Title: Steam Hit Gets Attacked By Malware Twice In One Year: ‘It’s Not Looking Good’ Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 22:00:16 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/steam-hit-gets-attacked-by-malware-twice-in-one-year-its-not-looking-good-2000736560 The malicious code can apparently wipe people's personal data

Title: New Darkwing Duck Show Starring Mark Hamill And Seth Rogen Is Headed To Disney Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 21:30:51 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/new-darkwing-duck-show-starring-mark-hamill-and-seth-rogen-is-headed-to-disney-2000736569 Let's get dangerous!

Title: This Early Access Indie Horror Game Has Me Hanging On For Dear Life Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 21:00:22 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/this-early-access-indie-horror-game-is-making-my-hands-tremble-2000736521 White Knuckle is making my hands shake

Title: 72-Year-Old Man Could Spend Up To Six Months In Jail For Placing Tracking Device On Pokémon TCG Delivery Driver’s Car Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 20:30:58 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/72-year-old-man-could-spend-up-to-six-months-in-jail-for-placing-tracking-device-on-pokemon-tcg-delivery-drivers-car-2000736531 According to local police, the Ohio man admitted to placing the tracker on the delivery driver's car to 'to track her location/delivery of Pokémon cards'

Title: Halo Developer Gets Promoted And Laid Off In The Same Week Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 19:30:18 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/halo-developer-gets-promoted-and-laid-off-in-the-same-week-2000736533 Xbox laid off many devs at Halo Studios as the Halo franchise moves under Activision

Title: Monopoly Go x The Simpsons crossover is almost here Date: Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:41:21 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/monopoly-go-the-simpsons-crossover-details Monopoly Go players have been looking forward to a major crossover event for what felt like months, and though most of the details ended up leaking, nothing actually beats official information. Read more

Title: Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.3 will take us deeper into the World in Canvas and make Mortenax Blade playable Date: Fri, 22 May 2026 13:43:44 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/honkai-star-rail-version-4-3-all-details HoYoverse has today delivered full details on the next major update for Honkai: Star Rail. Version 4.3, dubbed The Lethe Below the Living, will be available for all players on June 1. The upcoming update adds a new chapter to the Planarcadia arc, and introduce a new playable character. Read more

Title: Forza Horizon 6 explodes on Steam even before it's officially out Date: Fri, 15 May 2026 11:00:02 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/forza-horizon-6-steam-numbers-big-launch Steam is abuzz this week with a couple of long-anticipated launches, but in Forza Horizon 6’s case, at least, the game isn’t even out for what will be most of its players. The anticipated sequel in the open-world driving game series doesn’t officially launch until May 19, but owners of its most expensive version - the Premium Edition - can play it right now. Read more

Title: Mystic Messenger's most loyal players are getting banned in droves for seemingly playing the game too much Date: Fri, 15 May 2026 10:02:10 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/mystic-messenger-ban-wave-thousands-of-hourglasses-anniversary Mystic Messenger, arguably one of the best dating sims around, has been dormant for about seven years. Despite not receiving new content or any meaningful updates in all that time, the game remains popular with its core fans, many of whom just woke up to some shocking news about their accounts. Read more

Title: Forza Horizon 6 review - The driving game for everyone still can’t seem to escape its car-collecting legacy Date: Thu, 14 May 2026 12:00:03 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/forza-horizon-6-review There is this idea that, for a long-running series to remain as consistently popular as Forza Horizon has been, it needs to diminish itself somewhat with each new entry, gradually losing more and more of its edge in a bid to appeal to the widest possible audience. Read more

Title: The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time’s Sheik Is Nothing Without Their Androgyny Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 21:43:57 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-times-sheik-is-nothing-without-their-androgyny/ As a transgender woman and someone who doesn’t conform to their birth gender, there are a handful of characters throughout video games who I treat with a certain level of reverence.  During my "firmly still in the closet" teen years, I found myself fascinated with Guilty Gear’s Bridget, as they blurred the lines between masculine and feminine long before their queer identity would be cemented into canon. Vivian from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door proved equally impactful thanks to a personal arc that reinforced the woman she wanted to be and always had been. Though neither explicitly stated their queer narrative intentions, my growing mind subconsciously read between the lines, regardless: Both offered quiet forms of queer representation that, decades later, still rings true. The same compelling allure can be attributed to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s Sheik, a character I was first exposed to in Super Smash Bros. Melee, in which you could perform a simple button prompt to transform Zelda into Sheik and suddenly have an entirely new appearance and moveset at your disposal. I didn’t know it at the time, but seeing a cute Princess completely subvert their identity in real-time would stay with me for years to come.   Prior to Melee, I had no idea the beloved male Sheikah was actually Princess Zelda in disguise--I merely thought they were another famous mascot like Kirby, Samus, and countless others I was exposed to through the platform fighter. But as I played Ocarina of Time and discovered the intended context, the brilliance of Sheik finally came into view.  However, I now worry that the upcoming remake risks ruining what made Sheik such a powerful, resonant, and lasting addition to the Zelda mythos.   Sheik is a mysterious character who not only guides Link on his journey, but subverts everything Princess Zelda is forced to represent. Sheik enables Zelda to present herself to Hyrule as a man who is free to  navigate this fantasy world with power and privilege, and androgyny was a core part of his execution. While likely unintentional by Nintendo, Sheik became a lightning rod for queer representation with nuanced readings by players and how he was not just a gender-swapped take on Zelda, but applied more complicated characteristics that walked a careful line between masculinity and femininity. Piercing eyes, he/him pronouns, and an overall aura of fierceness to Sheik’s character, combined with long hair and tight-fitting clothing, resulted in him occupying a gendered space many had never seen in games before.  It also forced heteronormative players to rethink their approach to gender in a world where so many of the terms and labels didn’t yet exist in the mainstream lexicon. And when Sheik was revealed to be Princess Zelda in disguise, his identity wasn't erased. Who he was, the things he did, and the role he played in Link’s journey were still vitally important.  According to a Nintendo Power interview way back in 2008, the initial idea for Sheik was to prevent Zelda from being little more than a damsel in distress. At this point in the story, she had already defied Ganon and demonstrated she isn’t afraid to fight back against evil and oppression. Link finding out what happened to the princess immediately would have been profoundly underwhelming, so Sheik offered Zelda more to do in the story, an addition that quickly took on a life of its own.  Queer stories were few and far between in most mainstream art back when Ocarina of Time first released, and those that were available often found themselves marred by stereotypes. People like me were forced to read between the lines or find value within subtext, knowing that until the world was ready to change, we had little choice but to stick to the shadows.  The remake is likely to keep Sheik’s story intact for the most part, but it appears Nintendo's new take on Sheik is trading his traditional androgyny for a more feminine appearance.  His hair now flows down his back into a gorgeous golden braid and the fringe is longer, more lustrous, and more obviously, well, Zelda. Snatched hips, a slimmer figure, and brighter red eyes remove so much of his enigmatic presence. I have to imagine Sheik’s voice is also set to play a role in how he’s presented in the remake as well--there was no voice acting in the 1998 original--and it will be interesting to learn if this gives their identity away or if Nintendo chooses to cast a queer actor in the role. I’m afraid that Sheik’s new, far more feminine presentation is going to take away from his character more than it is going to add. Erasing Sheik’s androgyny dismisses much of the incredible narrative work done by the Nintendo 64 original, and now I fear new players are simply going to point at him and scream, “Wait, isn’t that Zelda?” instead of slowly connecting the dots and viewing Sheik as his own person. It breaks my heart, thinking that this complicated reading of androgyny could be stripped away in favor of predictable femininity. A more generous reading has me considering that this updated Sheik design is aiming to depict him as a bishonen, which in Japanese translates to "beautiful youth" or "pretty boy" and is a concept that can be seen in beloved characters such as Griffith from Berserk, Ouran High School Host Club’s Tamaki Suoh, or even Final Fantasy VII's Cloud Strife. All are young, blonde pretty boys who can easily be perceived as androgynous by audiences.  From what we’ve seen so far in official screenshots and footage, the remake’s take on Sheik feels as though it belongs to this group, and will likely be successful in its intentions.Yet that doesn’t take away the tragedy of losing a queer reading that for decades has meant so much to so many people.  Sheik is an explicitly male character who, since his inception, has always made distinct use of visual traits associated with femininity to leave audiences in a state of deliberate confusion. It is not a disguise that requires much thinking to see through, but there was just enough inside his androgynous appearance to make queer audiences feel seen and that ensured Sheik went down in video game history.  The Ocarina of Time remake, whether intentionally or not, risks erasing that powerful aspect of Sheik's character at a time when stories and characters like this are more important than ever. Sheik is more than Princess Zelda in disguise, but Nintendo's updated vision of the character risks losing that element--and so do players who will soon experience Sheik for the first time.

Title: I’m Tired Of Acting Like The Old Resident Evil Movies Aren’t Good Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 21:24:16 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/im-tired-of-acting-like-the-old-resident-evil-movies-arent-good/ Did you guys hear? There's a new Resident Evil movie. Yeah! They got the guy who made the fantastic horror films Barbarian and Weapons to make it! Zach Cregger is a huge fan of the games, so there’s a solid chance it's a great movie. But you know what else was pretty good? The old Resident Evil movies.  Were they faithful to the games? Not in the slightest. Were they kickass Y2K/nu-metal-drenched action films inspired by Hong Kong actioners? You bet, and I’m tired of acting like these movies aren’t enjoyable. Since Resident Evil's inception, Capcom has been trying to turn its hit survival-horror game into a hit survival-horror movie. Shortly after the game's release, several ideas were pitched, the most notable being a never-filmed adaptation from the father of zombie films himself, George A. Romero. His version saw a pretty faithful adaptation of the Mansion incident and Raccoon City outbreak that served as a metaphor for the displacement of indigenous people, and this script is actually very good and easy to find online. Yet it wasn't until Sony hired Mortal Kombat and Event Horizon director Paul W.S. Anderson, based on his work on an unmade script called Undead that was described as a rip-off of Resident Evil, that production kicked off. Released in 2002, the first Resident Evil featured an entirely new cast of characters, as Anderson believed audiences being unsure who would live or die was vital to the overall experience and would only work with an all-original crew. The film follows Alice (played by The Fifth Element star and Anderson’s spouse, Milla Jovovicha) and her fellow team of mercenaries, who are sent to investigate a massive underground lab owned by the Umbrella Corporation, yet things only escalate there. Resident Evil (2002) What ultimately ensues is a stylish and claustrophobic descent into hell, featuring creatures and gore inspired by Capcom’s games alongside an all-original story. But for as much as Anderson looked to Capcom for inspiration, it's not hard to see how the film’s heavily stylized action scenes might have inspired 2004’s Resident Evil 4 video game, too--just look at the laser hallway from the 2002 film. But despite being a pretty moderate success at the box office and helping to guide the video game's series future, RE fans were angry that so many liberties were being taken with the story. At least there was hope that the Raccoon City tease at the end of the film was a promise for a better adaptation, they thought..  But that’s not quite the route the series took. Sure, its direct follow-up Resident Evil: Apocalypse took Alice out of The Hive and directly onto the streets of Raccoon City, but both Apocalypse and all of the series' subsequent films mostly stuck to telling original stories using select elements from the games. Not only did this displease video game fans, but the movies were also critically panned despite being moderate box office successes. Yet I'd argue that these movies stand out in the pantheon of video game movies largely because of these departures; that Anderson's unrelenting willingness to embrace Resident Evil's over-the-top insanity, regardless of what fans wanted, was actually an inspired decision. Though they might not perfectly depict their namesake games, they do represent the vision of the film series' main architect. Each movie is abundant, exhilarating, and ridiculous, and features a tone and approach entirely different than many of the video game adaptations being made today--and they feel all the more genuine because of this.  Resident Evil: Afterlife Take for example the fourth film in the series, Resident Evil: Afterlife, which sees Alice navigating a post apocalypse world after being stripped of her supernatural abilities by video game baddie Albert Wesker. This entry leans into absurd action to an indulgent degree and features an amount of slow motion that would make Zack Snyder blush. Yet all this excess feels intentional, and showcases the unique vision Anderson had for his Resident Evil series. This is exemplified by the game's climax, which recreates an iconic battle from the end of Resident Evil 5 reimagined to fit into Anderson’s world; the result is a visual spectacle that, at the time, was seen as ridiculous. And yet, this scene features far more personality and intent than plenty of action films we see today. Anderson would only up the ante from there. A later entry, Resident Evil: Retribution, followed Alice as she was kidnapped by the Umbrella Corporation and taken to a simulation facility in Antarctica where Umbrella was testing their worldwide outbreak plans. Because most of this film is in a digital simulation, it was able to have callbacks to prior entries and featured characters returning from beyond the grave. The simulation aspect allowed Anderson to smash every rule of the franchise up to this point and feature heroes from the entire series, films and games, in bizarre survival situations that had little bearing on the plot. It’s self-indulgent, sure, but it feels genuine in its delivery. Anderson plays it so straight forward that I can’t help but respect it. Resident Evil: Retribution And that’s what makes these movies so great. We live in an era where big movie studios are taking less risks; Blockbusters come out regularly that are later revealed to have been ruthlessly compromised by revisions, as their directors were encouraged to alter their vision to meet studio mandates or the whims of executives in suits. Though not beloved at the time (and still debatable if it is today), Anderson's Resident Evil series reflects an era where studios allowed their directors to take massive risks with recognizable IP. Though the new film by Zach Cregger provides an original story as well, it stays true to the vision of the games, incorporating Capcom's gameplay elements and overall structure. The result is fantastic, yes, but also gave me an even greater appreciation of Anderson’s Resident Evil films, which wholly depict his own vision of how to bring this video game series to the big screen. No entry in the original Resident Evil film series was ever going to be an Oscar winner, nor were they ever going to do complete justice to the beloved survival-horror series. On their own merits though? They're kickass romps that showcase the unapologetic era of Y2K filmmaking--an era that, I believe, never quite got its due. When it comes to video game adaptations, I will always take something original that’s a clear vision of its creative over something that makes me point at the screen because I recognize it from when I held a controller.

Title: KPop Demon Hunters And Ghostbusters Come To Monopoly Go For Spooky Season Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 19:57:22 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/kpop-demon-hunters-and-ghostbusters-come-to-monopoly-go-for-spooky-season/ It is officially the fall season in the northern hemisphere, and that means that Halloween is approaching. Mobile game giant Scopely has announced how it's celebrating, and that includes crossovers with KPop Demon Hunters and Ghostbusters in the uber-popular mobile game Monopoly Go. The "Monster Mash" season, as it's called, runs September 23-November 25. During the event, players can take part in themed minigames and "immersive adventures" featuring Huntr/X and the Saja Boys from KPop Demon Hunters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfx2VOlj4dg Naturally, music is a big part of the crossover event, with Huntr/X's "Golden" and "How It's Done" appearing in Monopoly Go during the event. There will also be new items to buy from the Blocks Boutique shop, including themed collectibles based on the movie. The characters Rumi, Mira, and Zoey will appear as well. As for the Ghostbusters crossover, there are Ghostbusters-themed vehicles coming to Monopoly Go, along with locations and characters that will be familiar to fans of the films. And before you even ask, yes, the Proton Blaster is in the update as well. KPop Demon Hunters comes to Monopoly Go. Beyond these licensed crossovers, Monopoly Go's Halloween event adds the Luck-O-Lanter, which players can fill with sweet treats they find on the game board. There is also a new "dice duel" feature where players can roll dice for the chance to trick or treat their opponent based on who rolls the higher number. What's more, the Halloween update celebrates Monopoly Go's Discord community by allowing players to vote to determine which community-made token designs actually get to appear in the game. Also, player-created tokens can now be earned in the game. Check out the spooky season trailer above to learn more.

Title: StarCraft Doesn’t Sound Like An Xbox Exclusive Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 19:54:28 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/starcraft-doesnt-sound-like-an-xbox-exclusive/ StarCraft won't be an Xbox exclusive, though Blizzard isn't exactly making it clear what platforms the newly announced shooter will launch on. Announced during BlizzCon 2026 with a 2030 release date, Blizzard's StarCraft reboot won't "be exclusive," according to Kotaku, who received a comment from a Blizzard spokesperson.  What exactly that means, however, is still up for debate. When asked for clarification on whether that means StarCraft would be coming to PlayStation as well as Xbox and PC, Blizzard would only say that calling it an Xbox exclusive would be incorrect, according to Kotaku.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIu2tGCCKQw Xbox owner Microsoft acquired Blizzard in 2023 as part of its nearly $75.4 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard. In recent months, Xbox has pivoted away from its multiplatform release strategy that saw franchises like Forza and Halo make their debut on PS5 to one once again making games, like the upcoming Gears of War: E-Day, Xbox-console exclusives. Xbox announced more layoffs today following even larger cuts from this summer as part of CEO Asha Sharma's "reset." Blizzard has yet to be hit by these more recent layoffs, but reporter Jason Schreier indicated earlier this month it could be next. Where that leaves Blizzard's various franchises is unclear. It seems safe to assume StarCraft will launch on PC, as that's where all previous StarCraft RTS games are playable. Blizzard is in many ways a PC-first developer, with a decades long history on PC across franchises like Diablo and Warcraft, and even operates its own PC launcher, Battle.net.  In recent years, more and more Blizzard games have come to consoles. Diablo 4 launched on Switch 2 just last week. In a first for World of Warcraft, the upcoming WoW: Forever will have full controller support, something that is certainly making people think a console version of Blizzard's longrunning MMMORPG is in the cards. Given Blizzard announced StarCraft so early, it's possible even Blizzard isn't entirely sure what platforms the game will be on. In 2030 there will likely be a new generation of both Xbox and PlayStation hardware, making the question more of whether or not StarCraft will also launch on our current (and by 2030, last-gen) hardware.  There's still plenty we don't know about the StarCraft shooter, but Blizzard did share a few details in an interview with GameSpot. Creative director Dan Hay said StarCraft is "focusing on single player," that it will be third-person, and players can expect to encounter the Protoss as well as the Zerg. 

Title: Best Fantasy Games To Escape The World In 2026 Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2026 15:58:00 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/best-fantasy-games/2900-6971/ Fantasy games take you away from any semblance of the real world, instead trading in unique worlds and universes, often featuring magic, but sometimes leaning into fantasy technology as well. These games are often in the RPG genre, and many of them feature open-worlds as well. The most important and defining aspect of fantasy games is their settings, though, featuring magical creatures and special powers. There are tons of fantastic offerings, but we've narrowed it down to 15 of the best fantasy games. While we tried to get a nice mix of titles on the list, we've focused on more modern games, since those are readily available to pick up and play on modern platforms. Onimusha: Way Of The Sword Developer: Capcom Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch 2 Genre: Action Multiplayer: No Way Of The Sword is the latest in the Onimusha series, and the first real foray into a (sort of) open-world. Building on the series' reputation for incredible combat and rich atmosphere, Way Of The Sword combines the historical setting of Edo-period Kyoto with the distinctly fantastical themes of hell-bound demons and magical armor. The newfound flexibility in movement makes this a stand-out moment in Onimusha history, embracing the advanced swordplay and creative enemy patterns of the past for a more modern-feeling title after a 20-year hiatus. Check out our Onimusha: Way Of The Sword review. See at Fanatical Advertisement The Blood Of The Dawnwalker Developer: Rebel Wolves Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X Genre: Action RPG Multiplayer: No If you're looking for a game that does all the fantasy stuff to perfection but also throws you a spooky curveball, The Blood Of The Dawnwalker is one of the best games we've got to recommend. The grim backdrop of 14th-century Europe and the Black Death give way to a richly realized RPG where every action (or inaction) has a consequence. As a vampiric Dawnwalker, you'll need to choose who to save and who to leave, develop strategies to survive your curse, and reject or embrace your time as a vampire. Day and night cycles with differing quests, and a world that constantly moves forward with or without you, means there are seemingly endless ways to play. See at Fanatical Advertisement Avowed Developer: Obsidian Entertainment Platforms: Xbox Series X|S and PC Genre: FPS RPG Multiplayer: No Avowed is a massive first-person fantasy RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, the developers of The Outer Worlds and the upcoming The Outer Worlds 2. Set in the Pillars of Eternity universe, you set out to the Living Lands, an island where a mysterious disease threatens all life, and you need to decide how to save it. You will gather a party, explore the lands, and make massive decisions about the future of the Living Lands and its citizens. It's also one of the more colorful fantasy settings, giving the world a sharp, vibrant color you won't find in similar RPGs. See at Steam Advertisement Baldur's Gate 3 Developer: Larian Studios Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC Genre: CRPG Multiplayer: Yes Baldur's Gate 3 is another massive and beloved RPG, with a heavy focus on classic CRPG systems and role-playing. Set in the universe of Dungeons & Dragons, the story follows your character as you recruit companions, battle your Dark Urges, and maybe even experience a bit of romance. If you have any affinity for Dungeons & Dragons, you've probably already played Baldur's Gate 3, but its depth in both narrative and class construction makes it an excellent choice for anyone that loves a hardcore RPG experience. Baldur's Gate 3 offers a variety of fantasy elements to engage with, like talking to animals, using magic spells, and even transforming into different animals, depending on your class. There are also vampires, orcs, dragons, and so many more magical creatures spread throughout its many, many, narrative threads. See at GOG Advertisement Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Developer: Sandfall Interactive Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC Genre: Turn-based RPG Multiplayer: No Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the biggest hits of 2025, and while a large part of that comes from its focus on reactive dodging and parrying in its turn-based combat, its narrative and world are key components. Directly inspired by Belle Époque France, it features a ton of painterly areas and biomes. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 operates in a unique style of fantasy world not common in video games and its premise that each year a giant painter paints a lower number and everyone over that age dies allows for it to hit the ground running. It was also influenced by JRPGs, which has led to some discourse around JRPGs and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. See at Amazon Advertisement Crimson Desert Developer: Pearl Abyss Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S Genre: Action-RPG Multiplayer: No A couple of months after launch, and Crimson Desert feels, looks, and plays better than ever. While it doesn't rewrite the rulebook for what fantasy games of capable of, Crimson Desert excels at offering you enough swords and sorcery fun to last you a lifetime. It's a massive game, one that hides secrets around every corner. Developer Pearl Abyss reached for the stars with its big single-player adventure, and the result is an ambitious and awe-inspiring experience. It might stick the landing with every idea it throws at you, but with the sheer amount of content available to sample, it's a stunning and varied delight to dive into. Read our Crimson Desert review. See on Amazon Advertisement Dragon's Dogma 2 Developer: Capcom Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC Genre: Action-RPG Multiplayer: No Dragon's Dogma 2 features a harsh, but classically inspired fantasy world. You can find yourself faced down by a griffin, medusa, or dragon regularly, in addition to little goblins and other monsters. It also has a reactive world, where nearly any NPC can die and the solution to some of your quests can be simple or convoluted depending on your playstyle. You can also wield magic in addition to swords and bows, plus you get to bring a party of companions, made by either you or other players. Dragon's Dogma 2 can be quite obtuse in what it's asking of you, and the performance can be rough depending on the platform, but its methodical pacing and sense of discovery is unmatched. See at Amazon Advertisement Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Developer: Square Enix Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2, PC Genre: Turn-based RPG Multiplayer: No Dragon Quest XI is a massive turn-based RPG, set in the fantasy world of Dragon Quest, best known for having slimes, shirtless buff guys, and bunny girls. DQ11 serves as a great entry into the series, as the story is disconnected from previous games. It also has tons of 2D sections, and even the option to play the main game in pixel form too. While it certainly has its moments of serious storytelling, Dragon Quest is often far more colorful and whimsical than some of the darker fantasy worlds on this list. See at Humble Advertisement Elden Ring Developer: FromSoftware Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and announced for Switch 2 Genre: Action-RPG Multiplayer: Yes Elden Ring is FromSoftware's biggest hit to date, and while its tough and grueling combat might scare some away, Elden Ring’s setting of The Lands Between is a phenomenal fantasy world to explore. It's a far more dangerous world than other entries on the list, but the massive map is filled with secrets to discover, along with some environments that can really only be described as breathtaking. If the hardcore action has scared you away, it's worth putting the practice in just to experience everything Elden Ring, and its expansion Shadow of the Erdtree have to offer. See at Amazon Advertisement Final Fantasy VII Remake Developer: Square Enix Platforms: PS4, PS5, PC, Switch 2 (late 2025), Xbox Series X|S (late 2025) Genre: Action-RPG Multiplayer: No The first entry in Square Enix's ambitious remake trilogy of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake primarily covers the Midgar section of the original game. While it features helicopters, motorcycles, and other advanced technology, it still has a strong fantasy setting, even if you have to wait until FF7 Rebirth to see more of that world. Follow Cloud Strife as he and his crew battle against Shinra and Sepiroth, while utilizing a hybrid action-RPG combat system, which features small turn-based elements via the Active Time Battle system. See at Amazon Advertisement Final Fantasy XVI Developer: Square Enix Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC Genre: Action RPG Multiplayer: No If FF7 Remake isn't your style of fantasy world, Final Fantasy 16 offers a more traditional fantasy world, taking heavy inspirations from Game of Thrones. Follow Clive Rosfield, a warrior determined to get his revenge on the Dark Eikon Ifrit. The world doesn't have any sci-fi elements in terms of its technology, but it does have both fast-paced action combat and giant monster battles, making it feel dynamic from battle to battle. See at Amazon Advertisement Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Developer: Square Enix Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, Switch Genre: Tactical-RPG Multiplayer: No Decades after it was first released, Final Fantasy Tactics is still a riveting spin-off that has stood the test of time. Fast-forward to 2025, and Square Enix gave this beloved tactical-RPG the love it deserved with a remake that captures everything that made it an instant classic. Everything from the gameplay to the visuals has been given a major upgrade; the story is still a beautifully constructed Shakespearean tragedy, and the quality-of-life upgrades add to the experience, creating a brilliant strategy experience. See on Amazon Advertisement The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Developer: Nintendo Platforms: Switch, Switch 2 Genre: Action-Adventure Multiplayer: No The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the greatest video games ever made, and its Hyrule Kingdom is a particular flavor of fantasy you won't find anywhere else. While Tears of the Kingdom also certainly counts, Breath of the Wild focuses more on exploration and less on contraption building, letting its fantasy setting keep its mystical feeling. Explore Hyrule, meet new friends and foes, and solve massive puzzles to help in your battle against Ganon. Hyrule also has a nice variety of environments to explore, with grassy hills, sweltering deserts, and snowy mountains. See at Amazon Advertisement Metaphor: ReFantazio Developer: Atlus Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC Genre: Turn-based RPG Multiplayer: No Metaphor: ReFantazio is Atlus rolling out a new turn-based RPG series after years of developing Persona and Shin Megami Tensei, this time with a fantasy setting. After the death of the king, an election is held to determine the next ruler. You and your ever-expanding party of misfits need to venture across the land, helping people in need, completing contests, and fighting for a better future. Its fantasy land has a unique spin on its world and inhabitants, and features special technology, like giant ship runners and magical staffs. The turn-based combat has a heavy focus on class archetypes that can be swapped freely, adding a layer of strategy on top of the finely-tuned combat. See at Amazon Advertisement Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection Developer: Capcom Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 Genre: RPG Multiplayer: No What's the best Monster Hunter game to play currently? Surprisingly, it's not a mainline game but a spin-off that takes Monster Hunter’s core loop, reimagines it with flexible turn-based combat, and an engaging story that'll keep you grinding away until the wee hours of the morning. Full of style and substance, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection evolves the monster-taming genre with new ideas, but it's the roster of likable characters and imaginative monster designs that'll make you want to spend dozens of hours inside of its distinct world. Read our Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection review. See on Amazon Advertisement Octopath Traveler 2 Developer: Square Enix, Acquire Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2, PC Genre: Turn-based RPG Multiplayer: No Octopath Traveler 2 is an HD-2D pixel art RPG from Square Enix. Its fantasy world is set in the early industrial revolution, with the invention of the steam engine and large commerce ships sailing the seas. It features eight party members, each of whom have their own individual stories for you to experience, taking you across the entire world of Octopath Traveler 2. Its fantasy world has one of the more unique looks on this list, thanks in large part to the gorgeous HD-2D art. See at Amazon Advertisement Sea of Stars Developer: Sabotage Studio Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC Genre: Turn-based RPG Multiplayer: Yes Sea of Stars is an indie turn-based RPG, heavily inspired by Chrono Trigger and classic Final Fantasy games. It utilizes active combat mechanics, where you have to use timed button presses to do more damage, or defend against incoming attacks, like Super Mario RPG. Sea of Stars has a gorgeous art style and a colorful fantasy world, with plenty of fun creatures and environments to discover. See at Humble Advertisement Tales of Arise Developer: Bandai Namco Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC Genre: Action-RPG Multiplayer: No Tales of Arise is the latest non-remaster entry in the series, and it's an incredible Action-RPG. You play as Alphen, an amnesiac slave with a mysterious mask on his face, and you have to venture across the world to gather allies and help deal with the divided people of the world. It dips into sci-fi, but is primarily a fantasy setting, where you will explore small towns and battle mythic creatures on your adventures. The cast of characters here are excellent, and the romance between two of the protagonists is well done. See at Fanatical Advertisement The Witcher 3 Developer: CD Projekt Red Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2, PC Genre: Action-RPG Multiplayer: No The Witcher 3 is a beloved action-RPG, set in a dark fantasy world. Not only is there a smattering of mythical creatures you will encounter, but the wetland setting of The Witcher 3 has a distinctly eastern European feel in its design. There is romance and a seemingly endless number of high-quality side quests, allowing you to spend hundreds of hours in its world. Plus, it has Gwent in it, an incredible card game side activity. See at GOG Advertisement Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Developer: Monolith Soft Platforms: Switch, Switch 2 Genre: Action-RPG Multiplayer: No While you might get more out of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 after playing the first two games, you can absolutely jump straight into Monolith Soft's magnum opus. This massive RPG features action combat that functions similarly to MMO combat, with regular attacks happening automatically, while you activate special abilities. It also features plenty of sci-fi technology, but the large sprawling world filled with monsters and villains still has a strong fantasy feel. The story is the star of the show, as your crew sets out to discover if the ten-year lifespans they have been given can be extended. See at Target Advertisement Runescape: Dragonwilds Developer: Jagex Platform: PC Genre: Survival RPG Multiplayer: Yes A bit of a step outside the MMORPG label we've come to associate Runescape with, Dragonwilds is a co-op survival adventure game where you'll work together with online pals to face the rising threat of the Dragons, while learning to harness an overspill of magic and use it to your advantage. Alongside discovering how to defeat the looming enemy and solving the mysteries of the all-new setting, you'll need to master crafting, potion-making, and combat skills to keep yourself safe. Fear not, though, we've put together a list of things you need to know before you play Runescape: Dragonwilds. See at Steam Advertisement Fields Of Mistria Developer: NPC Studio Platform: PC Genre: Life/Farming Sim Multiplayer: No Fields Of Mistria launched in 1.0 in August 2026 and has provided an anime-inspired, romance-filled fantasy game packed with whimsical stories and wonderful characters to befriend. If you're a Stardew Valley or Story Of Seasons fan but you wish there were a few more dragons and witches in your farming sim, Fields Of Mistria might be the answer. You can fill your days in Mistria with farming, decorating your house, battling it out in the mines, romancing eligible candidates, or solving the mysteries of your new home. We've put together a bunch of Fields Of Mistria guides to help with everything from planting crops to building a family. Advertisement Flamecraft Developer: Monster Couch Platform: PC Genre: Cozy Strategy Multiplayer: Yes Now for something a lot cozier, Flamecraft is a strategy card game that can be played with up to 5 friends. It's a dragon-filled fantasy where you're responsible for creating the best shopping district in a bustling medieval-style town. Picking enchanted artisans to sell and craft their wares, placing them in the town center, and then watching your choices unfold is the path to becoming the best Flamekeeper. There are over 70 adorable dragons to find, and 30 unique shops to place, and you can play Flamecraft on your own or rope in some pals. See at Steam Advertisement Shadows Over Loathing Developer: Asymmetric Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 5 Genre: RPG Multiplayer: No Flash game veterans and school-skivers in 2003 will no doubt remember Kingdom Of Loathing, a stick-man based RPG that took you through an equally fantastical and ridiculous world full of chaotic quests and characters. Shadows Over Loathing is the third game in the series, now more of a fully-fleshed out open-world game with various puzzles, turn-based battles, and the same genuinely hilarious writing you might expect. The initial vibe is kooky 1920s mystery noir, but the talking animals, magic-infused items, Cheese Wizards, and eldritch horrors definitely bring it around to the fantasy genre. See at Steam Advertisement

Title: Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave Is the Cure For a Terrible RPG Habit Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 22:00:15 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/fire-emblem-fortunes-weave-recruit-everyone/ For several hours, I spent my free time meandering the world map of Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weavelike a woman crazed. No matter what the calendar said, every day was Black Friday, and I was in feverish pursuit of gifts. From east to west and back again, I cleaned out vendors' stock of gifts for the several dozen randos I was determined to make my new besties. Back in Dagsion, I meticulously ticked through the full laundry list of recruitable characters and dutifully handed them their pastries or fish sauce, one swarthy pirate or pegasus girl blending into the next. I continued to do this for several in-game months, until I realized I wasn't actually enjoying the game to its fullest.

Title: Game Awards 2026: All Game of the Year Front-Runners and Predictions Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 21:42:06 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/game-of-the-year-goty-game-awards-2026-frontrunners/ At this point, we have a clear idea of what to expect from The Game Awards' voting body, which is composed of a wide range of international games media (Polygon included), with a 10% contribution from fan voting. There are a number of strong indicators for what will perform well in the Game of the Year category. A high Metacritic rating (preferably over 90) is a must; role-playing games and action-adventures are strongly favored, as are games with strong narrative elements; indie and multiplayer games struggle harder for recognition than AAA single-player adventures. We used these metrics to correctly predict last year's winner, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and the 2024 winner, Astro Bot. In 2025, we also predicted all six GOTY nominees and correctly called 20 other categories.

Title: It's Officially the End of an Era For Halo Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 20:30:15 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/halo-studios-activision-blizzard-new-games/ Halo will never be the same. On Tuesday, Xbox announced the next phase of its ongoing restructuring, with a memo from executive vice president Matt Booty citing developer Halo Studios as the first line item in a wave of 268 new job cuts. A “small team at Halo Studios will continue supporting the Halo community and games in-market,” Booty added. Activision, the company behind Call of Duty, will be developing the next Halo game.

Title: 'The Hunt for Gisco's Treasure' walkthrough in Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 20:27:04 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/fire-emblem-fortunes-weave-hunt-for-giscos-treasure-walkthrough-location/ Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave's "The Hunt for Gisco's Treasure" quest is, at a glance, the ideal quest. You can stay in Dagsion to complete it, and you get a decent bit of money and renown when you do. Depending on where you travel in the city and how much you take in the sights, though, there's a chance you'll have no clue where to look for this little scavenger hunt.

Title: Two Near-Perfect Lord of the Rings Games Finally Come to Switch 2 Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 20:22:06 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/lord-of-the-rings-shadow-of-mordor-games-switch-2/ There seems to be no shortage of Lord of the Rings stories making their way back to Middle-earth. The Hunt for Gollum is in production, The Rings of Power is continuing to expand Tolkien's world, and Warner Bros. is developing another Lord of the Rings movie with Stephen Colbert and Peter Jackson.

Title: Cute Critters Come to the Cloud: ‘Aniimo’ Launches on GeForce NOW Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:00:55 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-aniimo/ A new creature-catching adventure is ready to stream from the cloud this week. Pawprint Studio’s Aniimo arrives on GeForce NOW at launch, inviting gamers to explore the vibrant continent of Idyll across supported devices. Also this week, 007 First Light receives a path-tracing update on GeForce NOW, alongside a smashing limited-time Deluxe Edition sale on Steam and Epic Games Store. Gaijin Network’s fractured-multiverse action game Active Matter and Annapurna Interactive’s acclaimed space mystery Outer Wilds are also among 11 new titles joining the cloud this week. Explore Idyll With the Cutest Companions The path to Idyll begins now. Aniimo is a free-to-play, open-world creature-catching role-playing game where every creature encountered can become a companion. Catch Aniimo with Aniipods, then Twine with them to take on their form and use unique skills to solve puzzles, win battles and overcome challenges. Glide, dive and burrow across Idyll, then return to a personal RV to build a warm, interactive Homeland alongside Aniimo companions. Stream Aniimo on a Steam Deck, in the newly supported Firefox browser and across any other supported devices — without waiting through its 45GB download or making room in local storage. There’s always room in the Homeland for one more Aniimo. Choose Your Path Licensed to render. In the critically acclaimed, multimillion-selling 007 First Light, follow James Bond as a young, resourceful and sometimes reckless recruit in MI6’s training program, and discover a reimagined origin story of the world’s most famous spy. Incorporating IO Interactive’s signature stealth gameplay with world-class Bond action, players can embark on missions in breathtaking locations around the globe, drive iconic vehicles and dive into a cinematic adventure in pursuit of a rogue agent who’s always one step ahead. Path tracing has now been added to 007 First Light, introducing extra-detailed lighting, shadows and reflections, making its levels and set pieces even more cinematic, immersive and realistic. And NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction ensures the fidelity, clarity and accuracy of these additions are at their absolute best. Ultimate members can stream with GeForce RTX 5080-class performance, with up to 5K high dynamic range and cinematic-quality streaming. DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution and Dynamic Frame Generation accelerate frame rates and enhance image quality. A limited-time opportunity awaits: the 007 First Light Deluxe Edition is on sale on Steam from Sept. 15-29 and on Epic Games Store from Sept. 3-18. The mission is on sale. The getaway car is in the cloud. Matter of Time Gaijin’s Active Matter, a realistic military shooter set in a fractured multiverse, has launched on GeForce NOW. As an operative stuck in a time loop, join dangerous raids for loot or intense player vs. player battles. Fight against rivals from other timelines, survive physics-breaking anomalies and try to stay alive. Harvest active matter, gather loot and extract to a safe place before the whole zone ceases to exist. Ultimate members can take on each raid with GeForce RTX 5080-class performance in the cloud, delivering high frame rates, advanced graphics features and low latency across supported devices. The zone won’t wait — and neither does the next loop. Let’s Get Loopy Every loop holds another secret. Outer Wilds joins the GeForce NOW library this week. As the newest recruit of Outer Wilds Ventures, search for answers across a strange, ever-changing solar system trapped in an endless time loop. Gamers can trace mysterious signals, decipher alien writing and discover hidden locations before an underground city is swallowed by sand or a planet crumbles beneath their feet. There’s even more to stream this week: Active Matter (New release on Steam and Gaijin, Sept. 15) Aniimo (New release on Steam, Sept. 15) RuneScape: Dragonwilds (New release on Xbox, Sept. 15, available on Game Pass) Train Sim World 7 (New release on Steam, Sept. 15) The Guild 1 Remake: Europa 1410 (New release on Steam, Sept. 17) The Blood of Dawnwalker (GOG.com) Mixtape (Steam) Neon White (Steam) Outer Wilds (Steam) Stray (Steam) What Remains of Edith Finch (Steam) Dates listed above reflect when games are released on their respective stores. GeForce NOW availability may vary, as games are onboarded after they’re released and added throughout the week. Keep an eye on GeForce NOW channels and GFN Thursdays for availability updates to announced titles. Ready to take this week’s new games for a spin? Start with a day pass to try premium cloud gaming before committing to a membership. Even better, the cost of the day pass can be applied toward a first monthly membership — making it easy to level up with GeForce RTX-powered cloud gaming. What’s on the playlist this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: Boots on the Ground: ‘WARDOGS’ Goes All Out on GeForce NOW at Early-Access Launch Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2026 13:00:18 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-wardogs/ Gear up: The latest PC games and major updates are ready to play on GeForce NOW this week. WARDOGS drops onto the cloud at early-access launch, alongside the Valheim 1.0 Deep North update and Bus Simulator 27 — part of nine new titles joining the cloud. The newest PC releases can demand serious hardware, storage space and upgrade budgets. GeForce NOW puts GeForce RTX-powered performance in the cloud, so members can jump into the newest titles across supported devices without needing expensive PC upgrades to keep up. From a 100-player tactical firefight to a frozen Viking frontier and a growing bus empire, every adventure is ready when members are — no downloads or storage management required. Who Let the ‘WARDOGS’ Out?   Take on the Control Zone: WARDOGS launches on GeForce NOW today, bringing BULKHEAD’s large-scale tactical first-person shooter to the cloud at early-access launch. Up to 100 players across three teams battle to control randomized zones in a large-scale military sandbox, where tactical gunplay, combined-arms combat, building and destruction can change the course of a match. There’s no single route to victory. Outfit a loadout, coordinate a squad, fortify a strategic position or take the fight to the enemy in vehicles. Every team play action earns cash, giving players more ways to invest in gear and vehicles that can turn the tide. Ultimate members can stream the fight with GeForce RTX 5080-class performance in the cloud for a tactical advantage. Pick up the battle across supported devices without waiting on a huge game install or clearing local storage first. Ice, Ice in the Deep North, Baby Sharpen the axes and raise the shields – Valheim has left early access with its 1.0 update, letting members stream the final biome in Iron Gate’s Viking survival saga through Steam and Xbox Store.  Set sail for the Deep North, a frozen frontier filled with new enemies to face, weapons to craft and strongholds to build before the cold closes in. The 1.0 launch also arrives alongside new platform versions with full crossplay support, making it easier to rally the clan. Whether returning to a long-running world on a PC or Mac or beginning a fresh voyage on a Steam Deck or Amazon Fire TV Stick, members can head to the Deep North across supported devices without waiting for downloads. The Wheels on the Bus Go ‘Round in the Cloud The route to the top starts here. Hop into the driver’s seat. Bus Simulator 27 is now streaming from GeForce NOW.  Drive a fleet of more than 45 officially licensed buses from 13 manufacturers through Felicia Bay, a sunny region with two cities, 20 districts and a full day-and-night cycle. Build routes, manage timetables and grow a successful bus company in Story, Career or Sandbox mode. And there’s even more to stream from the GeForce NOW library this week: Bus Simulator 27 (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Halloween: The Game (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Honeycomb: The World Beyond (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Wanderburg (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Shroom and Gloom (New release on Steam, Sept. 10) Train Sim World 7 – Advanced Access (New release on Steam, Sept. 10) WARDOGS (New release on Steam, Sept. 10) Welcome to Elderfield (New release on Steam, Sept. 10) Death Stranding Director’s Cut (Epic Games Store) Dates listed above reflect when games are released on their respective stores. GeForce NOW availability may vary, as games are onboarded after release and added throughout the week. Keep an eye on GeForce NOW channels and GFN Thursdays for availability updates on announced titles. One GFN community member recently returned after six years, saying NVIDIA DLSS 5 technology renewed their interest in GeForce NOW cloud gaming. Ready to try it out, too? Start with a day pass to test premium cloud gaming before committing to a membership. For those who decide to keep playing, the cost can be applied toward their first monthly membership. What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: ‘NBA 2K27’ With NVIDIA DLSS 5 Leads 28 New Games Coming to GeForce NOW Date: Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:00:35 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-september-2026-games-list/ September is here with 28 more games streaming on GeForce NOW this month, led by a slam dunk: NBA 2K27 with the NVIDIA DLSS 5 3D-Guided Neural Rendering feature. Through NVIDIA’s close collaboration with Visual Concepts and 2K, DLSS 5 brings a new level of lifelike lighting and material detail to the court — tuned by developers to support the game’s authentic broadcast-style presentation. Members can also walk the line between human and vampire in Rebel Wolves’ The Blood of Dawnwalker and step into genma-haunted Kyoto in Capcom’s Onimusha: Way of the Sword — part of the 10 games joining the GeForce NOW library this week. Take the Court With DLSS 5 Showcase your moves. NVIDIA, Visual Concepts and 2K have brought DLSS 5 3D-Guided Neural Rendering to NBA 2K27, delivering a new level of sports realism for players streaming from the cloud at launch.  DLSS 5 enhances and tunes lighting and materials to make the action feel even more lifelike — from how light catches hair and skin to the detail preserved in the facial geometry of real-world athletes — achieving new levels of authenticity.  GeForce NOW Ultimate members in NVIDIA-operated regions can stream NBA 2K27 across PCs, Macs, handhelds, mobile devices, TVs and more. DLSS 5 is available when streaming from a GeForce RTX 5080-powered rig in the cloud. Tip off without waiting for downloads or managing storage, and experience NBA 2K27 from the cloud with the visual fidelity of DLSS 5. Walk the Line Between Day and Night Human by day. Vampire by night. Rebel Wolves’ newly launched The Blood of Dawnwalker is streaming from GeForce NOW. The open-world, dark-fantasy action role-playing game transports players to 14th-century Europe, where war, plague and rising vampire powers have reshaped history. Play as Coen, a young Dawnwalker fighting to save his family while caught between his humanity and cursed vampiric strength. His abilities — and the choices available to him — change between day and night, shaping how players explore, fight and uncover the secrets of the world around them. Sink teeth into the fresh adventure from nearly any supported device, with Ultimate members tapping into GeForce RTX 5080-class performance in the cloud. Skip the installs and let GeForce NOW handle the heavy lifting, leaving more time to take a bite out of everything Coen’s new world has to offer. Skip the Downloads and Sharpen the Sword Pick up the Oni Gauntlet. Capcom’s Onimusha: Way of the Sword arrives on GeForce NOW at launch, giving members a way to jump straight into the series’ return instantly from the cloud. Fight across a twisted vision of Edo-period Kyoto as a lone samurai wielding the mystical Oni Gauntlet. Master precise swordplay, unleash powerful abilities and absorb the souls of fallen enemies while battling relentless Genma beneath mysterious clouds of Malice. Ultimate members can stream every clash with GeForce RTX 5080-class performance in the cloud across PCs, Macs, handhelds, mobile devices, TVs, the newly supported Firefox browser and more. Cut to the chase by skipping any downloads and storage management and step into battle. In addition, members can look for the following titles streaming this week: Breathedge 2 (New release on Steam, Aug. 31) Serious Sam: Shatterverse (New release on Steam, Aug. 31) Crimson Moon (New release on Steam, Sept. 1) The Blood of Dawnwalker (New release on Steam, Sept. 2) NBA 2K27 (New release on Steam, Sept. 3) SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass, Sept. 3) Onimusha: Way of the Sword (New release on Steam, Sept. 4) How to Fish (Steam) Shelves and Sorcery: Tidy Up the Enchanted Shop (Steam) VHOLUME (Steam) And look forward to the games coming throughout the month: Bus Simulator 27 (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Halloween: The Game (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Honeycomb: The World Beyond (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Wanderburg (New release on Steam, Sept. 8) Shroom and Gloom (New release on Steam, Sept. 10) WARDOGS (New release on Steam, Sept. 10) Welcome to Elderfield (New release on Steam, Sept. 10) Active Matter (New release on Steam, Sept. 15) Aniimo (New release on Steam, Sept. 15) Train Sim World 7 (New release on Steam, Sept. 15) The Guild 1 Remake: Europa 1410 (New release on Steam, Sept. 17) CONTROL Resonant (New release on Steam, Sept. 24) Nivalis Nights (New release on Steam, Sept. 29) Mixtape (Steam)  Neon White (Steam)  Outer Wilds (Steam)  Stray (Steam) What Remains of Edith Finch (Steam) All the Extras From August In addition to the 26 games announced last month, 18 more joined the GeForce NOW library.  Cat Mail Co. (Steam) Monster Hunter Wilds Prologue Demo (Steam) Stars Reach (Steam) DIVE or DIE – Children of Rain (Steam) Escape the Backroom (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Hell Is Us (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Parcel Simulator (Steam) The Thaumaturge (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered (Epic Games Store) STAR WARS Zero Company (EA app and Steam) Baldur’s Gate 3 (GOG) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (GOG) Cold Fear (GOG) IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator (Steam) Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (GOG) Mount & Blade: Bannerlord II (GOG) No Man’s Sky (GOG) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (GOG) Dates listed above reflect when games are released on their respective stores. GeForce NOW availability may vary, as games are onboarded after release and added throughout the week. Keep an eye on GeForce NOW channels and GFN Thursdays for availability updates on announced titles. New to GeForce NOW? Start with a day pass to try premium cloud gaming before committing to a membership. Better yet, the cost of the day pass can be applied toward a first monthly membership — making it easy to try GeForce RTX-powered cloud gaming with the latest releases, then level up for more. What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: GeForce NOW Gives Gamers More Ways to Play at Gamescom 2026 Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2026 13:00:33 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-gamescom-2026/ NVIDIA’s Gamescom announcements are revealing what’s next for GeForce NOW, with new ways to play, more supported devices and platforms, and even more big PC games headed to the cloud. New NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 technology controls give members more ways to fine-tune gameplay, while expanded support for new Steam devices, GOG single sign-on, Firefox browser support and more Amazon Fire TV devices continue broadening where and how GeForce RTX-powered PC gaming can be enjoyed. Gamescom is also bringing a blockbuster lineup of PC games to GeForce NOW. CONTROL Resonant, Gears of War: E-Day, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, The Blood of Dawnwalker and STAR WARS Zero Company are all coming to the cloud at launch.  For a limited time, members can also get CONTROL Resonant with the purchase of a 12-month GeForce NOW Ultimate membership. The Gamescom extras don’t stop there. To celebrate, GeForce NOW is giving away more than 40 prizes in our Community Giveaway — including gaming hardware and GeForce NOW Ultimate memberships. There’s even more fun to come. Check out the list of 13 games joining the GeForce NOW library this week. Next-Level Cloud Gaming More ways to choose how to play. This fall, GeForce NOW is introducing new NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 controls in the cloud, giving Ultimate members more choice over how supported games look and perform, even without the latest hardware. Powered by NVIDIA RTX graphics, each control offers something different: DLSS Super Resolution sharpens image quality, while Dynamic Frame Generation delivers lower latency and stutter for smoother streaming, and Ray Reconstruction enhances ray-traced visuals. Together, these technologies make it easier to tune supported games for image quality, responsiveness or a preferred balance between the two.  Stay tuned to GFN Thursdays for details about best practices for enabling DLSS 4.5 overrides and how Dynamic Frame Generation can help Ultimate members enable more graphic settings while still getting smooth streaming. Stream full steam ahead with the Steam ecosystem. GeForce NOW is also adding community-requested support for Steam Machine with Steam Controller later this fall, and later for Windows and macOS, delivering more ways to play and making it even easier for longtime Steam players to jump into the cloud using familiar hardware. The additions build on existing Steam Deck support and expand compatibility across the Steam ecosystem. Get your GOG on with one click into the library. Launching GOG games just got even easier. With GOG single sign-on now available on GeForce NOW, members can securely link their account once, automatically sync supported games and launch them without having to sign in to GOG again — all with a single click. With fewer steps between opening the app, skipping any downloads and jumping into gameplay, it’s another way GeForce NOW continues streamlining access to PC gaming libraries, making it easier to play the GOG library of games on TV platforms since gamers are automatically logged into their GOG accounts. Find popular titles, like Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, in the app in the dedicated GOG row. Or search and filter for GOG games, then jump into supported titles from almost anywhere — all streamed from the cloud. Check back on GFN Thursdays for the latest games joining the GeForce NOW library, including newly supported games streaming from GOG. Outfox nearly any device with GeForce RTX gaming. Plus, GeForce NOW is now officially supported on Firefox, expanding browser access across all major Windows browsers. Members can jump into supported PC games directly from Firefox without downloading a dedicated app. Ultimate members can enjoy GeForce RTX-powered gaming at up to 1440p and 120 frames per second. Simply download the latest version of Firefox and visit play.geforcenow.com to get started. The cloud handles downloads, installs and updates, keeping local storage free while games stay ready to play in the cloud.  Bring the fire to living rooms with GeForce NOW. GeForce NOW is expanding support to additional Amazon Fire TV devices. GeForce NOW first launched on Fire TV devices earlier this year, and will soon expand to the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, a 4K streaming stick that’s ready to game right out of the box. Streaming from the cloud means supported PC games are ready to play using a compatible controller, making it easy to enjoy GeForce NOW on the biggest screen in the house with even more options to play from the comfort of the couch.  And that’s not all the awesomeness from Amazon. Later this year, Fire TV users will be able to purchase GeForce NOW memberships directly through Amazon, creating a more seamless path from device setup to gameplay. These new features will arrive alongside some of the biggest games coming to the cloud throughout the year. Get Ready for Launch Five newly announced and highly anticipated games are coming to GeForce NOW at launch: CONTROL Resonant, Gears of War: E-Day, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, The Blood of Dawnwalker and STAR WARS Zero Company.  Better yet, members can lock in one of them early: For a limited time, purchase a 12-month GeForce NOW Ultimate membership and receive CONTROL Resonant at launch at no additional cost, and be first to experience Faden’s next chapter. The offer is available Tuesday, Aug. 25, through Sunday, Sept. 27. Ultimate members can stream the full lineup with GeForce RTX 5080-class performance in the cloud, including NVIDIA DLSS 4, ray tracing, NVIDIA Reflex and Cinematic Quality Streaming technologies, with up to 5K high dynamic range on supported devices.  Whether diving into new worlds or returning to iconic franchises, GeForce NOW lets members skip expensive hardware upgrades, massive installs and storage management so they can jump straight into the action the moment each game launches. Here’s a closer look at what’s coming: Contain the chaos. Explore a warped Manhattan on the brink of paranatural annihilation in Remedy’s CONTROL Resonant. Harness Dylan Faden’s extraordinary powers to battle the Hiss, the Mold and other reality-bending threats while searching for his sister, Federal Bureau of CONTROL Director Jesse Faden. Emergence begins. Experience the horror and brutality of Emergence Day in the Coalition’s Gears of War: E-Day. Fourteen years before the original Gears of War, join Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago in a gripping origin-story campaign as the Locust Horde first erupt from below, igniting a desperate fight for survival. Rally squads and fight on in multiplayer with a reimagination of Gears’ iconic PvE mode, Horde Siege, or go head to head with a refined versus PvP. Pick up the Oni Gauntlet. Fight across a twisted vision of Edo-period Kyoto in Capcom’s Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Wield the mystical Oni Gauntlet, master intense swordplay and battle relentless demonic Genma beneath mysterious clouds of Malice. Walk the line between day and night. Step into 14th-century Europe in Bandai Namco’s The Blood of Dawnwalker, where war, plague and rising vampire powers have reshaped history. Play as Coen, a young Dawnwalker torn between humanity and cursed strength, and shape his path while fighting to save his family. Command the galaxy’s finest. Lead an elite squad behind enemy lines in STAR WARS Zero Company, a single-player turn-based game set during the twilight of the Clone Wars. Command former Republic officer Hawks and Zero Company through tactical battles and high-stakes missions where strategy, squad composition and player choices shape the fate of the galaxy. More Ways to Win Gaming gear and Ultimate memberships are up for grabs. GeForce NOW is marking Gamescom with a community giveaway featuring more than 40 prizes. Gamers will have a chance to score a MacBook Neo, Steam Deck or Chromebook — each paired with a one-year GeForce NOW Ultimate membership — along with Amazon Fire TV Sticks and GeForce NOW Ultimate memberships ranging from one month to one year. Head over to the GeForce NOW community on Reddit for all the giveaway details and how to enter. The Hunt Is On Squad up and fight for survival in Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, streaming on GeForce NOW this week at launch. Assemble a four-player fireteam of Colonial Marines and battle through swarms of Xenomorphs, deadly new threats and increasingly desperate encounters. With deeper squad mechanics, new and improved classes, smarter enemies and expanded customization, every mission puts teamwork — and nerves — to the test. Members can also look for the following games joining the cloud this week: Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 (New release on Steam, Aug. 25) Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy (New release on Steam and Xbox, Aug. 27, available on Game Pass) STAR WARS Zero Company (New release on EA app and Steam, Aug. 27) Baldur’s Gate 3 (GOG) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 – Open Beta Weekend (Battle.net, Steam and Xbox available from Aug. 28 10am PDT  to Sep. 1 at 10am PDT. For more information please visit the Call of Duty website). Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (GOG) Cold Fear (GOG) IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator (Steam) Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (GOG) Mount & Blade: Bannerlord II (GOG) No Man’s Sky (GOG) Paradise Killer (Steam) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (GOG) Dates listed above reflect when games are released on their respective stores. GeForce NOW availability may vary, as games are onboarded after release and added throughout the week. Keep an eye on GeForce NOW channels and GFN Thursdays for availability updates on announced titles. To experience GeForce NOW, gamers can start with a GeForce NOW day pass and try premium cloud gaming before committing to a membership. Better yet, the cost of a day pass can be applied toward a first membership purchase, making it even easier to level up when ready. Check back every GFN Thursday for new games, new features and even more ways to play on GeForce NOW. Which Gamescom announcement has you most excited? Let us know on X or in the comments below.  The future of PC gaming is on display with GeForce NOW. DLSS 4.5 controlsExpanded device support Upcoming AAA games More ways to play Community giveaway Firefox browser support… and more! #gamescom Details https://t.co/Rz6RnX0Pt4 pic.twitter.com/sShKRhzrD3 — NVIDIA GeForce NOW (@NVIDIAGFN) August 25, 2026

Title: Leading Publishers Bring Blockbuster PC Games and Technology to NVIDIA RTX Spark Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2026 15:30:48 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/gamescom-rtx-spark-pc-games-technology/ NVIDIA is bringing the next wave of RTX gaming to the Gamescom conference running this week in Cologne, Germany, with support for new games, anti-cheat technologies and increased visual quality.  Electronic Arts, Embark and Ubisoft are among the latest game publishers and developers bringing their blockbuster titles to NVIDIA RTX Spark ahead of its launch this fall. They join the publishers that announced RTX Spark support at COMPUTEX in May, including KRAFTON, NetEase, Riot Games and XBOX.  NVIDIA is working closely with game developers and ecosystem partners to ensure today’s top PC games — including EA’s EA SPORTS F1 25 and Apex Legends, Ubisoft’s Anno 117: Pax Romana and Embark Studios’ ARC Raiders and THE FINALS — run seamlessly on RTX Spark devices. “We’re excited to bring Anno 117: Pax Romana to a new generation of RTX-powered PCs,” said Stéphane Jankowski, Ubisoft executive producer of Anno 117 : Pax Romana. “Our teams build the game to be seen wide: full districts, long sightlines, thousands of details at once. Seeing RTX Spark hold that level of fidelity from a single chip is genuinely impressive.” RTX Spark reinvents personal computing, bringing personal AI agents, advanced content creation and high-performance gaming together in a platform engineered from the ground up for the next wave of Windows PCs. For gamers, RTX Spark combines Windows devices with NVIDIA RTX technologies, including DLSS and Reflex.  Bringing Anti-Cheat to RTX Spark Supporting modern PC gaming goes beyond running the game itself. Many of today’s biggest online games rely on sophisticated anti-cheat technologies, to enable fair play across the multiple platforms these games run on.   NVIDIA has been working with EA to bring native EA Javelin Anticheat support to RTX Spark, including for EA’s biggest multiplayer games, such as EA SPORTS F1 25. RTX Spark launches this fall.  RTX Delivers Next-Generation Gaming RTX Spark is just one part of NVIDIA’s lineup of gaming announcements at Gamescom, including: DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction is available now, featuring NVIDIA’s latest second-generation transformer model to deliver even higher image quality in ray- and path-traced content. It replaces traditional denoisers with an NVIDIA supercomputer-trained AI network to reconstruct higher-quality pixels in the parts of a ray-traced frame where rays were not sampled. Path tracing comes to CONTROL Resonant and 007 First Light to deliver new levels of visual fidelity.  NVIDIA ACE technologies are coming to Aniimo in early 2027, letting players naturally interact with their creatures. Gears of War: E-Day includes RTX Mega Geometry integration, advancing image quality on GeForce RTX GPUs, alongside ray tracing and DLSS 4.5. RTX Remix keeps remastering PC classics, with a major Painkiller RTX mod update available now and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind RTX coming soon. GeForce NOW gives members more ways to play with new DLSS 4.5 controls, expanded support for Steam Machine and other devices and platforms, plus blockbuster PC games including CONTROL Resonant, Gears of War: E-Day and more coming to the cloud at launch. Find more on NVIDIA’s announcements at Gamescom in this GeForce article. 

Title: Fading Echo makes a splash on PlayStation 5 today Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 15:00:40 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/09/22/fading-echo-makes-a-splash-on-playstation-5-today/ Hi PlayStation players! This is Sylvain from Emeteria, a New Tales studio, the team behind Fading Echo, and we’re excited to share that our fast-paced elemental action-adventure RPG is launching today on PlayStation 5. In Fading Echo, you play as One, a young Legend fighting to save Corel, a fractured world being consumed by a mysterious force known as the Paradox. To survive, you’ll experiment with One’s powers, manipulate the elements around you, and shift between realities to find new ways through combat, exploration, and puzzles. So, let’s dive in! Become water – then weaponize it Water – or Æther, as it’s known in the world of Fading Echo – is at the heart of One’s abilities. She can manipulate it, use it against enemies, and even transform herself into a living blob of it. One of our goals with Æther form was to make movement itself part of your toolbox. As a blob, you can build momentum, surf through pipes, squeeze through narrow cracks, and launch yourself across the environment. This can help you reach new areas and solve environmental puzzles, but it can be just as useful in combat. Get above an enemy, for example, and you can water-bomb them on the way down, making quite a splash. It’s as effective as it is fun. And movement is only the first ripple. One can also unleash waves of Æther and powerful charged blasts, drenching enemies and changing the state of the battlefield. But drenching an enemy is just the beginning: Æther reacts with elements such as lava, toxic waste, and even Paradox corruption, opening up all kinds of possibilities. Drench an enemy before conducting energy through them. Solidify elements to change the battlefield. Or look to your surroundings and set off a chain reaction that turns the situation in your favor. Play Video We designed these systems to reward experimentation rather than push you toward a single sequence of attacks. When you enter an encounter, we want you to look at the enemies, the environment, and the elements at your disposal and ask yourself: What happens if I try this? Sometimes everything will flow according to plan. Sometimes you’ll find a solution we didn’t see coming. There’s rarely just One answer. Bend reality to find another way Corel is no longer one stable world. The Paradox has fractured it into alternate realities, and One can shift between different versions of the same space – and even different versions of herself. Reality shifting is another system we wanted players to use across exploration, puzzles, and combat rather than for one specific purpose. A path blocked in one reality might be accessible in another. An element you need to solve a puzzle could exist on the other side of a shift. Sometimes, instead of looking for another route through the space in front of you, you’ll need to think about what that same space looks like in another reality. Combat follows the same principle. Shifting can change the resources, hazards, and elements available around you, so the same encounter can play out differently depending on where you choose to fight. For us, Æther, movement, elemental reactions, puzzles, and reality shifting are all parts of the same toolbox. We want you to learn how each system works, then start combining them and finding your own solutions. Explore a world consumed by the Paradox Of course, One has bigger problems than finding increasingly creative ways to deal with enemies. Paradox Corruption is spreading across Corel, twisting reality and consuming what remains of the world. At its center is Maddock, the ruthless leader of the Paradox on Corel, who stands in the way of One’s attempt to save it.Your journey will take you across floating islands and fractured realities as you search for a way to stop the corruption before there’s nothing left to save. And while Fading Echo is a single-player adventure, One won’t make that journey entirely alone. Across Corel, you’ll meet a small group of unlikely allies. Some stand beside One out of loyalty, others out of guilt, and some because they have nowhere else left to go. Each has their own relationship with this decaying world, and with One herself. But One’s journey isn’t only about saving Corel. It’s also about discovering who she is, uncovering the mysteries of her past, and finding the answers she’ll need to save her future. We’ve built Fading Echo around experimentation and giving you the freedom to find your own way through its world. If you’d like to get a first taste before jumping into the full adventure, a demo is also available today on PlayStation 5.  Now it’s time to dive in, PlayStation 5 players! Fading Echo is yours, and we can’t wait to see how you make your way through Corel.

Title: (For Southeast Asia) Lisa x PlayStation arrives this October: First look at the DualSense wireless controller Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 01:03:04 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/09/21/20260922-lisa/ Last year, we teamed up with Lisa for the first time on our global PS5 campaign. Today, we’re taking our collaboration a step further with an all-new DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition designed with Lisa herself. Play Video Lisa’s journey has taken her from her roots in Thailand to Korea and beyond, as she’s become a defining figure in global pop culture – from her dynamic stage presence to her bold approach to fashion. Hear from her directly on the collaboration: “Gaming is something I do whenever I have time to relax, so getting to create this collection with PlayStation was very exciting. I had a lot of fun adding in little details that I knew my fans would notice, and I wanted the fans to have something they can connect with. I’ve always loved expressing myself through music and fashion, so this collaboration gave me a new way to be creative and show a different side of myself. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do.” – Lisa Fans won’t have to look far to find Lisa in the details. From the very start, we worked closely together to incorporate elements that held personal meaning for her. Her iconic bangs and eyes take center stage on the DualSense wireless controller touch pad, joined by her signature stars and bold “LL” lettering, all set against a Chroma Pearl colorway – Lisa’s personal favorite. In Southeast Asia, the DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition will be available in highly limited quantities at participating retailers beginning on October 30 for a recommended retail price of SGD 115 / MYR 419 / IDR 1,549,000 / THB 2,890 / PHP 5,411 / VND 2,399,000. Pre-orders will begin on October 2, while supplies last.  Alongside the DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition, fans can also look forward to the release of her new EP, Press Play, on October 23. Come and Press Play! View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image

Title: Lisa x PlayStation arrives this October: First look at the DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition and all-new merchandise Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2026 12:00:58 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/09/21/lisa-x-playstation-arrives-this-october-first-look-at-the-dualsense-wireless-controller-lisa-limited-edition-and-all-new-merchandise/ Last year, we teamed up with Lisa for the first time on our global PS5 campaign. Today, we’re taking our collaboration a step further with an all-new DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition and a new merchandise collection designed with Lisa herself. Play Video Lisa’s journey has taken her from her roots in Thailand to Korea and beyond, as she’s become a defining figure in global pop culture – from her dynamic stage presence to her bold approach to fashion. Hear from her directly on the collaboration: “Gaming is something I do whenever I have time to relax, so getting to create this collection with PlayStation was very exciting. I had a lot of fun adding in little details that I knew my fans would notice, and I wanted the fans to have something they can connect with. I’ve always loved expressing myself through music and fashion, so this collaboration gave me a new way to be creative and show a different side of myself. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do.” – Lisa Fans won’t have to look far to find Lisa in the details. From the very start, we worked closely together to incorporate elements that held personal meaning for her. Her iconic bangs and eyes take center stage on the DualSense wireless controller touch pad, joined by her signature stars and bold “LL” lettering, all set against a Chroma Pearl colorway – Lisa’s personal favorite. The DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition will be available in highly limited quantities directly from PlayStation and at participating retailers globally beginning on October 30 for a recommended retail price of $84.99 USD / ¥12,480 (including tax) / €84.99 / £74.99. Pre-orders will begin on October 2 at 10am local time, while supplies last.  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Lisa x PlayStation merchandise pictured above available on Lisa’s official Amazon store beginning October 23.  Lisa x PlayStation merchandise collection Launching this October in the U.S., the Lisa x PlayStation collaboration goes beyond gaming with a collection of PlayStation merchandise featuring Lisa’s designs, including apparel, hats, tote bags, keychains, stickers, a DualSense controller carrying case, and more. The collection gives fans new ways to bring their love for PlayStation and Lisa into their everyday lifestyle. The Lisa x PlayStation merchandise collection will include two unique assortments available in limited quantities in the U.S. Select merchandise will be available to pre-order directly from PlayStation on October 2 at 10am ET, and launch on October 30. Additional items will launch on October 23 on Lisa’s official Amazon store at amazon.com/lisa and in the Amazon Music app.    Alongside the DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition and Lisa X PlayStation collection launching this October, fans can also look forward to the release of her new EP, Press Play, on October 23. We can’t wait to see how fans make the Lisa x PlayStation look their own when it launches.  Come and Press Play! View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Buy direct from PlayStation purchase information Starting at 10:00am ET on October 2, players in the US will be able to pre-order the DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition and Lisa x PlayStation merchandise collection direct from PlayStation through direct.playstation.com in limited quantities, while supplies last. Starting at 10:00am local time on October 2, players in the U.K., France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, players will be able to pre-order the DualSense wireless controller – Lisa Limited Edition direct from PlayStation through playstation.com/store/hardware in limited quantities, while supplies last.

Title: Silent Hill: Townfall — 9 ways first-person changes the iconic horror formula Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2026 07:00:18 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/09/21/silent-hill-townfall-9-ways-first-person-changes-the-iconic-horror-formula/ The Silent Hill franchise has evolved with its most recent entries, expanding into settings that go beyond the eponymous foggy American town. In Silent Hill: Townfall, it also taps into a new way to terrify players, shifting from a traditionally third-person perspective to first-person. The series has previously offered glimpses of first-person gameplay, including Silent Hill 4: The Room (PS2, 2004) and Silent Hill: The Short Message (PS5, 2024). However, Silent Hill: Townfall is the first time you’ll face all the horrors of a full Silent Hill experience through the eyes of its protagonist. Play Video Here are nine ways Silent Hill: Downfall uses its first-person perspective to create a more intimate horror experience and amp up its scares. A claustrophobic perspective Silent Hill: Townfall puts you in the shoes, and viewpoint, of its protagonist character, Simon Ordell, which means you can’t see as much of the world around you as you might in a third-person Silent Hill game. You must be on your guard for threats coming from the side or behind you. The game also uses a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, making the screen wider at the sides but shorter vertically, creating a cinematic presentation — but one that also makes your vision feel realistically restricted. That change in presentation forces you to pay close attention to your surroundings and to listen for enemies you might not be able to see right away. A CRTV to see through the fog Characters in Silent Hill games often carry radios that can give them hints about when enemies are nearing them in the fog — when the radio emits static, danger is close. Townfall takes a more visual approach to this idea with its CRTV, a handheld device you can tune to different frequencies to see the positions of nearby enemies. L1 lets you hold the CRTV up in front of you as you move around, so you can see both what it displays and the world around you. The device also gives a helpful haptic pulse in your DualSense controller to let you know when a new enemy is near. Melee combat It’s a staple of Silent Hill games to battle twisted horrors using everyday objects like pieces of wood. But in Townfall, combat gets harrowing, as monsters throw themselves at your face and your only defense is to hold up a flimsy object to block them. You’ll need to react quickly to stop counterattacks and get some blows in if you want to stay alive. Stealth for survival Combat isn’t always an option in Townfall, and often you’ll have to sneak past enemies to survive. Ducking behind objects like fences, signs, and parked cars with Circle allows you to slip by many enemies unnoticed. You can also hold R1 and use the right analog stick to lean around corners or peek over the top of cover to see where enemies are so you can better avoid them — or scare yourself when you realize just how close they are. Running and hiding No matter how sneaky you are, sometimes, you just have to run for it. You can sometimes lose an enemy just by rounding a corner or ducking behind something, breaking their line of sight. You can also slip inside cabinets, closets, and lockers to hide, where you can watch them through a crack in the door or on the CRTV. But be careful: If an enemy sees you slip into a hiding place, they’ll chase you down and pull you out. Aiming weapons with motion control Motion control is one of Townfall’s useful features, which you can enable in its settings menu. This lets you tilt the DualSense controller to aim when using a firearm or throwing an object. Motion control makes it easier to dial in attacks on enemies with extra precision. But it also makes combat more frightening, since it’s tough to hold your controller perfectly still when your hands are shaking in fear. Dividing your attention The new first-person gameplay means you’re always worrying about what could be just out of view. When you open a door, you’ll need to quickly check what’s on the other side or risk stumbling into an enemy. Actions as innocuous as rifling through drawers or reading emails on a computer become eerie, since you’re vulnerable to monsters that may be shuffling around you. Even using your map (by hitting Triangle) causes you to hold it up in front of your face, robbing you of the ability to see what’s sneaking up on you. Searching your environment for clues Townfall’s first-person view makes puzzles more engaging but also more dangerous. With a more intimate perspective, you can search the environments around you for clues like notes left on desks or diagrams hidden in drawers. But that also means you often need to scour rooms and buildings for the information, and with creatures often stalking around in search of Simon, you’ll have to watch your back. Getting a glimpse of Simon’s inner life The first-person perspective isn’t all about scares. It also gives you a deeper look into Simon’s psyche at certain points. Rather than Simon speaking his thoughts aloud, you’ll sometimes see text appear over the screen to give you a sense of his inner monologue, bringing you a little closer to the character and giving you a sense of how he’s affected by what he’s seeing. For example, he might think “I feel sick…” when seeing something unsettling. With Silent Hill’s first big foray into first-person, Townfall provides plenty of scares as you make your way through the frightening fog of St. Amelia. You can feel the fear for yourself when Silent Hill: Townfall launches on September 24 on PlayStation 5.

Title: Share of the Week: Seasons Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:59:55 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/09/18/share-of-the-week-seasons/ Last week, we asked you to celebrate the seasons using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: FlamingHobo666 shares a golden bird flying across a spring field in Ghost of Yōtei gh_holy_mash shares fallen autumn leaves in Onimusha: Way of the Sword raphxander_ shares the castle covered in winter snow in Hogwarts Legacy RhodWulfLeon shares yellow flowers blooming in Horizon Forbidden West John_Varela_R shares Lara ice-picking her way up a mountainside in Rise of the Tomb Raider JDanny7_VP shares a summer evening on the water in Red Dead Redemption 2 Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: Marvel’s WolverineSUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on September 23, 2026  Next week, unleash ferocious shares from Marvel’s Wolverine using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Title: Stuntboost is a Tech Dech, skateboarding platformer all about doing sick flips on cardboard constructs in your bedroom, and it's out now Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 21:50:59 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/stuntboost-is-a-tech-dech-skateboarding-platformer-all-about-doing-sick-flips-on-cardboard-constructs-in-your-bedroom-and-its-out-now I was not a child that was built for skateboarding. Child me was a tad too wimpy to ever do anything so wicked cool as that. What if I scuffed my knee a little bit, or worse, embarrassed myself? So I did what any skateboarding curious child would do and bought a Tech Deck. And then I never learned how to get good at it. I am only slightly bitter about this adolescent failure of mine, yet all is not lost, for there is an entire video game out today that can let me experience such a feat digitally: Stuntboost. Read more

Title: Furries, magical girls and slick hack 'n' slash combat blend promisingly together in the late 2000s inspired Break The Night Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 20:32:44 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/furries-magical-girls-and-slick-hack-n-slash-combat-blend-promisingly-together-in-the-late-2000s-inspired-break-the-night Despite not being one myself, I do seem to write about furry-adjacent games for this ole webbed site, don't I? And I've got another one for you today! It's called Break The Night, a hack 'n' slash with slick movement, roguelike elements, and magical girls inspired by aesthetics from the late 2000s, and while it's still quite early days yet, I've been quite charmed by it. Read more

Title: Packed Lair, out today, is a Tetris-adjacent base builder about cramming as much as you can into a tiny evil lair to aid your army in conquering the world Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 18:49:01 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/packed-lair-out-today-is-a-tetris-adjacent-base-builder-about-cramming-as-much-as-you-can-into-a-tiny-evil-lair-to-aid-your-army-in-conquering-the-world Real estate these days! No matter where you look, there's never enough space any more. I imagine this was the impetus for designing Packed Lair, a dungeony fusion of base building, auto battling, roguelikes and Tetris where you play as an evil lord who is trying to cram an entire empire into an incredibly cramped lair that's out today. Read more

Title: Love 'em or hate 'em, if it weren't for the Sonic the Hedgehog films, the blue blur might have been canned entirely, so says series boss Takashi Iizuka Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 17:15:10 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/love-em-or-hate-em-if-it-werent-for-the-sonic-the-hedgehog-films-the-blue-blur-might-have-been-canned-entirely-so-says-series-boss-takashi-iizuka I like Sonic. He charms me! But that doesn't mean I'm a fool. I know there are very few of his games that could actually be called "good," whatever that word might mean, I just don't care. Except making not good games, and having a reputation for doing so, will obviously result in waning returns financially. So it isn't a surprise to hear from Sonic boss Takashi Iizuka that, once upon a time, the entire series was at risk of cancellation. Which is where those of you that like the games but hate the movies need to say some thank yous. Read more

Title: Prebuilt Steam Machine faceplate screens are here, delivering decent, surprisingly cheaper alternatives to Valve-approved DIY builds Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 17:03:16 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/prebuilt-steam-machine-faceplate-screens-are-here-delivering-decent-surprisingly-cheaper-alternatives-to-valve-approved-diy-builds If you own a Steam Machine, and still cling to the misconception that my budget faceplate ideas aren’t good enough for you, you basically have three options for front panel customisation. The first is to grab something off Etsy or suchlike. The second is take advantage of Valve’s open-source Inkterface project to build yourself an E-Ink display, onto which you can electronically daub performance monitoring info. The third is to end up with more or less the same panel as option two, but have someone else make it for you. That’s what arch accessory makers JSAUX are proposing with their Steam Machine E-Ink and Pixel Matrix faceplates, which go on sale today after a few weeks of preening around the case mod scene. I’ve been using both on my Machine at home, and they’re quite good fun. The E-Ink faceplate, for which I sense the greater internet buzz, is a crisp, tidy little black-and-white panel, while the PixelMatrix trades detail density for colour and retro charm. Both have a few different display modes, switchable in SteamOS’s quick settings menu (via some clever integration with the Decky Loader plugin tool), and while I had to set this up manually, JSAUX say the requisite software will be downloadable via Steam itself from early October. Truly, it’s all the results of a DIY mod and more, conveniently pre-prepared for people who don’t own soldering irons. Read more