Battlefield 6 won't have ray tracing, as the team instead is focusing on performance and optimization, according to the game's technical director.

In an interview with ComicBook, Ripple Effect (one of the studios that comprises Battlefield Studios) technical director Christian Buhl said it doesn't have plans for ray tracing at launch or in the near future.

"That was because we wanted to focus on performance," Buhl said. "We wanted to make sure that all of our effort was focused on making the game as [optimized] as possible for the default settings and default users."

If you rolled credits on Donkey Kong Bananza, chances are you got through it with little frustration and extraneous effort. By many accounts, bosses take seconds to plow through, mining gold is seemingly unlimited, and overall the game is "too easy." But the phrasing is somewhat reductive, not just in relation to Bananza, but when discussing difficulty in games as a whole.

The stigma of "too easy" might indicate that a game is hand-holdy, not trusting players to act or think for themselves. Or, it's boring and monotonous, lacking in mechanical complexity and resulting in little satisfaction from overcoming obstacles.

Loosely characterizing Donkey Kong Bananza in this manner misses the point of what makes the game so enjoyable to play. Bananza is a breeze for players because it's built on a framework that is versatile and complex yet accessible and intuitive. By giving you all the tools you need to succeed in Bananza's vast sandbox, Nintendo made a game that feels effortless to punch your way through. If you think the game is easy, then it's doing its job correctly--Nintendo wants it to feel easy.

World of Warcraft developer Blizzard has taken aim at one of the biggest WoW private servers, suing its creators for alleged copyright infringement and citing recent efforts to "cannibalize and disrupt Blizzard's WoW player community."

The server in question is Turtle WoW, an ambitious private-server version of 2006-era WoW that has been active since 2018 and features fan-made expansions, additional playable races and classes, and new zones. Turtle WoW's creators recently made waves when it announced Turtle WoW 2.0, which aims to remake its version of the original, "vanilla" WoW in Unreal Engine 5. According to a Turtle WoW social media post, one of its most recent server launches hit 13,000 concurrent players.

Blizzard's lawsuit, filed in California on August 29, alleges the creators of Turtle WoW have created "an entire business on large-scale, egregious, and ongoing infringement of Blizzard's intellectual property." While Turtle WoW is technically free, it does feature an in-game shop where players can donate to the developers in exchange for premium currency.

Sony's upcoming PS5 and PC live-service game Fairgame$ has lost another top developer. Game director Daniel Drapeau has left developer Haven Studios to join WB Games Montreal.

Haven founder Jade Raymond left the company in May. It was reported at the time that Fairgame$ was delayed to 2026 after a playtest proved unfavorable.

Drapeau left Haven weeks ago, and said in a LinkedIn post that they're joining WB Games Montreal as a creative director for an upcoming project. "Let's do this!" Drapeau said.

Gameplay footage of what appears to be Battlefield's new battle royale has surfaced online in an apparent leak, highlighting some features that could distinguish it from the competition.

About nine minutes of footage, watermarked by a Bilibili user called Misaka_Mikoto_01, shows what looks like an early build of the Battlefield battle royale. The build could be from the latest Battlefield Labs test, which began late last week. The beginning of the video includes the loading screen and loadout menu before the player airdrops onto the battle royale's massive map.

The footage shows buildings and other geometric elements popping in. The player also swims in water and later takes out a sledgehammer to demolish the walls of a bathroom in classic Battlefield fashion. Each wall took about two sledgehammer swings before completely coming down. Grenades, ziplines, and a ladder gadget are also used in the leaked footage.

NBA 2K26 releases this Friday, September 5, and if you're wondering exactly when it unlocks, 2K Sports has announced those details so you can find out precisely when you can start playing.

People who bought the more expensive Superstar ($100) or Leave No Doubt ($150) editions can already begin playing via early access--the game actually unlocked back on August 29 for these people.

For everyone else, though, NBA 2K26 will unlock beginning around midnight local time in most places on September 5. Below are the global unlock times for console and PC, as shared by 2K Sports.

The next big chapter in the Helldivers 2 saga is now live--with detailed patch notes to boot--and with the armies of Super Earth being joined by new Xbox recruits, it's time to explore uncharted territory. Into the Unjust will see Helldivers venture into subterranean Terminid lairs, hostile territory that cuts troopers off from their usual Super Destroyer support unless they find a gap in the structures. Just what secrets lie behind the mysterious Gloom shroud that has been seen on several Hive Worlds? You'll have to find out for yourself, but at least there's some neat new armor and weapons you can equip to help you in your fight.

As for the update, this will include the usual selection of gameplay tweaks, bug fixes, and new content. Hive Worlds with randomly generated cave systems will be introduced here, giving players a chance to discover "disgusting flora and fauna" amidst advanced Terminid species. These planets also feature acid lakes that you don't want to take a swim in, destructible walls in the cave systems, and dark zones where multi-legged horrors will be hiding.

One of the new gameplay modes will also task you with taking control of a mobile oil rig to siphon the mysterious oily substance from these worlds, and for the new enemy types, developer Arrowhead is teasing four new Terminid breeds. Rupture Spewers can vomit a lethal substance on players, Rupture Warriors hide in the dark away to protect their organs from UV radiation, and Rupture Chargers can burrow through the ground to ambush Helldivers. Finally, Dragonroaches attack from the sky with an acid bombing run.

Video games have been making the leap to television and movies for decades, with Fallout, Twisted Metal, Minecraft, and Until Dawn among the most recent examples. Today, Paramount and Activision have announced a deal to bring one of the largest video game franchises in the world, Call of Duty, to the silver screen.

With the deal, Paramount will "develop, produce, and distribute a live-action feature film based on Call of Duty," according to the official release. No specific details on the film itself were revealed, including release window or story details, but the release stated that both Paramount and Activision "are committed to honoring the brand’s rich narrative and distinctive style, promising an authentic and exciting experience for longtime fans and newcomers alike."

Paramount is no stranger to adapting video games to feature films, as its first foray into video game movies can be traced back to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie in 2001. The studio is also currently enjoying success with the Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy starring Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, and Jim Carrey.

In June, Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy became the fastest-selling MTG expansion of all time, as it sold $200 million in product in a single day. Wizards of the Coast is hoping lightning will strike twice with Marvel's Spider-Man, the next MTG expansion, which launches on September 26.

We have an exclusive look at two cards included in the Spider-Man set, both of whom share a moniker: The Scarlet Spider! We have Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker cards to reveal, with each Scarlet Spider taking from a different combination of the Magic color pie.

First, here's Scarlet Spider, Ben Reilly:

In July the United Kingdom's Online Safety Act came into effect, requiring that any form of online services feature age verification checks if these services contain content that could be deemed "harmful to children." This law has affected a range of websites, including social media sites like X, as well as sites that contain adult, 18+ content, and even Xbox will require age verification in the UK come next year. Now, Valve has introduced its own age verification process that requires users in the UK to register a credit card to their account in order to view certain games.

As detailed on a new Steam support page titled Age Assurance Under the UK Online Safety Act, Valve explains, "In order to access Steam store pages for mature content games as well as their associated community hubs, you need to be logged into an active user account and explicitly opt-in through the account settings page. For UK users, this opt-in process requires age verification. Your UK Steam user account is considered age verified for as long as a valid credit card is stored on the account."

Valve says that it uses this process as Ofcom, the UK's regulatory and competition authority, has said that credit card checks are very effective forms of age verification due to the fact you must be 18 to obtain one. GameSpot can also confirm that a UK debit card will not work in place of a credit card--in the UK children as young as 11 can get a debit card, which is likely why this is not offered as an option.

There are more ways than ever for consumers to get their hands on video games, but Xbox Game Pass remains one of the most popular methods. Game Pass is one of the most successful video game subscription services on the market, and that doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon. The service boasts a library of hundreds of games that players immediately gain access to upon becoming a subscriber. However, Game Pass is continually adding more games all the time, growing the library little by little.

Whether you're a current Game Pass subscriber or someone interested in subscribing to the service, you'll likely want to know what future games are arriving in the library. As of right now, several games have official release dates for Game Pass, while other games are confirmed for the service but don't have a concrete launch date yet. Below, you can see a list of every upcoming Game Pass title we know of in 2025, 2026, and beyond.

• September
  • I Am Your Beast
  • Nine Sols
  • Hollow Knight: Silksong
  • Cataclismo
  • PAW Patrol World
  • RoadCraft
  • Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
• October
  • Ball X Pit
  • Keeper
  • Ninja Gaiden 4
  • Bounty Star: The Morose Tale of Graveyard Clem
  • Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault
  • The Outer Worlds 2
• November
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• TBD 2025
  • Buckshot Roulette
  • PowerWash Simulator 2
  • Routine
  • Mixtape
  • Winter Burrow
  • Dead Static Drive
  • Little Rocket Lab
  • Sleight of Hand
  • Tanuki: Pon's Summer
  • Witchbrook
• 2026
  • High On Life 2
  • Aphelion
  • Clockwork Revolution
  • Fable
  • Persona 4 Revival
  • Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
  • Outbound
  • At Fate's End
  • Vapor World: Over The Mind
  • Subnautica 2
  • Replaced
  • Freestyle Football 2
  • Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf
  • Super Meat Boy 3D
  • There Are No Ghosts At The Grand
  • Beasts of Reincarnation
  • Snap & Grab
  • Denshattack!
  • Tropico 7
  • Wildekin
  • Beastro
  • Bushiden
  • Harmonium The Musical
  • Echo Weaver
  • Sopa
  • Gears of War: E-Day
  SeptemberI Am Your Beast
  • Developer: Strange Scaffold
  • Game Pass Release Date: September 2, 2025
  • Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Nine Sols
  • Developer: Red Candle Games
  • Game Pass Release Date: September 3, 2025
  • Platforms: Xbox Series X|S
  Hollow Knight: Silksong
  • Developer: Team Cherry
  • Game Pass Release Date: September 4, 2025
  • Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1 + 2
  Cataclismo
  • Developer: Digital Sun
  • Game Pass Release Date: September 4, 2025
  • Platforms: PC
  PAW Patrol World
  • Developer: 3DClouds
  • Game Pass Release Date: September 10, 2025
  • Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  RoadCraft
  • Developer: Saber Interactive
  • Game Pass Release Date: September 16, 2025
  • Platforms: Xbox Series X|S
  Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
  • Developer: Funday Games
  • Game Pass Release Date: September 17, 2025
  • Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC
  OctoberBall X Pit
  • Developer: Kenny Sun
  • Game Pass Release Date: October 15, 2025
  • Platforms: Xbox Series X|S
  Keeper
  • Developer: Double Fine Productions
  • Game Pass Release Date: October 17, 2025
  • Platforms: PC
  Ninja Gaiden 4
  • Developer: Team Ninja
  • Game Pass Release Date: October 21, 2025
  • Platforms: PC
  Bounty Star: The Morose Tale of Graveyard Clem
  • Developer: DINOGOD
  • Game Pass Release Date: October 23, 2025
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault
  • Developer: Digital Sun
  • Game Pass Release Date: October 23, 2025
  • Platforms: PC
  The Outer Worlds 2
  • Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
  • Game Pass Release Date: October 24, 2025
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  NovemberCall of Duty: Black Ops 7
  • Developer: Treyarch Studios
  • Game Pass Release Date: November 14, 2025
  • Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  TBD 2025Buckshot Roulette
  • Developer: Mike Klubnika
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  PowerWash Simulator 2
  • Developer: FuturLab
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PC
  Routine
  • Developer: Lunar Software
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Mixtape
  • Developer: Beethoven and Dinosaur
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Winter Burrow
  • Developer: Pine Creek Games
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Dead Static Drive
  • Developer: Reuben Games
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: Xbox One, PC
  Little Rocket Lab
  • Developer: Teenage Astronauts
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PC
  Sleight of Hand
  • Developer: RiffRaff Games
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Tanuki: Pon's Summer
  • Developer: Denkiworks
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch
  Witchbrook
  • Developer: Chucklefish
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PC
  2026High On Life 2
  • Developer: Squanch Games
  • Game Pass Release Date: February 13, 2026
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Aphelion
  • Developer: DON'T NOD
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Clockwork Revolution
  • Developer: InXile Entertainment
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Fable
  • Developer: Playground Games
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Persona 4 Revival
  • Developer: Atlus
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
  • Developer: Asobo Studio
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Outbound
  • Developer: Asobo Studio
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  At Fate's End
  • Developer: Thunder Lotus Games
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Vapor World: Over The Mind
  • Developer: ALIVE Inc.
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PC
  Subnautica 2
  • Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Replaced
  • Developer: Sad Cat STUDIOS Limited
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Freestyle Football 2
  • Developer: WOORE
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf
  • Developer: Wishfully
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch
  Super Meat Boy 3D
  • Developer: Sluggerfly
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PC
  There Are No Ghosts At The Grand
  • Developer: Friday Sundae
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Beasts of Reincarnation
  • Developer: Game Freak
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PC
  Snap & Grab
  • Developer: No Goblin
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Denshattack!
  • Developer: Undercoders
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PC
  Tropico 7
  • Developer: Gaming Minds Studios
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PC
  Wildekin
  • Developer: Cute Newt
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PC
  Beastro
  • Developer: Timberline Studio
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PC
  Bushiden
  • Developer: Pixel Arc Studios
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
  Harmonium The Musical
  • Developer: The Odd Gentlemen
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Echo Weaver
  • Developer: Moonlight Kids
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
  Sopa
  • Developer: StudioBando
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch
  Gears of War: E-Day
  • Developer: The Coalition
  • Game Pass Release Date: TBD
  • Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC
  The Best Xbox Game Pass Games In 2025See More

Long gone are the days of No Man's Sky being billed as a massive disappointment, as not long after its ninth anniversary the game appears to have no problems pulling players back in. Last week the game's latest major update, Voyagers, went live, adding in a laundry list of features as the game's updates tend to do. With that, it also seems to have brought in a large influx of players, as the game has hit its highest number of players since launch.

Hello Games co-founder and No Man's Sky programmer Sean Murray took to X to acknowledge the fact, sharing a screenshot of the game's concurrent player count at the time of posting. Murray's own screenshot showed 97,986 players all in-game at once, but SteamDB actually shows it went a bit higher than that yesterday, reaching 98,285 players. That's still less than half of the game's player count peak of 212,613 it achieved at launch, but an impressive figure considering few games see this kind of resurgence so long after release.

The Voyagers update was, as usual, a hefty one, with the standout new feature being the addition of a new class of starship, the Corvette. With this particular ship you can completely customize it piece by piece, inside and out, and once you've built it you can walk around inside it, as well travel through space with your friends in it.