I’m taking a look back at each of the core Grand Theft Auto games and replaying them in the lead-up to the arrival of Grand Theft Auto 6. What we’ll be putting together won’t be traditional re-reviews, and they won’t come with any new IGN score, but they will re-examine what made each GTA remarkable upon the time of its release. By the end of the project, using GTA’s previously six-star wanted level, you should be able to get an idea of where each of these games roughly rank in my long-term love for this series.
Today it’s time to go home to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Whether you remember it or not – or were too preoccupied being spoon-fed puréed fruit from a jar at the time – it’s impossible to understate what a banner year...
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Blizzard is banning players who it feels have created highly offensive character names in the World of Warcraft: Forever beta, and warned fans against “testing” the system.
While Forever, a new version of World of Warcraft that’s meant to act as a sort of “Classic+” experience, doesn’t launch until November 4, the beta was made available last week and it was immediately flooded by players. One of the new features in the game is dual names, so you can have a first and second name for your character. This opened the floodgates to some hilarious character names, but also some that crossed Blizzard’s line.
In a post on the Blizzard forum, the company issued a no-nonsense warning to forever beta players, saying actual humans were looking...
Bungie has admitted that extraction shooter Marathon failed at launch because it was too hard to attract a mainstream audience.
Marathon was designed as an ultra hardcore PvPvE extraction shooter where repeated death was built into the risk / reward game loop. If you die, you lose all your gear. And not just what you looted while out on the battlefield, but what you brought in. And given how easy it was to die in Marathon, particularly in PvP situations, it could feel like a brutally punishing video game.
Players certainly noticed this and made their feelings clear, even before Marathon launched. At the time, Bungie responded to concerns about its steep, unwelcoming learning curve to say that while the game was a “dangerous climb,”...
The next Halo game from Halo Studios was reportedly still years away from launch before Microsoft canceled it this week.
Microsoft continued its Xbox "reset" this week by gutting Halo Studios, leaving a skeleton crew to manage existing games in the series, and handing the Halo franchise to Call of Duty company Activision. Activision is setting up a new team to build the next mainline Halo game, leaving what remains of Halo Studios out of the picture.
Microsoft also moved Sea of Thieves developer Rare and Age of Empires developer World's Edge under the Activision umbrella as part of the studio shakeup. It made a very different call with the troubled Halo Studios, however, which has seen multiple Halo projects canceled.
According to...
Over the last few months, Forza Horizon 6 has received an outpouring of negative comments on social media and Steam about the game’s moderating system, which has been perceived as unfairly targeting players who create Itasha-style designs. To address this, Microsoft recently released an updated code of conduct in an attempt to clarify what kind of user generated content will get players banned in Forza Horizon 6.
Itasha (literally “painful car,” for their bold appearance that can be cringeworthy to some) are custom-decorated cars often featuring characters from manga, anime, and video games. This real-life phenomenon that started in Japan has gathered a following, with players showing off their love for certain characters in car games...
We all agree that October is the best month, right? Not only should it bring some relief after this year’s frankly disgusting heat, but it’s also when the autumnal vibes fully kick in. We get Halloween, everything becomes a little cosier, and there are even more reasons to stay indoors.
Luckily, October is also bringing an absurd number of exciting indie games. To help you find the ones worth watching, we’ve rounded up some of the coolest-looking releases arriving throughout the month.
RetroSpace – 1st October
RetroSpace is an immersive “disco-punk” space horror game where you can become either a sneaky survivor or a mutant action hero. Your goal is to escape a space station swallowed by a sentient black hole, using stealth...
Embark Studios has announced that it will be testing a PvE mode for Arc Raiders next month.
From October 13 to October 20, Arc Raiders will have a PvE toggle, allowing you to seamlessly switch between lobbies where you can fight other players and lobbies where players can't do damage to you. The aim is to give players more choice and test the ability to let players completely disengage from PvP gameplay. As a result, loot in PvE will be lower-valued because the mode has lower stakes. Additionally, ARCs will target downed players to create some form of tension, but if players stay still, they will be ignored by AI foes.
Embark will be monitoring the player economy and matchmaking times during this period. The team has noted that "it's...
Dressmaker, an indie game where you run a boutique and design dresses, is taking over Steam, becoming one of the platform’s Top 10 best-selling games mere days after its release.
If you’re on gaming Twitter, you’ve likely come across clips from a game where players are carefully stitching together fabric to make ornate gowns. That’s no coincidence; Dressmaker, the game in question, is having a moment right now, and Steam’s best sellers list proves it.
At the time of writing this article on September 24, Dressmaker has reached tenth place on Steam’s Top Sellers list. It’s also earned an Overwhelmingly Positive rating, with 96% of 2,177 user reviews being positive.
Dressmaker has beaten out massive titles like Diablo IV and even had...
Players who haven’t yet experienced Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown can play the entire game for free right now on Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2 until September 30.
Ubisoft Montpellier's 2D Metroidvania-style Prince of Persia game can be downloaded for free in its entirety as a playable demo starting at 10 AM PT today, September 24, through Wednesday, September 30 at 11:59 PM PT.
You’ll need to be a Nintendo Switch Online member to take advantage of this wild offer, though. There’s more to it than just the game, too, though that in itself is a massive deal; members can also earn 100 My Nintendo Platinum Points by completing a mission in the game during this trial period.
For more information on how to score these...
For nearly three decades, the Silent Hill series has evolved through new protagonists, settings, and approaches to psychological horror. Silent Hill: Townfall continues that tradition by introducing the franchise's first full-length first-person experience, a new setting outside the typical Silent Hill town, and a cast featuring acclaimed actors from film, television, and games.
While previous entries have largely centered on the town of Silent Hill itself, Townfall takes you to St. Amelia, a remote Scottish island that’s been abandoned by its residents. Although the setting differs, the game continues to explore themes that have long defined the franchise.
You play as Simon, a man with a connection to the island who begins the game...
It's no secret that Marathon has had a rough time since launching in March 2026, but Bungie is hard at work on new game modes that it's hoping will breathe new life into the game.
Prevously, Bungie teased that new game modes were coming to Marathon, and even released an 'experimental' mode with Vault Breaker. Today, the company posted on Twitter detailing the new ways people can play game. The Extraction modes that it was launched with aren't going anywhere, but Bungie will be adding a team deathmatch mode, along with new PvE modes that should be reminiscent of Destiny. Bungie will also be expanding Perimeter, essentially its tutorial level, to be closer in scope to other full zones.
Bungie's goal seems to be limiting the friction...
In an interview with game consultant Indie Game Joe, Counter-Strike co-creator Minh Le revealed a hilarious anecdote about Valve boss Gabe Newell that’s going viral for just how absurd it is.
Le claimed that, at one point during his tenure, Newell became so enamored with the concept of Mongolian throat singing that he couldn’t stop practicing it in Valve’s corporate offices — to the point where his employees started closing their office doors to avoid the noise.
If you’re not familiar with Mongolian throat singing, it’s a vocal technique most popularly associated with the people of Tuvan, a region in Russia located northwest of Mongolia. The Tuvan people call it Khöömei, and it’s achieved by using circular breathing to produce two or...
Developer Lilith's Cat Paw Latte has announced WonderPaws, a very cozy and very adorable multiplayer life sim in which you can build your own life in Paw City, a busy borough bustling with anthropomorphic animal life. It's in development for PC.
The aim is to make WonderPaws a totally stress-free cozy game where you can shop, socialize, befriend animals and other players – all with your Paw Pal. The cities designs are inspired by animal habitats, such as wider avenues for elephants and clear tubes for hamsters to commute through. You can even move into a downtown apartment and enjoy a view of the city.
Oh, and you can even turn into a Paw Pal yourself if you so choose. WonderPaws is due to launch on PC and mobile in 2027. Wishlist it...
Former Dragon Age exec Mark Darrah has revealed what he'd change about BioWare's beloved fantasy series, after spending more than 20 years at the studio.
Darrah was a director or executive producer on all of the Dragon Age series, though departed the company back in 2021, years before the final version of Dragon Age: The Veilguard launched. He returned as a consultant on the game in 2023, in time for its final stretch of development.
Now, looking back on the franchise's four main games via a Q&A posted on TikTok, Darrah has reflected on what he would recommend ditching or adding to each title in an ideal world, if he were making the games all over again.
"I would be tempted to cut or dramatically reduce the dream sequence content in...
Call of Duty: Warzone is getting a new Operator Skin toggle, which means you can finally turn off all those goofy skins.
Activision said that from Season 1 of the upcoming Modern Warfare 4, this new Operator Skin toggle will be available to let players see only Modern Warfare 4 Operators in the game.
When the toggle is on, you see a Modern Warfare 4 Operator in place of any Operator or Operator Skin from another Call of Duty game that's been equipped by another player. This applies to enemies, party members, and squadmates, both in the lobby and during a match, Activision said in a blog post.
Your own equipped Operator won’t change, so you’ll continue to see the Operator you selected, even if it’s from another game. The toggle only...
Strategy game Total War: WARHAMMER III has launched its biggest expansion yet, Lords of the End Times. A colossal collection of unique characters, deadly new units, and game-changing features inspired by one of Warhammer Fantasy's most cataclysmic events, it introduces four new Legendary Lords to Immortal Empires alongside a massive free update for all players.
For anyone unfamiliar, Immortal Empires is Total War: WARHAMMER's ultimate sandbox experience, combining the content of all three games in the trilogy into a single experience packed with legendary heroes, ancient rivalries, and globe-spanning warfare. As with previous releases, Lords of the End Times is available as a complete bundle with a 15% discount or as individual DLC...
Beyond Good & Evil 2 is still in development, and just added another writer to its team.
18 years on from its initial announcement and a decade on from its re-announcement at E3 2016, Ubisoft is still plugging away on its sci-fi fantasy sequel — though there's still no word on when the game will actually release.
That said, work is clearly continuing. Just this week, Ubisoft Bordeaux's lead writer/associate narrative director Rik Godwin confirmed via social media that he had joined the project a few months ago, working in a support/consultant role.
Founded in 2017, Ubisoft Bordeaux has typically acted as a support studio for other projects, though led work on Assassin's Creed Mirage and most recently released Claws of Awaji, the one...
Bethesda is still hard at work on new DLC for Starfield, but you probably shouldn't expect a sequel anytime soon.
Former Bethesda Lead Systems Designer Kurt Kuhlmann spoke to FRVR, and when he was asked about a potential Starfield sequel, he told the outlet: "I don’t think Starfield was anywhere near successful enough to do a Starfield 2."
That's not too surprising, as the game has been massively divisive since it came out, despite getting a mostly-positive review from us here at IGN. Our reviewer Dan Stapleton said: "Starfield has a lot of forces working against it, but eventually the allure of its expansive roleplaying quests and respectable combat make its gravitational pull difficult to resist."
Kuhlmann then goes on to...
Big news for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 fans today: publisher Focus Entertainment has revealed the game’s Year 3 roadmap and confirmed the new class set to hit early 2027.
Let’s get straight to the headline here: the new class is — as so many had suspected — the Apothecary. In May I predicted the addition of the Apothecary as a heavy duty support class with a powerful healing ability, perhaps even with unique gameplay around harvesting Gene-seed.
“We’ve been following all your speculations ever since we teased the arrival of a new class, and you certainly had plenty of theories… and the majority of you were right!” Focus said. “Today, we’re finally revealing the truth: the Apothecary is joining the ranks with Patch 17 in the...
This is an IGN opinion piece from Matt Purslow, who was brought up on the golden era of Halo and Half-Life. He loves story-driven FPS campaigns and wishes there was more of them (but perhaps not quite as many as there were in the 2000s - that was pretty excessive.)
Halo should be Xbox’s Call of Duty.
Of course, thanks to a $69 billion acquisition, Call of Duty is now Xbox’s Call of Duty. But I think you get the idea: Halo should be massive. It should be the premier first-person shooter on Xbox. It should be delivering stellar campaigns and phenomenal multiplayer on a regular basis. It should be among Team Green’s most-played games on any given day.
But it isn’t. And perhaps the reason why is nothing more than the passage of time and...
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader’s story comes to an end with the game's final DLC this December, developer Owlcat has announced.
The cRPG launched in December 2023 and is widely considered one of the best Warhammer 40,000 video games ever made. The quality of its writing, characters, and narrative helped Owlcat level up its profile, and its commercial success led to another Warhammer 40,000 cRPG from the studio, the hotly anticipated Dark Heresy.
But before Dark Heresy comes out, Owlcat will close the curtain on Rogue Trader three years after launch with the Processional of the Damned DLC. It adds a new storyline, companion, playable archetype, new enemies, gameplay features, gear and more.
Like the previous three DLCs, Processional...
We knew this fall had no shortage of exciting new games coming out. And then CD Projekt Red went and announced The Witcher 3 Remastered, a souped-up version of the 2015 masterpiece that’s coming September 29 (that’s next week). Better yet, it’s a free upgrade for anyone who owns the original game. If you don’t already own the original game? You can buy it now for 50% off on PS5, Xbox, and PC.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition Is 50% Off
Get it for PS5 - $24.99
Get it for Xbox - $24.99
Get it for PC (GOG) - $24.99
That brings the price down to a very reasonable $24.99. That gets you the complete edition, which includes the base game, plus two sizable expansions: Hearts of Stone as well as Blood and Wine.
According to...
World of Warcraft: Forever is currently in beta, but Blizzard plans to update it ahead of the full game’s release. Coming soon: heavy rain.
This is a bigger deal than it sounds! Weather effects can make all the different in terms of variance of atmosphere when you spend a huge amount of time questing in certain zones, so having the look and feel of the great outdoors change as you bash monsters on the head is sure to make Azeroth feel ever more immersive. And as someone who played World of Warcraft back when it launched, the prospect of going on a gnoll murder spree in the pouring rain is particularly enticing.
“Starting soon you will see increased weather effects in certain WoW: Forever Beta Zones!” Blizzard said, alongside a clip of...
Video game pirates appear to be making a rare effort to pay for Control Resonant, in order to support its developer Remedy.
Control Resonant launched today for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S and, somewhat inevitably, cracked copies of the game are already circulating online. But among the threads pointing people to illegal copies, there appears to be a concerted effort among some video game fans to support Control Resonant's development team.
Remedy is well known as the maker of Max Payne, Alan Wake, Control, and Quantum Break, but its games often find relatively niche audiences. Fans of the studio love Remedy's offbeat stories and often dark humor, as well as its typically high quality bar. But its past few launches have...
CD Projekt has confirmed the global release times for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered.
As detailed in a social media post, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered comes out on September 29 at 12pm in Poland, where CD Projekt is based. All other release times across the globe are tied to this CET release. So, if you’re wondering if it’s worth keeping the day free (book off from work, perhaps?), the farther west you are, the earlier the game goes live.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered launches across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2, but it’s also a free upgrade for those who own the base game. The remaster will also be sold on PC via Battle.net for the first time. There's pre-purchase for Switch 2...
Age of Empires studio World's Edge lost almost half of all employees this week, as part of Microsoft's latest round of job losses.
The cuts form part of the 268 staff let go across the wider Xbox business, as part of a projected target of 3,200 job losses forecast over the course of this current financial year.
It was announced on Monday that World's Edge would now be part of Activision, though details on how the studio's employees had been impacted remained unclear. In the days since, however, staff have now reported via social media that nearly 50% of the company was now out of work, while its next project had been cancelled.
"I am of course disappointed that this is the way the time with World's Edge and Age ends for myself and...
Bungie will freely return vaulted content it previously stripped from Destiny 2, but is unlikely to include everything fans were once able to play.
That's according to a Forbes report that details exactly what players should (and shouldn't) expect to be returned to Destiny 2 over the coming months, following Bungie's surprise announcement that it will dust off Destiny 2 content it controversially removed.
At the time, Bungie argued that Destiny 2 was becoming too big and too unwieldy, and argued that the game's original campaign and even its popular Forspoken expansion were acting as a barrier or confusing relic for newer players it was trying to tempt in with fresh additions.
But day-one players revolted over the move to cull...
AU Deals: Save $110 on this Super Fast 320Hz Gigabyte Monitor, Score a Free Copy of Street Fighter 6
Looking to give your battlestation a massive visual upgrade? Right now, Gigabyte is serving up a tidy A$110 discount on the Gigabyte M27Q3 27-inch gaming monitor over on PLE Computers. And until October 15, snagging this budget-friendly beast also nets you a digital copy of Street
Fighter 6: Years 1-2 Fighters Edition entirely for free.
Whether you are climbing the competitive ranks or exploring visually rich single-player worlds, you will get buttery-smooth, tear-free gameplay thanks to the M27Q3s impressive 320Hz capable refresh rate, alongside G-Sync / FreeSync compatibility. It also includes a handy built-in KVM switch, letting you seamlessly control multiple devices (like a desktop PC and a work laptop) with just one keyboard...
Halo fans are divided on whether or not Activision should completely reboot the franchise or keep Master Chief's story going.
A rumor floating around the internet from a user named TechnicalHalo suggests that Activision will totally reboot the series, throwing all of the lore out the window in favor of a fresh start. We advise you take this with a grain of salt, as we have no idea what Activision's plans are for Halo, but it has started an interesting conversation among fans. Should Activision use its first Halo game to create a clean slate for the beloved sci-fi franchise?
A segment of fans are under the impression that, although Halo has gone off the rails in the last decade, there are still some elements from the newer games that...
When developers show off their games, they tend to defeat the enemy AI in spectacular fashion. But that’s exactly the opposite of what happens in the gameplay King Art Games just released for its upcoming real-time strategy game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4.
In the video, below, creative director Jan Theysen and senior game designer Elliott Verbiest team up against Hard AI Orks in a 2v2 Team Skirmish PvE battle. These two developers have been at the helm of pretty much all the Dawn of War 4 battlefield report videos released so far. But those previous gameplay videos focus on PvP; this time, Theysen and Verbiest join forces to face the enemy AI — and they decide to go up against hard mode.
The video shows two matches, the first of...