealing.

Additionally, Bloomberg notes that many of the PlayStation executives and leaders who'd previously worked closely with Kojima have left the company in recent years, severing a chain of relationships that may have kept Kojima's work in Sony's good books.

One clear example would be Andrew House, who, in 2015, first announced PlayStation's exclusivity deal with Kojima Productions. Physint itself was revealed in 2024 during a PlayStation State of Play showcase.

House left PlayStation in 2017, not long after that deal was struck. If he and others like him were still at PlayStation, conversations and arrangements around Kojima's games may be quite different and Physint may still be greenlit, if not more heavily centered as a tentpole PlayStation game.

As news of the split broke, Kojima said "we unexpectedly received notice from PlayStation Studios that they would cancel the PHYSINT project," sending him and Kojima Productions seeking a new partner to salvage the game.

It found one in Xbox, with new CEO Asha Sharma happy to pick up Physint in "a big moment for Xbox" and in the latest reversal for two platform holders which have long had a clear market winner. The PS5 remains far ahead in console sales compared to the Xbox Series X, but Sony seems hellbent on giving Microsoft every opportunity to recover.

A Microsoft spokesperson tells Bloomberg that "betting on Kojima-san is an easy call."

Microsoft was already working with Kojima on OD, which it has backed since the game's 2023 reveal during The Game Awards. Kojima said the pitch for OD was "crazy" and Xbox, then led by Phil Spencer, was basically the only receptive client.

Sharma, Spencer's replacement, has said OD is a "deeply moving game" and "represents another kind" of experience.

Sony has topped a generational run of self-owns: abandoning Hideo Kojima's next Metal Gear right as Marvel's Wolverine falls flat.

Battlefield 6 codes have had an unlikely resurgence almost a year after the game launched, offering a fresh wave of cosmetic items to customize your game with. These include various exclusive Titles to display on your Playercard, with some tongue-in-cheek options such as "Skill Issue" and "Battledad", but the best news is that the rewards from these BF6 codes are also unlocked in the free-to-play Battlefield Redsec so anyone can use them. To get involved, here are all of the codes for Battlefield 6 and how to redeem them.

All Battlefield 6 codes

The following BF6 codes can be claimed for rewards:

• ACE – "Buzz the Tower" Playercard Sticker [179]
• PHOENIX – "Phoenix Flight" Attack Helicopter Skin [178]
• AVIATOR – "Top Aviator" Playercard Title [176]
• GHOSTRIDER – "Ghostrider" Uniform Patch [175]
• SKILLISSUES4 – "Skill Issue" Playercard Title [172]
• ILOVEPORTALS4 – "Built Different" Playercard Title [171]
• BATTLEDADS4 – "Battledad" Playercard Title [170]
• AKAJOHNS4 – "AKA John" Playercard Title [169]

As you can see, there are a decent number of Battlefield 6 codes available that mainly unlock Playercard Titles, though other cosmetics including a uniform patch and a vehicle skin for the Attack Helicopter are also included. The number in brackets shown after each reward represents what is displayed when you redeem each promo through the website.

How to redeem Battlefield 6 codes

To redeem BF6 codes, you need to visit the official code redemption page and log in with your EA account. Next, click on the REDEEM button and an "Enter your product code" pop up will appear, with a text box to type in a promo before hitting the Next button. You should then see a "Confirm code activation" pop up stating product Battlefield 6 Reward - [xxx] with the number matching the one shown next to the reward on the list above.

Use the Confirm button to finish this process and claim your reward, but note that expired codes or promos you have used before will still appear on the activation pop up, and an error message won't appear until you hit that Confirm button. Once claimed, your reward will be available next time you log into Battlefield 6 or Redsec, and confirmed by an inbox message.

Expired Battlefield 6 codes

• TAKEOFF – Standard XP Booster [173]
• WELCOMES4 – 60-minute Hardware XP Booster [168]

There have been a couple of recently expired Battlefield 6 codes, which were both for XP Boosters and these seem to have been cut off faster than the cosmetic rewards. There's no guarantee how long the rest of the promos will remain active for, so make sure you add them to your account now even if you don't currently have access to BF6 or Redsec as they'll be there waiting for you in the future.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

I'm not done with The Blood of Dawnwalker yet, but so far, I think it's a hell of an RPG that has its own voice while still feeling a little familiar. The limitations of Rebel Wolves' first dark fantasy action RPG are obvious, but easy to accept when The Witcher 3's pedigree permeates the whole thing. It's sorely missing a stealth system, though.

The best open-world games needn't allow players to sneak around just because, but having actual stealth mechanics might be useful when you're roleplaying as a half-vampire Dawnwalker who gains all sorts of shadowy tricks at night. This makes it feel like a chunk of the game was excised during development: Walking on walls and teleporting is allowed, but it feels odd – and incomplete – to infiltrate enemy bases this way only to be thrown into a fight the moment you trigger an enemy's MMORPG-like aggression radius.

The inability to be a silent killer also creates tension between the game's (otherwise fantastic) writing, impacting the way Coen embarks upon his perilous mission to save his loved ones. While I'm counting on Rebel Wolves to smartly iterate and expand on the formula in the now-confirmed sequel, I think The Blood of Dawnwalker's biggest weakness is playing things overly safe when it comes to dispatching enemies.

Claws need laws

Some suspension of disbelief is required to accept that Coen is picking fights all over Vale Sangora without protecting his identity in order to undermine the Vrakhiri's invasion and control efforts. He makes a point early on that hitting the vampiric villains where it hurts is key to eventually saving his family. But making a ruckus too fast is problematic, as he takes a while to go from confused (albeit combat-ready) peasant to folk anti-hero. This is acknowledged right after the prologue: He's just too weak to draw more attention to himself than necessary.

Regardless, you're soon taking down entire outposts and clearing dungeons as Coen, the guy with disturbingly strange powers and foul-tasting Dawnwalker blood that even big boss Brencis couldn't stomach. There's an entire Far Cry-like zoned system in place that makes the leader's bloodthirsty captains (here called boyars) react to disruptions you create in their respective domains before triggering a confrontation with each. But while stronger warriors are sent to hunt you down and locations get more fortified – or locked off completely – as you grow stronger and grow your notoriety, the evildoers always feel too lenient.

As we've seen in other open-world games with infamy systems, there's no easy answer to the dilemma of properly reacting to players' chaotic actions in ways that both preserves the credibility of the established narrative and dynamically raises the challenge. Coen is a unique kind of menace, though. Whether day or at night, he's charging into conflict, sword out, ready for a proper melee. Even when he's walking around the city of Svartrau, he doesn't seem to mind being recognized until it's too late. I know he's no Agent 47 or Ezio Auditore, but this disconnect makes me wish The Blood of Dawnwalker had even more friction baked in.

Bat among the pigeons

On a purely mechanical and visceral level, not being able to slice some throats in silence or properly drain soldiers without alerting their entire garrison is just disappointing. The game allows Coen to hit first as a Vrakhiri with a teleport-bite attack, but this first game simply wasn't built with sneak attacks in mind. 90% of the time, some grunt will smack you before you've started to properly absorb their mate's blood.

Similarly, the instant-kill drop attack that can be learned later on is a nice combat starter and a tease of what a stealth system that borrows from open-world greats such as Ghost of Yotei could be like in this setting. But it's never expanded on. You instantly go from undetected to swarmed, and any attempt to crouch and slowly navigate a camp will also result in melees that even trap you with invisible walls at times if you try to run away. It feels shockingly archaic and rigid for an action RPG that's delightfully bold and playful in other respects, even if I actually really enjoy what the game's peculiar combat system is going for.

I get that Rebel Wolves shares a ton of DNA with CD Projekt Red still, but about half of The Blood of Dawnwalker is just screaming to behave like something other than The Witcher 3. As much as I love that game, Geralt of Rivia was a skilled monster hunter. Coen is a different breed of killer, especially when his fangs and claws come out and he's dashing and teleporting across the rooftops like Corvo in Dishonored. It may be too late to alter what this new fantasy RPG is and isn't, but looking at the bright future ahead, I'm hoping for a more varied and sneaky vampire simulation come the sequel.

The Blood of Dawnwalker patch notes are among the funniest I've read, axing the "one red pipe asset we weren't supposed to use" and silencing dead NPCs who could still talk.

Are women in games still reduced to roles like damsels in distress, femme fatales, or dead wives? That's the discussion for this week's episode of the G+RLS podcast.

Serena, Emma-Jane, Ashley, and myself set to work debating whether women's roles have truly come a long way - but the TL;DR answer is yes. We touch on games like God of War Laufey and GTA 6 that are both on the way, but also the games that have done really well representing women over the years.

And of course all the ways the games industry still has room to improve, and the ways its failed so far. It's a complicated subject as you'd expect.

You can watch the brand new episode above, and do let us know what you think in the comments!

If you're new here, G+RLS is the GamesRadar+ podcast that tells the stories of women who game and the games they play. We have a new episode every other Friday, alternating between team chats discussing the issues we've faced, and the thoughts and concerns we have about the games industry, and interviews with creators, developers, voice actors and more.

Join us for a new episode every other Friday and let us know what you'd love to hear us talking about. We're available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer, and Amazon Music.

You can also watch the fifth episode below!

Atlus has announced a broadcast celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Persona series, and speculation is already rampant about whether we'll see Persona 6.

After almost 10 years since Persona 5 first released, we finally got our first look at Persona 6 earlier this year during the 2026 Summer Game Fest Xbox showcase, and we now know… pretty much as much as we did the moment Persona 5 released (I mean we all knew it would be green by process of elimination anyway). Well, that was until Steam seemingly leaked all the game's achievements, but as for official news, we don't know much.

That being said, the game is rumored to release sometime next year, backed by confirmation of a PS5 physical copy, which puts it before the January 2028 cutoff Sony gave before abandoning discs. Not to mention an M rating, which typically implies a game isn't too far off.

Atlus has announced that it'll be hosting a Persona 30th anniversary celebration stream on September 20, 2026, featuring guest appearances by actors and musicians from the series' past, as well as Persona series producer Kazuhisa Wada, with discussions, live performances, and merch announcements confirmed.

Naturally, everyone is wondering whether Persona 6 will make an appearance, but few are hopeful. A Resetera thread about the event included a poll, in which only 20% of respondents believe we'll see Persona 6 gameplay, with the rest being somewhat realistic. One response reads "I want to vote for gameplay, but I know in my heart it won't happen," while another adds "You'll get Atlus/Persona branded soap, and you'll like it."

Elsewhere, others generally agree that Persona 6 won't be shown at all until after Persona 4: Golden releases. This would somewhat match the releases Persona 3 Reload and Metaphor ReFantazio, which released the same year in 2024, with the latter not getting much in terms of trailers until after the Persona 3 remake was released.

Persona 4 Revival is the best-looking Persona to date, and after 1 hour playing, I'm already desperate to return to Inaba.

Dungeon Lootr codes grant all sorts of useful rewards, including valuable chests and Reforge Stones for upgrading your gear. Since loot is what we're after in this dungeon crawling adventure, it makes sense that you'd want to get as much free gear without fighting through caverns as possible, and that's just what these codes do.

The more you explore, the tougher the enemies get, of course, and to stand a chance against them in this Roblox RPG, you need the best gear, the best items, and the best class you can get. So, to help you out, I've listed the latest Dungeon Lootr codes below.

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

All Dungeon Lootr codes

These are the valid Dungeon Lootr codes you can claim right now:

• LOVETHISGAME - 10x Aspect Gems new!
• COURAGE - 5x Random GM Blessing
• RAIDTIME - 5x Forge Stone Bundles, 10x Reforge Stones
• WEEKENDBUFFS - 2x Luck Potion 1, 2x Luck Potion 2, 2x Luck Potion 3, 10x Reforge Stones
• 15KCCU - 100,000x Coins, 5x Luck Potion 3
• UPDATE1 - 10x Event Chests, 10x Reforge Stones, 5x Exotic Ingots
• LOOTR - 1,000x Coins, 1x Random GM Blessing

As you can see from my list, there are loads of different rewards available for redeeming these Dungeon Lootr codes, including thousands of coins to spend on reforging your gear or with the merchant, and chests for obtaining plenty of valuable loot.

We have seen some reports of different rewards for the codes above, but those listed are what I received - it could be that some codes grant random rewards.

How to redeem Dungeon Lootr codes

To redeem Dungeon Lootr codes, you must first complete or skip the tutorial. Then, click on the Menu button on the right-hand side of the screen, followed by the Extras button, indicated by three dots and three lines. Here, you'll find a Codes button, where you can open the codes window, enter a code from the list above, hit Claim, and enjoy your rewards.

You must also join the ClickBytes community if you haven't already, but the first time you try to redeem codes, you'll be prompted to do so in-game, meaning you don't have to leave the game to redeem your first code.

Expired Dungeon Lootr codes

• 10KFAV
• 8KLIKE
• 20KPLAYERS
• 4KFAV
• 3KLIKES
• FULLRELEASE
• LOOTRISBACK
• GIVEMEGEMSPLEASE
• FORGESKIP
• JACKPOT
• BYEMETA
• NEWASPECT
• EARLYACCESSYAY

As shown above, there are a few Dungeon Lootr codes that have already expired, and I'm confident those that are currently valid will join them soon, so be sure to redeem them as soon as possible to avoid missing out.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

If you ever want to keep a secret, Rockstar Games is a good place to go for advice. The developer managed to keep a lid on GTA 6 for years, defending itself against some outlandish attempts to leak parts of the game.

The company is currently facing an employment tribunal over the dismissal of 34 employees late last year under contentious circumstances. Rockstar argues it was for gross misconduct, whereas those impacted say it was part of a concerted effort to quell unionization and they weren't given appropriate due process.

During the proceedings, as several outlets report, Rockstar revealed the kinds of security risks it has faced while making the new Grand Theft Auto game. Attacks are regular, according to the publisher, and they come in a variety of creative ways.

Hacker groups have attempted to blackmail the company as recently as the last few weeks, according to testimony from Rockstar. This stands to reason, since there were an unfortunate number of leaks in the run-up to the extended look on Netflix. The anomalous group Cyerleeks was responsible for those clips, putting out over a dozen GTA 6 clips in motion, though it's unknown if they're the same ones who attempted to extort the studio.

Meanwhile, Rockstar had to employ specific protections on its own buildings to stop drone fly-bys. People were apparently using the hovering cameras to try to take screenshots or record in-progress builds of the upcoming crime sandbox, leading to privacy film being put over some windows.

This is the last hearing and will last five weeks, concluding in mid-October. We'll see what emerges in the coming days.

GTA 6 wasn't "fully formed" when Trailer 1 released, Rockstar boss says, but the Tom Petty song it used was a "mission statement" of where it was going.

Following Sony dropping Hideo Kojima's next project, analysts report that the Death Stranding series just about broke even in sales.

Despite making a massive deal out of its exclusivity when it was announced – it being the finale of a State of Play presentation – Sony reportedly wanted to cancel Kojima Productions' Metal Gear spiritual successor, Physint. Pretty soon after, Xbox announced it's now publishing both of the upcoming Hideo Kojima games, with OD still on the way, leaving many perplexed as to why Sony would drop one of its most anticipated titles amid a whirlwind few months of bad press for the PlayStation brand.

Some speculated that the Death Stranding games had underperformed, leading to Sony's decision; however, from the sounds of things, the series didn't flop, but it didn't do much more than its budget. Anilea Analytics reports that the first Death Stranding did pretty well, selling 5 million copies by the end in the same time it took Death Stranding 2 to sell around 2.5 million copies.

Death Stranding has reportedly made about $243 million, with a rumored budget of around $100 million, while Death Stranding 2 has made about $129 million on a rumored budget of somewhere between $150-200 million. Anilea reports the franchise has definitely broken even with its $413 million made across both games, "but not by much," with "an estimated return on investment of 18% to 38%."

The development of Metal Gear Solid 5 reportedly going over budget is part of what caused the rift between Konami and Hideo Kojima, so the idea of Physint development being expensive isn't too surprising to hear. And with Sony releasing a string of high-profile misses as of late, with the likes of Marathon, Saros, and Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls having pretty low-profile launches, and of course Sony sinking a ton of money into failed live service projects that end up canceled mid-dev (or after release in Concord's case), the publisher being more stingy is not entirely surprising.

However, Sony built its way back from the PS3's failures by being known for its high-quality releases. The Last of Us, the Horizon series, and so on fed into the prestige-publisher look Sony maintained until it decided to chase a live-service hit and stopped releasing games as often. And even then the Wolverine reviews seem to indicate the PlayStation first-party formula may be losing its shine a bit.

I can't think of something with more prestige than Hideo Kojima doing a new Metal Gear-like game, which not only would probably sell better than Death Stranding did on that basis alone, but even if it only broke even, it's the type of game that gets people in who will eventually pick up the next game. But hey, PlayStation's loss is Xbox's gain, unless it also decides to cancel the title.

Sony has topped a generational run of self-owns: abandoning Hideo Kojima's next Metal Gear right as Marvel's Wolverine falls flat

It looks like Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss Naoki Hamaguchi has plenty on his plate at the moment – not only is he working to get Part 3 of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy out the door, he's also "pushing" Kingdom Hearts 4 "forward."

As part of the latest media rounds for FF7: Revelation, Hamaguchi has been speaking to the press once more – you can read our own Final Fantasy 7 Revelation hands-on and interview here. As part of all of that chatter, Hamaguchi delves into what next year looks like for Square Enix, and it's a busy one.

"In terms of Square Enix and 2027, our President, Takashi Kiryu, says that next year is the big fight back for us, where everything turns around," he tells Deadline. "And obviously, between Final Fantasy 7 Revelation and Kingdom Hearts 4, those are massive titles that are going to push that. And both are being developed in my own studio, Creative Studio 1. So yeah, I’m really pumped up now for that. That’s really all on my watch now, so I’m going to be the guy who’s pushing all that forward."

Hamaguchi doesn't offer much more than that, though it's interesting to hear that Kingdom Hearts 4 is on his watch and that he's "pushing" it forward. Announced back in 2022, we haven't seen much of the beloved Disney spin-off until recently. The wait was worth it, however. Not only did we get a release window of next year, but Tetsuya Nomura was quite confident it wouldn't be delayed.

Interestingly, it was only recently that Final Fantasy 14 boss Naoki Yoshida praised Hamaguchi at Fan Fest Berlin for his ability to run and organize a team well – no wonder so many fans want him on Final Fantasy 17. Whether or not Hamaguchi's talent for management lends to Nomura's confidence over the Kingdom Hearts 4 release window is hard to say, but the broader picture is encouraging.

Another thing to add that may please fans is that, while researching this article, I came across another interview with Hamaguchi in which he reportedly said he would like Kingdom Hearts 4 to get a physical edition, too.

He doesn't add much there, though he's spoken about physical media a few times lately and his thoughts on it. Back at Final Fantasy 14 Fan Fest, actually, I spoke to him about whether Square Enix had plans to offer a physical version of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation. We have since learned that they will, though his thoughts given at the time still seem relevant.

"Personally, here at something like Fan Fest or at community events for games that I've worked on, I really think that people bringing up things, asking for autographs – I think that's lovely," he said at the time. "I think it's a wonderful culture and it would be a shame to lose that. I want that to remain."

What a year 2027 might be for Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy fans.

Steam is seemingly responsible for one of the biggest leaks in years: Persona 6, Kingdom Hearts 4, Fable, Metro 2039, and over 70 other games see achievements spill online.

While Sony cites "consumer preferences" for digital games as the core reason for its decision to abandon physical PlayStation releases, the numbers presented in a new report tell a different story. Games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 are still making a ton of money on disc, according to Rhys Elliot of Alinea Analytics, and Sony's decision to end discs is much more about controlling the overall market for PlayStation games.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 earned $1.2 billion in gross revenue, according to the estimates in Elliot's latest newsletter, 35% of which was made up of physical unit sales. Ghost of Yotei made $400 million, with 37.6% physical. Astro Bot hit $275 million with 46.8% physical. Death Stranding 2 made $129 million, with 41.8% physical.

Why are these numbers so much higher than we've seen from other sources, including Sony itself? For one thing, many of the previous numbers have been counting unit sales, not revenue. For another, Alinea's numbers are about revenue generated, not units sold. And, of course, here we're talking purely about "prestige single-player" games, whose audiences are more likely to buy physical.

"Physical revenue is huge in the prestige single-player games Sony is getting more cautious about," Elliot argues, noting that "a disc dollar is worth less to Sony than a digital one, as there’s the retailer cut, manufacturing and distribution." Certainly, Sony would prefer if it were able to keep 100% of the revenue from these games, and it's betting that whatever players it loses by ditching physical releases will be offset by increased net profits.

So, Elliott argues, "the disc decision was largely about margins, control, and killing the secondhand market," rather than a recognition of consumer trends. We all likely could have guessed as much, and these factors are exactly why I've argued that PlayStation killing discs is bad for everyone, but there's some vindication in seeing the thought backed up by market analysis numbers. That doesn't make the prospect of an all-digital PS6 any less annoying, though.

Sony has topped a generational run of self-owns: abandoning Hideo Kojima's next Metal Gear right as Marvel's Wolverine falls flat.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was a tornado while developer Sandfall Interactive was anticipating more of a pleasant breeze, selling a total of over 8 million copies, and helping reset expectations for how hard a AA game is supposed to make you cry. You might think this enormous reception would make publishers more eager to invest in AA and find their very own, relatively inexpensive blockbuster, but fellow mid-tier developer One More Level game director Radek Ratusznik says this isn't the case.

Publishers are squeamish about AA – it's as if all the warm thoughts of berets and fresh baguettes that French JRPG Expedition 33 inspired disappeared as soon as they started reaching for their checkbooks. So Ratusznik, who is leading what I hope will be another AA masterpiece in the zombie Soulslike Valor Mortis, believes the industry needs more unprecedented bestsellers.

It would be nice, wouldn't it? Both for players looking to experience creative risks that usually only small teams are willing to take, and for developers, who could use the encouragement. In any case, Ratusznik tells GamesIndustry.biz at this year's Gamescom, "We had this enormous success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but still publishers find the AA segment quite risky."

The director continues, "We probably need a few more Expedition 33s to just prove them wrong. Maybe one Expedition is not enough. There are also so many companies who can deliver very good titles in the AA scope and budget, not just spending hundreds of millions."

The problem is, some publishers already know this. What they're looking for is more than a lean team that knows what it's doing – they want a miracle, too. Ratusznik explains, "It's not like we can make the game in one year without any trouble. The game still needs proper time to be published and properly tested. I doubt that we can squeeze it that much, as probably some of the publishers would like to."

Unaware of the tribulations of being AA, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Valor Mortis' demo at this year's Summer Game Fest. It's a strange 19th century French battle for moral greyness – which, you know, now that I'm saying it, almost sounds like another Expedition 33. Valor Mortis might be leading the change Ratusznik wants to see.

Ghostrunner devs abandon parkour for Valor Mortis, a first-person soulslike that might explain why the rest of the genre follows Dark Souls' lead.

"What are they doing" is the wrong way to interrogate Sony and PlayStation's decisions in 2026, I think. And they do need to be interrogated – questioned, scrutinized, and, possibly, aggressively shaken by the shoulders in a dimly lit room with bare concrete walls and a lone steel chair. "Why are they doing this" is maybe a more useful question, but it leads us to the same boring answer as ever: money and control (of money). The question on my mind right now is a bit longer: how did Sony manage to abandon a hotly anticipated Hideo Kojima game within 24 hours of the first-party letdown that is Marvel's Wolverine, all in a console generation marred by devastatingly few system-selling games and prices that are headed in the wrong direction?

Don't let anyone tell you the universe doesn't have a sense of humor. Sony has, not uniquely, been trimming its toenails with a shotgun for a while now, but this is some Houdini shit. At a time when PlayStation is desperate for games and the list of PS5 exclusives fits on a napkin, Sony has backed out of publishing Physint, billed as Kojima's return to stealth-action after some tumultuous, naval-gazing years post-Metal Gear Solid. In the process, Sony has hand-delivered Physint to Xbox, the project's new backer. If Microsoft is the better option for a third-party studio, you have messed up colossally.

This news arrived the night of September 9. The morning of September 10, our Marvel's Wolverine review arrived alongside everyone else's to utter a collective, "Eh." Marvel's Wolverine is not awful, my coworkers tell me (and Metacritic agrees), but it is the worst-reviewed Insomniac game in a decade, and it is not the smash-hit that the PS5 needed. It's also a useful lens for evaluating PlayStation's position. Sure, it's a rare less-than-stellar game from Insomniac, but its middling nature is such a blow mostly because of the circumstances around it, and these echo many of Sony's mistakes this generation.

Dead services

Once a first-party powerhouse, PlayStation has spent the PS5 years repeating Microsoft's mistake with Arkane Austin and Redfall on a much larger scale: steering single-player-adept studios toward live service projects in a misguided pursuit of infinite money, and then canning those games or closing the studios altogether when they don't work out. To name a few, games and staff at Bluepoint, Naughty Dog, Bend Studio, Firewalk, Bungie, and reportedly Guerrilla have all contributed to Sony's live service toll, which has left vanishingly few studios available to make some actual games for the PS5.

Saros was good and Ghost of Yotei was great, but in Sony's self-imposed game famine, Marvel's Wolverine was left to carry the weight of Atlas as fans pray that God of War Laufey and Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet eventually stick the landing. I don't think it would've reviewed better, but in brighter times, Insomniac's latest likely would've been more warmly received. But years of waiting and enormous expectations have doomed it to become the punching bag for frustrations out of Insomniac's hands.

Sony oversaw the acquisition of Bungie and the end of Destiny 2, the game once meant to serve as a north star for PlayStation's fleet of live service ventures (and, grimly, perhaps has). We can only speculate that Sony has crunched the numbers on Death Stranding 2 and decided that Physint isn't worth the risk and doesn't hold value outside of potential sales returns. I don't even like Kojima's games and that feels shortsighted to me. And Sony has also reportedly pushed to pull back from PC gaming, end support for physical games, and charge more for less anywhere it can while aggressively monetizing a stagnant user base in a mature market which shockingly has not been helped by fewer options, fewer games, and higher prices.

A backdrop of unpopular decisions and leadership failures has made the one-two punch of Physint and Marvel's Wolverine feel like a lot more than, respectively, a dropped and disappointing game. It's hard not to read them as the latest symptoms of a generational misstep. If PlayStation wasn't weighed down by the corpses of live service games, it may have the investment mobility to take on Physint, especially after the relationship built with Kojima Productions through the Death Stranding games. And if those live services hadn't fruitlessly consumed so much of the platform's development resources in recent years – that is, if we had some games coming out – people would probably shrug off a middling Wolverine game. This is just what happens when you go all-in and lose.

The Xbox reset has stoked more headlines, but PlayStation is staring down a sea change of its own after fumbling an unlosable position. It could not be more obvious that the platform's strategy is not working, is hurting game developers, and needs to change dramatically, and we still haven't reached the end of the consequences already set in motion. I'd love to say Sony's capped off a bad year with all of this, but it's only September and I've learned not to underestimate a corporation's capacity or thirst for failure.

Former PlayStation boss sounds just as surprised as everyone else that Sony let Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear successor go to Xbox.

GTA 6 fans will not allow a peaceful nudist resort in Florida to be nude in peace. They tracked down the real-life location, which would appear to be in Rockstar's crass open-world after doomed crypto scammer Cyberleek showed off a similar naked palooza in gameplay clips this August, and now its owner is ready to pull a GTA 5.

Cypress Cove Nudist Resort in Kissimmee, Florida looks to be represented in GTA 6 as a pleasant retreat with a stocked bar, blue pool, and more penises than you could count – though Cyberleek tries their best to be destructive in their leaked footage that ends in a naked bullet hail. Before that, GTA 6 protagonist Jason is only passively criminal, leering at strangers with a pair of crystal-clear binoculars, which I imagine isn't what most people want to see when they have their nipples out. GTA 6 fans make this known in their fake five-star Google reviews of Cypress Cove, which are glowing, despite their in-character references to Jason and his wandering eyes.

Many of these reviews seem to have been deleted as of writing, but Cypress Cove left at least one up as a warning. That review says, "Had a great time until a man pulled out his binoculars." But this was the wrong thing to say to Cypress Cove – which also claims GTA 6 trolls are petitioning the business for money in order to delete their reviews.

"SPAM / EXTORTION REVIEW," the nudist resort labels it. "For anyone wondering about the suddenly recurring references to 'Jason Duval,' 'Lucia,' binoculars, a pool, firearms, and other suspiciously similar details — those are references to Grand Theft Auto VI. Yes. A video game."

Cypress Cove continues, "These reviews appear to be part of a coordinated series of fabricated posts using GTA VI references and attaching them to our actual business. They were then followed by a request that we PAY MONEY to have the reviews changed or removed."

The business vows: "We will not pay. We will not negotiate. We have documented the reviews and the request for payment. This activity is being reported through the appropriate channels." It continues to warn GTA 6 hopefuls that, while "we appreciate the commitment to the GTA storyline, [...] Cypress Cove is located in Florida – not Leonida."

"Unfortunately," the nudists conclude, "our marketing budget also does not contain a line item for 'internet ransom.'"

"The owner definitely wasn't happy about the comments," correctly observes a Reddit thread on the topic. Screenshots show other five-star reviews that reference "what happened on August 24," the day Cyberleek shared that footage of Jason killing everyone at the nudist resort in GTA 6, and subsequent warnings to "beware of the guy named Jason Duval." Cypress Cove has the same response to all of it, "SPAM / EXTORTION REVIEW."

"A nudist resort DENYING exposure??" says one incredulous Reddit comment. But I think I understand why a friendly nudist resort for relaxed hippies in Florida wouldn't want to be associated with an illegal video game leak that shows a man murdering innocents from the edge of its pool. Even for an R-rated location, it isn't brand safe.

"They already view us as a people who can't fight back and don't care if we're chained up," writes one purported nudist in the subculture's Reddit, who is horrified with Rockstar's horny representation of people that simply want to feel the wind on their butts. "We need to make it apparent to everybody just how inaccurate this parody truly is. If we can't unite, we're already dead."

So, there are some people out there who would gladly defend Cypress Cove's honor against GTA 6 miscreants. They might encourage fake reviewers to turn off the laptop, take off their cloth tops, and enjoy the real Florida sunshine before GTA 6 glues everyone and their underwear to their gaming chairs on November 19.

GTA 6 extended reveal caused a surge in PS5 and Xbox Series X sales, analysts say – now imagine the response if consoles didn't cost an arm and a leg.

EA's new Saudi Arabia owners are reportedly looking to shuffle the publisher into a new gaming giant that would combine and spearhead the country's gaming strategy.

Bloomberg reports that early considerations at Saudi Arabia, the supermajority owner in a new consortium of investors that took EA private in a deal that closed August 4, would see EA merged with Savvy Games, a group established by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) in 2021 as the bedrock for yet more billions in investment.

EA and PIF representatives evidently declined to comment on the report.

The report stresses that final decisions have not been made and are unlikely to come until, at the very least, Savvy can close the $6 billion acquisition of Chinese studio and Mobile Legends maker Moonton.

On the Public Investment Fund website, Savvy Games' stated goal is "achieving leadership status in the games industry by 2030."

"Savvy has been growing rapidly since being established, with ESL FACEIT Group, the world’s #1 esports company, and Scopely, the #1 mobile games company in the United States, under its portfolio," it adds.

If such a merger goes through, and passes regulatory scrutiny, it would put EA's sports franchises and Scopely's Pokemon Go – not to mention Monopoly Go! – in the same place.

Buying one of the largest game publishers in the US for $55 billion and then almost immediately pushing it into a merger with your other company – which you pumped $38 billion into in order to acquire some of the biggest players in mobile gaming – would, perhaps, raise an eyebrow in an antitrust case.

The considered merger appears mobile-heavy, but the PIF didn't snatch up EA just for phone games, and this move could land it one of the world's biggest gaming companies altogether.

It could also spell the end of EA as we've known it for years, if you generously assume that this takeover hasn't already settled that. The EA deal stoked fears of mass layoffs at the company, even as EA leadership insists "our creative freedom and player-first values will remain intact," and being wholly merged with Saudi Arabia's very own mobile foothold surely wouldn't settle those fears.

EA staff fear new Saudi Arabia owners will police their games: "Projects just won't get signed because they don't align explicitly with what the Saudi government wants."

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will launch on a physical disc, but there's an important caveat in that the game still requires an online download. That's in contrast to the previous two parts of the remake trilogy, which launched with multiple discs containing the entirety of each respective game. Director Naoki Hamaguchi says releasing the entire game on disc would've meant compromising on the RPG's quality.

"When we had an internal discussion with the development team about how we wanted to approach the physical discs and the physical releases of FFVII Revelation," Hamaguchi tells IGN, "initially there were conversations about using the same disc size as we did for, say, FFVII Rebirth. But if we were to do that, it would mean that we would have to make a compromise in terms of the fidelity and the quality of the game. So as a development team, we didn't want to do that. We didn't want to make any compromises for the game."

I very much wish that Hamaguchi had gone into more technical details here, because it feels like the answer is obvious: just put more discs in the box. The physical versions of Rebirth and the original PS4 release of Remake each featured two discs, after all. Would Revelation's file size have stretched it out to three discs, or more? Would three discs have been too expensive for Square Enix to justify manufacturing? Is there some technical limitation on the console making a three disc version impossible? Hamaguchi doesn't elaborate.

"Realistically, the only choice that we had was to release this physical disc, but with certain sections of the game being a digital download format through the physical disc," he concludes. "With that being said, I completely understand that not all players might be happy with this decision, but at the same time, I am happy that we were still able to release a physical format of the game. So I am quite satisfied with the end results as well. I would hope that our fans and players would be able to share that as well."

There are two primary benefits to physical games. One is that you have a physical object that you can lend, trade, give away, or sell whenever you want to. The other is that – in theory – you've got a permanent archive of that game which you can continue to play long after patching servers shut down. I'd take having one of those things over getting neither of them, but I wish I wasn't having to compromise at all.

Tired of digital everything, more people are buying physical media: CD sales are up 58% and vinyl records jumped 17%, according to new report.

Although Starfield stands as one of Bethesda Game Studios' most ambitious RPG projects to date, it didn't exactly outshine the likes of The Elder Scrolls or Fallout – and that may just be because it was a bit too ambitious.

Speaking to FRVR, Starfield lead systems designer Kurt Kuhlmann admits as much, first explaining how everything being "new" – because, you know, the space RPG did see the "largest engine overhaul" from Bethesda since the original Oblivion – complicated things right off the bat.

Developers "needed this new system to work" before building on it, he says, "and the later that goes, the less time you have to work with it." The size of the team working on Starfield was simply not it either, considering the sheer scope.

"Even with the size of the team that we had for Starfield, it wasn't big enough to create the amount of content that the grand idea of the game really required," as Kuhlmann recalls. "Like, we needed way more [devs]."

Why was the scope so wide for Starfield, though? Well, Bethesda head Todd Howard wanted it to be one heck of a game.

"He wanted to make a big open-world space game which, to him, wasn't Skyrim in space and you just go on this one planet and then a bit on this other planet," says Kuhlmann.

And, while "it is what we built," the lead says it might've been a bad idea. "That is an ambitious as hell vision, and I don't think, especially in retrospect, we shouldn't have made it. We couldn’t really make it." Bethesda did do its best, however.

As Kuhlmann concludes, "We pulled it off to quite an impressive degree, but yeah, it was not our forte. It was not leaning to our strengths."

I suppose I can see that – as a usual fan of all things Bethesda myself, Starfield didn't exactly mesh well with my tastes. I would've much rather played The Elder Scrolls 6 (sigh), but I am glad to see studios try new things – even if they don't always work out as well as they could've.

"Most people wanted" to make The Elder Scrolls 6 after Fallout 4, says Skyrim co-lead, but then Todd Howard said "No, we're doing Starfield"

The Marvel's Wolverine Metacritic scores are in and they're… OK. Insomniac's latest superhero adventure has solid combat foundations and good performances from its lead characters, but its story never ultimately coheres, the fighting peaks way too early, and it's extremely limited in scope compared to modern first-party PlayStation games.

At least, that's my feeling after finishing a pre-release version of the game. In our full Marvel's Wolverine review, Leon writes that "Marvel's Wolverine is never a bad experience, just an underwhelming one full of odd choices. I enjoyed it enough for the most part but never really felt blown away, or like I was getting the game Wolverine deserved."

It's a shame, because the foundations of a great game are here. I loved the two hours of Marvel's Wolverine hands-on time I got earlier this year, but it turns out that those two hours showed me most of what the game has to offer, and even over the course of a relatively short 10-15 hour game, those adamantium bones get stretched pretty thin.

You'll find similar sentiments echoed throughout other reviews, which have resulted in an aggregate score of 77 on Metacritic. There are some glowing outliers, but most reviews align with Leon and my feelings about the game: it's fine. And, unfortunately, "fine" is well below where expectations are at for a modern Sony game.

That score could shift as more reviews trickle in, but right now, that 77 marks Insomniac's worst rating for an original game since its small-scale experiment, Song of the Deep, in 2016. Admittedly, the studio has mostly been making the excellent Spider-Man games since then, but Wolverine also fails to measure up to the historic scores of games like Sunset Overdrive and much of the Ratchet & Clank series.

It's particularly disappointing given how rarely we get first-party PlayStation games these days. Sony's console is known as one of the last big outlets for AAA single-player games, and now we're lucky to get more than two of them a year. When one of those fails to hit, it stings.

Here are the upcoming PS5 games you need to know about.

I charge around the dingy dungeon sprawled out in front of me, flying enemies swooping at me from above, and grounded foes completely surrounding me, as the dev on my shoulder encourages me to do one thing, and one thing only: attack.

Stupid Never Dies is the most colorful zombie game I've ever played. Sitting down for 30 minutes of the action RPG at Gamescom, its punk rock-inspired look seeping into everything from the character designs to the flashy UI, I'm struck with the realization that this is the first game I've played since Persona 3 Reload that has such a strong and unique visual identity – it could honestly rival the Atlus JRPGs in many ways.

As you'd hope from GPTRACK50 as a studio led by former Capcom veterans with credits on series including Devil May Cry, Dragon's Dogma, Resident Evil, and more, this isn't a case of style over substance. Even from a brief demo, it's clear that Stupid Never Dies ironically has a lot of clever ideas.

Love after death

Protagonist Davy is a zombie – the weakest one, at that. But to save a dead girl he's fallen in love with, he's got to fight his way through a dangerous dungeon to eventually beat the King of Monsters.

Thankfully, he's got a few tricks up his sleeve to do so – being a zombie, he can die as much as he likes, for a start, but his other abilities see him biting enemies to restore his health, as well as a parry move (with a very generous reaction window) to launch counterattacks when there's a big blow headed your way. These defensive measures are a large part of the reason why I'm encouraged to get really stuck into fights, no matter how dangerous they may appear.

My favorite of Davy's powers is his ability to chomp down on the "cores" sometimes dropped by foes, which lets him temporarily unlock various transformations and steal their combat moves (kind of like Monoco in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33), expanding his moveset beyond his standard melee attacks. My go-to in the demo turns him into a wolf-like foe with a devastating, wide-reaching slashing attack that wipes out anything that dares get too close, but it's also great flying around as an airborne creature or slamming into crowds as a giant ogre.

Striking a power chord

There's a universal truth in any action game – defeating big groups of enemies is fun, and that's no different here. The only snag I find is the lack of an option to lock onto enemies.

Davy might pack a punch, but he can also feel clumsy to handle. There are many occasions I find myself launching attacks but narrowly missing my targets – especially the airborne ones. Speaking to director Eiichiro Sasaki following my demo, he explains that the lack of lock-on was to "gain the flexibility of the gameplay," noting that deciding how to deal with the "pressure" from multiple directions "was the important thing for this game."

I do sort of see the vision, but after an admittedly short amount of time playing, I'm yet to figure out if this concept will actually grow on me or simply serve as a point of friction. So far, it feels like a hurdle stopping the combat from feeling fully satisfying, sometimes making punches and the like feel floaty and aimless rather than snappy and powerful – but I'd love to be proven wrong.

Even if I'm not completely in love with the feel of the combat right now, though, I left my demo feeling hungry for more. There's a definite magic in what GPTRACK50 is cooking up here, and I'm eager to see how Stupid Never Dies lands when it launches next month.

Feast your eyes on our list of the best ARPGs if you're hankering for some other combat-heavy roleplaying experiences!

A couple of weeks ago, Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 provided us with our first look at both The Witcher 3 Remastered and CD Projekt Red's brand-new expansion for the RPG, Songs of the Past – an expansion that wouldn't have happened without the remaster.

Or, at least, that's what CD Projekt Red says in a recent interview with BBC News over on YouTube.

As Jakub Rokosz, game director behind both The Witcher 3 and now Songs of the Past, recalls, "the stars had to align and the conditions had to be just right to make this [the new expansion] happen." And right they became, as "the story of Dandelion's past and homeland came into our spotlight" at the perfect time.

Right when "CD Projekt Red started talking to us about about doing it," other "work on the remaster" was underway – "and those two things are intertwined in a way that the realization of Letten, Dandelion's hometown, wouldn't be possible without the remaster upgrades."

As Rokosz concludes, "there are a few things that had to click together" to make Songs of the Past "possible." And, thankfully, those things did indeed click.

Considering the sheer scope of Songs of the Past, I'm honestly not too surprised to hear Rokosz say that The Witcher 3 Remastered was practically necessary to make the expansion work.

After all, the original RPG from CD Projekt Red launched way back in 2015, leaving over a decade of technological advancements between then and now. Plus, it sounds like the remaster will be quite the overhaul, also.

We've got everything from "improved combat" to massively reworked visuals to look forward to, at times making it sound more like a remake than a remaster, honestly.

It's one heck of an undertaking for developers, undoubtedly, anyway, considering all of the other upcoming CD Projekt Red games, too. Coupled with Songs of the Past – which Rokosz makes seem huge as well – we Witcher stans have a lot to be excited about.

After 20 years voicing Geralt, The Witcher 3 star Doug Cockle says revisiting his character for Songs of the Past is "like slipping into a warm bath"

The new Fable has the unenviable position of bringing the series to a contemporary audience. After all, it's been 16 years since Fable 3, the last mainline entry. Playground Games is taking that responsibility seriously, with combat that merges new school and more classical mechanics.

"When we're talking about being faithful to the classic franchise, we thought about how there was an approachability to combat there," Will Kennedy, associate game director, explained to TechRadar. "And we knew that we wanted to be able to capture some of that for our game as well. But at the same time, we're making a game for gaming today."

It's a tricky balance. Fable has a lot of fans who've been waiting around for another installment - myself included - and we want this sequel to feel like the other games. But game development has evolved, and you don't want to alienate newcomers for the sake of making sure it still feels like 2009 to our old, decrepit hands.

"We wanted there to be breadth and depth to it, so we landed on wanting to have style-weaving combat," he says. "We wanted to be able to move from move to move really smoothly and easily, and that combined with the level expression that you've got."

The system Playground Games created is all about versatility. You can edit your loadout from the top down, and you have four spell slots to tinker with to see what works for you. Kennedy notes that you won't be playing long before "you have a really broad, deep, rich suite of options to choose from."

He adds the team is "really proud" of how "satisfying" the RPG feels. "We've landed somewhere that is still approachable but has that depth that we want and so therefore is faithful but works in gaming today as well for players, which is sometimes to be proud of," he finishes.

We'll see just what he means when Fable arrives in February 2027.

Fable devs originally had a tool to randomize the RPG's 1,000 NPCs that "would have saved us so much time," but that "just didn't make as much sense"

Would you believe Crash Bandicoot has left his 20s? The series celebrates its 30th birthday this week, and every mainline release is still available to play on modern consoles. While the Bandicoot starts noticing the physical effects of those tornado spins and body slams, then, we can relive the glory days with all four central releases.

Not only that, but you bet there's a whole host of gadgets and gizmos designed to accompany you on this platforming odyssey. From socks to official artbooks, that ginger face pops up a lot more than you might assume. Whether you jumped in with It's About Time or you've seen the final levels of Crash Bash, there's plenty to jump into here.

Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot launched in North America and Europe in 1996, hitting the original PlayStation with a flourish. Crash went on to become the brand's mascot character for the rest of the 90s and well into the 2000s. In all that time, there have only been four numbered entries in the franchise, but that's not counting some series highlights; Wrath of Cortex, Warped, and Crash Team Racing.

Crash Bandicoot games

Crash Bandicoot accessories

We're also rounding up the best Legend of Zelda merch as well as the best Mario merch and Resident Evil merch for more memories.

Kaiju Alpha codes give huge buffs to Exp and cell generation, not only letting you power up faster, but also helping you reach any cell goal you might be headed towards to unlock new Kaiju or Skins.

Exp has a significant use in terms of getting stronger in this Roblox experience where you fight as a Kaiju against other Kaiju, and while skins don't have any benefit in combat, looking cool is part of the experience when you're playing as Godzilla or Kong. So, whether you want an Exp boost or a new skin, here are all the latest Kaiju Alpha codes.

If you're after other rewards that you can use across all of your experiences, head on over to our list of general Roblox promo codes.

All Kaiju Alpha codes

These are the Kaiju Alpha codes you can redeem right now:

• ROSE - 2x 60-minute Exp boost, 2x 60-minute Cell boost new!

As usual, the latest Kaiju Alpha code grants a boost in Exp and Cells, giving you a chance to level up your favorite Kaiju. If you're saving up cells for a new character, you can always hang on to your Exp boost for when you have it.

Codes aren't case-sensitive, but it may still be worth just copying and pasting them from above to be sure they're right.

How to redeem Kaiju Alpha codes

You can only redeem Kaiju Alpha codes from the main menu. You cannot do this in-game, and can only return to the main menu when you die or when you are not engaged in combat. When not engaged in combat, you can return to the main menu by clicking on the Menu button above your skills and waiting 10 seconds.

From the main menu click on Options, where you'll see the codes redemption box at the bottom. Enter codes from the list above and then hit enter on your keyboard or the equivalent button on your platform of choice.

Expired Kaiju Alpha codes

• KAONTOP - 60-minute Exp boost, 60-minute Cell boost
• XECRETISREAL - 60-minute Exp boost, 60-minute Cell boost
• DEAWYGIGACHAD - 30 levels
• SRRYFORBUGS - 3-hour Exp boost
• SRRYFORREVERTLEVEL - 50 levels

Kaiju Alpha codes tend to expire as new updates launch, so it's worth redeeming new codes as soon as possible so you don't miss out on these boosts.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

GamesRadar+ Replay is the gaming show made by you from all the clips you send in. Whether that's something you're proud of, or can't quite believe happened, all your impressive moments, displays of prowess, or clutch survivals are worthy fodder for our entertainment.

Round Up #6 features the best clips from the last month and includes some of the most Far Cry Far Cry that's ever Far Cry'd; some incredibly painful deaths in GTA, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Watch Dogs 2, not to mention an actual dog in Fallout New Vegas, and that's just a few options.

If you want to submit your own clips and be a part of it all then there's a big orange button below that will let you do that. There are £/$250 Amazon Vouchers to be won each month for the best videos (here are last month's winners) and you can send in any clips for any game, as well as a special 'speed theme' for September, giving you two chances to win:

By submitting your clip, you agree to the Terms and Conditions.

If you need a helping hand, here's how to record gameplay on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Switch/Switch 2 to save your highlights.

Now let's take a look at the latest Replay clips:

The middle section of Marvel's Wolverine feels like it nails the game developer Insomniac Games wanted to make. Set in a small semi open world Tokyo district, it sees Logan exploring and fighting – grumpily following leads as he criss-crosses the area following the clues that have brought him there. It's lively, layered, and just a fun place to be: full of cool little alleys, laden with eye-grabbing posters and neon lights, and, often, interesting places that, sure enough, wind up being somewhere you revisit in more detail later.

There's an enjoyable variety here where the texture of the game changes nicely, a range of gameplay and moments breaking up combat as you literally sniff out trails, look for clues, and enjoy existing in the buzzing neon lit space. I spent a lot more time than I needed here looking in shop windows, examining signs, listening in on conversations, or watching people just mill about. Most importantly there's a solid sense of progression to your time in Tokyo, with a clear arc and purpose to take you through it all, that feels meaningful.

By contrast the rest of the game feels thin, and largely consists of boxy corridors that top and tail Tokyo with shallow combat luges broken up by cutscene checkpoints and little else. Unlike the studio's Spider-Man games, Wolverine is strictly chapter-based and linear, more like Uncharted but without the finesse. You might find a corner here, hiding a collectible, or a forked path there, to give you a little agency to the type of forward progression you choose, but it's surprising just how nothingy these areas feel, especially in the opening act. After Tokyo, flow improves a little, with some occasional extra variety and scope, but combat still overwhelms many spaces that don't do much more than exist to house it, while the story sort of vaguely wafts its hand at reasons why it's all happening.

Not quite the best there is

Wolverine's gory, knife-handed combat is enjoyable for the most part, at least. It's functional and well formed, but it does lack the sort of magnetic snap that a great fighting system has when you lock into a flow. There's a good toolkit of moves to deal with enemies and situations, with a leaping attack to clear spaces fast as you bounce between meatbags, and some satisfying special moves you can pull out to mince through crowds or target single opponents for an unnecessary level of beatdown. It's bloody, messy and feels suitably Wolverine as claws end up in guts, faces, skulls and more.

However, all this people blending is built around a Rage system that feels both overcomplicated and inconsequential at the same time. There are three tiers: the first gets you started and enables a regenerative revive if you're downed; the second adds extra damage to combo finishers; and, finally, tier 3 amps up all damage and lets you perform insta-kill critical strikes against low health, staggered, or intimidated enemies.

That all sounds fine in theory but it never really feels like it actually does that much outside of the Last Stand revival. Insta-kill criticals are fickle at best thanks to the criteria needed to trigger them, and because certain key elements are locked behind Adaptation perks you need to unlock and equip - all the things that really make Rage sing is in these Adaptations, making it feel like you have the trial version for most of the game until you unlock its full potential.

By contrast, progression in the Techniques tree just sort of unfolds via a ladder of abilities that, thanks to an abundance of experience points, all gradually unlock over the course of play. The deepest choice you get in your build here is deciding on which four of the six special abilities you'll have equipped.

Combat ready

There's also the odd choice to keep the ability to parry multiple simultaneous attacks locked behind a fairly late game skill. That's a total game changer as, without it, you're trying to parry single individual attacks while surrounded by a horde swinging freely at all times. Until you get that multi-parry ability you're deflecting one attack only to be hit by another a split second behind it. But, once you have it, combat comes alive in a dance of ripostes as you weave through enemy crowds like a Whirling Dervish made of knives.

As a result, as you pick Adaptations and skills it seems less like you're improving Wolverine's combat, and more like you're just making it what it should be. The end result, when you've basically unlocked everything, feels like where it should have started. It means combat has some good moments, mostly as it improves much later into the game, but for a character defined by fighting it leaves a lot to be desired.

There's also an odd stealth system that sort of appears occasionally, but it's the kind of 'magic grass' set-up where you have no real control over it – just areas you automatically hide in. You can't wall hug, hide on cue, peek around corners, or lure enemies. Instead, you have to read the layout of what's ahead to plan a route that will take out the most enemies without raising the alarm. It's a strange system that, like a lot of things here, never feels like it was fully worked out.

The plot itself consists of three largely unconnected sections hot-glued together via a semi formed MacGuffin that changes purpose as the story develops, as well as a few basically random events.

I can't explain too much without spoiling things but everything's held together so loosely that you can't look directly at it without it all unraveling. You can feel it straining to exist in its own world, trying to carve out an existence devoid of most notable mutants and characters like the X-Men - the story starts with you attached to what is functionally a school for gifted youngsters but not that one.

Much of Wolverine feels like it's ended up in a shape it wasn't meant to be in, with both mechanics and plot points introduced haphazardly, and just as likely to be forgotten about as used again. Numerous combat, gameplay, and story ideas drift in and out of use or existence – audio diaries pop in and out of being 'a thing', for example; the story ping-pongs between antagonists looking for a firm villain, while re-using one of the (only two) enemy factions with a new leader at a later stage. There's also a relatively minor character that suddenly becomes pivotal to a sizable chunk of the story before largely disappearing again, save for a loose thread pinching last minute cameo.

Marvel's Wolverine is never a bad experience, just an underwhelming one full of odd choices. I enjoyed it enough for the most part but never really felt blown away, or like I was getting the game Wolverine deserved. Especially considering this is the same studio that literally let Spider-Man soar on PS5. It also feels lightweight for such a blockbuster release – you'll struggle to get more than 20 hours out of it even if you 100% what there is, and replaying missions just highlights how straightforward many of the areas actually are. There are some nice moments and ideas but they're muted overall by lengthy and monotone combat, inconsistent gameplay, and a track jumping story. Ironically, for a character that's the best at what they do, this is basically OK.

Marvel's Wolverine was reviewed on PS5, with code provided by the publisher. All screenshots where taken in Performance Mode on a standard PS5.

Check out our best Marvel games ranking for more to dig your claws into!

It's finally here – Final Fantasy 14 just got the very exciting Patch 7.56 earlier this week, and the star of the show is most definitely the MMO's new limited job: the Beastmaster.

In case you've not had the chance to experience the class yourself just yet, it plays a whole lot like Pokemon or Palworld in concept.

You capture creatures from all over Eorzea (yes, old A Realm Reborn regions are finally coming back to life), whip 'em out in combat and use all sorts of deadly combos and actions, try to catch more beasts, and… rinse and repeat. There's a handy little bestiary to help you on the way, too.

Put simply, you've gotta (and will wanna) catch them all – and it's genuinely good fun. I've spent hours grinding away in Central Shroud myself, looking forward to the Crucible, in all its painful roguelike-ish glory… and, of course, the glittery Tourmaline Golem mount you can nab by making the duty's official rankings.

I'm not the only loving Beastmaster, though. Discussions over on Reddit prove as much, with one thread dubbing the job "really fun!"

Its poster exclaims, "This content is great," adding that the achievements tied to the new job "are really cool" as well.

A separate post on the Beastmaster sees fans sharing a similar sentiment, with folks writing that they "wish it was a standard job" rather than a limited one – and, honestly, I agree. Another person chimes in that they've "been having a blast" with the job, with a plethora of replies backing their take up.

My favorite conversation so far stems from a screenshot of somebody's Warrior of Light dressed like Ash Ketchum from Pokemon, personally.

"Had to use the appropriate glam," its accompanying words read – and I love it. I also stand with the responses declaring that "the Pokemon vibe is honestly perfect." What else does Beastmaster carry with it, if not a nice old Pokemon vibe? And, that vibe is why so many of us adore the job already.

Obviously, however, not everyone likes it. There are comments here and there about how Square Enix could improve the Beastmaster (and, of course, fears that it might end up a bit… forgotten, like the Blue Mage).

Overall, though, spirits seem high when it comes to the limited job, and I can't say I've found much else to want out of it aside from, well, more levels and more utility in other parts of Final Fantasy 14.

I'm excited to see what Square Enix does with Beastmaster and how it evolves over time. Fingers crossed it's more memorable than Blue Mage – although, for me, it already is.

Final Fantasy 14 fans spot Evercold character in the MMO's Patch 7.56 screenshots, immediately theorize the expansion's new DPS class: "Is that a crossbow?"

The first substantial Star Wars Zero Company patch is out, and it remedies some latent performance problems in the tactics game. These issues vary from crashes to mere graphical glitches, and a considerable amount of them have now been quashed to improve your playing experience.

These changes are right at the top of the patch notes from Bit Reactor. "Fixed various crash issues," reads the top bullet-point. "Fixed various visual stutters," reads the second.

Problems for the Beskar mode - where you can only use one save and if someone critical dies, the run is over - have been sorted as well. There was a recurring crash, and a problem where saves were being "temporarily deleted." Both sound rage-inducing, and it's good they've been quashed.

Numerous other issues are listed, across customization, databank, strategy, tactical, and more. There are a couple of additions as well. The back option in the Weapons Mod menu will close the tutorial, and the last fight in Tel-Rea's hero mission will now succeed at the end of the final enemy's turn, rather than finishing prematurely.

Lastly, if you're using GTX 10-series or RTX 20-series graphics cards, the post says that "adjusting a specific video setting can help improve your overall framerates." Switching the Environment Geometry Detail to off should help your machine if you're finding it's crawling along.

This is a truly deep post-launch update, designed to address many bugbears in one fell swoop. It comes on the back of dispiriting reports that much of Bit Reactor's staff were furloughed ahead of launch, with the possibility they'll be brought back if the game is successful. Hopefully this helps encourage players to check it out and lets those devs get back to their positions.

Star Wars Zero Company studio furloughed staff right before the strategy game launched due to reportedly running low on money

The GTA 6 extended look presentation on Netflix caused a pretty substantial surge in sales for PS5 and Xbox Series consoles in the US.

Netflix's GTA 6 extended look had 31.1 million viewers in four days, which is to say it seemed to go down pretty well, especially since you could watch it for free on YouTube hours later. It was a massive success: the game looked extremely impressive throughout the showcase, and it clearly pulled in some, as PS5 Pro stock disappeared pretty soon afterward.

Circana's Mat Piscatella reports that following the premiere of the GTA 6 extended look, "In the US, combined PS5/XBS hardware unit sales for the week ending Aug 29 increased 14% versus the prior week."

He notes that PlayStation grew by 17% and Xbox Series X|S by 9%, and that "The combined increase across both platforms amounted to less than 8k units." Meanwhile, Nielsen IQ (via The Game Business) reports that in the UK console sales jumped by 33% for PlayStation and 34% for Xbox.

But you can only wonder what the jump would've been like if consoles weren't becoming somewhat prohibitively expensive for many. The PS5 Pro is almost a grand after Sony bumped the price up by 150, with the regular PS5 consoles getting $100 on top, while Xbox consoles jumped by $100-$150 depending on whether you get a 512GB or 1TB console.

Since the GTA 6 premiere, I've had multiple people who haven't jumped in on this generation ask about which console to get for GTA 6, but many are simply unwilling to spend that much, especially since this is the only generation where consoles have gotten more expensive as it goes on.

So yes, it's a big bump, but you have to wonder how much bigger it could've been if not for the ongoing global RAM shortages courtesy of it being funneled into the AI slop industry.

GTA 6 wasn't "fully formed" when Trailer 1 released, Rockstar boss says, but the Tom Petty song it used was a "mission statement" of where it was going

The Blood of Dawnwalker's protagonist, Coen, is rather salty. He's just been turned into a vampire against his will, his family has been kidnapped, and I'm making him eat a lot of rats. If there's a silver lining, he can't touch it.

Going into my playthrough of The Blood of Dawnwalker on the hardest difficulty, Duelist, I intend to take Coen's vampirism as far as it will go – partly to keep up with the challenge, but mostly because I just think vampires are neat. The gnarlier the better, and if being an unstoppable creature of the night helps me complete September's RPG Club challenge, Coen will have to suck it up with the rat blood.

With just 30 days and nights to rescue Coen's family – and on Duelist to boot – there's a long month ahead. I'll be chronicling my journey with weekly write-ups, starting with my eventful first days in Vale Sangora below.

Quest Log

Exit, pursued by a bear

I like to leave the beaten path as soon as possible in RPGs, so I leave Coen's smoldering village and wander toward the mountains. Time in The Blood of Dawnwalker is a resource itself – think Persona, where choosing to do an activity uses a portion of your time – and while I'm not worried about my 30-day deadline (yet), I do have one pressing concern: I am getting my ass beat.

A sloping path winds into the mountains proper, where I follow the sound of wind chimes to standing stones in a cliffside clearing. That's as much as I take in before one of the standing stones gets up – oh, it's actually a massive bear – and charges forward. I roll out of the way, but a swiping paw catches me off-guard and kills Coen in a single hit.

Duelist mode amps up enemy aggression and makes their attacks much harder, while Coen's stamina is greatly reduced. The only saving grace is that enemies have less health. You don't have the stamina to play sloppily, so combat is surprisingly close to the likes of Sekiro – requiring you lean into the momentum with perfect blocks and last-second dodges. But knowing what to do isn't the same as being able to do it, and after repeatedly dying, I make the executive decision to run away.

Fleeing downhill, it dawns on me that this bear is the least of my worries. It's optional! But the main goal of September's RPG Club, saving Coen's folks and siblings in a month, isn't – and will presumably involve fighting tougher foes than bears. On the bright side, now we have a concrete plan for our first week in Vale Sangora: gitting gud.

Bat-man

With bears now off-limits, puny humans seem like the best targets for combat practice. Vale Sangora is occupied by an army of Brencis' footsoldiers, and as night falls, their torches and campfires make them easy to spot. I spend perks in the vampirism skill branch, upgrading my claws to inflict bleeding and stamina to… not die, then prowl the roads for easier prey.

The Blood of Dawnwalker's stealth isn't great. You can sort of skirt around enemy detection, but it's an imperfect science and rarely worth trying. I shadowstep behind a straggling guard outside a ruined tower and sink my fangs in, but his pals immediately throw themselves at me. They're nimble, but I've trained at the school of Big Bear. Coen's claws feel far more fluid than his sword, and having made the connection to Sekiro, I'm finding more success through last-minute parries. Within a minute, there's nothing left of the guards but bloody corpses. I'm not faring much better – after taking one too many blows, I scurry away to drink rat blood and heal.

Over the next few days and nights, I take every opportunity to fight Brencis' men. It's certainly easier as a vampire, with shadowstep and souped-up claws proving invaluable, but the practice turns me into a pretty mean swordfighter by day. While rescuing the local miller from a fortified outpost, I also make inroads with Vale Sangora's rebel faction, who tell me to seek them out in the capital city of Svartrau once I've proven myself an enemy of the vampires. Getting to grips with Duelist mode has already raised my notoriety by a few notches, while also turning up leads on prisoner transports to ambush and blood stockpiles to destroy.

After four days of hit-and-run war, I feel ready to head south and wade into the main story. First, there's unfinished business in the mountains . Who would win in a fight: a bear or a guerilla?

Having honed my skills, I charge into the sunny clearing and meet the bear's charge head-on. Now used to fighting crowds of soldiers at once, one enemy proves much easier to predict. Perfectly blocking every paw-swipe leaves the bear open to heaving greatsword slashes across its chest, and within a minute of furious back-and-forth, Big Bear is dead. Our reward is a glyph on the standing stone, which allows Coen to summon a flock of ravens in battle – but only as a human, so it's not especially helpful as my plan is to go all-in on vampirism. The real reward is knowing that we're ready for The Blood of Dawnwalker in Duelist mode, as well as a valuable lesson that Coen puts best: "Bears are fucking scary."

Having fun isn't hard...

With just three days left in the week, I head south to meet with Anca. She believes an abandoned convent may hold the secrets we need to beating the vlakhir, with forbidden books hidden inside. There is, predictably, just one problem. The convent is shrouded in scarlet fog, and its nuns have all died of plague. The problem, though, is that they're still walking. The courtyard is thick with shambling undead, their faces peeling and eyes clouded. Worse yet, there seems to be no way to kill them – after besting one, I'm halfway through investigating the corpse when it shoots back up, arm outstretched.

A cohort of soldiers have barricaded themselves in the infirmary, and offer to let us through – a safe passage to the library – in return for a relic they've been sent to retrieve. Instead, I make a mental note to come back and drain them dry, spend the night looking for clues, then ring the convent's church bell to draw the horde away. At dawn, searching the library leads us into the catacombs, where a rotting nun hacks long cuts of meat from her arm. She turned to the devil to protect the convent from the Black Plague, and is too far gone to be talked down from yet another ritual.

As the inevitable boss fight begins, I'm– dead. Wow. And again. Days of practice were enough to fight a bear, it seems, but not a supernatural nun. She can use the spell I learned earlier that day, pointing flocks of ravens in my direction, as well as blink across the catacombs and raise more undead. I'm hard-pressed to keep up, constantly dying to surprise blink attacks and her dagger, which seems to swing from every angle at once.

After too many failed attempts to count, I draw on the teachings of Big Bear – constant aggression, no breathers – and triumph, killing the nun and lifting the convent's curse. Our reward is a trove of banned books, which we haul to Anca's hideout to sift through. This turns up two promising leads – a saint's magical sword, and a mysterious Font of Life – but reading eats through the day. Old maps suggest the Font of Life lies in nearby mountains, but Anca (sensibly) won't go hiking at night. I raid nearby blood stockpiles until dawn, but ding-ding-ding. Our first week is up.

So far, The Blood of The Dawnwalker isn't what I expected. It sits close to The Witcher 3 in style and tone, but there haven't many meaningful side quests to sink my fangs into. On the other hand, combat in Duelist mode has been an absolute treat – as challenging and expressive as last year's Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, albeit even less forgiving. But with combat fundamentals locked down, my plan for next week is to search for the Font of Life before visiting Svartrau for the first time. I'm a sucker for big cities in RPGs, and have high hopes for Vale Sangora's Big Apple. See you there?

The Highwind floats above the world. Yuffie Kisaragi dives out of the airship, party in tow, and falls through the air with a keen speed before I unleash her parachute, softening our hero's descent into the rich wilderness of Mideel. It's immediately apparent that if we thought Rebirth was big, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is overwhelmingly enormous.

There's something strange about the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy. The numerous differences from the original 1997 title make it almost entirely new, and yet it's easy to feel at home in its many locations, from Sector 7 to Gongaga. The same sensation floods my senses as I tear through feral beasts, before encountering a chubby baby Chocobo.

Not my home but I know my way around

Aware of the limited time available during my hands-on preview session at Gamescom 2026, I fast travel back to the Highwind, and set sail from the skies above Mideel for Wutai. I'm playing as Yuffie after all, and I'm told this section of Chapter 4 is dependent on my visiting her homeland to progress the story. I must admit I didn't really expect to just fly straight over to the place myself – I anticipated a cutscene – but the open world exploration is seamless as I guide the vessel before sending Yuffie back to the deck for another Fortnite-esque descent into the land below, something director Naoki Hamaguchi confirms is an intentional display of "inspiration".

Again, I'm staggered to feel immediately at home in Wutai, but this feeling tracks with the developer's design ethos. "Everything in the game has to feel both nostalgic and new at the same time" Hamaguchi tells me, explaining the need to deliver what fans know but with enough change to maintain player interest. He also clarifies that any big changes have to be made by the original FF7 creators.

One particular change I inquire about is the manner of Aerith's demise in Rebirth, and by inquire I mean demand an apology from Hamaguchi-san. He laughs and tells me "so sorry" but I press him on the matter, producing more laughter from the veteran gamemaker. He then tells me "You need to experience what happens in the very end. You may change your opinion then."

Similarly, piloting the Highwind to named locations and then descending via parachute is an important part of leveling up the experience of Revelation from Rebirth. "The way you explore the world is all tied to that vertical element," Hamaguchi states, and the effect is a sense of scale so grand I have to fight off choice paralysis with every fiber of my being.

Hamaguchi touches on the size of the game, saying "I'm pretty sure that Revelation has at least the same – and probably actually even more – content in it than Rebirth had, and it's all good content." He also adds that he's aware some players were overwhelmed by the amount in Rebirth, but feels "having that huge amount of content is part of what makes the game so appealing."

Another standout component of my preview session is the lack of Cloud and Tifa, with the roster of available characters instead sporting Cid, Vincent, Cait Sith, Barret, Red XIII, and the aforementioned Yuffie. Having been struck by Aerith being a key focal point of Rebirth, I ask Hamaguchi if we can expect the light to shine more on Yuffie or other characters in Revelation.

"Cloud is still the main character," he asserts, before explaining that the team know some players "want to see more of the other characters too, so we very much wanted to have content that goes into each of those characters," which, as a card-carrying member of the Zack Fair Appreciation Society, is music to my ears. This includes such options as completing side quests with different characters depending on your preferences, as well as the more simple but equally satisfying ability to swap out party members on the fly.

It's been one of the great joys of my time with Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth that I've been able to revel in the company of Cloud's companions. Don't get me wrong, I really love the moody merc and his big beautiful blues, but the added depth to Tifa, Aerith, and many others has resulted in a richer narrative experience.

Not all new content is perfect though, as proven by the mere existence of Chadley, and I'm alarmed by multiple interruptions from MAI, the AI entity created by the precocious young scientist. This apparently feminine-presenting version of Chadley eagerly bombards me with available side quests the moment I set foot in a new place, and it's agonizing given my preview slot is an hour. I'm hopeful Mai will feel less invasive when I'm able to play the game at leisure, but something tells me 2027's Most Annoying Sidekick Award is already en route to Square Enix HQ.

Those Who Fight Further

Throughout my session I enjoy multiple battles. In addition to Yuffie and her fast-flowing combos, I try out Vincent Valentine, whose ranged-based fighting style feels more safety-conscious yet no less satisfying. Then I give Cid Highwind a go, and he swings a spear-type edge weapon with a blend of elegance and brutality that feels perfect for hacking through Wutai's wildlife.

With the ability to mix up the party frequently, I'm eager to see what each combination of fighters will bring, especially now Tifa has appeared as a Black Mage in promotional materials, and other jobs in the FITS system are available too.

Upon arrival at Wutai a cutscene plays out – which I won't spoil – where it dawns on me how incredible a performer Suzie Yeung really is. The Persona 3 Reload actor delivers an expressiveness that virtually propels Yuffie through the screen, which seems fitting given Wutai introduces the ability to use a grappling hook for traversal.

Zipping between rooftops, I find my way to the Happy Turtle bar and restaurant after photographing a cat and having a quick swim in the sparkling waters that surround the traditional Japanese-inspired architecture of Yuffie's homeland. As I walk through the grand building, I strike up a conversation I never get to hear as the session ends.

Now I'm left wondering what the NPC was going to say, what the other areas in the preview build had to offer, and what the unaccounted for characters were getting up to during this section of the game. Above all I wonder how Naoki Hamaguchi and Square Enix so masterfully manage to weave nostalgia into something so obviously new in so many ways. Maybe I'll never truly understand but, if I am able to, it won't be until Final Fantasy 7 Revelation releases on April 8, 2027.

If this is far from your final adventure, check out our games like Final Fantasy recommendations, or our best RPGs and best JRPGs ranking for more to play next!

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi has apologized for what happens to Aerith in Rebirth, but if you're still upset about it, he insists you stick around to the end of the remake trilogy, because you might just "change your opinion."

Before we get into it, please take this as your final – very obvious – spoiler warning for the events of Final Fantasy 7 and Rebirth's ending. I'd be shocked if you didn't know what we were about to get into by now, but don't say I didn't warn you if you didn't.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth might have gone about things slightly differently to the OG 1997 JRPG, but one unfortunate fact remains – Aerith dies at the hands of Sephiroth. Ouch. It's arguably made even worse by the fact that, for a brief moment, it looks like things are about to pan out very differently, but alas.

Speaking to Hamaguchi in an interview at Gamescom 2026, GamesRadar+'s James Daly tells the lead how upset he still is about what happened to Aerith, prompting a big laugh. "I hope you have some expectations towards what the final outcome is, though, and I hope you can look forward to seeing what actually happened," Hamaguchi first teases, via interpreter.

He then directly offers an apology himself: "So sorry!" Gotta be honest, though, I'm not sure how sorry he is based on how hard he's laughing.

This comes up again towards the end of the interview, at which point Hamaguchi suggests something rather interesting. After another laugh, he hints: "I mean, really, you need to experience what happens in the very end. You may change your opinion."

Obviously, he's not going to elaborate on what he's referring to at this point, but could there be a glimmer of hope there for Aerith fans? Perhaps, or perhaps not. All will be revealed when Final Fantasy 7 Revelation launches on April 8 next year.

Square Enix's "graphical goal" for Final Fantasy 7 remakes was 2005 spin-off film Advent Children as it's the "ideal version" of the 29-year-old JRPG.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation might have "even more content" than Rebirth, director Naoki Hamaguchi says, who reckons that's "part of what makes the game so appealing." But if you're already feeling overwhelmed, don't stress – the devs really wanted to give you "the choice" this time over what you want to spend your time on.

Depending on how many games you play a year and how much free time you have in your life to spend on them, you might have a very different opinion on the concept of playing an enormous, content-packed JRPG. It's hard to argue that it's a bad thing for a game to be big, but it sure can be overwhelming, and potentially off-putting for those who don't have a spare hundred hours or so lying about.

Speaking to Hamaguchi at Gamescom 2026, we ask about the scale of Revelation compared to Rebirth – a JRPG he acknowledges "had a lot of content in it as well," and Square Enix hasn't slowed down since. "I'm pretty sure that Revelation has at least the same, and probably actually even more content in it than Rebirth had," he tells us. "But it's all good content. It's all going to be really appealing to play."

Hamaguchi knows, however, that for some players, bigger isn't always better. "I am aware that there is a number of players of [Rebirth] who said that the content was just too much and that they felt they were overwhelmed by it. I do understand there are people out there who felt that," he admits.

However, this hasn't put him off from the idea of making Revelation a behemoth, too: "I feel that having that huge amount of content is part of what makes the game so appealing. I don't think it's that kind of game, so I'm very confident in what it is because of that."

With that said, though, Hamaguchi says that "what's important is not how much content there is, it's how you make that interesting and accessible and enjoyable for players to interact with." He tells us that he's learned from fans' feedback following the release of Rebirth, and going into Revelation, not only is its content "all quite different," but he's taken on board the importance of communicating with players "what kind of rewards you can expect, and what kind of experience you're going to get when you take it on."

Hopefully, then, you can expect clearer signposting of what's worth it to you if you're not someone who wants to take on everything the game offers. He notes that we can now expect rewards to be split up across different types of content accordingly, with character upgrades locked behind the battle-focused content, while minigame rewards will be customization options within that specific minigame, for example.

This comes in direct response to Rebirth, where "all of the side content was tied to the Materia development system. So if you wanted that Materia, you had to do all of the content, regardless whether it was something that you would be interested in otherwise or not," he continues. "So I really wanted to address that and maybe improve it for people who felt that, like, feeling of obligation that they had to do it, but they didn't really want to."

Ultimately, the devs wanted to pay attention to the "idea of allowing the player the choice of which content they want to engage with and which they don't," he concludes.

So then, no pressure if you don't want to experience everything Revelation has to offer. Unless you're a hardcore completionist, of course, in which case it sounds like you're going to have your work cut out for you come its release in April.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director says "open-world fatigue" is real, and since "the world is even bigger than it was in Rebirth," Square Enix specially focused on guiding players.

We'll be back gallivanting with our favorite dragon early next year when Spyro: A Realm Beyond comes out. To celebrate the character's anniversary this year, we've gotten a little tease of what's coming.

Toys For Bob is handling the game, having previously worked on Spyro Reignited Trilogy and Crash 4. Since the namesake scaly mascot first arrived in the US on September 9, the studio decided that day would be a solid choice for another snippet of his upcoming return.

Sadly, there's no new trailer yet, but we do get a better look at one of the areas, Arcadian Vale, a lush blend of old crumbling ruins, hills, and rivers. There are two pieces of concept art provided: one showing the landscape more broadly, and the other depicting a point of interest sitting on a cliff.

They tease the kind of place you'll spend a while just hopping around, having fun, picking up gems, and taking out enemies. "Arcadian Vale captures the charm and wonder that defines Spyro’s new adventure," reads the description.

"Made up of a calm, serene atmosphere, Arcadian Vale is a vibrant landscape filled with natural beauty," the studio continues. "Across the scene are cascading waterfalls tumbling down from towering cliffs. Ancient stone structures and weathered monuments rise from the terrain while lush greenery blankets the valley floor, creating a destination that feels magical and alive."

Sounds delightful, and exactly what I'm looking for from a new Spyro sequel. This is his first full new game since The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon in 2008. That's almost 20 years ago! Hopefully this can live up to the wait - going by what we see here, I'd say so.

Physint goes from PlayStation to Xbox as Sony "unexpectedly" drops Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid spiritual successor

Former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida has seemingly reacted to the news that Sony has dropped Hideo Kojima's highly anticipated stealth game, Physint, allowing Xbox to swoop in, and he's just as surprised as we are.

Overnight, PlayStation announced that "we have made the difficult decision to step away from collaborating with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS on its project PHYSINT." However, Kojima's own statement highlights this move as being a lot more one-sided than you might expect: "In mid-June of this year, we unexpectedly received notice from PlayStation Studios that they would cancel the PHYSINT project," he reveals, going on to say that "we have spent the last three months searching tirelessly for a new partner," leading Kojima Productions right back to Xbox, which it's also teaming up with on horror title OD.

The concept that any company would want to cancel a Kojima game is shocking, and the situation of PlayStation essentially handing it over to its main competition only makes it weirder, even though it's unclear if Sony could have known that's where the game would end up. Yoshida, former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, has responded to the news on Twitter, expressing how "surprised" he is (translated by GamesRadar+).

Although his original post isn't shared in response to anything in particular, it's obvious that this is what he's referring to – he doubles down on the sentiment in a separate reply to someone asking him about it directly.

While Yoshida might not have said much, the fact that the news has prompted him to respond like this at all speaks volumes. Sony is in desperate need of a win after its announcement that it's stopping production of physical discs for new PlayStation games in 2028 – the backlash it's prompted from folks opposed to an all-digital future has been immense, with the company's comment sections everywhere filled with cries of "no disc no buy" more than two months on.

Needless to say, deciding it doesn't want to bring Kojima's Metal Gear Solid spiritual successor to life isn't it – in fact, it looks like the opposite. Even with the company's reassurance that "we continue to have great admiration for Hideo Kojima's vision for the game," the general response across the internet is disbelief that Sony would give up on what, from the outside, looks like an easy win.

Despite the change in circumstances, Kojima is clear: "Please rest assured that development of PHYSINT, our genre-defining action-espionage title, is ongoing and will continue moving forward."

As Hideo Kojima turns 63, the Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding creator says "I would like to remain focused on creating games" despite the interest in movies.

When Arthur Morgan contracts tuberculosis near the beginning of Red Dead Redemption 2, you're supposed to feel sad. Arthur's a good guy with a troubled past, and he's the hero of the story. Him getting a death sentence right at the start of his journey is all bad news, but from here on out I'll only be able to react to his increasingly labored coughing fits with disgust, because now I know actor Roger Clark was actually hacking up a phlegm-filled lung in real life while recording some of those scenes.

Asked by YouTuber and games journalist Cade Onder if Arthur Morgan's coughing fits were taxing on the actor's throat, Clark says those scenes were "not as bad as you'd think" because they were spread out over five years and "if ever there was a really bad coughing scene, we'd always save it for the end of the day." That's good, but it turns out there was some serious method acting going on beyond the scenes that will forever alter how I react to Arthur Morgan's illness.

"In five years, there's plenty of colds and there was a lot of data that we got that was pretty damn genuine," Clark says, confirming that he would purposefully record dialogue when he was sick with colds, lending an authenticity to those coughs that only a real-life viral infection could bring.

"I'd be like, 'hey, I got a cold, let me get in there," and they're like, 'OK' ... nice, good bit of phlegm."

Grossness aside, I have to say I admire Clark's work ethic. When I'm down and out, all I want to do is lay in bed and watch Seinfeld reruns, but Clark's first instinct is to think about making Arthur Morgan sound as convincingly sick as he possibly can. That commitment paid off in an incredibly absorbing performance, even if I'll be playing Red Dead Redemption 2 while wearing a medical mask from now on.

GTA 5 left Rockstar feeling "slightly nervous" about Red Dead Redemption 2 as devs worried fans "were going to be bored" by only having one protagonist to play as

Elden Ring streamer Bushy has put more time into FromSoftware games than almost anyone on the planet. After roughly 4,000 hours of Elden Ring, he wants to beat Elden Ring another 726 times, and he's spun up a custom mod to do it.

On August 3, Bushy began a journey to beat Elden Ring using every weapon (and shield), totaling 447 runs. On August 26, he officially expanded this to every weapon, Ash of War, staff, seal, and spell in the game, bringing the run total to 726.

The idea, he suggests, is to create a full video library that shows how every possible attack style deals with all of the bosses in Elden Ring. With that in mind, Bushy's enlisted some help to speed things up.

In a video showcasing the Black Flame spell, Bushy explains, "I've commissioned a mod to make this series even bigger and better." This mod essentially condenses the exploration and progression of each Elden Ring playthrough, making it a lot easier to unlock items like flask upgrades, DLC Scadutree fragments, merchant upgrades, collectible talismans, and so on. If it's just lying around on the ground, it can now be found at a special menu or automatically obtained by beating story bosses which lead to new chunks of the world.

"In order to skip the tedium of picking up all of the same stuff over and over for 726 runs, this is the solution that we have," Bushy says. The mod doesn't affect the experience of fighting bosses, which is the stated point of this challenge, but it does make it a lot easier to get to those bosses over 700 times.

Even with this mod's help, each run still takes several hours, so Bushy will probably be pushing 7,000 hours of Elden Ring if he actually finishes every last playthrough. So far, he's done about 20 by my count.

Bushy's behind many of the strangest and most difficult Elden Ring runs you can find online – from randomizers to a billion Malenias to deathless NG+7 – so I don't begrudge him a little time save. This challenge does feel like a pretty obvious infinite stream content generator, but on the other hand, I've never seen a man kill everything in Elden Ring with the heavy crossbow.

"While I will miss the extra running around content, I fully understand how much better this will be for you to streamline this series even just a little bit," reads one YouTube comment.

"Might actually have another fromsoft game by the time this is done," says another. And they might be right.

Deep in FromSoftware's sicko arc, Elden Ring and Dark Souls boss Hidetaka Miyazaki says "you can't make anything that's as fun" just by following the same old rules.

A shift in gaming culture has undermined Steam's early access program and stunted the perception of the games in it, worries Pocketpair and Palworld communications and publishing lead John Buckley.

Amidst Palworld's 1.0 early access graduation, Buckley discusses the work-in-progress approach with GamesRadar+. He maintains that Pocketpair is "quite confident in early access in general" and, when it comes time to make a new big thing, the studio will surely choose early access again. But that's despite what he sees as a big shift on Steam.

"Go back to the Steam Greenlight days, when Steam changed Greenlight to early access, there were a few years where it really was running and operating exactly the way I think Steam dreamed it," he says. "I think everyone knew what they were in for. The kind of people who were buying early access games knew what they were in for. They were the kind of gamers who want to be involved, they want to give feedback, they want to talk to devs. It was this really beautiful golden era."

Today, that outlook is less common, he suggests. "This continuing migration, I'll call it, of hyper-casual mobile culture, and hyper-casual gaming culture, and live service gaming culture is washing through Steam right now," Buckley notes. "Now the culture has changed and early access, essentially, has lost its meaning. People just buy an early access game like they buy a normal game and treat it like that's the game."

In Palworld's case, Buckley says players may buy the game in early access and play heavily for a week or two before arguing, "'These developers are not making new content. This game is dead.' And you're like, 'Well guys, see you in six months. We've got to make the game.'"

Buckley clarifies that he doesn't think "it's a bad thing that some gamers aren't interested" in how the sausage is made, even if quietly raising "the general knowledge level around game development" might help both sides. "You just want to enjoy a nice thing, and that's fair enough. No shade there." (In 2025, we spoke to dozens of game devs about things players get wrong about how games are made.)

Nonetheless, he says, "It's getting harder on Steam, sadly, because this culture has come through. I think consoles are where it struggles the most because console gamers aren't used to the concept of early access gameplay. Again, that's fine. You get less feedback from those players in general versus PC gamers, who love to drown you in bug reports. Look, all we can do is try to softly educate people. I think we do an okay job. I think we try to be quite transparent. 'Hey guys, the next update's a while away. It's not going to be content-heavy, it's going to be QOL-heavy.' We try to balance it."

Recently, Buckley has been shaping expectations for update 1.1, reiterating that Palworld will continue but is not due for another massive overhaul. Earlier in the year, he said he "wouldn't rule out a Palworld 2.0," but fans also shouldn't expect a No Man's Sky-style arrangement with 10 years of heavy support. (As it happens, we spoke to No Man's Sky boss Sean Murray about 10 years of support.)

Though Pocketpair has chosen early access multiple times and remain "big advocates" for it – Craftopia, its previous survival game, is approaching its own 1.0 update – Buckley agrees it's not right for every project.

"There are many real cases of early access just being a disaster for some games," he says. "I think it just depends on how receptive you want to be. Early access has now been abused for a lot of reasons. The biggest way it's abused now is just like, 'We'll release it now because we need money.' It's a way now to sidestep traditional funding means. It's almost become the new Kickstarter in some ways. Put out the build to get the money. But we're big fans of it."

Splashing some of its Palworld cash, Pocketpair's publishing arm has, like many other newly formed devs-turned-publishers, sought to find and fund promising games at a time of dire investment opportunities in the games industry.

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

One of the reasons Leon Kennedy is such a great horror protagonist is that he carries himself with an unshakeable sense of humor despite always being faced with the most unimaginable atrocities. Even after barely escaping the clutches of a giant, mutant alligator with his life, Leon still manages enough levity to quip, "Chew on that, you overgrown son of a" you-know-what.

For me, Leon being an absolute himbo genuinely breaks up the tension I feel while playing a Resident Evil game, and this contrast was put to especially good use in this year's Resident Evil Requiem, which features some of the scariest sequences I've ever experienced in my 30-plus years playing horror games. But as it turns out, some of Leon's funniest lines were actually left on the chopping block, as proven by newly leaked cut voice lines from Requiem and Resident Evil 4 Remake.

Two separate videos, one that lets you hear close to 400 cut voice lines from Resident Evil Requiem, and another with more than 600 cut lines from Resident Evil 4 Remake, were recently posted to YouTube by prominent modder Keff0 (via PC Gamer). As a longtime Resident Evil diehard, it was fascinating hearing all of Leon's bad puns, Grace Ashcroft's panicked breathing, and even lines from less central characters like RE4's Merchant and Requiem's Chef Zombie, that Capcom for whatever reason decided didn't cut the mustard. As for the Leon one-liners, I'm disappointed they were left out, because some of them sound like they could've been genuinely great in the right context.

"Shucks, no time for an encore."

"Someone needs to work on their parallel parking."

"Eight legs, no brains."

"That again? You're a bit of a one-trick spider."

Naturally, longtime Leon actor Nick Apostolides delivers his lines beautifully, but I would love to see the exact scenarios onscreen that would've triggered them. Unfortunately we'll probably never know, and Leon's not the only one with some gems in the vault. I mentioned RE4's Merchant, and he's another that had some lines cut that I would've loved to see in the actual game.

"This'll perk you up," he says in one cut line. "Relax mate – it's not that kind of herb." I think all Resident Evil fans can imagine the exact situation that would've prompted that line, and I can understand why Capcom ultimately decided against including it, but man, what a loss.

"It's important to stay young at 'eart. Especially at times like these," is another line from the Merchant I would've smiled at in the game.

At this point, I feel like I'm spoiling these gems for fans, so I'll leave the rest for you to uncover on your own. There's even a cut line from RE4 Remake that seems to reference Resident Evil Village, which is completely unnecessary but fun nonetheless.

Lies of P director says Resident Evil Requiem is one of the games he enjoyed most this year because Leon is "still as cool and tough as ever."