One of the surprise announcements at Gamescom's Opening Night Live event was PUBG Ded Net, a spin-off with a new premise where "death is only the beginning."

Set in the fictional world of Cascadia in the '90s, Ded Net is a new multiplayer FPS that "combines shooter gameplay with roguelite progression."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zh1OhGVsyo

That's all there is to go on at this stage, but you can sign up to test the game on Ded Net's website.

It's not surprising to see PUBG expand like this. After all, developer Krafton has said it wants PUBG to become a universe of sorts that spans multiple titles and genres beyond the main battle royale game.

Some of the efforts so far have not worked, as Call of Duty veteran Glen Schofield's horror game The Callisto Protocol was originally envisioned as a PUBG game before dropping its connection to the franchise.

Another spinoff, PUBG Blindspot, shut down after two months.

Mega Man: Dual Override is delivering another retro-inspired take on the classic Blue Bomber with a release slated next year. But based on his latest trailer revealed at Gamescom Opening Night Live, he's cribbing heavily from his sequel series, Mega Man X.

The trailer showed Mega Man using special equipment allowing him to dash, hover, and more. Those moves are familiar for fans of the MMX series, which takes place a hundred years after the original Mega Man. The dashing especially has always set Mega Man X apart, making it a much faster action game. But it appears this new Mega Man title will bring some of that back as well. Mega Man even has some stylized glowy bits on his armor to signify the changes, though it looks more like his robotic paneling is opening up.

It's not clear from the trailer how limited these moves will be, and it's possible they'll be saved for special situations rather than serving as permanent armor upgrades like in the Mega Man X series. And we also saw some other powers that aren't part of the X series, like a rapid-charged fire that absolutely filled the screen with blasts, immediately taking down hapless robot goons.

The trailer also teased a new Robot Master for the series, Twinkle Girl. This will be just the second female robot master, after Mega Man 9's Splash Woman. We haven't yet seen the winner of the design a robot master contest. And just after the announcement, it teased Mega Man and Roll skins coming for Hugh and Diana in Pragmata--which was rumored, before release, to be a stealth Mega Man reboot.

Archetype Entertainment has just given players another glimpse of its upcoming third-person sci-fi RPG, Exodus, via a new trailer revealed during the Gamescom Opening Night Live ceremony. Even better, the trailer ended with a release date announcement: Exodus is set to launch for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on April 7.

Exodus' new cinematic gameplay trailer introduces Salt, a companion character who joins the player's party as a skilled mercenary with expertise in long-range sniping. But Salt's most striking feature isn't her prowess in battle—it's the fact that she's a talking octopus who pilots an oversized mech suit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC35xzlYrDc

Salt is an Awakened—a special type of animal that can communicate with humans—and can easily keep up with Exodus' player-character, Jun Aslan, in combat. In the new trailer, Jun and Salt join forces with Emrys (a member of a mysterious hivemind-like species called the Deva) to take on enemies. Emrys can be seen draining power from enemy combatants and transforming it into protection for Jun and Salt, while Salt can be seen deploying inky smokescreens that allow her to reposition herself easily. Together, the trio defeat their attackers, but face a greater enemy: Time. Exodus features Interstellar-style time dilation. A few years in space for Salt is equal to 87 years away from her home planet. In Exodus, players must make decisions that will affect humanity for generations to come.

Exodus is available to wishlist now on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. Archetype Entertainment has implemented wishlist milestones for Exodus, which has already surpassed its first goal of 500,000 wishlist additions, unlocking a Celestial Star Map Decoration for players' in-game apartment, a new batch of concept art, and the first available Exodus music track, "Elegy for a Forgotten World." Other upcoming milestone rewards include cosmetic skins, a Salt-focused story cinematic, and more tracks from the Exodus OST.

Gamescom 2026 kicked off with a major surprise in the form of Nodus Fall, a multiplayer souls-like from the Hoyoverse, the studio behind Genshin Impact.

The trailer wasn't shy about its inspirations, namely 2022's Elden Ring. Multiple shots in the trailer look like they could have been ripped straight out of From Software's open-world RPG, including a boss enemy that looks nearly identical to Elden Ring's infamous Malenia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I59kIiEDOMM

No release date or platforms for Nodus Fall were given, but all of Hoyoverse's previous games debuted on PC.

During Gamescom Opening Night Live, Ubisoft announced the next game in the long-running Tom Clancy series: Rainbow 6 Tactics. The announcement trailer showcased how the turn-based tactics game will play--it looks pretty much like Rainbow Six Siege and XCOM: Chimera Squad had a baby.

And it's entirely single-player, which is great! I love playing Siege, but after years away, I simply cannot enjoy it anymore. The game has too many operators to keep track of (any hero shooter with 50+ characters is too much) and the skill ceiling to enjoy the game is so high--I've simply fallen behind and every month away makes it harder to try and jump back in. Rainbow 6 Tactics looks appealing because it lets me get back into Siege (kinda) without having to worry about other online players.

And the game looks very cool, likely because it's being helmed by Ubisoft Paris, a studio that helped create Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, which was super excellent for taking the formula for turn-based tactics games and evolving it. In Sparks of Hope's case, it was rewarding the strategy of purposeful movement. Rainbow 6 Tactics seems to also be building on the turn-based-tactics game formula, but instead focusing hard on how a battle starts.

Like Siege, Rainbow 6 Tactics' missions are split into phases. In the initial phase, you use drones to uncover enemy positions, hostage locations, defensive armaments, and more. When that's done, you use whatever information you have to strategize during the breach planning phase, positioning your chosen operators at specific entry points and dictating how they'll get inside--burst through a window, knock down a wall, shoot a target from distance, etc. When you execute, all of your operators then act simultaneously.

From there, the rest of the mission proceeds as most turn-based-tactics games do, with each side taking their turn in combat, trying to land shots depending on a percentage chance to hit, and using cover and special abilities to turn the tide of battle. And you direct one operator at a time, like other games. The one big difference to it seems to take inspiration from Siege: breakable environments. 

And, of course, that first part of every mission looks very different from most other turn-based tactics games. That system of set-up and breach phases really intrigues me. The game seems to be putting a huge onus on trying to set yourself up for success as much as possible on turn one with a perfectly executed and synchronized assault, potentially putting yourself into a tricky scenario if you don't do your due diligence. So many tactics games see you reacting to an enemy already aware of you, so I'm interested to see how a game in the genre works where you essentially have a turn before a mission even begins.

In the game, you play as Paul Bishop, aka Six (a familiar face for those who played Rainbow Six: Vegas 2). You have 15 of Siege's operators under your command and you're trying to rebuild Team Rainbow while still responding to terrorist threats. In a pre-brief for the trailer announcement, we saw Ash, Zofia, Nøkk, Glaz, Doc, Montagne, Sledge, Finka, and Twitch--community developer Emilie Cerkiewicz says that the chosen operators are among the most "iconic" of Siege and that players will see fan-favorites, so I assume the likes of Smoke, Hibana, and Dokkaebi will be there too.

Rainbow 6 Tactics' story will have dozens of handcrafted maps and take place between the events of Siege Year 10 and Year 11 (the current season). This probably means that Year 11 operators Solid Snake and Noor aren't in the game. 

Rainbow 6 Tactics is set to launch in 2027 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The game will have no in-game store (like, at all) or in-game monetization systems, and won't be a live-service title--all of which feels impossible for a new Ubisoft game, but that's what Cerkiewicz said during the pre-brief, so who am I to doubt?

Gamescom Opening Night Live has been dropping trailers for all manner of games, and if you're a fan of historical turn-based strategy games, then you can check out the first look at Humankind 2. Just like the first game, Humankind 2 tasks you with starting a civilization and guiding it through various eras by using diplomacy, military might, and new technologies to stay a step ahead of your rivals. Developer Amplitude Studios says that players can expect the core 4X experience to offer new ways to rewrite history.

https://youtu.be/1LFHvSTt880

According to the developer, Humankind 2 has incorporated feedback from 2021's Humankind to introduce new progression systems, features, enhanced visuals, a modernized user interface, and several other gameplay improvements. Cultural evolution is designed to be deeper, and in each new Era players reach, they can adopt a culture that expands and deepens their civilization's identity. This will, in turn, unlock exclusive customs through expanded cultural progression trees, creating distinct nations throughout the ages.

Of course, players can also stick to the history books when guiding their chosen culture, but new stories from around the world will make it very tempting to experience new scenarios. Amplitude Studios added that the climate will also play a major role, as changing weather systems will transform the strategic map over time. Not only will you need to adapt to climate change, but you'll also need to weigh short-term growth against consequences that may endure for generations.

Humankind 2 will launch for PC in 2027, and if you want to check out the first game, it's on sale for 90% off on Steam until September 8.

Atari announced a new RollerCoaster Tycoon title during Gamescom Opening Night Live's pre-show. It's developed by Let's Build a Zoo studio Springloaded and officially titled RollerCoaster Tycoon Wonderworks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWsU277r8OM

Atari has been the steward for the RollerCoaster Tycoon series since its Infogrames days in the early 2000s, but has not delivered a truly beloved new game in the series in a long time. With Wonderworks, Atari and Springloaded are using Steam Early Access to develop the game alongside the community.

"Early Access offers an opportunity for us to involve this passionate community directly in our development process, helping to sculpt the next great RCT. We want to hear from you! What works? What's missing? What do you want to see in your ideal RCT?" the early access FAQ on the game's Steam page explains. "We have a dedicated roadmap of new parks, rides, and features that we'll roll out throughout Early Access (including water). But in addition, we're leaving space to hear from you and incorporate feedback and suggestions from the community directly into the game."

From the reveal trailer, it seems Wonderworks will play like the classic games in the series, though it sports a new toy-inspired art style for its characters and rides. It also looks like Atari will be taking advantage of all the retro IP it owns for the new game, as we see a Bubsy mascot briefly wandering the park at one point (much to pre-show host Kyle Bosman's chagrin). I guess Bubsy 4D was only the start of the infamous platforming mascot's grand return.

RollerCoaster Tycoon Wonderworks will initially be released as a Steam Early Access game, with Atari planning to keep it in early access for about a year, according to its Steam page. The 1.0 version of the game will feature six parks and a "classic" builder mode that won't be available at the early-access launch.

Today, during Gamescom Opening Night Live, Disney Illusion Island developer Dlala Studios introduced its next game: Murals, which puts a new spin on some classic childhood stories, and will launch on PC in 2027.

Murals is an isometric action-adventure game set within multiple famous fairy tales, including Hansel and Gretel, The Little Mermaid, and Rapunzel, but not the way you might remember them. Rapunzel's hair, for example, is actively trying to kill her, while "Sleeping Beauty" is suffering from insomnia and hasn't slept in weeks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D42nkf8EHMk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D42nkf8EHMk

Players will control a nameless hero as they fight through these twisted fairy tales with help from Eeries, which the game describes as "mystical, slightly very haunted, doo-dads and whatchamacallits" that enhance the hero's abilities.

Some Eeries enhance the hero's weapon, like Strength In Misery's ability to deal more damage to enemies with status effects, while others affect the hero themselves, like Thorny's passive ability to sometimes damage any attacking enemy that hurts the hero.

Murals, which is developed and published by Dlala, is the studio's first original IP in over a decade. Its most recent projects include Battletoads and 2023's Disney Illusion Island..

Gamescom Opening Night Live is here, and once again, we're expecting a bumper night full of new game reveals, gameplay deep-dives, and more from Geoff Keighley's second big show of the year. As usual, we'll be keeping tabs on the event--and the preshow hosted by Kyle Bosman that starts at 10:30 AM PT / 1:30 PM ET--so if you don't have time to sit down for all of the announcements, you can check back here for updates on all the big announcements.

Taking place from the Gamescom showfloor, Gamescom Opening Night Live kicks off at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET, and Keighley has already dropped a few big game names for this year's edition. Gears of War: E-Day, Metro 2039, and Final Fantasy 7 Revelation are some of the biggest games being shown off, and they'll be joined by new looks at Tides of Annihilation, Ananta, Game of Thrones: War for Westeros, Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons, and The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past.

Worms: Galactic Tactics

And we're kicking things off with the preshow! Presented by the Final Bosman himself, our first trailer is for a new Worms tactics game that takes a page from the XCOM playbook. It looks like the original Worms is also coming back in some form.

Train Sim World 7

The next chapter in the longrunning Train Sim World series launches on September 15.

Roller Coaster Tycoon Wonderworks

Think you have what it takes to run the ultimate theme park? You can put your skills to the test when Roller Coaster Tycoon Wonderworks launches in early access soon.

Animo

Animo looks like it might be getting a visit from The Pokemon Company soon, but until then, the new trailer for the game showed off plenty of cute critters battling each other and one titanic dragon.

Genigods: Nezha

An ARPG rooted in ancient Chinese creation mythology, players will take on titanic monsters as the Spirit Pearl, the first being forged by the Goddess of Creation Nüwa.

Perceptum

Need some horror that's all about things that go bump in the night? Perceptum looks like it'll scratch that itch when it launches in 2027.

Acornia: Mirror Worlds

This bake-and-brawl management adventure game from Splashteam continues to look adorable, and it's out next year.

Valor Mortis https://youtu.be/Y0gerXKXaWU

One more trailer for the upcoming first-person souls-like Valor Mortis from Ghostrunner Studio One More Level, which launches on October 13 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

TankRat

We've got a release date for TankRat, where you'll battle swarms of corrupted mech-monsters from your heavily armed vehicle. It's out on January 17, 2027.

Humankind 2

The sequel to 2021's Humankind aims to improve on the 4X strategy formula, and once again, players can guide their nation through various eras of human history. It'll be coming to PC in 2027.

Murals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHkHMcMhvjo&pp=ygULTXVyYWxzIGdhbWU%3D

What do centuries-old fables like The Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, and Hansel & Gretel all have in common? Besides the original fiction being nightmare fuel, they're also all featured in Murals, an original IP from Disney Illusion Island developer Dlala Studios. The isometric action-adventure game is set across multiple famous fairy tales, and players will control a nameless hero who must brave dark, twisted takes on these beloved stories.

Age Twisters

Age Twisters is a two-player co-op narrative adventure game, where you'll play as a grandfather and granddaughter who team up to solve puzzles. It looks adorable, but it has no release date yet.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword

In case you missed it, there's a demo out there for Onimusha: Way of the Sword. And if you've already played it? Then it's time to boot it up again, as Capcom has added more content to this early--and free--slice of the game.

Mariachi Legends

I didn't have a Mexican vampire metroidvania on my Gamescom bingo card, but Mariachi Legends is scratching an itch for that very specific scratch I didn't know I had. It launches in April 2027.

Elta: Defy All Gods

Get ready to brawl your way out of corrupted worlds in Elta: Defy All Gods. You've also got an adorable dragon-god companion, free-form melee combat, and fluid platforming, so this might be worth keeping an eye on.

Two hours of game trailers

Two whole hours! We hope you don't need the loo for a while.

Nodus Fall

HoyoVerse made a name for itself with anime-inspired live-service games, but for its next title? It looks like the developer is taking on Elden Ring developer From Software with a high fantasy adventure that looks gorgeous. Called Nodus Fall, players take on the role of a Weaver in this co-op action game.

Rainbow Six Tactics

It's the first brand-new Rainbow Six game in many years! Rainbow Six Tactics. Featuring 15 unique Operators, players will take part in missions across the globe in this XCOM-inspired title. It's out in 2027.

Gears of War: E-Day

After a fun weekend in the Gears of War: E-Day multiplayer beta, the focus is on the story with this new trailer for the game. It's the darkest hour for humanity as Emergence Day leaves cities across Sera ruined, but it looks like humanity isn't ready to go down without a fight. Gears of War: E-Day launches on October 6.

Ananta

NetEase's free-to-play GTA-meets-Spider-Man game Ananta is all about keeping the peace and building a social media empire. It looks wonderfully ridiculous, and it launches on January 15, 2027, for PC and PS5.

Silent Hill Townfall

In case the next few months don't look busy enough, you can try out some small-town Scottish horror in Silent Hill Townfall. The new trailer showed off more of the spooky game in action, and it's the first Silent Hill to be played from a first-person perspective. It's out on September 24.

Resonance: A Plague Tale

The next Plague Tale game is also out soon, and instead of having too many rats, it focuses on puzzles, exploration, and combat.

Sea Remnants

A fresh look at Sea of Remnants next, a pirate-themed RPG with some stylish visuals. I can't say I'm too big a fan of the trailer's use of cheesy country music, though.

Tides of Annihilation

Your ears are not deceiving you! That is indeed Resident Evil Requiem's Grace Ashcroft actor, Angela Sant'Albano, taking over the role of Gwendolyn in Tides of Annihilation. The Arthurian Legend action game continues to look great, and you can wishlist it now on Steam.

Eating a Big Mac can help you obtain a special armor set for Master Chief in the UK and Ireland. Thanks to a new McDonald's collaboration with Xbox, there is a new Halo: Campaign Evolved skin that's mainly red and gray, with a yellow visor and flourishes. It costs 1,500 rewards points in the McDonald's app--a tier in the US that will get you a free apple pie, small coffee, or vanilla cone.

Now we could talk about the hilarity of a Master Chief skin for a game predominately played from the first-person perspective, though Halo: Campaign Evolved does let you experience the classic game in third-person. Or we could talk about how this particular armor set (seen below via RebsGaming) looks like something that should be available to just customize within the title's menu. It's really not much more than a palette swap. 

https://twitter.com/Mr_Rebs_/status/2092254489067630741

But probably the biggest issue is the armor set, named Side Mission, just screams bland and boring. Like if you're going to have a McDonald's-specific skin in Halo: Campaign Evolved, give it some fun character. Put the iconic "M" arch on Chief's helmet, for instance, sort of like the added decal flair on Magneto's helmet. Or make the visor look like Ronald McDonald, similar to what we did with the horrifying thumbnail on this story.

Now Halo: Campaign Evolved isn't the only Xbox-owned game to get a special reward at McDonald's in the UK and Ireland. The other titles involved in the collaboration are Forza Horizon 6, Fallout 76, Candy Crush Saga, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch. GameSpot has reached out to McDonald's about a similar promotion coming to other parts of the world, including North America.

We also have codes to grab free alternate armor sets in Halo: Campaign Evolved. For more, check out GameSpot's Halo: Campaign Evolved review. The game is available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and for the first time ever, PS5. 

Halo Games, Ranked – The Best Halo FPS Games View Images

Ahead of the first anniversary of Dispatch, developer AdHoc Studio has announced that the superhero workplace comedy-drama is finally getting a physical edition release for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch. Published in partnership with PM Studios, the release offers fans a choice between a standard and a steelbook edition, each featuring an assortment of physical and digital goodies.

The $50 Standard Deluxe Edition includes the full game on disc/cartridge, all DLC, an artbook with a digital copy, four digital comics, a Superhero Dispatch Network booklet, a download key for the game soundtrack, and a double-sided poster. If you feel like spending a little more, you can grab the Steelbook Deluxe Edition for $60. This includes all of the aforementioned extras, as well as a steelbook cover featuring box art created in-house at AdHoc Studio. The steelbook edition might also be released later due to manufacturing times, AdHoc added.

Each version will be available from retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target, Walmart, and more. With the Nintendo copy of Dispatch, AdHoc has noted that it is the Switch 1 version of the game, and it includes the Switch 2 Edition upgrade pack--as well as some censorship, but the studio did manage to apply some hilarious fixes to meet Nintendo's standards.

Dispatch Deluxe Edition contents Dispatch Steelbook Deluxe Edition

• Full game on disc/cartridge
• The Art of Dispatch digital artbook: 100+ pages of behind-the-scenes concept art
• Four digital comics:
  • Issue #1: Splash & The Last Bender
  • Issue #2: Pas De Deux & Shellshock
  • Issue #3: Get Up
  • Issue #4: The Death of Mecha Man
• Original soundtrack digital download code
• SDN’s Guide to Dispatching, a 16-page printed booklet
• Double-sided Mecha Man poster
• Steelbook cover (Only in Steelbook Deluxe Edition)

On top of all that, the complete Dispatch soundtrack is also getting a physical release via Lost in Cult Records. Andrew Arcadi and Skyler Barto's original score will be joined by several licensed tracks, and this will be available in two editions. The Prime Edition has all three records pressed on classic black vinyl, while the Astral Edition offers the same three records, each pressed in the colors of a key Superhero Dispatch Network employee: Mecha Man blue, Invisigal translucent purple, and Blonde Blazer's red-and-yellow color scheme.

Preorder at Lost in Cult

The first 500 Astral sets ship with a certificate of authenticity signed by composer Andrew Arcadi through Lost in Cult's website, and if you want to double up, you can get both the Standard Deluxe Edition of Dispatch with a vinyl edition of your choice bundled together. This deal will also save 10% off the pair.

One of last year's hit games--despite it being snubbed during the awards season--Dispatch is a narrative-heavy adventure that follows Robert Robertson III, formerly the superhero Mecha Man. With his mech suit trashed, Robertson takes up a post at the local branch of the Superhero Dispatch Network (SDN) as a dispatcher, overseeing a team of former supervillains. A critical and commercial hit, a sequel might already be in development.

If the recent re-release of The Lord of the Rings: War in the North got you excited about the fantasy franchise and looking for more, Amazon currently has a great deal going for the Peter Jackson movies.

The retailer is selling a digital copy of the three-movie extended-edition bundle for just $15. It normally goes for $45, so this is quite a deal, at least if you're OK owning the movies digitally.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zckJCxYxn1g

2026 is the 25th anniversary of the films, as The Fellowship of the Ring debuted in 2001. The sequels The Two Towers and The Return of the King followed in 2002 and 2003, respectively. They were all big hits critically and commercially.

Return of the King, for its part, swept at the Oscars in 2004, winning all 11 of the awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture and Best Director for Jackson. There are more The Lord of the Rings movies now in the works, including The Hunt for Gollum in 2027.

As for the game series, recent entries like The Lord of the Rings: Gollum and Tales of the Shire left a lot to be desired. There are new games now in the works, including a "deeply immersive" game from Kingdom Come studio Warhorse. Additionally, Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics is said to be working on its own The Lord of the Rings game. There will also be more re-releases of "classic" The Lord of the Rings games coming up.

Yet another alleged GTA 6 leak has emerged, showing off one of the game's main characters, Jason, visiting a video game store that sells physical discs. This has prompted people to point out the irony of GTA 6 being a digital-exclusive game.

In the clip, we see Jason visit a store called Game Horde where he uses binoculars to zoom in on the shelves, showing various games and consoles.

"This is not about actual discs. It's about ownership. Resale rights still matter, even in a digital-only era," reads a watermark on the video.

https://twitter.com/littleblass/status/2092246597329379332

GTA 6 will be sold at brick-and-mortar retailers, but the game's physical edition only includes a code in the box. The data shows that more and more people, on a percentage basis, are buying games digitally today. But a lot of people still want physical game discs, while many have also expressed concerns about game preservation concerns in a digital-only era.

When the GTA 6 leaks began, the person claiming responsibility listed off various "commandments," including the following:

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

For more, check out GameSpot's timeline of the GTA 6 leaks so far.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The gameplay leaks have been extensive, but they don't matter and people should calm down, a former Rockstar director has said.

Rockstar and Take-Two have yet to identify the person or people responsible for the leak. Whoever they may be, they appear to have access to the game.

In 2022, GTA 6 suffered its first major leak of gameplay footage. The autistic 18-year-old suspect was apprehended and ordered to live in a secure hospital for life. In July this year, it was reported that the person, Arion Kurtaj, left the secure hospital and is now in a “normal prison” awaiting a new trial.

While the leaks have shown a lot of new footage and revealed new insights about GTA 6, we're now just days away from Rockstar releasing official footage of the game on Netflix on August 27.

Almost a year after launch, the Asus Xbox ROG Ally is getting an upgrade--and a hefty price increase--in the form of the X20 model. Revealed earlier this year as part of a bundle sold with a set of XR glasses, Asus has opened preorders for the handheld gaming PC, with prices starting at an eye-watering $1,300 from the official Asus online store and Best Buy.

What does an extra $300 get you? The biggest draw is the screen, as Asus has equipped this model with a 7.4‑inch 1080p OLED 120Hz HDR display. The shell is also constructed from translucent plastic so you can see the inner workings of the ROG Ally X20, and those internals include an 80Wh battery, 1TB of storage capacity, 24GB of DDR5 RAM, and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. The X20 also features a redesigned layout meant to improve airflow and thermal efficiency, as these units can get hot while running demanding games.

Asus added that it has improved the D-pad and installed TMR magnetic induction analog sticks. The unit still runs on the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, which is capable of handling modern games smoothly. If you've got $2,500 to spare, you can also grab a bundle deal that includes the ROG Ally X20, a pair of 240Hz ROG XReal X1 glasses, a Dbrand Killswitch protective case set, and a Pelican case to store everything in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiYNNGR4uLo

That's a lot of dough for a handheld, but it's not too surprising. The global shortage of memory driven by AI has seen component prices skyrocket, and several manufacturers of handheld gaming PCs have had to adjust their prices. Earlier this year, AyaNeo suspended preorders and early-bird sales of its Next 2 handheld in response to rapidly rising costs, while console prices are also feeling the pinch. The silver lining is that the makers of retro handhelds are filling the gap for affordable gaming on the go, and these cheap units make more sense than ever in 2026.

Pricing for the $1,000 Xbox ROG Ally X and its smaller-specced $600 sibling hasn't increased (yet), and both machines are a pretty great option for playing PC and Xbox games on the go--if you can afford them. While both devices did have some teething issues with their software, recent updates have smoothed out these problems, and the Xbox app works well as a platform for users to launch games from Microsoft's store, Steam, and more.

According to industry veteran Raphaël Colantonio, who worked on the Dishonored series at Arkane before starting his own studio, GTA games are "the biggest tease" and also "the biggest disappointment" for people who love immersive sim games.

"I don't mean that in an offensive way because of course who am I and who are they? They make games that sell I don't know how many thousands times more than mine and they are so incredible at doing surface simulation," he told Press Box PR. "But that’s such a stab in the heart for me when they don’t go more than surface level where there’s no long-term consequences to anything you do."

GTA games, instead, offer more of a "fantastic sandbox with incredible execution, incredible cinematography, [and] great gameplay," Colantonio added.

He went on to say Rockstar has a formula and that he "understands why they do it." At the same time, Colantonio said a game like Skyrim is more to his liking. He said in Skyrim, there is "just one instance of the world," so your actions have real, meaningful, and lasting consequences.

"You really own your consequences as a player. Everything is playable and you have to deal with your choices for the rest of the game," he said.

Colantonio was speaking about GTA games so far, and not specifically GTA 6. Rockstar has yet to share specifics on how it might have updated the formula for the new game, or if there might be further reactivity to choices players make.

He theorized that Rockstar's belief with the GTA series is that offering too much in the way of choices having real, lasting consequences confuses the player too much, so the developers take a different approach.

"What Rockstar basically say is, you know what? That part sucks. It’s too hard to do. It confuses players and most players won’t care at all anyway," he said. "Here’s what we will do instead. We put a guy with a question mark on their head. They have a mission for you. When you want to play the mission, we open an instance of the world in which nothing else matters than what's inside this instance. Then, because of that there is a trade off."

This setup works well for GTA games, Colantonio said, because it affords Rockstar the ability to have incredible set pieces and action sequences. But, again, that's not something he's personally interested in.

"People are going to be thrilled but none of it matters. That's the thing. We don't have to deal with the consequences. The players don't have to deal with the consequences. Therefore, we can push the buttons, crank things up to 11, and I totally get the draw," he said. "I totally understand why people are into it. I understand why they would be into it as developers. I understand why it sells so much but this is not my values, not that my values are not to sell a gazillion units!"

He went on to say that GTA games allowing players to fail missions and try them again breaks immersion.

"If you fail the mission, you find yourself back out on the street and there’s the same guy with the same question mark over his head who you click on and you’re ready to restart the mission. There’s nothing immersive to me in that," he explained.

Again, Colantonio said he makes these remarks "with the greatest respect" for Rockstar and what they do. "They do things that are amazing," he said, adding that he expects to get flamed for what he's saying about Rockstar and GTA.

"But no, I respect them a lot. It's just that it's not my bike," he said.

Asked what he would think of Rockstar making GTA 7 an immersive sim kind of game, Colantonio joked that Rockstar should do it if they want to sell fewer copies.

"It's highly respectable. It's great in so many ways. It's just not my thing, and I couldn't imagine a world where they would want me in there because I'm going to bring some bizarre stuff. They're going for more direct paraphernalia where instantly you know the gameplay. It doesn't need digestion and there isn’t anything obscure like what we do here, so yeah it's a difference like the difference between Steven Spielberg and David Lynch or whatever," he said. "One is going to sell gazillions and the other one is going to be a little more indirect and obscure and sometimes land a hit."

Colantonio ended his thoughts by saying he is "really, really looking forward" to GTA 6 because he wants to see "how far they can push the instant simulation, surface simulation, because they do all that so incredibly well, and it's inspiring, and I love that."

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game has seen numerous gameplay leaks this month, and Rockstar and Take-Two are said to be hunting down the people or parties responsible. Whatever happens, Rockstar is sticking with its plans to show the game off, in an official capacity, on August 27 via an extended trailer on Netflix.

As for Colantonio, he now heads up WolfEye Studios, which launched its first game, Weird West, in 2022. WolfEye is now working on a new game that hasn't been announced yet.

Ahead of the Switch 2's price hike in September, Nintendo has announced two new Switch 2 bundles for the US.

The Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle ($550) launches in late September, while the Switch 2 + Nintendo Switch Sports bundle ($530) arrives alongside the game on October 22.

People may recall that Nintendo offered a Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle when the console launched in June 2025. It was priced at $500 back then, but was subsequently discontinued. Comparisons to the new bundle are not entirely 1:1, however, as the original 2025 bundle did not include a Switch Online membership.

Due to various economic pressures, Nintendo is raising the price of the Switch 2 by $50 on September 1, bringing it up to $500. That new price is factored in to the new bundle price, which is why it's $550.

The new Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle comes with a Switch 2, a code for the digital version of Mario Kart World, and a 3-month Nintendo Switch Online individual membership. Nintendo says the $550 price point represents a savings of $38 compared to buying each item individually, but that's not the whole story.

Currently, the Switch 2 costs $450 and Mario Kart World is $80, so that works out to $530 together. You can get three months of Switch Online for $8 on Amazon, for a grand total of $538, so you can save money (about $12 before tax) by purchasing everything now as opposed to waiting for this new bundle to release.

The new Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle.

The Nintendo Switch 2 + Nintendo Switch Sports Resort bundle, meanwhile, includes a Switch 2 system, a code for a digital copy of Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, and a 3-month Nintendo Switch Online individual membership. Purchasing these items separately would cost you $28 more, Nintendo said.

Say hello to the new Switch 2 bundle with Nintendo Switch Sports Resort.

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is the newest entry in the series, featuring 12 sports at launch, including wacky new ones like thumb wrestling.

The second of Geoff Keighley's big three shows, Gamescom Opening Night Live, kicks off in a few hours, and it's looking to be another big livestream full of new game trailers and reveals. Like previous years, ONL will be livestreamed directly from Germany, following a 30-minute preshow. Multiple games have already been teased, and if you're looking to tune in, here's how you can do so.

How to watch Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0rCUootNUs

Gamescom Opening Night Live and the preshow will be livestreamed through the official YouTube and Twitch channels. You can also watch it live via the official Gamescom website.

• YouTube
• YouTube (GameSpot)
• Twitch

Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 start time

You can start watching the preshow at 10:30 AM PT / 1:30 PM PT on August 25, and the big Gamescom Opening Night Live show will start immediately after at 11 AM PT / 2 PM PT. Gamescom Opening Night Live is scheduled to run for around two hours.

• 11 AM PT
• 2 PM ET
• 7 PM BST
• 8PM CET
• 4 AM AET (August 26)

What to expect

Gamescom Opening Night Live host Geoff Keighley has already confirmed several games for the show:

• The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past
• Final Fantasy 7 Revelation
• Gears of War: E-Day
• Ananta
• Tides of Annihilation
• Metro 2039
• Game of Thrones: War for Westeros
• Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons

That's a pretty stacked lineup, and with the next couple of months looking to feature a chunky selection of titles looking to avoid being caught in GTA 6's wake when it launches in November, we could be in for an especially packed edition of Gamescom Opening Night Live this year. A new look at Final Fantasy 7 Revelation comes just a few months after it was shown off in detail at Keighley's other show, Summer Games Fest, and we'll likely get our first look at the real-time strategy gameplay for Game of Thrones: War for Westeros.

While we've already seen plenty of it, more Gears of War: E-Day is never a bad thing, as Microsoft isn't wasting any time in hyping up its big holiday season blockbuster. Then you've got The Witcher 3 legacy expansion, Songs of the Past, Tides of Annihilation continues to look like an exciting twist on Arthurian legend, and Metro 2039 might just be the bleakest entry in the franchise yet.

But those games are only going to soak up a small chunk of ONL's time, leaving plenty of room for other reveals. Other big upcoming games like Marvel's Wolverine, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and Control Resonant could also be shown off, and we expect smaller--but ambitious--titles to also be in the spotlight between the biggest trailers.

And that's just Tuesday night, as the rest of this week is going to be very busy. Ahead of the GTA 6 Extended Preview on August 27, there's also the Future Games Show on August 26, the Gamecom Awesome Indies Show on August 27, and two Xbox livestreams from the Gamescom show floor on Wednesday, August 26, and Thursday, August 27. Microsoft says that viewers can expect a mix of interviews, gameplay reveals, new trailers, and more.

Upcoming 2026 Video Game Showcases: Gamescom, The Game Awards, And More View Images

It sounds like fans were eager to learn everything they could about From Software's The Duskbloods, as one of the game's producers has revealed the Switch 2 exclusive saw higher playtest sign-ups compared to Elden Ring Nightreign.

Speaking during a livestream hosted by Japanese gaming publication Famitsu (and translated by GamesRadar+), From Software producer Yasuhiro Kitao stated the number of applications for The Duskbloods playtest eclipsed that of the developer's previous multiplayer experiment.

"We were really surprised," Kitao said. 

Given that Elden Ring Nightreign's playtest was available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S (the full game was also available on PC and last-gen consoles) the fact that The Duskbloods received more interest on Switch 2 sounds like it should be impossible. The Switch 2 is also a relatively new console, having only been available for around a year, meaning its user base is much smaller compared to that of the other two consoles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK2m1pr27q0

While it is surprising on the surface, perhaps there is some logic to be deciphered here. Elden Ring Nightreign went on to sell more than 5 million copies, with its DLC alone selling 2 million copies in under a week. The game's popularity and success proved From Software could make a wildly fun, multiplayer-focused souls-like, perhaps generating more interest for The Duskbloods.

It also probably helped that there was almost no information known about The Duskbloods prior to the closed network test, encouraging players who wanted to learn more to sign up. While players knew it was multiplayer in nature, the exact structure of The Duskbloods, its playable classes, and its mechanics were all a mystery. The Duskbloods being helmed by legendary From Software director Hidetaka Miyazaki also doesn't hurt.

Such a large number of playtest applications bodes well for The Duskbloods, even if the network test got off to a rough start with server and connectivity issues that saw From Software cancel its first session. The test also served as the world's first introduction to Zork, one of the game's playable characters that has already become a bit of a meme.

GameSpot's Jake Dekker came away impressed during his hands-on The Duskbloods preview, saying he'd "never played anything like it" and "couldn't wait to play more." The Duskbloods is still slated to release sometime this year but does not currently have a release date.

From awesome Tarstones to exceptional weapons, there are a lot of really good items to find in Mortal Shell 2. While you can miss them if you're not doing your due diligence while exploring, there's an early-game item that you really don't want to miss because of how it trivializes most fights. Unfortunately for me, I missed it and realized way too late, so let me regale you with my troubles in the hopes that you don't make the same mistake as I did.

The first boss you fight happens in the prologue. After some light exploration and acquiring your first shell, Haros, you roll up on the Tar Golem, who absolutely wrecks your stuff. It's designed as a forced loss, so actually putting up a fight is pointless, especially since a cutscene plays showing that Haros saves your life anyway.

It's here that you loot your now-dead shell for the Vatra's Seal, which hardens your body to nullify incoming damage and freezes you mid-animation. It's actually a pretty overpowered seal. Not only does it cancel out damage, causing enemies to get knocked back if they attack your shell, but it also acts as an animation cancel, letting you interrupt your attacks by hardening your body to guard. Time the harden just right and you've got a perfect parry, which deals massive posture damage and eventually leads to a counterattack.

Vatra's Seal is essentially the main ability from the first Mortal Shell. But instead of it being tied to one specific shell, when you loot Haros' corpse in the sequel, you can harden your body no matter which shell you currently have equipped. It rules.

Sadly, I totally missed out on this item.

Having played--and loved--the beta, I had the option to skip the prologue and get a handful of goodies, including the Vatra's Seal, for free. My silly self insisted I replay the prologue simply because, and right after the Tar Golem fight, I--for whatever reason--just ... sprinted to the next area.

So, boom. Haros goes down, I move on, and before I know it, I'm inside Proxima, hookshotting from enemy to enemy and dealing tons of lightning damage. It rules. Except, hm ... something was missing. I check my seals maybe 10 or 15 hours into the game and see that I don't have the Vatra's Seal. So, I Google, wondering if there's a way I can recollect it despite not looting Haros' body and being too far into the game to restart at this point. And, no. Once you leave the prologue area, there's no way to go back and collect the seal.

Cue the biggest, longest sigh you've ever heard.

I'm making do with the Untarnished Seal, which is one of four seals (or three, if you missed the Vatra's Seal as I did) in the game. It's ... fine. You get a guard that blocks you from incoming damage until your posture meter is broken, at which point you enter a prolonged vulnerable state. And if you guard at the right moment, you can perfect-parry attacks.

But the Untarnished Seal is no Vatra's Seal. And while the Infinite Seal lets you animation cancel, you don't get a guard, so missing your parry means you take damage. The Vatra's Seal really is the best of both worlds, as it negates all damage when used, freezes your body mid-animation, and still gives you a perfect parry. And I completely missed it.

So, dear player, I implore you: If you're jumping into Mortal Shell 2 for the first time, make sure you loot Haros' body. Even if you don't end up using the Vatra's Seal the entire game, you'll be grateful to have the option. Because I don't even have that.

Anyway, developer Cold Symmetry has released a pretty helpful patch for the game that makes some welcome changes, including nerfing bosses and increasing the amount of gold you find in the world. What's not helpful, though, are the bear traps, which are getting on players' nerves.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is nearing 400,000 copies sold on Steam already, and that's well ahead of where last year's Black Ops 7 stood at launch on Valve's platform. This is according to Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics, who added that pre-sales on Steam alone work out to around $21 million in revenue.

Elliott said Black Ops 7 managed to hit around 200,000 copies pre-sold on Steam by launch. Modern Warfare 4 has doubled that, and with two months still to go before release.

Modern Warfare 4 is selling well so far on Steam, it seems.

MW4's beta put up big numbers on Steam during its early-access period, reaching a peak of more than 115,000 concurrent users. Black Ops 7, meanwhile, peaked at about 100,000 concurrent users on Steam, even after it went live for everyone outside of a beta weekend, according to ChalieIntel.

MW4 performing better than Black Ops 7 by some metrics already is not a total surprise, as last year's game was a commercial disappointment. In fact, its sales ranking in the US was the lowest for the series since 2008.

The next MW4 beta is coming up this weekend, running August 28-September 1. This will be an open beta, so anyone on any platform can play without needing to preorder. Additionally, this beta will extend to Nintendo Switch 2.

MW4 is expected to have stronger outright sales overall in part on PC because it is not included with PC Game Pass like Black Ops 7 was.

Impact on console sales

Elliott also observed that MW4 could help improve sales of PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. MW4 is the first entry in the series since 2013's Call of Duty: Ghosts to skip PS4 and Xbox One, so the launch of MW4, combined with the current-gen-only GTA 6, will "for sure nudge the last-gen holdouts," Elliott said.

The newest consoles are more expensive than ever today, thanks to a variety of factors, including tariffs, AI, and the capitalistic demands to always make more money. As such, anyone buying a new console to play MW4 or GTA 6 who hasn't kept up with the news is in for a shock at the register or online checkout. For its part, Microsoft is encouraging people to buy a used console or use a Buy Now, Pay Later service to help fund the cost of an expensive new console.

MW4 launches on October 23, while GTA 6 arrives at long last on November 19.