Ahead of its launch in September, Nintendo broadcast a new deep dive on Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave today. So far, it looks like tried-and-trusted Fire Emblem with its mix of turn-based strategy and character buildcrafting, but the biggest surprise was the reveal of the ultimate weapon class in the game--that's right, the new Fire Emblem is packing heat.

Always bring a gun to a swordfight.

While they aren't explicitly referred to as guns, the livestream did describe gauntlets as weapons that "look like firearms" when you equip them. They certainly do have more firepower as well, as the brief snippet of footage showing one of these in action revealed a weapon capable of firing off lightning-empowered rounds. Are there concealed carry laws in the Dagdan Empire regarding gauntlets? These are the questions we're dying to know the answer to.

https://youtu.be/_RaZiSBaJfU

Normally, Fire Emblem games have focused on a mix of medieval weaponry and magic, with each weapon class being effective against certain types of classes and ineffective against others. This has created a delicate balance over the years, and that gameplay system has been retained for Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave. Archers are still a flying unit's worst nightmare, axe-wielding troops are slow but powerful, and mages are glass cannons in combat.

Other interesting details from the livestream include a story that focuses on multiple characters, who players can switch between at any time, and the reveal that the story doesn't stop after you win the tournament that these champions are competing in. It looks like the narrative kicks off properly several years after the contest ends.

Fortunately, you won't have to wait too much longer to play the new Fire Emblem, as it launches on September 17 for Switch 2.

Xbox Game Pass giveth, and it taketh away in August. Fortunately, not too many games are going to be exiting the subscription service in the first half of August, as only four titles are on their way out on August 15.

This month, you can say goodbye to Menace--which was available via Game Preview on PC,--Atlas Fallen, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and Firewatch. As a reminder, Game Pass subscribers can save 20% on these titles before they leave, so if you like what you've been playing, this is a little bit of a silver lining. Aliens: Fireteam Elite fans will also want to keep an eye out for the sequel to the gung-ho action game, which launches on August 25.

Game Pass removals for August 15

• Menace via Game Preview (PC)
• Atlas Fallen (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Firewatch (Cloud, Console, and PC)

There are usually two waves of removals every month with Xbox Game Pass, and July was a pretty big one. Last month saw a grand total of 20 games exit Game Pass--11 games in the first wave, and eight in the second--with several big names like Celeste, Whiskerwood, Sniper Elite: Resistance, and Crusader Kings 3 amongst the departures.

The good news is that several replacements are on the way, with August's first wave including Beast of Reincarnation as a headline act, while Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can try out Gears of War: E-Day early with the beta that starts on August 6.

For more recommendations, you can also check out GameSpot’s rundown of the best Xbox Game Pass games.

The Best Xbox Game Pass Games In 2026 View Images

In June, Netflix released an officially licensed FIFA World Cup game, and while it was not a critical success, Netflix management later singled it out as a successful release. Now, however, the studio behind the game, Refactor Games, has enacted a round of mass layoffs affecting the majority of the studio.

Cofounder Nathan Burba told GamesBeat that the studio has laid off 85% off its staff. This amounted to about 80 people, according to Insider Gaming. The studio's co-owner, Delphi Interactive, was said to have pulled funding after the launch of the game in June.

Affected developers were reportedly notified on Friday, July 31. The laid-off developers reportedly received no severance pay, though the last day was a payday.

Netflix continues to grow its games business.

The Netflix FIFA game, which is called FIFA World Cup Launch Edition, allows people to play on their TV or computer with up to four people. The game features all 48 teams, 1,238 players, and 16 stadiums from the tournament.

The game received poor review scores, with VGC saying it's a "woefully undercooked companion" to the World Cup.

During Netflix's latest earnings call, management said FIFA World Cup Launch Edition and the horror game Unhinged were two of company's "most successful" launches ever for cloud games on TV. Netflix did not share any specific datapoints that speak to their success, however.

Despite some initial stumbles, Netflix remains interested and invested in the gaming space for the long term, seeing it as a major growth-driver. Recently, Netflix reported that some of its gaming efforts have grown by 600%, while also informing investors that it's still early days.

August has just begun, and like clockwork, the first batch of games headed this month to Xbox Game Pass has been revealed. Here's a closer look at what you can expect to play in the first half of the month.

Xbox Game Pass August wave 1 games

Available today, you can jump into some old-school first-person spellcasting action with Heretic + Hexen. A re-release of the classic shooters, each game has been updated with several new features and enhancements.

While we weren't blown away by it, you can still check out the day-one release of Game Freak's Beast of Reincarnation, an action-RPG set in a harsh but beautiful post-apocalyptic world.

Starting August 6, things heat up with Monsters Are Coming (to Game Pass Premium), the return of PowerWash Simulator, and the early access launch of the Gears of War: E-Day beta. Remember, if you want in, you'll need to preorder the game or have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate/PC Game Pass subscription. Otherwise, you'll need to wait until August 13 for the open beta to begin.

Once the dust has settled from those arrivals, you can check out Bounty Star and Date Everything when they hit Game Pass on August 11. Bounty Star is an over-the-shoulder 3D action game themed around combat and farming--and now available through Game Pass Premium--while Date Everything lives up to its name by allowing you to romance everything from your bed to your smoke alarm, who are fortunately all presented as anthropomorphic beings. Grounded 2 will also be available through Xbox Game Pass Premium as it continues its early access journey.

On August 12, the Game Pass Premium gates open for the brick-breaking and base-building fun of Ball X Pit; Cricket 26 tasks you with using your balls to break some wickets instead, and you don't want to miss out on the hand-crafted metroidvania Mio: Memories in Orbit when it arrives on August 13. It's worth noting that Ball X Pit and Mio: Memories in Orbit have been available through Xbox Game Pass for a while now, but they're being added to the lower tier of the subscription service this month.

There's also the day-one release of Sandustry to look forward to, and in a sneak peek at August's second wave of games, you can guide a fragile egg through a gauntlet of danger in Egging On.

There'll also be four games leaving Game Pass on August 15, so you only have a few days left to play titles like Aliens: Fireteam Elite and Firewatch.

August 4

Heretic + Hexen (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass 

Beast of Reincarnation (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

August 6

Gears of War: E-Day Open Beta – Early Access

Monsters are Coming! (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

PowerWash Simulator 2 (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC), with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

August 11

Bounty Star (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass 

Date Everything! (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Grounded 2 (Game Preview) (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass 

August 12

Ball x Pit (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass 

August 13

Cricket 26 (Cloud, Console, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Mio: Memories in Orbit (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Sandustry  via Game Preview (PC), Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

August 18

Egging On (Cloud Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Xbox 360 games could be coming to PC, as a new report claims that Microsoft is aiming to bring classic titles from a bygone era to new platforms.

According to the document (via The Verge), Xbox 360 games will also be playable on "Xbox PCs," handheld gaming PCs, and Microsoft's upcoming Xbox Series X|S successor, Project Helix. This expanded backwards compatibility will tie into a larger roadmap for upcoming features. The report also claims that developers who make their Xbox 360 games compatible with PC will be allowed to set their own price and decide if they want their title to be available through Xbox Game Pass. This follows Microsoft's recent announcement of original Xbox games for PC, with the first four titles--Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Fuzion Frenzy, Conker: Live and Reloaded, and Crimson Skies: High Road--now available to download.

The feature will reportedly roll out between 2027 and 2028, and the report also mentioned a few more details on Microsoft's disc-to-digital program that could pave the way for an all-digital future. Players who insert a game disc into an Xbox console equipped with a disc drive will gain a digital license tied to their account, but if that disc "changes hands," the license will automatically transfer to the new account. Theoretically, this could mean that a player can still swap and trade their game disc, and once done, they'll lose access to their digital license.

The Verge added that the beta for the disc-to-digital program has been delayed to an unspecified time. Microsoft's approach is also massively different to how its rival Sony is approaching the idea of games being purely digital products, as the company announced that it will end production of physical game discs in January 2028. The backlash so far has been massive, and following a few weeks of radio silence, Sony cautiously addressed the overwhelmingly negative feedback it had received during an investors' call last week.

Meanwhile, Xbox faces several challenges of its own. Recent layoffs have hit several studios hard, while European consumers have been absolutely hammered by massive console price hikes. Driven by component shortages fueled by AI investment, Microsoft hasn't ruled out another price hike in 2027, either.

The 23 Best Xbox 360 Games Ever Made View Images

When you start a new game in Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation, a prompt asks if you’d like to play in cinematic mode. This locks the cutscene frame rate to 24 frames per second, but, understandably, leaves the gameplay as is. When I first saw this during my 90-minute preview session last month, it felt like a bold statement from Game Freak. Pokemon, Game Freak’s multigenerational smash-hit, can be described as many things, but cinematic it certainly is not. Unfortunately, aside from its flashy combat and a few cutscenes, Beast of Reincarnation isn't really cinematic, either. Flat performances and robotic animations undermine its fascinating story, bland environments sour its beautiful art direction, and an overall lack of polish hampers its intense combat. Though there are aspects of Beast of Reincarnation that I adored, for each one of them there’s always something that holds it back.

Beast of Reincarnation takes place exactly 2,000 years in the future, in 4026. After civilization was nearly wiped out by a phenomenon called The Blight, an infection that causes humans and animals alike to sprout vegetation, humanity transferred their souls into machines called golems to quell the spread. This inadvertently conquered death, but the relocated souls eventually deteriorated, leaving corrupted golems in their wake. The wildlife didn’t fare much better. Infected beasts called Malefacts wander the ruins of Japan attacking everything and everyone in their path. There’s a captivating history here that weaves together multiple science-fiction subgenres to create an intriguing world. The creatures that wander the wasteland feel biopunk-inspired, the aforementioned golem backstory is pulled from the cyberpunk genre, and the landscapes and architecture would feel at home in solarpunk fiction. Despite its many inspirations, Beast of Reincarnation’s world feels distinct.

https://youtu.be/erQ4lIW4Yo8?si=tohRNx3gTrRzvey2

This, in part, is due to the art direction. The futuristic technology juxtaposed alongside the overgrown ruins of Japan creates some memorable vistas that reflect the world’s alluring history. Emma, Beast of Reincarnation’s stoic protagonist, represents that fusion of technology and nature succinctly with her design. Her angular monochrome outfit is punctuated by a braid adorned with flowers that grows longer as she becomes stronger. It’s a nice touch that reflects your progress in her character design.

The plot centers around Emma and her dog Koo as they travel across Japan to reach the capital and hunt down the titular Beast of Reincarnation. Emma and Koo’s journey is frequently halted as they’re tasked with taking down a Nushi in each area--powerful Malefacts that spread The Blight. Each of these semi-open areas share a similar structure: You arrive, battle your way through the area, explore a little, and fight the boss. There are optional enemies to dispatch and loot to find, but these locales start to blend together after a while. Most of them consist of open fields with tall, green grass. As you get closer to the capital, those fields will be replaced with dry deserts. There are some interesting nooks hidden around each map, but it feels like a lot of wasted space.

There’s really not much to say about Emma. She’s a vessel, meaning she can absorb the power from enemies she’s defeated, but she is devoid of personality. She’s been told to fight and that’s exactly what she does. There are lore reasons for her languid disposition, but it doesn’t change the fact that nearly every interaction she has falls flat. In one scene, she robotically asks one of her traveling companions what love is. Her companion dryly explains that love is what happens when you miss people. This is made worse by deadpan voice work, static animations, and awkward editing that often leaves seconds of dead air between dialogue. The actors' performances are a little easier to stomach in Japanese, but the characters never escape what's largely dull writing.

Emma sprints through explosions as she chases down an enemy.

This isn’t relegated to a few scenes, either. The entire script lacks subtext and nuance. Frequently, you return to your mobile base of operations, called a Cleanse Walker, to chat with your teammates. A young girl named Kagura who Emma saves early in the story tends to your base by cooking meals and managing resources. She happens to be just as dull as Emma, making their shared conversations painful to witness as the two emotionlessly talk about food or journals. There’s no energy behind their performances, the camera work lacks any creative direction, and they are always confined to the grey walls of the Cleanse Walker.

Ironically, the best character in the game doesn’t talk. Koo, Emma’s canine companion, is fierce and adorable. In one moment he’s lovingly looking up at Emma as they explore the world, and in the next he’s ripping out the titanium throat of a golem. He whimpers, barks, and even collects items for Emma. He’s an endearing companion with some charming animations, but Emma and Koo’s relationship never really develops throughout the game. We get some backstory here and there, but I never felt like they were forging a bond. Emma just doesn’t seem all that interested in Koo for most of the game. In one scene, a character suggests that Emma do something nice for Koo and after some consideration, she suggests petting him. Once again, there are lore reasons for her listlessness, which I won’t spoil, but it doesn’t change the fact that these scenes are so dull.

Emma staring at the floor with blood and dirt on her face.

If there’s anything in Beast of Reincarnation that can be described as “cinematic,” it’s the combat. The parry-heavy skirmishes are fantastic. Enemies are deadly and aggressive, and can cut Emma down in a few hits. While it isn’t nearly as hard as something like From Software’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice or Neowiz’s Lies of P, Beast of Reincarnation can be tough–especially if you aren’t using the full range of Emma and Koo’s abilities.

The fundamentals are there. Emma’s slashes feel weighty, the clang of parrying a attack is gratifying, and her lethal blows are vicious. Like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, enemies have a health bar and a stagger bar. Deflecting attacks and pressuring enemies will fill up the stagger bar. Once it’s full, Emma can unleash a powerful attack that instantly kills a basic enemy. There is a dodge and a block too, but mastering the parry window is far more rewarding. 

Alongside Emma’s basic attacks, she has unlockable skills that can be deployed mid-combo for dazzling effect. These skills are themed around different blossoms and successfully pulling off one of these moves results in massive flowers blooming on the battlefield. Generally, these combos do significantly more damage than basic attacks, but they require some windup and leave Emma vulnerable. This means you need to study an enemy's patterns to find an opening. Combat, especially later in the game, is a spectacle. Flowers and trees spring up around Emma as she cuts down foes with style.

Emma taking down a boss with a flame katana.

What separates Beast of Reincarnation’s combat from similar action games is Koo. By pressing Y or Triangle, time stops, and Emma can issue commands. These commands cost FP, which is accumulated by successfully parrying attacks. In order to efficiently take down tougher enemies and bosses, you need to be aggressive with Emma while juggling Koo’s FP and commands. Some of these moves may also synergize with Emma’s skills. For example, Koo has a command that can bind or stun some enemies for a brief period of time, giving Emma just enough time to follow up with one of her powerful combos.

The near-constant stream of new combos, abilities, commands, and weapons kept the combat fresh throughout my entire playthrough. It’s almost a little overwhelming as Emma and Koo’s individual skill trees grow larger and larger throughout the story, but I never felt compelled to unlock everything. Each branch and root within Emma and Koo’s skill trees supports a different playstyle, and part of the fun is mixing and matching these different abilities to fit into your playstyle. While the parry-first combat is at the center of every approach, there are dozens of ancillary strategies that you can lean into. For example, I heavily invested skill points into Emma’s Sakura Blade Art, which happens to be one of the longest combos in the game. Given its windup, I prioritized Koo commands that would bind enemies. Max Blumenthal, a video producer on staff, focused more on Emma’s Kiku Blade Art, which has a much shorter windup and more range. He also invested more heavily in Koo’s commands, finding ways to chain his attacks to great effect. 

Emma and Koo hiding from a Nushi.

This all comes together during boss fights. These special Malefacts, known as Nushi, tower over Emma and Koo. They are based on real-world animals that have been infected by the Blight. Root tendrils hang off of them and giant flowers sprout from their body. They are beautiful and terrifying. Most of these bosses have two phases, and pushed me to conserve resources and tap into both Emma and Koo’s many abilities. There’s an engaging back and forth of reacting to the boss’s attacks and applying pressure whenever you find an opening. Sprinkling in commands from Koo can extend those openings or exploit a weakness. Some bosses are tricky but none felt insurmountable thanks to Emma and Koo’s wide array of skills and commands.

The problem is that most of these bosses are reused in the second half of the game. They are a higher level, but their attack patterns are nearly identical. This makes most of the high stakes encounters in later areas a cake walk. I don’t necessarily mind refighting bosses, but it robs these fights of any tension and opportunity for further experimentation. I know which attacks to counter and when to use one of Emma’s skill arts before the introductory cutscene has finished.

As stylish as the combat is, it lacks the polish of its inspirations. The camera can be unruly, timing perfect dodges feels inconsistent, and Emma’s traversal maneuvers can lead to some awkward situations. Where the camera struggles the most is against large bosses. In order to pressure a Nushi, you need to get in close, but when you’re stuck under their legs, it’s tough to tell when they are swinging and if they will even hit you. Occasionally they’ll fire off an attack that can only be dodged, and if you time your dodge right, time will slow down, allowing you to counter attack. Nailing this timing feels good, but it didn’t always behave consistently. Sometimes I’d dodge well before an attack and it would trigger the slowdown, and other times I would time it right before an attack and I’d still get hit. 

Koo standing in a patch of sunlight.

You can also get around enemy attacks with Emma’s hair. By holding the jump button or right trigger, you can extend Emma’s root-like hair to reach new heights and cross gaps. These abilities can be used to close the distance between an enemy, get out of harm's way, or kick off aerial combos and attacks. It’s fun to weave these traversal skills into her moves, but they don’t always work as intended. At times her hair wouldn’t extend all the way, and other times I wouldn’t be able to grapple onto the endpoint to pull her forward. These issues are minor, but they add up and leave the combat feeling messy at times. 

Part of that messiness stems from Beast of Reincarnation’s inconsistent performance and visual bugs. I played a majority of the game on a PC equipped with an RTX 4080, and I noticed some micro-stutters and hitches at 1080p and 1440p. I can’t say how well it fares at higher resolutions, because it wouldn’t let me change resolution settings unless I set it to full screen--a setting that doesn’t seem to exist for me in the current build. Based on our testing, the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro seems to be the best option while the Xbox Series X has severe frame rate issues that Game Freak is aware of and intends to address before its release.

Beast of Reincarnation is an ambitious game that often overextends itself. The lack of polish taints its versatile combat, the mundane performances and wearisome dialogue suffocate its tantalizing story, and the uninteresting areas drag down strong art direction. That isn’t to say Beast of Reincarnation is a total miss, though. The combat, despite my nitpicks, feels and looks great when you’re chaining together combos and deflecting ferocious attacks. And aside from the cutscenes, my 25-hour adventure didn’t feel like a slog--I was eager to improve Emma and Koo’s skills to take down tougher enemies. But everything surrounding that core loop falls flat. Despite Beast of Reincarnation’s enticing mix of high-quality inspirations, it fails to reach the same heights as those experiences.

Riftbound, the League of Legends trading card game (TCG) from Riot Games, just saw the release of its fourth expansion Vendetta on July 31, the first set to achieve release parity among all of the game's available languages. We still have one more expansion to come in 2026, with Radiance dropping October 23, but today's State of the Game update detailed even more products players can get their hands on before year's end.

The biannual update also discussed the game's release roadmap for 2027, starting the the sixth set Legacy, launching January 29, which leads into the seventh set Reckoning in April. Sets 8 and 9 details are still under wraps, but the team did tease some details about each expansion's settings and themes.

2027 Release Roadmap Riftbound's 2027 set release dates.

The sixth set Legacy releases January 29, 2027 and is the game's largest set to date with 346 cards. It's also designed heavily around the draft format, which makes sense considering its larger-than-average amount of new cards. Legacy also sees the release of a second iteration of Proving Grounds, a collection of four preconstructed decks designed for new players. Compared to the first set (Origins)'s version of Proving Grounds, which had exclusive cards not found in the main set, Proving Grounds Second Edition features cards that can all be found in Legacy booster packs. Legacy brings 12 new playable Legends in to the fold, like Ashe, Garen, Heimerdinger, Illaoi, Karma, Lux, Tryndamere, and Vladimir.

On April 30, the seventh set, The Reckoning, comes out. Details on the 264-card set are still minimal, but the update article teases massive Champions and creatures are coming. The Reckoning introduces nine new playable Legends, including Aurelion Sol, Cho'Gath, Shyvana, Vayne, and Zilean.

Details for Sets 8 and 9 are virtually nonexistent, but the article confirms that Set 8 focuses on Bandle City, home of the Yordles, while Set 9 teases the importance of the Shadow Isles.

Many TCGs offer a wide variety of different products you can buy, from mainline booster packs to collector's sets, and Riftbound is no different. Radiance is the final mainline set of 2026, but there are still a handful of ancillary products players can buy that are filled with alternate art reprints of existing cards.

Secret Garden

Themed around Riftbound's third set Unleashed and the Legend card Ivern, Green Father, the Secret Garden kit is available only at select events, with last week's GenCon being the first. You can get your hands on this at the upcoming Regional Qualifier tournaments in Barcelone, Singapore, and Los Angeles, as well as at PAX West in Seattle the first weekend of September. You'll be able to get at other unannounced events as well. Here's what's inside of the $70 box:

• 3x Alt Art Cards
  • Alt-Art Ivern, Green Father
  • Alt-Art Lillia, Bashful Bloom
  • Alt-Art Ultrasoft Poro
• 5x Alt-Art Double Sided Tokens
• 2x Sleeves Pack
• 2x Full Art Postcards
• 3x Unleashed Boosters

Riftbound x T1 2025 Worlds Championship Collection

Similar to last year's Worlds Bundle, the T1 Worlds Champion Collection is a five-card alternate art collection of Champion cards you can use in game, each chosen by members of T1, that will cost $360. This also marks the first time Riftbound cards are getting serialized treatment, so demand is sure to be extremely high for the Signature Edition. These will be available to purchase from August 14 to August 17 through a drawing. The included cards and the T1 player who chose them are:

• Doran - Ambessa, The Wolf
• Faker - Galio, Indefatigable
• Gumayusi - Miss Fortune, Buccaneer
• Keria - Seraphine, Not Alone
• Oner - Xin Zhao, Vigilant

If you're after a more widely available product, the T1 Worlds Champion Player Bundle will run you $70 and includes the same five Champion cards with different art, as well as a collection of game accessories.

Gift of the Rift Bundle

This special box is designed to celebrate Riftbound's first year and includes booster packs of the TCG's first five expansions, seasonal accessories, and an alternate art Akali, Rogue Assassin Legend card. Akali is exclusive to the English-language version of the box, while Chinese printings contain an alternate Kennen, Heart of the Tempest Legend card. This comes out on December 4, 2026 and will be sold at mass retailers and at your local game store, but price hasn't been detailed quite yet. You'll receive:

• 16x Booster Packs (3x each of Origins, Spiritforged, Unleashed, and Vendetta, 4x of Radiance)
• 36x Runes - 6 of each Basic Runes with a Foil treatment
• 1x Alt Art Akali Promo 
• 100x sleeves of the Akali promo
• 1x 2000 card storage box 

Riftbound, Riot Games' League of Legends trading card game (TCG), recently celebrated its one-year anniversary on August 1 during GenCon. Since its launch late last year, the game's undergone dozens of changes, errata, rules updates, and even card bans. In its first of three State of the Game updates this week (and second overall this year), Riot broke down some of the biggest changes coming to Riftbound starting in January of 2027 with the release of the game's sixth set, Legacy.

Two State of the Game update articles were released today on Riot's site. One was an in-depth conversation with Riftbound brass Dave Guskin, Chengran Chai, and Nik Davidson, penned by the game's Editor-in-Chief Trick Jarrett, in which they discussed how they felt about the game one year in, and some of the biggest learnings the team has experienced in that time.

Regarding banning cards, Riftbound Game Director Dave Guskin explained that the team doesn't set out to ban cards, but will when absolutely necessary, citing the powerful "Miracle" package from Spiritforged. "I don’t regret making powerful things," he said. "We want you all to have cool stuff to experiment with! But as we learn the nuances of making Riftbound (which is something we are doing right alongside you all, our extremely intelligent players) we’ve learned there’s still room to grow in how we approach designing the six domains and gauging the true power of certain game mechanics."

Last week's release of Riftbound's fourth set, Vendetta, brought along three preemptive bans in an effort for the team to get ahead of the set's release and ensure it has a healthy competitive meta on day one. The team also confirmed that they will continue to monitor powerful strategies and infinite combos going forward.

The other article detailed new products still to come in 2026, and offered a glimpse at the first half of 2027's set releases. What's most interesting from this article is Riot's breakdown of some big changes coming when Legacy launches on January 29. A few of these changes have been desired by the community for months (myself included), and Riot is making it a priority to listen to players and build the game with them. Riftbound will "continue to be reactive to player feedback as it grows," the article read. Guskin went on to explain that the team "will always try to clearly communicate as we improve our process and learn lessons we apply to the game in the future. Building this game together with the community is vitally important to us".

One of the biggest changes coming to the TCG affects booster pack contents. Usually, packs of Riftbound contain 14 cards; seven commons, three uncommons, two rare or higher cards, a foil card of any rarity, and a token or Rune. Legend cards, which are required to build your decks and play the game, have occupied a Rare slot since launch. Riot has said in the past that their goal is to make these cards very easy to come by, and that's been the case, but occupying the Rare slot means players miss out on more, actual rare (read: hard to find) cards. Starting with Legacy, Legend cards will be taking up a common slot, leaving room for the promised two rare or better cards, and bringing the amount of commons in a pack from seven to six.

The next big change has to do with the card templates and text itself, offering a clearer explanation of how cards and how they resolve. Also starting with Legacy, Riftbound will be introducing an arrow icon to signify the effect a triggered ability has.

Next, cards with specific targets will have that word set to a gray background to make sure it's obvious which word on the card is the intended target of a spell or ability.

Finally, one of the biggest changes is all about what the term "play" actually means. Since the game came out, "play" has always referred to making a token appear, placing a card on the chain, finalizing a spell, or resolving an ability. The article explains that these aren't exhaustive enough, so changes are being made to clarify that definition of "play." To start, finalizing a spell or playing a card from your trash pile is unchanged. But moving forward, cards that make tokens will swap "play" out with "create," and cards that say "when you play me" will be changed to "when I enter," meaning their effects are triggered when they resolve in play.

Today's articles kick off the first of three days of Riftbound's State of the Game updates, so expect more news and announcements throughout the week.

The Palworld series is expanding. Garena has announced Palworld Online, a new MMORPG for mobile, which the developer is making under a licensing deal with Palworld developer Pocketpair.

Garena will develop and publish Palworld Online for iOS and Android. The game aims to reimagine the "depth, freedom, and scale" of the main game for mobile. Palworld Online will have new, original story elements, along with MMO features like a "seamless, interconnected open world," Garena said. The game has cooperative and competitive elements, just like the main game does.

A first look at Palworld Online.

Garena president Terry Zhao said the company is "working closely" with Pocketpair on Palworld Online.

As for its mobile-first design philosophies, Garena said the game features a "streamlined, touch-friendly interface" with the option for one-tap controls.

Palworld Online is scheduled for release in 2026, with more details to be announced later. So far, just a single screenshot (above) has been released.

As for the main game, Palworld just recently launched its long-awaited 1.0 edition, and it's helped the game see a big surge in players. The game had more than 500,000 peak concurrent users on Steam alone this past weekend.

Hold on tight to the graphics cards you have, because those sitting on retailer shelves are about to get a lot more expensive, irrespective of whether you prefer AMD or Nvidia.

Last week, Nvidia GPUs were confirmed to be getting a substantial price hike, with anything between 20% and 30% being reported. That gave AMD the perfect moment to communicate a price increase of its own, with market analyst Harukaze571 reporting that the company had been waiting for Nvidia to make the first move.

The report, via PC Gamer, suggests that AMD was planning its own GPU price hike, but was worried about its effect on current stock, the price sensitivity of consumers, and more. Unlike Nvidia, however, AMD's increase seems mild by comparison, with the company aiming for "at least 10%" but falling short of specifying an upper limit.  Harukaze5719 added that, "price positioning is expected to be similar to that of the Nvidia series graphics cards," with the increases set to start taking place this week.

This increases are, notably, applying to partners, who then have to figure out how much to pass onto consumers. But given the thin margins that GPUs are currently sold at, it is unlikely that many, if any, will be able to absorb any part of the cost.

The increases across the board are attributed to the ongoing demand for memory, which is a core component for GPUs that requires large quantities of high speed modules. Samsung, which supplies a lot of memory for applications including and beyond GPUs, has already increased prices this year, and plans to hike them by a further 20% this month too. The company is expected to continue doing so until 2028 at the earliest.

These are all causing massive knock-on effects across the industry. The Xbox Series X and Series S had its new, increased prices go into effect at the start of the month, with Nintendo soon to follow with its announced Switch 2 price hike. Sony was forced to increase the price of the PlayStation 5 earlier this year, with all three companies likely looking at the possibility of further increases in the further should memory prices continue rising.

When Baldur's Gate 3 launched in 2023, it didn't take long for modders to add new camera options, including a third-person view. Now, a new third-person mod is expanding the view of Baldur's Gate 3 and allowing veteran players a chance to revisit the game from a fresh perspective.

The true third-person mod was created and posted by Nexus mods user Relysia, who acknowledges that it builds upon the previously released native camera tweeks mod and retains its features. However, the new mod adds a way to toggle between an over-the-shoulder camera view and the normal view. Relysia also shared a video comparison between the earlier mod and the current one, as well as a broad overview of its features and options.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lg-0Y00Ipw

As originally used in the game, the camera was locked and didn't allow players to look up or down when using close view. The true third-person camera mod offers more leeway for players to move the camera with the touch of a button. It also keeps the camera "locked tight on your character" and adjusts the FOV when the player is running or crouching while also accounting for different heights for each character.

During combat and turn-based sequences, the mod auto-switches to distant view before reverting to close view. Relysia notes that the mod works best with a controller, but it can also be used with a keyboard. There are some known issues and bugs that remain to be worked out, but the "fix stuck camera" button should be able to help players out if they find themselves trapped in a bad camera angle.

Last year, a group of modders announced their plan to recreate the original Baldur's Gate in Baldur's Gate 3. Remakes of Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2 are rumored to be in the works, but they have yet to be confirmed by Wizards of the Coast. A Baldur's Gate TV series is also in development, but Baldur's Gate 4 may have more trouble coming to fruition. At least one developer passed on Baldur's Gate 4 after expressing a desire to avoid following up on the work created by Larian Studios.

Buying a new Xbox just got a lot more expensive in the US, Europe, and UK. The previously announced Xbox Series X|S price hikes are now in effect as of August 1, and people should expect to pay significantly more.

In the US, all 512GB Xbox models went up by $100, while the 1 TB systems are now $150 more expensive. All 2 TB models are discontinued. You can see all the new US prices below, and prices for other regions further down (via VGC).

• Xbox Series S 512GB - $500
• Xbox Series S 1TB - $600
• Xbox Series X 1TB digital edition - $750
• Xbox Series X 1TB with disc drive - $800

In Europe, the cheapest new Xbox--the 512GB Xbox Series S--is going up from €350 to €500. The system originally launched in 2020 at €300, so it's gone up by €200 since then. The 1TB Xbox Series S is now going for €600 (was €400).

Moving on to the Xbox Series X, the 1TB digital model is now €750 (was €550), while the 1TB disc version is a whopping €800 (was €600). That's the most expensive edition, and it works out to about $920 USD.

Xbox consoles are now more expensive globally.

The UK is seeing Xbox price hikes, too, where the cheapest Xbox--the 512GB Xbox Series S--is now going for £430 (was £300). The highest-end version, the 1TB disc version of the Xbox Series X, is now selling for £670 (was £500).

Microsoft previously raised prices in October 2025. The company said it hoped another increase would not be necessary, but "console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x, and we expect another doubling by the fall of 2027."

A report from Windows Central said Microsoft was losing $150 per console sold.

Microsoft, along with Sony and Nintendo, are set to receive tariff refunds, and none of the companies have announced any plans to return any money to consumers who paid more.

Beyond the tariff-related impacts, the ongoing AI-fueled memory and component shortages are expected to continue, and another Xbox price hike could come in 2027.

In response to the new, higher prices for Xbox consoles, Microsoft rolled out new Buy Now, Pay Later and 0% APR financing options. Microsoft also sells certified refurbished Xbox consoles for lower prices.

As for other consoles, the PS5 got its latest price hike this past April, while the Switch 2 is getting a price increase in September.

Love and Deepspace just had its worst financial month to date, as the dating gacha sim's revenue has cratered. While it was pulling in around $30 - $60 million in revenue every month (per Sensor Data), July saw the game make a noticeably smaller amount of cash, to the tune of $10.3 million. That's a massive 73% drop when compared to June 2026 ($38 million), and the fall can all be traced back to the announcement--and subsequent cancellation--of Valko, who would have been the game's sixth love interest.

In comparison, top gacha games like Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero--all produced by HoyoVerse--continue to dominate the revenue charts, with ZZZ in particular rocketing up from 15th place to third place in July.

You'd think that revealing an occasionally furry love interest wouldn't result in a fandom being ripped apart, but you'd be wrong. Valko proved to be a polarizing figure, as the ruggedly handsome tech CEO and werewolf clan leader has half the Love and Deepspace community baying for his blood, while the other half is actively boycotting and petitioning for developer Papergames to officially add him to the gacha Otome game.

Valko dissenters have cited concerns that a new character will take developer attention away from the game’s main story and established love interests, while those for Valko argue Eastern beauty standards led to his swift dismissal.

Things got even worse for Papergames, as it decided to pull its booth from one of the largest anime and gaming conventions in Asia, BilliBilli World 2026. The Chinese Government has also gotten involved, taking aim at Valko's promotional slogans that could be perceived as problematic and promoting home intrusions and sexual assault. "What’s wrong with letting a wolf into the house?" the text for Valko reads, after he was shown

"This kind of entertainment-driven, traffic-driven creative work disregards public order and morality, crosses legal boundaries, and may ultimately endanger public safety," a representative from the Ministry of Public Security News and Media wrote. Since then, characters and storylines were removed and are in the process of being re-certified, as the Chinese government holds considerable power over what it allows in and out of the country when it comes to entertainment.

The government is also treating Love and Deepspace as a warning to other game studios, saying that any content that "deliberately blurs the lines of illegality, glorifies dangerous behavior, or undermines public safety" will face removal. The writing might be on the wall for Papergames, as it looks like its community is ready to break up with Love and Deepspace.

An 18-year-old from New Hampshire released a game called This Game Costs $200 earlier this year as a joke--but a lot of people bought it. The game generated $1.3 million in sales, but creator Michael Major didn't get anywhere near that big of a payday.

He told WMUR that he set the price at $200 because that was the maximum a game could be listed for on Steam, and he expected no one to buy it. When he saw revenue of $1.3 million, he "almost died," Major said. To be sure, there are games on Steam that cost more than $200--there is a $1,000 game, for example.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlKPZxn7RF4

The developer only walked away with $2,000, however, in part because of mass refunds. Major also said it's curious that the majority of sales came from China.

"I'm not joking. I have heard of expensive games on Steam being used for money laundering. I have no idea. I could be on a hit list right now," he said.

Steam sales data shared in the video showed that the game sold 6,717 units, but 6,707 people got refunds, meaning 99.9% of sales were refunded. The lifetime gross revenue for This Game Costs $200 was $1.38 million, but Major walked away with $2,045 after all the refunds.

The Steam page for This Game Costs $200 describes it as "the swindle to end all swindles."

"This game is also a psychological experience, where I try to convince you that this game truly does cost 200 dollars," reads a line from its description.

The game takes place in the world of Schizopia and has players walking around a map full of cases of beer and packs of cigarettes.

The game has one review, from someone who played for 0.6 hours and said they recommend it. They said they made a lot of bad decisions in their life, like eating a toilet water-soaked sandwich straight from the bowl. But spending $200 on This Game Costs $200 was not the worst decision they ever made, they said.

This Game Costs $200 is a sequel to This Game Costs $10.

A famous poet once said, "Work sucks; I know." That timeless truth is the backdrop for HR: Human Remains, an upcoming first-person horror game in which demons have taken over the world, but you're still clocking in for your desk job. 

Today, GameSpot can exclusively reveal the release date; it's coming to Steam on September 22. Check out the brand-new release date trailer below for more.

With an aesthetic reminiscent of the original PlayStation era, HR: Human Remains has a darkly humorous tone, but is still very much a horror game.

In it, you'll be stuck as an office clerk, interacting with co-workers and your extra-horrible bosses while uncovering a story with multiple endings to experience based on your choices.

There are Sunday Scaries, and then there's whatever this guy has got himself into.

You'll need to solve puzzles to explore hidden places, while also collecting items with which you can decorate your break room. To me, it sounds sort of like three parts Hellraiser and one part Office Space, and I can surely dig that. 

The game is on the way from developer DennisCorner and publisher Black Lantern Collective, which specializes in indie horror games. You can check out HR: Human Remains on Steam.

30 Best Horror Games To Play In The Dark In 2026 View Images

A new Nintendo Direct has been announced, and this time, the focus is on Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave. If you're interested, you can tune in at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET on August 4 to watch the broadcast. Nintendo says that you can expect "roughly 20 minutes" of new information about the game.

One of several big first-party games from Nintendo scheduled for launch this year, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is the first game in the longrunning tactical-RPG series to be developed exclusively for Switch 2 consoles. The last time it was in the spotlight was during the June Nintendo Direct, where a few more details about the game were revealed.

The game will feature four characters competing to win the Dagosian Games--a high-stakes tournament--with combat taking place inside of an arena. This is a departure from the battlefields of previous Fire Emblem games, but outside of the tournament, there'll still be opportunities to explore new locations and deal with bandits who are hoarding treasure.

Each of the four main champions also possesses a special crest that can grant them special abilities in combat, and it looks like there'll be social events to take part in when you're not fighting for glory.

Launching on September 17, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave enters a stacked month of new releases as several games are attempting to hit the ground running before heavyweight titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 and GTA 6 descend.

Preorders are open for Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, with the standard edition priced at $70 - $80 depending on whether you want a physical version or a download code. You can also pick up the Special Edition of the game for $120, which includes the full physical edition of the game and a selection of collectibles.

Marvel's Wolverine is finally slashing its way onto PS5 next month, and ahead of its release, it looks like the game is going to earn its Mature 17+ rating with blood and ass. According to the Entertainment Software Rating Board, the game contains blood, gore, drug references, strong language, and "partial nudity," but it's not specified whose gluteus maximus is on display.

"A handful of sequences briefly depict a character's exposed buttocks," the ESRB rating reads. That's a pretty vague description, but we'd wager that we could see Wolverine's butt paraded about, given the character's habit of being occasionally transformed into a naked and feral mutant weapon by shadowy organizations like Canada's Department H. Read the comics if you don't believe us!

It's a scene that has been adapted into live-action media as well, with longtime Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman's butt briefly appearing in alternate cuts and near-misses during several scenes across multiple movies. He infamously refused to wear a modesty sock during the filming of his adamantium implants in X-Men: Origins - Wolverine, and in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past, audiences got a full look at his backside during the '70s hotel room scene.

Other characters in the game include Jean Grey, Sabretooth, Mystique, and Lady Deathstrike, but we're guessing that they won't be around for scenes requiring them to get cheeky.

There's also precedent for this when it comes to PS5 games, as Ghost of Tsushima and its sequel Ghost of Yotei both featured brief scenes where you could see the uncovered rears of their respective protagonists. If the Ghost of Tsushima film ever enters into production, actor Daisuke Tsuji said that he's prepared to show some skin.

Beyond seeing exposed hams, the ESRB also noted that Marvel's Wolverine will allow you to tear enemies apart and that the game features some naughty language.

It's not long to go now, as Marvel's Wolverine launches on September 15 for PS5. For more on the game, you can check out all the Easter eggs we've spotted so far, every costume revealed for Marvel's Wolverine, and 13 new details we learned at San Diego Comic-Con about Logan's adventure.

Every Upcoming Superhero Game To Look Out For In 2026 And Beyond View Images

Bruce Straley, the Naughty Dog veteran who worked on the Jak, Uncharted, and The Last of Us franchises before leaving to start his own studio, is asking his followers why they are excited for GTA 6.

Posting on social media, Straley said he's asking this question out of genuine curiosity, and not simply to stir the pot. "No shade, just curious," he said.

Straley said he's unsure if he's interested in playing GTA 6, so he was asking followers to share the reasons why they are excited for Rockstar's next big game.

"What do you hope is new in GTA 6 you haven’t already experienced in its predecessors? OR simply, Why are you gonna play GTA 6? Because I don’t know if I’m interested & I’m not sure if I’m an outlier," he said.

https://twitter.com/bruce_straley/status/2083992004137259228

Straley ended his post by reminding people that he worked in "the sausage factory a long time," which is likely a reference to Naughty Dog.

Straley got a lot of responses to his post. Someone said they are looking forward to whatever Rockstar is cooking up in terms of new dynamic weather events, and Straley said he's excited about the possibilities here.

"Using that crazy [Red Dead Redemption 2] weather tech to create dynamic events sounds sick. I can’t imagine that would be their priority at all, but that got me excited! Someone AAA should do that," he said. Someone else suggested a surfing system in GTA 6, and Straley said that would be fun.

Another person said if GTA 6 has nonlinear missions that offer the player multiple solutions to one task, that would be compelling. Straley concurred.

"I think this is why I’m not very interested (yet?). RD2 looked awesome--maybe the best, but the systems themselves weren’t very deep. I was disappointed everything boiled down to 'follow the yellow line,'" he said.

Another person said "deep [gameplay] systems don't have mass appeal," and Rockstar makes mass market games. Straley pushed back, saying, "Having deeper systems would allow for more varieties of players to play in their own style. And it feels like the potential of 'open world' should come with a payoff of 'open approaches' to gameplay. Just my opinion," he said.

Straley worked at Naughty from 1999 to 2017, and he co-directed The Last of Us and Uncharted 4 during his time there. As for why he left, he said 18 years was "a long time for anybody to be anywhere," and he wanted to find "new problems to solve" and "new creative outlets."

He said Naughty Dog was the "pinnacle" of game developers, going on to note that he didn't want to join another AAA studio because he didn't want to deal with "a whole different bureaucratic or cultural system."

Straley is now heading up Wildflower Interactive, which is making a game called Coven of the Chicken Foot. Microsoft was set to publish the title before the company backed out. Wildflower found other funding to keep going.

As for GTA 6, Rockstar's long-awaited open-world crime game launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Some are expecting further announcements this week tied to parent company Take-Two's next earnings report on August 7.

Inde Navarrette reached a new level of fame this year after starring in Curry Barker's horror movie Obsession. She's also a big fan of video games. She's now revealed that she's been offered roles in games, and that she loves Shrek.

"Yes, and I'm starting my journey with that soon," she told Variety when asked if any studios had come calling to ask her to be in a video game. "I want to try something smaller to test the waters and then later, different. Video games are, obviously, a big interest of mine."

She is a big fan of Resident Evil, adding that she would "die inside" if she got the chance to have a role in one of the games someday.

Navarrette did not name the companies that have pitched her or what games she could appear in.

Inde Navarrette in Obsession.

Also in the interview, Navarrette talked about some of her earliest memories with video games, and her comments are highly relatable. She said one of her favorites from yesteryear was the Shrek game for PS2, Shrek Super Party. In particular, she said she's a fan of the characters' big heads in the game.

Navarrette went on to say that Call of Duty is another favorite gaming series of hers. She's mentioned this before, and Activision obviously took note, hiring her to appear on a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 panel in July.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnvlSfoB0Fw

Navarrette is a gamer who, like any reasonable person, watched Henry Cavill videos to help build her gaming PC. She also formerly hosted Twitch streams for Call of Duty.

Obsession, meanwhile, was made on a reported $750,000 budget and has earned more than $470 million worldwide, making it a huge success. Prior to Obsession, Navarrette starred in Netflix's 13 Reasons Why.

In the three years since Big Walk was announced, I've heard it referred to as a co-op walking sim, a puzzle-adventure game, and friendslop. After spending 20+ hours in the world of the Australian Outback-inspired game, it's no easier to succinctly define it, because it's not actually like anything else. By inventively stripping down the medium to its most essential parts, it invites novices and experts alike to build it back up from scratch, coloring in its mysterious world with their friends by their side. We need a new word for whatever kind of game Big Walk really is, but here's one for now: unforgettable. 

Big Walk is a game about walking and talking with friends, played in first-person for groups of 2-12 players. Embodying vaguely humanoid characters--think multicolored snowmen with long noses and noodly appendages--you and your friends will trek across a vast and open island, hunting down nameless MacGuffins by way of solving an abundance of inventive puzzles together. This intentionally basic setup belies the depth you'll discover the more time you spend on its island.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWfg9iLq55c&pp=0gcJCaMLAYcqIYzv

Before you head off, you'll convene in a starting area that looks a bit like a playground or a children's gym, full of buttons to push; vibrant, sometimes bouncy objects to pick up and kick; and climbable surfaces. It's here where you'll learn most everything you need to know about what you can do, like all the gestures you can make with your body, how to use proximity chat to your aid, and how to deal with the physics of the world. For example, you may note how falling a great distance doesn't mean taking fall damage, but it may mean you drop what you were holding and lose it in a forest until the sun comes up. 

The first four puzzles act as a tutorial. In a more limited section of the island, you'll seek them out deep in the woods, high atop hills, or along beaches, work together to solve them, and unlock their corresponding MacGuffins, then place them in a console that unlocks virtually the entire rest of the island all at once. From there, it's your group's call to make, and your path through the world won't be the same as any other. 

Unlike Peak, which the game has often been compared to, Big Walk's island is handcrafted, not randomly generated, and it shows. Every inch of the world feels intentional, from the switchbacks down the mountainsides meant to give you the hint of a far-off landmark, to the radio stations you can come across, each of them playing their own special song that you can carry with you if you're in the mood for some music on your journey. Because there are so many puzzles, sometimes you'll even take aspects of one puzzle to solve others, and the game offers clever environmental hints when this is required.

In small ways, puzzles change depending on your group size. The host maintains the save data across sessions, allowing players to join or drop when they may need to, but different versions of the island exist for parties of two, three, or four-plus, with slight tweaks to each puzzle to accommodate the number of people in a group.

No matter your team size, Big Walk adjusts to give you an appropriate challenge.

Some puzzles will be a bit easier with more people putting their heads together, while others will be much more chaotic; one of the first puzzles my group found was basically a basketball hoop with big bouncy lights as the ball, and if you don't easily tame a group of a dozen players, you'll all be knocking each other's shots away from the basket until someone takes command and establishes a turn order. 

There's a remarkable clarity to the visual language in Big Walk that's conveyed right at the start, but everything else there is to know about it is built on a foundation you make together with your friends, establishing your own vocabulary and body language in such an effortlessly cool, intuitive way that so many other games seem afraid of. Playing with two of my kids, we took to calling the dozens of MacGuffins "eggy things" because of their somewhat egg-like shape, and we called our characters "walklings."

As the hazy semblance of a story unfolded, we made sense of it in our own words. Big Walk clearly hopes each group does this. That's why it fills its world with fundamental video game objects and objectives, like puzzles and their rewards, but adds nothing definitive beyond that.

Big Walk's world speaks for itself. There are no quest markers or on-screen prompts, and no stamina or health bars to manage. Every aspect of the game is diegetic, and every discovery is of your own making. There's no lore dump or explainer as to who you are or why you're solving puzzles on an island that only your group seems to inhabit. Across its realistic-looking landscape are many more cartoonishly colored structures of all shapes and sizes that stick out by contrast, and developer House House trusts each friend group to carve out their own adventure through the world, letting their curiosity guide them and building on shared learning hour after hour.

Getting a bird's-eye view of the island reveals just how much there is to see and do.

Some puzzles demand you work closely together side by side, timing your actions just right or fidgeting with buttons and points of view, while others demand you split up, sometimes for long stretches at a time and across great distances. In those instances, finding each other afterward is its own sort of puzzle to solve. Many puzzles will inhibit your ability to communicate, like one where a player is locked behind soundproof glass and must relay information to the others that only the lone walkling has. There are probably only about six to eight core concepts the game focuses on, but each time House House returns to an idea, it adds clever new wrinkles. 

In one of the game's most devilishly designed puzzles, I was forced to wear a helmet that blinded me, leaving my group to guide me across a treacherous obstacle course with only their vocal callouts. Hours later on our journey, this same dastardly helmet showed up again, but with new rules that demanded I, as the helmet-wearer again, carry the right objects to their intended corners of an area, which meant our group needed to figure out which were the right objects in the first place, before I could even begin to follow their vocal instructions.

I can think of a few puzzles that were quite daunting, especially with a seven-year-old in the group, but none frustrated us. Often, we'd climb to a mountaintop to get a lay of the land, head off toward some vibrant structure in the middle of a wooded area, and fidget with its movable parts until we got a sense of what we needed to do. Through clear collaboration and our own invented language, we'd achieve success--sometimes quickly, in just a few minutes, but other times after much more head-scratching for puzzles that took us 20 or more minutes to solve. Every time we'd solve a puzzle, my kids and I would rejoice with a chant: "Egg-y thing! Egg-y thing!" while throwing our walklings' hands into the air together. 

Though the game is light on traditional story, it feels like describing many of its amazing puzzles is a type of spoiler. The ritual of genuine discovery, followed by cooperative experimentation, and finally, shared elation, is the magic of Big Walk, doled out with the completion of each puzzle, but even more often in the in-between moments when you're just chatting as you explore the outback. For a few hours every night, for about two weeks, this was our beloved ceremony together. We helped each other get our bearings, found each other when we'd gotten lost and separated, and commended each other when one of us would crack the solution to a puzzle wide open. 

The way Big Walk nudges players to work together in tight-knit ways is a recurring bit of genius.

Big Walk has a defined ending and isn't meant to be played forever, though with a different group of friends, it does retain some appeal. When we weren't playing it, we were talking about it, trying to solve some puzzles we'd set aside if they'd stumped us for too long, or crafting theories about the massive black orb that waited beyond a wall we couldn't (yet?) access. It's a game of few words, opting instead to give players a massive canvas on which to create their own story together. For a handful of special evenings, the island was our home away from home. 

With every few puzzles, major new rewards become available, like a train that moves around the island or a giant map room to help plot your travels. You may also stumble upon totally missable shortcuts, reinforcing that your triumphs are yours to celebrate and not based on any HUD arrow you've followed. You'll come upon helpful handheld items, like walkie-talkies, flashlights, and megaphones, but as best I can recall, such items tend to make some puzzles easier, but they're rarely required, so it becomes a question of, for example, leaving the puzzle to find a pair of walkie-talkies or solving a puzzle without them even if it would clearly help a lot.

Inventory space is limited to what you can carry in your hands, on your belt, or in your backpack, and anything you're not holding can't even be accessed on your own. You'll need a buddy to take that backpack off of you if you want to consult the paper map you may have stashed inside of it. This seemingly small design decision really speaks to Big Walk's main idea. First imagined during the COVID pandemic, House House sought to make a game that brings people closer to one another, to get them talking and having meaningful interactions. For me, it worked wonders. 

It's not often my kids and I can all play a game together with the same enthusiasm, as the taste preferences among a 37-, 13-, and seven-year-old don't tend to align. But Big Walk offers a gameplay loop that feels universal in its appeal. It deconstructs video games into their most foundational verbs: discover, experiment, prevail. The context of a mysterious island and the silly-looking characters you play as surely enhance the experience, but it's the simplistic gameplay loop taken to a depth that is exciting but never so involved as to leave some players behind that makes it so easily beloved. 

Though it's not as slapstick-funny as some games with shared DNA, Big Walk definitely has a comedic side.

Though it leaves room for goofing off, Big Walk doesn't have the cadence of a friendslop game, where the purposely janky sabotage of your friends' best intentions is much of the fun. Some failures can be amusing, and the game as a whole definitely has an understated comedic tone befitting of its Australian dev studio, but the true highlight is the shared joys of exploring the world and overcoming its obstacles through thoughtful communication and teamwork.

There's a lot more stopping and thinking in Big Walk than perhaps its title suggests. You'll do plenty of walking, but you'll do even more talking, and if you're playing with friends or family you love and appreciate, it's bound to be a deeply rewarding experience.

It's also a well-polished game, with the only bug I encountered serving as an accidentally hilarious moment--when my daughter's walkling got stuck in a folding chair and we carried her around for a while like she was Cleopatra. 

The only noticeable knock on the game is one that demands some self-policing. Without using Big Walk's proximity chat, you'd turn its magic off like flipping a switch. Using Steam or Discord chat, for example, would act like a cheat code, circumventing a puzzle's intentional friction, such as when proximity chat is intended to fail at times, blocking you from easily talking to your group. So it's really on you to choose not to do that, or else accept that you've opted to make the game worse for yourself.

This is where it shares the most in common with more typical friendslop games like Peak and Lethal Company. The element of proximity chat does a lot of heavy lifting to make Big Walk shine brightly, so refusing to engage with that feature would be like playing a horror game with the lights on; you can still enjoy it, but you'll be holding it back from reaching the height of its powers.

The journey each group goes on will feature similar puzzles, but very different experiences overall.

Big Walk's incredible focus culminates in a final stretch of puzzles that encapsulates everything you'll have seen and done until that point in a genuinely mind-blowing way. My kids and I spent over a dozen hours together solving many difficult puzzles and inventing a language which we often relied on, only for the final iteration of the game's core concepts to be so slight in its adjustments yet so awesomely rewarding in its execution. It dared us to put together everything we've taught each other, recalling our entire journey.

I was utterly floored by the way this area masterfully fuses the game's repeated actions of experimenting and exploring with the undercurrent of its emotional beats that purposely rise to the surface toward the very end of the game. I loved every second of Big Walk, and this final act cemented it as one of the best co-op games I've played in years. 

As if that weren't enough to land Big Walk as an obvious Game of the Year contender, the very last scene of the game sneak-attacked me with a surprisingly bittersweet moment that left me glossy-eyed. I wouldn't dare spoil this part for you, but I'm sure it'll have a similar effect even if you're not playing with your kids. Big Walk takes fundamental and timeless video game concepts--obstacles and incentives for clearing them--and, through an intensely focused co-op experience, shapes them into something singularly rewarding, supremely mysterious, and totally unforgettable.