2025 open-world banger Ghost of Yotei established Sucker Punch's Ghost series as an anthology, featuring a brand new protagonist, setting, and time period, meaning it's pretty safe to assume we won't be getting a new game starring Atsu any time soon. In an interview with GamesRadar+ for the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards, Atsu actor Erika Ishii opened up about what it's like saying goodbye to their character after just one game. The bad news is they're "sad" not to be able to play Atsu again, but the good news is they're pretty certain Sucker Punch will deliver yet another great game.

"[Sucker Punch] made two banger games. Here is the thing about Sucker Punch, is they never miss," says Ishii. "Even before that, with the Infamous games, with Sly Cooper, they never miss, and I don't anticipate them ever missing again.

"I mean, I'm just so honored to be part of the legacy of the Ghost. Truly. While it is sad not to be able to return with Atsu as a playable character, I love an anthology."

Sucker Punch definitely seems like a studio never content with resting on its laurels. Instead, it seems to like to establish popular series with a handful of entries and then move on to something wildly different. The online multiplayer mode Legends launched for Ghost of Yotei last month, but the studio has yet to drop so much as a tease of what's next. In Ishii's view, moving on from the world and characters of Yotei specifically is a "bold" move.

"I think it's… really bold of them to leave behind safety and comfort in order to tell new and interesting and exciting stories with new people," Ishii says. "So, I'm grateful to be part of the legacy of the Ghost, but I'm so excited to see where the Ghost manifests next. Because I actually don't know, and I'm trying to grill other people for details of what might come next, and they won't tell me."

So, it's definitely another Ghost game, you say? No, Jordan, don't let the intrusive thoughts win. More likely, Ishii is simply making an educated guess like the rest of us. I'd personally love to see another Ghost game that expands even further on the ideas introduced in Yotei, especially since Yotei feels like such an evolution from Tsushima, itself a beautiful and worthwhile open-world game.

"I really enjoy watching people die to this": Ghost of Yotei devs know you hate "super boss" Takezo "with every fiber of your being," but they think it was a roaring success

If you've played Ghost of Yotei and unlocked all of the optional wolf dens, you'll probably remember the scene where you finally get to pet your wolf companion as one of the emotional touchpoints of the game, signaling an important milestone in your relationship with the wild animal. I'm about to ruin that, or enhance it, depending on your view.

GamesRadar+ caught up Erika Ishii, the actor who plays protagonist Atsu, ahead of the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards, and they gave us a peek behind the curtain at what that pivotal moment was like for the performers involved. It was much less emotional, apparently.

"I will never forget motion capturing the scene where Atsu pets the wolf, and it was Billy Harper, our director of cinematics, that was on all fours, getting his head patted by me," Ishii says. "...Yeah."

Performing the motion capture for the scene sounds like it was amusing enough, but Ishii also captured on video what sounds like a fascinating moment between Harper and creative director Nate Fox. I, uh, I'm gonna need to see that video. For research.

"I walked in on him petting Nate Fox, our creative director, at lunch, and I have that video, still, because I walked in and they didn't notice that I was watching," Ishii adds. "And so I recorded it, and they were, like, trying to figure it out. Like, 'OK, she'll stand, like, here,' and like, 'Oh, she shouldn't pat it, it'll be more of like a petting… yeah, yeah.' And, you know, Nate getting his head pat. That's probably one of the most memorable moments during recording for me."

It's these wonderful little insights that make me respect motion capture artists even more, as I know for a fact I would not be able to compose myself – much less act in a serious manner – when I'm literally petting a human being pretending to be a wolf. I'm also glad I already experienced that scene in the game, as it's equally unlikely I'd be able to take it as seriously knowing what I know now about what was happening behind the scenes.

Ghost of Yotei devs tried to add Zelda: Breath of the Wild-style rock climbing, but discovered "rock climbing is not a core aspect of being a wandering ronin"

Fundamental to any creative endeavour is killing your darling. It doesn't matter how good an idea is, if it doesn't fit, it needs to go. Ghost of Yotei studio Sucker Punch Productions is all about cutting out fluff, to the point the team celebrates getting out the samurai sword on their work.

"We try to make it a pretty positive thing at the studio," Jason Connell, co-creative director on Ghost of Yotei, says during a talk at GDC 2026 attended by GamesRadar+. "It's hard - you make an idea and you're like, 'I don't want to shed my idea, I really want to see it through'. But we try really hard to make cutting things from the game an incredibly positive thing, because it can be."

The company started running little ceremonies for people to champion how much they got rid of each week, for adulation from the rest of their collaborators. "We just started doing weekly cuts and celebrated them," Connell explains. "People would get up in front of the whole team and say 'here's what I cut today', and people would clap. It turns out it actually works really well, people like to be clapped."

I can imagine so. Editing and making minor tweaks and such can be incredibly quite mundane, thankless work. In some cases, what's different mightn't even be all that noticeable. Having a forum where people run through what they've done lets progress be noted, before things progress.

"Cutting the game is sharpening. If you have four things you can work on, and you got rid of one of them, then suddenly your game is a lot better," Connell adds, saying it's "really important to do this." He points out prioritizing helps the workflow considerably as well, because Sucker Punch is a leaner team than many other triple-A studios, and whatever makes people's workload more efficient when molding something as vast as Ghost of Yotei, with a huge, historical open-world, is a plus.

"Frankly, there's too many ideas," he states. "There's all kinds of cool crap that we want to do in every single game, and there's not enough time. And because we're not growing our team beyond where we are, there's not enough people either. So there's no excess, other than trimming."

"I really enjoy watching people die to this": Ghost of Yotei devs know you hate "super boss" Takezo "with every fiber of your being," but they think it was a roaring success

Liberty finally has a plan. In an unprecedented move, Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios has put out a full roadmap for the coming months, letting us see everything that's coming our way in the unending quest to defend Super Earth.

Dubbed the 'Machinery of Oppression', the outline covers the robot-centric 6.0 update, and proceeding additions. "Our fight for liberty continues to grow, and with each new front comes more opportunities to spread Managed Democracy across the galaxy," Arrowhead says in a blurb.

"Over the past months, you've stood firm through every invasion, every escalation, every unexpected threat," the studio continues. "Now, we want to give you a better look at what you'll be deploying into next."

First up on the chart is the big'un from back in February, with the Mega Factory biome, Cyborg and Vox Engine enemies, the Bastion Tank, and more. The Battle for Cyberstan is the central limited time event, and Siege Breakers is the latest warbond.

In March, then, there'll be more enemies, another warbond, and another new mission. More biomes are top of the list in both April and June, with enemy variants in the former too. New campaigns, and the usual mix of fixes and balancing tweaks permeate across the next few months.

Though it mightn't seem all that big, a roadmap is helpful for players to know what's coming in the near future. Arrowhead's been gradually improving Helldivers 2 over the last number of months, fixing technical issues, sorting out the filesize and beyond, and more has been promised.

"This is just the beginning - and beyond these updates, even greater operations are already in motion," the blurb ends. Sweet liberty.

Helldivers 2 CEO seemingly accepts fans' $1,000 challenge to play on the nastiest difficulty, but it might already be backfiring: "Quite a few rupture strain a**holes"

DLSS 5 from Nvidia was revealed yesterday, in a video demonstrating several recent releases getting upscaled by the "real-time neural rendering model," including Resident Evil: Requiem and Starfield. It's essentially an AI upscaler, with the results being rife with that weird, uncanny feel generative content has, and some developers are voicing their concerns.

"This DLSS 5 AI dogshit is actually depressing man," Dave Oshry, co-founder and CEO of New Blood Interactive, posted on Twitter. "Even worse is that a whole generation is growing up who won't even know this looks 'bad' or 'wrong' because to them it'll be normal."

Besides making his opinion clear, he adds a rallying call: "We need to push back harder against it."

Amid the onslaught of memes clowning on the software's 'realism', other members of the industry are in agreement. "Watching my daughter grow up where AI slop is the norm and her not knowing quality of quantity really bums me out," Arman Nouri, senior environment artist at Epic Games, tells Oshry in his replies.

John Buckley, the head of publishing and communications at Pocketpair, posted, "One step closer to DLSS 6," with a popular - and crass - clip from Star Trek spoof Star Trash, involving a particular use of ultra-realistic holograms. We create the future.

Meanwhile, Michael Douse, director of publishing at Larian Studios, now believes the latest Resi has been ruined by the anticipation of this upgrade. "Playing some Resident Evil Requiem this morning," he jokes on Twitter. "The game is great but I just wish it infused pixels with photoreal lighting and materials, bridging the gap between rendering and reality alas unplayable for now."

Please pour one out for his current playing experience.

In all seriousness, Requiem's already a game that looks incredibly impressive on contemporary hardware, and there's a strong argument for the idea DLSS 5 is just detracting from the art direction in favor of whatever it's trying to accomplish. Given the pushback and division, we'll see if Nvidia decides to pivot any. I wouldn't hold my breath.

GTA Wiki editors cite "a reportedly pro-AI CEO," "terrible" ads, and restrictive censorship as they go independent from Fandom

Could Fallout 5 come from a studio other than Bethesda? It'd be a big change from the norm, but a dev who worked for the company for almost a decade, contributing to both Fallout 3 and 4, believes it's very possible.

Speaking on the Kiwi Talkz YouTube channel, along with several other developers who've worked on the Fallout wasteland, Jonah Lobe – a character artist who designed the Deathclaw – presents his theory. "I wouldn't be surprised if Bethesda gave Fallout 5 to a different production studio," he starts.

"I think that they're doing more and more of that already, they're bigger and bigger than ever, " he continues. "I feel like The Elder Scrolls 6, the expectations are already beyond the screen here, and they already have their hands full with that."

These are compelling arguments. Bethesda outsourced parts of last year's Oblivion Remastered to Virtuous, and you can bet such practice will only become more integral to its workflow in the coming years. We're now 15 years removed from Skyrim, and The Elder Scrolls 6 seems nowhere near ready to be shown off, let alone released.

Meanwhile, Fallout 5 is now a decade removed from Fallout 4, and we've heard even less about that game thus far. Though, the popularity of Amazon's Fallout show creates lucrative opportunity for synergy, and as Lobe sees it, that's something Bethesda will try to take advantage of. Bruce Nesmith, a senior designer on the modern Fallout games, agrees.

"I wasn't necessarily with you before, but when you say that, I totally agree," Nesmith comments. "Having the game come out while the show is either still running, or still very fresh, would be a huge advantage."

It certainly would. Right now though, all I wanted is something on a Fallout: New Vegas remaster. C'mon, Todd, get the finger out.

A Fallout 4 QA tester nuked the RPG so hard that Zenimax executives got emails about it: "I was running around super-nuking the entire wasteland and found 4 crashes in a single morning."

Emperor Palpatine put the fear in fans of the Star Wars franchise for decades, ever since he appeared as a giant hooded hologram giving orders to who we thought was the scariest villain in the universe (no offence, Lord Vader). And yet, there's something about Ian McDiarmid's cackling, lightning bolt-firing monster that just works. Somehow, Emperor Palpatine still does the job, and a recent discussion on Reddit has led fans to break down why.

The starting argument from a fan was that "The best thing about Palpatine is that he’s a testament that a villain doesn’t need a tragic backstory to be fantastic." Another argued that, "Palpatine is your textbook 'Disney villain.' You don't understand him or sympathize with him. He's not even a fully fleshed-out character, not really. He's just evil. And, it is damn entertaining."

It's this straight off the line despicable nature that makes him a classic bad guy, who has been causing trouble for the Skywalkers and the galaxy for what feels like forever. Whether it's a vicious battle of words to turn son against father in Return of the Jedi, or merely being mentioned in Andor, Palpatine has cast a dark shadow across the universe, and we love to hate him for it.

One fan added, "I love Palpatine because he has no tragic backstory. No traumatic event in his life, nothing. He is evil for the sake of being evil, and he revels in it. Him cackling in joy makes me love the character even more."

Is it possible that he'll ever be topped on the small or big screen? Who can say? But with every other upcoming Star Wars TV show and movie heading our way in the future, there might be some space to make it happen.

Baldur's Gate 3 is a phenomenon. After almost three years of community-driven in-progress development, the RPG burst from the confines of Early Access in August of this year, and has dominated the conversation ever since. With so much to offer in the way of branching narratives, whimsical characters, D&D-inspired mechanics, and much more, players far and wide have hailed the scope with which developer Larian has told its Sword Coast-set saga. 

The notion of playing and replaying games – be that via New Game Plus, or simply by starting again from scratch – is nothing new in 2023. But I'd suggest that exploring any given video game beyond a first playthrough has always felt optional, even in games where multiple playthroughs are such a big part of community discourse. I'm a big Soulsborne and Elden Ring fan, for example, but while I've always re-specced my characters in NG+ eventually, I've personally always done so after taking a break, playing other things, and then returning with renewed vigor as if approaching an entirely new game. 

Multiple playthroughs are of course optional in Baldur's Gate 3, but whereas the likes of Skyrim, Dragon Age, and anything from FromSoftware's back catalog have always had their fair share of NG+ devotees, I don't think these players have ever reflected the majority of these games' player bases. With Baldur's Gate 3, however, it feels like every player is jumping straight back in after the credits roll. And, more interesting still, this majority of players are happy and willing to do so. The question for me, then, is: why? 

Is choice everything? 

Full disclaimer to kick things off: I've loved my time with Baldur's Gate 3 so far, but I've still not finished my first playthrough, and I'm still intimidated by its scope. I've got two young children, meaning I'm often required to be extra shrewd with my time playing video games. To be fair to Baldur's Gate 3, its structure definitely allows for bite-sized in-and-out sessions, but it's equally capable of swallowing hours at a time. That's great (no complaints from me, I'm simply outlining my own circumstances), but it means I personally haven't thought much about subsequent playthroughs at all at this point.

I love that BG3 offers so much value for money to this end, but equally I'm perhaps more used to games that are able to tell their stories in their entirety in one sitting. Choice is something so tightly bound to any discussion about Baldur's Gate 3, and I think Larian has done an exceptional job of projecting the illusion of it. 

It's no coincidence, for example, that when you've gained the ability to talk to animals, the game puts loads of cool animals with interesting pre-loaded dialogue options in your path. If you choose to cast 'Speak With Animals' when down among the sewer rats, on the other hand, the conversation is far less exciting. The game is constantly performing this meticulous sleight-of-hand – even in what I've played so far – and is always aware of what's likely to be just over the horizon for you, and what tools you have to make the most out of it.

Is that enough to justify such a prominent, perceivable shift in player expectations regarding instant-multiple playthroughs, in order to uncover new experiences, new perspectives, and new story threads? I mean, clearly it is because we wouldn't be having this discussion if it wasn't. But, even with all of the above, I'm still unsure that I fully understand why players are jumping straight back in en masse unlike any other game in recent memory. Which is exactly why I now defer to my Baldur's Gate 3-playing colleagues who are now several runs deep in the Sword Coast each.

Yes, choice is everything

Baldur's Gate 3 is an experience that demands to be replayed by virtue of just how much choice it offers up. There are so many options in the character creator alone that feed into how the world reacts to you and how you can interact with it. Classes, for example, not only affect your skills in combat, but also introduce unique dialogue options and actions. So just from your class pick, you'll have conversations or instances that are unique to your abilities. 

Seeing how my first run as a bard presented me with unique options from the get-go already had my mind reeling at what might be on offer if I choose to be something different the next time around. And that's the crucial point: there are so many possibilities when it comes to what character you play that there's no way to experience and do everything in The Sword Coast in a single run.

Along with different races and backgrounds to choose from as a customizable character, the option to play as one of the premade Origin party members, or The Dark Urge, adds yet more possibilities to the fold. Essentially, you can experience the same story multiple times, but it will never be exactly the same because of how tailored it is to the different choices you make. There's so much scope to discover something new that you can't help but be compelled to want to play it over and over again. 

Other RPGs certainly have a replayability factor, but I've never started planning out subsequent runs as early on as I did in Baldur's Gate 3. It's D&D-infused DNA feels like it's built to be revisited time and again, since it's so densely packed with things that only a small margin might see depending on various factors and choices. And not unlike the way players were still discovering neat tricks in Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild years on, the community is constantly finding new interactions or instances in the world that make you want to dive back in and see what you might have missed. Perhaps this also contributes to why so many want to return over and over. 

Of course, the downside to so much tailorability and an impressive amount of content to uncover is that you're looking at quite the time sink if you really do want to try out all possible avenues. Personally, I find it hard to tear myself away because there are so many things I want to try out in The Sword Coast. There's almost too much to explore. And you can't help but wonder what the future holds for RPGs going forward after this. I don't expect every single one will follow Baldur's Gate 3's lead, or be able to emulate the same kind of hold it has on players right now, but Larian's RPG is certainly going to be one we'll be talking about for a long time to come.  

Replayability is multi-faceted 

Replayability in Baldur's Gate 3, in my mind, boils down to three things: community, reach, and financial viability. Not only is BG3 one of the most in-depth RPGs ever made, it's also the definitive Dungeons & Dragons video game, a high-stakes fantasy adventure, and many have joked that it could almost count as a dating sim. The breadth of its appeal is so wide that it changes how and why we play the game – and how many times we might do so.

One of the first things I see people ask on Reddit and Twitter is whether Baldur's Gate 3 is worth the hefty US$60 price tag. The answers are (almost) all a resounding "yes," by the sheer principle that you're getting hundreds of hours of content for the price of a handful. The main campaign alone takes about 75 hours, and that's if you're trimming the fat. Some players might try to see every inch and side quest in one single 500-hour playthrough, while others lean into the roleplaying aspect and see where their character leads them. The feeling of never quite being "finished" with the game is what drives many to replay it, and with video games being on the pricier side these days, BG3 proves incredible value for money.

The thriving online community is another catalytic force in its replayability, with members inspiring one another's future playthroughs by feeding in their own experiences. Reddit is full of class build suggestions, as well as hilariously circumstantial ways to cheese your way through boss battles. BG3 champions ingenuity by letting you do pretty much anything, dice rolls permitting, and that sense of untethered potential is what makes D&D such a highly-replayable format to work with.

The cast itself plays a unique role in sustaining that community. Actors Neil Newbon, Devora Wilde, and Jennifer English stream their Baldur's Gate sessions live on Twitch, meaning fans can interact with the game and its world without even playing it. The sheer popularity of the BG3 cast playing D&D together is a testament to how important this interpersonal connection is, creating not just a community but a loyal fanbase that will keep coming back.

Baldur's Gate 3 doesn't need NG+ to keep players interested – its format and community does that by itself. But what does this mean for the future of the genre? Personally, I don't want or need to see any more RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3, at least not for the sake of it. It's unfair to expect most studios would be able to pour in the necessary time, effort, and personal funds that Larian did in order to pull it off just once. Even if it were possible, the bar has now been set staggeringly high. I know I have plenty more to explore in BG3 even after 300 hours – and frankly, I'm not sure I'd have the bandwidth to do this with another game anytime soon.

Here are some of the best RPGs that'll swallow your free time

A Baldur's Gate 3 fan has created their own character builder tool, allowing future players to plan their character ahead of the game's full release. 

As spotted over on the Baldur's Gate subreddit, user SmokkeHearb has taken it upon themselves to create an online Baldur's Gate 3 character builder. Here, players will be able to plan their character ahead of the game's full launch on August 3 (PC) and September 6 (PS5). You can try out the tool here, and share your creations with other players. 

If you head into the Baldur's Gate 3 Builder, you'll be given the option to first select the race of your character - everything from Elf to Gnome, Human, Dragonborn, and more. The tool includes every single feature found in the early access version of Baldur's Gate 3, as well as anything that's been changed or confirmed for its full launch. 

Beyond the character's race, future players can also choose their future character's background (find the best Baldur's Gate 3 Background with our guide), class, subclass, abilities, skills, and more. At the end, you get a full summary of your character which you can use to quickly create your character once August/September rolls around. There's no limit to the number of times you can use the tool either, so you can always try a few combinations out before deciding on the final version before launch. 

The even better news is that the tool's developer has promised to develop it even further if it gets a positive reaction, which by the looks of the comments underneath the fan's post, it already has. "Been looking for something like this. Great work!", another Baldur's Gate fan replied, while others offered suggestions on how to improve the character builder. 

Get yourself even more prepared for launch day with our Baldur's Gate 3 difficulty options guide. 

It's been over three years since Nintendo released Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and now its fans are ready to talk about their least favorite feature in the game. 

Over on the Animal Crossing subreddit, fans of the desert island game are discussing their least favorite features of their favorite game. This all started when one user shared a post titled: "Are there any activities in the game that you just CANNOT get into?" Along with the example of stretching - an activity that doesn't really add anything to the game other than the satisfaction of getting fit beside your favorite islanders. 

"Maybe it's because I'm using buttons and not motion, but I always forget about it and when I do it it feels like a chore. I want the achievements but can never bring myself to do it!," the same Reddit user explained, before also revealing that they're tired of writing letters and stopped dropping into The Roost after obtaining the Brewstoid Gyroid. 

"I've filled out most of my fish encyclopedia, but I just can’t bring myself to craft one bait at a time to catch some of the more rare fish," another Animal Crossing fan replied. "I don't understand how people find this game relaxing sometimes! Laying paths and water/cliffscaping feel so tedious," another added. 

"I don’t like changing my outfits. I don’t like popping down balloons, and if it’s not a present Nook Mile Plus goal, I’ll let it float by. I’m also not a big fan of catching sea creatures. I hate having to change into a swimsuit," another fan revealed. "Turnips. It's stressful and the end result is just more bells, anyway, and bells aren't even all that useful beyond a point," said another player.

It seems after three years, Animal Crossing fans are getting a little tired of island living. It probably doesn't help that the last major update we got for the life sim was back in November 2021 - yeah, almost a whole two years ago. To make it worse, we aren't scheduled to get any more free major content updates for Animal Crossing: New Horizons at all, leaving players with not a lot to get excited about these days. 

Looking for something new to play? Take a look at our games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons list. 

Diablo 4 players think the 666 Platinum payout that comes with Battle Pass is "mathematically the scummiest amount Blizzard could have given".

Following the arrival of Season 1 of Blizzard's acclaimed action RPG, players were quick to discover that the Diablo 4 Battle Pass coin reward wasn't actually enough to buy even the cheapest item, let alone the next pass. But it seems this number is even more unfair than that. 

Over on the Diablo 4 subreddit, user jessewperez1 has pointed out why the 666 coins the pass gives you is "mathematically the scummiest amount" that Blizzard could have offered. As the player explains, if you want to use it to buy future Battle Passes (which cost 1,000 coins), with the second pass, you'll have amassed 1,332 coins, enough for one pass, and you'll have 332 coins to spare. 

If you were to get another 666 coins when Season 3 rolls around, then you'd have a grand total of 998, just two coins off the price of another Battle Pass. "No doubt this is intentional," says jessewperez1. "I would really love if someone from Blizzard actually discussed the battle pass and their predatory mechanics at any of these fireside chats but they are never mentioned."

jessewperez1 is just one of many displeased with the latest discovery. "Blizzard has become all about the greed these days. Monetize the fun out of everything," says one Diablo 4 player in the comments. Another replies: "They definitely thought this was genius because it's also 666, the satanic number and relates to their demonic theme so well. I can really imagine them being proud of this because whatever department is in charge of this is definitely not full of gamers and is out of touch."

This isn't the only bad practice Blizzard has been accused of, as only days ago, players called the publisher out for "deliberately and maliciously" designing its menus so that they accidentally activate Battle Pass.  

Need a helping hand with the newest content? Here's how to complete chapter 1 of the season journey in Diablo 4.

One of the more dedicated Starfield fans has spent around 200 hours compiling the game's skill systems based on footage and teasers.

You might think the Starfield subreddit post is the culmination of all 200 hours of research, but that's merely the tip of the iceberg. There's actually a 44-page Google document compiling all evidence of every Starfield skill, including breaking them down into categories like 'Physical' and 'Social' skills.

After almost 200 hours of research, here is the complete skill system used in Starfield (SPECULATION) from r/Starfield

The user has even broken every skill down into tiers. It turns out there's four tiers to every skill, progressing from Novice to Advanced, Expert, and eventually Master at the end. You'll need to have a grand total of 16 Skill Points in order to level up an ability all the way from Novice to Master.

There's well over 100 images, all taken from pre-release footage like trailers and gameplay demos, to support the user's findings. The user has somehow managed to piece together all skill trees including Physical, Social, Combat, Science, and Tech categories, revealing there's well over 60 individual skills in total to invest in.

We already know how huge Starfield's going to be in the physical sense, thanks to Bethesda's waxing lyrical about it over the past few months, but now we have an idea of just how many skills there'll be on offer in the new game, each of which will help you tailor your character to fit your play style.

Starfield will finally launch later this year on September 6, exclusively for PC and Xbox Series X/S. Oh, and if you think this is impressive, you should meet the creator behind this Starfield ship “passion project” that was more than 4000 hours in the making.

You can read our Starfield early access guide if you want to find out how you can play Bethesda's latest ahead of its official launch. 

Less than a week after winning a $500,000 case against a harasser accused of threatening a Destiny 2 community manager, developer Bungie says its team can't speak publicly because "devs who aren't even CMs are still being harassed."

Not for the first time, a player on the Destiny subreddit recently requested that Bungie make more regular use of the dev-backed Destiny 2 Team Twitter account which was set up around eight months ago in order to share more insights with the community. 

"I'm not saying you should expose your employees to people who might actually harm them," the player reasoned, and you can already hear the 'but' coming on here. "As someone who has been threatened (and actually almost attacked) at the workplace, I completely understand where you guys are coming from. That said, it would be beneficial for everyone if you used the account more than you currently do." 

A response from the official Bungie Help Reddit account explained the studio's stance on the issue and the relative quiet from the Team account. 

"Appreciate the feedback," the post begins, echoing countless CM posts before it. "Unfortunately, devs who aren’t even CMs are still being harassed just because they work at Bungie, so using the CM account on Reddit will put a bigger target on all of the CM’s backs.

"I completely understand the want to go back to how we used to respond all the time here, but that time has passed. Until everyone can feel safe again, I wouldn’t expect to see many responses from us here for the foreseeable future.

"However, just because we aren’t responding often doesn’t mean we aren’t still looking at feedback," the studio continues. "As a legend once said, 'we're listening,' and while we can’t always act on the feedback, we do share it with stakeholders every single week. So please, keep it coming. You may find us responding more on our own Help forums, so please report any issues to us there."

A Redditor who's since been downvoted into the abyss argued that harassment is "just part of life" even if "no one deserves it," and that "basing your PR strategy on the actions of 0.1% worst actors is strange to me." 

Bungie shot back: "We don’t accept that being harassed is 'just part of life.' This kind of mindset is unhealthy, and we aren’t going to put ourselves in danger for a video game, much less Reddit." 

Destiny 2's community, like many MMO, FPS, and indeed video game communities, has a long and colorful history of senselessly attacking developers. Bungie's efforts to make LGBT employees visible in developer diaries have been met with all sorts of vitriol, for example, and lead developers have previously been driven off platforms like Twitter by harassment over balance changes or Exotics. These bad actors represent a small portion of the community, but even if only a small portion of an audience hurls garbage at you every single time you come on stage, eventually you're gonna stop showing up. 

Bungie's handling of the harasser who now owes $500,000 was praised by other game developers, who hope to see it set a precedent for protecting employees from all-too-common abuse. 

A creative Starfield fan used Blender to build an absolutely beautiful ship inspired by Bethesda's upcoming release, and it's so good it earned the studio's own seal of approval.

Reddit user Its_all_pixels recently shared their Starfield-inspired render to much fanfare, but they probably weren't expecting the official Starfield Twitter account to gush about the creation a little over a week later.

"Its_all_pixels couldn't wait to get into Starfield's shipbuilder and already started building a Starfield-inspired ship in Blender!" reads a tweet from Bethesda.

Not only did the artist get a shoutout from Bethesda, but they also revealed that the studio reached out to them personally to presumably talk about the render, which they said was "an honor."

Starfield ship customization is one of the most highly anticipated aspects of the game. You'll be able to customize both the form and function of your ship with a bunch of different colors and modular parts, and you can continue modifying your vessel to your heart's content by visiting the ship technician at any spaceport. There you can buy, sell, and modify your ships at will.

Each ship part has its own cost, health, and mass rating, and some are locked behind certain player skill unlocks, so the more you play the more options you'll have to kit out your spacefaring vehicle. And yet, even with all of these options, one can only hope the shipbuilder is extensive enough to make something as pretty as what Its_all_pixels made.

Ship customization is just one of many reasons Starfield is one of the most hyped new games of 2023.

Diablo 4's subreddit is awash with players helping each other out with the grind top reach the Diablo 4 max level, and it's lovely to see.

The grind to level up fast in Diablo 4 has always been at the core of the series, and it's no different in Diablo 4. The grind to get your character's gear to the best level possible really kicks in once you hit level 50, intensifying to demand you seriously scale up and dedicate time to repeating activities and dungeons if you want to hit the true endgame.

Enter the Diablo 4 subreddit. Unlike many, many subreddits out there, Diablo 4's dedicated forum is actually nice and useful, chock-full of players looking to help each other out with the grind by providing the most comprehensive gear and activity information possible.

Take a look at the creation from user Prowner1 just below, for example. They've made a farming tool that reveals which dungeons are best when chasing a specific type of item, analyzing all monsters to deduce which beasts drop which gear and linking that up to the dungeons where you can find those monsters.

Unique Target Farming Tool from r/diablo4

There's also the Nightmare Dungeon map cheat sheet below from BlackBullTwitch. This takes a look at all the Nightmare Dungeons in Diablo 4 and divides them up by region, laying out foundations in full so you know where to go when you're trekking through them. Although there are some randomized elements to the Nightmare Dungeons, these maps will always serve you well as a general layout.

Nightmare Dungeon Map Layout Cheat Sheet (HQ) from r/diablo4

Finally, there's a gear Affix infographic from user lilith3nj0yer (we're right there with you, pal). This is a list of all possible Affixes for every type of gear in Diablo 4, and it should seriously help when you're finessing your character in the latter stages of the game.

This is all to say that, for once, you actually have to hand it to a subreddit. Diablo 4's subreddit is showing just how helpful it can be to both newcomers and veterans of Blizzard's action RPG series. They're probably working on new solutions for the lack of matchmaking as we speak. 

Check out our extensive Diablo 4 crossplay guide for detailed info on how to play online with your friends across platforms. 

A Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom player has created a working scale and the first thing they've decided to weigh is Link himself. 

As shared over on the Hyrule Engineering subreddit, which is dedicated to everyone's inventive creations from Tears of the Kingdom, one user shared their working scale. Using a variety of materials in the game, this player actually has created an operational scale with two platforms and a wheel in the center which tips either left or right depending on the heavier platform.

After trialing a number of different items in the game on one side of the scale, and using his Ascend ability to pop himself on the other side, Link comes to the conclusion that he's actually pretty light. So light in fact, that he weighs the same amount as an armful of apples. More specifically, approximately 10 individual apples. Now, we don't know what kind of unit of measurement Hyrulains use but it's safe to say Link is a pretty light guy.

Working Scale - Guess Link's Weight from r/HyruleEngineering

As fun as it is finding out that Link could potentially be blown away by a strong wind one day, other players in the comments of the post have pointed out the more practical uses for the scale. "So with this, we can actually utilize a scale of measurement to know for sure which items are lightest to build flyers?" one player writes underneath the post. Other players have gone in a completely different direction and instead are asking how much Link weighs in bananas and fish.

Others have pointed out that in Breath of the Wild, Link weighed "exactly 7 apples and two spicy peppers", so does that mean Link bulked up or down in between the two games? Who can say, but we are questioning how he manages to swing a sword around without falling over most of the time.

In other Tears of the Kingdom news, last week Nintendo revealed that we are in fact getting new Zelda and Ganondorf Amiibos after it was rumored shortly before.  

Reddit has shut down a three-year-old hub of Switch piracy discussion after the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom leaks brought it a new level of infamy.

To be clear, it's uncertain whether the shutdown is directly tied to the Tears of the Kingdom leaks, but given that r/NewYuzuPiracy was around for three years but exploded in popularity over the past month, it's not difficult to suspect that there's some correlation here.

As PC Gamer reports, r/NewYuzuPiracy had nearly doubled in size since May 1, when Tears of the Kingdom first began leaking onto pirate sites, and in that time had become a hub of discussion for both piracy and modding of the new Zelda game.

As the name suggests, this subreddit was originally built as a replacement for the similarly-banned r/YuzuPiracy. If you try to head to r/NewYuzuPiracy now, you'll see the message that "this subreddit was banned due to a violation of Reddit's content policy against creating or repurposing a sub to reconstitute or serve the same objective as a previously banned or quarantined subreddit." It seems it just took Reddit three years to get around to enforcing that policy.

While Reddit doesn't have a direct ban on discussion of piracy, the site's content policy does have a rule to "avoid posting illegal content or soliciting or facilitating illegal or prohibited transactions." Despite that, much larger forums centered on piracy - like r/Piracy - have seen no action taken against them, though the moderators of several such forums have taken them private in protest of Reddit's unrelated crackdown on third-party apps.

Other content hosts have been getting skittish in the wake of Nintendo's redoubled efforts to crack down on piracy, as with the confusing aftermath of Valve's decision to remove Gamecube and Wii emulator Dolphin from Steam. Over the past few months, we've seen Nintendo go after Breath of the Wild mods, subpoena Discord over the Tears of the Kingdom leaks, and even suspend legitimate Twitch streams in an effort to crack down on spoilers. Heck, back in 2022, Nintendo even targeted a site that provides images of games that can be used with emulators. 

The best Switch games should only be played on Nintendo-approved hardware, if ya know what's good for ya.

Diablo 4 plans to immortalize the first 1000 players to hit the level cap – but some players are concerned that this will give streamers and reviewers "an unfair advantage".

The race - which invites players to "cheat death" and fight to be one of the first 1000 players to hit the level 100 cap - kicks off on June 1. The first 1000 players to reach the cap will have their username "immortalized on a statue of Lilith". 

Introducing a physical leaderboard, race to level 100! from r/diablo4

Consequently, Diablo 4 general manager Rod Fergusson confirmed yesterday that "playtime is up" for reviewers who had the game early in order to prepare reviews, revealing that their "characters and progress" have now been deleted, forcing them to restart. 

But some fans have taken to the Diablo 4 subreddit and social media to complain that even with the reset, some players will have an "extreme unfair advantage" because even if their data is deleted, the player "who already know[s] everything about bosses, acts and how to gear and level will have an advantage over [a] player who never done it".

When challenged, Fergusson asked, "how does deleting all their progress and making them start at the same time as everyone else give them an unfair advantage?" But still, some players are calling for anyone with "pre-release full access [to] be ineligible" to enter the race. Blizzard has yet to formally comment on the issue.

Blizzard recently confirmed that it would begin its seasonal content in July and introduce "fresh concepts and ideas" four times a year going forward.

In the latest developer livestream and accompanying blog post, the Diablo 4 team gave a detailed overview of the long-awaited sequel's post-launch plans, including its seasons, free and paid battle passes, the in-game shop, and more. 

There will be four Diablo 4 seasons per year, with the first beginning sometime in mid to late July. Each season will have its own unique theme, and while Blizzard didn't get too much into specifics, it did confirm the first season won't be zombie-themed as some have speculated. The theme of the first season will be discussed in detail at some point after launch.

We also recently discovered that although Diablo 4's Nightmare dungeons will scale beyond level 100, Diablo 4 "isn't intended to be played forever".

Diablo 4 is out on June 6 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and last-gen console systems. 

Here are some games like Diablo to play until Diablo 4 launches on June 6.

Gameplay footage said to be from Quidditch Champions has recently appeared on Reddit before being hastily pulled from the site for legal reasons.

Announced just last month, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is a multiplayer game centred around the popular broom-based sport from the books. Play-tests began just days after the game's unveiling, and now footage from those pre-release play sessions has seemingly made its way online.

Several videos were posted on the Quidditch Champions subreddit over the weekend, which appeared to show character customisation and practice flying from the upcoming game as well as footage from an actual Quidditch game. Of course, we don't know if they are legitimate, but the fact that they've been "removed by Reddit's Legal Operations team", likely at the request of Warner Bros, suggests that they could be the real deal.

Those that did see the footage before it was scrubbed from the site have been having their say, and some, like user rschiff012852 are impressed with how the game's shaping up so far: "Hoping a Hogwarts Legacy DLC / sequel has quidditch like this, looks pretty good," they said in the comments.

Many others have drawn similarities between Quidditch Champions and Rocket League, Psyonix's insanely popular sports game that mixes soccer with tiny rocket-powered cars. "This is Rocket League!" wrote one user. "Kinda looks like Rocket League in the sky," replied another.

While Warner Bros is likely hoping that Quidditch Champions fills that Golden Snitch-shaped hole in fans' hearts after the flying sport was notably absent from Hogwarts Legacy, some fans are decidedly miffed and see the game as merely cut content.

The release of Hogwarts Legacy has been the subject of criticism and debate due to J.K. Rowling's public stance on gender identity, which continues to challenge the inclusivity at the heart of the Harry Potter community. Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is in a similar situation and may spark similar discussion. That being said, here is our explainer on the Hogwarts Legacy controversy.

Hogwarts Legacy fans are currently mourning what could have been, as it's revealed the game once had a reputation and morality system that was cut from the final version. 

As highlighted in this Reddit post, one Hogwarts Legacy player has discovered cut content hidden in the magical RPG's files. YouTuber GrandTheftDiamonds has found a number of unused ideas in Hogwarts Legacy's code, most interestingly though, they found traces of a reputation and morality system.

Just like the post explains, at one point developer Avalanche Software created a reputation and morality system, similar to the Karma system in Red Dead Redemption 2. According to the video, players could lose House Points for doing specific things, for example casting Avada Kedavra would cost you 100 points, casting Imperio would cost 50 points, casting Confringo would add up to 25 points, and more. 

So how do Hogwarts Legacy players feel about missing out on all of this? Well, if the comments of the Reddit post are anything to go by, it seems players' main concern is how many points they would have lost for casting the spells mentioned above. A lot of fans believe that the consequences for using those spells are fair, however they don't agree with the fact that Confringo would cost you 25 points. As one player put it: "I'd be fine with all that except for the Confringo penalty... it's just so much more useful than Incendio."

Others have also pointed out how this system wouldn't work very well as the spells are often used to fight bosses and other enemies - so would students still be penalized for that? "If I'm using Confringo to do a Merlin Trial I fail to see how that's a points deduction," one Reddit user says, "what if I'm using it on a poacher who has tried or done the fire tornado thing on me? Or on a boss? They're all supposed to be the villains to be defeated, the bad guys."

Elsewhere in Hogwarts Legacy's files, it was discovered that a number of spells were also cut from the game. The video claims that spells such as Accio Maxima (summoning spell), Aguamenti (water-making spell), FiendFyre (a powerful fire spell), the Bat Bogeys curse (a spell that turns bogeys into bats), the tripping curse (self-explanatory), and more all failed to make it into the final build of the game.

As well as all this, the video also claims that a number of activities were also cut from Hogwarts Legacy including the ability to cut class, the option to be the class clown, the ability to commit crimes (like theft, breaking and entering, etc.), the choice to bully your classmates or protect them from bullies, and even the ability to study, gossip, and get drunk. All of these things make Hogwarts Legacy sound like a completely different game. 

There must have been a good reason for Avalanche Software to leave these features out of Hogwarts Legacy, and like the video disclaimer says, this is just speculation based on things found in the game's files, so take it all with a grain of salt. Who knows, maybe we'll end up getting some of them back later down the line. For now, though, we'll just have to settle with not being punished for casting deadly spells. 

The release of Hogwarts Legacy has been the subject of criticism and debate due to J.K. Rowling's public stance on gender identity, which continues to challenge the inclusivity at the heart of the Harry Potter community. Here is our explainer on the Hogwarts Legacy controversy.  

The publisher of an acclaimed indie JRPG has called on review aggregate site MetaCritic to take action after the game was review-bombed for no discernible reason.

In a recent tweet, Michael Hoss, head of product at publisher Deck13, highlighted a spate of negative user reviews attached to Chained Echoes. The JRPG launched last year to a Metacritic score of 90 as well as a 'Must Play' badge, and it currently boasts 'very positive' reviews on Steam. In recent days, however, the Switch, PC, and PS4 Metacritic pages have received dozens of negative user ratings each, dragging the user scores down to around five or six out of ten.

Those ratings don't come with any written reviews, and as such Hoss says that neither he nor the development team have any idea where the tide of ill-feeling has come from. 

One assumption is that the review-bomb is tied to localization. Recently, the Chained Echoes team took to Reddit for an AMA, and the publisher notes that, "quite often you get 'hey, translate into Spanish," or 'when Chinese', or 'when Brazil port'." Deck13 has tried to explain that due to the length of the game, cost of translation, and relatively small install bases in some regions, localization is often not possible. While some players have made their desire for more language options clear, however, it's not certain that this is the problem at the heart of the review-bomb.

Hoss called out Metacritic in his individual tweet. When we spoke with him, he told GamesRadar+ that "I'm still amazed that Metacritic is still used by so many platforms (e.g. Steam)." While he doesn't "expect them to do anything about Chained Echoes [...] I do hope that the constant outrage [around review-bombing] might lead to a changing situation."

Chained Echoes has been out for several months and boasts high reviews elsewhere, and as such Hoss says he's "not worried at all" about the long-term impact of this review-bomb: "It is more an annoying situation as we can't really do anything about it." For others, however, it can be a much more significant issue: "Especially with the review bombing for LGBTQI+ content, that can seriously damage smaller indie games in terms of sales. And while The Last of Us 2 can deal with that, a smaller indie can really suffer there."

Arguably even more important, Hoss suggests, is the fact that "what starts on Metacritic often leads to people harassing devs via social media or sending them hate mail. I wish I was making things up, but these situations happen. And Metacritic bombings are often shared among certain communities and they gain traction and more ammo through that. We're talking about people who threw years and years of sweat, blood and tears into their games and then someone comes and shits right in front of their door - post-release depression is a thing and these things do hurt people. And I hate that."

Last month, Metacritic promised "stricter moderation" in response to review-bombing linked to optional LGBT content in Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores.

We've been waiting on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for years, and there's a good argument to be made that nobody has felt that wait more keenly than Reddit user TheDuckPancake, a now-legendary fan artist who's been "drawing badly until TOTK" for 907 days. 

If you've been on the Breath of the Wild subreddit at any point in the past two and a half years,  you've definitely seen TheDuckPancake's work. Their Microsoft Paint style evokes the rage comic days of a younger internet and is instantly recognizable. They're approaching one million Reddit karma, primarily from their Zelda comics, and at this point they've covered just about every in-joke in the entire community. TheDuckPancake almost never misses a daily upload, and when they do they make up for it with multiple drawings, and they're still drawing badly even now. 

Drawing badly until TOTK - Day 901 from r/Breath_of_the_Wild

With the Tears of the Kingdom launch finally just a week away, I reached out to TheDuckPancake to talk about their long, badly drawn journey. They explain that they only joined Reddit a few months before starting this series after being inspired by Reddit user WeeblesJeebles, who maintained a similar comic run for Hollow Knight Silksong until the wait finally got the better of them. 

"I can't quite remember my exact thought process, but I'm pretty sure I thought, 'That looks funny, I'm gonna do that now,'" TheDuckPancake says. "Clearly, I didn't really think too far ahead, but I'm too stubborn to stop. As to whether I thought it would last this long, absolutely not. There's a couple of poorly aged comments where I said it was coming December 2021, lmao." 

TheDuckPancake generally makes one drawing per day, and while they keep a list of ideas handy, they say they "never end up using them, so most of the time, it's spur of the moment." Frankly, I don't know how else you could wind up with art like this except spur of the moment. Some of their recent favorites include days 901, 900, and 861, and they belong in a museum. 

Drawing badly until TOTK - Day 861 from r/Breath_of_the_Wild

Will TheDuckPancake take up the badly drawn mantle again? "I don't really have any plans for the future as of yet, but I might do something if there's DLC, but no guarantees," they say. "I'm most looking forward to making the dumbest things imaginable with Ultrahand." We've seen what they can do with a digital paintbrush, so I can't wait to see what they make with Ultrahand. 

Breath of the Wild's worst feature returns in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, but the workaround is ace.  

If you want to go into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom completely blind, you'll want to tread very carefully while browsing the internet for the next couple of weeks until launch, as images purporting to be of the physical Collector's Edition are surfacing on social media.

Reddit posts shared Friday appear be candid shots of the physical version of the Tears of the Kingdom Collector's Edition, and if they are indeed authentic, it would suggest someone has a copy of the game in their hands. And if that copy is a physical cartridge and not a digital code, and thus less likely to be time-locked, that could mean the internet is about to become a minefield for major Tears of the Kingdom leaks.

I won't embed the images here, as they potentially contain story spoilers themselves, but you can check out this Reddit thread discussing what's claimed to be an authentic picture of the game in the wild. Just keep in mind that if you unblur the spoiler filter, you might see something you don't want to see until launch, so enter at your own risk. There's another thread here that once showed a picture of what appeared to be a shipping box filled with copies of the Switch game, but the picture has since been deleted by its original poster.

Of course, there's no way to be 100% certain these are real pictures of a copy of Tears of the Kingdom, nor do we know for sure whether the Collector's Edition includes an actual cartridge and not just a digital code. And even if there is a cartridge, it's not a certainty that folks will immediately start sharing spoilers online - but better safe than sorry, especially so close to release. 

Be careful out there, fellow Hyrulians. It's dangerous to go alone, and I have nothing for you to take beyond this PSA: Watch out for Tears of the Kingdom spoilers.

Only time will tell if Tears of the Kingdom joins the ranks of the best Switch games ever.

The biggest Genshin Impact leak aggregate in the game's Western community is battening down the hatches after receiving "a high number of notices for infringing content," presumably from developer Hoyoverse or publisher Cognosphere.

In a recent update, the moderators of the Genshin Impact leaks subreddit, some 393,000 followers strong, announced a mandatory shift to hosting images of leaks externally rather than directly attaching them to posts. "There is no real choice but to make changes, otherwise there is the risk of action being taken against the subreddit," the notice reads. "And even then, the measures outlined below may not be enough and further changes may be necessary. More updates will follow if there are any further developments."

The subreddit is still accepting new posts about leaks, but now they have to be tied to something like social media or an image hosting site before they can be shared. "This change will undoubtedly negatively impact the viewing experience, and it may push some users away from this subreddit, but the move to hosting this content on other sites before posting here is a necessary one," the mods added. 

This wouldn't be the first time Genshin Impact's creators have gone after leakers, or even this subreddit, but a significant change to how leaks are shared in a leak aggregate of this size feels a turning point in the quiet legal battle over pre-release details. I don't think leaks will ever truly disappear, but the steady stream of unofficial information does seem to gradually be slowing to more of a drip, and I have to wonder if externally hosting that drip is going to be enough to placate the Genshin lawyers.  

In the past six months alone, Hoyoverse sent its lawyers after Genshin's biggest Western leaker, who's now dropped out of the scene entirely, only to quickly suffer an enormous leak of future characters. 

Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online is in contact with a fan artist who claims the studio used their work without their consent.

In a recent Tumblr post, Relan Daevath said they were "shocked" to find art they had shared three years ago had apparently become an Elder Scrolls Online cosmetic, available for purchase from the in-game Crown Store, which accepts real-life money. The complaint made its way to Reddit, where a user going by BluntieDK created a comparison image showing that the cosmetic seemed to have been copy-pasted from Daevath's art with virtually zero changes:

"Well I know that all rights to the characters belong to Zenimax etc. But using someone's fanart through copy-paste without notifying the author is also not very nice," Daevath said. "I would be flattered by such an assessment of my work if I were asked. But I wasn't..."

A day after the artist called out ZeniMax Online on Twitter, the developer responded and said they're working on a solution. Daevath also confirmed today that they had received communication from the studio.

"We are aware of the situation with the ESO Fan Artist," reads a tweet from the official Elder Scrolls Online Twitter account. "It was never our intention to include any community fan art without proper credit. We are in contact with the artist and will work with them to make sure that there is a proper resolution."

It's disappointing to see an artist's work be used without proper accreditation, but it's also encouraging to see the folks at ZeniMax Online move quickly to resolve the situation. We'll update this story as we learn more about how the studio plans to make things right and avoid a similar situation in the future.

You will never see the Destiny 2 community be any more wholesome than it has been this past week, when fans started helping a 69-year-old woman play the game with her son.

"In 2019 I was playing Destiny quite a bit," shrgae wrote in a Reddit post last week titled 'old lady says hello'. "My father passed away and I just lost all interest in the game. Recently my son convinced me to buy Shadowkeep and see if I could get interested in the game again. I figured for a $9 investment it was worth a try. Well here I am at 69 (female) and I am again addicted to the game." She said she's having a good time, but noted that "there's so much I don't understand about this game particularly what weapons to keep and how to select my gear let alone enhance everything."

The community quickly rallied around shrgae, offering encouragement, links to helpful guides, and even a fair few friend requests. But in another, more recent post, shragae says she's been struggling, even as she's cleared the Witch Queen with her son. "If we're in a fire team of three or six I am always last. On one of our efforts my son had over 300 kills and I think I had 20. I really do love this game and I'm enjoying it but I feel a little guilty that quite a few of you have offered to befriend me when I pretty much stink!"

The Destiny community is one of the most notoriously salty groups in all of video games, but you'd never know it from the responses to these posts. One user simply notes that "you’ll get better the more you play just keep at it! Also I know that if my mom played destiny, she could get 0 kills and constantly need a revive and I would still be so excited to play together."

"I feel that way about life," another says. "Everyone is always better than me. Just gotta keep pressing on and finding joy."

There are other responses with more specific advice, like checking out healing class builds or simply not focusing on the scoreboard. Perhaps the most surprising thing in all this is just how many other older players are popping up to show their support. (Shout out to the Golden Oldies clan.) The comments are universally heartwarming, and scanning through them is a lovely way to start your week.

Pretty much all of Destiny 2 has been nerfed to make it less bullet spongy.

The Resident Evil community is sharing its support for Lily Gao after a bitter fan backlash against the actor for her portrayal of Ada Wong in the Resident Evil 4 remake.

The Resident Evil 4 remake launched last month, adding modernised gameplay and some truly stunning graphics to the classic survival horror title originally released in 2005. While players are mostly very impressed with the game's new-gen makeover, some have been less than happy with how Ada Wong is portrayed and have taken to social media to criticise her voice actor Lily Gao. The comments Gao has received have been so numerous and nasty that the voice actor has since deactivated comments on her Instagram posts that relate to the role. 

The behaviour of those players has been condemned by many in the Resident Evil community who've come out in support of Gao on social media. Over on the Resident Evil subreddit, user Btb7861 says, "From posts crying about 'Choppy Recording' to horrible YouTube comments trashing on feminism and 'Woke' culture. It's f***ing shameful people act this way." They continue, "Cold and calculated, that's Ada now. Just because it's not sexy doesn't make it bad."

Another user writes, "Bullying and harassing the voice actress is absolutely an issue and shameful", adding that "there is nothing wrong with criticism and genuinely disliking the voice as long as you respect the voice actress as she's just doing her job". Similarly, Red-Raptor3, who admits to not particularly liking Ada's voice in the Resident Evil 4 remake, says, "The fans harassing Lily Gao's social media are scum and should absolutely stop."

There has also been a flood of support for the voice actor on Twitter. One user writes, "It really saddens me that people are hating on Lily Gao. I think she did absolutely amazing and delivered such a mysterious, gentle, badass, but alluring performance, just as Ada is known for. She added a whole new level to the character, and I LOVE it."

This is a terribly sad situation, especially for an actor who's shown such enthusiasm for the role. Still, let's hope Gao has seen the messages of support that many Resident Evil fans have been sending and that this experience doesn't dissuade her from doing voice work for other games in the future.

The remake has been flying off store shelves since its launch, racking up three million sales in its first two days. In our Resident Evil 4 Remake review, we said, "Capcom has delivered a great remake of a classic game, one which captures everything that made it so special to begin with."

Meanwhile, Resident Evil 4 Remake leaves the series at a crossroads, but which path should it choose?

Update: The special Tears of the Kingdom-themed Nintendo Switch has finally been unveiled, and it's out next month.

Earlier today during a Tears of the Kingdom gameplay reveal, Nintendo unveiled the special Switch themed around the new game, which you can see just below. The console itself actually releases on April 28, a few weeks before Tears of the Kingdom launches, and will retail for $359.99.

Original article: A new The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom-themed Nintendo Switch OLED Model is looking more and more likely to be unveiled later today.

Yesterday on March 27, Nintendo announced a special Tears of the Kingdom presentation for later today on March 28, featuring 10 minutes of new gameplay. Shortly after that announcement, the Reddit post below was published, with a GameStop employee claiming evidence of a new Switch hardware listing.

Zelda OLED tomorrow from r/tearsofthekingdom

The apparent GameStop employee speculates that this new hardware listing could be a special Tears of the Kingdom-themed Nintendo Switch OLED Model. The user even provides photographic evidence of a new entry in GameStop's database showing there's a new Switch hardware listing.

But that's not all! Hours after the initial claim, reliable leaker billbil-kun took to Twitter to claim new details of the rumored hardware, which you can see just below. Billbil-kun has been a spot-on leaker for hardware and game reveals, particularly surrounding Sony's PS Plus subscription service, so this should be considered reliable information from the leaker.

A special edition Nintendo Switch OLED Model for Tears of the Kingdom wouldn't be a huge surprise, given how big the next Zelda game is shaping up to be for Nintendo. With less than two months to go until launch, anticipation for the Breath of the Wild sequel is at an all-time high from fans around the world.

Nintendo could be getting ready to unveil the new Switch model alongside the new gameplay later today. Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma is going to guide viewers through new gameplay changes and details, and a new Switch edition would be a great note to end the presentation on.

Now it's worth noting Breath of the Wild never received a special edition Switch model, but that's probably because it was a day one launch title for the console, rather than anything else. Tune into the presentation at 7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET/3 p.m. GMT to see what Aonuma and company have in store for us.

Check out our upcoming Switch games guide to see where Tears of the Kingdom sits in Nintendo's forthcoming release schedule.

A Dark and Darker player has reportedly been asked to join a cheat server via Discord, and other players aren't happy about it. 

As spotted in the Dark and Darker subreddit, one player has been approached by an anonymous Discord user and asked if they want to join their server which offers a cheat package for the game in exchange for $10 in real-world currency. According to the message, the package will give the player Chams, Noclip cheats, and the ability to disconnect other players.

solicited_on_discord_for_a_dad_cheat_package_all from r/DarkAndDarker

Understandably, other players aren't thrilled that this kind of service is floating around online - especially since it brings real-world money into the equation. In fact, the top comment below the post encourages the original poster to "send it to the devs, so they will know about it." 

A bigger conversation around RMT (real money trade) in games also broke out in the comments, with some saying it's not something to worry about and others saying the system should be stopped altogether. The worry from fans here is that Dark and Darker - which is still in the playtesting phase - could be ruined by hackers and RMT. Here's hoping developer Ironmace is aware of this activity and is working on a way to reduce its effect on the game.

Last month it was reported that Dark and Darker devs could face legal action following allegations that they stole assets from their previous employer. More recently, the developer reassured fans via Discord explaining that the police did pay the studio a visit but that "it was a quick process, and nothing was found." Ironmace also said that "there will be no delay in development, and there is nothing to worry about."

Thinking about getting started with the fantasy FPS? Take a look at our Dark and Darker class guide. 

Hogwarts Legacy launches this week, and those who've already delved into the wizarding world are sharing tips on how to make the experience as immersive and magical as possible. And there's more to it than just choosing between the Hogwarts Legacy fidelity vs performanceoptions. 

Over on the Hogwarts Legacy subreddit, user Zebatsu encourages players using a controller to tweak the camera settings slightly when staring out on their adventure. According to the player, camera acceleration should be turned all the way down, and camera sensitivity cranked up. "I can't tell you how much smoother the game feels, it's like night and day," Zebatsu says. 

Camera sensitivity determines how fast the camera moves, while acceleration is the rate at which the camera reaches that speed, so as the user explains in the comments, these minor adjustments "make the camera react a lot faster to your input".

In a separate post, user egyptianbeast96 recommends switching off two options in the game's settings entirely. These are Show Hud Tracking Icons and Minimap, both of which can be found in the User Interface tab. "It makes a world of difference and since there is a button to turn on quest tracking in the actual world, the two settings off adds a whole level of immersion if you want to explore Hogwarts to the fullest," explains the user. 

Fans who've opted for the Hogwarts Legacy Deluxe Edition on PS5, Xbox Series X or PC can access the game 72 hours Early Access to Hogwarts Legacy ahead of its general release (that's today), and those planning on picking up the regular edition on those platforms can do so starting Friday, February 10. The PS4 and Xbox One versions will arrive on April 4. Switch fans are still in for a considerable wait as the game isn't due to launch on Nintendo's console until July 25. 

In our Hogwarts Legacy review, we said, "With its stunning recreation of beloved Harry Potter landmarks and thrilling combat, Hogwarts Legacy definitely has its moments. Sadly, it tries to do too much all at once, and never quite settles into a comfortable rhythm, or leverages the player experience against the established laws of the wizarding world."

The release of Hogwarts Legacy has been the subject of criticism and debate due to J.K. Rowling's public stance on gender identity, which continues to challenge the inclusivity at the heart of the Harry Potter community. Here is our explainer on the Hogwarts Legacy controversy.

To stem the tide of rampant rumor-mongering, the Starfield subreddit has cracked down with a single bucket where you can deposit all your release date speculation and false information.

We do not know precisely when the Starfield release date is. A support site page still says the game is set to launch in the first half of 2023, and that's the extent of the official information. Even the usual insiders don't have much to say on the subject. Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb said on a paywalled podcast a few days ago that Starfield could launch in June but that he "definitely" did not feel confident about it.

Adding to that, Microsoft has not provided any concrete idea of when to expect the big Starfield showcase it promised when the game skipped the recent Xbox Developer Direct. Now everyone's worried, and this environment rife with speculation has left community forums, like the Starfield subreddit, in a bit of a frenzied state.

Moderators of the subreddit report that they have removed a "massive amount of posts" violating various discussion rules recently, and in an effort to crack down, they've put together a "Release date speculation / False information Megathread" where you can finally recklessly speculate about the launch day to your heart's content.

"Please keep in mind we do still have rules on pure speculation," moderator Cyrus224 says. "If you are posting new information, use a real source and not 'my uncle's boss's cousin's brother just quit Bethesda' or 'this person on twitter with 6 followers who is a barista and totally heard Todd Howard say the release date'. (Yes, this was a post we removed.)"

According to the discussions, Starfield is set to release on January 2, March 3, March 21, June 29, June 31, sometime in September, and simply a day during the year. At least one of those dates does not exist, but hey, if you keep throwing out dates, one of them will eventually be correct.

Our list of new games for 2023 is already stacked.

The moderators of the Hogwarts Legacy subreddit have reinstated a ban on discussion of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.

In a post last night, the subreddit's moderators said that they had recently been trialling a decision to ease restrictions placed on the topic of Rowling three years ago. Back then, the mod team said that "we would like to keep discussion on this subreddit focused on the game and away from political arguments," and that "we are all in favour of accepting everyone, no matter the sexuality, race, origin, or anything else."

In last night's update, however, the easing of those restrictions was said to "no longer feel possible." The team explains that "allowing conversation about JKR quickly spirals into bigoted language towards LGBTQ+ individuals," and that for both the "dignity" of those users and the state of the subreddit in the longer term, "we cannot provide any kind of opportunity for this language to start in the first place."

The post goes on to say that "users who rally behind JKR under the guise of  'keeping things about the game' are still taking conversations off topic from the actual game," and that users who claim to enjoy winding up those people who have taken a stance against the game are "still trolling" those people, in breach of the subreddit rules.

The mod team say that a megathread dedicated to the ethics of purchasing the game will remain available for "good faith" conversation, and that it "firmly believes LGBTQ+ individuals are deserving of dignity, respect, and inclusion."

The announcement echoes another significant forum's decision to ban all discussion of the game last month and marks another stage in a peculiar run-up to the game's release. Multiple user protests have bubbled up, with members of the voice cast also speaking up about their involvement with the game. For more information, we've attempted to outline the Hogwarts Legacy controversy.

Although she is not involved in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, GamesRadar+ acknowledges the role of J.K. Rowling in the creation of the Wizarding World, as well as her publicly-stated, harmful views regarding the rights of transgender people. If you'd like to offer your support to the communities affected by Rowling's rhetoric, consider donating to the National Center for Transgender Equality in the US, or Mermaids in the UK. 

The Hogwarts Legacy community is lamenting the temporary disappearance of a bizarre leaker claiming to be the son of a senior developer.

In a now-nuked Reddit post, user HogwartsInsider alleged that through their connections to their father, design director Chad Liddell, they'd been able to assist in QA on the game, and while a non-disclosure agreement partially bound them, they'd been permitted to host a limited Q+A session, revealing details about the game.

Through that thread, they answered questions pertaining to everything from player customisation to PC performance. At the time of writing, however, none of what they revealed remains visible. 

None of the content revealed in either leak was particularly notable - there were no story spoilers and little mechanical discussion, with most players wanting to know about customisation and map exploration, and both users were wary of spoiling too much. Nonetheless, the community appears to have rallied around the leakers as their new heroes; at the time of writing, several of the subreddit's top posts are memes paying tribute and/or decrying Warner Bros' decision to strike the post.

The circumstances around the leak are pretty wild, as even if the leaker was exactly who they claimed to be, non-disclosure agreements exist for a reason. At this late stage before the game's release, marketing campaigns are fully locked in, and even if a QA worker really was related to a senior developer, an unofficial question and answer session on a fan forum wouldn't just be signed off by 'my dad who works at Avalanche'.

The leak, which was nixed at the same time as another thread by a user who claimed to have got their copy of the game early and was taken down as the result of a copyright strike by Warners Bros, is just the latest chapter in a bizarre pre-launch saga for Hogwarts Legacy. While community enthusiasm remains high, the Hogwarts Legacy controversy continues, with several protests aimed at the game.

While J.K. Rowling is not involved in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, GamesRadar+ does acknowledge the author's role in the creation of the Wizarding World, as well as her publicly stated, harmful views regarding the rights of transgender people. If you'd like to offer your support to the communities affected by Rowling's rhetoric, consider donating to the National Center for Transgender Equality in the US, or Mermaids in the UK. 

Rumors of Elden Ring DLC are heating up once again after some teases from a prolific Soulsborne insider surfaced online.

A user over on the GamingLeaksAndRumors subreddit posted a "leaked" Discord conversation with dataminer and modder Lance McDonald. McDonald said that "there's a huge DLC coming," and while he doesn't know about any new gameplay mechanics that will be introduced in the expansion, he was willing to say it's "really big".

The bizarre bit of this is that McDonald made these comments way back in December, and while this is being called a "leak", that Discord is not private. There's a link advertising it right on his Twitch page. You can go there and read the conversation for yourself. McDonald also noted that he knows "exactly how big the DLC is compared to the base game", though seemingly not much beyond that.

We've reached out to McDonald for comment and will update if we learn more. For now, though, Elden Ring DLC is effectively an open secret, though any specific details about it have been difficult to pin down. Dataminers have long been uncovering evidence of additional Elden Ring content, but their discoveries have been ripe for misinterpretation. Meanwhile, some people are out there with straight-up fake leaks.

Director Hidetaka Miyazaki has explicitly said there are "several more things" on the way for Elden Ring, and given the game's success, it seems like it's only a matter of time before we see some kind of follow-up for ourselves.

There are plenty of entirely new games for 2023, too.

The Day Before's community is descending into further chaos, as developers have reportedly tried to seize control of the game's subreddit.

As posted on The Day Before's dedicated subreddit yesterday, one subreddit moderator had a conversation with a leading Discord community manager representing the forthcoming survival MMO. According to the screenshotted conversation, the community manager recommended making the subreddit moderator-free, and stated they should take over from one of the current moderators.

As you might imagine, this conversation hasn't gone down well with The Day Before's subreddit community, after it was posted publicly. Commenters have quickly called into question the community manager's affiliation with The Day Before, pointing out that in the past 24 hours, the same developer said he wasn't actually convinced the game was real.

The subreddit community isn't so eager on the community manager taking over from current subreddit mods, it goes without saying. Plenty of users point out how the same community manager apparently bans Discord users from the game's server on that platform at whim, and they aren't so keen on that taking place in the subreddit.

Yesterday, it was revealed that The Day Before had been delayed by nine months because of a copyright claim. The development team behind the game announced that it had failed to previously copyright the game's name, and so were pushing back the new MMO by a total of nine months. This didn't go down well with the community, who are becoming increasingly sceptical that The Day Before even exists.

Check out our new games 2023 guide for a look over all the new titles launching this year. 

Destiny 2 players have captured the MMO's last moments on Google Stadia, archiving them online for all who're curious to see.

As Turqeee spells out on Reddit, many players turned up for the last hoorah; some just hung out in the Tower to soak in the loot-'em-up’s final moments, whereas others held dance parties in Zavala’s office. Elsewhere, you had people jump into the Crucible to get one last match in before the so-called Second Collapse. 

The way it all ends is somewhat eerie – as we see from one clip, a player hangs around the tower before functionality starts to wane as they get kicked to the loading screen with an error message on display. 

Bungie has since confirmed on Twitter that service has drawn to a close and that players have until January 18 to set up a cross save to keep their characters.

Beyond Destiny 2, other Stadia fans have been gathering online to pour one out for the streaming-based platform ahead of its closure on January 18 – or January 19 for those in the UK. There are a few messages on display, but many praise the platform for its video creation capabilities. 

"500 videos created, and this chapter of content is coming to an end," one fan said. "While it wasn't for everyone, I loved playing on Stadia. Thank you to everyone who made this platform a reality, and to those who championed for the Stadia community behind the scenes."

Google initially revealed it was shutting Stadia down last September as it hadn't "gained the traction with users" that the company had hoped for. After confirming the day that services would close, Google also revealed that all customers who bought software and hardware through the store would be refunded.

It's set to be a colossal year, so check out our list of new games 2023 for the full rundown and the release date of Destiny 2 Lightfall. 

Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0's looting mechanics are coming under fire from the game's community, but there's an easy workaround.

Warzone 2.0 might've just launched, but that hasn't stopped looting from becoming a hot topic of conversation already. As you can see in the example post just below, players are overly critical of the time it takes to loot, with the player needing to hold down a key or button to pick up individual items.

As such, players are critical of the time it takes to pick up loot and other items in Warzone 2.0. The post above already has well over 1,000 upvotes on the Warzone-dedicated subreddit, with a horde of users in the comments section agreeing with the initial assertion. 

Don't give up hope on looting just yet, though. It turns out Warzone 2.0 lets players change the loot mechanic from holding down the button on their controller or keyboard, to simply a button tap, immediately speeding up the entire process of looting and retrieving items.

To enable this, all you need to do is head into the Warzone 2.0 menus and change the 'Contextual Tap' option. By changing the option from a hold to a simple tap, players can instantly speed up the entire dynamic of Warzone 2.0, letting them get the looting over with quicker.

There might already be complaints surrounding Warzone 2.0 less than 24 hours after it first launched, but it's clear there's a straightforward way to remedy this issue. Elsewhere, players are also discovering that they can't invite their friends in Warzone 2.0, but just like this issue, there's a considerably easy fix.

New tweaks to Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0 have made the drill charge even better at killing campers and delivering swift justice. 

Update - November 15: After recent leaks, the devs have officially unveiled the Civilization 6 Leader Pass, which brings 18 additional leaders to the game over the next few months - but the DLC is skipping consoles this time around.

The Leader Pass will run through March 2023, releasing six packs containing three leaders each in the months to come. The first pack, featuring Abraham Lincoln of the US, Queen Mbande Nzinga of the Kongo, and Sultan Saladin of Arabia, will launch on November 21. You can see the full list of additions on the official site.

If you already own the Civ 6 Anthology package on Steam or Epic (or all the individual bits of DLC that make it up), you'll get the Leader Pass for free. You can also purchase it separately, but there's not yet a word on that price. That separate purchase will be the only way to get the content on iOS or the Mac App Store.

You'll note that PS4, Xbox One, and Switch are not listed there. That's because this package isn't coming out on consoles at all - or Android, for that matter. Civ has historically been a PC-focused series, but the console versions of 6 launched to a pretty positive reception a few years ago, so it's surprising to see those versions get skipped over entirely here.

Original story: One of the most popular strategy games around is getting a DLC reveal soon, though leaks have already spoiled the surprise. If you’re a fan of Civilization 6, you might want to keep your head on a swivel while browsing social media. 

Fans first got a hint something was coming last week when one noticed an advertisement for the Civilization 6 Leader Pass on the mobile version of the official website. It didn’t appear for long, though it was up for long enough for people to screenshot it and repost it on Reddit and ResetEra. 

The leak gives credibility to another that appeared just days earlier. That one – also posted to Reddit and ResetEra, naturally – features a list of new leaders, with four appearing in the image mentioned on the Civilization 6 website. If the leak proves correct, we’re also getting new content and a game mode alongside the fresh cast of leaders. 

Firaxis hasn’t commented on the leaks directly, though the developer did take to social media to confirm that an announcement regarding new DLC will be made today (November 15). The post itself is slightly humorous, which the situation arguably calls for.

The new Civilization 6 DLC would represent the first slice of new content the strategy game has got since the New Frontier Pass landed over a year ago in April 2021, featuring new maps, units, and other gameplay-focused tweaks like balance updates. 

Check out our list of the best strategy games if you’re looking for more options to keep you busy ahead of the big DLC reveal. 

Modern Warfare 2 players are calling on Infinity Ward to fix its "broken" aim assist.

Players have been peppering developer Infinity Ward's social media channels and subreddit communities to flag the issue, saying that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's aim assist - designed to give a more equal playing field for players on consoles and PC - is too "overpowered" and requires rebalancing for players on crossplay servers.

"Been a lot of discussion about Aim Assist," said one Redditor, who had the post locked by the board's moderation team. "Would like to see others try exactly what I do in this video and see the results. This is broken."

been_a_lot_of_discussion_about_aim_assist_would from r/ModernWarfareII

Not everyone agrees, though. Some users have shared videos of themselves trying to replicate the issue and insist there is no "aim bot", which makes for some very divisive commentary in the responses from posters on both sides of the issue.

It's one of a myriad of issues Modern Warfare 2 has experienced since launch, including a bug that forced Infinity Ward to disable Modern Warfare 2's attachment tuning "until further notice" after players began reporting crashes. It was only re-enabled yesterday (November 4).

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward also recently disabled its ping system after complaints about a "wallhack" bug began to surface. While there's been no formal word from Infinity Ward or any updates posted on the Modern Warfare 2 social media channels, players noticed that the ping system had stopped working just a few hours after the game launched. 

"In a post-Warzone world, the mainline Call of Duty games have felt directionless," we said in our Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 review. "It's as if they struggled to reckon with the standard set by Modern Warfare, and with a battle royale that thrived in the years it was allowed to build upon those foundations.

"Modern Warfare 2 is both the natural evolution of where Infinity Ward left off in 2019, and a fantastic starting point for Warzone 2. Admittedly, the faster, more unflinching approach to firefights won't be for everybody, but it's a hell of a time if you can lock in with its rhythm."

With Modern Warfare 2 out now, you may be looking to get a little head start online. Whether you're trying to find season one of the battle pass, having trouble accessing your Vault Edition content, looking to build a better M4 assault rifle, or just need help figuring out the crossplay setting in MW2, we've got you covered in our Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 guide.

These Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 error codes should help you if you have any problems getting a game.

Swathes of Red Dead Online players looking to transfer their saves from Google Stadia elsewhere stand to lose more than just time, with one rule potentially leaving some players facing a loss of up to $1 million in in-game currency. 

Last week, Rockstar Games confirmed that Stadia players would be able to transfer Red Dead Redemption 2 saves after one with 6,000 hours went viral as their time investment risked going up in smoke. The developer also revealed that only people who have played within 30 days of Stadia’s closure announcement will be to do that, though it’s only now coming to light how much players stand to lose because of that.

As highlighted by content creator ItsColourTV, one player will lose 1 million in-game bucks, 1.3k Gold Bars, and 662 ranks if things continue as they stand. The streamer also reports that they have received similar reports from other Stadia players, with some having racked up over 2,000 hours and 500 ranks. 

Players have also been discussing the rule on Stadia’s subreddit, with plenty voicing their frustrations over seeing vast amounts of playtime go up in smoke as real-life commitments have stopped them from playing regularly in the past months. 

At the time of writing, Rockstar has yet to reply to fans’ concerns. We have reached out for comment and will update this story with any new information.

Google initially shared that Stadia was shutting down in September, further explaining in a blog post that the streaming service “hasn’t gained the traction with users” that they expected. The service will stay live until January 18, 2023, and refunds are now being offered to all customers who bought software and hardware through the Google store.

Following the news, players of several major games like Destiny 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 alongside Red Dead Redemption 2 scrambled to discover whether or not they’d be able to transfer saves, though the kinks are still being worked out.

If you want to read more, check out our interview with ItsColourTV, who says it was "heartbreaking" to see Rockstar abandon Red Dead Online.

After a number of Street Fighter 6 fans began sharing a way to keep playing the beta even after it was officially over, Capcom has issued a new update that essentially deletes the game from players' hard drives.

A mod for the Street Fighter 6 beta on Steam was released on October 14, allowing players to jump into offline versus mode, and with some additional effort, even get into training mode. The only real catch is that you needed to have a beta invite key in the first place to be able to install the game and the mod.

This is all right on the border between 'modding' and 'piracy,' so we're specifically not linking to any of the methods here. But the mod started to spread on platforms like Reddit as of October 18, bringing it a whole new level of notoriety. Apparently, it was around this time that Capcom noticed as well, or it's at least a funny little coincidence. 

A new, official update for the Street Fighter 6 beta went live this morning which, according to players, deletes the game's executable file. Obviously, you need the exe in order for the game to run. There are, uh, methods to get that file back, though certainly not official ones.

Like pretty much everyone else, we had a fantastic time with the Street Fighter 6 beta, even if we're still recovering from the nightmares induced by its character creator.

If you're looking for more of the best fighting games to brawl out - games you can play without downloading sketchy files online - you can follow that link.

Gameplay footage of Gotham Knights has appeared online after a fan obtained a copy of the game several days before its official release. 

As spotted by Reddit user Zhukov-74, one player managed to get their hands on WB's upcoming action-RPG almost an entire week before its October 21 launch. Yesterday a user by the name of almarhuby posted an image of a boxed version of Gotham Knights on the game's subreddit, titled, "Just picked up my copy." Naturally, players questioned how they were able to snag a copy of the game so early. "Retailer I usually shop at somehow got it early and sent me a message lol. So I just picked it up," replied almarhuby. 

just_picked_up_my_copy from r/GothamKnights

In another post, the player uploaded some gameplay footage, which has, unsurprisingly, now been removed. They also shared their initial impressions on many aspects of the game, including its visuals and performance, in the comments. "The game looks beautiful visually. Frame rates feel stable about 90% of the time. There are a few drops, like when entering the detective/investigation mode."

Gameplay-wise, the player says, "The movement can feel awkward and have a slight delay when walking around indoors, especially when you try to take a sharp turn." They are a fan of the fighting, though, saying, "Combat, on the other hand, feels great."

This isn't the first time something Gotham Knights-related has gotten into fans' hands before it was supposed to. Last month, several copies of the game's official companion book were shipped early, resulting in major story spoilers appearing online. Reacting to the leak, Gotham Knights' executive producer Fleur Marty said, "I can't begin to understand why would anyone spoil a story." 

Missing the caped crusader? We've got you covered with our pick of the best Batman games. 

Sony and Microsoft are reportedly sending out dev kits for a new PS5 and Xbox Series X mid-gen upgrade to a number of AAA studios. 

As revealed by Rockstar insider Tez2 on the GTA Forums, "most AAA studios should have received the dev kits of mid-life upgrades or should receive them by the start of the new year." This comment was said in response to another user who theorized that a new "slim version" of the PS5 could release alongside GTA 6. When asked if news of the dev kits was more of a prediction or known for sure, Tez2 replied: "For sure."

Don't get too excited about a new PS5 or Xbox Series X console just yet though. As pointed out in the comments of this Reddit post, dev kits for a new console generation - or mid-gen upgrade - are usually done a year or two in advance, so there's probably still a little while before it's time to upgrade. Looking at past generations, the PS3 launched in 2006 and the PS3 Slim followed in 2009; after that, the PS4 launched in 2014, and the Slim model in 2016. 

As for Xbox, the Xbox 360 launched in 2005 before Microsoft went on to release the Xbox 360 S - which was thought of as the slim model - in 2010, and then the Xbox One in 2013, shortly followed by the Xbox One X in 2017. What this all means is that just because studios may be getting dev kits for these mysterious new consoles, doesn't mean we'll be getting a new console right away. Considering that both the PS5 and Xbox Series X were released in November 2020, we've still got some time before a new edition is due to be unveiled. 

Speaking of Xbox, fans recently got suspicious after Xbox boss Phil Spencer shared a photo of his shelves and fans thought that they contained a piece of yet-to-be-announced Xbox hardware. Sadly, a few hours after speculation began, it was shut down by the official Xbox Twitter account which cleared up that instead, it was just an old console prototype. 

If you're still enjoying playing your current-gen consoles, find out what you should be playing on them with our best PS5 games and best Xbox Series X games lists. 

An Overwatch 2 player has discovered two game-changing tweaks for the game's new hero Kiriko. 

Overwatch 2 arrived earlier this month, adding new modes, fresh cosmetics, and more heroes to Blizzard's multiplayer shooter. Since launch, fans have been getting to grips with the new character Kiriko, a fast-moving ninja who can heal teammates. She's a helpful hero to have on the battlefield, and as one Overwatch 2 fan recently discovered, you can make her vastly more effective with a couple of small tweaks to her default settings.   

User HamOnRye__ posted an image on the Overwatch subreddit titled, "For all my Kiriko players, these two settings are game changers." As you can see below, the Swift Step Sensitivity has been set to 75%, while Toggle Healing Ofuda has been turned off. 

for_all_my_kiriko_players_these_two_settings_are from r/Overwatch

Swift Step Sensitivity comes into play when Kiriko teleports to allies. As HamOnRye__ explains, "The higher it is, the faster and quicker the reticule to teleport appears on teammates. The lower it is, the more accurate you have to be while trying to teleport to a teammate." One fan questioned why the player had set this to 75%, while another wrote, "I put mine at 100%. Still not high enough", so you might want to play around with the setting to find what works best for you. 

Kiriko's primary fire, the Healing Ofuda, is set to toggle by default, meaning pressing the button will cause the character to throw healing cards continuously until you press it again to switch it off. "With this setting on off, a single card is thrown with a single click or multiples depending on how long you hold down left click," says HamOnRye__. "This makes giving teammates a little bit of health much easier and quicker."

If you're a Kiriko fan, be sure to check out this charming nine-minute-long animated short. You'll see two very different sides to the new hero, that of "the loving daughter and the deadly protector". You can also grab some Kiriko items if you get the new Overwatch 2 Twitch Drops.

Looking to raise your level in the game’s new ranked mode? Here's how Overwatch 2 competitive works. 

Update: Sorry, Witcher fans, but The Witcher 3 next-gen ports aren't arriving today, but they are still planned to arrive this year.

CD Projekt Red announced that detail in a video earlier today, but at the same time also announced a whole bunch of new projects. We now know that The Witcher 4 will be part of a trilogy to include The Witcher 5 and 6, and that another, previously unknown game called Project Canis Majoris is in development externally from CDPR. So while you might have a while to wait before returning to Geralt's third adventure, you'll be getting plenty more from The Witcher universe in the future.

Original story: Much to the delight of Witcher fans, it's claimed that CD Projekt Red is ready to announce a release date for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

The rumour stems from a Reddit user who just hours ago posted on The Witcher 3 subreddit that the launch date for the shiny new-gen versions would be revealed "within 24 hours". This is unconfirmed and so should be taken with a pinch of salt, but it does tie in nicely with the CD Projekt Group's "strategy update", which the company has scheduled for later today. Further fuelling speculation of a release date reveal are several CD Projekt staff members who've been hyping up the strategy call on Twitter.

With a release date announcement potentially only hours away, Witcher fans have been sharing their excitement on Reddit. Many players have been putting off replaying the game so that they can take advantage of new-gen improvements like faster load times and ray-traced visuals. "Ayye finally, I've been holding off on another playthrough of the Witcher 3 for 2 years," says one user. "I've completed the main game during its launch year. I just re-downloaded again and waiting for the upgrade," replies another. 

Some have been avoiding the game entirely so they can experience it for the first time with all the modern bells and whistles. "I've been holding off my very first playthrough waiting for it," comments user Alice_June. "Really looking forward to it, I'm going in almost completely blind, and I just need to wait a little longer."

The new-gen port of The Witcher 3 was unveiled all the way back in 2020. Earlier this year, CD Projekt Red announced that it was taking development of the title in-house and so delayed its release to allow for more time to work on the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions. It's currently targeting a Q4 release (October – December).

In the mood for more epic adventures? Check out our guide to games like Witcher 3.

Diablo 4 screenshots have leaked online, seemingly confirming that you can skip the game's campaign after beating it once.

Over the past weekend, the Twitter user below uploaded four images, reportedly of Diablo 4. The photos have since been taken down off Twitter thanks to copyright requests, as you can see in the initial tweet below, but that hasn't stopped the Twitter user from simply re-uploading the same screenshots in a follow-up tweet.

What's perhaps the most attention-grabbing detail from the Diablo 4 images above is that you can apparently skip the game's campaign. It's tough to determine whether this feature allows first-time players to skip the campaign entirely, or whether this option is limited to those who have already beaten Diablo 4's campaign once.

If the latter option is the case, this would remedy a feature fans didn't exactly love in Diablo 3. The last game required users to beat the full campaign again with each new character they created, so if Diablo 4 lets veterans on their second character skip content they've already played, that could be a big win for fans.

This isn't the first time we've seen unannounced information about Blizzard's new game leak online. Earlier this year in August, a series of Diablo 4 info made its way onto Reddit, and Blizzard was incredibly swift with the takedown notices, as they have been again with this new leak. At the time, players wouldn't be punished outside of a possible Battle.net suspension for leaking information, although this might be different for the new leak.

Blizzard previously announced Diablo 4 would be supported for "years to come" with large-scale story expansions, and more.

All links, images, and videos pertaining to this weekend's historic GTA 6 leak have been removed from two popular online forums after a request from Rockstar parent company and GTA 6 publisher Take-Two Interactive.

As first spotted by Tom Henderson, an update on the GTA Forums says a takedown request was received from Take-Two Interactive and that the message board's moderators have complied. However, discussion around the leaked footage is still allowed as long as it doesn't include any actual footage or links to footage.

The same thing happened over on the GTA 6 subreddit, where the pinned thread is a message from moderators saying the forum will stay online while barring any links, pictures, or videos of the leak. It's unclear if the moderators received a formal request from Take-Two or are just following the GTA Forums' lead, but the Reddit post says rules are being followed to avoid being "obliterated by Rockstar Games."

"We are opening the subreddit with a condition that no one can post links, photos and videos of recent leaks. This is done so to protect the subreddit from getting obliterated by Rockstar Games.

"However, we will allow discussions related to the leak without attaching the leaks. We don't allow comments that has download links to the leak."

In case you missed it, over the weekend a cache over 90 videos and screenshots of GTA 6 leaked, making this the most significant breach in Rockstar's history. Earlier today, the studio released a statement saying it was "extremely disappointed" while assuring that it doesn't anticipate "any disruption to our live game services nor any long-term effect on the development of our ongoing projects."

GTA 6 is still years from launching, so check out these excellent games like GTA in the meantime.

The original creator of the Cyberpunk 2020 IP is a big fan of Edgerunners.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the spinoff of CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 and the renowned tabletop RPG created by Mike Pondsmith, has just been released on Netflix, and it's very good indeed. It's so good, in fact, that Pondsmith himself has been sharing his love of the new anime online.

In a tweet, Rafal Jaki, executive producer and creator for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, posted an image of Pondsmith's views which he shared on the Low Sodium Cyberpunk subreddit. The Cyberpunk creator, who goes by the name Maximum Mike on Reddit, says, "Edgerunners. They f***ing nailed it."

Pondsmith goes on to say how he and the team at R. Talsorian Games have been eager to share how impressed they are with the anime. "It's like seeing my brain in a big screen anime," writes Pondsmith. "We've (RTG) been sitting on this for months, unable to share it with you all. Now you know." When the original visionary behind your work is this impressed, you know you've done something right.

Fans have been equally admiring of Edgerunners. "I absolutely loved it," says one Twitter user. "It took me hours after watching it to get off that high that I was left with. Absolutely brilliant. It's everything I wanted it to be and more." Another described the show as "freaking awesome".

The 10-episode anime is a collaborative effort between CD Projekt Red and Studio Trigger and tells the story of "a street kid trying to survive in a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future." If you're looking for something to watch over the weekend, it's worth checking out. 

Take a look at our best video game movies guide for more great adaptations. 

The Last of Us Part 1 launched earlier this month, and fans are taking the time to appreciate a nifty little detail in Naughty Dog's remake.

Built from the ground up for PS5, The Last of Us Part 1 brings Joel and Ellie’s harrowing tale to life like never before with updated character models, better graphics, improved gameplay mechanics, and more accessibility options. But since the remake’s release, fans have also been appreciating the less obvious features that have been added to the game, such as fully functional mirrors. 

In a post on the Last of Us subreddit, one fan shared an image which reveals how mirrors can be used to see around corners. It's not only a nice bit of attention to detail but comes in handy if there happen to be some baddies laying in wait, ready to blow your head off. The reflected image is admittedly a little blurry, but it’s nonetheless a very cool addition. 

a_little_blurry_but_this_is_one_of_the_cooler_new from r/thelastofus

“I’ve noticed a lot of other reflections in TV screens and the like, but I didn’t expect to see around corners! Very cool,” says one user. Another describes how this minor detail can really add to this section of the game. “This scene blew me away because it seemed at the exact moment I noticed I could see them in the reflection, it was like they saw me too, they threw a smoke bomb, so I shot the mirror out.”

Commenting on the quality of the reflection, one fan jokes, “That’s crazy it reflects the original ps3 version”, while another calls it “A window in time.”

This isn’t the only neat little extra that Naughty Dog has implemented into The Last of Us Part 1. The game now also has a functional set of bathroom scales, so you can now discover exactly how much Joel weighs. Additionally, in the scene where Joel is handing over his passport, you can now zoom in to see when his birthday is. 

Take a look at our upcoming PS5 games guide for all the biggest and best titles making their way to Sony’s latest console.

Sony is reportedly refusing to replace The Last of Us Part 1 Firefly Editions that have been damaged during shipping, even though the pricey collector's edition was only available from the company's own PlayStation Direct store.  

The Last of Us Part 1 special edition features a steel case, the first four comics in the American Dreams series, as well as a bunch of in-game skins and boosts. 

Given that the Firefly Edition costs $99.99 while the standard version of the game is $69.99, you'd expect that the limited collector's edition would have been securely shipped - especially as it's all sent out in a cardboard presentation pack - but dozens of players have taken to social media to complain about the quality of the packaging.

"Mine was pretty beat up too," said one player, responding to a Reddit thread that shows the state of two packages. "All four corners were damaged, and the plastic holding the comics was torn on one corner which caused the bottom part of the spines to get a bit damaged. I doubt they’ll fix it."

"There's no replacements," complained one user on the game's subreddit community. "They're giving bullshit 20% off another game on their store. So essentially thanks for spending money! Now spend more money!"

The fact that the Firefly Edition was a PlayStation Direct exclusive has further compounded the issue, with some players saying that they'd rather have picked up the expensive collector's edition from a store than have had it arrive damaged in the post.

As yet, neither Naughty Dog nor Sony itself have commented on the issue.

In the GamesRadar+ The Last of Us Part 1 review, we called it a "remake of exceptional craftsmanship and creative restraint", and gave it four stars out of five.

"The Last of Us Part 1 is, perhaps more than anything, a gorgeous visual love letter to its biggest fans, not to mention a welcoming set of open arms for the inevitable stream of new ones who will arrive to the game via the upcoming Last of Us TV Show from HBO next year," we wrote. 

"Judged in isolation, that's far from a bad thing. But in the context of an industry where remakes are continuing to push the boundaries of the art of restoration, Part 1 struggles to escape the shadow of feeling like a bit of a missed opportunity."

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