Gaming News

After the Week Microsoft Had You'd Be Forgiven for Believing a Rumor That Xbox Had Canceled Its Next-Gen Hardware Plans, but the Company Insists It's

Microsoft has issued a statement insisting it remains committed to Xbox consoles after a fresh rumor that it planned to exit the hardware business. The rumor emerged from an alleged insider who claimed Microsoft’s Xbox hardware plans had become less sure and that the future of Xbox was software publishing — a common suggestion on social media and on forums. But Microsoft issued a statement over the weekend countering that rumor, telling Windows Central: "We are actively investing in our future first-party consoles and devices designed, engineered and built by Xbox. For more details, the community can revisit our agreement announcement with AMD." The rumor and Microsoft’s statement came after a bruising week in which the company was...

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97% of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Beta Cheaters Were Caught 'Within 30 Minutes of Signing In,' Activision Says

97% of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 cheaters were caught within 30 minutes of signing into the beta, Activision has said. The mega publisher said that its anti-cheat effort, dubbed Team Ricochet, "hit the ground running," and that "fewer than 1% of cheating attempts reached a match." "Cheaters were expected. But our upgraded systems caught them faster than ever, powered by strengthened TPM 2.0 checks and automated systems helping to eliminate a large number of attempts to cheat," Activision explained. "Those who did manage to slip through didn’t last long. Most never made it into a match. "You may have seen clips of cheaters in the Black Ops 7 Beta. We had already actioned on most of those accounts before they hit social media. We’re...

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Microsoft Confirms It Scrapped the Xbox Game Pass Discount on All Games and DLC Purchases, Gives Subscribers More Rewards Points Instead

Microsoft has confirmed it has scrapped the Xbox Game Pass discount on DLC purchases. Instead, it’s giving subscribers more points for use in its Rewards scheme. Last week, as part of controversial changes made to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft was found to have pulled the 10% discount on DLC for Game Pass games that Ultimate subscribers were able to get, seemingly in favor of its new Rewards scheme. The news first emerged when the Call of Duty community noticed that Ultimate subscribers were no longer eligible for 10% off COD Points purchases as well as Blackcell, the more expensive version of Call of Duty’s battle pass that can only be bought directly with real world money for $29.99. The discount was seen as highly valuable for fans who...

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Kingmakers Delayed Indefinitely As Developer Says It Needs 'More Time Before We Feel Good About Charging Money For It'

Redemption Road has delayed its shooter strategy game Kingmakers indefinitely, saying it needs "a little bit more time on content polish before we feel good about charging money for it." In a statement posted to social media on October 3, the studio said the October 8 release date was now "no longer possible," and apologized to players, adding: "we are sorry for letting you down." Kingmakers features a soldier who travels back to Medieval England, hoping to "change the course of a bloody war" to avert the apocalypse. According to the official release, it will be a "fully real-time simulation with thousands of soldiers fighting simultaneously" utilizing "next-gen multi-threaded AI." Kingmakers' announcement trailer was a viral hit...

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Battlefield 6 Global Release Times Confirmed

EA has confirmed the global release times for Battlefield 6. EA's first-person shooter has an October 10 release date, with pre-loads available now across all platforms except the Epic Games Store. Season 1, Battlefield 6's first major free update, kicks off on October 28 and releases in three phases: Rogue Ops, which brings new map Blackwell Fields, new weapons, and a new 4v4 mode called Strikepoint; California Resistance, which introduces new SoCal map Eastwood and a 8v8 mode called Sabotage — that's coming on November 18; and the final phase of the first season, Winter Offensive, which rolls out on December 9. That includes "seasonal map" Empire State and an unannounced themed event. There is no early access for players buying the...

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The Best Deals Today: Split Fiction, Razer Huntsman Keyboard, M3 MacBook Air, and More

We've rounded up the best deals for Saturday, October 4, below, so don't miss out on these limited-time offers. Split Fiction for $29.99 Xbox fans, the best deal of the weekend is for you. Split Fiction is available for just $29.99, and it's hard to beat that price. This is still one of the best games of 2025, and it's perfect for both hardcore players and even those who rarely play games. Apple 2024 MacBook Air 15-inch Laptop with M3 chip Amazon has the M3 MacBook Air available for just $1099, marking a $600 discount. This laptop packs in 24GB of unified memory, 512GB of SSD storage, and a 15.3-inch display. Powered by the M3 chip, this is a laptop that is capable of anything you throw at it. Razer Huntsman V2 TKL Keyboard for...

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Phantom Blade Zero Is A Delightfully Punishing Action-RPG

Often, we attach a certain descriptor to the fans of particular gaming genres. Someone might be a shooter aficionado or a puzzle expert, maybe a sports enthusiast, each eliciting a certain image that we might associate with a particular audience. Then there are the lovers of tough action games, those of us who take joy in friction, revel in the struggle. Or as we like to call ourselves, sickos. At Tokyo Game Show 2025, this sicko went hands-on with Phantom Blade 0, the highly anticipated upcoming action RPG from S-Game. With an arsenal of ferocious weapons, brutal finishers, and savage enemies, it has all the makings of a bloody good time. After an hour of uninterrupted combat, boss battles, and more than a few deaths, I came away with...

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Multiplayer Review in Progress - Beta Impressions

I look forward to the Call of Duty multiplayer beta each fall in the same way I look forward to the return of pumpkin spice lattes: I know exactly what I'm in for, and I always savor that first warm, familiar sip. This year's closed beta is the blast of violent, nutmeg-infused flavor I've been looking for since that first northerly chill swept across the land, and while it definitely feels like the CoD I’ve come to expect, there are a few new features I'm already really enjoying and a few more I'm really looking forward to unlocking. I installed the beta Thursday afternoon and had planned to play it well into the night, rallying my dedicated group of Call of Duty friends (the Beef Lords) to join in on the fun. In fact, playing with...

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World of Warcraft's Next Expansion Is Seemingly About to Kill the Game's Biggest Mods

With World of Warcraft: Midnight, Blizzard is getting ready to make good on a major change to the game teased earlier this year: making some of the numerous mods, or add-ons, players love to use to enhance their play obsolete. But Blizzard isn't just adding features to make the game's combat add-ons redundant -- it's also preparing to remove the functionality of those add-ons altogether, and players are none too happy. The conversation around WoW's add-on problem began back in April, when we spoke to game director Ion Hazzikostas about a new "one-button rotation" feature coming to the game that would allow players to automatically use the optimal next combat ability with the push of a single button. This, along with some other...

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Every God of War Game on PS5 in 2025

It's hard to deny the massive effect the God of War franchise has had on the gaming landscape. Kratos' initial Greek-inspired revenge story was one of the best PS2 games of all time, while his powerful redemption arc in the more recent Norse soft reboot earned first place on our list of best PS4 games. I'd go so far as to say Kratos is one of PlayStation's most recognizable mascots. If you're looking to catch up on all of the adventures Kratos has taken, or simply want to revisit the God of War games you loved in the past, you'll be able to play most of them on your current-gen PlayStation 5. Here's what you need to know. How Many God of War Games Are There on PlayStation 5? God of War: Ragnarok is the only game in the series that...

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The Two-Man Dev Team of Shrine’s Legacy Discusses Its Retro Inspirations, Gameplay, Narrative, and More

Shrine’s Legacy is a 16-bit action RPG that releases on PC on October 7. It tells the story of young heroes Rio and Reima as they try to banish an ancient evil and save the world. Take one look at screenshots and you can tell the game’s aesthetic was inspired by the SNES era of RPGs. The whole game can be played solo or in two-person co-op, either through couch co-op or online via Remote Play or Parsec. If you play co-op, each of you controls either Rio (a melee fighter) or Reima (a ranged mage). If you play solo, you can swap between the two characters at any time, with AI taking over whichever one you’re not controlling. The game was primarily made by the two-man dev team of longtime friends Alan Gabbard and Joseph Duke, with some...

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Microsoft Appears to Have Quietly Ditched the 10% Xbox Game Pass DLC Discount — Including for COD Points — This Week

As part of controversial changes made to Xbox Game Pass this week, Microsoft has pulled the 10% discount on DLC for Game Pass games that Ultimate subscribers were able to get, seemingly in favor of its new Rewards scheme. The news first emerged when the Call of Duty community noticed that Ultimate subscribers were no longer eligible for 10% off COD Points purchases as well as Blackcell, the more expensive version of Call of Duty’s battle pass that can only be bought directly with real world money for $29.99. The discount was seen as highly valuable for fans who play Call of Duty via Game Pass. CharlieIntel first spotted the change in the U.S., and IGN has verified the discount is no longer available in the UK. IGN has asked Microsoft...

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Nioh 3 Is Up for Preorder – Releasing February 6, 2026

Following its reveal at Sony's State of Play back in June, Nioh 3 is now available to preorder. With a release date of February 6 next year, the game can be preordered as both a Standard Edition for PS5 or as a Launch Edition steelbook, each with a $69.99 price tag. The latter even comes with a few added bonuses alongside its sleek steelbook case, which is a nice treat for fans. Below we've broken down where you can preorder a copy of Nioh 3 right now, what preorder bonuses come with it, and what extras come with the Launch Edition steelbook. Preorder Nioh 3 Alongside the base game, the Launch Edition steelbook of Nioh 3 comes with a bonus DLC code for the Lucky Tanuki Netsuke Charm and Kusanagi Netsuke Charm, and the steelbook case...

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99 Nights in the Forest Codes (October 2025)

Last checked for 99 Nights in the Forest codes: 3rd October, 2025. 99 Nights in the Forest is a survival horror Roblox experience that will see you scavenging for supplies by day and protecting your camp at night. While the main aim is to explore the forest and rescue four missing children, it's not quite as simple as it seems. Entities will stalk you at night, and there's the addition of cultists that will periodically visit your camp and attack. Updates often bring new enemies to contend with and new ways to enhance your base. One of the earliest updates that the popular experience launched was the Classes Update. There are now over 20 classes in 99 Nights, all with their own perks. To buy new classes, you need Diamonds, and that's...

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'We're Taking Your Concerns Very Seriously but There Are No Easy Solutions' — Arrowhead Explains Why the Helldivers 2 Installation Size Is So Big on P

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Studios still doesn't have a solution for the shooter's groaning installation size on PC — but it is working on it. In an update posted to Steam earlier today, Arrowhead's deputy technical director, Brendan Armstrong, penned the first in a series of posts in which the engineering team talks about the "technical health" of the game, as well as the "technical challenges we're working through." Admitting that the installation size "seems to be a hot topic right now" — at 150GB, Helldivers 2 takes up three times the space on PC than it does on console — the developer revealed that one of the reasons the PC size is so much bigger is because of data duplication and mechanical hard drives. "The main issue...

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The Voice Behind Mortal Kombat's 'Toasty!' Is Leaving NetherRealm

Few games have given us as many iconic one-liners as NetherRealm's fighting franchise, Mortal Kombat, but this week we've learned that the voice behind one of the most famous — "Toasty!" — is leaving the studio. Audio director Dan Forden worked at Midway and its successor NetherRealm Studios since 1989, most famously on the Mortal Kombat franchise. It's his voice we hear cry "Toasty!" in falsetto when we pull off an impressive uppercut. First appearing in 1993's Mortal Kombat II, Toasty went on to become one of the most recognizable lines of dialogue in all video games. Now, however, Forden is leaving NetherRealm, writing in a heartfelt message on social media that he was "really proud of what [the studio] accomplished." "Wednesday...

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Cheaters Have Come for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Beta, as Activision Said They Would

The Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta is live now, and as Activision expected, cheaters have descended upon it. Earlier this week, Activision said it was well aware that cheaters would strike the beta, as they have previous Call of Duty betas, but welcomed the onslaught that was to come. “Cheaters will try to test the limits during the beta,” Activision said. “That’s exactly what we want because #TeamRICOCHET is here, watching, learning, and removing them as they appear. Any account permanently banned for cheating during the Beta will be banned across all Call of Duty titles, from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to future releases.” Activision had highlighted its new aimbot detection, which it said is “one of the strongest detection...

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Borderlands 4 Patch Makes Big Balance Changes, With All Vault Hunters Getting Buffs

Borderlands 4 developer Gearbox has released the looter shooter’s first big balance update since it came out, and it makes a number of significant buffs across the board. In a blog post, Gearbox said its goal is to “always provide players with the tools and means to build their perfect Vault Hunter,” and it wants players to experiment and craft theories for builds by combining different gear, firmware, skills, and specialization trees. To that end, it’s focused on creating greater build diversity by adjusting underperforming skills. Amon, the Vault Hunter considered by most to be weakest in the game, gets buffs that bring him closer to the other playable characters. Elsewhere, Vex's summons and Rafa's melee power were adjusted to...

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I’m Getting Bored of Every PlayStation Game Telling the Same Story

I’m a huge fan of PlayStation’s first-party offerings. They’ve come to embody the sort of cinematic adventures I’ve always looked for when sitting down with a controller in my hand, feeling like genuine blockbuster events meant to be savoured. But where in the past this brand of glossy storytelling felt like new ground being trodden, I can’t help but feel that recently it's become the well-worn road. It’s not just that all of PlayStation’s major releases adhere to the now-trademark third-person, cinematic stylings – the stable of developers has become seemingly obsessed with stories that explore the exact same themes: grief and revenge. And I’m starting to get tired of it. As a rule, these games are all impeccably well made, but I’m...

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Starbreeze Cancels Co-Op Dungeons & Dragons Game Project Baxter, Lays Off Developers, and Doubles Down on Payday

Starbreeze has canceled Project Baxter, its co-op Dungeons & Dragons game, laid off a significant portion of its development team, and announced plans to double down on its Payday franchise. Project Baxter was announced in December 2023 as an Unreal Engine 5 D&D game that would “carry the signature Starbreeze cornerstones of co-operative multiplayer, lifetime commitment through a Games as a Service-model, community engagement and a larger than life experience.” The plan then was to launch Project Baxter on all major platforms in 2026 with crossplay. But news has been scarce, with a social media post showing off a single in-engine image in September 2024. In November last year, Starbreeze said it was still hiring for Project Baxter...

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AU Deals: Extra Early Gaming Gems From the Amazon Prime Big Deal Days Sale

I keep telling myself I'll ease up on game spending, but then an Amazon Prime event comes along that feels like highway robbery in my favour. Today is one of those days, though the sale hasn't technically kicked off yet. Even still, there's something for every taste, from Mushroom Kingdom nostalgia to neon-drenched cyberpunk futures. Contents Retro Nintendo Xbox PlayStation PC PC Gear LEGO This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro news, I'm letting the flames from a Lamborghini Aventador's exhaust light this 11-candle cake baked for Forza Horizon 2. When FH2 roared onto Xbox 360 and Xbox One, it felt like the moment the Horizon festival truly hit its stride, ditching the tighter Colorado roads of the experimental first game for wide-open...

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This Xbox Generation Will Be Remembered for One Thing: Greed

Phil Spencer has been the head of Xbox (now officially the CEO of Microsoft Gaming) for over a decade now. And up until very recently, I’d argue that under his watch, the brand really did put players first, even if Xbox has continued to lose market share to PlayStation. As a reminder: Phil immediately unbundled the Kinect from the Xbox One, removing the $100 albatross weighing the console down. His first big initiative as boss was championing backwards compatibility, which is inarguably a huge success. FPS Boost on Xbox Series later made many of those old games run even better. He dragged Sony kicking and screaming into normalizing cross-play. The Xbox One X one-upped the PS4 Pro by offering true, native 4K. And Xbox gaming has...

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New Hell Clock Guides, Builds, and Database on Maxroll

Hell Clock is a Roguelike Action RPG developed by the Brazilian indie studio Rogue Snail and published by Mad Mushroom. Drawing inspiration from the ARPG greats like Diablo, Path of Exile, and Grim Dawn while packaging everything in a highly replayable roguelike formula, Gell Clock provides a great middle ground for people who want to experience the power fantasy of an ARPG without having to grind for hundreds of hours every season. Patch 1.1, the Clockmaker’s Tools, is Hell Clock’s largest update yet. This patch brings crafting to Hell Clock, allowing you to modify the affixes on your Relics, craft powerful new Imbuements and corrupt Relics (the ultimate risk and reward). Tool of Tinkering randomizes 1 primary or secondary affix...

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Pragmata Developers Say They ‘Couldn’t Predict’ Real-Life AI’s Growth When They First Conceived The Game's Story

Capcom's upcoming new IP, Pragmata, features a main antagonist that's really a rogue AI on the moon making the life of a spaceman and his android buddy difficult. But as much as artificial intelligence is in the news lately, especially in gaming, the developers of Pragmata say they had absolutely no idea it would be such a hot topic when they started developing the game. Speaking to me at Tokyo Game Show 2025, game director Cho Yonghee and producer Naoto Oyama tell me that the concept for Pragmata simply came from Yonghee thinking about the moon, and asking the team to brainstorm ideas for a game set on the moon. From there, developers pitched a "black and white world" on the moon, and the concept of the enemy being AI came later. But...

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World of Warcraft: Midnight – The First Hands-On Preview

In the intro cinematic for World of Warcraft: Midnight, Lady Liadrin of the blood elves was joined by a conspicuously anonymous group of reinforcements to defend the Sunwell against this and last expansion's big bad, Xal'atath. And it turns out there's a reason for their ambiguous appearance: it's us, the players. The first moments of the next chapter of the Worldsoul Saga, which I've played through a big chunk of on an alpha build, had me emerging at that precise moment to put a stop to this shadowy invasion. And the revamped elven kingdom of Quel'Thalas beyond was worth the abrupt summoning. The Clock Strikes If you aren't caught up on the events of The War Within, Midnight is something WoW has never really tried before: a direct...

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World of Warcraft's Long-Awaited Housing Releases in December

Over a year after its announcement, World of Warcraft's long-awaited housing feature is finally hitting prime time, and we now have a date. Early access for housing will start for players who pre-purchase the new expansion, Midnight, on December 2, 2025. This news comes directly from Blizzard, who shared it with us alongside an early alpha preview of the game. During this preview, we actually got to mess around with the new housing system a bit: we explored some of the neighborhoods available to build houses in, moved some chairs and tables around, and dyed a couple of tablecloths. Though we haven't yet had enough time to fully explore the promised wide range of options available, we can confirm there's already a lot one can do to...

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KPop Demon Hunters Join Fortnite With Demon Rush Mode

Fortnite has now announced full details of its expansive crossover with Netflix movie sensation KPop Demon Hunters which, as IGN reported yesterday, launches in full this week. Aside from owning Rumi, Mira and Zoey as new skins, HUNTR/X will also be the star of their own in-game mode, and pop up in core battle royale gameplay. Launching tomorrow, October 2, and available until November 1, Horde Rush: Demon Rush sees players team up with HUNTR/X for a new version of Fortnite's fan-favorite horde offering. In the past, the mode has traditionally arrived alongside the game's main Fortnitemares event. This year, however, the newly-retitled Demon Rush has had something of a makeover, fitting with both the Demon Hunters themselves and...

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Walton Goggins Is Set to Play The Ghoul From the Fallout TV Show in Fallout 76 — but How Does the Character Fit in the Fallout 76 Timeline?

Walton Goggins is set to reprise his fan-favorite role as The Ghoul from the Fallout TV show in Fallout 76. The Ghoul appears in Fallout 76 complete with Goggins' likeness and voice as part of the free Burning Springs expansion in December. Burning Springs expands the Fallout 76 map into Ohio, west of the Appalachian region (a fictionalized version of West Virginia and the surrounding areas) already in the game. While not available as a playable character or companion, fans can encounter The Ghoul at ‘The Last Resort’ in hub area Highway Town, where he hosts new Bounty Hunting missions. Through rewards, players can even equip themselves with The Ghoul’s gun as seen in the show. During a preview event attended by IGN, Bill LaCoste...

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Digimon Story Time Stranger Review

Like so many ‘90s kids, I watched my fair share of monster taming TV shows growing up, Digimon included. And while an 8-year-old George enjoyed Digimon World 3 on PlayStation 2, it was 2015’s Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth (and 2017’s more refined Hacker’s Memory) that renewed my current interest in the series. I felt a sense of nostalgia playing it, and its unique evolution systems made it stand out amongst Pokemon’s omnipresent domination of the genre. A decade later, Digimon Story Time Stranger builds on that same foundation, but this time with a much bolder story that pays off well and a mostly compelling cast of characters. Combine that with engrossing turn-based combat and monster collecting mechanics, and Time Stranger shines as one...

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Microsoft Just Added Over 45 New Games to Xbox Game Pass, Including Hogwarts Legacy and Ubisoft's Back Catalog — Here's the Full List

Microsoft has added a number of new games to Xbox Game Pass today as part of a major shakeup that has seen the Ultimate tier increase in price. As IGN has reported, Microsoft has hiked the price of Ultimate from $19.99 to $29.99 a month, while renaming and upgrading the other tiers. As part of the justification for the price rise, Microsoft added Ubisoft+ Classics for the first time ever to Ultimate, and the games that are part of that subscription are now a part of Ultimate. On top of that, Warner Bros.’ smash hit Hogwarts Legacy is now available across Ultimate and the new Premium tier (which replaces Standard), but it’s not in the new Essential tier (which replaces Core). Premium gets more than 40 new games available today...

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