Gaming News

AU Deals: Amazon Freebies and a Slew of New Lowest Ever Prices on the Hottest Games Actually Worth Owning!

The sales bin is bursting this week, and if you listen closely, you might even hear the cling of cartoon loot being pinched under moonlight. From modern epics to reimagined classics, there's a grab bag of deals that stretches across platforms and genres. No matter your console of choice, there’s something here worth adding to cart before the savings vanish like a stealthy pickpocket. This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro news, I’m lighting a 34-candle cake for the arcade version of Bonanza Bros., the split-screen stealther I played the pins off of on Mega Drive. This side-on heist ‘em up from 1990 put players in control of Mobo and Robo, two suave, bug-eyed burglars with a knack for lootin’, lockpickin’, and layin’ cops out by violently...

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Warner Bros. Games Restructuring to Focus on Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, and DC Franchises

Warner Bros. Games is restructuring its interactive entertainment endeavors to focus on four key franchises: Mortal Kombat, Harry Potter, DC, and Game of Thrones. Details on the company-wide overhaul come from Variety, which says the changes involve a leadership shake-up but will not result in any layoffs or the exit of any executives. Instead, three key Warner Bros. Games names have been promoted as the gaming branch shifts its focus to its more reliable brands. Warner Bros. Games Montreal studio head Yves Lachance now serves as senior vice president, development and will watch over games based on the Harry Potter and Game of Thrones franchises. Meanwhile, NetherRealm Studios’ Shaun Himmerick is taking on the senior vice president...

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Marathon Delayed as Bungie Promises to Reveal New Release Date This Fall

Sony and Bungie’s Marathon reboot has been delayed to a new, unspecified release date. The Destiny and Halo developer announced that its previously planned September 23, 2025 release date had been officially removed from the calendar in a post on its website. It’s a message that comes with the promise that an update, as well as a new release date, will be delivered this fall. “Through every comment and real-time conversation on social media and Discord, your voice has been strong and clear,” Bungie said. “We've taken this to heart, and we know we need more time to craft Marathon into the game that truly reflects your passion. After much discussion within our Dev team, we’ve made the decision to delay the September 23 release.” The...

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Minecraft Vibrant Visuals Update Finally Gives Mojang's Game a Long-Awaited Visual Overhaul — but Only on Compatible Devices

Minecraft was never designed with visuals as its key selling point. With an endless sandbox landscape and unlimited customisation, Mojang's now-familiar pixellated graphics were never the main focus. Today, however, that all changes, with the launch of Minecraft's long-awaited Vibrant Visuals update on PC and a range of compatible consoles and smartphones. But not all platforms will get the upgrade, and the game's classic Minecraft: Java Edition will also be left without. Still, if you're playing the main Minecraft: Bedrock Edition on PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S or certain Android and iOS devices, Vibrant Visuals is available now, as part of the game's wider Chase the Skies update. Chase the Skies adds ridable...

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Lego Party Proves That There’s Room for More Than Just Mario Party

The humble party game genre has connected people throughout gaming generations. And while nobody really considers it whenever a new one hits the fray, the results are usually an enjoyable time. That’s true for Lego Party, the mini brick’s seemingly successful attempt to Lego-fy Mario Party so that fans of the tiny constructables can get together in a group of four and proceed to ruin their friendship over minigames. If you’ve played Mario Party you know exactly what to expect for Lego Party. A group of four players will drop onto a boardgame-like table and roll numbers to advance the requisite number of spots. Some spots will have special prizes, some will hide traps that will steal your hard-earned Stars, or in this case, a golden...

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FBC: Firebreak Review in Progress

A solid way to judge a co-op shooter is by how many inside jokes you and your mates come up with while you play. And after around seven hours working in The Oldest House, it’s safe to say that if that were the only metric to judge FBC: Firebreak on, it would be an easy 10. Of course, it helps that the setting and the enemies you face are so curiosity-inducing. So far, I’ve encountered a sticky note behemoth, an evil drum kit, and a possessed traffic light. I’ve also carved a path through pink goop and loaded mannequins into ski lifts. Do I understand why? No. Does it matter? Not at all. With slick combat, striking graphical effects and diverse objectives, FBC: Firebreak is a first-person shooter that’s a load of silly fun with your...

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Pik-Sen Lim, Mind Your Language Actress and Dark Souls Narrator, Dies at 80

Pik-Sen Lim, an actress known for roles across British and Malaysian television, has died at age 80. Per Malay Mail, the Penang-born actress appeared in numerous roles over the years, including appearing on Doctor Who as Chin Lee in The Mind of Evil. Lim also gained international fame for her role as Chung Su-Lee in Mind Your Language, a British comedy from the 1970s. She also appeared in series like Coronation Street and Spearhead, as well as American TV shows like Vampire Academy and The Nevers. On the film side, Lim played the Killer Cleaner in Johnny English Reborn. Lim also played an important role in video games, as the narrator for the opening cinematics of Dark Souls 1 and Dark Souls 3. These cinematics laid the groundwork...

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A Cinematic Cut of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Will Get the Film Festival Treatment

In today’s interesting crossover news, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is set to screen the world premiere of a cinematic cut of the hit video game Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. The screening will be playing in the special screenings section during the festival, which takes place annually in the Czech Republic, and will be held on July 9 at 7pm in Kaiserbad. “We are honored to be working together with world leaders in their field on this unique project,” the festival’s artistic director Karel Och said in a statement. “Which represents an exceptionally original contribution to our long-standing goal of presenting powerful and gripping stories captured in a unique manner.” The game’s developer, Warhorse Studios, will also be...

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Dying Light: The Beast – Weapons Overview | IGN First

Dying Light: The Beast game director Nathan Lemaire walks you through the weapons you'll wield in Techland's upcoming standalone first-person melee/shooter/parkour open-world action-adventure, in which you once again play Kyle Crane, who's out for revenge on the people who experimented on him and turned him into the eponymous Beast. From flamethrowers to vicious (and maybe even a bit rusty) melee weapons, the development team is aiming to give weapons even more impact on the world than they've had the first two Dying Light games. Check out the trailer above, and if you missed our exclusive 30-minute extended gameplay trailer, you can watch that below. If you missed our other two exclusives so far this month, we had an exclusive...

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8 Years After Fortnite's Original Save the World Mode Launched, Epic Announces New 4-Player PVE Offering That's Essentially Helldivers With Lego

Years before Fortnite became a battle royale phenomenon, Epic Games' shooter originally launched as a PVE game, with an offering now dubbed Save the World that saw teams working together to survive against waves of zombies. Now, Fortnite is returning to its roots with a Lego Fortnite Expeditions, a fresh mission-based PVE mode for up to four players, which looks like a mix of the game's existing Lego gameplay with PlayStation console hit Helldivers. In Expeditions, players embark from the mode's Academy hub, where you choose from a range of combat missions set in one of three locations. Successful mission completions contribute to global Team Projects that unlock buffs for all players, as well as new mission types. You can also chill...

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Call of Duty: WWII and Warcraft RTS Trilogy Headline Xbox Game Pass June 2025 Wave 2 Lineup

Microsoft has announced the Xbox Game Pass June 2025 Wave 2 lineup in what is a strong month for the subscription service. As confirmed in a post on Xbox Wire, available today is Remedy’s co-op first-person Control spin-off FBC: Firebreak (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass as a day one release. Also today is Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time (Console and PC) via Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Standard, and Lost in Random: The Eternal Die (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass as a day one launch. Tomorrow, June 18, sees the release of Star Trucker (Xbox Series X|S) and Wildfrost (Console) into Game Pass Standard. June 19 sees 5v5 online arcade...

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Tron: Catalyst Review

It's easy to get drawn in by the unmistakable chrome and neon look of the Tron movies. It definitely made Tron: Catalyst, a top-down action game set in a different virtual world than those we've seen in the films, catch my eye. But in this case, those aesthetics only carried me so far. It doesn't make any critical system errors, but almost every part of it seems like it could have used a little more compute time. Catalyst focuses on a determined and likeable courier program, Exo, who gets mixed up in a sweeping conspiracy relating to a potential hard reset of the server she and her fellow digital consciousnesses reside on. This Arq Grid was created by Kevin Flynn, AKA Jeff Bridges from the films, and is currently the stage for an...

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I'm Reviewing Death Stranding 2, Here's What I Thought of the Original

Hello. I’m Simon, and I’ll be reviewing Death Stranding 2: On the Beach for IGN. As you probably know, the response to the original Death Stranding was varied to say the least, so I thought it would be helpful to provide a bit of context regarding my own feelings about the 2019 sci-fi epic before hearing my thoughts on the sequel. I didn’t review Death Stranding for IGN – that was the job of the excellent Tristan Ogilvie, and you can read his thoughts here. His score of 6.8 isn’t anywhere close to the most negative assessment Death Stranding received at launch, but it’s also far from the glowing praise some others bestowed upon it. As I said, verdicts were varied, and I’m about to add yet another to that mix. Opinions are inherently...

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Out Fishing, a First-Person Horror Fishing Simulator, Announced for PC

Developer Mūn Mūn Games has announced Out Fishing, a seemingly benign first-person fishing simulator. Even its title suggests that it's cozy and chill. And it is...during the day. But when nighttime rolls around in the game, it turns into a horror game. It's in development for PC. The developers describe it like this: "Explore a calm yet unsettling wilderness. Search for rare fish and scattered remnants of the past. Time is your enemy, but the farther you go, the closer you get to the truth. Fish, sell your catch, upgrade your gear, and build up your camp — a fragile safe zone where the line between memory and hallucination starts to blur." The dynamic day/night cycle includes unpredictable weather that changes the conditions...

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Fans Hope 'Future Improvements' Include Quicksave, Photo Mode, And 'More Swimsuits For Gustave'

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer Sandfall Interactive is "currently exploring a wide range of future improvements." In a social media post shared on the game's channels, the team said these improvements — "from accessibility features to new content and all sorts of bits and bobs we're actively assessing" — will also include expanded localization options (thanks, Eurogamer). "While we don't have specific timelines or confirmed languages to share just yet," the team added, "we wanted to let you know that it's very much on our radar. Wheee!" Suggestions from fans on what these improvements could be include a request for photo mode, loadouts, quicksave, and, ahem, "more swimsuit options for Gustave." In IGN's 9/10 review of Clair...

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Nintendo Will Turn Off Your Switch 2's Rumble if It Detects 'Prolonged Use'

Nintendo Switch 2 users have reported having the vibration effect of their controllers turned off, should the console detect you making "prolonged use" of their rumble feature. Reports of warnings for excessive rumble use have filtered in since the Switch 2's launch earlier this month, as users see a message from Nintendo pop up on screen — "Rumble has been turned off due to prolonged use" — before the ability to make the Joy-Con vibrate further is temporarily disabled. "I was getting this message originally after about an hour and a half of handheld playtime," one user wrote on reddit. "Now it shows within the first 20 min. Anyone else having this issue?" Switch 2 owners say they've experienced issues with Joy-Con rumble while...

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The Most Anticipated Games From Summer of Gaming

All the major studios and publishers have now revealed their biggest announcements through the numerous summer showcases. But IGN’s Summer of Gaming continues! We’ve already run down the biggest and best trailers of the season, but now we move on to bigger issues. Which games have us the most excited and counting down the days until they’re eventually released? That’s why we’re here today to highlight our most anticipated games… and decide which one we’re hyped for the most. Our top pick has been chosen from a pool that includes every reveal from across the various shows we’ve seen, as well as the games that we’ve been able to go hands-ons with. We’ve also considered the enthusiasm that you, our readers and viewers, have shown for the...

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As 5-Year Wait for Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake Continues, Ubisoft Thanks Fans for Patience and Recommends You Play the Rogue Prince of Pers

As the wait continues for news of Ubisoft's long-delayed Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, the publisher has reassured fans it is still persevering with the project, and instead recommended something else to play while you wait. Ubisoft first announced a remake of the beloved Prince of Persia: Sands of Time back in 2020, and said it was set to launch the following year. The project has had a rocky development, with multiple delays and a full reboot as work was restarted back at Ubisoft's Montreal mothership, having originally begun at Ubisoft Pune and Mumbai. Now, with no sign of the game during any of this month's various announcement shows — Sony's PlayStation State of Play, Microsoft's Xbox Games Showcase, or Summer Game...

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As Stellar Blade Hits 3 Million Copies Sold, Dev Says Sequel Will Have the 'Rich' Narrative Missing From the Original

As Stellar Blade tops 3 million sales worldwide, director Hyung-tae Kim has revealed the sequel, which has already been confirmed, will have a "serious" story. In an interview with This Is Game, via Genki, Kim admitted that the team had developed a deeper story for Eve and co., but the cost of cutscenes became too high, resulting in them having to skip a lot of the cinematics — and therefore the story itself — to get the game over the finish line. That's why we're left with so many questions about Eve's world, including an official explanation as to why she requires a costume change so often. While it seems Shift Up considered retrospectively adding in cutscenes to better explain the story, Kim was concerned that may "clash" with...

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Dune: Awakening Dev Working on PvP and Deep Desert Issues as New Concurrent User Peak Record Is Set

Dune: Awakening developer Funcom has said it's "working on" issues that are bugging players when they head out into the Deep Desert, including respawn times. Though Funcom has already confirmed there's a fix coming for players sick of getting squished by helicopters in PvP — which is still cited as a huge problem — chief creative officer, Joel Bylos, popped up in the Reddit comments of one post to assure fans the team was addressing the issue. "We are working on a bunch of changes/fixes to these things. Please bear with us," Bylos wrote. Bylos was responding to a post by redditor rustypipe7889, who had outlined their issues with Dune: Awakening's PvP and the Deep Desert. Chief among them is the instant respawn timer in the PvP areas...

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An Item Duplication Glitch in Elden Ring Nightreign Makes It Easier To Share the Wealth

Elden Ring Nightreign has some pretty sick gear drops. And sometimes, you might even want to let other people try out that gear, even though you want to also use them. Well, a gear duplication glitch makes it easy to share the loot, for as long as it's around. I first saw this thanks to the folks at PC Gamer, who put together a quick guide on just how to tackle the duplication. It's actually fairly simple to execute; if two players try to pick up the same weapon, at the same time, they both pick it up. So now you have the original, and a duplicate. (Don't ask which is which, it'll freak everyone out.) Not only is this fairly simple, it's easy to repeat and there isn't really a downside to "failing" it. If the pick-up gets messed up...

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AU Deals: Big Cuts on Controllers, New Lows For Doom Dark Ages, Space Marine 2, Astro Bot, and More!

Clear some digital shelf space and maybe cancel a social plan or two, because there's a fresh drop of discounted gaming goodness covering everything from cosy indies to console-pushing blockbusters. Whether you're after a snazzy new controller, a cathartic shooter or a co-op crowd-pleaser, this Tuesday's roundup has something worth grabbing. And if you’re starting to feel the call of the codec, stick around. I'm about to reminisce about a jungle once favoured by a certain bandana-wearing legend. This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro news, I'm using this Naked Snake stogy to light a 15-candle cake for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, a PSP must-own. Set ten years after the events of MGS3, Peace Walker tells the story of a decidedly jaded Big...

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Borderlands 4 Preorder Listings Are Now Live at Amazon for PS5 and Xbox

The price of Borderlands 4 was officially confirmed this morning as preorder listings for the upcoming game went live for the Standard, Deluxe Edition, and Super Deluxe Edition. The initial wave of preorders only included digital versions of the game, but Amazon has jumped in late in the day with the first round of physical copies. These new Amazon listings are currently only for the PS5 and Xbox versions of the game and only two editions are currently up for preorder: Standard and Super Deluxe. You can check out the preorder pages at the links below. The current release date is set for September 12, 2025 for the console and PC versions of the game. We do not yet have a release date for the Switch 2 version, but it is coming sometime...

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Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection Could Set a New Standard for Fighting Game Collections

One of the biggest problems in fighting games is preservation. It doesn’t matter how good the game is, or how influential it was, or whether it’s a beloved classic or a flash in the pan or anything in-between. It’s just hard to play old fighting games on modern hardware. If you want to play any Tekken earlier than 7, you’d better have an old console hooked up. SoulCalibur? I hope you have a Switch 2 and/or the delisted re-releases or physical discs. The best version of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike? Still trapped on the Xbox 360 and PS3. And on and on and on it goes. Some have done better than others (Capcom, SNK, Arc System Works), but the reality is that a lot of the best, most important fighting games of yesteryear are lost to time...

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Nexus Mods Owner Steps Down After 24 Years to Focus on Mental Health

PC gaming mod hub Nexus Mods is under new ownership for the first time in 24 years as creator Robin “Dark0ne” Scott hands off the baton for the sake of his mental health. The figurehead of one of the biggest gaming sites on the internet posted about its next chapter in a message published today. It comes with confirmation that Scott has already officially stepped away from Nexus Mods, “following months of meetings, face-to-face talks, and a whole lot of soul searching.” The message keeps many of the behind-the-scenes details under wraps but says two new individuals — one named Victor (a.k.a. Foledinho) and another named Marinus (a.k.a. Rapsak) — have adopted the leadership role, with both of their profiles now bearing the “Site Owner”...

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The Art of Borderlands 4 Book Arrives After the Game's Release Date, But Preorders Are Live

Borderlands 4 will be arriving in September 2025 and preorders have already started going live. After some initial controversy around the cost of the game, the price has officially been confirmed by 2K Games. At $70 for the standard edition, the newest Borderlands game in the series is going to be the most expensive so far. Borderlands is set to release on September 12, but there is another related preorder that won't come out until later that same month. The Art of Borderlands 4 oversized coffee table book that features art and commentary from the game's development will be released on September 30. At $55, it is priced closer to what the previous standard edition video games were at launch. Preorder The Art of Borderlands 4 Book...

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Elden Ring Nightreign's Souls Skins Put a Fresh Spin on Some Classic Looks

As players dive deeper into Elden Ring Nightreign's endgame, they've been unlocking numerous skins FromSoftware has laid out as alternate options and rewards. It's not too surprising how many of them are references to previous Souls games, but some of the deeper cuts are certainly interesting. Souls YouTuber BonfireVN put together a side-by-side comparison of Elden Ring Nightreign's Dark Souls skins with their origins in their respective Souls games. These skins unlock once you've cleared the final boss of Elden Ring Nightreign, and offer some big visual shake-ups for the various Nightfarers of the realm. These "throwback" skins are callbacks to various pieces of Dark Souls history, mostly through NPCs and armor sets seen throughout...

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Borderlands 4 Standard Edition Price Set at $70 After All

Borderlands 4 will cost $70, publisher 2K Games has confirmed as preorders go live. The cost of Gearbox’s next game was thrust into the headlines after development chief Randy Pitchford had sparked a backlash with a series of controversial tweets. Pitchford had responded to a fan who had expressed concern about the prospect of paying $80 for Borderlands 4, saying: “if you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen.” Pitchford addressed the negativity surrounding his comments in a series of follow-up tweets, but now we have confirmation that the Borderlands 4 standard edition is $69.99 after all. Borderlands 4 offers three editions of the game: Standard Edition, Deluxe Edition, and Super Deluxe Edition, detailed below: All...

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Rematch Dev Confirms No Crossplay at Launch, Just Hours Before Early Access Goes Live: 'The Whole Point Was to Play With Friends'

Rematch developer Sloclap has confirmed its game will not have crossplay at launch. Rematch is a 5v5 online multiplayer arcade soccer game played from a third-person perspective. Its recent beta was hugely popular, with 1.9 million taking part across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. The beta hit a concurrent player peak of 175,000 across platforms, staying in the top five most-played Steam games every day it was available. In a tweet, Sloclap said crossplay between Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox won’t be available for Rematch at launch. The game is available to play now, three days early, for those who pay more for the Elite or Pro Edition, but the official release date is this Thursday, 19 June. However, crossplay is “one of our top...

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Elden Ring Nightreign Ending Explained: What's Going On In FromSoftware's Co-op Spin-off?

Don't let Elden Ring Nightreign's status as a spin-off fool you. It has plenty of stuff to pick apart for lore fiends. Much like the towering Erdtree, Nightreign is just one branch, one alternate timeline, with roots in the world of Elden Ring. Nightreign brings its own unique ideas and new characters to Elden Ring, even if the events of the game don’t tie directly to the original. You’ll know what we mean when we start exploring the ending of Nightreign below. This article contains spoilers for the ending of Elden Ring Nightreign. Is Nightreign Canon? Nightreign bends the history of The Lands Between in a different direction, forking off from a pivotal moment in the lore to give us a peek at what might've happened if things had...

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