Generally speaking, if you're trying to do everything in Hollow Knight: Silksong, you're looking at 60-70 hours of play. That's a lot of time for an indie Metroidvania, but should you be someone who's already explored every corner of Pharloom, a massive new mod is about provide plenty more adventuring.

The fanmade expansion is known as Hollow Knight: Silksoul, and it provides new areas, mechanics, secrets, and more for the experienced player to unravel and slide through. Right off the bat, what's most intriguing here is the fact that the team have constructed areas that were cut from the released game.

Silksong's long development time means there are aspects that were previewed but didn't make it into the version we've been playing. Silksoul's devs are remedying that, to the best of their abilities. "Cut areas like the Red Coral Gorge and The Gloom will return, with areas like Hunter's March (Hunters' Nest) being adjusted to align with the April 2021 map and known cut content," reads the description under a trailer for the modification.

"Some of these areas, in our opinion, could have been given more justice, especially the ants!" the team adds.

There are also mechanics that were swapped out by Team Cherry for whatever reason, as well as fresh secrets and interactions, according to the teaser. The emphasis is on changes that were made during development, since the name is a reference to a mode called Silk Soul that was in builds circa April 2021.

To tie it all together, the difficulty is being heightened, just in case you thought you were safe. It's an impressive project, and as such, there's no release window yet. You can follow development in a Discord server, as the people involved aren't sure when this will see the light of day. Yep – that's Silksong alright.

Hollow Knight Silksong fans convinced Sea of Sorrow's release window was just confirmed, with evidence so compelling they can't agree on what that window is.

Final Fantasy 14 heads to the new Evercold expansion having walked a bumpy road. Things like story and content rollout have needed some improvements on the fly, though plenty of the combat encounters have felt like the MMO at its best.

As such, given the opportunity to ask assistant director Tsuyoshi Yokozawa a few questions about The Arcadian series over email ahead of Final Fantasy 14's Anaheim edition of Fan Fest, how could we refuse?

We put forward questions about how the eight-player raid series for Dawntrail came to be, what surprised them most when it landed, and what lessons the team is taking on board and into the future. Given the expectation of a new expansion at Fan Fest, we thought the last point to be especially pertinent. You can find the answers below in their entirety, as we received them.

How would you say previous raid tiers and feedback surrounding them influenced the development of the Arcadion series?

Tsuyoshi Yokozawa: Thank you for your question.

Our experience from previous raid series, along with feedback from players, played a very important role in the design philosophy of the Arcadion.

In previous series, especially at the time of Pandæmonium, our emphasis was on a policy of comprehensively ensuring player comfort and stress reduction.

This approach did help make content more accessible, but at the same time, by pursuing that philosophy so rigorously, there were moments where it unintentionally limited our ability to explore more creative ideas when planning mechanics and theatrics. We also moved towards designs that reduced the possibility of mistakes – for example, by increasing hitbox sizes. However, as that approach continued, we began to see a new challenge emerge; there was less room for individual players to demonstrate their true abilities, resulting in a heightened sensation of "going through the motions" when tackling the fight. To break through these challenges, we decided that with the Arcadion, we would return to the mindset we had during the Heavensward era.

This entailed not being bound by convenience alone, but rather focused first and foremost on "novel experiences and surprises", approaching encounter design with a freer, more flexible perspective. At the same time, we placed importance on striking a balance, where overcoming moderate challenges would deliver a strong sense of achievement. As a result, I believe we were able to create exciting battles filled with new surprises, and that led to positive feedback from many players.

How did the team find balancing mechanics between the Normal tier and the Savage tier of Arcadion, to meet the expectations of both casual players and fans looking forward to each new set of hardcore raids?

Yokozawa: Adjusting the difficulty level so that a wide range of players can enjoy the raid is always a great challenge for us.

The basic idea is to meet the expectations of different target groups at the same time, so right from the design stage – serving as the foundation of the battle – we intentionally incorporate some mechanics that can be expanded on with additional elements, with the Savage tier in mind.

The Normal raid allows players to experience the basic movements of the encounter. Then in Savage, we build on that foundation by layering in more complex decision-making and stricter, more demanding reactions, allowing us to deliver a level of challenge that feels appropriate for each group of players.

That said, because this series was designed with novelty and surprise as the top priority, there were many instances where we could not significantly change the core flow between the Normal and Savage encounters.

Finding the right way to clearly differentiate the difficulty—while still maintaining consistency in the core presentation and overall experience—was one of the most challenging aspects for the team.

This was especially true for AAC Cruiserweight M3.

In any raid series, across the series as a whole, we believe it's important for the third encounter to serve as a major "wall" for players to overcome. Therefore, we designed the raid not only in terms of the difficulty of individual mechanics, but also as a "flow of battles" including numerical aspects such as damage values and endurance values, so that players could feel a solid sense of challenge and accomplishment.

The Arcadion is pretty widely praised by the community as one of the best raid tiers to date – why do you think that is, and what sets it apart?

Yokozawa: I believe there are three main reasons why the Arcadion is so highly regarded.

The essence of the Heavensward era and a more free-spirited approach

As I mentioned earlier, a major factor was a return to the design philosophy that prioritized "surprise and novelty", which we pursued at the time of Heavensward.

By building mechanics with a more open, unrestricted mindset, we feel that this approach resonated well with the expectations of today's players.

Cultivation of characters players can grow attached to over time

Rather than treating the bosses simply as one‑off enemies to be defeated, we placed strong emphasis on each character's unique personalities with the goal of creating characters that players could continue to enjoy and appreciate over the long term.

By conveying the backgrounds and appeal of the characters through the battles, I hope the players have developed a deeper attachment to them compared with any bosses from previous raid series.

Unparalleled immersion through live commentary

Another key feature of this series was the introduction of live match commentary, which we feel worked extremely well. The commentary adds a real sense of being part of a live event, as if the players themselves are participating in the match. From a presentation standpoint as well, we're proud to have delivered an experience that stands apart from previous raid series, offering a distinctly heightened level of immersion.

Is there anything the team tried that didn't work in the end?

Yokozawa: With over a decade of experience in battle content development, we have built up a rich array of knowledge about system constraints and what's realistically achievable within the game.

Therefore, we are able to determine to some extent what is feasible and what isn't in the early stages of planning.

Thanks to this accumulated know‑how, it's very rare for us to run into major issues after production has already started that would force us to abandon a plan altogether.

That said, there were a few ideas we explored during the concept phase that ultimately didn't make it into the game. For example, we had several stage transformation ideas for AAC Cruiserweight M2; visually dynamic ideas such as a transition to a fantasy-style sea of trees with fairies and mysterious mushrooms or shifting to night and a meteor shower falling across the arena.

Additionally, for the Neo Bombarian Special in AAC Cruiserweight M3, we had considered different theatrics in the early drafts of the plan. Specifically, buildings collapsing on impact would get hooked onto other structures like bridges, and the players would actually cross over them as pathways.

However, this brought up a number of game design challenges, such as making movement across those structures feel enjoyable as a gameplay element, and the difficulty of arranging the buildings in a way that wouldn't feel unnatural as actual architectural structures, which ultimately led us to settle on the current form.

In Final Fantasy 14, there are also inherent system limitations when it comes to dynamically moving collision elements, so we look for ways to maximize what we can achieve within those constraints.

What have you learned from the Arcadion and feedback from fans for the series that you think you might potentially carry over to the next tier?

Yokozawa: Our experience with the Arcadion has served as a firm guideline for our future battle content development.

Although some of the points below overlap with what I mentioned before, we would like to strongly carry over the following three points in particular into the next raid series:

Pursuit of unique experiences without fear of risk

What this series has reaffirmed for me is that surprise and novelty are at the very heart of what makes content truly entertaining.

Rather than taking a more conservative approach by prioritizing convenience and efficiency, I would like us to continue to challenge ourselves with free thinking, prioritizing "unprecedented experiences", even if it entails some degree of risk and resources.

Creation of boss characters that players can genuinely connect with

One of the great responses we got with the Arcadion was the very enthusiastic support from the community for the boss characters.

Instead of having them exist purely as enemies to defeat, we want to further emphasize portraying their individuality, background, and personality through the battles themselves—so that they can be appreciated and loved as characters over the long term. This is something we plan to place even greater importance on in the next series.

Designing gameplay that allows for flexible problem-solving

Rather than forcing players to utilize a specific strategy, we value leaving in room for players to approach situations in their own way, using their creativity and judgment to overcome challenges.

At the same time, while we will continue to include mechanics where mistakes can lead directly to a full wipe, we want to be more deliberate about where those moments occur. By expanding the opportunities for recovery—through tools like healing, resurrection, and limit breaks—we aim to enhance both the excitement of progression and the sense of accomplishment that comes from overcoming difficult situations through players' own resourcefulness.

Just for fun, which boss was your favorite to design (and see fans go up against)?

Yokozawa: When it comes to my favorite boss, this does lean quite a bit into my personal preference, but I would have to say Honey B. Lovely! She has a profound sense of professionalism as an idol, and I respect that unwavering professionalism first of all.

Naturally, as a professional, she should be able to play the role of a cute idol, but in the middle of a battle, she'd inevitably end up showing her true colours, no longer being able to contain the boiling rage that bursts out... It's that intense contrast that I find so compelling. It feels like her inescapable "human side" really comes through in those moments, and that gap between her composed persona and her true emotions is what makes her so memorable for me.

In addition, all the elements, such as the mechanics and music tied to the character design, are perfectly matched, and I feel that the raid was completed to a very high level of polish as a single duty.

The most memorable part about the raids was when I saw the players take on the Lindwurm in the latter half of AAC Heavyweight M4 (Savage). The Development team was thrilled to see how the community would figure out the mechanic, which was difficult to grasp from the setting.

In the end, players were able to come up with efficient solutions far earlier than we had anticipated, and we were once again impressed by just how adaptable and resourceful the community can be.

Also, although not a boss, it is yan who is strongly etched in my personal memory.

I designed the framework of the battle myself in AAC Cruiserweight M2 (Savage), and the trial and error involved in its creation made yan very memorable, for better or worse.

One final fun one – as the Arcadion series is wrestling themed, which wrestler in real life do you think would make a good raid boss?

Yokozawa: It's precisely because the raid series deals with a very passionate theme of wrestling that my imagination runs wild thinking about the answer to this.

I'm a little afraid to mention real-life wrestlers, because I'm worried I might come across as rude...

That said, looking at types we didn't feature in the Arcadion, wrestlers like 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt and The Great Muta, who have a very clear duality as characters, are very appealing to me.

As a designer, being able to dramatically shift the atmosphere and even the "feel" of the gameplay within a single fight has a lot of creative potential, and I'm confident we could create something really engaging and rewarding with that kind of concept.

Next, as a baby-faced female wrestler, Bianca Belair would also make an interesting design.

In particular, the attack of using her hair as a whip can very easily be imagined as a battle mechanic for the raid.

(Truth be told though, it is very difficult to actually reproduce the smooth movement of a whip in FF14, but allow me to answer without feasibility factored into the equation!)

Anything else to add?

Yokozawa: Thank you so much for enjoying the Arcadion and for sharing so much warm and thoughtful feedback with us.

We always take our players' voices seriously, and we're committed to creating battles that deliver both excitement and a strong sense of accomplishment.

Of course, we have much to learn from missteps and areas where we reflect and

Improve – but we take all of that forward as motivation to keep delivering experiences that can only be found in FF14.

I look forward to seeing you all on the battlefield in the next challenge. We hope you will continue to look forward to FF14's battle content in the future!

What's the best MMO for you? If it isn't Final Fantasy 14, chances are you'll find it on this list. Maybe.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has sold over six million copies in just over a year, meaning the massive RPG is already over halfway to beating its predecessor's sales.

While Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 became a behemoth that eclipsed every game when it came to award season last year, at the start of 2025, it really felt like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 was the frontrunner for game of the year. The massive RPG got rave reviews and – perhaps more crucially – one of the most impassioned fanbases of any game in 2025. So much so, the game managed to sell three million copies in three months.

Warhorse Studios announces on Twitter that now – a year and four months removed from launch – that number has now doubled, with six million copies of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 now sold. "6 million Henrys. An achievement we couldn't have reached alone," the post reads, adding: "Thank you for being a part of this community, we're excited to have you with us on the adventure!"

Crucially, this places the game at over halfway to beating the impressive sales numbers of the original. Kingdom Come: Deliverance released back in 2018, and Warhorse Studios confirmed last year that the game had sold over 10 million copies in the then-seven years it was out.

The studio has also confirmed it's working on a "new Kingdom Come adventure," which it announced alongside confirming rumors that it is working on a new open-world Lord of the Rings RPG. With the fanbase Kingdom Come has amassed mixed with the massive Tolkien fandom, I can only foresee it being huge when it does release.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 studio Warhorse raises $65,000 to help preserve the real-life medieval castle that's Henry's homebase in the first RPG.

Resident Evil 2 director and Devil May Cry creator Hideki Kamiya has jokingly detailed a concept for a cozy life sim game starring a retired Leon Kennedy.

Outside of series creator Shinji Mikami, you could make an argument for Kamiya being the most impactful person to be involved with the Resident Evil series. After the original game was the first game he was credited on, Kamiya then directed Resident Evil 2 which is still considered by many to be one of, if not the best game in the series. That second game is also the one that introduced us to Leon Kennedy, who has gone on to be the series' most beloved character.

But despite his massive impact on the series and the survival horror genre in general, Kamiya has openly said he hates horror, and earlier this year he pitched Capcom creating a "'non-scary' mode" for Resident Evil Requiem so he could enjoy the game's puzzles in peace. Now, over on Twitter (translated by Automaton) Kamiya has responded to fan requests for him to return to the Resident Evil series – which he hasn't been involved with since his Resident Evil 4 turned into Devil May Cry – by detailing what he would do with a new game.

Kamiya says if he made a new Resident Evil title, "it'd be a game where a retired Leon spends his days in the countryside fishing, gathering wild vegetables, baking bread, walking his dog, tending to his garden, driving 50 kilometers to the nearest general store, inviting his old friends over for barbecues, fixing his elderly neighbour's oven, and selling homemade lemonade at the local festival. Would you still be OK with that?"

Given how huge the cozy game market is, people naturally are still OK with that, with one comment saying they'd be interested in "Resident Evil Pokopia." Kamiya acknowledges the fan response, saying: "Capcom, there seem to be a lot of people asking for a Resident not-Evil game like this. If you ever have the time, please consider making it… I'd like to play it too."

Are you playing the latest game in the series? If so, be sure to browse through our roundup of Resident Evil Requiem safe codes for an easier time progressing.

The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 arguably stand the test of time as two of the best RPGs ever developed – and a lot of this stellar reputation boils down to the quality of not just their main stories, but their side missions, too.

Heck, I don't think I'll ever forget the Land of a Thousand Fables – and I'm certainly not alone in feeling that CD Projekt Red does some excellent side stories. In fact, a thread over on Twitter about the developer's stellar "side quests and DLC" has prompted a reply from Paweł Sasko – quest designer on The Witcher 3 and quest design director on Cyberpunk 2077, who now works as associate game director on Cyberpunk 2. According to him, a lot of elbow grease goes into those "side" missions.

"We put a considerable amount of effort into side stories," writes Sasko. "Those most of the time have same budget and production timeline, talented teams, and more creative freedom (by not being tied to main story, mostly)."

Honestly, I'm not surprised to hear that – and in The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, he says, "quality in those was a must," not just a "nice to have" thing. That's not hard to see if you've played either RPG.

The Witcher 3 boasts nearly 200 hours of content (if you include its main story and the side quests), but I've easily poured hundreds more into it myself. Cyberpunk 2077 is similarly lengthy, and a quick browse on Steam shows folks with 1,000+ hours spent in-game leaving reviews.

In other words, many players find themselves lost within CD Projekt Red's various side missions and lively worlds – a testament to the studio's hard work.

It does beg the question – just how expansive will upcoming CD Projekt Red games be, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2? I'm willing to bet that they, too, will end up proving some of the greatest RPGs, with much of that falling to their optional content as well as their undoubtedly massive main stories.

Only time can truly tell, however… but for now, I think I'll go replay The Witcher 3 for the umpteenth time.

Joint The Witcher 4 and CD Projekt Red CEO says fully AI-generated games are coming, but he has "some doubts whether this is really the path to follow."

There are no bad Metro games. In fact, fans of developer 4A Games' atmospheric-as-hell first-person shooter franchise might even argue the series – based on author Dmitry Glukhovsky's post-apocalyptic book trilogy – has only gotten better with each installment.

But while Metro 2033, its sequels Metro: Last Light and Metro Exodus – and even VR prequel Metro Awakening – have offered increasingly solid entries within the moody, immersion-ratcheting series, each successive release has also strayed a bit from what made the original so appealing…and terrifying.

The upcoming Metro 2039 aims to rectify this, retaining and refining the franchise's 15-plus years of evolution, but also returning it to its subterranean, supernatural roots. In fact, based on everything we know of the fourth mainline entry, it seems to be mirroring 2033 in thrilling ways that have me highly anticipating my return to the mutant-inhabited underground.

Descendants

The most obvious callback to the first game is 2039's unsettling, detail-drenched subway setting. While the original game tasked players with braving the claustrophobic Moscow Metro station for much of its runtime, Last Light found them on the surface just as often, surviving the irradiated city from under gas masks.

Exodus strayed even further from those confined subway tunnels, inviting players to seek safety and shelter above ground, where things maybe weren't quite as uninhabitable as advertised. Exodus' more expansive surface areas also went hand in hand with its semi-open world structure, which offered some welcome freedom – and varied, eye-popping environments – but at the cost of the original's nightmare-conjuring underground.

This approach, while certainly not without its own appeal, essentially abandoned the tighter, tense linear storytelling and suffocating dread that helped define the first game. If early peeks at 2039's overrun tunnels are any indication, fans will soon be back to surviving the nerve-fraying Metro much as they did when Artyom first hit the tracks.

That said, players won't be descending into Moscow's depths as the series' longtime Metro-dweller Artyom. This might sound disappointing, as series' stalwarts have gotten accustomed to the fan-favorite silent Ranger. But it's worth noting that the fresh start we're getting with new – and fully voiced – protagonist the "Stranger" puts 2039 in an intriguing spot the franchise hasn't occupied since introducing Artyom.

Part of the appeal of 2033 was meeting this new character, joining him on his harrowing journey through the underground, and ultimately ensuring his survival until he helped guide those nukes to their target. The sequels allowed us to get comfortable with Artytom, growing with him as he became a more capable soldier, a married man, and a more traditional video game hero, they also left behind some of the engrossing mystery and emotional surprises that come with slowly peeling back the layers of a fresh-faced protagonist. With the Stranger, we once again get a clean slate, tantalizingly packed with new secrets I can't wait to uncover.

Some of this nuance has already been hinted at in 2039's reveal trailer. We know the Stranger suffers from haunting nightmares, so much so that his mind-taxing terrors serve as the driving force sending him beneath Moscow's surface. More exciting is the fact these nightmares are likely tied to the Dark Ones, the highly evolved supernatural beings that fueled much of the first two games' spine-tingling riddles.

Following their engrossing narrative arc – which saw them demonized in 2033 before being redeemed in Last Light – these possibly-paranormal friends/foes were mostly reduced to Easter Egg-like appearances and references in Exodus. The Dark Ones' return and, more specifically, how it might be connected to the Stranger's psychological struggles, suggests a brain-bending conundrum the likes of which we haven't experienced since Artyom suffered his own psychic visions.

Faction-fueled storytelling

Our new haunted protagonist, his reluctant return to the stifling subway, and whatever mind-trickery the Dark Ones have in store for him are all elements evocative of the first game. But these aspects are also woven into a wider fabric of 2033's warring factions.

From communists and fascists to merchants and the military, the series' debut saw various forces in constant conflict, fighting over resources, weapons, territory, and political control of the Metro 2039 sees the return of these battling ideologies, but with a twist…and a brand new baddie.

The game, dropping like a Blind One's fist next winter, introduces a seemingly peaceful underground, where all factions are united under a new regime dubbed the "NovoReich." But as ruled by the oppressive, manipulative "Hunter" – a former respected Ranger turned iron-fisted Fuhrer – this new group seems destined for more doom than democracy. The Hunter also represents the return of a proper antagonist for the series, a concept that was largely abandoned in Exodus.

The Hunter represents a more literal return to the franchise's roots, as the character first appeared in 2033 but disappeared by the campaign's conclusion. While items and references to him existed in Last Light and Exodus, his fate was ultimately left unsolved. Bringing him back as 2039's main antagonist not only suggests his whereabouts will be revealed, but his integral role represents a return to the series' past that also pushes it forward.

Ahead of Metro 2039 reveal, series author Dmitry Glukhovsky says it "will be darker than anything you've seen before"

With GTA 6 pre-orders finally live, folks are securing their copies of Rockstar's long-awaited new Grand Theft Auto entry – on both the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, apparently.

Although there's no PC release in sight just yet, GTA 6 sales have reportedly been flying on the PS5. Heck, as per IGN's own findings, "PlayStation is outperforming Xbox by a rate of 8-to-1" – although it's important to note that there is some nuance to this (it's only taking into account pre-orders secured via its affiliate links)... but it's still impressive to see the PS5 version doing that much better in any context, admittedly.

We are talking about the console whose creator, Sony, feels confident enough to declare that "Grand Theft Auto 6 plays best on PS5," so I suppose it's not all that surprising – but Xbox doesn't want us to count it out so quickly.

In a new statement to Windows Central from an "Xbox spokesperson," Microsoft requests that people remain mindful of the circumstances surrounding stats like IGN's, as, like I said above, there's nuance to them. "This doesn't represent pre-order data," Xbox writes. "We've had record orders. People should wait for real data and not clicks on affiliate links."

Although it comes across as a bit direct – to say the least – it does imply that Microsoft's console isn't exactly struggling in the GTA 6 pre-order department. I honestly don't doubt that it's seen "record orders," either, simply taking into consideration the 13 years of built-up hype Rockstar's game has behind it.

I am interested to see what the actual numbers involved here are, however – but I doubt we'll get to until the game's November 19 release date draws a bit closer… at least.

As hardware like the Steam Machine gets more expensive, GTA 6 will have fans "eagerly" spending, analyst says.

With Final Fantasy 14 expansion Evercold underway, it's hard for us raiders not to consider what the 8.0 tier might look like – after all, Dawntrail's own Arcadion arguably stands as one of the best the MMO has seen to date.

Just why is it so good, though? Dawntrail as a whole left many players disappointed, after all, teetering back and forth from "Mostly Negative" reviews on Steam since its release – but its raid series, the Arcadion, never met that sort of poor reception itself.

I got to ask assistant director Tsuyoshi Yokozawa about this, questioning what Square Enix had learned from its past tiers… and how it implemented this knowledge into the Arcadion.

"Our experience from previous raid series, along with feedback from players, played a very important role in the design philosophy of the Arcadion," he tells me. "In previous series, especially at the time of Pandæmonium, our emphasis was on a policy of comprehensively ensuring player comfort and stress reduction. This approach did help make content more accessible," but it also limited developers' ability to "explore more creative ideas."

They saw another problem there, too. As Yokozawa says, "There was less room for individual players to demonstrate their true abilities, resulting in a heightened sensation of 'going through the motions' when tackling the fight. To break through these challenges, we decided that with the Arcadion, we would return to the mindset we had during the Heavensward era."

That's right – the Alexander era. I love it, you probably love it, many fans love it. I've even got a soft spot in my heart for the more recent Ultimate.

If you're newer to the MMO, you might be wondering what he means here, however. He explains: "This entailed not being bound by convenience alone, but rather focused first and foremost on 'novel experiences and surprises,' approaching encounter design with a freer, more flexible perspective."

Square Enix also "placed importance on striking a balance, where overcoming moderate challenges would deliver a strong sense of achievement."

That's why the lead thinks the team was "able to create exciting battles filled with new surprises" out of the Arcadion – "and that led to positive feedback from many players."

It certainly did. I, for one, see it as one of the best Savage (and Normal, honestly) tiers. The Arcadion is up there with the Alexander raids in terms of novelty, coming as a much-needed breath of fresh air amid Dawntrail's other content.

Yokozawa stresses this once more, describing the Arcadion as "a return to the design philosophy that prioritized 'surprise and novelty,' which we pursued at the time of Heavensward."

He concludes that, "By building mechanics with a more open, unrestricted mindset, we feel that this approach resonated well with the expectations of today's players." I'd say he's most definitely not wrong here.

Across discussions on forums online, you'll see people praising the Arcadion as a top-tier… well, tier. Heck, you'll even find folks noting that it's as boundary-pushing as Heavensward's raid series was. I'm just hopeful Evercold's will prove similarly brilliant.

Final Fantasy 14 Evercold raids follow The Arcadion's lead as the MMO's assistant director teases they'll value "surprise and novelty" over "convenience and efficiency."

Rockstar Games found itself in hot water last year when the studio fired around 30 developers who were in talks to form a union. One affected worker now says playing GTA 6 when it comes out later this year would "probably just bring back too much."

Speaking to the BBC, former Rockstar Games QA worker Jack Hoxby said he "really" doesn't know if he'll play GTA 6, a game he spent years working on. "I definitely don't think I will buy it," he says. "I don't think I'll be able to bring myself to, personally. Obviously, a lot of my friends will either presumably be gifted copies by the company, and probably other people will buy it."

"I will probably play it at some point, but it is hard to say," he adds. "I might get to it and try and sit down and play it, and it'll just be too, like, you know - I just won't be in the mood to play it. It'll probably just bring back too much. But I'm not sure. It's something I have thought about quite a lot to be honest."

The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) last year accused Rockstar Games of illegal union busting after the company fired around 30 devs located across the UK and Canada, all of whom were either union members or involved in unionization efforts.

The GTA 6 studio claimed the firings were due to leaks of "confidential information," though the company hasn't made public what information exactly was being spread. The firings led to protests outside Rockstar Games offices, and the situation even spread to UK parliament a fair few times.

More recently, an employment tribunal ruled against Rockstar Games' request to have claims of blacklisting taken out of the upcoming trial.

The trial is set to begin in the months leading up to GTA 6's November release date on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Rockstar spokesperson says "we welcome" judge's decision to deny fired GTA 6 devs interim relief, union highlights "a glimpse of Rockstar's flimsy grounds for defence"

The Steam Machine costs upwards of $1000. PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles are hundreds of dollars more expensive now than they were at launch almost six years ago. Even the Nintendo Switch 2 is getting a price increase. But surely hardware costs won't keep ballooning, right? Surely, at some point, hopefully, the RAMpocalypse will come to an end and we can all go back to comfortably buying pieces of plastic-metal to play games on.

Well, that's not about to happen any time soon, according to electronics firm Lenovo. As reported on by ComputerBase, the company held a presentation at the ISC 2026 where executive director Martin Hiegl apparently told the audience that we're now in a new normal for DRAM and NAND prices.

The tech company explained that DRAM companies are upping their production capabilities to make more memory components, but those efforts probably aren't going to result in lower prices or, at least, prices that match their original levels for the foreseeable future. Hiegl then explained these inflated prices will become somewhat of a new normal until at least 2030. (Good spot, VGC).

In case you've had a look at hardware prices recently, that's, uh, not great news. Valve has blamed the Steam Machine's eye-watering price on high component costs that keep going up. Hot off increasing Xbox Series X|S prices once again, the console maker explained "storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x and we expect another doubling by the fall of 2027." All signs point to consoles getting even more expensive and more people being priced out of the hobby.

PlayStation also raised PS5 prices earlier in the year, pointing to the vague "global economic landscape." The entire tech world is seemingly being plagued with RAM shortages as AI slop factories lay claim to these components in massive quantities.

On Steam Machine, Valve engineers say "the cheaper the better," but a price drop is unlikely "any time soon"

Games are likely to follow Mario Kart World and GTA 6's lead with an $80 base price tag, according to several analysts, but only the biggest of games will be able to pull it off unscathed.

Like Mario Kart World before it, GTA 6's price has raised big question marks over the heads of anyone worried about higher video game costs. Will $80 become the new standard? Not exactly, say some analysts we talked to, but they will become much more common in the months and years following GTA 6's November release date.

DFC Intelligence's David Cole explains to GamesRadar+ that "the industry has already been moving to this price point, led by Nintendo," a publisher that launches games with all sorts of price tags attached. "The issue is there are only a handful of premium games that command this price point."

Essentially, not every game will have the easiest time launching at $80. Grand Theft Auto and Super Mario can because they're, well, Grand Theft Auto and Super Mario. Cole adds that Rockstar Games is continuing a precedent "for only the most in-demand games with a built-in initial audience... It is the industry going towards a tiered pricing model where it is recognized that some games simply provide much more value than others and should be priced accordingly."

Joost van Dreunen echoes the point, saying the new $80 standard will be "reserved for only a select few titles and franchises" that can command it, and publishers that try to charge $80 on games that don't deliver "will likely come to regret that."

"Gaming is increasingly becoming a luxury category," van Dreunen continues. "Its economics have historically centered around a winner-takes-most model, and GTA 6 raises the bar again. Publishers who can clear it will pull further ahead, and those who cannot will have to compete on distribution instead, finding new channels, bundles, and pricing models to reach players the blockbusters don't."

Serkan Toto of Kantan Games notes that corporate owner Take-Two was already the first publisher to charge $70 back in 2020. That was an inflated price other companies very quickly adopted, "and I believe the rest of the industry will follow them this time as well - whenever it makes sense," Toto says.

Rockstar Games reportedly has no plans to print GTA 6 discs at launch or in the months after

Developers working on Star Wars: Eclipse, the long-in-development game from Quantic Dream, are on strike in an attempt to salvage the game itself and stop the studio from laying off 115 workers.

Earlier this year, the French studio best known for its hit single-player offerings (Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, Detroit Become Human) put its competitive multiplayer game called Spellcasters Chronicles into early access, which swiftly got shut down and abandoned a few weeks after. At the time, Quantic Dream said it would go through a reorganization as a result.

As reported on by GameKult, developers working at the studio have now gone on strike to stop management from laying off 115 people. The industrial action is said to coincide with a visit from Lucasfilm, the studio in charge of a galaxy far, far away. Some strikers told the outlet they were also attempting to save Star Wars: Eclipse's shaky production, as the game allegedly can't be completed without the 115 employees in danger of losing their jobs.

"It's far from being an act of sabotage," one striking worker said, (thanks, Eurogamer). "On the contrary, we're trying to save Star Wars Eclipse. We could manage to release it with 115 additional people, and that wouldn't be 'overstaffed': it's what's needed. We're understaffed, like in many other companies in the sector, because bosses know very well that passion will lead people to crunch time and that games will eventually be released. But it's impossible to run a sustainable industry like that."

Another worker involved in the industrial action said development of Star Wars: Eclipse is unlikely to wrap up should Quantic Dream's redundancy plan go ahead, and alleged overtime had begun at the studio after layoffs plans were announced: "We absolutely need the 115 people who have been inactive (or almost) for a month already. That's a whole month of lost production."

Star Wars: Eclipse was revealed in 2021, and we haven't seen much of the game since. Quantic Dream have on several occasions said the project is "very different" to the branching, choose-your-own-adventure-style blockbusters that have defined the studio so far.

In the meantime, here are the very best Star Wars games you can play right now.

Final Fantasy 14 expansion Evercold is on its way, so it's a great time to take a step back and look at what might just be one of the best raid tiers the MMO has seen to date: the Arcadion.

It's no secret that Dawntrail, as an expansion, left many of us a bit disappointed – I mean, they can't all be Shadowbringers, am I right? It has dipped in and out of a "Mostly Negative" rating on Steam (now sitting at "Mixed" reviews overall). But, still, it didn't go wrong in every delivery.

In fact, its raid series, the Arcadion, is widely regarded as one of the greatest… both for casual players and hardcore fans tackling the Savages.

As a dedicated raider myself, I'm interested to see what Evercold's own raids might bring – and what Square Enix learned from the Arcadion's solid reception. So I ask assistant director Tsuyoshi Yokozawa during a recent interview what the developers are considering carrying over into the next tier.

"Our experience with the Arcadion has served as a firm guideline for our future battle content development," he tells me… which, yeah, makes a lot of sense.

"We would like to strongly carry over the following three points in particular into the next raid series." The first is the "pursuit of unique experiences without fear of risk" – something I'm certainly a fan of.

"What this series has reaffirmed for me is that surprise and novelty are at the very heart of what makes content truly entertaining," Yokozawa explains. This means risk-taking while battle planning and "'prioritizing unprecedented experiences.'"

This might cost more resources, but it's clearly worked with the Arcadion. I don't think I'll soon forget the fight designs from Dawntrail's high-tier raiding, and I'm ready for more of that. I'm also ready for more of the lead's next point – the "creation of boss characters that players can genuinely connect with."

Is he low-key talking about Honey B. Lovely here and how she became a community icon? I'd like to think so.

"Instead of having them exist purely as enemies to defeat, we want to further emphasize portraying their individuality, background, and personality through the battles themselves," continues Yokozawa on raid bosses, "so that they can be appreciated and loved as characters over the long term." This approach is something Square Enix plans "to place even greater importance on" in Evercold.

The third point the assistant director brings up might have a greater effect on us hardcore raiders than anyone else: "designing gameplay that allows for flexible problem-solving."

According to Yokozawa, "Rather than forcing players to utilize a specific strategy, we value leaving in room for players to approach situations in their own way, using their creativity and judgment to overcome challenges." Comparing different statics' clears proves his point, honestly.

Square Enix "will continue to include mechanics where mistakes can lead directly to a full wipe," but the devs "want to be more deliberate about where those moments occur."

They'll do this "by expanding the opportunities for recovery" – think limit breaks, healing, and rezzes. It's all about the feeling "overcoming difficult situations through players' own resourcefulness" gives us as raiders, and I get it.

Just think about how much better a kill feels when you think you've truly contributed to the static's overall ability to get it – it's a feeling I know well as a healer main. It's nice to see devs acknowledge its power.

As Yokozawa concludes, they "always take our players' voices seriously" and are "committed to creating battles that deliver both excitement and a strong sense of accomplishment." The Arcadion serves as proof.

"Of course, we have much to learn from missteps and areas where we reflect and improve – but we take all of that forward as motivation to keep delivering experiences that can only be found in FF14," he admits, before signing off with a heartfelt message: "I look forward to seeing you all on the battlefield in the next challenge. We hope you will continue to look forward to FF14's battle content in the future!"

I know I already am – my fellow static members definitely are, too. All of these points, along with the upcoming job changes, have me at the edge of my seat.

Final Fantasy 14 fans make their own in-game Tinder, with gil-hungry bunny boys and modded cat girls galore.

With ever increasing hardware prices, gamers might be more willing to drop $80 or $100 on GTA 6 than they otherwise would be, according to one analyst.

Fresh off the announcement of the GTA 6 price, we talked to a few gaming analysts about what an $80 Standard Edition and an $100 Ultimate Edition (that paywalls some crucial features) could mean for the Rockstar Games behemoth and the industry at large.

Joost Van Dreunen reckons the slightly higher asking price won't have an effect on how well the game sells. In fact, higher hardware prices across the board might help Grand Theft Auto's case.

"I expect that precisely because gaming hardware has become largely unaffordable for consumers, the existing player base will eagerly spend on those experiences they know will be worth their time," Van Dreunen tells GamesRadar+. "Why spend $1,000 on a new console when you can spend only a fraction on one of the best franchises around?"

Hardware prices are on the up and up. The Steam Machine launches with an eye-watering starting price of $1049, Xbox Series X|S consoles just saw another price bump, and PS5 price tags went up earlier in the year as well - and things aren't slowing down. Valve recently said it doesn't expect component costs to come down any time soon, while Xbox expects prices to multiply in the next year.

"Gaming is increasingly becoming a luxury category. Its economics have historically centered around a winner-takes-most model, and GTA 6 raises the bar again," Van Dreunen adds when asked if the game's price sets a precedent that other companies might follow. "Publishers who can clear it will pull further ahead, and those who cannot will have to compete on distribution instead, finding new channels, bundles, and pricing models to reach players the blockbusters don't."

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

A new report claims Rockstar Games has no plans to reverse its controversial digital-only GTA 6 release, either at launch or in the months after.

Physical collectors and anyone wanting to actually own the games they spend money on were irked this past Wednesday when Rockstar Games announced that GTA 6's release would be digital only. The developer is selling a physical box, but that simply comes with a digital download code instead of a disc containing the game - so, no reselling or lending it out to a friend.

A widely-circulated email then gave fans false hope. Rockstar Support replied to one worried player by saying, "You will be able to acquire a physical copy during the following months" - a response many misinterpreted as confirmation that a proper physical release would follow GTA 6's November 19 release date.

The Hollywood Reporter has now squashed that false hope and explained Rockstar was referring to the code-in-a-box case when it mentioned a "physical copy" that players could buy in the months leading up to launch, not in the months post-launch. THR claims the internet simply misread the support email and Rockstar Games doesn't have any plans to print discs of GTA 6, citing an anonymous source familiar with the company's plans.

There you have it, then. The most-anticipated game of all time may very well stay digital-only forever - a worrying sign for physical media and anyone concerned about game preservation.

Multiple retailers have said they aren't going to stock the game come November due to its physical edition not actually containing a physical copy, but games analyst Mat Piscatella recently said he doesn't think the lack of disc will hurt GTA 6's sales at all.

More GTA 6 features may have been leaked by Amazon: switchable protagonists, in-game social media, and more

Looking for something excellent to read this weekend? We published over 400 articles on GamesRadar+ this week, but here's our pick of the six stories that you absolutely need to read.

1. A match made in heaven: Star Wars, racing, and roguelikes combine in Galactic Racer

Star Wars has been in desperate need of something a little different ever since the Skywalker Saga collapsed. Perhaps it'll be Galactic Racer that reignites some energy into the franchise, a fast-paced racing game while blurs a development studio's expertise with Burnout and Need for Speed with the sort of lush, cinematic storytelling that Star Wars is known for delivering. We played the game ahead of its October 6, 2026, release date and the early signs are exceptionally promising.

2. Epic Games' CEO has a lot of opinions on Steam AI disclosures. None of them are good.

The use of generative artificial intelligence in video games continues to be exceptionally divisive, if not actively volatile. Recent comments from Epic Games' longtime CEO Tim Sweeney have only inflamed the conversation, as he simultaneously comes to the defense of Gen AI in certain cases and attacks Valve over its requirement that developers publicly flag when the tech has been used on Steam. This story has sparked a lot of discussion, so don't be afraid of adding your voice to the conversation.

3. "It's huge for us": Why Obsidian is finally ready to take Grounded 2 to PlayStation 5

If there's one thing that's clear from Xbox's somewhat messy approach to console exclusivity, it's that live service games will continue to be widely available – all in an effort to help build better, larger communities of players. Grounded 2 is a perfect example of this strategy in action. Obsidian legend Chris Parker walks you through all of it, the promise of the new Into the Abyss update coming this August, and the potential for the studio's survival game to grow to new heights on PS5.

4. What did we learn from the Grand Theft Auto 6 pre-order campaign starting? Rockstar is ready to change open-world games forever

The silence surrounding Grand Theft Auto 6 has been deafening. It's been over a year since the last trailer released, leaving nothing but space for rampant speculation. That's why it was so damn refreshing to see Rockstar come out this week ready to celebrate GTA 6 pre-orders going live. We got some controversial launch details, we got over 60 new screenshots, and even a bunch of new gameplay details. If anything, this is a time to remember that GTA 6 is not only real, but that it's actually coming November 19, 2026.

5. "Destiny 2 fell short of expectations": Understanding the crisis enveloping Bungie

It's been a difficult year for Bungie. The studio has enjoyed the highs of bringing Marathon online and the lows of having to abandon Destiny 2. This week, the crisis at the famed studio behind the creation of Halo hit another bump in the road, as PlayStation CEO Herman Hulst announced a restructure of the organization that has caused widespread layoffs and a massive shift in priorities. It's been disappointing to see the studio (responsible for revolutionizing the FPS genre twice over) impacted in this way, and it's difficult to see where it will go from here.

6. Shigeru Miyamoto created The Legend of Zelda. He has some things to say about the quality of its dungeon design

Shigeru Miyamoto is responsible for bringing some of the most iconic characters and worlds in the video game industry to life. It's rare for him to do interviews, which is why GR+ staff writer Dustin Bailey had to go all the way back to 1999 to find the legend commenting on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Miyamoto had a revelation during the development of this iconic adventure game, and it's one that clearly reshaped all of the games that followed.

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

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

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

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

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

GTA 6 theories are like mice. Each time you discover one, you should remember there are about 800 more living in your walls. And they're persistent, as I'm learning now that new screenshots have brushed off GTA fans' half-buried suspicion that a Red Dead Redemption 2 crossover is waiting for them.

Generally, I don't find this idea impossible. Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption are two of developer Rockstar's favorite children, and despite the fact that the franchises take place about 120 years apart, they're narratively linked: rough guys in a rough open-world make morally grey decisions and are allowed to slap prostitutes. GTA has plenty of Red Dead easter eggs, too, like a red John Marston shirt some NPCs can stroll around with in GTA 5.

But this GTA 6 theory is much more substantial than a cute wink and a boardwalk T-shirt. Fans think GTA 6's criminal protagonist Jason is related to Red Dead 2 antihero Arthur Morgan because they both have freckles and kind of a squash-like nose.

The 63 new screenshots Rockstar revealed this week alongside its GTA 6 Ultimate Edition announcement are currently refueling comparisons between the two world-weary men. Rockstar content creator Synth Potato comments on Twitter about the way Jason and Arthur both frown a lot, "Jason could absolutely pass as a direct descendant of Arthur Morgan, he's the spitting image of him."

Twitter account TheCassiniGames agrees in a post with, as of writing, over 33,000 likes, saying "Jason Duval from GTA 6 looks a lot like Arthur Morgan." The accompanying screenshot comparison shows Jason looking like a pouty Calvin Klein model, with a pair of lucite sunglasses, while Arthur Morgan looks like a guy with sun damage who fell off his horse.

I'm sorry, but I just don't see it. There are some situations that make me think, "these are just two white guys" – I have that thought a lot while watching reality TV like Love Island. And I'm thinking it now, partner.

GTA 6 pre-orders live - stock is flying and bundles are hitting the shelves.

Dead or Alive is staging a comeback for the 30th anniversary of the fighting series, but judging by the response from players, the first stage of that return is dead on arrival. Dead or Alive 6: Last Round just launched with $1,700 worth of DLC and very few of the features fighting game fans have come to expect from the genre, and it's taking an absolute drubbing in the Steam reviews.

Dead or Alive 6 originally launched in 2019, and the new Last Round version is billed as the "definitive" edition of the game. It features a photo mode, new costumes, and… well, that's about it. It's otherwise identical to the original, right down to the lack of crossplay or rollback netcode – absences that were odd in 2019, and darn near unforgivable for fighting fans here in 2026.

Last Round will soon get new updates and DLC characters, offering a bit of new life to the original game, but even that's got caveats to annoy existing players. The previous version has been delisted, and there's no upgrade path to Last Round, which means that players who bought the old game will have to spend $40 for the privilege of paying to access the next round of DLC.

At least old DLC purchases transfer to the new game, but new players are going to have a major case of sticker shock when they see that Last Round is launching with 440 pieces of DLC which, according to IsThereAnyDeal, totals out to $1,707.60.

That total is a little unfair to Dead or Alive 6, since it includes both standalone costumes and bundle sets, as well as character unlocks for the free-to-play version of the game, but it's still downright galling to see all this years-old content being sold at its original price. In fact, the character unlocks have actually doubled in price – characters that once cost $4 apiece are now $8 each.

With all those factors in mind, you can probably start to see why the game's 709 Steam reviews are 79% negative. "im usually pretty resilient to koei tecmo greed but this is too far," as the top review puts it. "$40. No new content, just the privilege of being able to spend more money on unrevealed DLC later," another goes.

Dead or Alive 6 is an entertaining fighting game – but like every entry in the series since 5, it's also a vehicle to sell endless arrays of costumes for players trapped in their thirst for the series' cast of anime hotties. If there was any hope that Koei Tecmo would pull back on its aggressive DLC practices with a brand-new series entry on the way, I'm not sure how that hope is going to survive Last Round's launch.

These are the best fighting games you can play today.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance and its sequel are games that pride themselves on their historical realism, with a story rooted in 15th century Bohemia wartime, characters based on real-world history, and architecture that closely resembles the buildings that actually stood, and in some cases still do stand, in that region of the world. But if we're talking about the first game specifically, there's one key aspect of the story that developer Warhorse well and truly whiffed, and that's how much in-game time transpired over the course of the main story.

During the epilogue of the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Hans Capon asks Henry how long they've known each other, having met near the beginning of the game, when Henry arrives in Skalitz as a refugee. Capon suggests it's only been a couple of weeks since they met, implying the entire main story took place over a matter of some 14 days, meaning in that space of time Henry went from being an orphaned son of a blacksmith with no combat experience to a master swordsman with a body count to rival Nathan Drake's, earning him the trust of nobles to carry out high-stakes missions.

Now, this being a video game, I think most of us went, "Huh, that seems a little unlikely, but so does the premise of pretty much every video game ever made," but not one Twitter user going simply by Paul, who assigned himself the task of mapping out how long Henry's journey actually took, canonically. "Given the KCD saga's (hilariously) tight timeframe, I thought it would be fun to 'map out' just over how much time the main story actually takes place," he says before presenting a quite nifty calendar of events and how much time likely transpired between them.

Admittedly, the space in mind allotted to Kingdom Come: Deliverance is entirely occupied by the riveting events of the second game, and it's been about seven years since I touched the first one, but from what I can tell this calendar seems logical, organized, and well-researched. Paul estimates Henry would be bedridden from his combat injuries escaping Skalitz, not to mention fever likely from infection, for about two weeks, which sounds like a reasonable recovery time.

In Kingdom Come: Deliverance and its sequel, you can sleep in any bed or pile of hay you find around the map, although you'll likely get woken up if you don't own the bed, but that's not relevant to the canonical timeframe of the main story. So Paul maps out how long he reckons each quest takes Henry in terms of the in-game timer, and he does so meticulously ,with "a bunch" of self-imposed metrics accounting for side quests and travel time – not to mention detailed notes of Henry's daily activities. Ultimately, the character's calendar stretches out just beyond two months, which sounds a lot more logically consistent than two weeks, for sure.

"Obviously the results are incredibly subjective," Paul admits. "kcd is a brilliant game in that nearly no two playthroughs are exactly the same. i could've easily failed a skill check that set me back a day, or i could've been attacked by bandits and missed someone before they went to bed, etc.

"I mainly thought this was fun since the in-game world time counter is incredibly inaccurate. it doesn't account for henry's 2 week stint in bed and it skips forward by entire days A LOT (drinking with godwin, theresa's second date, jobst's meeting)."

I'm deeply impressed by Paul's studiousness when it comes to Kingdom Come: Deliverance's world and the illogical pace of its elusive clock, and apparently, so is Warhorse. "At this point you're possibly more organised than we are!" the studio's official Twitter account said in reply to Paul's work. Paul, as any self-motivated superfan would do, decided to then shoot his shot for employment at Warhorse. Henry would be proud.

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

Whenever I take a photo of my office and a friend catches a glimpse of the Asus TUF Gaming Hatsune Miku PC accessories spread across my desk, I always get asked about them. That's not surprising as they're absolutely adorable, and the bright turquoise and pink color palette combined with the Hatsune Miku imagery is hard to ignore if you have any semblance of Vocaloid-fandom in your bones.

The set, which includes a mouse, keyboard, wired headset, and a matching mousepad, does suffer from that "style over substance" problem as they typically come at a cost that's more than you'd expect and therefore hard to recommend. However, I have good news for my friends and fellow anime dweebs, as the entire set now starts from just $24.99 at Amazon, and it's all thanks to Prime Day.

The Asus TUF Gaming Hatsune Miku line isn't going to equip your desktop rig with the most high-end accessories, however, it will massively up the cute factor of your setup, especially if you're a Vocaloid fan. I'm literally using these very accessories as I type these very words, and the Hatsune Miku imagery never fails to bring a smile to my face, even during the most grueling of work days.

Every piece here feels like it was designed by fans, for fans, which is exactly what you want from an officially licensed collaboration. Yet if I were to pick a favorite piece from this set of PC gaming accessories, it'd undoubtedly be that wireless mouse.

It's a little small for my hands, but it's 134 hour battery has served me well as someone whose PC is constantly in use for both work and gaming. I often forget to turn it off after a long day, and yet it's still able to carry me through for weeks on end.

When it has ever died on me, it's fortunately equipped with tri-mode connectivity, so I just had to simply grab its accompanying charging cable and hook it up to the PC, and it was back in business. That happens pretty rarely however, as that flashing Hatsune Miku icon is always there to remind me when the mouse needs a little boost.

I'm also a massive fan of the mouse mat. Not just because I like having detailed original Hatsune Miku art sitting on my desk, but because it's really easy to clean and wipe away any spills or debris. I'm pretty clumsy and yet still drink many a cup of coffee at my desk, and yet the mousemat has managed to survive unscathed. To this day, the art looks just as vibrant as it did when I first unrolled it.

If these savings and Miku's adorable face have enticed you enough, do be aware that the Prime Day gaming deals are coming to an end, so the above savings won't be around for much longer. If you're as big a Vocaloid fan as I am, and want to inject your PC gaming setup with something more on-brand as you play through Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix+, I recommend you grab it all while you still can.

Want more last-minute savings? Check out the best Prime Day Nintendo Switch 2 deals, the best Newegg Prime Day deals, and the best Prime Day retro gaming deals before they're gone for good.

GTA 6 and a string of other high-profile games might be forgoing discs altogether, but US physical game sales actually grew ever so slightly for the first time in 17 years.

Rockstar Games recently caused a big online hullabaloo after announcing that physical copies of GTA 6 won't actually contain a disc come launch, just a code that lets people download a digital version. Multiple retailers began dropping what will eventually become the biggest game of the year over its code-in-a-box plan, although Circana senior director and prominent analyst Mat Piscatella predicted this won't actually have any impact on sales..

Curiously though, Piscatella also shares that physical game sales in the United States actually enjoyed a rare glimpse of hope – for the first time since 2009's feverish peak, dollars spent on physical game releases shot up year-on-year by 3%.

US new physical video game software spending. 12 months ending May 2007-2026:

— @matpiscatella.bsky.social (@matpiscatella.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-06-26T16:27:48.105Z

Physical game sales have been on a big decline since 2009's $11.5 billion record, but now "spending is up by 3% in the 12-month ending May 2026," according to Piscatella. Don't be too quick to celebrate now, collectors. This uptick is apparently not a sign of things to come, he says.

"The overwhelming majority of volume is done digitally now," Piscatella writes on social media. "The second hand market... doesn't really matter. More than half of all Xbox Series consoles in the US don't have a physical drive, while over a quarter of PS5s are the same. We likely have less than a decade left of physical software." Ominous indeed.

GTA 6 ignoring a real physical release is also worrying since the Rockstar Games behemoth is guaranteed to sell consoles, especially since it's not immediately coming out on PC, but many prospective console buyers might opt for hardware without disc drives thanks to the game's digital-only launch. I can only imagine that'll further snowball the death of boxed games, our ability to share them with people in our real lives, the preservation of art, and, you know, our ownership over the things we've paid for.

Analysts expect GTA 6 could sell up to 30 million copies at launch, but are unsure if it can "surpass the incredible longevity and massive sales of 5" in the long run.

With games seemingly getting bigger all of the time, speculation about the GTA 6 GB size is already starting to ramp up, with players wondering just how much of their hard drive space they'll need to clear out come November 2026 to accommodate Rockstar's magnum opus. While nothing is confirmed at this stage, we can look at previous releases and current trends to make an educated prediction, so here's what I think the GTA 6 file size will be.

To get yourself ready, we've broken down all of the GTA 6 weapons and GTA 6 cars identified so far, along with the GTA 6 locations you can visit.

How big will the GTA 6 download be?

While it's too early to definitively know any details, we can all agree that GTA 6 is going to be huge – and that will no doubt translate to a significant download and install size. If you've seen the elements of the GTA 6 map that have been pieced together so far then you'll know that an expansive setting is on the cards, and with a diverse range of locales from bustling city to mountain wilderness that means plenty of unique textures, sounds, and more to squeeze in.

To make some comparisons, the base file sizes for Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 are in the region of 100-110GB these days, though that does include years of accumulated updates and additions. To take a more recent example, Starfield will currently occupy around 125-140GB of your hard drive, depending on what extras you have installed.

Considering current trends, I would make a conservative estimate that the GTA 6 file size will be at least 120-130GB, and could easily be significantly more. A 2024 post from @GTA6Intel linking to a now-deleted story claimed the file size would be closer to 200GB, but take that with a pinch of salt.

Another consideration is that the physical edition will only include a code to be redeemed for a digital copy of the game, and while this is likely so Rockstar can continue development right up to launch day, there is a cap of 128GB on Blu-ray XL discs – no one wants to go back to the days of GTA 5 on Xbox 360 spanning multiple discs!

While the above thoughts apply to the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of the game, there's also GTA 6 on PC to think about, as PC games traditionally take up even more hard drive space than their console counterparts. However big the file size is, the GTA 6 pre-load will be available a whole week before the game launches on November 19, which at least gives you a few days grace to upgrade your hard drive or delete other games to make room – you won't be playing anything else, right?

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

It's going to be a busy holiday season this year, since GTA 6 is actually coming out in November. While people rush to pick up what may very well go down in history as the biggest video game ever, people in the know on the retail side of things warn you might want to get a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S now if you're planning on getting one and haven't already.

This comes from a report in The Game Business, who spoke to a senior games buyer at a retail outlet operating under anonymity. "We’ve been informed that because of the ongoing issues around hardware component availability, we won’t be getting the units we want ahead of GTA," he says. "Demand will likely outstrip supply during the year end period."

As much really reflects the state of the industry. Stock supplies have been difficult for some time now, and it was always unlikely that'd change in time for Rockstar's new crime sim. Grand Theft Auto 6 is going to shift a lot of systems, and it's difficult to anticipate or prepare for the kind of demand the sequel's going to generate.

Microsoft, at least, is aware of the strain that's coming, per comments made to The Game Business by Matthew Ball, Xbox's chief strategy officer. "I can tell you definitively, demand for our console exceeds the supply. We are putting them in as many stores as possible," he explains.

"We are producing them as quickly as possible," Ball says. "There is a severe limitation to how quickly we can do that, but it’s not a question of appetite. We need to do more, but there are constraints here."

The race is already on between Sony and Microsoft right now for who gets people's money. PlayStation is going all in, having changed the PS5 dashboard to advertise the latest GTA, and even going so far as to alter the PS app to match the aesthetic of Rockstar's new game. Whoever wins, it seems the only losers will be those stuck waiting for a system to play-through Lucia and Jason's sordid journey.

Rockstar veteran says there's a good reason why GTA 6 is more expensive than most titles – it's "not an average AAA game"

Creating a solid Darktide Skitarii build is essential as it can be quite a fragile class and has some added complexity with its unique Capacitance and Charge mechanics. However, it can still be very powerful thanks to its exclusive weaponry, Servo-Skull turret buddy, and some standout talents and abilities. Below, I've laid out two solid Skitarii builds that should serve you well in most missions.

And if you're still struggling to come up with a good Darktide Skitarii name, I can help you there too.

Darktide Skitarii Chordclaw melee build

• Ability: Chordclaw Strike with Satiated Steel + Axial Slash (good for hordes) or Slice and Dice + Probing Strikes (good for Ogryns and bosses)
• Blitz: Artificer Servo-Skull with Medicae and Purgator Servo-Skull upgrades
• Aura: Foe-Render Creed
• Keystone: Redline Capacitors with all four upgrades
• Other talents: Power Redistribution Uplink, Last Stand Relay, Flux Conduit Build-Up, Slaughter Protocol, Sustained Assault Doctrine, Sequenced Charge, Auto-Repair Doctrines, Augmented Power-Cycle, Moebian Conductor
• Weapons:
  • Paired Transonic Blades with Shred and Precognition
  • Phosphor Blast Pistol with Infernus or Man-Stopper and Crucian Roulette

The Chordclaw is arguably the Skitarius' best ability, capable of shredding some of the toughest Elite enemies in Darktide, so this melee-heavy build seeks to make the most of it. Talents like Slaughter Protocol and Sustained Assault Doctrine are going to give you the Toughness and Damage you need to fight up close with your Transonic Blades.

With Shred on your blades and Last Stand Relay, you should be scoring melee crits reasonably often which will then help you quickly gain charges for your Chordclaw thanks to Flux Conduit Build-Up. And every time you gain or spend a charge, you'll also benefit from Redline Capacitors, which will improve your melee attacks even more and let you use Chordclaw Strike up to five times.

Darktide Skitarii Voltaic Emitter electrocution build

• Ability: Voltaic Emitter with all three upgrades
• Blitz: Arc Grenades with Overcharged upgrade
• Aura: Foe-Render Creed
• Keystone: Flensing Protocols with all four upgrades
• Other important talents: Electro-Strike Conduit, Weakness Analysis Doctrine, Entropic Transfer, Retribution Conduit, Power Redistribution Uplink, Last Stand Relay, Augmented Power-Cycle, Flux Conduit Build-Up
• Weapons:
  • Branx Mk III Arc Maul with Enhanced Voltaic Arcs and Execution
  • Branx Mk IV Arc Rifle with Enchanced Voltaic Arcs and Cavalcade

This build's focus is on electrocuting the hordes of Tertium as much as possible, staggering and stunning them while still dealing lots of damage, particularly through critical hits. Flensing Protocols and several other talents mean you'll have a high critical hit chance most of the time which will make your Arc Maul and Arc Rifle deal hefty damage while also zapping enemies. Thanks to Flux Conduit Build-Up and Electro-Strike Conduit, crits will also help you charge up Voltaic Emitter quickly and electrocute even more enemies, especially in melee.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Putting together an RPG is hard. Regardless of type, they're nebulous projects that require all sorts of creativity to get right. The Outer Worlds and Avowed studio Obsidian Entertainment would know, since the studio's released quite a few, and according to its findings, putting out a beta build first doesn't necessarily help, though there are exceptions.

At Summer Game Fest 2026, Chris Parker, game director for Grounded 2, explained to us that letting players in earlier can work in some instances, but not for sprawling role-playing adventures. "Obsidian got its first real taste for this with Pillars of Eternity, which was not an early access game per se, it was a Kickstarter, but we were constantly updating the community and letting them know about stuff," he tells GamesRadar+.

"I think we recognized that that sort of relationship with the community can't be replicated with just a bunch of devs hanging out," he continues. "No matter how hard you try, and how Socratic your philosophical discussions may be, you're never going to get that huge big picture."

He admits that "it worked out amazingly well" for the first Grounded, but on the large narrative sandboxes Obsidian also develops, like The Outer Worlds games, the approach is less enticing. "It's not going to make sense for every game we make," he starts. "When you're making a huge, super crunchy story-based RPG, I think that's probably pretty hard to put into early access."

There are exceptions, as Larian Studios managed to figure out, but Parker considers that an outlier. "Baldur's Gate 3 seems to have done it pretty well, so maybe there's room for that," he muses. "But when we're starting a game, it's like, 'Hey, does this make sense for this game,' and I think you're gonna see sometimes for us it does, and sometimes it doesn't."

But, as he sees it, "for Grounded 2, it's perfect." The sequel became available for Xbox Series X/S and PC players in July last year, and PlayStation 5 fans can join in come August.

Baldur's Gate 3 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 show "RPGs are as vibrant" now as ever, Obsidian lead says, even if the genre can look "a little tired" sometimes.

Now that GTA 6 pre-orders are finally live and folks are spending their hard-earned money on Rockstar Games' next big hit, some of the community is sharing its dismay at the price… which, yeah, isn't exactly cheap.

In case you missed it, GTA 6 costs at least $80 – the Ultimate Edition, which controversially contains a lot of content people thought would be in the base game (you know, like certain customization shops and whatnot), is a whopping $100.

Unsurprisingly, this pricing has caused a bit of a stir within the community… but one Rockstar veteran doesn't think it's unfounded for the new Grand Theft Auto to cost so much.

Former Rockstar technical director Obbe Vermeij, who worked on GTA 3, 4, San Andreas, Vice City, and more, responds to a disappointed fan over on Twitter, who notes that the GTA 6 price is a good $20 more than "the average AAA game" in Canada. Vermeij writes, "GTA 6 is not an average AAA game."

Although he doesn't explicitly say that the game is priced reasonably here, the implication is evident: its cost makes sense.

After all, a solid 13 years have passed since GTA 5 graced us with its ever-chaotic presence on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 – it's been cookin' in fans' minds for over a decade, and they're ready for it… even if that means paying a hundred buckaroos or so.

Comments under the ex-developer's reply prove as much, too, with the original poster even saying, "That's true." Another person jokes, "Some might say it's [a] quadruple-A game."

Interestingly, though, Vermeij previously shared that GTA 6 likely won't cost $100 – and while it's admittedly only $80 in the United States ('only'… hahaha), the Ultimate Edition is $100. I personally just can't wait to see what the stats reveal about its sales, honestly.

More GTA 6 features may have been leaked by Amazon: switchable protagonists, in-game social media, and more.

There are 16 Mayan Stelae to find in Black Flag, and if you locate them all and solve their puzzles, you'll earn yourself a Mayan outfit that repels all gunfire. I repeat: repels all gunfire!

That is definitely a pretty handy thing to have and I can help you track down all their various locations. This list below has been compiled with story progression in mind to make it easier for you to find them. But I've also got all the coordinates you need for each stela so you can just go find them wherever you are.

Check out all the Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced changes if you want to know what's new in the remaster. And if you're one the hunt for collectibles then use our Assassins Creed Black Flag buried treasure guide to help you while you're exploring.

All Black Flag Mayan Stela locations

There are 16 Black Flag Stelae to be found, and here are all of the coordinates to find them:

1. Cat Island, coordinates: 734, 694
2. Great Inagua, coordinates: 845, 468
3. Misteriosa, coordinates: 303, 199
4. Misteriosa, coordinates: 296, 196
5. Santanillas, coordinates: 217, 245
6. Santanillas, coordinates: 221, 242
7. Tulum, coordinates: 70, 405
8. Cape Bonavista, coordinates: 179, 593
9. Matanzas, coordinates: 343, 642
10. Tortuga, coordinates: 875, 379
11. Pinos Isle, coordinates: 334, 476
12. Pinos Isle, coordinates: 342, 478
13. New Bone, coordinates: 431, 116
14. Isla Providencia, coordinates: 502, 44
15. Isla Providencia, coordinates: 502, 44
16. Long Bay, coordinates (525, 253)

The two Isla Providencia ones are very close together, hence the identical coordinates. Below we'll take a look at each one and how to find them in more detail.

Mayan Stela 1

Cat Island, coordinates: 734, 694

Technically the next stela on the list is the one that introduces the whole concept as a required part of the story. However, I've listed this one first because it's found on Cat Island where you'll play the mission Sugarcane and Its Yields here, so you'll spot it first. When you leave the ship, run up the hill to the south to find it.

Mayan Stela 2

Great Inagua, coordinates: 845, 468

You'll find this while playing the story as a required part of the This Old Cove mission. You'll also learn how to solve the brief puzzle each one presents, though if you grabbed the one on Cat Island first, you know the puzzles are quite simple.

Mayan Stela 3

Misteriosa, coordinates: 303, 199

We'll go after this one next, as it's not too far off course when heading to Tulum to meet James Kidd for the mission Nothing Is True - the first time you're asked to cross a large stretch of water. It's also the first of two you can find on Misteriosa, Head southwest to find this island, and be very careful of cliffs while navigating the restricted cove. Once you disembark, you'll find the stela on your way up the massive Mayan step pyramid.

Mayan Stela 4

Misteriosa, coordinates: 296, 196

This is the second Misteriosa Island Stela after the one above so you might as well grab it while you're there. Make your way to the western shore to find it.

Mayan Stela 5

Santanillas, coordinates: 217, 245

This is the last place we'll stop before meeting Kidd and you'll find two Stele here (the next one is directly below). Continue northwest, and be careful in the restricted waters as you approach the island. Look for it beyond the massive rock formation.

Mayan Stela 6

Santanillas, coordinates: 221, 242

This is the second Santanillas stelae after the one above. It's just to the east of the other one you can find here. Use the nearby trees and branches to reach it.

Mayan Stela 7

Tulum, coordinates: 70, 405

When you arrive at Tulum to meet with Kidd, you'll have several stelae under your belt. After completing Overrun and Outnumberd, you'll be able to explore the island and find another on the western edge of the ruins.

Mayan Stela 8

Cape Bonavista, coordinates: 179, 593

For the next stela, we'll loop back north then east on our way to the mission The Forts in Nassau. This route will take you right by Cape Bonavista, where the game began. You'll find it by a waterfall at the northern edge of the map, and yes, it is a bit of a hike.

Mayan Stela 9

Matanzas, coordinates: 343, 642

Like the stela above this is also on the way to the mission, The Forts in Nassau. Keep en route to this objective, and you'll pass by the Matanzas plantation. Dock here and head southeast from the pier. You'll have to sneak through a restricted area, but there's a path on the eastern edge of the plantation that takes you straight to the Stela.

Mayan Stela 10

Tortuga, coordinates: 875, 379

After completing The Forts in Nassau mission, you'll be just a bit northwest of Tortuga. This is probably the most heavily guarded area in the game, but it is possible to sneak in to reach the Stela. That being said, you may want to upgrade your ship - the Black Flag elite ship upgrades could help there. However you do it you'll find the stela in the northern area of the plantation.

Mayan Stela 11

Pinos Isle, coordinates: 334, 476

After The Forts in Nassau mission you'll be directed down south for your next objective. However, we're going to take a detour first. So instead, head west to Pinos Isle, which is restricted and guarded by two measly frigates, although taking them down to access the isle shouldn't be a challenge for you by now. Follow the path from the shore to find the first of two stela here, slightly southwest from the massive step pyramid.

Mayan Stela 12

Pinos Isle, coordinates: 342, 478

After finding the second Stela on Pinos Isle above, there's a second one you can find at the at the northeastern edge of the isle.

Mayan Stela 13

New Bone, coordinates: 431, 116

Southeast of Misteriosa is an island plantation called New Bone. Just like Tortuga, it is possible, though very difficult, to sneak in here. Be stealthy in the approach or strong on the attack, and you'll reach the shore. The stela is just outside the restricted area in the northwestern section of the island.

Mayan Stela 14

Isla Providencia, coordinates: 502, 44

You'll end up stranded on Isla Providencia during the mission Marooned and at a certain point you'll chase a character called Vane. When you do, make a left when you reach the ruins to spot the first of two stela you can grab here.

Mayan Stela 15

Isla Providencia, coordinates: 502, 44

There's another stela on Isla Providencia you can find once you've taken out Vane for the mission Marooned. At this point you can return to the island to explore a second set of ruins that are now a restricted area. You'll find the stela in the back of this area.

Mayan Stela 16

Long Bay, coordinates (525, 253)

You won't be able to access this Stela at Long Bay until the mission The Observatory. While on that mission, when you reach the last jungle in need of clearing, look in the southern area by the large black structures to find the game's final stela.

The Black Flag Mayan Stela reward

With all 16 Mayan Stelae puzzles solved and stones in pocket, return to Tulum. Head to the indicated spot on the mini-map (it's underneath the step pyramid) to place the stones. Grab the Mayan Outfit inside, and enjoy your new immunity to all ammunition!

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

The news that The Witcher 3 is getting a brand-spanking new expansion pack in 2027 might seem bizarre at face value. This is a game that was, by all accounts, settled. But in Songs of the Past, we're going to take old Geralt out for one last spin before Ciri takes the reins in The Witcher 4. What a way to say goodbye to one of the most iconic games of the last few decades.

Over the past ten years or so, we've been seeing a lot more old games getting expansions long after their original release, and I am so here for it. Baldur's Gate got Siege of Dragonspear in 2016, Titan Quest got Ragnarok in 2017. Hell, even Doom 2 got Legacy of Rust in 2024, 30 years after its initial release. As trends go, this one can seem a little self indulgent at first glance. It's easy to write these types of gestures off as cash grabs, rather than fully-fledged works with artistic intent, but you'd be wrong to do that.

Geralt, or the Collapse and Fall of Tech Advances

There are two main reasons that we're seeing developers return to older titles, and neither are as selfish as a cash grab. The first is that the speed of tech advancements has plateaued in recent years, meaning 10-year old games today feel far more playable than those from 20 years ago. This applies to The Witcher 3 specifically, but also to Mario Kart 8's booster courses that massively spiked the number of tracks, and Borderlands 2: Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary.

Think about games from the 2010s. Do they really look that much worse than games released today? Do they make you wince and gasp at their visuals? Of course not, because the tech plateau means we're more tinkering around the edges rather than creating any grand upgrades, particularly as a lot of titles get significant post-release update support anyway.

The Witcher 3 came out 11 years ago. Think about games that released in 2005, and think if there were any that you'd think still looked almost new in 2016. The closest that you'd come would be maybe Call of Duty 2 for the Xbox 360, but it's still distinctly an older game. If you want to go back even further, and examine the tech plateau from the peak of Mount Build Engine, consider that there are only 11 years between Duke Nukem 3D and Bioshock.

You can go home again

This is only one of the reasons I think older games are getting delayed expansions, though. The second is that we're now seeing some degree of sentimentality emerge from within game development's often frosty heart.

The games that inspired us are still widely played. Diablo 2's recent Reign of the Warlock expansion was clearly a labor of love, made partly by those who grew up on Diablo 2. The same can be said for Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, likewise for The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past – the expansion is being co-developed by Fool's Theory, the studio behind Witcher-inflected The Thaumaturge and headed by former CD Projekt Red dev Jakub Rokosz.

There is a clear throughline here, one that echoes how the games industry is maturing into something that allows for crosspollination: new games are being made, but studios still want to pay homage to the classics.

There's something special about games that allows for developers to pay their respects or build on the past without necessarily committing to a full reboot. Expansions and DLCs are unique to video games. Books can't release an additional chapter for you to enjoy decades later. You wouldn't see Quentin Tarantino adding another section to Pulp Fiction. Video games also have a leg-up on television and movies, as its characters don't age.

For all of the industry's flaws, the medium itself is flexible in a way that nothing else can be. I love that we're starting to see what happens when developers go back to their principles. Instead of decrying the idea that graphics aren't moving forward, let's appreciate that we are living through a golden age, where titles from a decade ago won't be shunned because they look rough: they hold up without any major touch-ups necessary. Let's appreciate, too, that even older games are having new life breathed into them by devs who grew up loving the original. Me? I'm holding out hope that we'll see a new expansion for Fallout: New Vegas.

The Witcher 3 is one of the best RPGs of all time, and there are plenty more like it.

The Nintendo Switch 2 could have some competition as the best gaming handheld with a potentially portable PS6, depending on how you interpret comments made by Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino about next-gen console development.

Whispers of a handheld PS6 console have been twirling in the wind for some while now. One recent rumor suggested the handheld could match the ROG Xbox Ally X when it comes to memory, while another told everyone to not bother thinking about the possibility of a PS6 Portable until at least 2028 – and Nishino has now poured fuel over all the gossip.

Speaking to Famitsu, in quotes translated by IGN, the PlayStation boss says today's consoles have to consider the importance of a "pick up and play" quality. The company will also be "leveraging technologies that can be used in various forms and locations" when making new game consoles in the future, according to him, which will lead to "something exciting."

"For example, although the PlayStation brand is strongly associated with playing on the TV in the living room, we're planning to release monitors and speakers so that people can play comfortably in other locations as well," he adds. "We developed the PlayStation Portal as part of this initiative."

Of course, PlayStation's tried to enter the handheld arena multiple times. It started with the very weird and also very cool Japan-exclusive PocketStation. The PSP then served as the company's biggest handheld statement yet, giving Nintendo a run for its money with over 70 million units sold, before the PS Vita subsequently crashed a generation later.

Since then, Sony's only dipped its toes into the market with the PlayStation Portal, a device that can stream games or enable remote play from a connected PS5. It's more an accessory than a standalone gaming handheld, but it's been pretty successful, all things considered. Nishino says the amount of people using cloud streaming on the PlayStation Portal "in January 2026 was 1.5 times that of December 2025."

Either way, streaming isn't the future for Sony. Consoles are. "My belief that a console is necessary for playing games hasn't changed,” he continues.

A portable PS6 device definitely isn't official – with the ongoing RAMpocalypse, nothing in the hardware space is certain – but it definitely sounds like something the console maker is at least thinking about.

Sony is considering pushing the PS6 to 2028 or 2029, "some analysts believe," according to Embracer Group.

The next Terraria update is going to be a big one. Yo-yos are getting substantial attention, alongside a hearty rebalance to make sure every class feels good play. And to top it all off, there's a huge hotfix on the way - historically large, in fact.

Developer Re-Logic literally calls it the "largest hotfix type update in Terraria's history," in a brief overview of what's coming. "We are very ready to get what we hope will be the last (or darn close to it) hotfix update for Bigger and Boulder into your hands and then to get rolling on what comes next," the post reads.

There aren't any specific details given, but there's a lot of anticipation for this, since Bigger and Boulder arrived in January, and it certainly seems implied that the devs are attempting to tackle all the residual bugbears in one big sweep.

One fan in the official forum jokes that "at some point we'll need a hotfix for the hotfix if it keeps going," and why not? Time to start stacking hotfixes, it's only fitting for the survival game.

Ted "Loki" Murphy, the head of business strategy on Terraria, mentions that this will accompany more balance changes. "We have spent a lot of time this go-round looking into entire classes of weapons - making sure things feel fun, relevant, and worthwhile," he writes.

One key aspect of this will be yo-yos. Murphy points towards a video by YouTuber Chippy, who goes deep on the fan-favorite, but distinctly flawed, weapon. Essentially, while yo-yos feel great to use, servicing as mid-range offense, upgrading them is much less entertaining and unsatisfying.

Re-Logic is on the case, as it sounds like this is something that's been on the slate for a considerable amount of time now before moving into active development. "We've seen this feedback before and have decided to go ahead and finally take action on it," Murphy adds. "We're looking into making some yo-yos more interesting/unique."

Beyond these teases, Murphy says crossplay is still on the way, and the hope is to have it ready for when this patch is live, or close to it. "We are also doing all that we can on crossplay to have that ready to go as quickly as possible once 1.4.5.7 is out to all of you," he adds. "Trying to tighten down these timelines as much as we can!"

Lots coming, as Re-Logic enters another era with the game and eschews any notion of a "final update." Long may it continue - with cooler yo-yos and all.

Epic Games boss calls Steam AI disclosures "really irresponsible of Valve" as they make it "much, much, much harder for a game developer to have a chance of success"

Capcom has confirmed that Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen director Kento Kinoshita will be returning to the director's chair for Dragon's Dogma 2's expansion.

Dragon's Dogma was pretty liked when it launched back in 2012, but what really led to the game becoming the legendary title it is today was its expansion, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, which released a year later. Dragon's Dogma 2 then released a decade later and was seen as an all-timer by anyone who wasn't a coward, but 2025 came and went with no word of an expansion.

This, mixed with Dragon's Dogma series creator Hideaki Itsuno leaving Capcom in 2024, led some to believe a Dark Arisen-like expansion wouldn't be happening, but with Kinoshita still being at Capcom, there was a little bit of hope left. And during the Nintendo Direct earlier this month, we finally found out Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is happening later this year.

During last night's Capcom Spotlight stream, it was revealed that Kinoshita is once again taking on the director's role for Dark Arisen as he hosted the segment about the game. The expansion is set to feature a new region for the game in the form of Norgan, which is a snowy area at the north of the map with a new relic system, which allows you to create fresh weapons with unique class skills. The base game's map is also set to be expanded with 12 dungeons.

The segment also introduced the Fallen Dragon, which is set to be a major enemy found in the expansion, alongside the NPC we saw in the trailer called Eir, who is seeking out the dragon. Details about this part remained fairly light, but it seems like the main quest of this expansion will focus on these two.

Former Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma 2 director says he can't make "the kind of games I'd most like to" as "they'd be too out there" and "probably wouldn't sell."

There's a high chance GTA 6 will be the most absurdly detailed and densest among the best open-world games ever made when it releases on November 19. The long-awaited return to Vice City is at the centre of Rockstar Games' blockbuster, but we know we'll be getting more of the state of Leonida in the same way GTA 5 expanded its map beyond a very impressive refresh of Los Santos. Will it be shaped by DNA inherited from Red Dead Redemption 2 though?

As GTA 6 promises "more and better" of everything and to set a new bar for living and breathing sandboxes moving forward, I believe we shouldn't ignore the potential of the fictional American state of Leonida. Vice City may be the main attraction as the capital, but the thin marketing materials haven't shied away from showing us more about the natural environments and animals that inhabit the broader state itself. However, it's not enough to just have them; I hope GTA has learned from Red Dead's penchant for outdoor activities.

Lessons from the Wild West

Back in 2013, the larger San Andreas map wasn't particularly exciting. It wasn't until later updates came that more animal species and activities involving them like the GTA 5 wildlife photography challenge were added. Even then, Red Dead Redemption was where Rockstar paid more attention to nature outside crime-filled missions, and RDR2 took everything related to wildlife and its untamed areas to ridiculous levels – finding all the Red Dead Redemption 2 animal locations and completing that compendium was arguably the hardest thing in the entire game.

One of the funniest (and best if you ask me) things Rockstar did with Red Dead Redemption 2 was tricking everyone into playing what's essentially a "cowboy simulator" more often than not. Your mileage may vary, but I always felt the studio's obsession with details would lead to games with heavy simulation elements. More time and money has only enabled the developers to push things further, and while we might argue about how many details are too many details (more on that when GTA 6 releases), the truth is post-GTA 5 Rockstar has done a fine job of making its massive game worlds (including Los Santos over the years) fun to spend time in.

Not everyone was ready for the slow pace of RDR2's early hours or how meandering it can be at times, but those are signs of developers treating its world with respect and not just like a giant playground to fill with lots of content to grind through, an easy pitfall of many modern sandboxes. Though it might be argued Pearl Abyss' Crimson Desert ticks plenty of items off the Ubisoft school of design checklist, it's also managed to enchant millions with a truly dense continent full of surprises and opportunities, giving Arthur more to do more than fighting and looting – and nature is at the centre of much of it.

As memorable as RDR2's tale of criminals in a dying West is, I strongly believe most of it wouldn't have hit as hard without the time Arthur (and John) spend indulging in everyday mundanity. It's during those sections – enforced by the game or sought by the player – that we get a glimpse of normalcy amid all the senseless violence and betrayal. Go fishing, find some wild horses to tame, complete your massive compendium of odd animals for that guy you barely know... Tens of hours can be spent engaging with places that haven't been fully invaded by man, and there's space for that experience in GTA too. Swamps and glades needn't just be different scenarios for drug runners and those the wacky hillbilly encounters no doubt awaiting us.

Finding balance

There's always the danger of Take-Two and Rockstar choosing to overcorrect based on the complaints of a loud minority, but when RDR2's success continues to impress eight years later and vast but forgettable open worlds abound, a GTA 6 that's breezier and too focused on the "criminal life" we already know well would be a mistake.

Yes, the game is about Lucia and Jason's "new life" in Vice City first and foremost, but the sandbox bar has been raised several times since GTA 5 came out, and many other studios have almost caught up.

RDR2 still feels like a unique and special beast though. Having the chance to disconnect from criminal activities and visit confirmed natural locations like the Mount Kalaga National Park is the type of thing that can elevate GTA 6. Leaning on the brand of world-building and secondary content only Rockstar (and a few others) can afford to put out on such a scale, switching to totally different genres with ease, is a rare sight. With the past having told us players appreciate getting to live digital lives at their own pace without an urgent need to clear content, I hope that kayaking and off-road hiking aren't limited to NPCs waiting to be murdered, and that birdwatching is an actual hobby I can partake in and be rewarded for. Seriously.

The older I get and the more selective I have to be with my gaming time, the more I appreciate open worlds that put their size and depth to good use. I'm always down to explore new sandboxes, but I only stick around and revisit the ones that feel truly unpredictable and alive. This means I'd rather feed alligators and go diving with sea turtles in GTA 6 than clear a hundred gang hideouts after its credits have rolled.

In this case, I'm confident in Rockstar's ability to repeat (and improve on) RDR2's balancing act. It's the only way the studio can justify all those years in development and cutting-edge visuals; Grand Theft Auto 6 must be more than just GTA: Vice City in 2026.

Here are all the latest GTA 6 activities, customization, and gameplay details revealed now that pre-orders are live!

Developer Pocketpair's made no secret that its incoming Palworld 1.0 release is shaping up to be huge, but my backlog is now quivering after finding out the team currently has 27-pages worth of patch notes ready for launch.

Announced during this summer's marketing extravaganza, Palworld is ending its incredibly popular early access tenure on July 10, 2026 with all-new areas to explore, narrative meat to chew on, and Pals to tame. The creature-collecting survival game has already ballooned quite a bit in the last two years, but the studio's upcoming update sounds scarily large.

Pocketpair Publishing lead and communications manager John 'Bucky' Buckley recently tweeted about trying to wrestle down Palworld 1.0's patch notes. "Losing my mind trying to make nice patch notes for Palworld 1.0," he writes. "Who'd have thought that, *checks notes*, 27 pdf pages of changes and additions would be hard to make neat."

The team has practically shouted from the rooftops before about how the Palworld 1.0 update will have more new Pals and be "bigger in scale" than any previous content drop, and the changes are so deeply embedded that Pocketpair recommends starting fresh with a new save file. Next month's full launch hasn't exactly been shy about its size, then, but 27 pages really puts into perspective just how extensive these changes might be.

We won't need to wait too long to find out what's in those patch notes – Palworld leaves early access on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass, and PS5 next month.

Arc Raiders and Marathon aren't "dead" just because their concurrent player count has dropped, Palworld lead says – but he's "not denying that some games do 'die.'"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Forza Horizon 6 Sky Lanterns are an elusive bunch of bright balloons that only appear near the stadium at night in the Autumn season. It's a very specific set of conditions to meet, but there are two ways you can get this Photography challenge done in Forza Horizon 6 to bag yourself 100 Discover Japan points – being in the right place at the right time or using an EventLab cheese. It doesn't matter which method you use, so I've explained both below, including the specific conditions and exact location of the Sky Lanterns in FH6.

Forza Horizon 6 Sky Lanterns location

Sky Lanterns can be found above a field just outside the Horizon Stadium, which is in the Shimanoyama Region on the most westerly point on the map. However, they will only appear at night during the in-game Autumn season.

Head over to the spot on the above map and wait until the sun sets. Eventually, a large cluster of sky lanterns will appear, at which point you just need to switch to Photo Mode and take a picture with the lanterns clearly in view.

However, if you (understandably) don't want to wait ages to for the in-game day/night cycle to do its thing, you can use an EventLab challenge to put you in the right spot at the right time.

Open the Creative Hub menu, then select the EventLab submenu. From here, choose 'Play Challenges', follow the button prompt to search, then type in 'sky lantern' in the Title slot. This will bring up many custom-made challenges that should help you get this challenge done – the one I tested had the share code '136 800 478' and it worked a treat!

During this autumn season, make sure you also know where to find the Forza Horizon 6 bamboo forest and the Forza Horizon 6 Evolving World Car Meet for different weekly challenges.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

When is GTA 6 going to be on PC is a legitimate question to ask, as Rockstar have said nothing on that topic so far. While we know that Lucia and Jason's journey will begin on November 19, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X owners, there has been conspicuous silence about if or when a PC release will be happening. However, we can use previous releases as a barometer for when more information is likely to be release, so here's what you need to know about GTA 6 on PC.

If you want to get prepared, then we've broken down all of the GTA 6 weapons and GTA 6 cars identified so far, along with the GTA 6 locations you can visit and what is currently known about the GTA 6 map.

Is GTA 6 coming to PC?

Look, we all know that GTA 6 is the hottest ticket in town, so it will definitely be coming to PC in the future. There's no way that Rockstar wouldn't tap into that market, especially given the massive investment of both time and money to get to the finished product. However, as we've seen with previous releases, there is always a notable gap between the initial console launch and arrival on PC, so let's dig into the history and see what we can learn from it.

When do we expect the GTA 6 PC release date to be?

Based on previous releases, it's unlikely the GTA 6 will release on PC before November 2027, and it could get pushed back into 2028. It's also likely that Rockstar will keep completely quiet about it until a while after the console release, as they have done with previous games.

To give that some context, GTA 4 came out on PC a little over 7 months after consoles, and while GTA 5 was originally due launch for PC alongside the PS4 and Xbox One enhanced versions 14 months after the original release, delays meant it was 19 months before GTA 5 arrived on PC. More recently, there was a 13 month delay between Red Dead Redemption 2 arriving on consoles and making the leap to PC.

The PC version of GTA 5 was announced at E3 2014, some 9 months after initial release, while Rockstar waited the best part of a year before confirming Red Dead Redemption 2 was heading to PC. So, while it is an inevitability, don't expect to hear anything official about GTA 6 on PC until at least 2027.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Pearl Abyss PR and marketing director Will Powers says that Crimson Desert's near-constant slate of updates hasn't been a ploy to sell more copies, instead it's about celebrating the game's success.

Obviously, GTA 6 is the big new game for 2026 that has and will continue to dominate the conversation, but outside of that absolute behemoth, Crimson Desert has certainly felt like the game people have been most into (alongside Resident Evil Requiem, of course). The massive open-world game released back in March, and has become an impressive success, especially for a new IP, with it selling over five million copies within its first month. That's on top of the positive Crimson Desert reviews.

However, one thing that has definitely kept Crimson Desert in the conversation is how much support the devs have given it following its launch, with post-launch updates turning the game into a full-blown pet sim in the weeks since release, for example, and even some more out there additions like a pinball mini-game, which I'm not sure anyone was asking for, but it's a welcome addition.

Speaking to CGMag, Powers says: "A new IP selling five million copies in a month should be celebrated. There's too many layoffs and studio closures, and bad news that I think that we all could benefit from spending some time around the good news."

He adds that because of this impressive feat, "this should be a celebration in general, because Pearl Abyss isn't taking a victory lap in the sense of 'All right, how can we sell more?' It's 'How can we give more back to the community?'"

Powers explains: "Their approach post launch has been mostly around what we can do in order to reward the players that have been there from day one and continue to make the game this living breathing experience." Pearl Abyss has said you can expect more free updates as long as the playerbase is interested, but the developer is also working on a "substantively different" DLC alongside it.

Still playing? Check out how to make money fast in Crimson Desert and how to unlock all Crimson Desert characters.

For a series all about jumping from one disjointed Disney world to the next (and maybe stopping to chat with Final Fantasy friends in between), Kingdom Hearts 4 has been pretty shy about which movies might be depicted in the upcoming game. But Sora's long-time voice actor and Oscar-nominated child star Haley Joel Osment has had his picks locked down for ages: Star Wars and Marvel.

Kingdom Hearts 4 recently popped out of the shadows with a surprise new trailer earlier this month. Perhaps more surprising than its mere appearance was the omission of any Disney worlds or characters – though, from previous looks at the game, we do know Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, and Hades will appear – which has left the fanbase to speculate wildly off on their own.

Ravenous Kingdom Hearts fans aren't the only ones theory crafting, however. Haley Joel Osment himself took a couple guesses at which Disney properties might show up in the sequel in a 2024 interview with TheMovieDweeb that recently resurfaced thanks to all the Kingdom Hearts 4 hype.

"Now we're linked up with Marvel and Star Wars, right? I don't know if they ever would connect those," Osment said at the time. "That might be a little too complicated, like connecting all that, but you know, I would never put it past them [Square Enix]. It's a bunch of really creative people."

As for his favorite worlds in the series, well, they might surprise you. "We've done a Tron one. I like the Steamboat Willie one," he added, "the animation in that was really cool. So, yeah, all these [worlds] that may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a Disney video game. I love when they really stretch in that direction. I'm excited to see."

Any deeper cuts seem preferable for the Sora actor, but the recently-reposted clip has now seen fans get involved as well. Comments under the video has droves of people begging for Treasure Planet representation. Oh, how I'd like to shake all your hands! Coco, Zootopia, The Incredibles, and Atlantis are other common suggestions.

In the meantime, the only Kingdom Hearts 4 worlds we've seen so far are Quadratum, the life-like city shown off in trailers that's implied to be an afterlife of sorts, and the tiniest glimpse of a green forest with what looks like a Star Wars AT-ST foot stomping about. Endor-coded, much?

Disney now owns so many properties that it's pretty easy to come up with a dream wishlist. Mine would probably include Sora being stalked by a Xenomorph before engaging in an overly long chicken-fight with Peter Griffin.

After voicing Sora in 12 RPGs, Kingdom Hearts actor says maybe "the best thing to do" is let the long-running series end: "Even if you have something that you love."

And so it goes: Bungie is currently undergoing a large round of layoffs. Though expected after the final Destiny 2 update, it's still a gut punch that leaves many talented developers without work. Numerous people affected by the decision and previously associated with Bungie have commented on the situation on social media, as fans rally around the legendary studio.

"Despite everything it has been an honor to work on Destiny 2," Blaise Markley, now former activity designer at Bungie, says on Twitter. "Please know with deep sincerity that we wanted more than anything to make you smile. See you starside, Guardians."

Lyndon Willoughby was a senior artist at the company, and he calls the position "a dream" on Twitter. Mikey "TehMidge" Perfected, an activity, events and social QA at Bungie, tweets that "it was an honor" to work on his favorite game over an extended period.

According to Artem Sorokin, a now former senior VFX artist, "essentially the entire Destiny VFX team, leads and all," have been let go. As the news travels of the job losses at Bungie, there are calls for Sony to impact more of the leadership positions, a stance echoed by other former employees.

"Disastrous leadership continues to be rewarded, protected, and paid out with their golden toilets," Liana Ruppert, an ex-community manager at Bungie who was laid off from the company in 2023, posts on Twitter. "I hope they get everything they truly deserve, and that's guilt, shame, and hopefully some actual fucking reflection."

The layoffs run through the whole structure of Bungie. Studio head Justin Truman is also stepping down, according to reports. The belief was that once development on Destiny 2 wrapped, Sony intended to make substantial changes across the entire team. These job losses follow a disappointing reception to Marathon back in March, Bungie's first non-Destiny related game in over a decade.

At the moment, the future of the studio seems uncertain. Marathon "remains an important part of our portfolio," according to Sony in a statement made on the cuts, but only time will tell how true that winds up being.

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

If an Amazon Brazil description is to be believed, GTA 6 will have in-game social media and missions that have you switching between its two main characters. Neither is too surprising – GTA 5 had us ping-ponging across three guys and digital feeds absolutely littered GTA 6's first trailer – but the features are still notable since Rockstar Games has yet to say anything about them.

So, take everything from here on out with a grain of salt, but Amazon Brazil's store description for the GTA 6 pre-orders lists a bunch of features – some of which we've known about for a while (Vice City's here, for example), some of which we could've guessed (dynamic weather's also in), and some of which haven't actually been confirmed by Rockstar Games.

GTA 6's main difference from past titles is that this one's the kind-of love story of Jason and Lucia, so, naturally, both are playable, but the sequel's also seemingly borrowing from its older sibling with duo missions. Sounds like we'll be able to swap who we control in the middle of missions, if not the entire open world, similarly to GTA 5.

The other notable feature is the built-in social media. Amazon's listing mentions players can watch videos, follow influencers, and maybe even get clued in on open-world activities via Jason or Lucia's phone.

Grand Theft Auto's no stranger to dabbling in made-up internet spaces. GTA 4 had the very of-its-time internet cafes for browsing websites, and GTA 5 plopped the entire digital space onto our characters' phones, complete with a stock market and websites to purchase all types of goods. As the series often does, it sounds like GTA 6 is once again updating its satire for the modern era, only this time perhaps with interactive doomscrolling and brainrot content in case you need a break from doing that in real-life. The ultimate gaming power fantasy, eh?

Keep in mind Rockstar Games hasn't outright confirmed these features or really delved into the game at all, so don't get too attached to the idea of Grand Theft TikTok.

Analysts expect GTA 6 could sell up to 30 million copies at launch, but are unsure if it can "surpass the incredible longevity and massive sales of 5" in the long run.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When Rockstar announced that GTA 6 would launch in November 2026, seemingly every big game within a two-month orbit of that date began scrambling for a plan: release during the same general timeframe and risk being swallowed by the biggest game of the century, or get the heck out of the way. As you might expect, many developers and publishers chose the latter option, and coincidentally, September turned out to be a very popular alternative release month, apparently far enough away from GTA 6's tidal wake for them to feel comfortable launching their games.

Capcom was one of many companies who chose a September launch, earlier this month confirming at long last that Onimusha: Way of the Sword is coming out September 25. However, that date was thrown into question just last week when a retailer listing seemed to suggest Capcom was planning to shift the release date forward by a few weeks. The reasonable assumption was that so many games moved to late September due to a fear of GTA 6 that they inadvertently created a similarly challenging environment for themselves due to there now being such a crowded market for that specific window.

After three chunky paragraphs, I'm now realizing that was a very long setup just so say, Onimusha: Way of the Sword isn't getting a new release date, Capcom has confirmed. In the latest Capcom Spotlight, an unnamed English-speaking narrator seemingly responds to rumors of a release date shift, confirming, "Once more, Onimusha: Way of the Sword releases on September 25, 2026."

In case you're wondering about all of the games Capcom is going up against this September, I don't possibly have time to list them all, but some of the bigger ones include Marvel's Wolverine, Silent Hill: Townfall, Control Resonant, The Blood of Dawnwalker, and Shinobi Art of Vengeance. Needless to say, Onimusha has enough of a following to easily compete with those games, but we'll see which games emerge victorious when the dust settles, and more importantly, which will stand the test of time in a post-GTA 6 world.

Looking to lock in your copy early? You won't want to miss our guide to GTA 6 pre-orders.

Arc Raiders is about to kick off its fourth Expedition, and the developers at Embark have some major changes on the way. In short? You're no longer getting any skill points from completing the Expedition challenge this time around, as you'll instead be getting an array of "mystery rewards" made up of small Raider Token payouts and temporary blueprints. The apparent nerf to Expedition rewards seems to be part of an ongoing effort to make the system friendlier to new players.

When the new Arc Raiders Expedition kicks off on July 7, you'll still be dealing damage to earn rewards, in line with the changes the devs made to the system earlier this year. Each completed departure objective will reward you with blueprints from a list that Embark has detailed in its announcement. These rewards are "temporary and will reset when you depart on your next Expedition." On the permanent side, you'll also get 150 Raider Token payouts for each completed departure objective.

Neither of those rewards really compete with the bonus skill points players were able to earn in the first three expeditions, however. Those extra skill points offered players a nice leg up on reset, but that seems to be exactly the problem – veteran players with a bank of extra skill points always have an advantage over newer ones, and while new players can retroactively get those bonus skill points in subsequent expeditions, it's not fun to dive into a new game with a pile of catch-up work to do.

"We understand the frustration of new players that are only now starting to do their Expeditions," the devs explain. "We need to find the right balance of rewarding our veteran players but also give new players fair and fun ways to catch up and not feel like they are always behind. This is a continuous effort and we'll keep you updated as we have more to share."

Judging by the tone of the responses to the change on Reddit, it seems the balance isn't really hitting right for veteran players. Without a meaningful reward to grind for, there's little reason to engage with Expeditions at all, and I doubt that's the outcome Embark is looking for.

Arc Raiders and Marathon aren't "dead" just because their concurrent player count has dropped, Palworld lead says – but he's "not denying that some games do 'die.'"

Playing video games is rapidly becoming a much more expensive hobby than it was just a few years ago, as AI-driven memory shortages and economic instability fuel rising hardware prices, and the CEO of a leading RAM producer says things are unlikely to ease up until 2028, at the earliest.

The affordability crisis putting pressure on manufacturers to hike prices is the result of a perfect storm in which inflation, tariffs implemented by the US government, and memory shortages caused by the rapid development of AI data centers collide.

This year alone, Nintendo Switch 2 prices shot up by $50, a PlayStation price hike brought the premium PS5 Pro all the way up to $900, Valve increased the price of entry to the Steam Machine lineup to $1049, and just today, Microsoft raised Xbox prices up $100-$150 depending on the model. Meanwhile, building your own gaming machine via assembling PC components isn't a remotely affordable alternative, as RAM in particular remains exorbitantly pricey.

I genuinely wish I had more optimistic news to share on this front, and I'm sure eventually things will settle down, but according to Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, that day won't be for many months.

"We expect tight conditions to persist beyond calendar 2027 as a result of AI-driven demand across all segments coupled with structural supply constraints," Mehrotra told investors in the company's Q3 earnings report (via IGN).

"Even as we expect industry supply to improve gradually in 2028, we currently do not have line of sight as to when memory supply will be able to catch up with increasing demand," he added.

Naturally, the implications for the price of future generations of gaming consoles, specifically the PS6 and Xbox Project Helix, are dire. Analysts have predicted the next-gen consoles to debut with 50% higher price tags than their current-gen counterparts, and $1000 base models aren't out of the question.

That said, Microsoft and Sony could decide to wait out the RAMpocalypse and simply delay the new consoles until the component shortages and related price elevations are in the rear-view. That could potentially push the next generation of consoles into the 2030s, with reports indicating Sony is already considering an internal delay.

As Xbox studios brace for a "reset," South of Midnight developers from Compulsion Games begin looking for work

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has a surprise new quest with a familiar face offering Henry the challenge of a lifetime: beat Balatro's Jimbo in an updated version of the RPG's best minigame, and you'll get a reward commensurate with your effort.

Warhorse surprise-announced the new Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 update on Twitter, revealing a new "Balatro-inspired quest" and introducing Jimbo as the open-world RPG's newest NPC. I love Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and I love video game crossovers, so I immediately sprung to my PS5 and checked for an update.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 version 1.5.6 was waiting for me with about 7GB to download, and after just a few minutes I was able to dive in and see what's new. Jimbo is said to be hanging around the Hangman's Halter Tavern, but he wasn't there for me immediately. However, once I slept and saved in a bed he spawned just out front of the tavern.

*Spoilers for the quest to follow. Turn back if you haven't completed it and you want to go in blind*

If you initiate a chat with the new Jimbo NPC, he'll tell you he's traveled from Italy with a new twist on the popular Dice minigame that uses a very Balatro-coded version of a weighted die. Accept his offer and you'll sit down across from him at a table outside the tavern, and he'll loan you his special die to use against him.

The die, called Balatro's die, has a side with the jester's grinning face on it, and if it happens to land with that side up, you get to choose how it's counted. So, if you're one die short of a great combo, you'll be able to use Balatro's die toward whatever number you need. I was able to beat Jimbo my first try using it, and was extremely pleased to see it in my inventory alongside Tin Balatro's badge, which lets you change the result of your Balatro's die once per game.

Once you've obtained your Balatro die and badge, Jimbo will leave town on other business, but he says he'll be back "in a few days," suggesting there's more to this storyline.

There are a few much smaller updates in the 1.5.6 patch notes, chiefly among them the addition of Steam Controller support, but let's be real, we're all here to see Henry and Jimbo team up to cure all of the world's evils.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 lead designer says "friction is intentionally" in the RPG because when "you overcome the friction, you feel better about yourself."

Obsidian Entertainment legend and Grounded 2 game director Chris Parker is no stranger to the world of RPGs, having been involved in numerous genre heavyweights over the last three decades, and even he thinks the roleplaying space is just as exciting as it's ever been.

Asked about the state of the genre in an interview with GamesRadar+, Parker says, "Sometimes it looks a little tired, sometimes it looks like it needs a little bit of a freshening up, but then something comes along and shows me that RPGs are as vibrant and exciting a genre now as they have ever been." Those somethings include two of the biggest hit games of the last few years, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Baldur's Gate 3, he says.

Parker's definitely not alone in that opinion, either, since both are the only games that have ever swept all five major Game of the Year awards uninterrupted.

But Obsidian Entertainment's also been a mainstay in the genre since its founding more than 20 years ago, and Parker is sure to acknowledge the studio's contributions as well. Both last year's fantasy romp Avowed and capitalist satire The Outer Worlds 2 "are super fun and great experiences, and brought something to the genre," Parker adds.

"I think RPGs will continue to evolve and be amazing, and in weird different ways, like your Disco Elysiums and stuff like that, right? And so I have complete faith in that genre, and at some point I'm not going to be making those games anymore," he acknowledges. "Part of me is just here encouraging everybody else who makes them [to] keep making them because I love them. I know there's room for them to grow, and I'm just looking for that from either our studio or any studio that wants to jump in there."

There you have it - the RPG genre at least seems as healthy as ever, and Parker's very different examples are good proof. Whether it be a turn-based RPG or an action-oriented one, a game pulling from JRPG classics or CRPG icons, I think the genre's diversity is helping keep it fresh.

Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach actor teases more about whether the "key cast" will return for the HBO sequel series

We'd all like The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 to come out sooner rather than later. To be honest, I'd settle for proper acknowledgement of either at this point. But a former Bethesda developer believes if the RPGs were to come out too quick, fans would get tired of back-to-back releases.

In light of Xbox reportedly pushing the company for faster turnaround on its major releases, Bruce Nesmith, the lead designer on Skyrim and contributor to Starfield, Oblivion, and more, thinks Bethesda going too hard could "risk fan fatigue." In his mind, the dev team needs to find a middle-ground.

"There is an old adage in software development about the process having three corners: resources, time, and quality,” Nesmith says to FRVR. "The studio decides two of them, which determines the third. If you lock down the resources and the schedule, that decides the quality you will achieve. If you lock down the quality and the schedule, that determines the resources you will need to complete the project."

He hammers in that, "You can't dictate all three, only two," and "over-committing to any one of the corners increases friction and becomes less effective." Making the pipeline too long leads to less productivity, as well. "Allowing ten years for a project creates a cycle of endless reinvention and ultimate failure," Nesmith adds.

Having been involved in Bethesda games from Daggerfall through to Starfield, Nesmith considers the sweet spot for launch dates to be shy of half a decade between big games. "Three years felt like the right amount of time to meet fan expectations," he says, adding that actually figuring out what people want is a "moving target."

But in the case of The Elder Scrolls 6, it's been nearly 10 years since Todd Howard first mentioned it, and the status of Fallout 5 is anyone's guess, some 11 years removed from its predecessor. Other studios seem to have similar project timelines.

Naughty Dog is taking around five to seven years per release now, with The Last of Us 2 having come out six years ago. Santa Monica Studio, home of the God of War games, tends towards four years per release, but that could be getting longer; God of War Laufey doesn't yet have a launch window.

Then, of course, we have GTA 6. Triple-A games are starting to take more time, and the tech and manpower involved are becoming larger and larger. So when the next big sequel you're waiting for comes out, make sure to enjoy it, because it might be a while before you get another.

Analysts expect GTA 6 could sell up to 30 million copies at launch, but are unsure if it can "surpass the incredible longevity and massive sales of 5" in the long run.