Gaming News

Microsoft Makes First Xbox Game Pass Lineup Announcement Since Raising the Price of Ultimate

Microsoft has made its first Xbox Game Pass lineup announcement since its controversial decision to raise the price of the Ultimate subscription. Last week, Microsoft sparked a backlash with its decision to raise the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $19.99 a month to $29.99 a month (a 50% increase that amounts to an extra $120 a year). To justify the price hike, Microsoft upped the number of day one releases per year to 75, and added Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics for the first time ever. There were also upgrades to Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming quality. Microsoft insisted the new $30 a month Ultimate price reflects “the expanded catalog, new partner benefits, and upgraded cloud gaming experience.” But that didn’t stop fans...

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Silent Hill f Hides a Special Easter Egg in Plain Sight

While at first glance it may not look like there are many links between Silent Hill f and the Silent Hill games that preceded it, someone has discovered a cheeky little Easter egg hidden in plain sight. As shared by Frankielollia on TikTok and one of her livestream viewers, during Hinako's exploration of the Ebisugaoka Middle School, you'll hear someone tinkling the ivories before opening the stairway door to the second floor. And it's in one of these second-floor rooms that you'll find a nod to the original game: a sheet of music displaying the opening notes of the original Silent Hill's main theme. As someone who can't read music, I missed this entirely on my first playthrough, but Frankielollia happened to be streaming when someone...

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The Only Way to Get 2XKO's Arcane Skins for Vi, Jinx, and Ekko Is to Pay for a $100 Bundle

Riot’s free-to-download League of Legends fighting game 2XKO is out now in early access, and the launch has brought with it various bundles, including one based on much-loved animation Arcane that costs a whopping $100. Fans who want the Arcane skins for Vi, Jinx, and Ekko must buy the $100 Ultra Starter Edition. There is no way to buy the skins for each character individually. The bundle includes the aforementioned Arcane skins, all Arcane skin chromas, an Arcane sticker set, 5,000 KO points (the in-game currency), plus everything in the cheaper Deluxe and Standard bundles. As you'd expect, all the contents amounts to more than $100 in terms of the individual value of what's included here, but that hasn’t stopped some fans from...

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Little Nightmares 3 Review

Many of us have recurring nightmares from time to time, whether it’s the one where you go to school naked, or the one where all your teeth fall out, or indeed the one where you go to school naked and all your teeth fall out. However, Little Nightmares 3 isn’t the kind of recurring nightmare that’s likely to keep you awake at night. Instead, this puzzle-platforming sequel feels like a surprisingly uninspired retread of the two shadow-soaked stories that preceded it, and its only noteworthy new addition, a co-op mode, doesn’t shake up the formula to any substantial degree. I went into Little Nightmares 3 steeling myself for a traumatic twilight trip scary enough to make me sit bolt upright in bed, but instead it left me feeling calm...

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Yooka-Replaylee Review

Despite all of their outdated issues, I have a soft spot for 3D platformers that makes itself known whenever something like Super Mario Odyssey finds a clever way to breathe new life back into the genre. Yooka-Replaylee, which remixes a platformer that was already soggy with nostalgia, doesn’t get anywhere near that bar, but it does at least succeed in making the cute-but-forgettable adventure of 2017’s Yooka-Laylee into something more competent. My biggest gripes with the original, including camera issues, sloppy controls, and a lack of fast travel, have all been addressed, with lots of fat and ideas that didn’t work being thrown out as well. But there’s also an odd Frankenstein quality to this reworked creation, a surprising number of...

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Is Getting a Free Update Featuring New Dungeon, Enemies, Bosses, and Costumes

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has officially sold five million copies since launch, and developer Sandfall Interactive is celebrating by teasing an upcoming free update that will include a new dungeon, enemies, bosses, and more. Sandfall said the update was currently in development for all platforms but failed to specify when we might see it. “We hope the update we’re working on will act as a ‘thank you’ to those fans for their support – please be patient while our team work hard on bringing you something worth the wait," said creative director Guillaume Broche. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 free update contents: A new, playable environment, taking the characters of Expedition 33 to a brand-new location with new enemy encounters and...

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Dead Space Fans Blast Cardboard Isaac Clarke's 'Absurd' $35 Pricetag in Free-to-Play Skate

Dead Space fans have reacted in dismay at the cost of cosplaying as series star Isaac Clarke in EA's new free-to-play Skate, which is currently available in early access. Skate's new Isaac Clarke bundle, which includes a homemade-style cardboard Isaac Clarke costume for your skater, a themed skateboard, the Necro Stomp emote and a bunch of stickers, is priced at 3,350 San Van Bucks — Skate's in-game currency. A pack of 2,800 San Van Bucks costs $25, while a 500 San Van Bucks pack costs $5. Inconveniently, buying these will leave you needing another 50 Van Bucks — so you'll need another 500 pack ($5), making for a minimum total spend of $35. (There is at least a USG Ishimura T-shirt for free.) While Skate is a free-to-play game...

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Borderlands 4 Dataminer Unearths Evidence to Suggest a Much-Maligned Borderlands 3 Character Was Cut and Replaced Late in Development

A Borderlands 4 dataminer has found evidence to suggest that one of the most hated characters from Borderlands 3 was cut and replaced relatively late in development. Warning! Spoilers for Borderlands 3 and 3 follow: Borderlands modder and dataminer EpicNNG took to social media to confidently proclaim that Borderlands 3 NPC Ava was cut from Borderlands 4, based on their discovery of files related to her in the game, and replaced by the more popular Borderlands 3 playable character Amara. “This means yes, she was originally going to team up with Zane to help save Lilith,” EpicNNG said. “She was also going to be accompanied by Hermes, and be hanging out around Sanctuary 3 where it crash landed,” EpicNNG continued. “There are also...

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Call of Duty vs Battlefield War Ramps Up as Activision Readies Black Ops 6 Free Trial — Which Includes Full Access to the Campaign for the First Time

Activision has announced an eye-catching free trial of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 that just so happens to clash with the launch week of rival first-person shooter Battlefield 6. The week-long free trial of Black Ops 6, which includes full access to the campaign for the first time ever, as well as all of Multiplayer (excluding Ranked Play) and Zombies, kicks off at 9am PT on October 9 — just a day before Battlefield 6’s October 10 release date — and ends 10am PT on October 16. The Black Ops 6 trial even includes new content from The Haunting update, like the Gravity, Rig, and Mothball Multiplayer maps, Haunted Havoc Zombies limited-time mode, and more. While Activision hasn’t come out and said this trial is a direct attack on EA’s...

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Battlefield 6 Is Out in 2 Days and All Fans Can Talk About Is the Open vs. Closed Weapon Debate

The long wait for Battlefield 6 is nearly over, but that isn’t stopping fans from arguing about whether multiplayer is better with Open or Closed Weapon classes. EA and the four-company team at Battlefield Studios will let loose their new entry in the large-scale military shooter series this Friday, October 10, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S (find out when, exactly, here). Along with a new campaign, guns, gadgets, and maps, the developers behind Battlefield 6 have told fans to look forward to a return to form following the disappointment that was Battlefield 2042. Beta and Battlefield Labs players have largely come away excited for what Battlefield 6 promises, but the debate surrounding Open and Closed Weapons is the...

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World of Warcraft: Midnight Developer Q&A: Raids, Housing, Add-ons, Delves, and More

World of Warcraft: Midnight is creeping closer, with an alpha test rolling out to select players over the last week, press previews now in the wild, and plenty of interviews, Q&As, and discussions revealing loads of new details about the upcoming expansion. As a part of that cycle, I was able to speak to four of the expansion's lead developers about...well, everything! My interview with the team took place in two parts. In the first half, I spoke with design director Maria Hamilton and associate game director Paul Kubit. In the second half, I chatted with lead UX designer Crash Reed and senior game director Ion Hazzikostas. I had a lot of questions that could have been answered by either pair, so I ended up dividing them into topics...

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Score the Delightful Split Fiction at a Discount During Prime Big Deal Days

There have been some excellent video game deals to check out during this first day of Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale event. One of our favorite video games of this year, Split Fiction, is even on sale right now as part of it. If its been on your radar, there's no better time to pick it up. At the moment, the PS5 version of Split Fiction is the only copy that's part of Prime Big Deal Days, with a Prime-exclusive price of $39.99 (20% off). However, the Switch 2 and Xbox Series X versions are also discounted right now outside of the sale for Prime members, with the former down to $39.99, too, and the latter even lower to $24.98 (50% off). These are some great prices for such a fantastic game, so head to the links below to add this...

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Star Wars Outlaws Drops to Just $25 During Prime Big Deal Days

It's only the first day of Prime Big Deal Days and we've already seen some stellar discounts on video games. One of the best game deals to cross our radar during this sale is on Star Wars Outlaws, which has dropped to just $25 for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. This is a 64% discount from its original retail price of $69.99, and it even marks a new all-time low price for the PS5 version, which is worth taking advantage of. Keep in mind that Prime Big Deal Days only lasts through tomorrow, October 8, so if Star Wars Outlaws has been on your list to add to your library, now is the time to jump on it. Prime Big Deal Days: Star Wars Outlaws for $25 Star Wars Outlaws is a game we had a good time with, in case you're still on the...

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The Predator Is Coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone — but Fans Wish They Could Carry Him Forward Into Black Ops 7

The Predator is coming back to Call of Duty, 11 years after he appeared in 2014’s Call of Duty: Ghost. Activision confirmed the arrival of the Predator in Black Ops 6 and Warzone Season 6 as part of the seasonal Haunting event on October 9. It’s a well-timed operator skin that coincides with the release of Dan Trachtenberg’s upcoming Predator: Badlands movie. Based on the solitary image we have to work with, below, the Predator coming to Call of Duty is not Dek, the underdog Yautja “runt” who stars as the protagonist in Badlands, but a Predator reminiscent of those in the original Predator movies. Season 6 launches shortly after the ongoing Black Ops 7 beta ends on October 9 (it just got extended by 24 hours). Expect more...

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Civilization 7 Has Crashed to Less Than $15 on Xbox for October Prime Day

Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale event has officially kicked off for Prime members, and there's already so much to look through. In particular, quite a few video game deals have popped up during the sale event, and this discount on Sid Meier's Civilization VII for Xbox Series X was one that immediately caught our eye (see it here at Amazon). Save 81% on Civilization 7 for Xbox Series X Right now, Prime members can save a whopping 81% (yes, you read that correctly) on Civilization VII for Xbox Series X, which has dropped its price from $69.99 to $13.25. This is the lowest price it's ever been - in comparison to its lowest-ever price outside of Prime-exclusive sale events like this one - so now is as good a time as any to grab it for...

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PlayStation Plus Extra Reportedly Gets Silent Hill 2 Remake Later This Month

Last year's celebrated Silent Hill 2 Remake will join the PlayStation Plus Extra catalogue later this month, it's been reported. Via Dealabs, reliable tipster Billbil-kun has stated that the Silent Hill 2 Remake will become available via PlayStation Plus Extra on October 21. The game would be an extra treat — well timed for the spooky season — on top of the three monthly games currently on offer to all PlayStation Plus subscribers: Alan Wake 2, Goat Simulator 3 and Cocoon. Silent Hill 2 Remake's apparent arrival on PlayStation Plus Extra would come just after the game's first anniversary (it launched for PC and PS5 in October 2024), and amid a swirl of rumors surrounding new content for the game, including its unannounced but...

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The Best Handheld Gaming PCs to Take Your Games on the Go

Valve might have kicked off the whole portable PC craze with the Steam Deck, but these days it's far from the only game in town. Handheld rigs are popping up everywhere, and the competition is getting spicy. Once upon a time the Asus ROG Ally X stole the crown with its zippy performance, speedy memory, and a battery that actually lasted a decent stretch. Now though, a new contender is flexing its muscles: the Lenovo Legion Go S (Z1 Extreme, SteamOS). And with the Xbox Ally X moving into the scene, the road ahead is looking packed with choices. So whether you're eyeing off the Deck or sniffing around for a worthy alternative, we've rounded up some cracking handheld PCs that can smash through the latest PC titles - just don't expect them...

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Bungie's Ready To Invite Players To Try Another Slice of Sci-Fi Shooter Marathon Via a New Closed Technical Test

Bungie's beleaguered sci-fi shooter, Marathon, is ready for another technical test and is inviting players to get involved. The test — a limited, invite-only playtest for players in North America and Europe on PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and Steam — will be playable under a non-disclosure agreement (NDA_ and run from October 22-28. "This is an important checkpoint for us as we test our improvements since Alpha, including three maps, five runner shells, prox chat, re-tuned combat pacing, solo queue, deeper environmental storytelling, and more," the Sony-owned studio wrote. "That said, the Technical Test build is a work in progress and will only include a portion of what’s planned for Marathon’s full release, focused on the early player...

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Beta Extended by 24 Hours, Ends Just a Day Before the Battlefield 6 Release Date

Good news, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 fans — Activision has extended its open beta to run an additional 24 hours to October 9, taking it right up to competitor Battlefield 6's release, which is slated for October 10. "The reaction to the Black Ops 7 Beta so far has been awesome to see! Whether you’re calling in Nukes in Multiplayer or going for high rounds in Zombies Survival, there’s plenty to jump into and we've had a ton of fun playing alongside everyone," Activision wrote in its latest blog. "On behalf of all of us at Treyarch, we’re truly grateful for your feedback so far... and speaking of which, we heard you might want a little more, so we’re extending the Black Ops 7 Beta to 9am PT on Thursday, October 9!" The beta now...

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Battlefield 6 Leaks Seem Unstoppable as Players Report Receiving Copies Days Before Launch

Battlefield 6 has suffered numerous leaks throughout 2025, and now, just three days before launch, the game itself may have leaked its way into the public’s hands, too. Reddit users grecea_vlad and SS-Enter-Thighs shared they had recently managed to secure early copies, posting images of what seem to be Phantom Edition versions of the game that have been unintentionally released days before Battlefield 6’s October 10 release date. Box art highlighted in both posts features labels from the European video game ratings board, PEGI, suggesting both copies were sold by European retailers. It’s unclear which store(s) could be responsible for the alleged leak or how pre-release copies of Battlefield 6 could have slipped through the cracks...

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Megabonk - Quick Review

Megabonk is a 3D survivors-like with a very specific sense of humor that has been getting a lot of buzz lately. I've played about 15 hours as of writing this, so while this quick look is more meant to share my early impressions across that time rather than being a full, scored review, I’ve already done plenty worth talking about. There is still a fair bit I haven't seen, but I got a little more than half the achievements and unlockables in that time, and I have been enjoying myself a lot. Adding an extra axis of movement does a lot to set it apart, and it's more than competent at all the usual conventions of the genre already. If you've played these kinds of games before, the basics are pretty much the same. You run around and fight...

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World of Warcraft Leads Say the Worldsoul Saga Will Eventually Address the Sword of Sargeras: 'Metzen Promised and Metzen Doesn't Lie'

There's an elephant in the room in every discussion of World of Warcraft's upcoming expansion, Midnight. Or should I say, a sword. A really, really big sword. I'm talking about the Sword of Sargeras, an absolutely colossal weapon bigger than a mountain that Sargeras stabbed into the planet several expansions ago and has since just been sitting there, unaddressed, probably doing something awful to the planet. For years now, WoW fans have been asking if we were ever going to, you know, do something about that. And Blizzard has been very, very coy when asked. But answers are coming, says game director Ion Hazzikostas, if not in Midnight, then at least by the end of the Worldsoul Saga. As a recap, the Sword of Sargeras is the sword of...

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Select PS5 Games Are on Sale at Amazon Ahead of Prime Big Deal Days, Including Death Stranding 2

The Prime Big Deal Days sale event at Amazon is set to kick off tomorrow, but the good news is that there's already plenty of excellent early deals to explore before the event officially starts. Among them is a selection of PlayStation 5 video game deals, which even includes Death Stranding 2: On The Beach. Kojima's latest is currently at its lowest price yet at the retailer, down to $49.99, so there's no better time to scoop it up if its been on your radar. There are also some fantastic offers available on Returnal, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Demon's Souls (which are all over 50% off) and a few more. Have a look through the discounted selection below to add some to your library, and check out Amazon's deal page here to see the...

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The Best Aussie Amazon Prime Big Deal Days 2025 Bargains - Day 1

After many days of leaked early savings, Prime Big Day Deals is officially underway! Now's the time to keep your eyes locked on my extensive lists below, as they're your best means to score great prices on the games that matter (and a bunch of other gear). After nearly five years of covering these events, you'd better believe I've got the nose needed to bargain hunt down the absolute cheapest must-buys available on any given day. One quick note for the latecomers: to get the most out of this event, you'll probably want to use Amazon Australia's free with a 30-day trial membership. Free shipping is always worth the extra clicks and typing. It can also be easily cancelled for no cost once you've had your fill. Table of Contents...

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NVIDIA and CD Projekt Red Discuss the Present and Future of PC Gaming

It’s no secret that PC gaming is constantly evolving, with more developers focusing on it as their platform of choice and technological advancements allowing them to make games that look and run at a level that would have been unthinkable 10 years ago. With that in mind, IGN sat down with NVIDIA and CD Projekt Red to chat about the current state of PC gaming, the games that best showcase the latest tech advancements, and the challenges and opportunities that could help define the future of PC gaming. NVIDIA introduced a host of advancements earlier this year, starting with the launch of DLSS 4 alongside its GeForce RTX 50-Series hardware, which uses AI-powered rendering to enhance visuals and improve performance. It offers improved...

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Battlefield 6 Day One Patch Includes Changes to Movement, Weapon Recoil, Rush, and More

EA and Battlefield Studios have previewed some of the gameplay tweaks and balance changes coming with the Battlefield 6 day one patch. Information about the first patch for this week’s long-awaited back-to-basics Battlefield game was outlined in a post on its official website today. It comes with a breakdown from the team explaining how their pre-release Battlefield Labs and beta tests helped them prepare for launch, with the first Battlefield 6 patch set to provide an even more stable foundation. Those who played the Battlefield 6 open beta in August will notice several fundamental changes to how the DICE, Criterion, Ripple Effect, and Motive-developed game feels after its day one patch is downloaded. Today’s first look at the...

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Assassin's Creed Mirage's Saudi-Backed Valley of Memory Expansion Looks a Generous Free Side-Quest — Though Not One Many Fans Would Have Asked For

Ask a fan if they want to see more of Assassin's Creed Mirage hero Basim, and you'll likely get a resounding yes in response. One of the most intriguing characters in the franchise's recent history, Basim already ranks among the few of its hooded heroes to appear in multiple games — in 2020's Valhalla as a central figure, and then in 2023's Mirage which featured a younger version of the character as its star. The fate of Basim post-Valhalla remains a signficant hanging plot thread, while fans have also yearned to see more of the character between the events of the two games (such as his meeting with Valhalla character Sigurd in Constantinople, centuries before Ezio visited the city). But Ubisoft seems uninterested in entertaining...

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Crimson Desert Is This Month’s IGN First, Check Out 11 Minutes of New Quest Gameplay

The wild and expansive open-world adventure, Crimson Desert, is the focus of October’s IGN First. As is tradition, we’re kicking off a month of exclusive content with a brand new gameplay video. Above, you can watch a playthrough of The Captured Fortress, one of Crimson Desert’s faction quests, in which you help Duke Wells retake his castle from rebel forces. This 11 minute-long video showcases a number of Crimson Desert’s key features. First and foremost, of course, is combat. Ever since we first played Crimson Desert at Gamescom 2024, we’ve known that developer Pearl Abyss has been assembling something special when it comes to battle, and here you can see protagonist Kliff making use of a wide array of abilities. Among our favourites...

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Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 Pops Up on ESRB Website

A listing for the unannounced Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 has appeared online. The website for the Entertainment Software Rating Board has a listing for Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, which is set for release on Windows PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. Its publisher is listed as Daybreak Game Company LLC, which owns Cold Iron Studios, developer of the first game. As you’d expect, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is rated M for Mature 17+ by the ESRB, with “Blood and Gore, Strong Language, and Violence.” Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a cooperative third-person survival shooter which drops players into the role of a Colonial Marine aboard the USS Endeavor, recently tasked with answering a distress call from the outer colonies. It was...

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After A Epic Journey Lasting Almost 15 Years, YouTuber KurtJMac Has Finally Reached Minecraft's Far Lands

It's taken 14-and-a-half years, but Minecraft YouTuber KurtJMac has finally reached the Far Lands. In an attempt so bodacious it even has its own Wikipedia page, KurtJMac kicked off his journey back in March 2011 after Minecraft creator Markus Persson suggested it was "impossible" to get there. And while KurtJMac may not be the first person to have reached the outer edges of the procedurally generated world, his attempt is one of the most famous, taking almost 15 years to achieve and crossing the line on October 4. He even holds a Guinness World Record for the Longest Journey in Minecraft without using cheats or exploits, and has raised over half a million dollars for charity. The Far Lands technically no longer exist, having been...

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