The creators of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 are trying to prove one trash-talking player wrong by giving them a free code to the game's upcoming early-access beta.

In response to a Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer trailer posted by CharlieIntel on X, one skeptical player going by TristanSpoof didn't have kind words for what they saw.

"This s*** looks awful ngl," they wrote in a quote repost. "Won't be planning on buying until I see it live."

https://twitter.com/CallofDutyCM/status/2090128038155464991?s=20

Normally, rude behavior shouldn't be rewarded, but the official CallofDutyCM account took a different approach and clearly saw an opportunity. Instead of fighting fire with fire, the account opted for a "kill them with kindness" strategy. Replying to TristanSpoof's post, the account said a free beta code was on its way.

"Well good thing you get to see it live this weekend!," the account said. "DMing you a beta code too if you want to give it a try. Have fun!"

It looks like the gesture may have won TristanSpoof over, as they replied with a gif of Leonardo DiCaprio giving a toast. We'll have to wait until this weekend to get TristanSpoof's firsthand impressions on how Modern Warfare 4 plays, but if nothing else, it looks like the olive branch was well received.

Unfortunately for the folks behind Call of Duty, now anyone with a negative option (or maybe even those with a positive one who just want a free code) might now be keen to sling insults about the game online in the hope for a similar result. As it turns out, asking nicely might net you a code as well, as CallofDutyCM also looks to have given a user by the name Sly The Sledgehammer a code in response to Sly calling the account "goated" and simply asking for one. 

For those diving into the early-access beta this weekend, there's a number of beta rewards that will carry over to the full version of Modern Warfare 4, including an operator skin and a weapon blueprint. In a first for a Call of Duty beta, Modern Warfare 4's will also include access to a campaign mission. 

Modern Warfare 4's early-access beta runs August 21-25 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5, with an open beta to follow August 28-September 1. The open beta will also be playable on Switch 2, though the early-access one will not be. Preordering is a guaranteed way to get into the early-access beta. Modern Warfare 4 launches October 23, and unlike Black Ops 6 and 7, won't be available on Xbox Game Pass. 

According to a third-party research company, GTA 6 has already brought in more than $400 million in revenue from preorders.

Sensor Tower's sales tracker for GTA 6 states that Rockstar sold 4.38 million copies, including any returns, through August 18, generating $429 million. The research firm said the sales mix is 77% PS5 and 23% Xbox Series X|S.

This data is not confirmed, but it would not be a surprise to learn that GTA 6 is performing exceptionally well already given the massive hype behind it. Preorders began on June 25 for the $80 standard edition and $100 Ultimate Edition.

According to Rockstar owner Take-Two, preorder numbers for GTA 6 are unprecedented in the video game industry, though the company declined to share an official figure. So far, more people are preordering the game's $100 edition. GTA 6 preorder numbers are expected to climb higher still, as experts believe the majority of preorders will come in the last week or so before launch.

One analyst has said GTA 6 could achieve 25 million preorders by launch, and that would work out to about $2 billion in revenue. That's enough to cover the game's development budget and the majority of marketing expenses.

GTA 6’s proper marketing campaign has not begun yet–fans can expect it to kick off with the August 27 trailer on Netflix.

Following multiple delays, GTA 6 releases on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The standard edition could have been even more than $80, but Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick said the company wanted the game to be in reach for most people.

For comparison, GTA 5 launched at $60 back in 2013. That same $60 is equivalent to about $85 today due to inflation.

Xbox's latest console update is rolling out now to Xbox Insiders, giving players more control over the home screen and saves, as well as improvements to profile customization.

As part of the update, which will first roll out to Alpha and Alpha Skip-Ahead Xbox Insider members starting today, tiles can now be more easily removed from the Recent Games and Apps list at the top of the Home page, including the entire Play History tile. For those who want to hide the home screen and bask in the glory of their background art, a new immersive background mode will let users hide the home page and UI with a click of the right thumbstick, bringing the background front and center. 

The update also introduces more control over local saves. With the update, players can easily view, sort, and delete local saves based on size under the new Manage Local Game Saves section in the settings menu, allowing players the ability to free up storage space by getting rid of old or unneeded saves. Previously, players could only delete all local saves, without the ability to pick and choose specific ones. Recent save-game data will still be backed up automatically and sync across devices as usual. 

The latest update allows players to manually choose and delete local save data.

Profile badges aren't new, but it wasn't always clear what each one represented. With this new update, detailed information about each badge, including when and how it was unlocked, can be viewed. Those lucky enough to have earned the Day One achievement for playing on an Xbox One on its November 22, 2013 launch day will also score a new Day One profile badge. Other improvements coming as part of the update include nice quality-of-life changes to wishlists that will see purchased games automatically removed from the list,

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who took over for Phil Spencer in February, has put an emphasis on console updates since taking the helm earlier this year. Earlier this month, a console update added the ability to include chat audio in game captures, gave users control over cloud saves, and added bigger wishlists. Other improvements added in the last few months include new gamerscore badges, longer character limits for Gamertags, game hubs for Xbox 360 titles, and the ability to play games from the cloud while they are updating.

The updates come as Sharma works to "reset" the Xbox business, laying off 3,200 employees over the course of the next year and divesting from studios like Double Fine and Compulsion Games. Meanwhile, Xbox console prices have continued to rise, with the latest price hike going into effect on August 1, raising the price of the 512GB Xbox consoles by $100 and by $150 for 1TB models.

In an effort to encourage soldiers to re-enlist, one US Army unit in Georgia is offering a four-day pass around the time GTA 6 launches in November.

The incentive is only for soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia in the Army's 9th Brigade Engineering Battalion. So far, 20 people there have agreed to the incentive in exchange for re-enlisting, an Army spokesperson told CBS News.

"The idea was to have a unique incentives program that connects to what soldiers are interested in," spokesperson Lt. Col. Angel Tomko said. "The command team, in conjunction with the career counselor, wanted to get soldiers excited to reenlist." 

GTA 6 launches in November.

A memo from the Army appeared online this week, saying those who sign a re-enlistment contract between August 1 and November 14 will get a four-day pass coinciding with the launch of GTA 6. Tomko said there are around 130 soldiers who are eligible for the perk.

The tradeoff for the four-day pass is a requirement to re-enlist for a minimum of two years in the Army.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It's among the most highly anticipated entertainment releases of any kind, ever. It's projected to sell millions upon millions of copies. One report said the game could make enough money on preorders alone to pay for its entire development budget.

The original Xbox is still one of the best-looking consoles ever: a big black box that's instantly recognizable thanks to some clever design choices. If you've ever wanted to own and build one of these, you're in luck, as Mattel has just opened up preorders for a 1:1 replica that you can put together alongside several accessories. It's a bit pricey at $330, but it includes a few neat features that make it a cool display piece.

The Lego-like build includes 3,509 pieces, and you can use those to build a life-sized Xbox console with realistic lights and sounds, a Duke controller with working buttons, and three diorama pieces that slot right into the console. Once fully constructed, the controller has four unique light and sound sequences that can be activated by pushing the buttons. The buildable dioramas are themed around Halo: Combat Evolved, Psychonauts, and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and each one comes with a set of one-inch NanoWorld minifigures.

These will start shipping out in October, just in time for the silver anniversary of Xbox. It's not the first time an Xbox console has been recreated in a blocky physical format; a couple of years ago, the officially licensed Xbox 360 from Mega launched. A smaller replica of the original machine--and thankfully not prone to the Red Ring of Death--it came with all the pieces you'd need to construct a detachable hard drive, Xbox 360 controller, and Halo 3 game box. If you're interested, you can pick one up on Amazon for $180.

Microsoft's plans to celebrate 25 years of Xbox come during a turbulent time for the gaming brand, as the years has been marked by mass layoffs, console price increases, and a massive $1.7 billion decline in revenue last quarter. Taking place during a company-wide "reset" that saw major changes across the board, Xbox is aiming to rebuild and grow its presence in the industry by focusing on its biggest IP, like Fallout and Gears of War.

Best Original Xbox Games Of All Time View Images

The second day of apparent Grand Theft Auto VI leaks has started with a new gameplay clip focused on Jason Duval. There's bad driving, a well-known pop song, and multiple people shot by a taser-like weapon. The video even ends with a cutscene in which Jason has a beer on a boat with his buddy, Cal Hampton.

Kotaku spotted the most recent presumed leak of GTA 6, noting that it's titled "Taser Video." However, the weapon Jason picks up from a person after stomping on them is generically called Shocker. The clip then sees the protagonist electrocuting an already downed foe, as well as two adversaries who run up on him. The range of the Shocker seems pretty far. 

Before that, Jason is seen driving a car with Tate McRae's "Sports Car" playing in the background. He gets in a fender bender, and then eventually exits the vehicle for on-foot combat. This sees the protagonist pistol-whipping foes until acquiring the Shocker weapon. Last but not least, the clip abruptly ends with Jason and Cal on the water for a few seconds.

This follows yesterday's apparent GTA 6 leaks that included Jason playing basketball outside by himself and even the supposed entire map for the open-world game. So far, there has been no official comment by Rockstar Games. Meanwhile, the leakers claim they are acting in the interests of gamers, and part of the reason for these actions is anger over GTA 6 not arriving on a disc. Consumer rights group Stop Killing Games disagrees and believes people shouldn't support the hacker group behind it. 

GTA 6 is set to get an official "Extended Look" trailer on August 27 that will debut on Netflix first. The highly anticipated game also recently appeared in a new PS5 promo and did look a bit different. 

GTA 6 — All The Potential Gameplay Activities From Trailers And Screenshots View Images

As a veteran of the industry, former PlayStation Studios boss Shuhei has a lot of thoughts about where things are currently headed. And with AI infiltrating just about every major developer under the sun, he is both fascinated by and worried about artificial intelligence's overall impact on game development.

In an August 18 Gamerbraves interview, Yoshida said AI tools are "allowing almost anybody to become a game developer." Because AI can do things like write code for you, an artist or a designer can create entire games by themselves now. This, in his mind, will lead to more games being created and released than ever before.

While he praised the speed at which developers will be able to launch games with AI, Yoshida was quick to put the rose-tinted glasses away, highlighting the adverse effects it could have on gaming.

"For anyone who wants to make money by developing games, we'll see even tougher competition going forward,” he said. "As a fan of games, I'm very excited about the future and seeing so many interesting games come out. But from a developer's standpoint, it's going to be a really tough future."

For him, "tougher competition" is the greatest concern, as the exorbitant amount of games released will give consumers more options and probably a greater sense of decision paralysis.

Yoshida also commented on PlayStation's decision to end all physical disc production in January 2028, saying it may not be "such a big issue" since physical-disc games still often require downloads, just like digital media. Still, he did acknowledge how much it'd suck if "physical games were no longer available to collect."

Yoshida has been opening up about all facets of the games industry, from explaining why he was fired from his position to sharing his thoughts on the Steam Machine. This muzzle is off.

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 beta begins this Friday, August 21, and everyone who takes part will have a chance to earn special rewards.

As with previous Call of Duty betas, Activision is encouraging people to play by offering rewards for progressing through the ranks. The first reward, an emblem, is unlocked at level 4. The next, a charm, is unlocked at level 8, running all the way up to level 30. People who reach that cap will get a weapon blueprint.

Beta rewards

• Level 4 - Emblem
• Level 8 - Charm
• Level 12 - Weapon sticker
• Level 16 - Calling Card
• Level 20 - Operator Skin
• Level 23 - Spray
• Level 26 - Loading Screen
• Level 30 - Weapon Blueprint

Get these rewards for playing MW4's beta.

Early access to the MW4 beta is available for people who preorder the game, or obtain a code by some other means. The open beta, meanwhile, is free and available to everyone August 28-September 1.

Ahead of the beta going live, Activision has released a new trailer showing off MW4's multiplayer, and it looks pretty great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeFVhw4YNbM

In addition to multiplayer, the MW4 beta lets players try out a campaign mission, Entrenched, along with the new Warzone map, Zodiac.

MW4 launches on October 23, with access to the campaign unlocking one week early for people who preorder the game. The game is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, as well as Nintendo Switch 2. It will be the first Call of Duty game on a Nintendo platform since 2013's Call of Duty: Ghosts.

While we don't exactly know when the next PlayStation and Xbox consoles will arrive, the working theory is that they may come with a $1,000 price tag attached. An analytics firm is suggesting, however, that should this happen, Microsoft and Sony would be shooting themselves in the foot and costing their business billions by 2031.

According to an August 17 breakdown, the market-research firm Ampere Analysis has published an examination of the $1,000 console price consideration. The group said that if Microsoft and Sony launched "conventionally designed, incrementally improved next-generation consoles" in 2028 that ran your wallet that eye-watering $1,000 price tag, the PlayStation 6 and Xbox Project Helix would see a 38% lower sales rate in the first five years as compared to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S over the same period.

Such a slow adoption rate would ultimately cost the console games and services market $3.4 billion by 2031 if $1,000 systems become a thing, according to Ampere Analysis' estimation. And considering that the Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S have all seen multiple price increases in recent months due to the ongoing chip shortage, a $1,000 PlayStation or Xbox isn't out of the realm of possibility anymore. The Steam Machine is over $1,000 already.

The market-research firm did suggest three possible solutions for how Microsoft and Sony could avoid a $1,000 console::

1. Stay the course with "incrementally improved next-generation consoles," but "delay the launch of the next generation beyond the end of 2028, extending the lifecycle of current consoles." That way, both companies can monitor the chipageddon situation.
2. Aim for the 2028 release window, but reduce prices by leveraging "heavier hardware subsidies, new monetization models, more aggressive digital content strategies, and optimized sales channels" to recoup lost costs.
3. Ditch the modest upgrade and opt to "substantially innovate on hardware form factor and use cases, placing less emphasis on graphical improvement" to differentiate the current-gen from the next-gen consoles better while keeping prices low. Think of the Wii here.

Whatever the decision ends up being, Ampere Analysis is urging Microsoft and Sony not to release consoles that cost that much. Otherwise, console gaming may be a much tougher sell for consumers.

It's a good time to be a fan of retro video games, thanks to all the various compilations hitting the scene, and for the James Pond enthusiasts out there, their time has finally come. Developer System 3 has announced the James Pond Legacy: The Pond is Not Enough collection, but the reveal trailer is being dragged over claims that it features generative AI art and assets. Comments on the video quickly started pointing out the telltale signs of AI images, prompting System 3 to shut off public commentary on YouTube.

Even a cursory glance suggests that System 3 may have used generative AI to create the key art and character renders for the reveal. Each James Pond character has that glossy, wide-eyed aesthetic that's commonplace in AI image generation, and each character also appears to have been run through several yellow filters, which is often the result of preference tuning. AI models like ChatGPT and DALL-E default to a "golden hour" color palette that is designed to look pleasing to the eye, as these large language models have been trained on historical art, old photographs, and stylized illustrations that feature yellow-hued lighting. GameSpot has reached out to System 3 for comment on this, and we'll update this post if we hear back.

https://youtu.be/CFggndxGZk0

This isn't the first time that James Pond has ventured into the world of generative AI. A legacy sequel in the form of James Pond: Rogue AI was slammed by Pond's creator, Chris Sorrell, for using the technology. "I hate almost everything they do with a passion, all the more so since they duped me into being part of their shambolic Kickstarter campaign all those years back, and I stupidly allowed my name to become associated with their bottom-feeding enterprise," Sorrell said in an interview with Time Extension last year.

As for the collection of James Pond games? The compilation includes James Pond: Underwater Agent, James Pond 2: Robocod, James Pond 3: Operation Starfish, and The Aquatic Games Starring James Pond and the Aquabats. It'll launch exclusively on Switch 2 in October 2026. It's worth noting that the collection also features an interactive historical archive showcasing the original handcrafted artwork from the classic games. These illustrations also look much better in comparison, but it looks like they're joined by a few more AI-generated images in the preview screens.

Generative AI remains a controversial topic in video game development, especially when used to create art assets. Multiple games have been caught using the technology, with companies regularly claiming that it was only to create temporary assets before it could be replaced by human-made art--like in the case of Pearl Abyss and Sandfall Interactive.

In one notable example, Larian CEO Swen Vincke (Baldur's Gate 3) said that the studio used generative AI tools for all kinds of tasks, like exploring new game ideas, developing concept art, and creating placeholder text. After a quick retraction and explanation, Vincke confirmed that the studio was looking to grow its pool of artists. Meanwhile, other studios have taken a strong stand against the use of generative AI, with Slay the Spire 2 developer Mega Crit preferring to use "sh**" art over anything generated by machines when conceptualizing a game.

Former Arkane bosses Harvey Smith and Ben Horne have opened a new studio, Black Pony Immersive, which is now working on "imaginative first-person action-RPGs." The last game they worked on was the ill-fated Xbox-exclusive vampire game, Redfall. Both Smith (Redfall director) and Horne (Redfall producer) have now discussed that project and what went wrong.

Horne told The Game Business that Redfall was born during the live-service boom, and the team had to figure out, "How do we do this?"

Smith added that Redfall was a "difficult project" for Arkane, acknowledging that the studio "got swept up in the games-as-a-service thing."

"Arkane is very specialized, but the industry is growing, and there’s always more mouths to feed. And it’s great when you can reach a wider audience. I had the foolish chutzpah to assume that it always works out for us. We can do this. Let’s take what we love, and mix it with [games-as-a-service]. And do different mechanics by day and night. And have character classes," he said.

During the middle of development, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, which Smith said impacted Redfall. He also singled out "the great resignation" having an impact, as people started working remotely and changed jobs.

Smith said Redfall was "very poorly received" at launch, with the team then spending the year next patching the game in an effort to improve it. Then Microsoft closed Arkane Austin and laid the team off. The team had even more improvements planned for a 1.4 update, so Smith pitched Microsoft on the idea of coming back to release this update, even though he just got laid off.

"We went to Microsoft and said, ‘I know we don’t work here anymore, but can we please release this?’ And to their credit, they did not say no. They let six or seven of us sign forms that we could come back in the building. After being fired, we released 1.4, which I think if we had that on day one, it wouldn’t have set the world on fire, but it was a much, much better game," he said.

Horne, for his part, said it was "like an achievement unlocked" in his professional career to release an update for a game "after I've been fired and the studio closed down."

Also in the interview, Smith acknowledged that he was "clearly out of my lane" working on a live-service game like Redfall. "I was not working on the things that I should be working on."

"Politically, there were very hard things. There were fires. The government announced aliens at some point. There was a swarm of murder hornets coming toward Texas. We had an ice storm that put power and water out for like two weeks for some people. It was crazy," he said. "That development cycle, I’ll never forget it. And yet at the end of it, people came back together to release that patch even after losing their jobs. And some of them wanted to work with us again after that."

As for Smith and Horne's new studio, Black Pony, the team is working on "crafting games that push the limits of player immersion." The studio has not announced any games yet, however.

The Pokemon franchise is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with various promotions, and the Krispy Kreme collaboration is easily the sweetest team-up. Like all things related to Pokemon, a box full of pocket monster doughnuts has attracted the eyes of resellers looking to make a quick buck on used--and sadly, empty--boxes from the promotion.

On eBay, you can find several listings for the Pokemon Krispy Kreme doughnut boxes, with some users asking for up to $100 per box. While the doughnuts are the real treasure inside, the boxes do feature images of popular Pokemon like Pikachu and Charmander next to the pink ball of murderous rage that is Jigglypuff. One incredibly optimistic seller is even asking for $25,000 for their box of doughnuts, although that's likely to game eBay's system and push their listing to the top of search results.

That's a lot of cash for a collectible that has an expiration date.

Is it weird that people are selling Pokemon doughnut boxes on eBay? Absolutely. Will they get their asking price from people who missed out on the promotion? Maybe! You never know what will sell in today's economy, but Pokemon is an anomaly, especially its trading card game, which is pounced upon by scalpers whenever a new set of cards are released. Seeing these boxes go up for sale isn't too unusual in that context, as people just cannot get enough of colored cardboard featuring Pokemon.

While Krispy Kreme has reported selling out of these sweet treats at several stores, you can still read our Pokemon doughnuts review to find out if they're worth preordering. GameSpot's features editor Jessica Cogswell and her four-year-old son grabbed a box, and you won't want to read this expert analysis on an empty stomach.

Finally, Pokemon Soup Is Here View Images

The fate of Arkane Studios is in limbo and the Dishonored franchise may be permanently on ice, but franchise co-creator Harvey Smith isn't giving up on immersive sims. The veteran game director has founded a new studio focused on games that sound a whole lot like Dishonored. 

"Today, veteran game developers Harvey Smith and Ben Horne revealed Black Pony Immersive, a new game studio built to design and develop imaginative first-person action-RPGs set within well-realized worlds, where players create their own memorable experiences with expressive, emergent gameplay systems," the studio said in a press release.

That game description would be applicable to not only the Dishonored series, but also Prey and Deathloop, Arkane's other acclaimed titles. Smith served as co-creative director and creative director, respectively, on Dishonored and Dishonored 2, while Horne had most recently worked at Arkane as production director on Redfall. As with Arkane Austin, the studio will be based in Austin, Texas. Arkane Lyon--the studio branch responsible for Deathloop--is still in operation. 

"This group has worked together for years, decades in some cases, and is purpose-built to make the ambitious games we love--immersive sims," said Horne, who will serve as COO and executive producer at the studio, in the release. "We share a vision for crafting games that push the limits of player immersion. We can't wait to reveal more soon." 

Immersive sims like Dishonored, Deathloop, and their progenitors, Thief, the System Shock games, and Deus Ex, haven't been particularly prevalent over the last several years, and Arkane's last major project, Redfall, was a co-op-focused game rather than the single-player experience most fans of the sub-genre expect. Raphaël Colantonio, who co-directed the original Dishonored, left Arkane several years ago and co-founded WolfEye Studios. Its first game, Weird West, took the immersive-sim concept and applied it to a top-down Western experience. Its currently still-unnamed project will be a first-person action-RPG.

A major development has come to light regarding Guerrilla's long-in-development live-service Horizon game, Horizon Hunters Gathering. After negative player feedback from the game's various tests, the Amsterdam-based studio has been "working to reboot the game since June," Bloomberg reported.

The plan to reboot the game involves removing its live-service elements and shifting it to become "more of a traditional cooperative multiplayer game with a story mode and far smaller scope," the report said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8MmDGZsWeA

The report went on to say Guerrilla now has through December to "impress executives" in order for development to continue. Due to the paring down of the scope in the reboot, some developers working on Horizon Hunters Gathering are being "reassigned to a different project" that is due for evaluation by higher-ups by the end of the year.

What that other game is remains a mystery, but the report added that a "tiny team" at Guerrilla is now "plotting out the next single-player Horizon game." This game is, however, "years away" from being done, sources said.

What is Horizon Hunters Gathering?

Announced in February this year, Horizon Hunters Gathering is a multiplayer game set in the Horizon universe, allowing up to three players in a group.

It features a markedly different look from the main Horizon series, sporting more vibrant visuals and giving off Fortnite energy in terms of its looks.

Players will work together to fight the deadly, animal-like machines that the Horizon series is known for. Guerrilla has said the game’s combat is “tactical, reactive, and deeply skill-based.”

This was how the game was described upon its announcement, at least. It remains to be seen exactly how Horizon Hunters Gathering could change, beyond stripping out the live-service elements, given the reboot.

Sony's struggles in live-service

Like many other companies, PlayStation pushed into the very popular, potentially lucrative, and very competitive, live-service market by making a number of bets, and not all of them have paid off.

At one point, Sony was planning a dozen live-service games, but the company later halved that in a bid for quality over quantity. Some of the games that have been canceled so far have included The Last of Us Online, along with a live-service God of War and another live-service title from Bend.

There have been successes, too, mostly notably Helldivers 2. The game sold more than 20 million copies. Sony’s multiplayer game Concord, on the other hand, failed to find an audience and was quickly taken offline, with its studio shuttered. Many are also wondering about the fate of the live-service game Fairgame$, following a number of key staff departures.

Ahead of its release next month, the official PC requirements for The Blood of Dawnwalker have been revealed. The game is shaping up to be a good-looking dark fantasy adventure, but fortunately, it only requires a modest amount of power to run at 1080p and 60 frames per second. The biggest surprise here is the amount of RAM you'll need to hit various presets (specifically, GPU VRAM) as developer Rebel Wolves doesn't expect players to need more than 16GB of the precious PC resource to run the game across several graphical presets--but you will need a suitably powerful GPU and CPU to get a smooth 4K 60fps experience.

On PC, playing games at 1440p is usually the sweet spot for most setups, and aiming to run The Blood of Dawnwalker at that resolution at 60fps will require 16GB of RAM and an Nvidia 40-series GPU with 8GB of VRAM. If you don't mind dialing the specs down to 1080p at 60fps, you'll also do just fine with 8GB of VRAM and a 20-series Nvidia GPU.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLMUp83HZKE&pp=0gcJCRMMAYcqIYzv

Seeing a modern PC game attempt to make things easier for potential consumers is welcome news, as RAM prices have soared in recent years due to AI companies eating up available supply. More recent PC releases have made an effort to cater to gamers who have stuck with a modest amount of RAM in their rigs, usually requiring around 16GB to run a game at a decently high preset.

Several major RAM producers are reportedly sold out of their manufacturing capacity for 2027, meaning that current memory prices aren't going to get much better.

The Blood of the Dawnwalker PC requirements

Target: 1080p at 30fps

• Preset: Low (Minimum)
• CPU: Intel Core i5-11400F / AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
• RAM: 16GB
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 580
• VRAM: 6GB or more
• Storage: 60GB SSD
• OS: Windows 10 or later, DirectX 12

Target: 1080p at 60fps

• Preset: Medium
• CPU: Intel Core i7-11700K / AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
• RAM: 16GB
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super / GTX 1070 Ti / AMD Radeon RX 5700 / Intel Arc A750
• VRAM: 8GB or more
• Storage: 60 GB SSD
• OS: Windows 10 or later, DirectX 12

Target: 1440p at 60fps

• Preset: High (Recommended)
• CPU: Intel Core i7-11700K / AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
• RAM: 16GB
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 / AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT / Intel Arc B580
• VRAM: 8GB or more
• Storage: 60GB SSD
• OS: Windows 10 or later, DirectX 12

Target: 2160p at 60fps

• Preset: Ultra
• CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K / AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
• RAM: 16GB
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti / AMD Radeon RX 9070
• VRAM: 12GB or more
• Storage: 60GB SSD
• OS: Windows 10 or later, DirectX 12

A new game from former Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 developers, The Blood of Dawnwalker follows the game’s protagonist, Coen, on his quest to rescue his sister Lunka from the powerful vampire lord Brencis. After failing to protect her and getting handed a vampire curse, Coen only has 30 days to level up his new powers and save his sister from Brencis and his deadly undead lieutenants. One key thing that sets the game apart from other dark fantasy adventures is how the passage of time is keenly felt, as taking on a mission advances the clock. While the clock is ticking, players won't be punished for taking their time when exploring the world.

The Blood of Dawnwalker launches on September 3, and it'll also be available for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The consumer rights group Stop Killing Games has addressed this week's Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks, urging people not to support the hackers claiming responsibility for leaking footage of the game ahead of its November release. The group released several minutes of what appears to be GTA 6 gameplay, and while developer Rockstar Games hasn't officially commented yet on the footage that has spread online, its owner, Take-Two Interactive, wasted no time in issuing DMCA takedown notices.

This suggests that the gameplay may be authentic, and the videos themselves have had advertisements for memecoins and donation requests plastered all over them. The hackers, on the other hand, reportedly claimed in a manifesto--that is no longer available online--that the leak is in response to GTA 6's physical edition for consoles being a code-in-a-box release, and they have warned that they'll go after developers who also ship games without any proper physical edition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeurNpMkA3c

Stop Killing Games, which has campaigned against online games being terminated, has criticized the hacker group for its actions and how they could potentially hurt the thousands of developers working on GTA 6.

"Using illegal means to make a point is unacceptable to us and does nothing to protect our right to keep using what we paid for," Stop Killing Games wrote in a statement. "No matter how strongly you disagree with the decisions of upper management at these companies, there are still thousands of developers who worked hard on this project--and they're the ones being hit the hardest. "Channel that frustration into something constructive instead. This kind of act is destructive and helps no one; worse, it risks tarnishing the reputation of our communities and our chances to make change."

This isn't the first time that GTA 6 has been in the crosshairs of hackers, as early footage of the game was leaked in 2022. At the time, Take-Two said the leaks were really "frustrating" and "upsetting". An official look at GTA 6 is on the way, as part of a deep-dive showcase that'll be shown on Netflix first. Scheduled for August 27, it's the first proper preview of GTA 6 in over a year.

GTA 6: 241 Screenshots To Ease The Wait View Images

After over four decades in video games, developer Warren Specter is retiring from the industry. But as Specter moves towards the door, he wants to make sure that the team behind his 2010 game Epic Mickey gets their due for bringing one of Walt Disney's earliest creations back home to Disney.

In 2003, the development document for Epic Mickey reportedly spurred then-Disney president Bob Iger to eventually regain the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a breakout animated character created by Disney and animator Ub Iwerks. When the Oswald property was taken from Disney, the latter created Mickey Mouse and the rest was history. In 2006, Iger was Disney's CEO when he made the deal to bring Oswald home in exchange for the rights to sportscaster Al Michaels. Subsequently, Epic Mickey was the first Disney project to bring Mickey and Oswald together.

Sixteen years after Oswald appeared in Epic Mickey, the character is getting his own miniseries on Disney+.. On his LinkedIn account, Specter reacted to the recent D23 preview of Oswald's Disney+ show. He also noted that he that Epic Mickey's contributions to the character were being overlooked.

"I'm seriously looking forward to [the miniseries], but it seems as if people are looking at it as the debut of the character," wrote Specter. "Call me small-minded but that ain’t right."

Specter elaborated that the game marked Oswald's first Disney role since 1928, and added that the game's sequel, Epic Mickey: The Power of Two, gave Oswald a voice for the first time in a Disney story and fleshed out his love interest, Ortensia.

"I have to admit that I’m a little bitter about the lack of credit the team gets for all this," Specter wrote. "I was blown away that Disney trusted us and saw fit to reintroduce the little guy in a game. But the team did a great job and deserves to be recognized for it before Hollywood makes people forget the games ever existed."

In 2024, Epic Mickey got a modern remaster in Epic Mickey Rebrushed. Around that time, Specter acknowledged that Epic Mickey 3 was unlikely to happen, but he did say that he had some ideas for the unmade sequel.

New footage and details about Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto 6 appear to have been leaked online. While the full veracity of the intel has yet to be confirmed, Rockstar's DMCA takedown requests suggest that some of it could be legitimate.. And the person or persons behind the leak has issued some biblical demands if the company wants to avoid any additional unauthorized disclosures.

The leaker, who goes by Cyberleek, has issued the following "commandments" to Rockstar and other game publishers:

• Thou Shalt Not Sell Digital Preorders
• Thou Shalt Not Sell Fake Single-Player DLC
• Thou Shalt Preserve Single-Player Content

Those demands have been shared on social media with a further warning that, "These commandments are the floor--not the ceiling--of what is acceptable." The statement also threatens to target publishers for additional leaks if the commandment are violated.

The first game footage clip--which is already becoming scarce online--features GTA 6 co-lead Jason hanging out at home and playing a little basketball. It also features a look at the game's modified HUD and a basketball tutorial that goes over the minigame's controls. The clip is only about a minute long, and some viewers have suggested that it's from a much earlier build of the game than the one heading to stores in a few months.

In the second video from the leaker, Jason is behind the wheel of a car as the game shows off its driving gameplay. After crashing into several vehicles, Jason angers a delivery driver who challenges him to a fight. The subsequent encounter utilizes the game's combat engine. And the aftermath of the fight attracts some unwanted attention from the cops.

A map of GTA 6's Leonida setting was also part of the leak, but it's unclear if it came from Rockstar or if it was a fan creation.

The leak comes just over a week before GTA 6 is scheduled to get an extended showcase on Netflix. That special will debut on August 27, and it's expected to have an in-depth preview of some of the game's features.

GTA 6 will be released on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. While the game's physical copies will only feature codes in the box, Take-Two hasn't entirely ruled out a disc release.

Microsoft is gearing up to announce a new game at Gamescom this month, it appears, and it could be from an established series.

Insider NateTheHate 2 said, "I've heard of a neat Xbox announcement that should be at Gamescom." He said it will be a "new game in a series" as opposed to a new IP. And no, it's not a new Banjo-Kazooie game, he said.

He added that, whatever the project is, it's from a franchise that Microsoft owns, but it's not being made by a studio that Microsoft owns. That leaves open a lot of possibilities, so your guess is as good as anyone's right now as to what it may be and which studio could be behind it.

Microsoft has an announcement on tap for Gamescom, it seems.

That's all we have to go on for now, but with Gamescom coming up soon, we should find out shortly. Xbox is not holding its own dedicated showcase at Gamescom, but it's possible the announcement could come during Geoff Keighley's Opening Night Live on August 25.

The Xbox booth at Gamescom will feature 25 upcoming games, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Fable, Minecraft Dungeons II, Gears of War: E-Day, Metro 2039, Stranger Than Heaven, and Alien: Isolation 2.

There will also be live broadcasts from the Xbox booth August 26 and August 27, featuring interviews, guests, gameplay reveals, trailers, "and more." Perhaps one of the interview slots will be about this upcoming mystery game.

2026 is the 25th anniversary of Xbox, and the company has a lot planned.

A group of former Grand Theft Auto 6 developers accusing Rockstar Games of union busting and currently engaged in a legal battle with the studio doesn't want players to boycott the game.

In a video posted by the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain, fired members of the union made clear how they would like fans to support them in their ongoing legal dispute with Rockstar.

"We're going to make this easy for you," the former devs state. "Don't boycott GTA 6. Win justice for the people who helped make it."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhIESBAyDK8

As the devs go on to explain, they all worked on GTA 6 for years and poured their "hard work, skill, and creativity" into making it. Rather than boycotting their work, they want people to experience what they helped build.

"But that doesn't mean we want you to let Rockstar off the hook," the devs said.

Instead, workers are calling on supporters to help in other ways, like buying a custom t-shirt. The proceeds will go towards supporting fired workers and their legal case.

That legal saga began on October 30, 2025, when 31 Rockstar employees at the studio's UK office were fired without warning or explanation. All of the employees in question were members of the IWGB, and were helping to organize a studio-wide union at Rockstar. Despite the firing of many of its organizers, the union survived and is currently asking Rockstar to voluntarily recognize it.. 

The fired employees accuse their former studio of union busting, while Rockstar alleges the developers were fired for "gross misconduct" that included leaking confidential company information in a public forum. Rockstar denies the firings were related to union membership or activity.

A preliminary tribunal upheld the right of the workers to bring "blacklisting" allegations (the act of compiling information and discriminating against workers involved in union activity) against Rockstar in court, with the trial set to begin on September 10.

It's perhaps for the best that former workers aren't calling for a boycott, as it seems many players have already preordered GTA 6. Rockstar's parent company Take-Two called GTA 6's preorder numbers "unprecedented," but doesn't want to reveal them out of concern that they could be "misleading." 

With less than 100 days until release, we still have a lot of questions about GTA 6. An extended look at GTA 6 will debut on August 27 and will likely provide some answers.