The price of many products is increasing of late, due in part to tariffs and other economic conditions, and this has stretched to gaming as well. Against this backdrop, FuturLab has released a tongue-in-cheek trailer for PowerWash Simulator 2 that confirms the standalone sequel's price--$25 USD--which is the same as the first game.

"FuturLab acknowledges that in the current cost-of-living climate, players often have limited budgets for games and entertainment. For many, PowerWash Simulator is more than just a game, it's a wellbeing tool, a way to decompress and reclaim a moment of calm. The team is keen to keep that experience within reach," the developer said.

PowerWash Simulator 2 builds upon the foundation of the original game and adds more features like split-screen co-op, four-player online campaign support, better visuals, and perhaps most importantly, pettable cats.

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Guild Wars publisher NCSoft has a number of titles in the works, but as shared during its Q2 2025 earnings call, several of them have just received a delay. First up there's the very Genshin Impact-like Breakers: Unlock the World, originally due to be released some time this year, has now been delayed to Q1 2026. Then there's Time Takers, which has been pushed into a Q2 2026 release window, and the history-blending sci-fi shooter Project LLL is expected in late Q3 2026. Aside from these three games, there are also four spin-off games planned for release in 2026 as well.

According to the call, the delays aren't due to any particular issues with development, but to both ensure quality and give each game the space that it needs to do well. As of now, the only major game NCSoft has that will release in 2025 is the MMORPG Aion 2. This game is currently slated to be released in Q4 2025, though an exact release date hasn't been confirmed as of yet.

The first Aion came out way back in 2008 and is still receiving updates even now. Its upcoming sequel was originally intended as a mobile game, but has since shifted to a full-on PC release. Right now Aion 2 is only planned to be released in Korea and Taiwan, but a global release is reportedly expected for some time in 2026. It also received its first gameplay trailer back in May, showing off the game's environments, mounts, and flashy combat.

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Mario + Rabbids Double Pack

$30 | Releases September 18

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The unlikely mash-up of Mario and the adorable Rabbids from Rayman resulted in two fantastic Nintendo Switch strategy games, and for anyone looking to add them to their collection, you can soon pick an Amazon-exclusive double pack featuring both Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle and its sequel, Sparks of Hope, for just $30. It's worth noting this is a digital download code in a box, not a physical game card release. That means you'll need to have an internet connection, Ubisoft account, and Nintendo account to redeem them. But for those who don't mind the format, the Mario + Rabbids Double Pack looks to be a convenient way to grab both Switch games at once when it launches on September 18. Preorders are available now.

Mario + Rabbids Double Pack $30 | Releases September 18

This Amazon-exclusive bundle gets you the digital version of both Switch games (Kingdom Battle and Sparks of Hope). You'll get a code in a box with your purchase (not game cards), which lets you download the two titles. That means you'll need to have an internet connection, Ubisoft account, and Nintendo account to redeem them. Both titles should also work on Switch 2, with Kingdom Battle running at a smooth 60fps.

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While the Mario + Rabbids Double Pack is convenient, it's not the only way to grab these games. You'll find a code-in-box version of Kingdom Battle on sale at Amazon for just $5 (was $40) and a physical game card copy of Sparks of Hope for $14.49 (was $20) at Best Buy. That means you can nab both for just $19.49 right now--though when the two sales disappear, Amazon's double pack will become the best way to add them to your collection.

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Lego Disney Pixar: WALL-E and EVE (43279)

$70 | 811 Pieces | Releases September 1

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Lego Store

Lego is releasing a new display set for adults based on Pixar's beloved 2008 animated movie WALL-E. The 811-piece model features buildable WALL-E, EVE, and M-O figures as well as Hal, the last plant on Earth, and a Garbage Cube. You can preorder the new WALL-E Lego set for $70 at Amazon and the Lego Store ahead of its September 1 launch.

The surprise return of WALL-E is extremely welcome news for fans who collect Disney Lego sets. Back in 2015, WALL-E the robot made its brick-set debut in the Lego Ideas line. The 677-piece set retailed for $60 and was officially retired about a year later. Since then, the value of Lego Ideas WALL-E (21303) has skyrocketed. Today, a brand-new set is valued at just shy of $300. Even preowned sets that are already assembled can pull in $200, according to Brick Economy, a great resource that tracks online marketplace sales. And it's not just one sale every couple of months; there are dozens of completed sales this month.

WALL-E and EVE 43279 (Lego Disney Pixar)

So, if you've ever considered paying hundreds of dollars for Lego WALL-E, now you can get WALL-E, EVE, M-O, and more for $70 instead. And if you've been waiting for the right moment to sell Lego Ideas WALL-E, that moment may have passed. The WALL-E robot in the old set is a bit larger than the new one, but the new model looks more realistic, which isn't surprising since Lego continues to refine its engineering and design processes as time goes on.

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Ever since the beta of Battlefield 6 was released, players have been trying to figure out how to disable the Adaptive Triggers on their PlayStation 5 controllers. The Adaptive Trigger feature on the PS5 controller is fairly controversial, as you either seem to love or hate using it. Some players feel Adaptive Triggers add to the immersion of whatever game they're playing, while others don't like having their triggers fight them when they're trying to shoot an enemy.

If you don't enjoy Adaptive Triggers in a fast-paced first-person shooter like Battlefield 6, then you've almost certainly tried to disable them through the game's settings. Of course, you likely figured out that there's currently no way to turn off Adaptive Triggers through Battlefield 6 itself.

Fortunately, whether you're on PS5 or PC, there's a method to disable Adaptive Triggers in Battlefield 6, and you can see what it is below.

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If you've been looking for an online co-op game with some Alien vibes, the upcoming top-down tactical shooter DarkSwarm might just tickle your fancy. The debut title from Bitfire Games, and published by Deep Rock Galactic developer Ghost Ship Games, DarkSwarm is receiving its first closed alpha next month, and the pair of studios has confirmed just when that kicks off: September 2.

In DarkSwarm, you play as a team of "synthetically engineered elite mercenaries," tasked with various missions in dark corners of space to take on an alien infection. The game has four player classes to choose from, setting you out across procedurally generated, semi-destructible maps, and various weapons to choose from. Gameplay features include some stealth segments, hacking, and most notably, some top-down shooting against waves and waves of enemies. You'll also be able to play it in both online and local co-op.

Bitfire Games released a new trailer today that you can check out above, showing off some atmospheric lighting and the kind of moment-to-moment gameplay you can expect from DarkSwarm. If you are interested in trying DarkSwarm out, you can just head to the game's Steam page to sign up for its alpha test--Bitfire Games did previously note that spots are limited, so you might not get a chance to try it out.

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Battlefield 6's open beta returned today, August 14, for its second and final weekend of testing. One of the new additions for Weekend 2 was the classic Battlefield mode Rush--but not everyone is enjoying the setup in Battlefield 6.

It was immediately discovered that Rush mode in Battlefield 6 limits matches to 12v12, for a total of 24 players--at least in the beta. People on Reddit and elsewhere online are saying this is simply too small. The current iteration of Rush in the beta is also infantry-only, so there are no tanks or vehicles whatsoever.

The objective in Rush mode is for the attacking side to arm and destroy MCOM stations, with the defenders trying to stop them. The attackers have a limited number of respawn tickets. Matches get pretty chaotic as attackers... rush to the stations and defenders do anything to stop them. Some have theorized that upping the player count would dial up the chaos beyond what would be enjoyable.

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As soon as Netflix started to find huge amounts of success, companies everywhere started asking themselves "How can we do this, but for video games?" There's only company that's demonstrably found any success in that regard, i.e. Microsoft and its Xbox Game Pass--though whether or not the massive amount of revenue that subscription has brought in has translated to profit is another question entirely. If you ask former PlayStation boss and Sony Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden, he's not so convinced that a Netflix-style games subscription will work out in the end.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Layden shared that he's "not a big supporter of the 'Netflix of gaming' idea. I think it is a danger." Layden went on to compare the idea to what happened to the music industry, and how many people think music should be free. "Spotify, what is that? It's 15 bucks a month or something, but virtually no one buys music anymore," he said.

He notes how at least the difference with music is that bands and artists can go on tours, meaning there's ticket sales and merchandise as another form of revenue. "The problem with gaming is all we have is launch," Layden continued. "That's it. No one wants to pay money to come into the studio and watch people code."

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Six weeks on from the launch of Diablo 4's ninth season, Sins of the Horadrim, Blizzard has finally patched up some lingering bugs introduced with the season's new Horadric Strongroom micro-dungeons. Most importantly, players shouldn't have any further problems collecting Horadric Tomes when clearing Strongrooms.

The Horadric Tome bug has been reported by players for weeks across Reddit, Blizzard's help forums, and the Diablo IV Discord server, and has finally been patched this week. The bug saw players going without a Horadric Tome drop even after grinding Strongrooms, while playing with others who were having no issues finding them.

The first patch following Season 9's release fixed a bug causing duplicate Horadric Tomes to drop on occasion, but the bug causing tomes not to drop at all has persisted until now. Players managed to find their own workarounds for the bug involving swapping between different characters, but no doubt will be glad for an official fix.

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After adding two-player expeditions in the last Elden Ring Nightreign update, From Software's latest patch is adding some balance adjustments to the powerful abilities that come with the legendary sword known as Storm Ruler.

Going forward, it won't take as long to charge the storm effect and the animation speed of the blade will be faster. Overall, the performance of Storm Ruler will be increased, even when the attack power isn't charged with the storm. However, those upgrades come with a tweak that removes the bug that allowed players to use Storm Ruler without burning through FP.

The update also includes a number of other bug fixes, including one that addresses slowdown for other players when using too many Sorceries and Incantations. Performance issues appear to have been the main problems addressed in the patch, but there were others as well, including a bug that prevented some attacks of the Everdark Sovereign Caligo, Miasma of Night from hitting other players.

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Unlike many other multiplayer first-person shooters on the market, the Battlefield franchise hasn't always been keen to allow players to check their stats through the game's menus. That philosophy hasn't changed with Battlefield 6, as the multiplayer beta offers no way to check your account stats in-game. However, that doesn't mean you can't view your stats using an alternative method.

Fortunately for the community, EA has revealed a completely safe and official way to check all of your pertinent player stats in the Battlefield 6 beta.

How to view player stats in Battlefield 6

At the time of writing, you can only check your stats from the first weekend of the open beta in Battlefield 6. This should be expanded to include the second weekend after it concludes and eventually the full game when it releases in October. EA hasn't officially confirmed whether the stat-checking method will be a part of the full launch, but there's no reason to expect it won't be available.

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Some Terraria players charge into battle swinging broadswords, others rain arrows from afar, and then some prefer to watch the world burn from a safe distance. If your idea of fun involves turning mana into spectacular destruction, Terraria’s magic weapons are your bread and butter. From humble sparks to kaleidoscopic death rays, these staves of sorcery are the ultimate tools for mages looking to leave a scorching impression.

Magic wands in Terraria are more than just damage sticks. The best ones combine range, style, and special effects that can turn tricky boss fights into theatrical light shows. Our picks cover every stage of the game, from your first foray into the forests to the celestial gauntlet at the very end. Whether you’re into precise spellwork or screen-filling chaos, here’s what you should have in your arsenal.

Table of Contents [hide]

• Pre-Hardmode
  • Wand of Sparking
  Pre-HardmodeTerraria's Wand of Sparking in actionWand of Sparking
  • Damage: 14
  • Mana cost: 2
  • Knockback: 0
  • Critical chance: 14%
  • Speed: 26 (Average)

  If you’re fresh out of character creation and still rocking copper tools, the Wand of Sparking is your first taste of arcane power. It’s not subtle, shooting tiny flames with modest damage, but it’s notably accessible. You can find it in surface chests or wooden crates from fishing, meaning there’s a decent chance you’ll be clearing out caves and singeing zombies before you’ve even built a proper house.

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My first Evo was all the way back in 2003, when it was held at Cal Poly Pomona. It was a ragtag yet passionate operation where a bunch of weirdos crammed into one of the university's big halls to play fighting games and watch the best of the best from across North America (and the Japanese players they convinced to come attend) duke it out. There were a bunch of PlayStation 2 consoles and arcade machines, a few projection screens, and some seats if you wanted to either watch or play some games. There were no ads or major announcements--the entertainment during downtime consisted of fan-made combo videos and somebody playing the overhead levels of Contra III. Despite all of the tech hiccups and the obvious drive to run things as cheaply as possible, we all loved it there.

Never would I have dreamed that, almost a quarter-century later, Evo would become one of gaming's most-talked-about annual events: a celebration of love and community in fighting games that even people not really into the genre would tune in to watch online. Evo now occupies an entire, massive hall in the Las Vegas Convention Center, where thousands of players from around the world come for a chance to compete and share their passion for fighting games in a variety of ways--be it entering tournaments, running side events, drawing and selling art in the Artists Alley, cosplaying, or just playing casual sets all day with people they've never met before. In a way, the main Evo event has morphed from a tournament into a full-blown fighting game convention, where the tournaments are now just a major part of the show, not necessarily the sole reason why many of the people are there.

But with that rapid growth has come a massive price tag. If you didn't purchase admission early, a weekend competition pass to Evo 2025 was around $250, plus $10 for each of the official tournament games you wanted to enter. If you paid early and just wanted to watch or play casuals with other attendees, that would still set you back $180. That's not taking into account all of the other expenses: gas or airfare to get to Las Vegas, and then lodging, transportation, food once you're there. And that doesn't take into account a bunch of other miscellaneous expenses you might unexpectedly run into (Is your joystick bag too big? That's a checked-bag fee). Sure, there are ways to cut costs--the tried-and-true method of cramming a gaggle of people into a single hotel room is a favorite--but oftentimes they can wind up costing just as much or more. Staying at a cheaper hotel that's farther away from the LVCC? The moment you step into 105-degree Vegas summer heat, you're going to ditch the idea of walking and get a Lyft instead.

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The storytellers behind Blizzard's Story and Franchise Development team have decided to unionize. Following the results of a union-authorization vote, Blizzard's SFD will now join the Communications Workers of America in Orange County, California. Additionally, Microsoft has voluntarily recognized the SFD team's union vote.

There have been two previous unionization votes at Blizzard in the past year. In July 2024, the developers behind World of Warcraft voted to unionize and joined CWA. The Overwatch 2 team passed a similar vote in May 2025, and also joined CWA.

One of the SFD union organizers, Buddy Fisk, shared a statement through CWA citing the increasingly frequent layoffs in the video game industry as a driving force behind this vote.

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Nearly five years into the lifespan of the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles, many live-service games still support the previous generation's Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but the number is always at risk of dropping. Today, Krafton announced it would be the next developer to end support for those last-gen consoles, as PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds will no longer be supported on Xbox One and PS4 beginning November 13.

Xbox One and PS4 support for PUBG will be shut off "during live server maintenance on November 13, 2025," according to the announcement post on PUBG's official website. The server maintenance will also make enhancements to the current-gen versions, including upgraded resolution and frame-rate options.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

"It weighs heavily on us to deliver this news to our console players who have enjoyed PUBG on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for so many years," the announcement post reads. "This was not a decision made lightly. It comes after long and careful consideration, in pursuit of the continued growth and long-term future of PUBG Console. We kindly ask for your understanding."

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Congressman Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, has issued a call to the developers of Roblox to "do more" to help protect children amid ongoing reports that the platform is not doing enough to safeguard young people from bad actors.

"There is a growing issue in our country with Roblox, an online gaming platform, and the abuse of children," Khanna said in a video posted to TikTok. "Roblox is simply not doing enough to protect our kids, to inform parents, and to go after child predators. As you know, I am leading the fight for the full release of the Epstein files. I believe in transparency and I believe in protecting our children."

Khanna said he's urging people to sign a petition to "push Roblox to do more," asking for 1 million signatures by Friday, August 15. "We need to keep our kids safe online," he said.

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Magic: The Gathering's crossover with Avatar: The Last Airbender releases November 21, and preorders just went live on Amazon. Store pages are also live at Best Buy, but none of the products are available to purchase at the time of writing. The Avatar MTG set has multiple booster boxes, a pair of Scene Boxes, the always-popular $70 bundle, and the Beginner Box, a $35 set designed for new players to learn how to play MTG with the Avatar: The Last Airbender set.

Preorder at Amazon

We've listed all of the Avatar: The Last Airbender Magic: The Gathering products below.

Magic: The Gathering x Avatar: The Last Airbender

• Beginner Box -- $35
• Avatar: The Last Airbender Bundle -- $70
• Scene Box 1 - The Black Sun Invasion -- $42
• Scene Box 2 - Tea Time at The Jasmine Dragon -- $42
• Commander's Bundle -- $110
• Jumpstart Booster Box -- $167.76
• Play Booster Box -- $209.70
• Jumpstart Pack -- $14
• Play Booster Sleeve -- $7
• Collector Booster Pack -- $40
• Collector Booster Box -- $430

Avatar: The Last Airbender x Magic: The Gathering

Like all MTG crossovers with major franchises, the Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover will be popular. If you're interested in adding some Avatar MTG cards to your collection, securing your preorders early is a good idea. Many of the Final Fantasy Magic products sold out long before launch, and most of the products in the Spider-Man Magic: The Gathering set are sold out ahead of the Marvel hero's MTG debut next month.

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Dragon Age: Origins was the start of a long-running and beloved series at BioWare, but it wasn't always meant to be. Former executive producer Mark Darrah, who worked for BioWare from 1998 through 2022, said that the game was conceived as a standalone story, and that you can still see that intent in some unresolved story threads.

"Dragon Age: Origins originally was intended as a standalone game," Darrah told MrMattyPlays (via PC Gamer). "You can see this, if you play Dragon Age: Origins, knowing that it was intended to stand alone. There's a lot of threads that are cast out that kind of had to be abandoned because there could be werewolves all over the world, there might be a civil war happening underground in Orzammar." He said those elements were good for world-building but were difficult to deal with as an ongoing series.

Dragon Age became known as BioWare's fantasy series alongside the sci-fi Mass Effect. Both had ongoing stories that respected your earlier choices, including the ability to import your saves from Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2 into the third game, Dragon Age: Inquisition. Or, you could customize a set of pre-set choices to build the world of Thedas to your liking. But accounting for all those choices in the third game meant that they could only be so impactful while still telling new original stories, because the studio hadn't counted on needing to pay off every decision from Origins into later games. Then Origins was a success, and the company was inclined to iterate with sequels.

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Battlefield 6's open beta returns on August 14 for its second and final weekend of testing, and now Battlefield Studios has outlined what to expect, including playlist changes, a nice new feature, and more.

For Weekend 2, more playlists will rotate between different game modes. For example, the All-Out Warfare playlist will feature Breakthrough, Conquest, and Rush for the second weekend.

"Rotating through multiple modes within playlists helps us understand what our community enjoys as we shape the launch experience, and enables us to keep more fan-favorite modes available at the same time," Battlefield Studios said.

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Famously, parks full of monsters always work out well, right? Those things never like... get loose and wreak havoc on their captors, forcing them to deal with the morality (not to mention safety) of these decisions, do they? Okay cool, because Helldivers 2 is making a second Tyranny Park.

Or at least, it's trying to. Helldivers 2's latest major order--a series of challenges for players to complete as a community--promises the erection of a new Tyranny Park for a hefty set of prices, including the liberation of a planet, the extermination of quite literally millions of the game's bug-like Terminid enemies, and more. Only then can Tyranny Park 2 be completed.

MAJOR ORDER: The citizens of Super Earth have endured over a year of war, initiated and perpetuated by the enemies of Freedom. And while their resolve is firm, they must be afforded some relief. Diversion is demanded - and deserved.
Accordingly, the Super Earth Government has… pic.twitter.com/TJZYAwJTKy

— HELLDIVERS™ 2 (@helldivers2) August 13, 2025

To be specific, players must complete the following milestones to see the likely disastrous construction of Tyranny Park 2 become real:

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