Battlefield 6's much-anticipated Season 2 update won't launch on time. Battlefield Studios has confirmed that the update will now arrive on February 17, which is later than expected.

"This extended launch has been implemented to allow extra time to further develop and refine Season 2 as a result of community feedback," the developer said (via Charlie Intel). The update was previously expected to arrive sometime in late January.

Escalating the fight with new threats on the battlefield.

Season 2 begins February 17. pic.twitter.com/fGMegJJuTj

— Battlefield (@Battlefield) January 13, 2026

Battlefield 6 had a strong start in October 2025 and even outsold Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 in the US through November. However, sentiment has somewhat shifted of late, with recent reviews on Steam shifting from "Mostly Positive" to "Mixed." Additionally, people have called out EA for pushing microtransactions and for the game's apparent use of generative AI.

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Developer Sandfall's RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was one of 2025's breakout hits, and with a budget of reportedly less than $10 million, a relatively small development staff, and a price point below $70, some have said the game could be representative of a "AA"-style project that can break through. It may have worked for Expedition 33, and it could work for other titles, but Hazelight boss Josef Fares wants to see the AAA space continue and hopes that decision-makers in gaming don't go all-in on smaller-scale games with lower budgets.

"You do hear, after the success of things like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, that the AA games are taking over. But I would not be able to live without a AAA title," he told The Game Business. "I really want to play the blockbuster games. You can't do GTA for $10 million. We need both."

Fares went on to say that "it's important not to get stuck in ideas." People should not allow themselves to be convinced that "AA is a new thing" or "indie is a new thing," he said.

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Diablo 4's latest patch brought the return of leaderboards to Blizzard's ARPG in the form of The Tower dungeon, but the new update isn't without issues. Both leaderboards and an enemy affix are currently bugged.

In a post on the Diablo 4 forums, community manager Marcoose let players know that while The Tower is still accessible, leaderboard results aren't currently populating correctly for all classes. Blizzard is investigating the issue but, as of writing, does not have any updates on the problem.

The Executioner affix, meanwhile, is currently disabled entirely due to patch 2.5.2 introducing a persistent audio bug related to it. The bright side is Blizzard is taking the opportunity to rework the affix to make it less punishing, with the new and improved version of the affix set to return in a later update.

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While the hype around AI continues to grow, Warhammer's parent company, Games Workshop, is adopting a more skeptical approach to the technology for now. Games Workshop CEO Kevin Rountree spoke about AI, confirming that the company has banned its use in its content production and design processes, although a "few" senior managers have begun experimenting with it.

"We do have a few senior managers that are [experts on AI]: none are that excited about it yet. We have agreed an internal policy to guide us all, which is currently very cautious, e.g., we do not allow AI-generated content or AI to be used in our design processes or its unauthorized use outside of GW, including in any of our competitions," Rountree said during the company's financial results meeting (via IGN). "We also have to monitor and protect ourselves from a data compliance, security, and governance perspective; the AI or machine learning engines seem to be automatically included on our phones or laptops, whether we like it or not."

Rountree explained that Games Workshop will instead invest in hiring more creative professionals across various departments to help craft new content for its IP, including Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar. The company is known for selling Warhammer 40K Codex books featuring a rich selection of illustrations with a distinctive grimdark aesthetic, and any hint of generative AI usually draws backlash from fans. For example, Displate had to issue a statement last year denying that several of its officially licensed Warhammer 40K products were created with generative AI, following fan accusations.

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When Mushy relogged onto her Animal Crossing: New Horizons island after years away, she expected the weeds, cockroaches, and angry villagers. She didn't expect a blast from the past when she checked in on her ex-partner's room, which was designed like a jail cell.

"He had a weird sense of humor and once he saw that there were jail items in the game--jail bars, wallpaper, toilets-- he thought it would be hilarious to turn his island home into a jail cell," she told GameSpot. "I helped him gather the items too."

She hadn't remembered helping him after New Horizons launched in March 2020, but everything came rushing back when she logged on for the first time to prepare for the 3.0 update coming on January 15.

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Playground Games is working on two new games, including Forza Horizon 6 and a new Fable title, and both are expected to release on PS5--but only one may come to Sony's console day and date with the Xbox and PC versions. VGC's Andy Robinson said he expects Playground's new Fable game to be released day-and-date on PS5 because the team has been "targeting PS5 for a while."

Forza Horizon 6 is confirmed for release on PS5, but not until after the Xbox and PC versions arrive. According to VideoGamer, Robinson said he was informed that the game "wasn't ready" for a day-and-date PS5 release. However, he acknowledged that he does not "know how true that is."

When Forza Horizon 6 was announced in 2025, Microsoft said it would come to PS5 after the Xbox and PC releases, but the company did not say what the exact gap would be. As for Fable, there is no word yet at all about a PS5 release, but it would be little surprise, given the belief that Microsoft will release all of its big games on PS5.

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Former Bethesda lead artist Nate Purkeypile has discussed The Elder Scrolls 6, sharing insight on why he thinks the game was announced so early in development, where he'd like to see the game go in terms of setting, and how Bethesda can deliver the game when there is a fever-pitch of hype for it.

Speaking to Esports Insider, Purkeypile said he assumes Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls 6 back in 2018 because "it had been so long already since Skyrim" that the studio wanted to tell fans the next game was coming. Otherwise, fans might be "just pissed at us," he said.

Announcing The Elder Scrolls 6 so early was an "expensive" thing to do, he added, mentioning how trailers are "not cheap" to produce. Many games are announced early in their development as a recruiting strategy. Bethesda boss Todd Howard has said he wonders if it was the right call to announce the game so early.

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Nexon has officially announced that Arc Raiders has sold more than 12.4 million units since the $40 game launched at the end of October 2025. The sales number is not a surprise, as the research firm Alinea Analytics previously estimated sales to be around 12 million.

Nexon president and CEO Junghun Lee said sales at this level, along with the fact that Arc Raiders reached 960,000 peak concurrent players, demonstrates "the potential for Arc Raiders to become another pillar in Nexon's portfolio of blockbuster franchises."

The Korean publisher, which owns the Arc Raiders IP and developer Embark, further stated that Arc Raiders passed 10 million units sold by the end of December 2025. Nexon said sales accelerated recently, presumably due in part to the game's 20% discount, pushing total figures to 12.4 million and counting. The game has sold well and still has lots of players, as the game regularly ranks at the top, or near it, on the Steam charts.

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Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has clarified his statements regarding X's AI generation of nonconsensual sexual images of minors and women, saying he merely "criticized a government official" for pressuring publicly traded companies for attempting to "block a speech app owned by their political opponent."

Right around the January 9 weekend, news broke that X users were turning to Grok, the platform's AI tool, to create images of minors and women in sexually compromising outfits and positions. The situation drew the attention of US Senators Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Edward Markey (D-MA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), who wrote a letter to Apple and Google requesting that the companies remove the Grok and X apps from their app stores for the "mass generation of nonconsensual sexualized images of women and children." The senators have asked for a written response from both companies by January 23.

In response to the letter, which MacRumors reported and shared on X, Tim Sweeney quoted the post on January 9 and said that senators using their political power to remove these apps for the harm they have caused are "gatekeepers" who are trying to "censor all of their political opponents." He continued in a follow-up post, explaining that no major AI company is "perfect" because they all have "documented instances of [their tech] going off the rails" and that these companies "make their best efforts to combat this." These comments blew up, drawing criticism from some corners of Elon Musk's social platform and praise from others.

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It's no secret that a video game based on 2008's The Dark Knight was in development at one point, before the plug was ultimately pulled. Footage of the game--which was being developed by the now-shuttered Monolith Productions--has surfaced online over the years, and this week, a new video showed how this Batman adventure would have taken a cue from the live-action films with its dynamic soundtrack.

As part of a treasure trove of materials uncovered by retro games enthusiast and archivist Mar Talida, the footage showcases early cinematic footage, game design documents, concept art, and much more. If you have an ear for video game soundtracks, there's even video of the game's dynamic audio system and how it would change depending on the situation that players found themselves in. Batman live-action films have had iconic soundtracks, and Monolith's game used some of Hans Zimmer's Dark Knight soundtrack to demonstrate this feature.

It's worth noting that all of this content came from very early in the pre-production of the Batman game--codenamed Project Apollo--as the assets were dated to around 2009-2010 and naturally look rougher than the 2024 leak.

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Last summer, solo developer Eero "Rakuel" Laine released Hardest, a free-to-play card game roguelike that he openly admitted was created with AI-generated assets. Since then, Laine has had a change of heart about AI and decided to delete Hardest from Steam on January 30.

In a message posted to Hardest's Steam page, Laine credited his epiphany to his significant other and explained why he used AI assets in the first place.

"I made this game during the summer in couple months and thought to use AI because in university there is so much brainwashing on students and all the tools are given for free," wrote Laine. "So I could generate unlimited images for free ... But I have realized the AI is not actually free, and it has a major effect on the economy and environment."

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When single developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone officially released Stardew Valley in 2016, the farm-life sim wasn't intended to have any voiceovers. That hasn't stopped a dedicated fan from creating a Stardew Valley mod that adds vocal performances to the game.

Voice actress and software engineer Shannon Hobby released the Stardew Valley voice over mod as a proof of concept in 2024. But this week, Hobby has updated the mod with vocal performances for all of the romanceable characters in the game. Hobby's intent is give every character in the game a voice, but it's still a work in progress.

"I'm a voice actor and software engineer and I've combine these skills to make something wonderful for a game that I really care about that's super important to me and I know is important to a lot of people," said Hobby in her initial announcement video. "I think this was a perfect opportunity to combine those skill sets and make something that I'm proud of for a game that I really care about and give back to the community a little bit."

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How expensive can a game be while still feeling like you're only dropping five bucks on it? According to Peak co-creator Nick Kaman, $8 is the ideal price point for a $5 game.

In an interview with Game File, Nick Kaman explained that the team had a $5 "joke" that actually ended up informing Peak's standard pricing. "We had this joke of, like, how much is a game really?" he said. "In a player's mind, what does it mean to spend five bucks? Well, that’s five bucks. But six bucks? Well, that's still five bucks."

"Four bucks is also kind of five bucks. Three bucks is two bucks. And two bucks is basically free," Kaman continued. "So we've got these tiers: You know, twelve bucks... that's ten bucks. But thirteen bucks is fifteen bucks. And we found that eight bucks is still five bucks. It doesn't become ten bucks. Seven ninety nine, that’s five bucks, right? So, eight bucks going to five bucks is the biggest differential we could find in pricing, so we found it very optimal."

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Just a week after its last record-setting day, Steam has hit a new concurrent player peak of 42,042,778, passing the 42 million milestone for the very first time on January 11. The gaming platform has seen sustained growth in recent years, with record-setting peaks happening more and more regularly.

Although Steam has been around for over 20 years, its popularity has picked up dramatically in recent years--especially in the six years since the Covid-19 pandemic was officially declared. Steam's average concurrent users have more than doubled since pre-Covid days, and its rate of growth has also sped up.

Analysis of Steam's growth by Wccftech shows that the platform's pre-Covid growth rate was around 4.5% per year, which rocketed to a massive 31.5% in 2020 due to global lockdowns, and later leveled out to around 13% in the years since. Wccftech reports that Steam's revenue is also on an upwards trend, with December 2025 being its best December yet for revenue--no doubt driven by recent breakout games including Arc Raiders and indie hit Peak.

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Six months ago, Hytale was was canceled by Riot Games after 10 years of development. However, the game's development studio Hypixel was saved by co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme in November 2025, and Hytale is set to hit early access today, J

According to the countdown on Hytale's official site, the game will launch on January 13, 7 AM PT/10 AM ET. For now, Hytale will only be available on PC, but Mac and Linux versions will follow.

It's important to note that Hytale will not be available on Steam. In order to get the game, players will need to download the Hytale Launcher.

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While you might be looking to reestablish your gym routine now that the festive season is over, at least you can count on your Switch 2 console having an extra layer of stability thanks to a new firmware update. Nintendo has rolled out a new system update for the Switch 2 that brings it up to version 21.2.0, and as you've probably guessed, it doesn't do much.

"General system stability improvements to enhance the user's experience," the very succinct update notes read.

Since its launch, the Switch 2 has mostly focused on small updates like this to keep the console running smoothly for users. That's not to say there haven't been any substantial updates so far, as the November firmware upgrade added better visual clarity on the home menu to indicate whether a game is owned physically or digitally. The update also added GameChat improvements, helping to fine-tune the Switch 2.

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Nintendo Switch 2 JC400 Handheld Controller

$42.49 (was $54)

Get deal at Amazon

Nintendo Switch 2 players can grab a surprisingly good alternative to the Joy-Con 2 for handheld mode for only $42.49 (was $54) at Amazon. This is the lowest price yet for the Gammeefy JC400, a Bluetooth controller with a cradle designed specifically to hold the Switch 2 console. The JC400 has Hall Effect sticks with RGB light rings, two remappable back buttons, rumble with five intensity levels, six-axis motion controls, and numerous other features that make it a bargain.

You're probably wondering about the brand, right? Gammeefy? Yeah, it's not a major brand. It's one of those accessory brands you find on Amazon that happens to sell the same exact product as other brands you also haven't heard of. The JC400, for instance, is also sold by several other brands on Amazon. Additionally, the 2,700+ customer reviews (4.5/5-star average) is bolstered by an older model for the original Switch and Switch OLED on the same store page. It's worth noting the Switch/Switch OLED version of the controller is only $28 (was $40) for a limited time.

We rarely highlight off-brand accessories sold by multiple brands--a common occurrence on Amazon--but the JC400 is actually quite impressive.

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January is a quiet month on the 2026 gaming calendar, but this frees you up to check out games that flew under your radar. If you're looking for something to fill the quiet period on PC, Fanatical is offering three new bundle deals worth checking out. The new January 2026 Platinum Collection, New Year 2026 Collection, and Triple Pack deals are all build-your-own bundle offers that let you mix and match from their own unique lists of games--and the more you add to your bundles, the more you'll save. Each game key can be redeemed on your Steam account, and most are Steam Deck Verified. We've outlined all three bundle deals below, including full lists of all the games you can pick for each.

Platinum Collection - Build your own Bundle (January 2026)Fanatical's Platinum Collection - Build your own Bundle (January 2026)

Fanatical offers a new selection of curated games every month with the Platinum Collection, and the first bundle of 2026 has some terrific picks. Buy three or more games to get each one for $3.33, five or more for $3 each, and seven or more for $2.85 each. Some of our top picks here include the delightfully weird roguelite heist game Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, sci-fi crafting game Next Space Rebels, and you can embrace your inner John Wick with the fast-paced top-down shooter Phantom Squad.

If nothing grabs your eye here, you can also check out the December 2025 Best Of Platinum Collection. It's still active for a few more weeks, and it includes popular games like RoboCop: Rogue City, Fallout 76, and Paradise Killer.

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Every January since 2010, Games Done Quick has raised money for charity through their speedrunning marathon event Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ). Their 2026 marathon, held at the Wyndham Grand in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has just wrapped up, and has raised a huge sum of money.

In a post on the Reddit, one of the event's organizers has revealed that Awesome Games Done Quick 2026 has raised $2,443,414 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, which focuses on early detection and prevention of cancer. In total, Games Done Quick has now donated over $28 million to the Foundation of the $59 million in total the streams have raised for charity.

Some highlights of this year's schedule of speedruns included some incredible performance in Mario Kart World's Free Roam mode, as well as a relay run of Super Mario 64 where 70 players collected one star each. There's also an incredibly fast run of Hollow Knight: Silksong, a five minute Chrono Trigger run, and a particularly epic speedrun of Pokemon Emerald that is worth a watch.

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Despite multiple rejections of its bids, Paramount remains intent on buying Warner Bros. Discovery and has now launched a lawsuit against the company over the matter. What's more, Paramount said it will seek to nominate its own team of directors at the WBD 2026 Annual Meeting this year, which could trigger a so-called proxy fight for the company's future.

Paramount boss David Ellison said in a memo to WBD shareholders that it filed suit in court today, January 12, calling on the court to direct WBD to release the specifics of Netflix's bid for WBD. The WBD shareholders need this information so they can "make an informed decision as to whether to tender their shares into our offer," Paramount said.

Ellison said Paramount had already asked for "the customary financial disclosure" that should have been provided to shareholders in a business transaction like this. But Ellison said WBD "failed to include" disclosures about several aspects of the deal from Netflix and share this with WBD shareholders.

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