Gaming News

Hollow Knight Silksong's First Major Patch — the One That Makes the Early Game Easier — Is Rolling Out Now for Most Players

Hollow Knight Silksong’s first major patch is rolling out now to most players, developer Team Cherry has confirmed. Silksong update 1.0.28497 — the one that makes the early game easier — is now live on PC via Steam and GOG, and is due out on Xbox and Switch platforms “very soon.” There’s a bit of a holdup on PlayStation, however, where Team Cherry expects the same patch within 48 hours “barring unforeseen circumstances.” Team Cherry published the patch notes, below, in full on its website. Hollow Knight Silksong update 1.0.28497 patch notes: Fixed situation where players could remain cloakless after Slab escape sequence. Fixed wish Infestation Operation often not being completable during the late game. Fixed wish Beast in the Bells...

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EA FC 26 Editions Explained: How To Get Early Access From Next Week

Lace up your boots, EA Sports FC 26 is almost here. The franchise formerly known as FIFA will pack a ton of changes, and as has been the case for a few years now, you can jump in early depending on which edition you pick up. Here’s everything included in the Standard Edition and Ultimate Editions of the game, including early access, Ultimate Team items, and just about anything else - and where you can buy each. EA Sports FC 26 - Standard Edition If you preorder the Standard Edition of EA FC, you’ll get the game (naturally), but if you buy the PS5 or Xbox Series X|S version, you’ll also get the PS4 or Xbox One version, respectively. You’ll also get the following: 3x Icons for Career 1x 92+ rated Ultimate Team Icon 1x 5-Star Coach...

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Steam Censorship of Adult Games Highlights How Payment Processors 'Wield Immense Power That Even Nations Can't Control,' Says Japanese Politician

Back in July, Valve shocked gamers by suddenly removing numerous adult-only games from Steam to appease payment processors. Not long after, itch.io made a similar move in delisting thousands of NSFW games from its search results. Japanese politician Zenko Kurishita recently spoke out about the dangers of this abrupt censorship. Although Steam and itch.io’s recent issues have brought awareness of payment processors’ sudden and vague crackdowns on adult content to a wider, international audience, Japanese sites have been dealing with these problems since 2022. In recent years, demands from payment processors have disrupted services like NicoNico (Japan’s YouTube), fanart platforms like DLsite and Fantia, and online manga/anime store...

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Slay the Spire 2 Release Date Slips to March 2026 — and No, It Had Nothing to Do With Silksong, Dev Insists

Slay the Spire 2 has been delayed to March 2026. Developer Megacrit said the decision to push back the release from late 2025 came "after a lot of internal discussion," and while it appreciates "this isn't the news anyone wanted to hear," the development team needs more time. "There's no single dramatic reason. Some personal life stuff hit the team (everyone's okay!), we kept saying 'wouldn't it be cool if…' one too many times, and honestly, the game just needs more polish to meet our standards," the team admitted. "We know this isn't the news anyone wanted to hear (ourselves included, we're dying to get this into your hands!) Originally, we were shooting for late 2025, but turns out we were wrong. We need some more time." The delay...

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Borderlands 4 Dev Gearbox Asks PC Gamers to Keep Playing for at Least 15 Minutes After They Tweak Settings to See How Performance Has Changed, as Nega

Borderlands 4 has launched on Steam to big concurrent player numbers, but the release was marred by complaints about PC performance that have resulted in a ‘mixed’ user review rating on Valve’s platform. Borderlands 4 peaked at 207,479 concurrent player numbers on Steam yesterday, September 11, which was significantly higher than any previous Borderlands before it. However, the game launched to ‘mostly negative’ Steam reviews over performance issues and crashing, before recovering overnight to ‘mixed.’ The complaints revolve around poor performance even on high powered PCs, with some affected by crashing that makes the game difficult to even start. “Terrible optimization. Another Unreal Engine 5 casualty. Not worth buying in its...

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AU Deals: Borderlands 4, Baldur's Gate 3, Star Wars Outlaws, Mario Kart World, and More Fresh Hits Slashed

Some sales make you stop mid-scroll and mutter, "Well, there goes my weekend." This is one of those hauls, my friends. Between anime smackdowns, sprawling RPGs, and the launching of Borderlands 4, I feel like my cart is about to burst. Let's tour the platforms together and pick out the real gems before the discounts vanish. Contents Retro Nintendo Xbox PlayStation PC LEGO This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro news, I’m celebrating the 22nd birthday of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. I can recall coming to this straight from a blast though Jedi Outcast and not being enthused with what met me… at all. An olden days setting with no Jedi I know? Meh. Turn-based combat? Blech. And, then, I slowly, magically fell completely in love with...

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Borderlands 4 Is the Biggest Borderlands Ever on Steam Just an Hour After Launch

Borderlands 4 is out now on PC ahead of its global release across all platforms, and on Steam it’s already shooting up the most-played games chart with a concurrent player count bigger than all other Borderlands games. At the time of this article’s publication, Gearbox's looter shooter had over 148,000 concurrent players on Steam, making it the sixth most-played game on Valve’s platform. For context, Borderlands 2 set a Steam peak concurrent player count of 124,678 13 years ago, with Borderlands 3 hitting a peak of 93,820 five-and-a-half years ago, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel reaching 68,238 10 years ago. Borderlands Game of the Year Edition has a peak of 23,655. So, all signs point to a huge launch for Borderlands 4. Check out...

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Super Mario Bros. 40th Anniversary: How Nintendo’s Icon Changed Gaming Forever

From the spark lit by 1985’s Super Mario Bros., which redefined an entire genre, to the groundbreaking 3D leap of Super Mario 64, Nintendo’s flagship series has long held a level of quality and cultural affection other franchises could only envy. Now, with the 40th anniversary of gaming’s most beloved moustachioed plumber upon us, there’s no better time to revisit three defining milestones of this butt-bopping, mushroom-munching (not that kind), high-pitched handyman whose adventures shaped not just a brand but an entire medium. Super Mario Bros (NES) – 1985 This is where it all began. Arguably representing the first truly successful console-selling game, Super Mario Bros. simultaneously granted Nintendo a mascot that would endure for...

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Fortnite Will Soon Let You Pay the Exact Amount for Items, Rather Than Buying More V-Bucks Than You Need

Epic Games has announced it will add Exact Amount purchasing to Fortnite, Rocket League and Fall Guys next month, meaning that players soon won't need to top-up their wallets with any more in-game currency than they need. Offering in-game credit in set amounts is a common practice within many video games, with microtransactions often requiring players purchase a bigger dollop of currency than is actually required to purchase a particular item. As of October 14, however, Epic Games' titles will let players choose the exact amount of currency they require on PC, Nintendo and Xbox consoles, Android devices, iPhones and iPads, as well as via the Fortnite web shop. One conspicuous absentee here is PlayStation — and while Epic does not...

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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Is Over 50% Off Right Now at Woot

If you haven't added it to your collection yet, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has received an excellent discount at Woot (an Amazon-owned online retailer). The standard Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 version for Xbox Series X only is down to $24.99 (57% off its list price) there, while the Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Gold Edition is discounted for both PS5 and Xbox Series X, down to $39.99 for the former (56% off) and $34.99 for the latter (61% off). Deals like these only last for a limited time at Woot - in the case of these, both have 23 days left or are available until they're sold out - so you'll want to be quick to secure these prices before they disappear. Save Over 50% on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Gold Edition for PS5 and Xbox...

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With Hollow Knight: Silksong Finally Released, Nintendo Direct Viewers Are Looking for a New Game to Hope For and Then Get Disappointed Over

There's less than 24 hours to go until a major Nintendo Direct, but there's something very different this time. Yes, Hollow Knight: Silksong has finally been released — leaving fans searching for a fresh game to pin all their hopes and inevitable disappointment on. With a Metroid Prime 4: Beyond release date seeming fairly assured, fans are suggesting some of Nintendo's second-tier series to hope for next. This includes Star Fox (missing in action since 2017's Star Fox 2), Golden Sun (sunset in 2010) and F-Zero (which has only seen the bitesize release of F-Zero 99 since 2004). And what about Mother 3? Of course, tomorrow's Nintendo Direct will likely feature non-Nintendo games too. Is it time to hope for news on Beyond Good & Evil 2...

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Fish It! Codes (September 2025)

Fish It! will have you clicking away for hours as you try to catch all the variations available in the game. As of the time of writing this, Fish It! claims to have over 1,000,000 variations for you to collect. With new updates planned for the Roblox experience's future, it looks like that number will only continue to increase. So with that in mind, why not use a few codes to help you along the way? Working Fish It! Codes Before you can use codes, you'll need to reach level 10, so make sure you spend some time hooking as many fish as possible before trying them out. 100M - 1x Luck II Potion MUTATE - x1 Mutation Potion Expired Fish It! Codes These codes can no longer be redeemed, but they're listed here so you can still try if you...

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Hellraiser: Revival Dev Plans to Go as Extreme 'As the People That Make Rules Will Let Us Go'

The developers of Hellraiser: Revival intend to push its M Rating as far as it can with the upcoming video game adaptation. Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is a story-driven, single-player survival horror action game set in the Hellraiser universe. It's developed by Boss Team Games, creator of the recently delisted Evil Dead: The Game, and is due out on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam. Hellraiser, for the uninitiated, is a cult classic horror franchise made up of 11 films and various comic books, all based on The Hellbound Heart novella by English author Clive Barker. The star of the show is Pinhead, a ‘Cenobite’ who harvests human souls to torture in sadistic experiments. And you can see that in action in the...

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Was Shadowheart a Dark Eldar All Along? New Warhammer 40,000 Drukhari Model Gets Baldur’s Gate 3 Fans’ Attention

It’s been a big week for Drukhari fans after Games Workshop finally remembered the Dark Eldar exist and announced two new models for the faction as well as a new codex and Combat Patrol. But one of the models in particular has caught the attention of Baldur’s Gate 3 fans, many of whom think she looks very much like God's Favourite Princess. “The Drukhari have been biding their time in the depths of Commorragh, but it’s finally time to launch the raid and drink deep of the galaxy’s misery — Codex: Drukhari is on its way!” Games Workshop said in a post on the Warhammer Community website earlier this week. “At the fore is a character long known for her quicksilver intellect and violent tendencies, who now steps onto the battlefield with...

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Ubisoft Staff Reportedly Raised Concerns About Saudi Arabia Deal for Assassin's Creed Mirage DLC, as Company Insists it Maintains Creative Control

Ubisoft employees have raised concerns around the company's partnership with Saudi Arabia to create new Assassin's Creed Mirage DLC, a fresh report has revealed. The upcoming content was first reported on back in January by a French financial newspaper, Les Echoes, which stated that the DLC had received funding from Saudi Arabia's controversial Public Investment Fund (PIF). Ubisoft did not respond to me when asked for comment on that report at the time. Months later, Ubisoft quietly announced the DLC itself in late August, in a social media post sent out early one Saturday morning. The brief reveal confirmed that the add-on would see Mirage hero Basim visiting AlUla, an ancient site that's now one of Saudi Arabia's cultural...

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Cyberpunk 2077 Patch 2.31 Adds AutoDrive Upgrade and Photo Mode Adjustments

The post-launch support for Cyberpunk 2077 continues, this time with an AutoDrive upgrade and Photo Mode adjustments via Patch 2.31. As confirmed on developer CD Projekt’s website, Patch 2.31 is rolling out on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, Mac, and Nintendo Switch 2 today, September 11, 2025. 2.31 follows Cyberpunk 2077’s significant Patch 2.3, co-developed with support studio Virtuos to add the AutoDrive feature, which lets you drive vehicles hands free. Is 2.3 the final major update for Cyberpunk 2077? CD Projekt has said previously released patches drew a line under the near five-year-old game, so perhaps there is more to come. Could Cyberpunk 2077 go out with a bang this December with a new update to coincide with its...

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The Finals Finally Gets a Killcam — but Not on Xbox Series S, PS4, and ‘Certain’ PC Builds

Embark Studios just launched Season 8 of free-to-download shooter The Finals, introducing new, revamped destruction and improvements to competitive play. But it also added a standard competitive multiplayer feature that — at least at launch — won’t be available on Xbox Series S. Season 8 introduces quality of life features to “enhance player experience and help strengthen their competitive skills,” including the beta version of the Instant Replay feature — aka a kill cam. Here’s the official blurb: It’s interesting to note the disclaimer Embark Studios added to the announcement: “this feature will not be compatible with Xbox Series S, PlayStation 4 and certain PC builds at launch.)” Killcam is a pretty standard FPS feature at this...

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Borderlands 4 Review

My passion for looter shooters has burned quite brightly for over 15 years and Borderlands is the flame that lit the fuse. With Borderlands 4, Gearbox proves it still knows how to bring the boom. After fizzling somewhat with Borderlands 3, it felt like this series had begun to fall behind in the genre it pioneered, but breaking away from segmented levels and embracing an honest-to-goodness open world allows 2025’s Borderlands to surprise us again. Drastically improved movement makes it one of the best-feeling first-person shooters out there, the story takes a refreshingly grounded approach that pays off, and the expanded buildcrafting options like healing items, throwing knives, and weapon enhancements are all fantastic ideas. But...

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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Hotfix 10.1 Stops the Heroic Cadians From Tanking the Trygon Prime

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 developer Saber Interactive has released a hotfix that makes a number of important fixes and balance changes following the release of the huge 10.0 patch. As well as buffing the new and very popular Power Axe, and an increase for the amount of Accolades rewarded for daily Stratagems, there is a fix for a bug that had caught the community’s eye and even sparked a number of memes. Here’s the fix in question: Fixed a bug causing the Trygon Prime to leave the boss arena to attack Cadians in Stratagem mode. Stratagem mode, a new PvE mode introduced with 10.0, has various Battlefield Conditions that change every day and week and make each operation different. These modifiers, which can help or hinder...

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'Every Major Game Faces This Issue' — Activision Steps Up War on PC Cheaters Ahead of Black Ops 7 Launch

Activision has outlined the steps it’s taking to combat Call of Duty cheating on PC, while stressing that there’s no easy solution to the problem. Call of Duty has a reputation for cheating (it comes with the territory of being such a hugely popular shooter and having a free-to-download battle royale). Cheating is more prevalent on PC (Activision recently confirmed as much, to the point where it said if you believe you’ve died unfairly to a console player, it’s much more likely that they’ve used ‘intel advantage’ than cheats). So, some console players head straight into Call of Duty’s settings to turn off crossplay across the board, just to take the potential for PC cheaters ruining their day out of the equation. Earlier this year...

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Borderlands 4 Rips Through Waterloo Station

Even the least eagle-eyed of commuters will spot something different about London Waterloo station at the end of this week. To celebrate the highly-anticipated launch of Borderlands 4 this Friday (12th September), 2K are unleashing a huge takeover of the capital's transport hub across the weekend, with game imagery, interactive elements and a tonne of loot flooding the space. On your approach, look out for a number of billboards between the BFI IMAX and the station, featuring spoof fragrance ads and a Ripper bursting through the glass on the side of the railway bridge. As well as 3D chains and shards, this poster lights up, with the character's eyes glowing throughout the night. On the main concourse, the massive digital screens...

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Nintendo Should Never Have Received Controversial 'Summon Character and Let It Fight' Pokémon Patent, IP Lawyers Say

IP lawyers have criticised the U.S. patent system after Nintendo was awarded a Pokémon patent that revolves around summoning a character and letting it fight. Games Fray reported that Patent No. 12,403,397 was granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office "without any objection” to Nintendo, which is embroiled in ongoing litigation with Pocketpair's Palworld. While the patent pretty much sums up how Pokémon games work in that you summon Pokémon to battle other Pokémon in the hope of adding them to your collection, there are countless other games that use similar mechanics, such as Persona, Digimon, and even Elden Ring, depending upon how the patent is interpreted. As Games Fray pointed out, the patent — filed in 2023 — ostensibly...

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AU Deals: The Banger Games in this Multi-Platform Shopping Spree Are Too Good To Miss

Sometimes I think my digital backlog is growing by itself in my sleep. But then I see a price tag slashed into oblivion and I realise I'm the villain in this story, willingly feeding the pile with impulse buys. Today's round of bargains has me feeling smug about saving more than I spend, and I'm happy to share the highlights. Let's get amongst it. Contents Retro Nintendo Xbox PlayStation PC LEGO This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro news, I'm belting a slime-shaped pinata with a ‘17’ on it for Dragon Quest IV: The Chapters of the Chosen. For many Aussies, said Nintendo DS port was our gateway into this legendary RPG series (due to non-existent local releases of the first three NES titles). It worked out kinda well because IV is the first...

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The Iniu 20,000mAh 65W Power Bank Drops to Under $20, Great for Steam Deck or iPhone 17

Starting today, Amazon is offering the high-capacity, high-output Iniu 20,000mAh 65W power bank for just $19.79 after you apply coupon code "K2L75RLI", dropping it to the lowest price I've seen (the previous low was $26). This power bank is ideal for long flights or trips where you might not have an available outlet for extended periods of time. It's powerful enough to charge just about every phone or gaming handheld PC - including the newer Asus ROG Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go S - even while you're playing games. Iniu 20,000mAh 65W Power Bank for $19.79 This particular power bank has three ports: one USB Type-C port with 65W output, one USB Type-C port with 36W output, and one USB Type-A port with 18W output. Note that the maximum...

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Save 50% Off the Baseus 4-Port USB and 2-Outlet International Charger Perfect for Apple iPhone 17

Looking for a high-output wall charger with USB outputs that you can use internationally? For a limited time, Amazon is offering this Baseus 70W 4-Port USB and 2-Outlet AC Wall Charger and International Travel Adapter for just $24.99 after you apply promo code: "7YMQD9TT". That's 50% off the retail price and the best deal I've seen on this versatile charger (the previous low was $35 last month). The 70W output will fast charge most phones and gaming handhelds and even comes with a built-in retractable USB Type-C cable, so you don't need to bring your own. Baseus 4-Port USB and 2-Outlet International Charger for $25 The Baseus international charger has a total of six ports: a retractable USB Type-C cable (70W), a USB Type-C port (60W...

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Grand Theft Auto's Dan Houser to Make His First On-Camera Interview Appearance at L.A. Comic Con 2025 With IGN

Dan Houser, the co-founder of Rockstar Games and longtime head writer and creative director of the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption series, will make his first on-camera interview appearance at Los Angeles Comic Con. Houser will have an in-depth conversation with IGN Senior Executive Editor, Ryan McCaffrey, about the legacy and impact of his past games and a look forward to his newer projects in development at Absurd Ventures. This panel will be called 'In Conversation with Dan Houser: Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, and Now American Caper,' and it will take place on Saturday, September 27, from 12:00pm - 12:30pm PT at the South Hall at L.A. Comic Con. For those who can't make it, IGN.com will be livestreaming the...

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FromSoftware Has an Update and One Last Tease for Us Before Elden Ring: Nightreign's Challenging Deep of Night Mode Arrives — Check Out the Patch Note

Get ready, Nightfarers — an overview trailer of Elden Ring: Nightreign's upcoming ultra-hard Deep of Night mode just dropped alongside patch notes for Update 1.02.2. The new mode comes after the new update brings balance changes for Nightfarers and Everdark Sovereigns, as well as numerous bug fixes. The Deep of Night mode teaser, below, comes just in time to whet our appetites for tomorrow's (September 11) release of the highly anticipated mode, giving us "an in-depth look at this new, high-difficulty challenge for seasoned Nightfarers." Elden Ring: Nightreign's rumored ultra-hard difficulty mode was first uncovered by dataminers back in August. And after lots of speculation about what the mode would and wouldn't include, we now...

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Assassin's Creed Shadows is Finally Adding an Ezio Outfit — Alongside an Incredible Assassin Cat

Ubisoft has detailed a fresh update coming to Assassin's Creed Shadows on September 11, which will add support for the game's upcoming Claws of Awaji expansion as well as a list of other freebies — including some very special armor and a very special cat. Assassin's Creed Shadows update 1.1.1 will launch at 7am Pacific, 10am Eastern or 3pm UK time tomorrow, and weigh in at 12.94GB on PlayStation 5, 33GB on Xbox Series X/S and 42GB on PC (though only 17GB through Steam). This update arrives a week ahead of Claws of Awaji's debut on September 16 — and for much more on what that contains, be sure to check out IGN's hands-on impressions of the expansion, including its cool Metal Gear Solid-inspired boss fight, and a lengthy chat with its...

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Is It Actually Worth Preordering Borderlands 4 or Should You Wait?

Borderlands 4 is officially releasing on September 12 for most platforms. The exception to that is the Switch 2 edition that won't arrive until later in October. It's one of the most anticipated games of 2025 and fans of the Borderlands series have been eagerly awaiting its arrival since it was first announced last year. With the release date upon us, however, you may be wondering if it's actually worth preordering the game now or waiting. I've played every mainline Borderlands game with my dad over the years, so this is a question that I'm especially interested in. My dad has informed me that he's planning on preordering the Super Deluxe Edition of the game purely for the added DLC, but I'm thinking I'll probably wait a bit longer to...

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PlayStation Plus Game Catalog September 2025 Lineup Announced, Legacy of Kain: Defiance Joins PlayStation Plus Premium

Sony has announced the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog September 2025 lineup. In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Sony said September sees WWE 2K25, Persona 5 Tactica, Green Hell, Fate/Samurai Remnant, and more join the subscription service. Meanwhile, PS2 action-adventure game Legacy of Kain: Defiance joins PlayStation Plus Premium, which makes the game playable on PS4 and PS5 for the first time All the games are available Tuesday, September 16 in this month’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup. PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium | Game Catalog WWE 2K25 | PS5, PS4 (Both PS4 and PS5 versions of WWE 2K25 will be download only) Persona 5 Tactica | PS5, PS4 Green Hell | PS5, PS4 Fate/Samurai Remnant | PS5, PS4 Crow Country | PS5, PS4...

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