Title: Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s Charlie Day Ranks Luigi Mangione As His 2nd Favorite Luigi Date: Thu, 02 Apr 2026 02:47:50 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/super-mario-galaxy-movies-charlie-day-ranks-luigi-mangione-as-his-2nd-favorite-luigi-2000684046 Number one was of course himself, the voice of Mario's brother in the movies

Title: Super Mario Bros. Speedrunner Claims He’s Being Sabotaged Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:30:45 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/super-mario-bros-speedrunner-niftski-speedrun-tas-input-world-record-2000684012 Speedrun.com suddenly banned his preferred input method after voting to allow it just four months prior

Title: Always-Online RTS Has To Quickly Patch In Offline Mode After Server Provider Ditches Them For AI Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:18:53 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/stormgate-rts-patch-offline-mode-after-server-provider-ditches-them-for-ai-2000683998 Stormgate's multiplayer modes will not be available until the devs find a new company to provide online support

Title: Marvel Rivals Is Not Where I Expected To See A Reference To The ‘No Kings’ Anti-Trump Rallies Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:10:58 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/marvel-rivals-donald-trump-no-kings-kingpin-manhattan-2000684007 The new Lower Manhattan map draws a line between Trump and Kingpin

Title: Nintendo Pushed Mario Into Movies Because Console Growth Is Tapped Out Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:00:15 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/mario-galaxy-movie-miyamoto-switch-2-2000683993 Shigeru Miyamoto felt the plumbers had reached their limits on Switch

Title: Resident Evil fans have adopted a Love & Deepspace character as the son of Leon S. Kennedy and one of his potential spouses Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:47:36 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/resident-evil-fans-have-adopted-a-love-and-deepspace-character-as-the-son-of-leon-s-kennedy-and-one-of-his-potential-spouses In an intersection of my particular interests that I most certainly didn't have on my 2026 bingo card, fans of the Resident Evil franchise – and in particular its recently-released ninth main entry, Resident Evil Requiem – have suddenly become obsessed with a very different favourite of mine: sci-fi otome gacha mobile game Love and Deepspace. Read more

Title: Caleb's third Myth has finally arrived in Love and Deepspace, and it's good news for all the husbandbro fans out there Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:46:11 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/love-and-deepspace-caleb-third-myth Love and Deepspace’s latest update is here, adding a new Memory Pair for Caleb. The event is dubbed Ghosts' Final March, and it’s available now as part of a new Limited Wish Pool, as it has always worked. Read more

Title: Never one to lag behind HSR and ZZZ, Genshin Impact will introduce its own new pink-haired animal-themed girl in Version Luna 6 Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:25:30 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/genshin-impact-luna-6-new-mondstadt-area Today’s Genshin Impact Special Program has wrapped up, and it’s brought us some big news about the next major update. Luna 6 is the next phase in the action RPG’s story, titled Song of the Welkin Moon: Rondo - Augured Homecoming. Read more

Title: Stalker 2’s first expansion officially revealed, and it's taking us to the power plant where it all began Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:30:00 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/stalker-2-cost-of-hope-expansion-reveal One of the biggest reveals out of today’s Xbox Partner Preview showcase has been the new Stalker 2 expansion. The developer did tease some sort of announcement ahead of the event, but I don’t think an expansion was on many of our bingo cards. Read more

Title: Crimson Desert's first patch aims at fixing controls, but it mostly affects mouse and keyboard Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:47:46 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/crimson-desert-patch-1-00-03-first-mouse-keyboard-ui-fixes Crimson Desert has been out for a few days now, and as positive as its been received by many players, the game suffers from several fundamental issues that anyone who’s played it has called out. Read more

Title: The 15 Best Games Like Hollow Knight To Get Lost In Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:59:00 -0700 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/games-like-hollow-knight/2900-6702/ The hardest part about finding games like Hollow Knight is knowing where to start. The overwhelming success of Team Cherry's award-winning 2017 game--and anticipation of its long-awaited sequel, Silksong--prompted a flood of similar games all looking to capture the magic of combining soulslike combat with deep exploration. Some are more inventive than others, building on Hollow Knight's foundations to push that style of game forward in new or unexpected ways. Others take a specific aspect, such as grueling boss fights, and run with it. We've combed through the lot and picked out 15 of the best games like Hollow Knight to get you started in this impressively varied sub-genre.If you're not as excited about combat and want puzzles and exploration instead, head over to our list of the best metroidvania games. Nine Sols Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5Release Date: May 29, 2024Developer: Red Candle GamesIf Hollow Knight is the Dark Souls of metroidvanias, then Nine Sols is the genre's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Parrying is at the core of almost everything you do in Nine Sols, from dealing with standard enemies to wearing down some of its relentless bosses. Among games like Hollow Knight, it's also one of the most thematically and visually distinct. Developer Red Candle Games call Nine Sols a "Taopunk," a blend of sci-fi punk with traditional Taoist architecture and symbolism. Most protagonists in games like these are blank slates, but Nine Sols adds a personal touch by making the personality of its hero, Yi, an important part of the story. Yi starts out seeking revenge, and ends up on a journey to save the world and himself, becoming a reluctant hero in the process. See at Humble Animal Well Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5Release Date: May 9, 2024Developer: Billy Basso, Shared Memory LLCAnimal Well is a puzzle, or more accurately, a lot of puzzles. There's a bit of combat and some platforming, but mostly, it's about trying to unravel dozens of mysteries big and small as you delve ever further into a maze that wouldn't be out of place in Lewis Carrol's Wonderland stories. Explaining too much about what's going on would spoil what makes Animal Well special, but the most interesting and even subversive parts of it is that you have almost nothing to guide you and can make discoveries in any order. That freedom creates a sense of discovery and wonder that's often absent from the procedural methods inherent in these kinds of games.Read our Animal Well review. See at Steam Ultros Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5Release Date: February 13, 2024Developer: HadoqueOf all the games like Hollow Knight, Ultros takes the most organic approach to metroidvanias, and we mean that literally. You, an intergalactic explorer, arrive on a psychedelic space colony called The Sarcophagus and find it teeming with exotic life and mysterious spiritual energies. You use the life force and remains of enemies to nourish your mind and unlock new abilities, and there's a scoring system that ranks how efficiently you defeat your foes. That determines the quality of the loot they drop, so if you want to unlock and improve your skills, you have to plan each encounter carefully. Ultros is also absolutely beautiful, a dream-like blend of esoteric architecture and wild ecosystems with closer ties to the Sarcophagus' secrets than Ultros initially suggests. Read our Ultros review. See at Fanatical Blasphemous 2 Platforms: PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo SwitchRelease Date: August 24, 2023Developer: The Game KitchenBlasphemous 2's big addition over its predecessor--apart from even more ghoulish and gory moments--is the inclusion of more platforming. The first Blasphemous is a bit one-note, which is great if you're just here for the combat, but not so much if you want, well, anything else. Blasphemous 2 throws in some challenging and smartly-designed platforming as well, bringing it closer to the likes of Hollow Knight. Better still, developer The Game Kitchen was more ambitious with its environment design as well, with more complex layouts, better backgrounds and lighting, and even colors that aren't brown, grey, and blood.Read our Blasphemous 2 review. See at Fanatical Elden Ring Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PCRelease Date: February 25, 2022Developer: FromSoftwareOkay, so Elden Ring doesn't have the exploration style of Hollow Knight, but it does have the kind of grueling combat that inspired Team Cherry's spectacular boss fights, and lots of it. It's FromSoftware's first open-world game, one that follows a lone, nameless warrior in their bid to bring salvation to a shattered land--or make its ruin everlasting. Mostly, though, it's a giant playground for dozens of exceptionally well-designed and challenging bosses to stomp (you) around in, with enemies ranging from fire-spewing land dragons to the spirits of an ancient civilization and a gigantic, greatsword-wielding prince on his favorite little horsey. Read our Elden Ring review. See at Fanatical Cuphead Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PCRelease Date: September 29, 2017Developer: Studio MDHRIf you really like boss fights and are less bothered about exploration and all the other Hollow Knight-y bits, Cuphead is definitely worth checking out. Don't let Studio MDHR's retro cartoon style give you the wrong impression, either. Cuphead's cutesy bosses demand careful planning, precise execution, and a lot of patience. The battles aren't the only thing Cuphead has going for it, though. Studio MDHR's exquisite animation, the soundtrack, even period-specific cartoon-style sound effects--the entire game is a spectacle in the best way. Read our Cuphead review. See at Fanatical Castlevania Advance Collection Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PCRelease Date: September 23, 2021Developer: KonamiAny of the Castlevania bundles are strong picks, but the Castlevania Advance Collection should be your go-to choice for the kind of classic action that Hollow Knight builds on. The collection includes Circle of the Moon--low on our list of the best Castlevania games only on account of it not really doing anything that Symphony of the Night didn't--the excellent Harmony of Dissonance, and the even better Aria of Sorrow. Sorrow is the standout inclusion, one that radically shook up the Castlevania formula by removing the Belmonts from the equation, telling an entirely new story set in the distant (at the time) future, and giving the protagonist, Soma, an ability that absorbed enemy souls for use in combat. It helps that Sorrow, as well as Harmony, have an excellent selection of bosses and some fantastically moody settings, too. See at Humble Ori and the Blind Forest Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PCRelease Date: March 11, 2015Developer: Moon StudiosOri and the Blind Forest starts like the end of a Disney movie. A cute little creature finds a family in the middle of a dream-like forest, and that family gets taken away from them. Your job is to figure out why and find a way to save the woods. Ori takes Hollow Knight's demanding platforming even further with some segments that wouldn't feel out of place in something like Celeste, but the real stand-out feature is the map. In addition to being a well-designed metroidvania world, it's absolutely gorgeous and a delight to explore. Blind Forest is a modern classic, and its sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps manages to improve it even further.Read our Ori and the Blind Forest review and Ori and the Will of the Wisps review. See at Fanatical Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo SwitchRelease Date: March 25, 2024Developer: AdiglobeIn the onslaught of games like Hollow Knight that released following Team Cherry's success, developer Adiglobe decided to shake up the formula first with Ender Lilies and then with the more refined Ender Magnolia. You've got your standard elements, such as gigantic bosses that force you to learn their patterns and a puzzle-like map that unfolds as you gain more powers. Those powers, however, are the spirits of fallen friends who also aid you in combat. You find several, but can only recruit a handful at a time, which adds a layer of strategy to exploration and combat. There's also a strong sense of emotional attachment, since you and your ghostly allies have history and connection of a kind that's often missing in these games when you just play as an outside observer. See at Steam Metroid Dread Platforms: Nintendo SwitchRelease Date: October 8, 2021Developer: Nintendo EADAny Metroid game is going to have something of that Hollow Knight feel, since the sci-fi series is a big part of where the genre and Hollow Knight in particular came from. However, the easiest to get your hands on without having to pay for a subscription is Metroid Dread. It's the culmination of the 2D Metroid saga that started in 1986, but you can get by just fine if this is your first. Dread follows bounty hunter Samus Aran as she searches for evidence of a deadly parasite, only to find herself hunted by rogue robots--sometimes. The stealth segments that have you hiding from your metal hunters only take place in specific areas. The rest of Metroid Dread takes you across sprawling subterranean research labs, sunken testing stations, and extravagant dwellings, featuring the series' biggest map ever, stuffed with secrets and formidable bosses. If you really enjoy those bosses, Dread has a boss rush mode you can test yourself against as well.Read our Metroid Dread review. See at Amazon Lone Fungus Platforms: PCRelease Date: September 21, 2021Developer: Basti GamesThese types of games tend to lean more toward the edgy, dark, and broody side of things, which makes Lone Fungus a gem in the genre. You're the last mushroom on Earth, exploring a vast network of tunnels and temples in search of treasure and using magic skills that change form depending on how you swing your sword. A ball of energy is damaging to one enemy, for example, but you can smack it and shatter it into several projectiles to clear out lots of foes at once. Best of all, though, Lone Fungus has a robust Assist Mode that lets people of all skill levels enjoy the game and just makes it more relaxed in general, with features such as extra platforms, no costs for spells, slower platforms, and invincibility so your little fungus won't die. See at Humble Dead Cells Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PCRelease Date: May 10, 2027Developer: Motion TwinDead Cells throws roguelite randomness into the metroidvania mix and ratchets up the challenge as well. You're a spirit determined to figure out why you died, and in the absence of a tangible vessel for your ethereal self, you pilot shambling corpses in a bid to make it through streets, swamps, dungeons, and horrors untold. These corpses aren't the sturdiest, so when you fail, they fall apart and you start again. Eventually, you can unlock permanent upgrades, but with no checkpoints at any stage of the journey, you'll have to rely on your skill with weapons and knowledge of enemy behavior to make it through. If you enjoy Dead Cells, you can pick up DLC packs that add new locations, weapons, and enemies, and there's even a Castlevania-themed expansion as well. Read our Dead Cells review. See at Fanatical Monster Sanctuary Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series One, PCRelease Date: August 28, 2019Developer: DeveloperIf you like a bit of Pokemon with your Hollow Knight, Monster Sanctuary might be for you. You play as a fledgling monster tamer out to explore the vast world with just a single critter by your side. You'll find and tame more, training them into the best versions of themselves and using their abilities not just to deal with threats in the sanctuary, but to explore its secrets and hidden areas as well. Monster Sanctuary is lighter and breezier than some games on this list, but if something more intense is to your liking, there's a robust PvP element where you can challenge other players and their monster teams too. See at Fanatical Salt and Sanctuary Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo SwitchRelease Date: March 15, 2016Developer: Ska StudiosUpgrades and customization are usually rather limited in games like Hollow Knight, which makes Salt and Sanctuary, with its more in-depth RPG components, something special. You play as a sailor, washed up on some evil-looking, godforsaken island and foolish enough to go exploring the mysterious labyrinth underneath. What you find is a parade of nightmares and some spectacular, bone-crunchingly hard 2D boss fights that are among the best Soulslike challenges out there. Read our Salt and Sanctuary review. See at Humble Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo SwitchRelease Date: July 17, 2024Developer: Squid Shock StudiosMovement is often a means to an end in video games--a double jump that propels you higher, for example, or a dash that lets you avoid dangerous terrain. In Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, it's no exaggeration to say movement is everything. Bouncing, flying, gliding, moving with magical speed, and navigating the hand-drawn world is just as important as battling the myths and monsters inspired by Japanese folklore. Path of the Teal Lotus is one of the most elegant platformers around, and it even has a reset system where you can pause or rewind a failed jump to try again, perfect for learning some of the more difficult segments. Read our Path of the Teal Lotus review. See at Fanatical Hollow Knight: Silksong Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2Release date: September 4, 2025Developer: Team Cherry The next best thing to play after Hollow Knight is its sequel, Silksong. Although maybe not immediately after you finish Hollow Knight. Team Cherry made just enough changes to how Hornet plays that it takes practice, and a lot of dying, to acclimate to her if you jump in right after the Knight's adventure. Anyway, Silksong is brilliant. Team Cherry surpassed itself in every way, not least in how Hornet's story and struggles are built into the setting. Pilgrimage is central to the lives of the bugs in Hallownest (Silksong's setting), and Hornet's journey mirrors it physically--she ascends the heights of Hallownest until she reaches its divine pinnacle--and inverts it spiritually--it's a journey of discovering just how rancid the kingdom's soul is. But the real standouts are Silksong's combat and bosses. Hornet learns a truckload of skills and can pick between several combat styles, some more challenging to master than others, and every boss fight (and plenty of normal fights) demands that you know what you're doing. They're never unfair, though, even if it takes a while to learn the best way to approach them. Silksong is, in short, the pinnacle of Metroidvanias and an essential game to play after Hollow Knight. Read our Hollow Knight: Silksong review. Mio: Memories in Orbit Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2Release date: January 20, 2026Developer: Douze Dixièmes Mio: Memories in Orbit is deceptively simple at first glance. It seems like just another Metroidvania, but the further you dig into it, the more complicated and well-designed it becomes. The gist of it all is that Mio, a lone robot with no clue how she got here, tries to find her way through a dilapidated ship and recover her memories. It's a beautiful world, despite being in ruins, and developer Douze Dixièmes pieced together one of the most intricate and thoughtfully designed maps in the genre, even if it seems a bit too straightforward early on. One of the game's best twists is that Mio doesn't have a set of permanent power-ups. Instead, she has a loadout, so you might put together a build that manipulates Mio's energy and attack power or one that boosts her survivability at the expense of how much damage she deals. Mio is a tough game, both its combat challenges and its platforming. But it's also forgiving enough to recognize when you just want to make some progress. If you lose to a boss, you can opt to weaken it for your next attempt.

Title: Evercade Nexus Handheld Preorders Are Live Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:03:00 -0700 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/evercade-nexus-handheld-announced-includes-enhanced-banjo-kazooie-games/1100-6539135/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f Evercade Nexus Handheld Gaming Console $200 | Releases October 2026 Preorder at Best Buy Blaze Entertainment's new Evercade gaming handheld device, the Evercade Nexus, is now available to preorder ahead of its October 2026 launch window. Billed as the successor to the Evercade EXP-R handheld, the Nexus is a $200 portable that's compatible with Evercade's other cartridge-based releases, and features plenty of onboard storage for more, plus wireless multiplayer capabilities. Even better, all units ship with a Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack cartridge, and if you preorder at Best Buy, you'll also get a collection of Data East-published arcade games as a bonus Continue Reading at GameSpot

Title: Minecraft Hacks Away A Major Chunk Of The Game With New Playable April Fools' Joke Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:14:00 -0700 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-hacks-away-a-major-chunk-of-the-game-with-new-playable-april-fools-joke/1100-6539169/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f Like lots of games, Minecraft is celebrating April Fools' Day with a good, old-fashioned joke. But rather than simply making a silly social media post, developer Mojang is fully committed to the bit, and this year's joke comes in the form of a playable game update.The Herdcraft Update is live now, and gets rid of the inventory system entirely, leaving players' inventory items to follow them around the in-game world like sheep. "Herdcraft is a completely new (and very permanent) way to play Minecraft," creative communications director and writer Cristina Anderca explained in a blog post announcing the update. "Instead of spending minutes, hours, years on end trying to organize the chaos in your inventory, you get to be present in the world, together with your new friends: all the items and blocks that you own!"Continue Reading at GameSpot

Title: Arc Raiders Boss Comments On Controversial Use Of AI In Gaming Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:19:00 -0700 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/arc-raiders-boss-comments-on-controversial-use-of-ai-in-gaming/1100-6539167/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f Embark Studios released a bonafide hit in Arc Raiders, and its use of AI was controversial. The studio's top boss, Patrick Soderlund, was recently promoted to executive chairman of publisher Nexon, and now he's given a presentation in which he shed more light on the company's approach to AI in gaming."Every company has a plan; most will get it wrong," he said about how game developers will use AI (via GamesRadar).He said there is a "race" going on now to find and implement the best AI-based strategies to help developers, but he said the winners "won't be the first movers."Continue Reading at GameSpot

Title: Call Of Duty's April Fools Joke Brings The Franchise's Smallest Map And A Dead Meme Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:19:00 -0700 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/call-of-dutys-april-fools-joke-brings-the-franchises-smallest-map-and-a-dead-meme/1100-6539166/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f Call of Duty has featured famously small maps like Shipment before, but Black Ops 7 takes things further for April Fools' Day, adding a hilariously tiny map in a limited-time game mode.Developer Treyarch shared what looked like the layout of a small map on social media, and you can play on it right now. The game mode called "GRWM" (an acronym for "get ready with me") puts you in a free-for-all match with a max of eight players in what appears to be a walk-in closet or changing room, the most intimate setting for a firefight that Call of Duty has conceived.Unsurprisingly, with all players together in such close quarters and very little cover, chaos and carnage follow as soon as the match starts. Matches end once a player reaches a score of 67, a not-so-subtle reference to the 6-7 meme that has arguably gone out of fashion.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Title: MTG's Avatar Collector Booster boxes are currently $100 off on Amazon Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:09:11 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/mtg-magic-gathering-avatar-collector-booster-sale/ Magic: The Gathering’s crossovers aren’t always created equally. For every Warhammer 40K Commander deck, there’s a set that doesn’t quite hit the same heights (we’re looking at you, Spidey), but the Avatar: The Last Airbender set was actually pretty great. One of the big draws for fans of the show will undoubtedly have been the card art, though, and while Play Boosters can net you a handy collection to, you know, play with, Collector Boosters are where you’ll find the set’s biggest earners and flashiest designs.

Title: Olympic medalist Taylor Fritz kicked my butt at Mario Tennis Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:00:38 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/tennis-star-taylor-fritz-mario-tennis-fever-pro/ When you’re playing video games against a professional athlete, you could be forgiven for hoping their rigorous training and competition schedule might prevent them from getting really, really good at games. Sadly, this isn’t the case for Taylor Fritz, the tennis star who destroyed me in Mario Tennis Fever.

Title: 'Contradiction' quest walkthrough in Crimson Desert Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:19:38 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/crimson-desert-contradiction-walkthrough-institute-steward-answers/ The "Contradiction" quest in Crimson Desert assumes you were paying attention to what the culprits said and reading between the lines. Even if you didn't ignore their dialogue, though, making those inferences isn't exactly easy, since it relies on guesswork and wordplay in some cases.

Title: Resident Evil creator's new studio teases first game Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:03:34 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/shinji-mikami-unbound-acquired-shift-up-stellar-blade/ Resident Evil and The Evil Within creator Shinji Mikami's new studio, Unbound Inc., has joined Shift Up, the developer behind Stellar Blade and Goddess of Victory: Nikke. The two companies announced their partnership on Wednesday in a video that offers strong hints about Mikami's next game.

Title: Cyberpunk TCG breaks Kickstarter record for biggest game campaign ever Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:54:24 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/cyberpunk-tcg-kickstarter-record/ The writing was on the wall when the official Cyberpunk trading card game raised more than $8 million on Kickstarter in just 24 hours after a March 17 launch. On March 31, Cyberpunk TCG officially became the most-funded game in the history of Kickstarter. As of this writing, the campaign has raised $15.4 million with 16 days left to go, already a solid margin above the previous record-holder: Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere RPG raised just over $15 million in August 2024.

Title: Game On: Five New Titles Now Streaming on GeForce NOW Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:00:47 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-screamer/ That gaming backlog won’t clear itself — GeForce NOW is here to help. Stream the latest titles straight from the cloud across a variety of devices. This week, five new titles are ready to play instantly in the cloud gaming platform’s library. Screamer drifts onto the scene with retro‑racing attitude and pixel‑perfect speed. Plus, Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.1, “Unraveled for Daybreak,” touches down. Hit the Gas The ‘90s called — it wants the cloud. Screamer from Milestone roars back onto the track as a blistering arcade racer that thrives on speed, precision and pure retro attitude. Tight corners and neon‑soaked straights define a style built for thrill seekers who crave the rush of classic ‘90s racing action. The mix of sharp visuals, snappy handling and roaring engines creates an experience that’s equal parts vintage energy and modern muscle. Running on GeForce NOW, Screamer puts pedal to the metal with ultralow latency and buttery‑smooth streaming. In the cloud, every race launches instantly, every drift hits with full force and every victory feels just a little louder. Let’s Play Today All aboard the Astral Express. Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.1, “Unraveled for Daybreak,” is available now, bringing new adventures aboard the Astral Express. The crew touches down at Star Rail FEST, a grand interstellar celebration packed with new zones, characters and challenges. Detective Ashveil joins as a new five-star Lightning hunter, chasing conspiracies hidden behind the glitz of the Phantasmoon Games. Dive into the new Wispae War Saga, enjoy free Warps and explore fresh Divergent Universe content filled with rewards and events. Play the latest Honkai: Star Rail update instantly on GeForce NOW — no installs, just starlight and action. Members can also look for the following: Screamer (New release on Steam, March 26, GeForce RTX 5080-ready) King’s Quest (New release on Ubisoft, March 25) BATTLETECH (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Despot’s Game (Xbox, available on Microsoft) Diablo II: Resurrected (Steam) What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below. You get a magic wand that can save any character from their death in a video game. But you can only choose one. Who do you save? Beware spoilers in the replies and choose wisely. — NVIDIA GeForce NOW (@NVIDIAGFN) March 25, 2026

Title: Smooth Moves: 90 Frames-Per-Second Virtual Reality Arrives on GeForce NOW Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2026 13:00:09 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-virtual-reality-update/ It’s a double feature on GFN Thursday. This week, GeForce NOW offers smoother sights in virtual reality (VR) and a sprawling new land to conquer. Streaming at 90 frames per second (fps) comes to supported VR headsets. And Crimson Desert, which recently surpassed 3 million wishlist additions on Steam, debuts in the cloud with GeForce RTX 5080‑class power. Catch it as part of four new games on GeForce NOW VR, but Make It 90 FPS Power levels rising … to 90 fps. VR in the cloud is getting a smoothness upgrade. GeForce NOW is boosting support for Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest devices and Pico devices to stream at up to 90 fps for Ultimate members, bringing crisper motion and more responsive gameplay straight from the cloud. The app update is starting to roll out to members starting today. Members can transform the space around them into a personal gaming theater with GeForce NOW, playing favorite PC titles on a massive virtual screen. With support for up to 90 fps for Ultimate members, gameplay feels smoother, movement more natural and action more comfortable. All premium members can continue to enhance their experiences with NVIDIA RTX and DLSS technologies in supported titles. Just fire up GeForce NOW on supported VR platforms, step into a virtual big screen and let the cloud handle the heavy lifting. From chill sessions in a virtual theater to high‑octane firefights, 90 fps helps keep every moment looking sharp and feeling responsive. A Storm Brews Into the cloud with “Crimson Desert.” Pearl Abyss’ Crimson Desert, a stunning, open‑world action adventure set in a war‑torn fantasy land, pairs large‑scale exploration with cinematic storytelling and hard‑hitting, combo‑focused combat. One moment is a quiet ride across windswept plains, the next is a chaotic clash against towering foes with mystical power effects lighting up the battlefield. Follow Kliff, a mercenary whose close‑knit group is destroyed in a sudden ambush. The journey centers on exploring a massive, detailed world, taking on story missions, riding mounts, finding supplies and facing dangerous enemies as Kliff works to bring his scattered companions back together. GeForce NOW brings 5080-class power to the game across supported devices, delivering high settings, smooth action and lush visuals without the need to worry about system specs. Members can jump into its cinematic battles and sweeping landscapes on the device of their choice, from low‑spec laptops to compatible TVs and mobile devices. Joining the Family It’s time to make an offer no tank can refuse. World of Tanks is rolling out the red carpet for Battle Pass Special: Mafia from March 19-29, welcoming the respectable family from the fine city of Lost Heaven and bringing their signature mix of loyalty, ambition and firepower to the battlefield. Recruit iconic characters from 2K’s original Mafia game, unlock stylish 2D looks like Little Italy and Lost Heaven Noir, and command the Italian Predatore tank to make sure every deal ends with a bang. Respect is earned — and it’s best earned playing on GeForce NOW, where the action hits fast and smooth — powered by the cloud. In addition, members can look for the following: Everwind (New release on Steam, March 17, GeForce RTX 5080-ready) Retro Rewind – Video Store Simulator (New release on Steam, March 17) Crimson Desert (New release on Steam, March 19, GeForce RTX 5080-ready) Fallout 3 (Steam) Cyberpunk 2077, Forza Motor Sport, Icarus and Ark Survival Ascended — currently available to all GeForce NOW members — will no longer be available on the free tier starting Wednesday, April 1, as the basic rig type does not meet the game’s updated minimum system requirements. Premium members can continue to play these games uninterrupted. For some icing on the cake, the GeForce NOW Reddit community is running a giveaway for a VR headset. Find details on how to enter. Plus, check out GeForce NOW creator Airie Summer’s gaming giveaway on X much love to nvidia for the community giveaways ♡@logitechg pro grade performance gears https://t.co/lRpSTKhQHJ @nvidiagfn entries open @ channel during the following times xoxomarch 12, 19, & 26 from 09:30 a.m. to 05:30 p.m. ethttps://t.co/q67SOJNpbO #nvidiapartner pic.twitter.com/uQ6L1rcVcj — airie (@airiesummer) March 12, 2026 . 

Title: GeForce NOW Raises the Game at the Game Developers Conference Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2026 13:00:53 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-gdc-2026/ GeForce NOW is bringing the game to the Game Developers Conference (GDC), running this week in San Francisco. While developers build the future of gaming, GeForce NOW is delivering it to gamers. The latest updates bring smoother performance, easier game discovery and a fresh lineup of blockbuster titles to the cloud. Game discoverability gets a boost with new in‑app labels for connected accounts for Xbox Game Pass and Ubisoft+. It’ll be easier than ever to see titles already available through linked subscriptions, so members can seamlessly jump into games they already own. Virtual reality gets a smooth upgrade — supported devices now stream at 90 frames per second (fps), up from 60 fps, delivering more responsive and immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences. Account linking is also leveling up. Following Gaijin single sign-on announced at CES in January, GOG account linking and game library syncing are coming soon. The GeForce NOW library continues to grow with new releases joining the cloud at launch: CONTROL Resonant and Samson: A Tyndalston Story. Plus, select Xbox titles will join the Install-to-Play library. In addition, there’s a lineup of five new games to catch this week, including Capcom’s Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, on top of the latest update for Fortnite. Gaming Is Buzzing GeForce NOW is rolling into GDC with an easier way to keep track of titles, as well as performance upgrades and a growing lineup of major titles ready to stream at launch. Keeping track of which game lives on which service can be tricky. In‑App labels — coming soon to GeForce NOW for connected subscriptions — will help make it simple for members to know exactly what games they can play on GeForce NOW. Once a member connects their Xbox Game Pass Account or Ubisoft+ account, clear labels will appear directly on the game art inside the GeForce NOW app — eliminating guesswork and making it easy to see exactly what’s available to play from their game subscription services. Set it and forget it. Account linking is expanding too. On top of Gaijin single sign-on, GeForce NOW is adding GOG account linking and game library syncing in the coming months.               Smooth moves. Virtual reality is also getting an upgrade. Starting Thursday, March 19, VR devices that GeForce NOW supports, including Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest and Pico devices, will stream at 90 fps for Ultimate members, an increase from 60 fps. The higher frame rate enhances smoothness, responsiveness and realism across every session — whether gamers are chasing enemies through neon-lit streets or exploring far‑flung alien worlds. GeForce NOW’s Install‑to‑Play library is also expanding with select Xbox titles, including Brutal Legend from Double Fine Productions and Contrast from Compulsion Games. These additions bring more flexibility for members to download and install their owned games alongside streaming favorites. That’s just the start. Highly anticipated games are headed to the cloud at launch: Bending reality. CONTROL Resonant — Remedy’s upcoming action‑adventure role-playing game (RPG) that blends supernatural powers with a warped Manhattan facing a reality-bending cosmic threat. Unravel a family story steeped in myths. Samson: A Tyndalston Story — the game from Liquid Swords is a gritty action brawler, set in the city of Tyndalston, launching on PC. Free to Save the World Chaos in the cloud. Fortnite’s original adventure is back in the spotlight — and soon, it’ll free to play. Fortnite first launched in 2017 as a story-driven co‑op experience, and on Thursday, April 16, the “Save the World” update will officially be free to play for all players. Pre-registration begins on Thursday, March 12. Join forces against hordes of husks, solo or with the squad, in a player vs. environment action-packed story, complete with gathering, crafting and collecting. Pick a favored playstyle with four distinct classes to choose from, over 150 heroes and weapons to upgrade, and loadout customization options to hone builds even further. With hundreds of updates since its original launch and over 100 hours of content, squads can build, grind gear and engineer elaborate homebase defenses to keep the Storm King at bay. “Save the World” isn’t available on mobile devices, including tablets. On GeForce NOW, Fortnite “Save the World” streams straight from the cloud — no waiting around for updates or patches. Low‑latency streaming keeps building, shooting and trap placement feeling snappy across supported devices. Stay in the action with GeForce NOW. Gear Up for Glory The cloud makes it easy to suit up in style. From chaotic infantry clashes to roaring jet dogfights, every match is an unpredictable explosion of strategy and mayhem in EA’s Battlefield 6.  This week, GeForce NOW Ultimate members can drop into the action with serious style — a new reward, the Advancing Gloom Soldier Skin, gives soldiers a sleek, battle-hardened look fit for the frontlines. Members can claim it in their GeForce NOW account portals, redeem it at EA.com/redeem, then show up ready in true Ultimate fashion. It’s available through Sunday, April 12, or while supplies last. Being a GeForce NOW member pays off. Whether streaming on the go or maxing out graphics in the cloud, members get exclusive rewards to keep and flaunt. Start the Games Twin monsters, one cloud. Twin Rathalos, born in a twist of fate, set the stage for the third entry in the Monster Hunter Stories RPG series, launching on GeForce NOW. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is an RPG series set in the Monster Hunter world, where players can become a Rider, and raise and bond with their favorite monsters. Play it instantly on GeForce NOW and take the adventure anywhere, on any device. In addition, members can look for the following: Warcraft I: Remastered (New release on Ubisoft, March 11) Warcraft II: Remastered (New release on Ubisoft, March 11) 1348 Ex Voto (New release on Steam, March 12, GeForce RTX 5080-ready) John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando (New release on Steam, March 12, GeForce RTX 5080-ready) Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (New release on Steam, March 12, GeForce RTX 5080-ready) This week’s additional GeForce RTX 5080-ready game, on top of the addition of John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, 1348 Ex Voto and Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection: Greedfall: The Dying World 1.0 (Steam, GeForce RTX 5080-ready) What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: NVIDIA Virtualizes Game Development With RTX PRO Server Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2026 15:30:07 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/gdc-2026-virtual-game-development/ Game development teams are working across larger worlds, more complex pipelines and more distributed teams than ever. At the same time, many studios still rely on fixed, desk-bound GPU hardware for critical production work. At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) this week in San Francisco, NVIDIA is showcasing a new approach to bring together disparate workflows using virtualized game development on NVIDIA RTX PRO Servers, powered by NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPUs and NVIDIA vGPU software. With the RTX PRO Server, studios can centralize and virtualize core workflows across creative, engineering, AI research and quality assurance (QA) — all on shared GPU infrastructure in the data center.  This enables teams to maintain the responsiveness and visual fidelity they expect from workstation-class systems while improving infrastructure utilization, scalability, data security and operational consistency across teams and locations. Simplifying Complex Workflows As game development studios scale, hardware can often sit underutilized in one location while other teams wait to access it for production work. QA capacity is hard to expand quickly. Over time, workstation hardware, drivers and tools diverge, making bugs harder to reproduce. AI workloads are often isolated on separate infrastructure, creating more operational overhead.  The NVIDIA RTX PRO Server helps studios move from workstation-by-workstation scaling to centralized GPU infrastructure. Studios can pool resources, allocate performance by workload and support parallel development, testing and AI workflows without expanding physical workstation sprawl. Centralized GPU infrastructure enables studios to run AI training, simulation and game automation workloads overnight, then dynamically reallocate the same resources to interactive development during the day, improving overall utilization and reducing idle capacity. The NVIDIA RTX PRO Server supports virtualized workflows for 3D graphics and AI across the game development lifecycle for: Artists: Providing virtual RTX workstations for traditional 3D and generative AI content-creation workflows. Developers: Powering consistent, high-performance engineering environments for coding and 3D development. AI researchers: Offering large-memory GPU profiles for fine-tuning, inference and AI agents. QA teams: Enabling scalable game validation and performance testing using the same NVIDIA Blackwell architecture used by GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs. This allows studios to support multiple teams — including across sites and contractors — on one common GPU platform, improving collaboration and reducing debugging issues that can arise from disparate hardware. Supporting AI and Engineering on Shared Infrastructure AI is becoming a core part of everyday game development, spanning coding, content creation, testing and live operations. As these workflows expand, studios need infrastructure that can support AI alongside traditional graphics workloads without introducing separate, siloed systems. With the RTX PRO Server, studios can support coding agents, internal model experimentation and AI-assisted production workflows without spinning up a separate AI stack for every team. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPU features a massive 96GB memory buffer, enabling developers to run multiple demanding applications simultaneously while supporting AI inference on larger models directly alongside real-time graphics workflows. NVIDIA Multi-Instance GPU (MIG) technology partitions a single GPU into isolated instances with dedicated memory, compute and cache resources. Combined with NVIDIA vGPU software, MIG can help studios securely allocate GPU capacity across users and workloads. In combined MIG and vGPU configurations, a single RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPU can support up to 48 concurrent users, maximizing utilization while maintaining performance isolation. Enterprise-Ready Deployment for Game Studios NVIDIA RTX PRO Servers are designed for enterprise-grade data-center operations. Studios can deploy virtual workstations on RTX PRO Servers via NVIDIA vGPU on supported hypervisor and remote workstation platforms. That means RTX PRO Servers can fit into studios’ existing infrastructure and IT practices, rather than requiring one-off deployments. Major game publishers already use NVIDIA vGPU technology to scale centralized development infrastructure and improve efficiency at studio scale. ​Learn more about the NVIDIA RTX PRO Server. See these workflows live by joining NVIDIA’s booth 1426 at GDC or attending NVIDIA GTC, running March 16-19 in San Jose, California.  See notice regarding software product information.

Title: March Into the Cloud With 15 New Games Coming to GeForce NOW Date: Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:00:30 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-march-2026-games-list/ March is in full bloom, and that means a fresh wave of games heading to the cloud. 15 new titles are joining the GeForce NOW library this month. Leading the March lineup is Pearl Abyss’ Crimson Desert, an open‑world action‑adventure set in a war‑torn fantasy land, alongside plenty of other games to explore. Whether looking to shake off the winter blues or jump into some bracket‑worthy gaming action, there’s something for everyone in the cloud. March into the cloud and see what’s new — and keep an eye on GFN Thursdays all month for more updates. This week kicks off the month with eight new games. March Gaming Madness In LORT we trust. LORT dials chaos up to 11 and snaps the knob clean off. Big Distraction’s off‑the‑rails adventure hurls players into a world where every corner hides a bad idea waiting to become a great story, powered by wild weapons, weirder characters and “Did that just happen?” moments. Catch every glorious disaster in full fidelity and play it on GeForce NOW, available this week. Here’s are this week’s eight new additions: Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (New release on Xbox, available on Game Pass, March 3, GeForce RTX 5080-ready) Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered (New release on Steam, available March 3) Esoteric Ebb (New release on Steam, available March 3) The Legend of Khiimori (New release on Steam, available March 3, GeForce RTX 5080-ready) Slay the Spire 2 (New release on Steam, available March 5) Docked (New release on Steam, available March 5) Death Stranding Director’s Cut (Steam, GeForce RTX 5080-ready) LORT (Steam) And look forward to the games coming throughout the rest of the month: John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando (New release on Steam, March 12, GeForce RTX 5080-ready) Everwind (New release on Steam, March 17) Crimson Desert (New release on Steam, March 19) Screamer (New release on Steam, March 23) Nova Roma (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass, March 26) Legacy of Kain: Ascendance (New release on Steam, March 31) Subliminal (New release on Steam, March 31) February in the Books In addition to the 24 games announced last month, 18 more joined the GeForce NOW library: Anno: Mutationem (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Blizzard Arcade Collection (Ubisoft Connect) Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle (Steam) Capcom Fighting Collection (Steam) Diablo (Ubisoft Connect) Diablo + Hellfire Expansion  (Ubisoft Connect) Diablo II: Resurrected (Ubisoft Connect) Galactic Civilizations 3 (Xbox, available on the Microsoft Store) KILLER INN (Steam) Mega Man 11 (Steam) MotoGP22 (Xbox, available on the Microsoft Store) Spellcasters Chronicles (Steam, GeForce RTX 5080-ready) STALCRAFT: X (Epic Games Store) Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection (Steam) Torment: Tides of Numenera (Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass) TCG Card Shop Simulator (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Trine Enchanted Edition (Epic Games Store) Trine 2: Complete Story (Epic Games Store) What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below, then see what Blue Thunder Gaming thinks of GeForce NOW.  

Title: PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for April: Lords of the Fallen, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:30:02 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/04/01/playstation-plus-monthly-games-for-april-lords-of-the-fallen-tomb-raider-i-iii-remastered-sword-art-online-fractured-daydream/ April’s PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup features three games available to all PlayStation Plus members*. Battle your way to a demonic god in Lords of the Fallen, relive (or discover) Lara Croft’s first adventures with Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, and battle foes solo or together in co-op action game Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream.  These titles will be available to all PlayStation Plus members from Tuesday April 7 until Monday May 4.  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Lords of the Fallen Overthrow a resurrected demon god in this all-new adventure set in an interconnected world five times larger than the original game. In Lords of the Fallen, you play as one of the fabled Dark Crusaders, who must journey through the realms of the living and the dead to disrupt the reign of Adyr, a cruel tyrant who has ushered in a new age of devastation for humanity. Along the way, you’ll endure colossal boss battles and get to grips with a fast and challenging combat system. With nine character classes and hundreds of weapons to choose from, you’ll customize your hero and develop your own play style as you set out to defy the gods. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Play the original three Tomb Raider adventures: for the first time ever, play the complete experience with all expansions and secret levels on modern platforms in this definitive collection. Experience the classics boasting upgraded graphics, with the option to switch to the original polygon look at any time. The collection includes a new Challenge Mode: replay levels with customized modifiers and complete achievements to unlock 10 New Outfits that enhance Lara’s abilities. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream Galaxia, a new system allowing players to relive the past, has been added to ALfheim Online; however, Galaxia spins out of control causing players from all over time and space to be displaced! To set the timeline back on track, Kirito must work with fallen friends…and foes. True to the Sword Art Online series, join a raid party and prepare for a fight with high difficulty bosses together! How you prepare for the fight is the key to victory. Each with their own specific role on the battlefield, 21 SAO characters from various arcs are gathered to fight. Team up with a total of 20 players from around the world in one of five parties comprised of 4 players each for multiplayer co-op action! View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Last chance to add March’s PlayStation Plus Monthly Games to your library  PlayStation Plus members have until Monday April 6 to add PGA Tour 2K25, Monster Hunter Rise, Slime Rancher 2, The Elder Scrolls Online Collection: Gold Road to their game library.  *PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup may differ by region. Please check PlayStation Store on release day for more information. 

Title: Players’ Choice: Vote for March 2026’s best new game Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:00:06 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/04/01/players-choice-vote-for-march-2026s-best-new-game/ Last month was filled with vast open worlds, extractions, and rivals! Some big new releases included Marathon, Crimson Desert, MLB The Show 26, and Scott Pilgrim EX. Which game was your favorite? How does it work? At the end of every month, PlayStation Blog will open a poll where you can vote for the best new game released that month. After the polls close we will tally your votes, and announce the winner on our social channels and PlayStation.Blog. What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? Note: re-released games don’t qualify, but remakes do. We define remakes as ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds such as Resident Evil 4 (2023) and Final Fantasy VII Remake. How are nominees decided? The PlayStation Blog editorial team will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll. View Poll

Title: PS5 Pro New PSSR Upscaler is now Accessible on Assassin’s Creed Shadows! Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:00:16 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/03/31/ps5-pro-new-pssr-upscaler-is-now-accessible-on-assassins-creed-shadows/ On April 7, we’re officially offering the new upgraded version of PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) to Assassin’s Creed Shadows PS5 Pro players, alongside Title Update 1.1.9. PSSR is an AI library that analyzes game images pixel by pixel as it upscales them, and it’s been used to boost the effective resolution of over 50 titles on PS5 Pro to date. Assassin’s Creed Shadows was supporting the original PSSR since its launch and now will be among the first titles to offer this new version, launching April 7 at 7:00am Pacific Time. Here’s a deeper look at the optimization it brings to the image quality overall: Improved image quality across all modes With the upgraded PSSR, image quality is consistently improved throughout the game. Environments appear cleaner and more stable, with better reconstruction of fine details. “The upgraded PSSR significantly enhances Assassin’s Creed Shadows by delivering sharper pixel quality and exceptional image stability, effectively eliminating distracting visual artifacts caused by motion and vibration, and creating a smoother, more immersive experience that allows players to stay fully engaged in the world without interruption.” – Robert Foriel, Technical Art Director These benefits apply across all PS5 Pro modes — Performance, Balanced, and Quality — which render at different internal resolutions with Dynamic Resolution Scaling. The new PSSR allows each mode to deliver higher visual fidelity, reducing the trade-offs between performance and image quality. Whether targeting higher frame rates or higher internal resolution, the final image remains sharper and more stable than before. Play Video Better handling of complex rendering Assassin’s Creed Shadows features dense vegetation, advanced ray-traced lighting, and a wide range of dynamic effects — all of which can be challenging for image reconstruction. The new PSSR delivers particularly strong results in these scenarios: Dynamic vegetation: Windy grass shows some of the most visible improvements. In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, foliage is driven by our Atmos system with fluid simulation–based wind, resulting in highly complex and natural motion across large environments. This kind of dense, thin geometry is especially challenging, with constant motion and frequent visibility changes across frames. The upgraded PSSR preserves fine details at close range, allowing individual blades of grass to remain clearly defined even in motion, while also improving crispness at longer distances, with cleaner edges on trees and other distant foliage.  Play Video Particles and transparency: Particle effects appear cleaner and more stable. These elements often involve layers of transparency and independent motion, which makes it challenging to determine which motion vectors to use — the particle’s, the background’s, or a combination of both. The new PSSR handles these scenarios seamlessly, keeping particle effects visually consistent during motion and maintaining the cinematic feel of the world. Play Video Ray-traced lighting and stochastic effects: Real-time ray tracing generates inherently noisy signals because only a limited number of rays are traced per frame. This produces both low-frequency noise — subtle variations that are difficult to perceive — and high-frequency noise that can be amplified during upscaling. The new PSSR handles these stochastic signals more effectively, allowing ray-traced effects like reflections, ambient occlusion, and dynamic lighting to be reconstructed more accurately across complex scenes. It reduces the need for manual adjustments, while the resulting image remains stable and visually consistent even in areas with dense foliage or complex lighting interactions. Play Video A smoother, more consistent experience Overall, the new PSSR results in a sharper, cleaner, more detailed and immersive experience with less compromise than ever. “Integrating the upgraded PSSR into Assassin’s Creed Shadows was straightforward — the code changes were minimal, almost identical to the original PSSR integration,” says Nicolas Lopez, Technical Architect. “Yet the upgrade brings a noticeable improvement in image quality across the board. It’s rare to get such a significant visual boost with so little tuning required.”  Get ready for April 7 We hope you enjoyed this technical deep dive into the making of the updated PS5 Pro version of Assassin’s Creed. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is available on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro, now with one year of updates under its belt. The new PSSR enhancements will be available starting April 7. Thank you to the contributors of the article: Sebastien Daigneault, Project Lead Programmer – Rendering, and Robert Foriel, Technical Art Director at Ubisoft.

Title: Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game – elemental bending breakdown Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/03/30/avatar-legends-the-fighting-game-elemental-bending-breakdown/ Have you ever wondered how you’d fight if you could bend an element? Maybe even ALL the elements? Last October at New York Comic-Con 2025, we had the privilege of revealing Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, a competitive fighter that brings the bending arts of the Avatar universe into your hands. Play Video Here at Gameplay Group International we are proud to announce our partnership with PM Studios to publish Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game. Bringing deep expertise in development, distribution, and publishing, PM Studios continues to build a strong portfolio of acclaimed titles and popular franchises. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game officially releases on July 2, and we are excited to bring this action-packed experience to players worldwide!  We’re also excited to share that Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game will launch at $29.99 for the Standard Edition. At release, the game will feature a roster of 12 playable fighters, each inspired by the bending styles and personalities of the Avatar universe. Each character’s bending style translates seamlessly into the fighting game format, with even shared elements expressed in distinct and dynamic ways. Players can shape their approach to combat by selecting from three support characters tied to each fighter, unlocking modified abilities and new strategic possibilities based on their preferred play style. At the core of the combat system is the Flow Mechanic. With a single input, players can dodge incoming attacks, slip beneath projectiles, launch into the air, or chain directly into character-specific abilities. Each fighter has their own Flow options, enabling fluid, creative movement that captures the agility and spectacle of the series. Some bending styles, however, are impossible to overlook. Azula’s is one of them. Ruthless, unpredictable, slightly unhinged, and yet, incredibly precise, we knew we had to get her just right. Zuko’s younger sister and the daughter of Fire Lord Ozai, Azula is fiercely ambitious and unrelenting in her pursuit of power. Her blue flame and lightning attacks reflect the drive and intensity that make her one of the most dangerous firebenders in the Avatar universe. In Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, Azula dominates the skies with exceptional air mobility. She can weave in and out of combat using aerial movement and fire attacks that let her control space above the battlefield. Azula’s struggling states of mind have been captured in two polarizing gameplay toolkits. In Focused Mode, Azula fights with calculated precision, setting traps and controlling space with lethal attacks. Her movements become smoother, with many of her special abilities leaving behind oil traps that can be ignited  with a flick of her wrist. She also gains access to a grounded fireball, giving her stronger space control. This is the Azula of deceit, control, and composure, the poised future ruler of the Fire Nation. In Firelord Mode, Azula abandons restraint and fully embraces chaos. Traps are replaced with raw destructive power as her move set shifts toward relentless offense. Her attacks grow significantly more powerful, her movement becomes more erratic, and several of her abilities transform entirely. For example, her standard fireball evolves to a towering wall of flame that slowly advances across the battlefield, forcing opponents to face it head-on. Not every fighter relies on bending, though. Sokka stands out on the roster as one of the few characters who holds his own without it. A core member of Team Avatar (aka the gAang), he hails from the Southern Water Tribe alongside his sister Katara. He relies on wit, grit, and weapon hits. Sokka is the sarcastic strategist of Team Avatar, relying on creativity, humor, and improvisation instead of the power of the elements. To reflect his eccentric personality, Sokka plays very differently from the rest of the cast. He can cancel many of his normal moves directly into powerful Flow options, allowing players to constantly reposition and keep opponents guessing. The tradeoff is that Sokka cannot chain his normals into C attacks like the other fighters, meaning players must rely on mobility, timing, and creativity to stay ahead. His arsenal includes a club, his Meteorite Sword, and his trusty boomerang. Instead of straightforward offense, Sokka thrives on tricky movement, unexpected positioning, and attacks that force opponents to constantly adapt. With clever tricks, unpredictable movement, and a loyal boomerang that always returns, he proves that you don’t need bending to become a legend. Fighters as different as Azula and Sokka highlight just how many ways there are to approach combat in Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game. The Standard Edition of Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game will launch at $29.99, and we can’t wait to see how you shape these bending styles into something entirely your own. Be sure to wishlist the game now on PlayStation 5 to stay updated as we get closer to launch.

Title: Official PlayStation Podcast Episode 537: Speaking Saros Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2026 16:59:09 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/03/27/official-playstation-podcast-episode-537-speaking-saros/ Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here Hey, everybody! Sid, Brett, Kristen, and I are back this week to talk about our latest platinum trophy runs, hands-on with Saros, and more. This week also features an interview with two Housemarque devs working on Saros — Creative Director Gregory Louden and Art Director Simone Silvestri. Stuff We Talked About Next week’s release highlights: South of Midnight  | PS5  Legacy of Kain: Ascendance | PS5  Darwin’s Paradox | PS5  Fishbowl | PS5  MotionRec | PS5 Damon and Baby is now available — discover what sets this twin-stick shooter apart in our hands-on report. You can also experience its unique blend of comedy and action yourself, since it’s out now. Virtual Hunter VR launches on PS VR2 on May 27— explore a vast open world sim, hunt diverse prey, experience dynamic weather, and decorate your lodge. Directive 8020 PS5 Pro Features — Supermassive devs detail PS5 Pro’s ray tracing, PSSR, and performance features for a haunting sci-fi narrative when the game launches on May 12. Super Meat Boy 3D launches on PS5 on March 31 — See how the tough-as-nails side-scrolling series transitions into 3D, introducing new abilities like wall running and more. The Cast View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image O’Dell Harmon Jr. – Content Communications Specialist, SIE Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

Title: Nintendo's legal fight with Palworld suffers a reversal as the USPTO reject their patent on character-summoning battle mechanics Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:00:22 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/nintendos-legal-fight-with-palworld-suffers-a-reversal-as-the-uspto-reject-their-patent-on-character-summoning-battle-mechanics Nintendo's efforts to patent the idea of summoning a videogame character and letting it fight another character have suffered a significant reversal in the USA, even as the Mario makers continue a copyright infringement lawsuit against Palworld developers Pocketpair in Japan. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has now revoked the character-summoning patent in question, though their decision is "non-final". Nintendo have two months to respond and argue their case. Read more

Title: Starcrafty strategy game Stormgate is about to lose its multiplayer modes, due to an AI company buying up Frost Giant's server provider Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:35:43 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/starcrafty-strategy-game-stormgate-is-about-to-lose-its-multiplayer-modes-due-to-an-ai-company-buying-up-frost-giants-server-provider Stormgate is set to go offline-only at the end of April, with developers Frost Giant Studios having announced that the server provider for the strategy game's multiplayer modes have decided they no longer want to be a server provider for online games. That's a byproduct of said provider, Hathora, having been taken over by an AI company who plan on using their latest purchase "to work on compute orchestration for AI inference at scale". Read more

Title: The first new Heroes of Might and Magic strategy game in over 10 years will launch this month Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-first-new-heroes-of-might-and-magic-strategy-game-in-over-10-years-will-launch-this-month Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era will release in PC early access on April 30th, Hooded Horse and Ubisoft have announced. The new strategy RPG from developers Unfrozen is the first freshly baked HOMM game in over a decade, and will launch with a mixture of familiar and new modes, spanning singleplayer and multiplayer. If you're new to the series – there is the faint but horrifying possibility that you were not yet born, when the last one came out - it's a turn-based, empire-building affair, where you alternate between tending to your towns and sending heroes, fantasy beasties and armies on quests. Read more

Title: Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami partners with Stellar Blade devs Shift Up to make "smaller, experimental titles alongside a large-scale flagship" Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:39:24 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/resident-evil-director-shinji-mikami-partners-with-stellar-blade-devs-shift-up-to-make-smaller-experimental-titles-alongside-a-large-scale-flagship Resident Evil director, Devil May Cry producer and former Tango Gameworks boss Shinji Mikami is now making games for Shift Up, developers of Stellar Blade. You know, the one with the shiny bums and quite good hack-and-slash mechanics. The one that has a DLC version of 2B off've Nier Automata (pictured). Shift Up have acquired Mikami's new company Unbound, which he founded in 2022 after leaving Tango. Read more

Title: Is a blizzardy Skyrim return persuading me to retry Elder Scrolls Online? Not really, but naval combat and underwater exploration might Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:04:29 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/is-a-blizzardy-skyrim-return-persuading-me-to-retry-elder-scrolls-online-not-really-but-naval-combat-and-underwater-exploration-might I'll be honest right off the bat. As a single player Elder Scroller, the Elder Scrolls Online's never managed to hook me for more than a few hours. I've given it a couple of goes, usually during periods when it's gone free to play, but have always bounced off its vast MMOiness. Might the slew of fresh additions coming across the next couple of years be able to change that and finally convince me to spend significant time with ESO in the same way I have Fallout 76 in the past few years? The answer could be yes, if the naval combat and underwater exploration Zenimax have just revealed are as fun as they sound on paper. Read more