Reviews have gone live for Pragmata, and so far, it looks like it might just be a strong contender for game of the year. Something of a rarity from a big publisher in 2026, Pragmata is a completely original IP from Capcom that mixes third-person action with hacking minigames and an endearing story to create a memorable experience. The end result is a game that's both thrilling and engaging, whether you're dodging lethal robots or playing a game of hide-and-seek with Pragmata's adorable co-protagonist, Diana.

"Pragmata is an excellent shooter with a hacking twist that introduces strategic depth and variety, all in service of a heartfelt story," Steve Watts wrote in GameSpot's Pragmata review. "This combination of sharp combat mechanics, rich strategic depth, and lovely storytelling doesn't come along often. Pragmata shouldn't be missed."

On GameSpot's sister site Metacritic, Pragmata currently holds a "generally favorable" metascore of 85 from 54 reviews at the time of writing, putting it in the same company as Pokemon Pokopia (89), Mewgenics (88), and Cairn (85). For Capcom, it's the third major win for the company this year, as Resident Evil Requiem and Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection have also been critically acclaimed games since their respective launches earlier this year.

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Grand Theft Auto 6 developer Rockstar Games has been targeted by hackers again. A group called ShinyHunters claims it broke into servers run by the third-party cloud provider Anodot. ShinyHunters said the stolen data would be published online as their demands had not been met.

Rockstar confirmed the hack in a statement to Kotaku, but said the breach was not serious and it has confirmed that it will not pay the ransom. A spokesperson explained, "We can confirm that a limited amount of non-material company information was accessed in connection with a third-party data breach."

The hacker group announced on April 11 that it accessed the data through Anodot (according to Cybersec Guru and Hackread). Hackers often target these third-party service providers, but ShinyHunters has not yet said what kind of data it took. After news of the hack, Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's parent company, saw its share price drop by more than 6% in pre-market trading. The stock price did rebound afterward to its usual levels.

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Roblox is rolling out new account types designed for children amid ongoing criticism that Roblox Corp. is not doing enough to protect children.

Roblox founder and CEO David Baszucki announced that Roblox accounts will soon have three categories: Roblox Kids (ages 5-8), Roblox Select (ages 9-15), and Roblox (ages 16+). These new account types will be released in June and aim to be aligned better with content and communications settings appropriate for people in those age groups. Additionally, Roblox Corp. is launching a "selection process" system for games available to players under 16.

As part of the June update, Roblox will also add age-checks to Roblox by way of the previously announced facial-recognition software or by a verified parent. Baszucki said its own analysis found that age-checked Roblox players under 16 will still have access to the "majority" of games they were already playing, and people aged 16 or older will see no changes at all.

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A new Xbox livestream has been announced for this week, and it'll be focused on just one game: Metro 2039. Microsoft says that it'll debut the first look at the next title in the post-apocalyptic first-person shooter series, which is being developed once again by 4A Games and published by Deep Silver.

Set for Thursday, April 16, at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, this will be the fourth mainline entry in the series. The world premiere for Metro 2039 will be available as a YouTube Premiere on the Xbox channel.

News of a new Metro game isn't exactly surprising, as 4A Games had previously hinted at its existence. The Metro games are based on the novels of Dmitry Glukhovsky, and the franchise includes Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, and Metro Exodus.

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Microsoft's upcoming Fable reboot may have been delayed internally amid concerns about releasing near GTA 6, according to a new report. That makes a delay for the highly anticipated RPG to 2027 possible.

Reporter Jeff Grubb said recently that he has heard the new Fable game was "pushed internally," adding that this doesn't necessarily mean it will be delayed to 2027. Grubb said developer Playground is "apparently" still trying to release the game this year, but the team is "worried about the launch of GTA 6." If the internal delay pushed Fable to some point after GTA 6's November 19 release, then Fable could be a "prime candidate" to get delayed to 2027, he said.

For now, nothing has been confirmed, and Playground continues to tell fans to expect the new Fable to arrive this fall. GameSpot has contacted Microsoft for comment.

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Glass Cannon Network has been a name in the tabletop roleplaying game actual play space since 2015, acting as one of the first major channels in a space that's barely 10 years old. According to Glass Cannon Network co-founder Troy Lavallee, a big part of that success comes down to one decision: avoiding Dungeons & Dragons.

"[GCN] started out as 'Let's just play [Pathfinder,] the game that we know and the game that we love, because if we're infectious about how much we enjoy this game, listeners--whether they even play the game or not, [will listen]," Lavallee told me over a video call.

"We're always shocked by how many people listen who have no interest in ever playing," he continued. "If we can share our infectious joy of playing, people will feed off of that, and that's what they listen for. And then it wasn't until the pandemic [in 2020] that we were like, 'I wonder if we could finally start playing other games,' because we saw that everyone else in the space was pretty much just playing D&D. There were a couple of offshoot things here or there, but it was [mostly] D&D, and then we were playing Pathfinder. I said, 'Let's start playing everything else.'"

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When the original Overwatch debuted almost a decade ago, the game encounter some pushback over Tracer's victory pose, which some claimed over-sexualized her and placed too much emphasis on her butt. Blizzard subsequently apologized and reworked Tracer's pose. Now, former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan has weighed in on the issue and declared that Tracer's butt was never nerfed.

Kaplan was asked about the issue while streaming his new game, The Legend of California, via IGN. In response, Kaplan said "we actually didn't nerf Tracer's butt. It stayed exactly the same."

Blizzard recently ran into a similar issue and promised to rework the design of Anran, a new female hero whose face was met by a negative reaction from players because she looked too similar to other characters. Earlier this this month, Blizzard unveiled a new facial design for Anran, which emphasizes her maturity over youth and increased her resemblance to her brother, Wuyang.

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Pokemon Champions has arrived on Nintendo Switch, and like many other Pokemon games before it, it's offering a handful of free Pokemon and other helpful items for players. In addition to free Mystery Gifts, you can receive elusive Mega Stones by transferring certain Pokemon over from the Pokemon Home service, and even get a free Gardevoir by participating in the game's first online competition.

Here are all of the free gifts available right now in Pokemon Champions. If you're new to the battle-focused game, be sure to also check out our beginner's guide to competitive Pokemon, as well as our guide on how to move Pokemon over from Pokemon Home.

Table of Contents [hide]

• Free Mystery Gifts
  • Dragonite
  Free Mystery GiftsDragonite
  • Available until August 31, 2026

  As an extra incentive to jump into the game early, everyone who downloads and plays Pokemon Champions before August 31 can claim a free Dragonite. You'll find the dragon Pokemon in your in-game mailbox alongside 100 Quick Coupons, which reduce the amount of time you need to wait to recruit new Pokemon from the ranch.

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A common misconception about me is that, as someone who loves games, I must love all the cables and shiny bits of hardware needed to play them. Truth is, if you need someone to weigh in on which Baldur's Gate 3 romance is the most narratively satisfying, help you create a solid Diablo 4 build, or walk you through how to get the Master Sword in literally any Zelda game, I'm your girl. However, if your mic mysteriously stopped working mid-match or the PC you built won't turn on, I'd encourage you to ask literally anyone else to help you troubleshoot. Yes, I can navigate my way around a PC just fine and can install mods like the best of 'em, but by and large, I don't want to have to put too much thought or effort into whatever processes it takes to actually play my games.

Fortunately for me, companies like Quoted Tech are eager to pick up my slack. A couple weeks ago, the Canadian-based company generously sent me a custom-made gaming PC--the Horizon Professional--to help remedy my gaming woes, which have grown numerous in recent years. While my PC was great back when my partner first built it, time and increasingly demanding games with better graphics have taken their toll. The thought of upgrading my existing computer--or worse, rebuilding the entire thing--seemed daunting, and rising RAM and SSD costs left me feeling a bit resigned to my dated rig. With all that said, I was shocked by how much the Horizon PC improved my gaming experience with essentially zero setup or friction on my part, and at a reasonable price.

Upon opening the box, I was impressed by how carefully packed the unit was. On top of having thick styrofoam surrounding the entire PC, the interior of the case was filled with packaging moulded to its shape, preventing anything from shifting around. Assembly was just as easy, which is to say, required next to nothing from me. After pulling the PC out, I popped off the case's glass side panel, removed the packaging, closed it, then plugged it in. Done. So, let's move on to the specs.

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Can we all agree that space is both pretty amazing and terrifying? I've largely felt both awe and terror while the crew of the Artemis II, the latest manned space mission, has traveled the farthest any person has ever gone from Earth and broadcast images of our neighboring celestial body and the space beyond. It's got me thinking about a lot of things, like how small and insignificant we are in the grand scheme of the universe--let alone this solar system--as well as how little it feels like we know about the Moon despite its relative proximity! That last point really sticks out to me, because despite the Moon's many mysteries, knowing little about it hasn't stopped the world of games from imagining some pretty awesome, weird, and even terrifying visions of what it may contain.

Games are no stranger to the Moon. BJ Blazkowicz has shot Nazis up there. Chell has opened a portal on its surface--one that sucked the villainous Wheatley into the vacuum of space at Portal 2's conclusion and nearly took her with him. Later this month, players will be navigating an abandoned Moon base and simultaneously solving puzzles and shooting robots as Hugh and Diana in Pragmata. Plus, who can forget their first brush with gaming's most-iconic version of the Moon, the world-ending and seriously terrifying visage of one that cuts the sky above Clock Town in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. These are just the highlights; video games have a long, rich, and weird history with the Moon, be it ours or imagined ones.

When I think of the Moon in games, my mind wanders, as it often does, to Destiny. It is, perhaps, my single favorite instance of the Moon in any video game, and so much of that has to do with my first time stepping foot on it. During Destiny's beta, players were relegated to the game's starting zone on Earth as well as the game's first few missions and Strike. Near the end of the test though, Bungie did a cool thing and opened up the Moon for approximately two hours, making it feel like an exclusive instance and glimpse into the wider world that players might spend the next 10 years exploring. And so I touched down on its glistening surface and gave into the wonder of its vistas and the darkness (and Hive!) contained within its Hellmouth, a seemingly endless underground fortress filled with ritual sites, alien wizards, and at least one portal to another realm inside the soul of a dead god.

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Epic Games and Disney are working together on multiple upcoming games as part of the mysterious Disney x Fortnite project, and now one of them has seemingly been revealed early--it's probably not what you expect.

Bloomberg reported that the first new game to come from Disney's $1.5 billion investment into Epic Games will launch in November and it will be a shooter along the lines of the popular extraction game Arc Raiders. Players will be able to suit up as a Disney character and duke it out until they reach an extraction point, sources told the site. According to the report, internal reviews for the project have assessed it to be "not very original" in its current form, but other staffers said they feel optimistic that it will be in better shape come launch.

Disney's investment into Epic and Fortnite will span at least two more games, the sources added. An early version of the second game got "middling internal reviews," sources said. The report went on to say budget for the third game was shifted to the first two projects because "Disney was disappointed by Epic's release timeline."

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Several years have passed since Professor Layton and the New World of Steam was first revealed, but at long last, developer Level-5 has lifted the lid on its long-in-development puzzle-solving game. A new trailer has provided a detailed look at the game and a release date window of 2026, but the biggest surprise is that the mystery-solving Professor will be looking to crack his latest case on more than just Nintendo hardware, as Professor Layton and the New World of Steam is also coming to PC--for Steam, of course--and PS5.

Previously confirmed for Switch consoles, this will be the first time that a Professor Layton game has been released on a non-Nintendo console and on PC. The series kicked off on Nintendo DS in 2008 and has continued on 3DS and Switch consoles since then, and while there have also been iOS and Android ports, those aren't technically considered to be consoles--and as well all know, technically correct is the best kind of correct.

Beyond that, the trailer also showed off the game's new art direction, which blends the traditional look of the series with 3D-animated visuals. We also got a closer look at Steam Bison, a US town fueled by invention and full of steampunk technology. On Switch 2, the game will offer mouse support, and Level-5 says that players can expect to meet a colorful cast of characters while working to solve the mystery that lies at the heart of Steam Bison.

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PUBG franchise director Taeseok Jang has reflected on the string of shortcomings in the live-service multiplayer space, including high-profile examples like Concord and Highguard. He said in an interview that he has friends who worked on those games, and has tried to learn lessons from their struggles.

Jang told GamesRadar that it is "really hard to succeed every time," and for Concord and Highguard, he said he is trying put himself in the developers' shoes and think, "'What could I have done better in that situation?'"

He said he would "try to have that perspective, and try to learn from it."

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The Federal Aviation Administration is officially recruiting video game players to be part of the next generation of air traffic controllers. Part of that push has been accompanied by a new ad campaign aimed at gamers that uses video game footage and Xbox sound effects to make the pitch that players can earn a six-figure salary by applying their in-game skills to the real world.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shared a statement about the campaign's outreach to a subset of people who may have some of the necessary skills to work in air traffic control.

"To reach the next generation of air traffic controllers, we need to adapt," said Duffy. "This campaign's innovative communication style and focus on gaming taps into a growing demographic of young adults who have many of the hard skills it takes to be a successful controller."

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Developer Battlefield Studios has announced some impactful changes coming to its military shooter, Battlefield 6. This includes new content like an additional limited-time mode and weapon, as well as adjustments to how revives work so you can't spam them anymore.

In an update post on the official Battlefield 6 website, the developer outlined all the changes coming to the game on April 14. There are quite a few additions and adjustments in the works, but the one that's catching the most eyes within the patch notes is a tweak to Defibrillators. When Battlefield 6 launched, you could essentially spam the Defibrillator to revive your teammates without any risk. When Update 1.2.3.0 lands next week, this revive mechanic will be reverted to how it worked in previous Battlefield titles.

With Update 1.2.3.0, instead of unlimited Defibrillator charges, you'll start with three for quick revives before recharging the device. Depending on how long you charge your Defibrillator determines how much health is restored, with 50% giving you about half your health and 100% replenishing your entire health bar. There will be a UI indicator letting you know your charge progress, too; that way, you aren't just guessing or using it too early.

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Asus Xbox ROG Ally Handheld

$500 (was $600)

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PC gaming can be expensive these days, but there’s a great deal right now if you want a portable gaming PC. Amazon and Best Buy have dropped the price of the Asus ROG Xbox Ally to $500 (was $600). That’s about the same as a Switch 2, but since it runs on PC hardware, you get access to a wider range of games, often at lower prices.

Asus Xbox ROG Ally Handheld $500 (was $600)

The ROG Xbox Ally improves on Asus’s first mobile gaming PC with some nice updates for comfort and usability. It has a sturdy white case, a seven-inch Full HD 120Hz screen, 16 GB of RAM, and an AMD Ryzen Z2 processor. You also get Xbox-style controls, a 60-watt-hour battery, a 512GB SSD, and the whole device weighs less than 1.5 pounds. The ROG Xbox Ally also includes three months of Xbox Game Pass Premium, so you’ll have plenty of games to play right away. While it’s not as powerful as the ROG Xbox Ally X, this model still handles gaming well. Indie games run smoothly, but for more demanding titles, you may need to adjust settings for the best performance. If you’re okay with making a few tweaks, you can still enjoy newer games on this device.

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One key feature is the device's operating system. Unlike the Steam Deck’s Linux system, Android-based handhelds like the AYANEO line, or the Switch 2’s custom software, the ROG Ally is one of a small handful of Windows 11-based handheld gaming devices, offering game compatibility and user interface experience akin to a Windows desktop or laptop. The ROG Xbox Ally also features an updated Xbox experience that makes it much easier to organize and launch all your games, even if you bought them from different storefronts like Steam or the Epic Games Store.

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Samson: A Tyndalston Story launched on April 8, and it wasn't all that well received, due in part to the crime game's string of technical issues that players have complained about. Developer Liquid Swords, a team made up of former Just Cause developers, has now outlined what is to come in regards to updates this month to address issues and improve the experience.

Samson's first update arrived on April 9, addressing a number of issues, and the second update will come out on April 15. This will focus on improving stability and "refining" the gameplay. The update will also add more polish to the game and include other updates based on fan feedback. The full patch notes were not released for this upcoming update, however.

A third update will arrive on April 22, but there are no details yet on what it will include as of yet.

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Like everything else in life, the price of YouTube Premium is going up in the US. Google has announced that a YouTube Premium individual plan will increase from $14 to $16 per month, while a family plan that allows for up to six accounts to be connected will go up from $23 to $26 per month. The increases will also be hitting YouTube Music plans, with individual and family accounts rising an extra dollar to $12 and $19 per month, respectively. YouTube Premium Lite will also increase from $8 per month to $9.

This isn't the first time YouTube Premium prices have gone up. Google last raised prices in July 2023. In a statement to Variety, Google said it is "updating" YouTube Premium plans to provide a "high-quality experience that supports creators and artists" on the platform.

YouTube Premium and Music 2026 subscription prices

• YouTube Premium Individual: $16 monthly (was $14)
• YouTube Premium Family: $26 monthly (was $23)
• YouTube Premium Lite: $9 monthly (was $8)
• YouTube Music Premium: $12 monthly (was $11)

The big draw to YouTube Premium is that it allows for ad-free viewing of videos, as well as other perks like background viewing, offline downloads for mobile, higher streaming quality, and full access to its music catalog. The free tier of YouTube is ad-supported, but in recent months, viewers have complained about how aggressive Google has become with adverts, as viewers often have to sit through at least two unskippable commercials before a video starts and mid-roll ads.

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Pearl Abyss has teased some new features coming to Crimson Desert, its super-popular open-world action-adventure RPG. Alongside summonable mounts, the South Korean studio is working on adding difficulty settings to the game; that way, you can tailor your experience--and your death--to your skill level.

In a lengthy developer blog on the studio's official website, posted on April 9, Pearl Abyss outlined "some of the new features and content currently in development"--all of which have been shaped by community feedback. In the "New Content and Features" section, the developer shared that it's working on adding three difficulty options "so that everyone--from new Greymanes to the more advanced--can enjoy the adventure at the level that suits them best." Once added, you'll be able to select easy, normal, or hard options to tune Crimson Desert to your preferred playstyle.

While it's unclear if you'll be able to switch between these three difficulty options freely, Pearl Abyss said it's also working on "new combat-focused content." Maybe this will help alleviate just how punishing "hard" may be, while making "easy" as flashy as a Devil May Cry game.

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Recently, a Steam page for "Rust 2" appeared, prompting people to understandably believe that Rust 2 was happening. But it is not.

Garry Newman, the head of Rust developer Facepunch, told PC Gamer, "Nope. We're not making Rust 2." A Steam page for Rust 2 was published recently, albeit with no images or details on it. As for what that page was all about, Newman said, "No idea at all."

The staff at SteamDB, a third-party website that monitors the Steam database, said the Rust 2 page has been flagged as "suspicious" and that it could be "malicious or impersonating another product."

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