Gaming News

Baldur’s Gate 3 Hotfix 34 Adds Native Steam Deck Build, Reduces Framerate Spikes in Busy Areas Such as the Lower City in Act 3 Across All Platforms

Larian may be done with major updates to its blockbuster role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3, but it’s still releasing hotfixes. The latest, Hotfix #34, is a juicy one. It adds a native Steam Deck build and should reduce framerate spikes in busy areas such as the Lower City in Act 3 across all platforms. Baldur's Gate 3 Act 3 is infamous for its performance issues. Indeed it was one of the tougher areas to navigate, especially in the months after the game launched and before Larian issued various updates, mainly due to the sheer number of NPCs who mill about on-screen and everything the game has to consider as a result. In a post on Steam, Larian said the native Steam Deck build means Baldur’s Gate 3 has a more stable framerate, lower...

View full article »

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes DLC Announced; Release Timed With Fire and Ash Movie

Ubisoft and developer Massive Entertainment have announced From the Ashes, a new story expansion for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, the 2023 first-person shooter set in James Cameron's Avatar universe. From the Ashes will be available on December 19 – the same day as Cameron's upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash film – for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Ubisoft+, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and Ubisoft Connect. It will be priced at $19.99 for players who already own the base game. Alternatively, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes Edition will include the full game and this story expansion and be available on the same platforms for $39.99. Watch the announcement trailer above and check out the first screenshots from the expansion in...

View full article »

League of Legends Fighting Game 2XKO Has an Early Access Release Date, Community Tournament Sponsorship

After a period of closed beta, Riot’s League of Legends fighting game 2XKO has an early access release date of October 7, 2025. The 2v2 fighting game, which features playable characters from the League of Legends MOBA and animated series and Arcane, opens up on that date to all players on PC, with no invite code required. There was no mention of consoles in today's announcement. Riot said early access kicks off with Season 0 and the debut of the game’s 10th champion. Everything unlocked in early access, including champions, skins, and mastery rewards, stay with players moving forward. In 2026, 2XKO will feature five seasons, each of which will introduce a new champion, along with fresh in-game content and progression rewards. 2XKO...

View full article »

Q9 Crowned Winners At The 2025 Delta Force Invitational

After three days of competition, Q9 has emerged victorious at the 2025 Delta Force Invitational. The inaugural event, held at the Hangzhou Esports Center in China, brought together twelve of the world’s best Delta Force teams. But it was Q9 who ultimately stood above the rest and took home the lion’s share of the $500,000 prize pool. The Delta Force Invitational featured twelve teams that each qualified through region-specific qualifiers, each bringing their own playstyle and strategies. The teams competing included AKA, FL, FN, GS, Q9, STS, ESG, INK, ISG, LEG, MBA, and MG. Throughout the weekend, fans witnessed everything from carefully executed stealth operations to explosive final pushes. The tournament began with the Group...

View full article »

Borderlands 4 YouTuber Tries to Nerf Proof Their Character, Instead Stumbles Upon What Is Almost Certainly an 'Unintended Interaction' That Does So Mu

Borderlands 4 is rife with overpowered builds that use what developer Gearbox has described as “unintended interactions” to cause massive damage, even to the game’s toughest bosses on the hardest difficulties. The most infamous of these is 'the knife,' which Gearbox has said it’s aware of but won’t nerf just yet. Now, there’s another new best boss melting build to add to the list. YouTuber NickTew, who had led the charge online with his knife build discovery, set out to "nerf proof" their Vex in light of Gearbox’s comments about potentially stamping out knife builds. In doing so, he found a way to cause so much damage from a single clip of a gun's magazine that Borderlands 4 spat out a "total existence failure" message in the boss...

View full article »

Best Mascot Racing Games to Play in 2025 (and Beyond)

Mascot racing games have always been a fan favourite – fast, competitive, and full of personality. With Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to revisit the best games in the genre and see what’s worth playing today. While classics like Diddy Kong Racing and Kirby Air Ride will always hold legendary status, this list focuses on modern mascot racing games you can play right now, with a peek at what’s coming next. Top Mascot Racing Games Available Now Disney Speedstorm Free-to-play | Multiplatform If you want accessible fun with iconic characters, Disney Speedstorm is a solid pick. Featuring a wide roster of Disney and Pixar mascots, it offers colourful tracks and family-friendly gameplay. While its...

View full article »

Hollow Knight: Silksong Patch 2 Live Now, Team Cherry Offer Early Patch 3 Details

Team Cherry’s post-launch support of massive indie hit Hollow Knight: Silksong continues, with Patch 2 now live. As the developer had signalled, Silksong's second major patch (1.0.28650) focuses on a few critical issues still remaining, while also cleaning up some bugs around specific tools. The patch notes, per Team Cherry’s website, are below. All fixes will apply retroactively, Team Cherry added, so players who've hit a significant bug that prevents progress should now be able to proceed. Further fixes are currently being worked on for a third patch, the developer continued, with some additional focus around improving controller support on PC platforms. “Expect this one to come a little later, as we’re aiming to cover as many...

View full article »

Borderlands 4 Dev Gearbox Says It's Prioritizing the First Round of Buffs Over Patching Out Instakill Knife Builds, but It Will Eventually Address 'Un

Since Borderlands 4 came out, developer Gearbox has released a PC-focused patch that tackles crashes, among a few other things. But players are wondering what the studio intends to do about the looter shooter’s balance, especially at a time when builds that let you one-shot bosses are doing the rounds. Gearbox has now indicated that in the short-term, it plans to buff underperforming gear and skills rather than nerf overpowered builds. Indeed, those instakill builds you've seen online are safe, for now. But, Gearbox insisted, they will get nerfed eventually. Confirmation comes from Borderlands 4 creative director Graeme Timmins, who took to social media to acknowledge the debate about what he called “builds that use unintended...

View full article »

Hideo Kojima Shows Off First Look at Death Stranding Animated Film: Mosquito

During today's Beyond the Strand presentation, Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions gave us an official first look at a new animated film set in the world of Death Stranding. It's called Death Stranding: Mosquito and, per Kojima and animation director Hiroshi Miyamoto's own words, it follows the story of a guy who sucks. We got a look at a snippet of animation from Mosquito, showing a man with something stuck to his face that has a weird tentacle thing coming out of it. He's in the water at the beginning of the clip, swimming and approaching something human-shaped that's difficult to make out. But in the second part of the clip, he's on land, in the Timefall, fighting a guy in a porter suit, still with the gooey thing on his face...

View full article »

Palworld Devs Announce Farming Sim Spin-Off, Palworld: Palfarm

Palworld is getting its first-ever official spin-off game from developer Pocketpair, and it's looking just a little bit cozier than the original game. It's called Palworld: Palfarm, and as the name implies, you and your gaggle of Pals will be farming, crafting, and living a life on the land together on an adventure that looks far more Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley than Palworld. Pocketpair announced the game today with a brand new trailer, and a Steam page. These reveal that Palfarm will be a slice-of-life farming and crafting sim set on the Palpagos Islands where familiar Pals will join you to build a dream farm. Alongside growing plants, you can cook with Pals, shop at their stores, give them gifts, and- no, no you can't eat them...

View full article »

AU Deals: Surprising Steam Deck Price Drops and Game Library Level Ups for Less

My Steam library already weeps under the weight of unfinished epics, but that never stopped me from hunting down another gem or three. Today, the bargain spread across Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation is particularly spicy as well. We're talking genre-defining icons, long-lost favourites and a few modern marvels at prices that practically demand a double-take. Oh, and if you do fancy a Steam Deck, there's never been a cheaper time to buy! Contents Retro Nintendo Xbox PlayStation PC LEGO This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro news, I’m letting my Rapidash unleash Flare Blitz on 21 birthday candles for Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. Hard to believe two decades have passed since I first slotted this Gen III remake of Red and Blue into my GBA and...

View full article »

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Multiplayer Reveal Highlights Include Futuristic Tech, 18 Maps, and Travis Scott

Activision and Treyarch have published a Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 multiplayer reveal trailer and deep dive blog post that shows players everything they need to know ahead of its upcoming beta test. The developers behind Call of Duty 2025 offered a multiplayer breakdown in a new post published on the series’ website today. It comes with information about every last map, weapon, and mode fans can expect in Black Ops 7, both during the beta and at launch, while showing off a sneak peek at what it all looks like in motion with today’s trailer. You can see the Black Ops 7 multiplayer reveal trailer, with Travis Scott and Playboi Carti’s FE!N providing the musical backdrop, below. Today’s Black Ops 7 multiplayer reveal trailer hits the...

View full article »

Grand Theft Auto 5 Trevor Actor Feels 'Absolutely Nothing' Inside for GTA 6

Steven Ogg, better known to millions of fans around the world as Grand Theft Auto 5's Trevor, has said he feels "absolutely nothing" inside for GTA 6 — even though Rockstar has suggested it will be the biggest video game of all time. Why the indifference? Ogg has, he says, never been a fan of video games. Still, while speaking to YouTuber HarrisonShippp, it is surprising to see the actor speak quite so bluntly about the franchise that has earned him worldwide adoration. "I feel nothing inside. I'm not a gamer," Ogg said, standing in front of GTA 5 artwork at a recent convention where he appeared alongside fellow GTA 5 co-stars Ned Luke (Michael) and Shawn "Solo" Fonteno (Franklin) to meet fans. "I've never played a video game, so I...

View full article »

Borderlands 4 'Cricket Jumping' Lets Players Skip Huge Chunks of the Map — Gearbox Dev Says 'I've Got My Eye on This'

Borderlands 4 players have discovered a way to skip huge chunks of the map in a technique dubbed “cricket jumping” — but a developer at Gearbox has warned action may have to be taken to patch it out of the game if it starts causing issues. As demonstrated by streamer Bahroo, Borderlands 4 players can propel themselves across the map by using a glitch at The Prospects’ Ripper Drill site. To do this, you stand on the top of the drill, line yourself up in the direction you want to travel, with your back towards the direction you want to travel, tab out of the game, then fire. Your character hurtles through the air, which, in combination with Borderlands 4’s glide ability, lets you pass over significant areas of the map. As noted in a...

View full article »

Daft Punk Return, Via a New Fortnite Interactive Tribute Experience

Defunct dance duo Daft Punk will get a fresh lease of life in Fortnite this month, thanks to a new interactive tribute experience. The Daft Punk Experience will open its digital doors this Saturday, September 27 at 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern or 7pm UK time — though don't expect the usual Fortnite concert experience. Instead, perhaps tailored around the fact that Daft Punk are no longer performing in real life, you should expect a "playground" where you can remix existing songs, make a Lego Music music video or simply tune in to dance. No new music will be debuted during the Experience, Fortnite developer Epic Games has made clear. And, just so we're all singing from the same hymn sheet, there's this particular line from the event's...

View full article »

The Best Looter Shooter Games, Ranked

Despite being one of the more recognisable sub-genres in gaming, you may be surprised by just how precious few looter shooters there actually are. Putting together a list of the best of them revealed how rare a truly brilliant one is, presumably a result of how incredibly hard they are to make, and their unfortunate tendency to go the way of Anthem or Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League – cut short after failing to grab an audience. But what they lack in quantity, they more than make up for in just how many hours you can lose to them, and over the past nearly two decades I’ve spent more time with this genre than I’d care to admit. So what qualifies as a looter shooter for the purposes of this list? Well, as the name implies they’ve...

View full article »

Xbox Hoped Canceled Perfect Dark Reboot Would Capitalize on Lack of New Metal Gear Solid and James Bond Games, and Reportedly Could Have Been an Episo

Xbox's now-canceled Perfect Dark reboot had been intended to capitalize on a lack of upcoming "secret agent" genre games, such as new entries in the Metal Gear Solid or James Bond franchises. Of course, new games in the Metal Gear Solid and James Bond series are now upon us, with Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater out now, and Hitman developer IO Interactive's 007: First Light due next March. The detail is one of many shared in a fresh MP1st report on Microsoft's long-held plans to revive the Perfect Dark series. Sadly, the game's development was ditched and Xbox studio The Initiative was shut down in July this year, as part of a devastating wave of Microsoft cuts. According to internal development documentation, Microsoft's...

View full article »

Stardew Valley Creator Eric 'Concerned Ape' Barone Confirms Update 1.7 Is Coming, But He Doesn't 'Want Too Much Hype At This Point'

Stardew Valley creator Eric 'Concerned Ape' Barone has warned fans that it will "be a while" before the highly anticipated Stardew Valley 1.7 update is ready. Barone confirmed we'd get a Stardew Valley 1.7 update last month at the Stardew Valley concert, although at the time, he stressed there was "no release date, no estimate, but it's happening." Now, however, Barone is working to contain the excitement, responding to fans asking for "maybe a sneak peak [sic]" to say "more will come, I just don't want too much hype at this point." Last time, PC players were able to jump into the free 1.6 update several months before those on console and mobile, but for 1.7, Barone says he will "do my best to minimize the delay between [releasing...

View full article »

Wait, Does Henry Cavill's Highlander Leg Injury Social Media Post Hide… 3 Separate Warhammer 40,000 Amazon TV Show Easter Eggs?

Henry Cavill’s seemingly innocuous picture showing his leg injury sustained while training for the Highlander reboot has sent Warhammer 40,000 fans into a frenzy after speculation the former Superman actor's social media post contains three(!) separate nods to his upcoming — and super secret — Amazon project. Henry Cavill’s Warhammer 40,000 Cinematic Universe, the result of a deal struck between Games Workshop and Amazon for Prime Video movies and TV shows based on the famous grimdark setting, is shrouded in mystery. While it’s hugely exciting for fans, especially given Cavill’s well-documented love of Warhammer 40,000, we do not know which character he is set to play, or even which story the initial project will tell. We don’t even...

View full article »

Fortnite Banned 'Thousands' This Weekend as Proximity Voice Chat Mode Delulu Launches to Big Player Numbers, but Widespread Reports of Griefing and Ab

Fortnite Delulu, the game's new battle royale mode with proximity voice chat, has launched to big player numbers but also a surge of complaints around in-game abuse — prompting Epic Games to issue "thousands" of bans. Delulu enjoyed a concurrent peak of 126,553 players after its launch this past weekend, enough to make it one of Fortnite's most popular modes over the period. Set on the game's main battle royale map, Delulu sprinkles players evenly across its surface and allows them to team up and chat with anyone in their vicinity. Gameplay-wise, the mode is based around the new ability to form drop-in, drop-out squads (which have friendly fire disabled), while the ability to talk with others adds a fresh layer of social...

View full article »

PS4 Trophies for 2007's Tomb Raider: Anniversary Have Leaked Online

Trophies for an unannounced Tomb Raider: Anniversary PS4 port have popped up online. While this may not sound too surprising given we've had a bunch of classic Tomb Raider games remastered recently — Tomb Raider I-III Remastered and IV-VI Remastered collections released in February 2024 and 2025, respectively — it looks like this may be a port rather than a remaster. How do we know that? Well, we don't for sure, but the trophies — which can be seen on PlayStation trophy tracking site True Trophies — are limited, and the images are, too, which suggests this is a port coming to something like the PlayStation Plus game catalog rather than a full-on remake. As Redditor VeldinX explained on their thread "Anniversary leaked for PS4," "the...

View full article »

Konami Polls Fans To Get Their Thoughts on Which Metal Gear Game It Should Remake Next

Just a month after Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater debuted to critical and commercial acclaim, publisher Konami wants to know which game Snake fans would like to see get a remake next. As the publisher gears up for Tokyo Game Show, some players have seen a "post-viewing survey" presumably to be sent out to fans after "Metal Gear Production Hotline at TGS2025," a livestream set for broadcast this Thursday, September 25. While some of the questions are pretty generic, including asking players if they're interested in playing the rekindled multiplayer mod, Fox Hunt, in Delta, and what they'd like to see in future livestream broadcasts, one question really caught our eye: "Please select all of the following Metal Gear Series titles...

View full article »

Silent Hill f Global Release Times Confirmed

Grab a rusty pipe and brace yourself: Silent Hill f is nearly here. The first mainline Silent Hill game since 2012's Silent Hill Downpour, Silent Hill f takes us to 1960s Japan, where we'll follow Hinako Shimizu, a teenager struggling under the pressure of expectations from her friends, family, and society. As displayed at the beginning of the Japanese-language reveal trailer back in March, it is the first Silent Hill game to get an 18+ rating certification in Japan. It's out for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series on September 25. IGN's Silent Hill f review returned a 7/10. We said: "Silent Hill f presents a fresh new setting to explore and a fascinatingly dark story to unravel, but its melee-focussed combat takes a big swing that doesn’t quite...

View full article »

Silent Hill f Review

There are few who would dispute that last year’s Silent Hill 2 was a supremely well-executed remake of the 2001 original, but you could also argue in retrospect that developer Bloober Team’s modernising of a survival horror masterpiece was a pretty safe bet. Silent Hill f, from developer Neobards Entertainment, is a much bolder undertaking by comparison. It offers an entirely new story in a completely foreign setting, with a captivating protagonist who bucks the series’ trend of featuring predominately morose, middle-aged men, and keeps its handguns holstered in favour of a strictly melee-focussed fighting system. Although the cumbersome and inconsistent nature of its pipe-swinging combat made it something I had to grin and bear rather...

View full article »

AU Deals: Banger Discounts That Hit Harder Than a Blue Shell at the Finish Line

On some dreary Mondays the discount lists feel like leftovers, and other weeks they land like a banquet of bargains. Right now we're feasting, my friend. It's that perfect blend of long-awaited sequels, comeback stories, and hidden gems all fighting for attention. So let's get amongst it! Contents Retro Nintendo Xbox PlayStation PC LEGO This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro news, I'm throwing a big birthday biscuit to Nintendogs, Nintendo's adorable pet simulator that had me training puppies on my DS. Initially, you could get it in three different breeds: Dachshund, Chihuahua or Lab. I went with the latter, and, last I checked, 'Chewbarka' is still living his best life on my cartridge. This one wasn't just a game, it was a cultural...

View full article »

The Best Deals Today: Silent Hill f, Apple Watch Ultra 3, PS5 Slim, and More

We've rounded up the best deals for Saturday, September 20, below, so don't miss out on these limited-time offers. Donkey Kong Bananza for $52.49 It's unlikely that we will see any first party Nintendo Switch 2 games discounted at domestic retailers during Black Friday, but AliExpress is offering a great deal on an imported copy. Lucky Tech Store has it right now for $52.49 after $12 off coupon code "AEUS12". Delivery is free and the game is shipped from a local US warehouse. That means it arrives within a week and you don't have to worry about tariffs. All physical Switch 2 games are region unlocked, so you'll be able to play this game without any problems on a US-based Switch 2 console. Silent Hill f Deluxe Edition for $59.19 Out...

View full article »

‘The Last Couple of Years Have Been Rough’ – Ninja Says ‘Trolls’ Mock His Viewer Numbers ‘Every Day’

Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has opened up about the state of his streaming career, including how “the internet and trolls” make sure to point out his decline in livestream viewers “every day.” The content creator spoke about the ups and downs of his time online during an interview with the BBC. He’s dabbled in other popular multiplayer titles like Call of Duty and Marvel Rivals but is undeniably best known for his relationship with Epic Games’ battle royale hit, Fortnite. Ninja’s time with the building-centered shooter saw him become the first Twitch streamer to reach 10 million followers, and he even appeared in-game as a skin for fans to pick up and wear during matches. Although he once held the title of the biggest streamer on Twitch...

View full article »

Borderlands 4: Tech Experts Say 'Resetting the Game Every Hour Should Really Not Be an Expected Solution for Players,' Patch 'Cannot Come Soon Enough'

The tech experts at Digital Foundry have completed their analysis of Borderlands 4 on console, and confirmed a gradual worsening of framerate with continuous playtime, even on PlayStation 5 Pro and Xbox Series X. As revealed in a new video published to YouTube, Digital Foundry found performance starts dipping after around 30 minutes to an hour, which it called "too intrusive on the overall experience, too regular an interruption." Even after a completely fresh boot, the game is still prone to framerate drops. Gearbox development chief Randy Pitchford has acknowledged the problem on social media, promising incoming improvements. As a workaround, Pitchford suggested console players quit Borderlands 4 and restart. Digital Foundry’s Tom...

View full article »

Battlefield 6 Battle Royale Gameplay Highlights Multiplayer Combat in Latest BF Labs Leak

More leaked Battlefield 6 battle royale gameplay footage appears to have made its way online. Video of this early version of the upcoming battle royale mode poured onto X/Twitter overnight and seems to have been captured from recent BF Labs playtests hosted by the four-studio team at BF Studios. It’s a lengthy look that comes from user @BobNetworkUK, who reports that they have already managed to secure a new Labs account after their previous account was disabled by EA. The main leaked Battlefield 6 gameplay making its way around social media is relatively straightforward and not unlike what we’ve seen in other, similar battle royale experiences like Warzone. The player can be seen running around a warehouse, dodging bullets from...

View full article »

EA Sports FC 26 Review in Progress

Over the last few decades, soccer (or football, if you’re not from the US like me) hasn’t changed much. Sure, there are new rules, improved tactics, and so much more money involved in the modern game – but at its heart, it's still all about kicking a ball into a goal more than the other team. So how does a series like EA Sports FC improve each year when the sport it’s emulating isn’t introducing massive changes? For me, it’s about quality-of-life updates, and FC 26 has those in spades. You’ve heard the phrase “death by a thousand cuts,” but this is more like “fixed by a thousand pieces of tape.” It’s not that every problem has been solved, and many of the micro issues like confusing player-switching and weird tackle animations have...

View full article »