In 2022, Epic Games agreed to a massive $520 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that Fortnite violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting info about players under the age of 13 without their parents' permission, as well as allegations that Epic "tricked" players into making unintended in-game purchases. The signup period for the initial distribution of funds ended in February 2024. But now, the FTC is once again opening the opportunity for players to claim their piece of the Fortnite settlement.

If players already claimed and received a payment from the FTC during the previous dispersal round, then they won't be eligible for any further claims. Everyone else has until July 9, 2025 to to file their claim with the FTC at the agency's official site.

FTC sends $126 million in refunds to Fortnite players who were charged for unwanted items, reopens claims process. Players who have not already filed a claim will now have until July 9 to submit one: https://t.co/aISo5Nfa8Z

— FTC (@FTC) June 25, 2025

FTC payments will be sent to players either through PayPal or as a check. However, this refund is limited to US citizens. Players under 18 will need their parent or guardian to fill out the paperwork, but anyone older doesn't need any special permission to fill out the form. Domestic players can qualify for the refund if any of the following descriptions applies to them.

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With Super Smash Bros. Ultimate now nearly four years removed from its final update, the Smash community has had to be creative in getting their fill of new Smash Bros. experiences. One savvy modding team has created Smash Remix--a gigantic content mod for the original Super Smash Bros. on Nintendo 64--and a new trailer has revealed many new features now available in Smash Remix's 2.0 patch.

The 15-minute trailer highlights two brand-new additions to the Smash Remix roster, as Princess Peach and Crash Bandicoot have joined the fray. A few other faces, like Slippy Toad, Dr. Luigi, and Lanky Kong, have been added to a designated "bonus" slot on the character select screen as well.

New arenas are also coming with the 2.0 update, including the Crash Bandicoot-themed Time Twister, as well as Discovery Falls--themed after one of the levels from Dinosaur Planet, the Rare project that eventually became Star Fox Adventures. The patch also brings new items, new game modes like King Of The Hill and Tag Team, the voice acting of original SSB announcer Jeff Manning, and more.

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Developer Sloclap's new soccer game, Rematch, is putting up big numbers and people are enjoying it quite a lot. The game isn't working totally as intended, however, as players have discovered that they can move faster if they jump instead of run. That's not how it's supposed to work, so Sloclap is fixing it.

"We're aware this is an issue and an unpopular unintended tech. We're planning to push a fix very soon, before this weekend," the studio said in a post on Reddit. "Thank you for your patience!"

Jumping being faster than running just doesn’t feel right
byu/Hiken_D inRematch

As you can see in the video above, jumping appears to give players an edge over those who run. In a competitive-type game like Rematch, players are looking for any edge they can get, and anyone taking advantage of this will only be able to do so for a short while longer.

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Dune: Awakening's big endgame changes are now live, transforming half of the game's formerly player vs. player heavy-Deep Desert region into a player vs. environment-friendly space.

The change came quicker than fans perhaps expected. News that developer Funcom would be making a big shift to the survival MMO's endgame came just a few days ago in a blog post from the game's creative director, Joel Bylos, who said Funcom's goal was not to "force PvE players to interact with a PvP system that they may have no interest in." That news was followed by a public test client build for the game's 1.1.10.0 patch that listed the Deep Desert changes (among many others).

However, a hotfix released today makes it so the southern half of the Deep Desert is now open for PvE business, though there are still pockets of PvP to be found. Shipwrecks and control points found within the southern half of the region will still be PvP zones. Funcom notes that it rebalanced the distribution of Dune: Awakenings coveted endgame resources around this change, making it so that "loot overall is more valuable and plentiful in the northmost PvP zones." PvE players will still be able to find the highest tier of resources in the southern regions of the zone, just not as much of it.

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Techland's popular zombie game Dying Light came to Switch in 2021, but the new "Retouched" update that improves the game's visuals and sound is not headed to Switch, nor is the Polish developer working on a port of the game for Switch 2.

In a statement to IGN, Techland said, "The Dying Light: Retouched Update is not coming to Nintendo Switch."

Regarding the possibility of a Switch 2 port of the original Dying Light, Techland said that's not happening either. The game is playable on Switch 2 via backwards compatibility, but Techland is not building a new version of the game for Switch 2.

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Patch 1.1.2 for Mario Kart World hit Nintendo Switch 2 consoles recently, and with it came a few minor adjustments to tracks like Boo Cinema and Dino Dino Jungle. However, many players have taken to Reddit and other internet sounding boards to voice their displeasure with the match, as it seems to have made some unwelcome changes to online play.

Multiple users have revealed that Patch 1.1.2 makes it more difficult to have the standard three-lap race when playing online with friends. Matchmaking, it seems, prefers what have been dubbed "intermission races"--or races where drivers must instead ride through the open map from one track to another, and then run a single lap on the new track.

Luigi, did you send that patch?!

However, before each race, players were allowed to choose a track, and it was discovered that the "Random" option would always choose a track for a standard three-lap race--until this patch changed it. Now, while the Random option still sometimes offers a three-lap race, intermission races have become more prevalent since the patch was pushed out.

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Vlambeer has provided a major update to Nuclear Throne for the first time since November 2017, adding support for 60/120fps modes, a new controls menu, and various aspect ratios. So far, these features are part of the beta build for the roguelike shooter. The company plans to bring them to everyone in the future.

The new Nuclear Throne beta build was announced on Steam, with directions on how to get into the game's beta. However, all players of the top-down shooter should see the updates eventually, with Vlambeer promising to "bring these improvements and more to the main game." Intriguingly, on X, the company noted that there are physical versions of Nuclear Throne available for Switch as part of the post thread. This could maybe hint at a Switch 2 update for the game that allows for 120fps on the hybrid system.

Currently, Nuclear Throne can be found on PC, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, and Switch (it arrived in 2019). The game started in Steam Early Access in 2013 before fully launching in late 2015. The new beta build improvements may also tease possible versions for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, though Vlambeer hasn't stated anything official.

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Peak has officially become a sleeper hit with gamers. The co-op climbing game recently reached over one million sales in under a week and is in the top 40 of the most-streamed games of the past few months. The game was created as a partnership between Another Crab's Treasure developer Aggro Crab and Content Warning creators from Landfall, with most of the development taking place during a month-long jam session.

In an interview with PC Gamer, Aggro Crab studio head Nick Kaman talked about the making of the game and being jealous of Landfall's whirlwind method with Content Warning that he felt "turned everything we know about game development upside-down."

At the time, Aggro Crab was about to launch its biggest game ever, Another Crab’s Treasure, an intense three-year-plus-long project that he felt burned out his team. "While it was a success, Content Warning was a much bigger one made in much less time," Kaman said via email. Lucky for Kaman's team, there was already an established friendly relationship between the studios, so when he asked if they could join the other team in Seoul, they got an enthusiastic yes.

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Later this year The Outer Worlds 2 will take players to a distant colony world called Arcadi, where they can shoot their way out of trouble with a new assortment of weapons. According to the game's director, Brandon Adler, Obsidian Entertainment knew the sequel needed to be a significant improvement over The Outer Worlds. To achieve that goal, the team turned to the developers of Halo for advice.

"We ... talked to the Halo folks," Adler tells The Guardian. "They gave us a huge list of stuff and said, 'You guys should target this… you should add that to your weapon configurations.'" Adler also says that Obsidian "did a full breakdown on Destiny, because we love how that [gunplay] felt.'"

Adler notes that the sequel doesn't have loading screens before entering buildings like its predecessor, and the weapons have been revamped with fresh options and customizable features.

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Late last year, Epic Games filed a lawsuit against a Fortnite player named Sebastian Araujo alleging that he used cheating software on multiple occasions during tournament play that allowed him to beat players who followed the game's rules. Now, Epic has announced that the court has made a summary judgment in its favor, in part because Araujo never responded to the lawsuit.

Epic shared the news on social media and noted that the judgment was for $175,000. Additionally, Araujo has been banned from Fortnite for life. Epic also stated that it plans to donate any money it collects to Child's Play, a charity that provides sick children in hospitals with toys and games to keep their spirits raised and encourage healing.

THIS JUST IN: The Judge ruled in our favor after the cheater ignored our lawsuit. The player is required to pay $175,000 and we’ll donate what we collect to charity. They are also banned from playing Fortnite forever. https://t.co/on0dYWBdq4

— Fortnite Competitive (@FNCompetitive) June 25, 2025

This outcome shouldn't be too surprising, as Epic has aggressively gone after cheaters as well unscrupulous players who sell cheating programs. In 2022, Epic won a sizable amount from an Australian Fortnite cheat maker and donated the settlement to Child's Play. Earlier this year, Epic took action against pro Fortnite player Morgan Bamford aka RepulseGod and banned them from ever taking part in the game's organized tournaments again. Bamford subsequently apologized and returned the prize money to Epic, which once again donated the total to Child's Play.

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Are you planning on unlocking the Monorail in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach? This mode of transport is one of the most integral in your quest to connect regions to the Chiral Network. It allows you to move around numerous goods from one location to the next with ease.

How to unlock the Monorail in Death Stranding 2 - Monorail guide

The Monorail is unlocked after the events of Order 12: Investigate Unusual Tar Currents Near F1. Here's a quick summary:

• Upon reaching Sector F1, you'll fight a giant Mecha BT.
• Defeating this opponent leads to conversations with the settlement's leader and Fragile.
• The next day, Sam will be able to talk to the lead NPC once more. He'll be presented with a task to restore power to a nearby mine.

How to restore power to the mine

To unlock the Monorail in Death Stranding 2, make sure you've loaded up the required resources--i.e. Resins and Special Alloys--onto your vehicle. Also, you should have at least 2,000 Chiral Crystals in your inventory.

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Are you wondering about how to unlock fast travel in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach? While you can roam around freely while riding a vehicle, there's an even speedier mode of transport that can get you to various locations easily. We've got a guide that has all the details that you need.

Table of Contents [hide]

• How to fast travel in Death Stranding 2 - DHV Magellan fast travel guide
  • Order 12 and the Mecha BT boss fight
  How to fast travel in Death Stranding 2 - DHV Magellan fast travel guide

  To unlock fast travel in the game, you must progress further into the campaign until you complete Order 12: Investigate Unusual Tar Currents Near F1. This entails heading to the West Fort Knot area in the western part of the map.

  Order 12 and the Mecha BT boss fight

  After the cutscene, you'll find yourself face to face against a terrifying Mecha BT boss. This octopus-esque monstrosity is no pushover either, since it uses its tentacles to smash you. But, if you focus-fire on its face and the circular vents with orange glows, you should be able to bring it down in no time.

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Are you thinking of increasing your carry weight in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach? Sam's capacity to lug around a ton of loot becomes integral throughout the campaign. That's because you're expected to bring a bunch of items to countless settlements. As such, the more you're able to lift--without being overencumbered--makes most missions a breeze.

Table of Contents [hide]

• How to increase carry weight in Death Stranding 2
  • Walking around while bearing a ton of weight
  How to increase carry weight in Death Stranding 2

  There are several ways to increase carry weight in the game, though the three most reliable methods involve:

  • Carrying items over a certain weight at great distances
  • Collecting Chiral Crystals
  • Adding Chiral Antigravity Devices to your backpack
  Walking around while bearing a ton of weight

  Yes, you can increase your carry weight in Death Stranding 2 just by roaming around while Sam bears a heavy load on his back. Although the process itself may seem arduous, it's nonetheless a reliable way to improve Sam's carry weight limit. If you're able to lift tons of crates as you move from one facility to the next, then you should notice a few rank-ups eventually.

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Are you curious about photo mode in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach? This feature can be seen in various games, though Death Stranding 2 happens to have a full suite that's sure to surprise fans. We take a look at various functions and tidbits to help you capture those perfect moments.

Table of Contents [hide]

• How to use photo mode in Death Stranding 2

How to use photo mode in Death Stranding 2

Photo mode can be activated by pressing the left-hand side of the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller's touchpad. (The right-hand side of the touch pad causes your character, Sam, to call out or do a thumbs-up emote.)

Note: Photo mode and its full suite of options can be used during regular gameplay activities. You may also use it during cutscenes, albeit with limited functionality.

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Sam Porter Bridges has managed to do the impossible: He has reconnected the former United States of America through sheer will and determination. Now, in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, more challenges are arrayed against him, as he heads to the south and even way down under. Our Death Stranding 2 guides hub has various tips to aid you as you get started on this long and eventful journey.

Table of Contents [hide]

• Death Stranding 2 guides hub
  • General guides
  Death Stranding 2 guides hubGeneral guides

  Beginner's guide/tips - We have over a dozen tips for those who are just about to begin their adventure. We discuss everything from planning your route and caring for Lou, to watching out for environmental hazards and being wary of the threats that you'd face.

  Campaign length: How long to beat - This Death Stranding 2 guide tells you how many hours it'd take for you to complete the campaign, as well as various optional objectives that can keep you engaged for longer periods.

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Lego Disney Pixar: Up House (598 Pieces)

$35 (was $60)

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Amazon has a fantastic deal on a Lego Disney set based on one of the best movies from Pixar Animation Studios. The 598-piece Up House Lego set is discounted to only $35 (was $60) for a limited time. If Amazon sells out of units, check Walmart, as the retailer's online storefront has the same deal at the moment. Lego's Up House is recommended for builders ages 9 and up, but just like the superb 2009 movie, it's possible that adults will appreciate this "playset" even more than youngsters.

Lego Disney Pixar: Up House (598 pieces)

The $25 discount on the Up House is just one of many great deals on Lego sets inspired by Disney and Pixar animated movies. Check out the list at the bottom of this story for more Lego Disney deals as well as a look at a few of the notable recent additions to the lineup.

Lego Disney Pixar: Up House (598 Pieces) $35 (was $60)

This colorful 598-piece Lego set brings to life the home of Carl Fredricksen, otherwise known as the most lovable grouch to appear in an animated movie. Minifigure Carl looks appropriately grumpy, while minifigure Russell is very happy, as to be expected from the intrepid Wilderness Explorer. You also get a Lego animal figure of the very good boy Doug.

It's worth noting that the house itself isn't fully enclosed. From the front, it looks impressively close to the Fredricksen home, matching the colors, window layout, porch design, roof pitch, and rooster weather vane. Naturally, it also has a colorful bundle of brick-built balloons.

The back of the house is unfinished, providing access to four different rooms, each of which has decorations pulled from the movie. You'll find Carl's old television, his record player, a replica of Carl and Ellie's wedding picture, and the Paradise Falls glass jar the couple stored their vacation savings in. Yes, just like the movie, Lego's Up House has small moments that could make adult builders a bit weepy.

See at Amazon See at Walmart Lego Disney and Pixar Deals (June 2025)

For a large-scale display model build specifically designed for adults, check out the 1,445-piece Young Simba Lego set for $92 (was $130). The 30% discount saves you $38 on the detailed model of Simba that Lego created to commemorate The Lion King's 30th anniversary.

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When Epic first revealed and launched Fortnite's popular new Blitz Royale mode on June 17, it came with an expiration date of July 15. But it didn't take long for the company to deliver an extension.. Blitz Royale has consistently been Fortnite's most popular mode in the week since it launched, and on Wednesday, Epic updated the Fortnite API with four additional weeks of Blitz Royale. The new end date is apparently August 12.

Leakers believe they already know the themes Epic will give to each of the additional weeks: Jujutsu Kaisen, Mortal Kombat, and Dragon Ball. Blitz Royale is currently having Avatar Week, which will be followed by Boss Week next Tuesday, and then TMNT Week after that. Each of these weeks will feature weapons and items related to the theme--for the current Avatar week, for example, the loot pool is full of the bending scrolls that were in standard Battle Royale during Chapter 5 Season 2, and TMNT week will bring back each of the turtles' melee weapons from Chapter 5 Season 1.

Blitz Royale is a quicker and smaller version of Fortnite's battle royale, with 32 players on a tiny map, and rounds that last under five minutes. It's a faster and furiouser version of Fortnite, and it caught on immediately. If Blitz Royale continues pulling in tons of players, it's very likely that Epic will make it a permanent mode eventually. This initial launch period may be about seeing how Blitz Royale affects the overall Fortnite ecosystem. Since all seems to be going well on that front, we expect it won't stay away long if it actually does leave on August 12.

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Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons

$30 | Releases August 10

Preorder at Target

Dungeons & Dragons is best known as the seminal, long-running pen-and-paper RPG, but the game has also been adapted into numerous other forms over the last 50 years--including video games, novels, movies, and even other tabletop games, like the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons edition of the Horrified co-op board game. Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons takes the award-winning horror-themed cooperative strategy game and gives it a D&D twist, featuring iconic monsters like The Beholder, heroes based on D&D classes, and even updated rules that use d20 dice. The game launches August 10 for $30, and preorders are available now.

Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons $30 | Releases August 10

Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons is designed for 1-5 players who take on the role of one of five included heroes based on classic D&D classes: The Fighter, The Bard, The Wizard, The Rogue, and The Cleric. The party explores Undermountain Dungeon where they'll encounter D&D monsters: The Mimic, The Beholder, The Displacer, and Red Dragon. Each monster features its own replayable and customizable quests.

The box comes with everything you need to play, including a fully illustrated game mat, five monster minis, 5 hero standees, cards, tokens, dice, and more.

Preorder at Target Horrified: Dungeons & DragonsGallery

Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons is playable as a standalone game, but is also compatible with Horrified: Greek Monsters--which features mythical beasts like Cerberus, Chimera, Medusa, Basilisk, and Siren--and Horrified: World of Monsters that includes the Sphinx, Yeti, Jiangshi, and Cthulhu. There are also other versions of the game available, including Horrified: Universal Monsters and Horrified: American Monsters, though these are not listed as compatible with the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons Edition.

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Thunderbolts Limited Edition Steelbook (4K Blu-ray)

$45 | Releases July 29

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Thunderbolts Pop-up Edition (Blu-ray)

$30 | Walmart Exclusive

Preorder at Walmart (Pop-up) Preorder at Walmart (Standard) Preorder at Amazon (Standard)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a roller coaster ride of highs and lows in the post-Avengers: Endgame world. The MCU experienced one of those now-common lows with Captain America: Brave New World in February. Thankfully, the Avengers* were gearing up to remind fans that there are still plenty of uncharted areas in the MCU for Disney to mine. Thunderbolts, also know as The New Avengers, may not have been a massive commercial success, but the entertaining action movie starring a group of foul-mouthed antiheroes was widely praised by critics. It's the highest-rated Marvel movie in nearly four years on Rotten Tomatoes, and soon you can own a collectible 4K Blu-ray edition.

Thunderbolts Limited Edition Steelbook is available to preorder for $45 at Amazon and Walmart. If you don't mind watching the movie in 1080p resolution, Walmart has an exclusive Blu-ray edition with Pop-up artwork. Thunderbolts releases on 4K and standard Blu-ray on July 29.

We've outlined each physical edition below. After checking out the upcoming Blu-ray release, take a look at our roundup of Thunderbolts comic collection deals at the bottom of this story.

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This fall, visitors at the Nintendo Museum in Japan are going to get an opportunity to catch a glimpse of history from Nintendo's five decades in the video game industry. Nintendo Museum has announced that an art gallery will be opening on September 3 featuring "a wide range of game artwork, including character illustrations and concept art."

The Art Gallery will open on Wednesday, September 3rd on the 2nd floor of the Nintendo Museum Exhibition Building. Visitors can explore a wide range of game artwork, including character illustrations and concept art.

— ニンテンドーミュージアム (@Museum_Nintendo) June 24, 2025

The announcement was light on details about what kind of artwork will be presented in the gallery, or how far back it will go. Although Nintendo became widely known in the early '80s for arcade hits like Donkey Kong, the company's first foray into gaming came in the early '70s with lightgun games. Since the launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in 1985, Nintendo has remained a major player in gaming.

The Nintendo Museum already has exhibits that celebrate the history of Nintendo's video games, as well as a selection of minigames that visitors are allowed to play. During GameSpot's two-day visit to the museum in 2024, Dan Ryckert noted that it "is light on text, descriptions, placards, and other traditional elements of a museum." He added that the room with fully-functional giant controllers from the Famicom, SNES, N64, and Wii Remotes was his favorite.

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