The safety and well being of young children who play games like Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft has been an increasingly prominent topic among governments around the world. Now, the United Kingdom's online safety minister Kanishka Narayan has suggested a potentially drastic solution that would prevent children from speaking with any strangers on their chosen gaming platform.

While speaking with The Times, Narayan suggested that a blanket ban of allowing children to engage with strangers in online games could be a part of a teenage social media ban that is currently under consideration. Narayan didn't call out any games in particular, but he noted that gaming platform activity "will weigh quite significantly in my mind as we think about how we stop some of the most egregious harms for young people."

The United Kingdom hasn't formally decided to go forward with any ban at this time. The Times notes that the government may be examining Australia's social media ban for children under 16, which became law last year. Australia didn't place any restrictions on games under those guidelines, but it did place a ban on Twitch.

Out of the major gaming platforms targeted towards children, Roblox has perhaps come under the heaviest from international lawmakers. Australia put the platform on notice over reports of grooming and sexual content. Florida's Attorney General accused Roblox of being a breading ground for predators, while the Attorney General of Texas sued The Roblox Corporation over child-exploitation accusations.

In response to the growing outrage, The Roblox Corporation has pledged to try harder to keep kids from interacting with strangers. The developer has also agreed to spend $12 million to create a safer environment for children online.

Mina the Hollower is very visually similar to classic Game Boy and Game Boy Color Zelda games like Link's Awakening and the Oracle duology. But mechanically it's significantly different, and Yacht Club discovered the distinction ran the risk of confusing players when it started putting the game in front of playtesters. As a result, it had to find clever ways to send a signal to players about this game's different expectations.

In an interview with GameSpot, Yacht Club's David D'Angelo said that players often expected Zelda-like progression, including specialized equipment to solve puzzles. That isn't really how Mina works, however--the world is wide open, and you can go (mostly) anywhere you want right from the start.

"The biggest thing we were worried about is that in a lot of ways it's not like a Zelda game in that you're not getting the Hookshot to cross the pit," D'Angelo explained. "One of the very common things that people ran into in our playtesting, people would get to the water area in the game and they would say, 'I can't go here. I don't have the flippers.'"

Nox's Bayou is the second major dungeon in the game, according to the recommended order. But Mina never gains the ability to swim through the water, and instead, you're meant to learn that your burrowing ability allows you to jump across the gaps of deep water. Yacht Club's solution? To get you stuck on purpose. Sink or swim, so to speak.

"The way we solved that was we made you get locked in that area so you eventually had to figure out that it was the burrowing mechanic to get you through the water," D'Angelo said.

It was especially important to get this message across to players early, he said, because the difficulty level of areas is not scaled to the player's level. If you venture into an area of the map intended for later, you'll hit an "enormous" difficulty spike. The studio didn't want people finding themselves in situations where it's simply not fun because they wandered away from the second dungeon, only to hit an even more difficult challenge.

On top of teaching players that they can navigate without Zelda-like equipment, Yacht Club made sure to build in plenty of exit ramps. So if you do wander into an area that's too tough, or just need to take a break, it's not that difficult to find your way back to safety where you can shop for equipment, look for other secrets, or level up Mina.

"But at the same time, that is, I think, part of the experience we wanted," he said. "We definitely wanted it to have the old-school game Zelda feel where it's like you do get frustrated. You do get frustrated and have to overcome it."

Frustration hasn't stopped Mina the Hollower from being the top-rated game of 2026 on Metacritic so far. But if you're stuck, be sure to check out our Guides Hub.

Marvel's Wolverine is going to take center stage at the June 2 State of Play, and developer Insomniac recently scared fans into thinking the game might be delayed with a cheeky post.

Posting on social media, Insomniac spooked fans by releasing a statement in the style of GTA 6 developer Rockstar's posts about the delays for that game. For reference, Rockstar's post about the latest GTA 6 delay began with "Hi everyone." That wording has become something of a meme these days.

So when people saw Insomniac's post that started with "Hey everyone," they thought Insomniac might have been informing fans about a Wolverine delay.

The replies to Insomniac's posts are filled with people saying they thought Wolverine was delayed due to the wording of the message. Insomniac responded to one person with a laughing face emoji.

https://twitter.com/s1nicki/status/2060969961640820877

Wolverine is among the PlayStation games that will be on display during the June 2 State of Play. The game is set to release on September 15 for PS5.

The State of Play will be about an hour long, and people are theorizing about what other games may show up, like Naughty Dog's Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, a new God of War game, or the return of Fairgame$. The event begins at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET on June 2, so be sure to keep checking back with GameSpot for all the news as it's revealed.

StarCraft 2 is getting its biggest meta shift in years, with developer Blizzard announcing a surprise update that will bring some significant changes to the legendary RTS.

Updates for StarCraft 2 have been a rarity ever since Blizzard announced the end of new content development back in 2020, though it pledged to continue supporting the game in the form of balance updates. StarCraft 2's last content drop was in 2016 in the form of the Nova Covert Ops single-player mission pack. Since 2020, the game's only received a handful of mostly smaller balance updates, usually one or two a year.

The game's latest patch 5.0.16 update, which will first be tested on the game's PTR at a still-to-be announced date before hitting live servers, brings some noticeable changes to StarCraft 2's economy and races.

"We've tried to make this PTR focus on extending the early and mid-game experience, allowing players to remain competitive on one to three bases for longer periods," Blizzard said in the patch notes. "We've introduced changes to make non-warped Gateway play a more viable path, while also increasing overall strategic diversity across all three races."

Those changes include a reduction in the number of starting workers, reworked resource counts from mineral nodes, unit tweaks, and the aforementioned Warpgate changes, all of which will have big impacts on the game's esports scene.

It might not sound like all that much, but compared to previous balance updates in 2025 and 2024, StarCraft 2's first (and possibly only?) patch of 2026 is certainly raising some eyebrows. Reactions from players over on places like the StarCraft 2 subreddit have been largely positive, with some going so far to seriously call it "essentially a new game" while others jokingly refer to the update as StarCraft 3. Others are lamenting the fact they'll need to relearn their build orders.

https://www.reddit.com/r/starcraft/comments/1tq9nwm/starcraft_ii_5016_ptr_patch_notes/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Most, however, can hardly seem to believe such major changes are indeed happening, 11 years after Legacy of the Void's launch and nearly six years since the game has largely been in maintenance mode. Some players on Reddit called the update "insane" and the changes "wild."

"Eight starting workers is crazy," user Aspharr wrote on Reddit. "Will shake up everything."

There is the possibility some of the proposed changes will be tweaked ahead of the update hitting the game's live servers, but it's clear Blizzard is looking to spice up StarCraft 2's metagame in a major way.

Chances of a proper StarCraft 3 are slim, but StarCraft as a franchise might not be mostly dormant for much longer. Recent rumors have pointed towards a StarCraft shooter being announced at this year's BlizzCon. You can check out the proposed StarCraft 2 patch 5.0.16 notes in full below. 

StarCraft 2 Update 5.0.16 PTR Patch Notes

Economy

• Starting workers reduced from 12 to 8.
• Default Large Mineral patch resource count reduced from 1,800 to 1,600.
• Default Small Mineral patch resource count increased from 900 to 1,200.
• Total Default Minerals per base increased from 10,800 to 11,200.
• Default Vespene Geysers' resource count increased from 2,250 to 2,500.
• Total Default Gas per base increased from 4,500 to 5,000.
• Rich Vespene Gas Geyser harvest return value decreased from 8 to 6.

Zerg Hatchery, Lair and Hive

• Supplies provided reduced from 6 to 4.

Creep

• Spread/Recede rate slowed from 0.45 to 0.55.

Spore Crawler

• Damage against Biological increased from 20 (+10 Biological) to 20 (+15 Biological).

Carapace Upgrades

• Level 1 cost decreased from 150/150 to 100/100.
• Level 2 cost decreased from 200/200 to 150/150.
• Level 3 cost decreased from 250/250 to 200/200.

Infestor

• Microbial Shroud range increased from 9 to 12.
• Microbial Shroud can now be cast without requiring an upgrade from the Infestation Pit.
• Neural Parasite on builder SCVs will only expire at structure completion.
• Now has an auto-attack weapon.

Viper

• Abduct now considers Sieged Tanks a valid target.

Overlord

• Speed without Pneumatized Carapace decreased from 0.9 to 0.7.
• Can now issue 'Load Nearby Units' commands.

Overseer

• Changelings automatically inherit the current order queue of the casting Overseer.
• Changelings’ deaths are contagious to other nearby Changelings.

Mutalisk

• Mutalisk Glaives now prioritize targets.
• Arc slop increased to 180.

Terran Command Center

• Supplies provided reduced from 15 to 13.

Ghost

• Supply increased from 2 to 3.
• Health reduced from 125 to 100.
• Attack damage changed from 10 + 10 vs Light to 20.
• Attack range increased from 6 to 7.
• Steady Targeting:
  • Damage increased from 130 + 40 vs Psionic to 170.
  • Energy cost increased from 50 to 75.
  • No longer cancels upon taking damage.

Medivac

• Can now issue 'Load Nearby Units' commands.
• Subgroup Priority:
  • Priority order updated from (Raven, Ghost, Battlecruiser, Marine, Marauder, SiegeTank) to (Ghost, Marine+Marauder, Raven, Battlecruiser, Siegetank).

Protoss Nexus

• Supplies provided reduced from 15 to 13.

Warpgate

• Warpgate Research moved to the Gateway from the Cybernetics Core.
• Warpgate Research speeds up Gateway unit production time by 35%.
• 'Transform to Warpgate' cost increased from 0/(0) to 50/(50).
• Warp-in Time is no longer determined by 'slow power fields'.
• Warp-in Time decreased to 3s (from 3.6s and 11.4s).
• Warpgate Cooldown Values:
  • Zealot: from 20 to 22.
  • Adept: from 20 to 22.
  • Stalker: from 23 to 22.
  • Sentry: from 23 to 22.
  • High Templar: from 32 to 35.
  • Dark Templar: from 32 to 35.

Gateway

• Pre-Warpgate Production Time Values:
  • Zealot: from 27 to 28.
  • Adept: from 30 to 28.
  • Stalker: from 27 to 28.
  • Sentry: from 23 to 24.
  • High Templar: from 32 to 40.
  • Dark Templar: from 32 to 40.
• Post-Warpgate Production Time Values:
  • Zealot: 18.
  • Adept: 18.
  • Stalker: 18.
  • Sentry: 16.
  • High Templar: 26.
  • Dark Templar: 26.

Sentry

• Hallucinations automatically inherit the current order queue of the casting Sentry.

High Templar

• Psi Storm total damage reduced from 110 to 100.

Disruptor

• Now has a 'phantom attack' weapon.

Warp Prism

• Can now issue 'Load Nearby Units' commands.

Bug Fixes & Quality of Life Updates

• Fixed an issue where Carrier Interceptors owned due to a player casting Neural Parasite would not inherit the opponent's upgrades.
• Fixed an issue where EMP visuals did not provide clear visual indication of effect radius/affected units.
• Fixed an issue where Motherships would warp in adjacent to the Nexus rather than overtop.
• Fixed an issue where Guardian Shield visuals would persist even after loaded into a transport.
• Fixed an issue where melee units targeting builder SCVs would lose their attack order when the SCV moved through the structure.
• Fixed an issue where SCVs could not have build orders queued sequentially onto structures already being constructed by another SCV.
• Fixed an issue where Guardian Shield visuals would not update player color post-initialization.
• Fixed an issue where the KD8 Charge could knock back immobile targets during Recall.
• Fixed an issue where the KD8 Charge lacked a placement model and AOE effect radius cursor indicator.
• Fixed an issue where the KD8 Charge would be thrown in front of a target unit rather than at the targeted cast point.
• Fixed an issue where some units' spells would not trigger Protoss shield-damage graphics (Purification Nova, Corrosive Bile, KD8 Charge).
• Fixed an issue where units with burrow move would lose their current orders when told to burrow.
• Fixed an issue where 'Zerg Rocks' were lacking polish. (Now uses correct wireframe, has a Zerg building armour icon, and uses animation state to communicate health level).
• Fixed an issue where a variation of large diagonal rocks still did not receive an attack command if certain portions of the rock were within vision but not others.
• Fixed an issue where attack commands with Adept Shades in the selection behaved erratically (Example: finishing a shade caused the attack target to be lost if the command was not issued by smart command/right click, units could unexpectedly move command etc.)
• Fixed an issue where the Nexus had no indication Nexus Recall nor Energy Recharge abilities' cooldowns were global. Command card now displays charge counters and minimap displays all Nexus range radius.
• Fixed an issue where the Nexus Energy Recharge ability range radius actor would display permanently rather than when the ability was being targeted.
• Fixed an issue where Lurker Attack Spike sounds could be heard through the Fog of War.
• Fixed an issue where Lurker eggs lacked polish during creation/destruction. Eggs now take less time to appear due to faster birth animation and play a death cry to communicate when destroyed early.
• Fixed an issue where the Warp Prism would not display an unload visual model indicator.
• Fixed an issue where the Warp Prism would not display a load range radius actor when the ability was being targeted.
• Fixed an issue where the Warp Prism movement was highly variant/ sluggish if ordered to queue pickup orders or pick up units slightly out of immediate range.
• Fixed an issue where Banelings in splash range of enemy units but killed by enemy units would not spawn an audio cue indicating splash damage had been dealt.
• Fixed an issue where non-disguised Changelings would not play their full birth animation.
• Fixed an issue where commanding Oracles to build Stasis Wards in areas inside their range could result in slower execution than being commanded to build outside their range.
• Fixed an issue where Oracles would teleport short distances if told to build a Stasis Ward while overlapping with other air units (such as other friendly oracles).
• Fixed an issue where Stasis Wards lacked a distinct audio cue for their death.
• Fixed an issue where players attempting to attack a Stasis Ward could easily accidentally move command underneath it instead.
• Fixed an issue where Colossus could not be created/unloaded in space an air unit already was (this mostly affects the predictability of colossus drop positioning due to collision with the warp prism).
• Fixed an issue where Voidray Prismatic Alignment lacked a termination audio cue.
• Fixed an issue where Immortal Barrier lacked a termination audio cue.
• Fixed an issue where beam attack visuals would not terminate if targets were picked up by transports or teleported away (Sentry, Void Ray).
• Fixed an issue where the Sentry's beam attack visuals were misleading due to being significantly delayed during creation and termination. They should now feel much more responsive to control.
• Fixed an issue where the Cyclone basic weapon was unable to damage friendly cloaked/buried units.
• Fixed an issue where the High Templar's basic weapon's visuals and sounds were not proportionate in size/volume to its impact.
• Fixed an issue where Vespene Geysers did not update their model to tolerate shaders if players' shader graphics settings changed mid-match, allowing for re-enabling of the higher graphics option.
• Fixed an issue where Phoenix would not face their channeled Graviton target.
• Fixed an issue where killing a Viper prior to its Abduct tongue connecting with a target would not cancel the abduct.
• Fixed an issue where Nexus would still play Blinding Cloud visuals (despite no longer having Photon Overcharge).
• Fixed an issue where Planetaries lacked or had misleading visual and audio indicators (splash damage impact visuals, sound).
• Fixed an issue where Archons lacked several visual and audio indicators (birth sound, splash damage impact visuals, movement sound, attack physics).
• Fixed an issue where Disruptor Purification Nova cooldown/firing status was difficult to discern. Ability status should now be much more obvious due to increased colour states.
• Fixed an issue where friendly Disruptor Purification Nova range radius actors were displayed permanently, even if the unit was on cooldown, causing unnecessary clutter as unit count increased.
• Fixed an issue where Swarm Host range radius actors were displayed permanently, even if the unit was on cooldown, causing unnecessary clutter as unit count increased.
• Fixed an issue where Swarm Hosts lacked an equipment (weapon) display indicator for the Locust.
• Fixed an issue where Microbial Shroud's appearance happened gradually and unnoticeably due to lacking a sufficient impact model for the cloud.
• Fixed an issue where Hellbat walk animation speed was faster than expected.
• Fixed an issue where casting Generate Creep would only affect a subselection of Overlords or Transport Overlords rather than both variations.
• Fixed an issue where Creep Tumors lacked placement and placeholder models when spreading themselves.
• Fixed an issue where it could be difficult to distinguish if a research structure was active (Twilight Council, Fleet Beacon, Armory, Evolution Chamber).
• Improved an issue where injecting Queens 'shuffle'. Allowed re-issuing inject during ongoing cast so orders are not offloaded to others queen. Long-range orders are invalid if another queen is nearby the target hatchery.
• Improved an issue where units with their primary attack order on a changeling would lose their order if the Changeling subsequently disguised itself.
• Improved an issue where gather orders were clunky for workers. Workers adjacent and move commanding to a geyser now update their command to a gather order if a refinement structure gets built.
• Xel'naga towers can now be selected through the Fog of War. Xel'naga Towers now show their vision range radius when selected.
• Active Creep Tumors will now take selection precedence over Inactive Tumors.
• Active Creep Tumors in a control group at the time of exhausting their charge will now transfer control group membership to the spread tumor.
• Critters and destructible neutral objects have been standardized to share similar targeting/selection/collision values. They will no longer collide with/block player structures or units.
• Larva/Eggs will no longer collide with/block player structures or units.
• Locusts that were previously uncommandable during their swoop animation are now also unselectable (if already selected they will stay selected).
• Neural Parasite will now add the target unit to the current selection if the selection only contains one infestor.
• Protoss structures now generate additional 'damaged' graphical models.
• As larva increases, they will now spread further upwards around the sides of the hatchery. Larva will still start from the bottom of the hatchery.
• Music selection for spectator players has been adjusted to feature a greater pool of suitable tracks for spectating. Duplicate entries have also been removed.
• Slightly polished Oracles' Revelation and Build animation transitions.
• High Templar and Ravagers are now less likely to aggro towards faraway targets.
• Adjusted Warp Prism and Raven visual fly height to minimize clipping inside other models and reduced Warp Prism shadow size on low graphics to minimize shadow-casting on unloaded units.
• Commands to unsiege Warp Prisms will now be issued to all Warp Prisms in the selection.
• Healing Shrine visuals/sounds have received a minor polish pass.
• The Warp Prism will now attempt to immediately siege when instructed rather than prioritizing deceleration.
• Mapmaker support tools now include proper Worker-Only-Path indicators, No-Resource footprints, air unit height modifier doodads, and variable rock reduction units.
• Mule Repair is now set to auto-cast by default (Mules with a harvest order still do not attempt to repair units).

A movie based on Sega's Streets of Rage video game has been in the works for years, and now the latest development has unfolded. 

John Wick creator Derek Kolstad is no longer writing the movie, with Sonic the Hedgehog writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller taking over. Additionally, Jeymes Samuel is now attached to direct the movie.

Casey and Miller wrote all three Sonic the Hedgehog movies so far, and are returning for the fourth. in 2027. The three movies have together made more than $1.2 billion at the box office.

Lionsgate movie boss Erin Westerman said the Streets of Rage movie "demanded a bold filmmaker," and they found one with Samuel. Westerman said Samuel is known for his "visceral and explosive style," which makes him a good fit for the movie.

"We are so excited for how he will bring his own memorable take to this beloved video game IP," Westerman said (via Variety).

There is no word yet on the story for the Streets of Rage movie. The beat-'em-up series debuted in 1991 and has spawned three main sequels, the latest of which, Streets of Rage 4, was released in 2020.

A movie called Streets of Rage was released in 1994, but it has nothing to do with the video game series.

Samuel, also known by his stage name The Bullitts, directed the 2021 Netflix Western movie The Harder They Fall, starring Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, LaKeith Stanfield, and Jonathan Majors. It was his directorial debut for a feature film, and he won the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer for it. He also directed 2023's The Book of Clarence.

He's also an established singer-songwriter and composer, having released his own music and composed the music for the Baz Luhrman movie The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

The highest-grossing video game movie of all time is The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($1.34 billion), followed by The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($960 million).

If you're yearning for a modern reinterpretation of Star Fox's rail-shooter gameplay but don't own a Switch 2 to play the upcoming remake, then you'll want to consider playing Wild Blue Skies. Developed by Chuhai Labs and published by Balor Games, the game got a release date during today's The Mix Summer Game Showcase.

Specifically, Wild Blue Skies will be released for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on August 13. Like Star Fox, it's a sci-fi rail shooter starring anthropomorphic animals. In this case, players control a dog named Bowie Stray who is on a mission with the Blue Bombers to stop Grimclaw (this game's version of Andross). They do so during on-rails missions where players have to fly across alien planets and deal with whatever obstacles or gimmicks each level throws at them.

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

There's a free demo of Wild Blue Skies you can try on Steam. When you play it, you'll find that it's a very polished spiritual successor to classic games like Star Fox. It doesn't reinvent the genre, but at the time of its reveal, it did not need to.

When Wild Blue Skies was first announced last year, the Star Fox series had been missing in action for several years as Nintendo did not seem interested in continuing it. The game also had the pedigree of being worked on by Giles Goddard, one of the programmers of the original Star Fox.

That changed in April, when Nintendo revealed a Star Fox 64 remake for Nintendo Switch 2, simply titled Star Fox. That game is out on June 25, beating Wild Blue Skies to the punch by about a month and a half. Still, Wild Blue Skies won't have its thunder completely stolen, as it's not coming out on any Nintendo systems.

When it comes out on August 13, Wild Blue Skies can serve as a nice alternative for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox players who can't play the new Star Fox. Perhaps both of these games can kick off a renaissance for the rail shooter genre as a whole.

BioWare's Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2, some of the most critically acclaimed RPGs of all time, are reportedly being remade. 

According to PC Gamer, Dungeons & Dragons parent company Wizards of the Coast is specifically working on a Baldur's Gate 2 remake, but states that from what it's heard, a remake of the original game also sounds likely. 

Former BioWare developer and co-lead designer on Baldur's Gate 2 Kevin Martins is said to be involved with the project, having technically already been in the Wizards family as part of the team working on upcoming space-RPG Exodus over at Wizards subsidiary Archetype Entertainment. 

Unfortunately, there aren't many additional details on what these remakes may end up looking like or when they might arrive. The two games are massive in scope and no small feat to remake. One might expect them to play similarly to Larian's smash-hit Baldur's Gate 3, but since that decades-later sequel used Larian's own proprietary engine, it's unclear what route Wizards may go for bringing the remakes to life. For a look at what the original Baldur's Gate would be like in Baldur's Gate 3, there is, at least, a mod for that.

Both Baldur's Gate and its sequel received remasters from developer Beamdog back in 2012 and 2013, bringing modern enhancements like support for high-resolution displays, bug fixes, and cross-play multiplayer for Baldur's Gate 2. The first Baldur's Gate was originally released in 1998, followed by its sequel in 2000. Both are considered seminal classics within the genre and made BioWare a household name for RPG fans.

Considering Baldur's Gate 3's massive success (it won numerous Game of the Year Awards in 2023 and has sold over 20 million copies to date), it certainly makes sense that Wizards would want to try to continue the franchise's momentum. Larian made clear it would not be developing Baldur's Gate 4, and is instead returning to its own fantasy universe for its next game, Divinity. That leaves Wizards in a bit of a tough spot, though a Baldur's Gate 3 television show from Chernobyl and The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin and HBO will reportedly be a continuation of the events and storylines from Larian's RPG.

The Baldur's Gate remakes aren't the only D&D games in the works at Wizards. Another sword-and-sorcery project, Warlock, was announced last year at The Game Awards. Meanwhile, Wizards recently canceled a D&D game from Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order director Stig Asmussen's new studio.

13 Best Games Like Baldur’s Gate 3 To Get Sucked Into In 2026 View Images

If a new map condition in Arc Raiders' Chinese beta is any indication, developer Embark Studios may be testing the waters for a widespread PvE-only mode in its popular extraction shooter.

As revealed via social media posts, the Chinese version of Arc Raiders, which is currently in closed beta, contains multiple modes focused on PvE, including one called "Rebellion Incident" that imposes immediate consequences on those who opt to shoot another player. Known as map conditions, these modes join other rotating events--typically available for an hour or so at a time--that change up the game by adding new modifications to the maps or rules.

https://twitter.com/Babaoisland/status/2060892896430374975?s=20

"Rebellion Incident" has PvP turned off by default, requiring players to press a button to declare themselves hostile before they can damage other players. In doing so, these traitors become permanently exposed on the map and compass, opening themselves up for other players to band together and kill them for their transgressions.

Meanwhile, another mode adds either a King or Queen to the map alongside a Matriarch, unleashing absolute mayhem that indirectly incentivizes players to work together against the chaos. While players can still easily (and sneakily) kill each other in this mode, the fact that it facilitates cooperative play seems to be testing how the game's community reacts to one another when the PvE threats are so intense.

At this time, Embark Studios has not expressed any intentions of bringing these PvE-centric modes to other regions, so they could be beta-exclusive map conditions designed for general testing purposes. That being said, it's equally plausible that the developer is specifically gauging interest in cooperative game modes.

It's uncertain how the Arc Raiders community would ultimately react to the long-rumored addition of PvE modes in the main client, especially considering it appears fairly evenly split between PvE and PvP playstyles. Embark Studios told The Guardian that 30% of players seek exclusively peaceful lobbies, while another 30% actively seek out PvP encounters. Meanwhile, 40% engage in a mix of PvE and PvP.

Either way, it could be some time before Embark Studios adds any substantial changes to the main game anyway, as it has recently announced a move to bi-annual updates.

9 Best Games Like Arc Raiders View Images

The second episode of Call of Duty's new Modern Warfare 4 docu-series gives an insider look at Infinity Ward’s development of the game's multiplayer, and the developer shows off gameplay on an ambitious new map that constantly changes in design.

Midway through the video, Studio MP Creative Director Geoff Smith talks about taking Call of Duty's map designs to the "next level" and the creation of the game's Kill Block multiplayer map.

https://youtu.be/NKvnPNzqqTk?si=nSKjaq_hOmMu70NW

"Like how can you keep coming up with map designs and layouts?" Smith asked while discussing map design. "What if we just made one that was living and it keeps changing every time you play it?"

Modern Warfare 4's Kill Block is a map that consists of three "slabs" that are all modular pieces that can be swapped out and connected with other pieces in various different ways. The map will change every match, with the three slabs being randomly decided before a game. 

Smith shows off both real and prototype slabs, giving a behind-the-scenes look at how the map is designed. The developer also boasts that Infinity Ward has the content to do "upwards of over 900" different slabs to feature for the map, but technical limitations will likely bring the number down to 500.

In terms of size, each slab is about the size of Call of Duty's 2v2 Gunfight maps. When all three are pieced together, Smith says the full map size is equivalent to the popular Shoot House map from 2019's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

The video also showcases Modern Warfare 4's movement, which doesn't include wall taps or omnimovement of the recent Black Ops games, but it does include fluid movement and sliding. Additionally, the game also adds the new ability to climb poles.

The developer acknowledges the criticism of Modern Warfare 2's movement. "We took some things away. Some Freedom," admits Co-Studio Head Mark Grigsby. The goal for Modern Warfare 4 was to make the movement feel fluid and unrestricted.

Modern Warfare 4 will launch with multiplayer, DMZ, and a classic "linear-style" campaign. The game releases on October 23 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2. Unfortunately, this means the old generation of consoles are losing support, and Warzone will also no longer be playable on PS4 and Xbox One post-launch.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 preorders are live now, and Activision has also confirmed a “Loyalty” discount that allows players to get 10% off the game’s Vault edition.

A Minecraft Movie's sequel, which was revealed in 2025 under the working title A Minecraft Movie 2, and it has an official name. Revealed during Minecraft Live, the sequel is called A Minecraft Movie Squared. 

That's not all--in a promotional video, actor Matt Berry appeared in a tease for his role in Squared. What that role is, however, remains a mystery. The What We Do in the Shadows actor was supposed to play Steve in the first movie, but had to play a smaller role--a villager who gets hit by a car and goes on a date with Jennifer Coolidge--due to scheduling conflicts.

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

Jack Black ultimately landed the role of Steve, and he will reprise the character in Squared. Jason Momoa, who played Garrett, is coming back in that role as well, while Danielle Brooks will reprise her character, Dawn.

Squared is currently filming in New Zealand. Black said in the video that there is a "massive team hard at work taking this production to the next level." Brooks, for her part, said the sequel goes "so much deeper into the Minecraft world," featuring new biomes, new characters, and new mobs. 

Additionally, Kirsten Dunst joins Squared in the role of Alex. After the first movie came out in 2025, Dunst lobbied to be in the sequel because her kids love Minecraft and she wanted to make some big money.

A Minecraft Movie Squared releases on July 23, 2027. That's a couple months after the live-action The Legend of Zelda movie arrives in April 2027.

A Minecraft Movie made $960.4 million in theaters. It ranked as the No. 2 highest-grossing video game movie ever until The Super Mario Galaxy Movie passed it with $992 million worldwide.

With the growing cost of PC hardware and no defined end in sight, AMD is leveraging older hardware and promising extended support of existing platforms as its business strategy for the foreseeable future.

AMD made a variety of announcements at Computex, but two of the most important involved hardware that many PC builders have been familiar with for some time already. AMD announced that its bringing back arguably its most popular CPU ever made, with the 5800X3D AE returning to shelves on 25 June for $350. The AM4 chip was originally released in 2022, and was the first to feature AMD's 3D V-Cache memory technology that boosted performance in games substantially. This re-release gives gamers still stuck on older AM4 platforms a means to upgrade without having to replace their entire system, and leverage the lower prices of older DDR4 memory as faster DDR5 models are swallowed up by the AI industry.

If you have already made the jump to AMD's latest AM5 platform, or are still planning to do so, then a new 7700X3D gives you the cheapest entry point into 3D V-Cache CPU power. Retailing at $330 and launching on 16 July, this slightly cut-down version of the 7800X3D features the same 16 cores and 32 threads, but with 200MHz less core clock speed, and a further 500MHz less on the boost clocks. That might affect very specific CPU-limited workloads, but should be negligible in most gaming scenarios. It's only a fraction less expensive than the better chip, but given how AMD has gone in the past it's likely the 7800X3D will be discontinued soon to allow for the 7700X3D to take its place.

Upgrade to AM5 might not be a terrible idea either, with AMD committing to an extended lifespan for the platform. The company says that it will continue to support AM5 through 2029, giving you over three more years of official support and hardware releases. AM4 has endured far longer than AMD anticipated, and continues to do so with the re-introduction of the 5800X3D. So it's possible that AMD pushes out AM5 support even longer still, especially with the environment PC gaming hardware finds itself in currently.

That's especially true when considering that AMD didn't mention its new platform, AM6, at all during Computex, with the company likely reserving more announcements for CES next year.

A new battle of the billionaires kicks off this week in Monopoly Go, as the game's mustachioed mascot takes on Springfield's sun-blocking tyrant from The Simpsons, Mr. Burns. Scopely has announced a Simpsons crossover in Monopoly Go, which has been created in partnership with the team behind the long-running animated series. Starting June 3 and continuing through July 29, the event will see iconic Springfield locations given a Monopoly Go makeover.

Players can also expect to see the entire Simpsons family and Mr. Burns in the game, alongside other fan-favorite characters. Some of the new gameplay twists include hidden details, deep-cut references, and Easter eggs. Find yourself in jail, and you can even bribe Chief Wiggum to get out of the joint early. 

"Working closely with The Simpsons creative team, our talented game-makers at Scopely set out to do much more than simply place Springfield inside the game; we wanted to build an entirely new shared universe where these iconic characters, stories, and gameplay experiences could cross over," said Victor Diaz-Roig, president of games at Scopely. "Every part of the season was designed with our Tycoons in mind, introducing fresh ways to play the game they love, while opening the doors for Simpsons fans to step into Monopoly Go for the very first time."

https://youtu.be/pDxn0CD41b0

Scopely says that Monopoly Go will feature interconnected gameplay and original Simpsons narratives unfolding across seasonal maps, animated sequences, and sets. Narrative-driven episodes are at the heart of the crossover, as Simpsons-inspired storylines will kick off every two weeks inside of Monopoly Go. From Homer-triggered nuclear meltdowns to Bart and Lisa disappearing inside Krustyland, each episode will be accompanied by collectibles, mini-games, and more than 50 Simpsons-themed Chance Cards.

The crossover will start with the debut of a Simpsons short, written and produced by The Simpsons team. The short sets the stage for the collaboration's narrative, as it sees Mr. Monopoly (voiced by Will Ferrell) go head-to-head with Mr. Burns, in a rivalry that has been brewing for decades. This isn't the first time that The Simpsons have headlined a mobile game--remember The Simpsons: Tapped Out?-- and last year, Springfield's favorite family took over Fortnite for an entire season.

The 15 Best Simpsons Episodes From The Modern Era View Images

Grand Theft Auto 6's marketing push is set to begin soon, and many are wondering how much Rockstar and Take-Two actually have to do to promote the game given the unprecedented levels of hype behind it. Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick discussed this in an interview, saying "no matter how big a franchise is," marketing remains important, and GTA 6 is no exception. 

"The consumers need to engage with that prior to release. And I think the motion picture business reflects that as well," Zelnick, a former movie executive, told IGN.

He cited the Mission: Impossible series as an example. It's a famous franchise, but the studio behind would still "spend a whole lot of money" marketing the sequels "even though we kind of know what we're going to get." 

"Marketing is still an important part of any entertainment release," he said. He didn't comment specifically on GTA 6, saying Rockstar itself will make its own announcements later on.

GTA 6's marketing push is set to begin this summer, so it could happen anytime now. Before this, Zelnick said promoting GTA 6 will be a “challenge” because Rockstar and Take-Two want to be “delicate” with how they push the game.

“It has to feel like, you know, this is real. We’re not selling hamburgers. We’re selling this unique art form,” he said.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. A PC edition has not been confirmed, but history suggests it will come later.

GTA 6 is expected to sell 40 million copies and drive more than $3 billion in revenue during its first year. GTA 6 has enormous shoes to fill, as predecessor GTA 5 has sold more than 230 million copies and generated tons more money from GTA Online.

Developer Rockstar has yet to announce a price point, but Zelnick recently said the game will be price at a “reasonable” level, whatever that means.

Former BioWare veteran Mark Darrah has weighed in with his thoughts on what the AAA video game business can do to make more money and become more sustainable: sell product placement.

In a video on his YouTube channel, Darrah said the fascination with live-service games and "over-reliance on microtransactions" is stopping other genres from flourishing. Development budgets keep going up and up, and without an increase to the current $70 going rate for new releases, developers could look to product placement to help make money, Darrah said.

He said the live-action Smurfs movie "paid for itself entirely through product placement," and he wonders if product placement could become a bigger deal for games.

"So, is there an opportunity for games to take a step back and think about different ways that we could make money? I think there is," Darrah said. "Product placement is a very small part of video games right now compared to movies and television. Maybe it could be a larger part of development. Maybe there are relationships there to be formed."

Product placement in video games does already exist, and a recent high-profile example was 007 First Light, which featured many famous real-world brands just like the movies do. The game's budget is unknown, but a recent report said it was the most expensive piece of entertainment ever made in Denmark.

Mario Kart 8, meanwhile, featured a Mercedes-Benz partnership, while Alan Wake had Verizon and Energizer in-game product placement. Death Stranding featured Monster Energy drinks in the game.

Beyond product placement opportunities, a Bank of America stock analyst has said GTA 6 should cost $80 to help encourage other companies to raise prices to help with the sustainability issue.

Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick said major new releases have actually come down in price over the years when you consider how inflation has affected pretty much everything else you buy these days. Games have held steady in the $60-$70 range for 10 years, and that “doesn’t make a whole lot of sense,” according to Zelnick.

"Everything can't be a live-service"

Darrah went on to say that no one wants to see a video game industry dominated by live-service games. 

"Everything can't be a live-service, which is something I hope we've proven pretty definitively over the past year and a half, and if monetization is coming predominantly from live-services, we run the risk of living in a world where there are no AAA games that aren't live-services. And I don't think that's a world that any of us want to live in," he said.

Also during the video, Darrah said PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass are not doing all that much for developers in terms of money, and that developers taking deals to come to either program could encourage "degenerative design in order to try to juice the numbers."

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has said it was a "miss" for Microsoft to re-commit to showing the logos of its competitors during Xbox broadcasts, going on to say the company is now looking at how to "adjust" this for future events.

"Seeing the feedback on logos. It was a miss, and I own it. We are talking about how we adjust for future Xbox shows," she wrote.

https://twitter.com/asha_shar/status/2060501522556022919?s=46

Sharma said this on the same day that Microsoft published the newest Xbox Podcast in which Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty doubled down on showing the logos of competitor consoles during the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase on June 7.

"Yes. Absolutely. We'll be very clear about what platforms a game is coming to. We want to continue the precedent; I think we have a good system going where we make it clear [what platform a game is coming to]," he said.

In February 2025, Microsoft said it would start showing PlayStation and Nintendo logos during official broadcasts as part of a transparency effort that many fans and industry observers praised. Apart from the Xbox events, it remains commonplace for gaming showcases from platform holders like PlayStation and Nintendo to only show their own logos, even if their games are multiplatform. This was seen as shifty, and many praised Microsoft for changing the tide.

Other people did not embrace the change, saying it was important for Microsoft to speak directly to its loyal consumers and show them preference. With Sharma taking over as Xbox CEO, she has promised a "return to our roots" and has said Xbox-exclusives could return.

So when Booty re-committed to the transparency push for the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase, some people were upset, prompting Sharma's response. That very response hasn't gone over entirely smoothly, though, as many are saying she is ultimately doing Xbox a disservice by trying to appease fanboys.

The Xbox Games Showcase takes place this coming Sunday, June 7, and it will be immediately followed by a presentation focused exclusively on Gears of War: E-Day.

Mojang's blocky sandbox game is currently inaccessible--a rarity for Minecraft. The last major widespread Minecraft outage was in October 2025, when the global Microsoft Azure cloud disruption affected services, including Minecraft authentication and Xbox Live.

Around 12:30 AM PT on June 1, players began to report problems with launching Minecraft via Downdetector. Attempting to connect to the game via the Minecraft Launcher shows the message, "Oh no! Something went wrong, and we couldn't connect to the Minecraft services. Please connect to the internet to refresh your offline access." A further error message reads, "We were unable to verify what products you own. Please check your internet connection."

https://twitter.com/rsdworker/status/2061382916035256762?s=20

The two messages suggest an issue with the authentication servers, meaning players will be unable to log in or may experience problems in Realms, servers, or multiplayer sessions. This issue is also affecting those opening Minecraft from a third-party launcher, such as Prism or Curseforge.

At the time of writing, nothing has been posted from the official Mojang Support X account. We'll continue to monitor the problem.

Bandai Namco's Tekken team has had several high-profile departures over the past year. First was assistant director Yohei Shimbori in August of 2025, followed by Executive Director and the "face of Tekken" Katsuhiro Harada--who recently revealed his new studio in partnership with SNK. Today, another Tekken developer and fighting-game veteran has officially announced his departure.

Kohei Ikeda, known among fans under the moniker "Nakatsu," has worked at Bandai Namco for over 20 years--primarily on the Tekken series but also contributing to games like Soulcalibur IV and the Project X Zone titles. He served as both game director and chief producer on Tekken 8. But that tenure appears to be ending, as he announced in a post on X, in both English and Japanese, that he is leaving after two decades with the company.

https://twitter.com/nkt_dreamer/status/2061296807259595212?s=20

"Becoming part of the company I had always admired--[Bandai] Namco--was truly a dream come true," he wrote. "Dedicating ourselves wholeheartedly to game development together remains one of the most cherished experiences of my life."

While Nakatsu didn't give a definitive reason for leaving the company, it does not mark the end of his career in games development as he also said he will "continue to take on new challenges" in the field.

While Tekken 8 has been a sales success for Bandai Namco Games--and it's getting plenty of future DLC support, including the recently-announced Yujiro Hanma guest character--there's also been a lot of controversy surrounding the gameplay direction from longtime players. With Ikeda's departure, there's sure to be a lot of speculation on who will step up to assume his mantle, and where the future of the Tekken series will be headed.

During today's Minecraft Live broadcast, Mojang dropped some small teasers about a new biome coming to the blocky sandbox game this fall.

While the next Minecraft update, Chaos Cubed, is officially set for release on June 16, this fall sees the arrival of the Dappled Forest--a cozy red, green, and yellow forest environment that houses some new structures, new Poplar trees, and by extension, the Poplar wood blocks to construct with.

Minecraft's new Dappled Forest biome.

Those structures, known as Abandoned Camps, are, well, abandoned camps. When you stumble across one of these in the wild there'll be a handful of chests left behind by former explorers with some goodies inside.

Mojang didn't mention what the rarity of those goodies might be, but with other forest structures, like the Woodland Mansions, you can often find diamond gear, rare music tracks, the Vex armor trim, and enchanted apples--all pretty sought-after stuff.

An Abandoned Camp in the Dappled Forest.

The drop will be focused on playing with friends, and given that Mojang recently added a direct peer-to-peer connection to its Java Snapshots feature, before removing it a few short days later, it seems likely this feature will be implemented in the fall drop. Mojang also says that the drop will focus on exploration and adventure, although it didn't go into more detail on what that means.

If you're already deep in the Minecraft, well, mines, check out our Minecraft guides hub for everything you need to know.

This year’s annual Call of Duty release--Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4--is set to arrive in just a few months. But according to a new report, Modern Warfare 4 may give players the chance to start the campaign during an early-access release period.

Well-known CoD leak and news site CharlieIntel shared a screenshot of a “Campaign Early Access” pass on Xbox, which appears to be one of several packs available for installation. However, there's no mention of that pass on Modern Warfare 4’s official store page on Xbox. Instead, the store states that players who preorder the digital version will get early access to the open beta. It wouldn't be the first time campaign early access has been available for a Call of Duty game, however--Modern Warfare 2 had a similar program back in 2022, for instance. 

https://twitter.com/charlieINTEL/status/2060080572177731642

The details about Modern Warfare 4 have only begun to come out, but developer Infinity Ward is aiming to put players back into the shoes of ordinary soldiers rather than the larger-than-life action heroes from some of the more recent games. Infinity Ward has also laid out some key improvements and quality-of-life adjustments for MW4, including movement and gunplay. Black Ops 7’s omnimovement is being dropped from MW4. The Prestige system is also getting a big change.

Some of the announced cast members for MW4 include Shrinking’s Luke Tennie and The Last of Us’ Young Mazino in leading roles as Lieutenant Wet and Private Park, respectively. The game will also feature supporting performances by Prisca Kim, Lanny Joon, William Lipton, and Barry Sloane, who will reprise his role as Price.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will be released on Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC on October 23. Preorders are already live, and unlike Black Ops 7, MW4 will not be a day-one release on Game Pass. Infinity Ward has also assured players that MW4 runs smoothly on Switch 2.

All Call of Duty Games In Order View Images

James Bond has been a cultural staple for decades, and with his latest adventure--the 007 First Light game--the super-spy gets to wear a variety of suave and sophisticated outfits. Some of these are quite similar to the clothing Bond wears in the film series, dating back to his earliest appearances with Sean Connery, and GameSpot put together a compilation to show off a few examples.

https://twitter.com/GameSpot/status/2060047300689350813

As you would expect, the classic tuxedo, appropriately named "Classic Tuxedo" in-game, makes an appearance, and looks almost identical to the tuxedo Connery wore in the franchise's early days. The "Day of the Dead" outfit will be recognizable to anyone who saw Daniel Craig's Spectre.

The "Observant Spy" outfit, meanwhile, bears a striking resemblance to a coat Roger Moore wore when he was on his very long run as James Bond, and the "Espresso Command" outfit closely matches a suit worn by Pierce Brosnan. Brosnan's legacy in video games perhaps stands above some of the other Bond actors, as it's his portrayal that was used for the N64's GoldenEye in 1997.

Regardless of the outfit you choose to wear, 007 First Light is a fantastic super-spy simulator that blends Bond's signature charm and improvisation with the open-ended design of developer IO Interactive's Hitman games. In our 007 First Light review, Mark Delaney said, "007 First Light wisely repurposes what works in both universes but isn't afraid to reimagine or ditch those parts that don't."