Epic Games has announced that a Fortnite emote associated with retiring WWE superstar and current movie mega-star John Cena has been disabled, maybe indefinitely, because of its possible Nazi connection.

Peaceful Hips, an emote in the popular battle royale shooter, was created in collaboration between James Gunn's DC show Peacemaker and Epic Games. The emote sees your character goofily rotate their hips before making alternating "L" shapes with their arms. If you've watched Peacemaker, then you're familiar with the dance; it's what Cena performs in the second season's opening montage. It's awkward and stiff, which is what's supposed to make it a lighthearted gaff, particularly given the character's often violent personality. However, with the show's latest episode, the quirky dance--and Fortnite emote--have taken on a whole new meaning.

Light Spoilers for Peacemaker S2, E6

Titled "Ignorance Is Chris," the September 25 episode sees Peacemaker discover that the alternate dimension he's so fond of is actually Nazi America. This version of the US shows a true Anglo state, where there are only white people, and the stars of the American flag have been replaced with swastikas. It's this fact that unlocks the new meaning behind Peacemaker's dance in the opening of Season 2; those alternating "L" shapes he's making with his arms are stand-ins for the swastika.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The full release for Hades 2 has led to a new all-time high of concurrent players on Steam for the sequel. The roguelite game topped out at 112,947 people over the weekend, according to SteamDB. That breaks the sequel's record from its Steam Early Access debut in May 2024 with just over 103,000 players. In addition, Hades 2 has already doubled the peak of Hades, which hit 54,240 concurrent players in May 2024, too, per SteamDB.

Developer Supergiant delivered Hades 2 version 1.0 a few days ago on September 25. The full launch also included the true ending for the game, along with 50 different achievements and new artwork. So far, Hades 2 is only available on PC, Switch, and Switch 2.

Hades 2 is the first sequel that Supergiant has ever created. The studio formed in 2009 and previously made Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, and the original Hades. GameSpot's Hades 2 review rewarded the follow-up with a prestigious 10/10--the second title to earn that score this year (Split Fiction being the other).

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Battlefield 6's launch on October 10 is coming up very soon. If you're wondering precisely when you can start playing, the release times for the military shooter have now been posted online.

As confirmed previously, there is no early access for Battlefield 6, so the game will launch at the same time for everyone on October 10. The global rollout begins at 8 AM PT on October 10, which works out to 11 AM ET and 4 PM BST. You can see more global launch times below, as posted by Battlefield Bulletin. GameSpot has contacted EA in an attempt to confirm these times and get more information.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Konami's Silent Hill series returned with Silent Hill f this month, and the game is off to a hot start. Konami reported today that the horror game exceeded 1 million sales after its first 24 hours.

This figure includes physical and digital sales across all platforms, including PC and console. By comparison, 2024's Silent Hill 2 remake sold 1 million copies after three days. Silent Hill f was available a couple days early for people who paid extra.

Silent Hill f was developed by NeoBards Entertainment, while Bloober Team made the Silent Hill 2 remake. The new game is set in 1960s Japan and follows the character Hinako Shimizu as she solves puzzles and fights horrible monsters.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The rumors were true: Electronic Arts has announced that it's sold itself in a $55 billion deal. EA sold itself to an "investor consortium" made up of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners, and the private equity firm Silver Lake.

EA said the all-cash deal "positions EA to accelerate innovation and growth to build the future of entertainment." EA CEO Andrew Wilson is still on board as CEO.

The investor consortium will take over 100% of EA. The PIF already had a 9.9% stake in EA prior to this deal.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

American Caper #1 (Kindle edition)

$5.74

Preorder at Amazon

Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser isn't just preparing to launch a new book--titled A Better Paradise Volume One: An Aftermath--but also a new comic book series called American Caper. The first issue launches on November 12, and it follows a Mormon hitman, a gambling lawyer, and a Mexican beauty queen as their fates become tangled together after a real estate deal goes wrong. If you're interested in reading the first issue, Amazon is offering the Kindle version of it for $5.74.

American Caper #1 (Kindle edition) $5.74

Joined by Grand Theft Auto veteran Lazlow--who will also write additional material for American Caper--the first storyline of this series will run for 12 issues. Bringing it to life will be a veteran team of illustrators, including Eisner Award-winning artist David Lapham (Stray Bullets), colorist Chris Anderson (Lost Angels), Lee Loughridge (GI Joe), and letterer Nate Piekos (The Umbrella Academy). Houser describes the series as a tale of corrupt business, inept politics, bungling crime, leisure wear, and self-righteous justice, and he has teased a cast of colorful characters for American Caper, ranging from a Wall Street billionaire who has become a cowboy to a "maniac" seeking revenge.

Preorder at Amazon

"I love doing crime comedy and having done lots of stories about carjackers, or people that have to be tough, living in this moment right now. I wanted to tell a story about some degenerate criminals from a completely different perspective, in a completely different part of the world, that you could never make a GTA game in," Houser said to IGN during a panel at LA Comic-Con this month. "Men getting confused between reality and the fantasy in their heads is something a lot of stories are about, and is something I find very interesting. America, particularly the rural west, in this moment right now is something I found interesting, and thought was an interesting place to set a dark comedy."

Houser's other project, A Better Paradise, will be released on October 14, and the novel will also be available in ebook and audiobook formats. This book is adapted from an audio fiction series that aired in 2024, and it's set in the near future at a video game company. The story takes place at Daisy's Ark, an advanced video game world developed by tech startup Tyburn Industria that was eventually shut down following a pattern of "unexpected and disturbing results" that had an impact on everyone involved. A decade later, development on the project resumes.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Artificial intelligence technologies are being adopted faster than ever before by developers in Japan, according to a newly released survey conducted by the organization behind the Tokyo Game Show. The results indicated that over 50% of Japanese video game developers are integrating AI into their production.

Automaton shared the results of the findings from the 2025 CESA Video Game Industry Report, which found that 51% of Japanese developers use AI in some capacity while creating games. The survey was conducted between June and July of this year, with 54 companies responding, including Sega, Capcom, and Level-5. Most of the companies indicated that they are using AI for visual assets, story and text creation, and programing support. There are even some developers who are using AI to help them create in-house game engines.

This matches up with global trends. A majority of game developers worldwide are known to use AI systems for game development, despite ongoing worker concerns.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Battlefield 6 players have made it pretty clear that they don't want the game to follow in the footsteps of Call of Duty with its celebrity operators and cartoon-like skins featuring Beavis and Butt-head. Now, EA and Battlefield Studios appear to be poking fun at Call of Duty with a live-action Battlefield 6 trailer that introduces some celebrities soldiers before ruthlessly dispatching them.

Zac Efron, Jimmy Butler, Morgan Wallen, and Paddy Pimblett play themselves as the warriors who prove to be expendable in more ways than one. This video appears to be a callback to Call of Duty's "There's A Soldier In All Of Us" series of trailers that featured all manner of celebrities, including Sam Worthington, Jonah Hill, and Dwight Howard. The celebrities operators had a much easier time in that video than they did with Battlefield 6's urban chaos and destructible locations.

Battlefield 6 has already had a launch trailer for its campaign, which highlighted the extent that bringing down buildings can reshape the game. Another trailer put the spotlight on Battlefield 6's Portal mode. That's the part of the game that puts tools in the hands of players and lets them create customized maps that inject more chaos into the battles.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Yakuza Kiwami 1-3 & Yakuza 0 Director's Cut

Physical editions for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2

Preorder at Amazon

Yakuza and Like a Dragon developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has kept the franchise thriving with a constant stream of releases, and this strategy will continue through the holiday season and into 2026. Most notably, the Kiwami remake series is expanding with Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties. The remake of Yakuza 3 comes with a new spin-off game Dark Ties and features a complete overhaul of the gameplay and graphics. Yakuza Kiwami 3 is available to preorder now for $60 on PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X and PC ahead of its February 12, 2026 release.

Upcoming Yakuza Game Preorders for Console:

• Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties (PS5, Switch 2, Xbox) -- Feb. 12, 2026
• Yakuza Kiwami 1 & 2 Bundle (PS5, Xbox) -- Dec. 8
• Yakuza Kiwami / Yakuza Kiwami 2 (Switch 2) -- Nov. 13
• Yakuza 0 Director's Cut (PS5, Xbox) -- Dec. 8
  • Available now for Switch 2

Sega is also bringing Yakuza Kiwami 1 & 2 to PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2 this fall. A Kiwami 1 & 2 bundle for PlayStation and Xbox releases December 8 for $60, while Nintendo Switch 2 players can preorder Yakuza Kiwami and Kiwami 2 separately for $35 each. Along with the rereleases of the first two remakes, the Director's Cut of Yakuza 0 will no longer be exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2 starting December 8. Check out all of the upcoming Yakuza physical editions below.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

$50 | Amazon Exclusive Edition

Preorder at Amazon

Final Fantasy Tactics makes its triumphant return this week with an awesome enhanced edition called The Ivalice Chronicles. Still one of the greatest tactical RPGs of all time nearly 30 years later, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles earned a 9/10 in our review. If you haven't preordered a copy ahead of its September 30 release, Prime members can still get release-day delivery for the Amazon Exclusive Edition on Nintendo Switch and PS5. Tactics has a free Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade with improved graphics and frame rates.

Final Fantasy Tactics Amazon Exclusive EditionFinal Fantasy Tactics - Amazon Exclusive Edition

Preorder at Amazon for:

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Lego Speed Champions: Ultimate Formula 1 Collector's Pack

$270 | Amazon Exclusive

See at Amazon See all 10 cars

Collectors of Lego's wide-ranging race car models and Formula 1 fans have another chance to buy the Amazon-exclusive 10-in-1 bundle that quickly sold out at launch earlier this year. The Lego Speed Champions: Ultimate Formula 1 Collector's Pack has received a surprise restock six months after selling out. Released in March, this massive box set includes all 10 Lego Speed Champions F1 cars in the series and an exclusive poster. The Ultimate F1 Collector's Pack retails for $270 and features 10 officially licensed race cars, 10 Lego minifigures, an exclusive poster, and a giant display box showcasing the 2,601-piece collection.

The bundle was only available for a few weeks after launch before it sold out. Prior to Amazon's restock this month, there was no indication the bundle would return, but Amazon must have saved some units for the holiday season. In addition to this restock, Amazon has deals on a bunch of Formula 1 Lego sets across multiple collections.

Lego Speed Champions: Ultimate Formula 1 Collector's Pack $270 | Amazon Exclusive

Lego had released Formula 1 models before this year, but those were usually one-offs, whereas this year's expanded partnership featured the 10 Speed Champions cars, a collection of Lego City playsets, new Technic display models, and even a "minifigure" with 12 mini F1 cars.

This year's Lego Speed Champions F1 collection includes popular race cars from Aston Martin, Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari, Williams Racing, and more. The race cars measure approximately 8 inches long and 3 inches wide. Piece counts range from 242 to 269.

We've listed all 10 cars included with the Ultimate Formula 1 Collector's Pack below. Each set is also sold separately with a retail price of $27. It's worth noting that buying each set separately would cost you about $242 at the moment due to Amazon offering small discounts on most of the cars.

Ultimate Formula 1 Collector's Pack:

• Aston Martin Aramco F1 AMR24 (269 pieces) -- $21.55 ($27)
• Mercedes-AMG F1 W15 (267 pieces) -- $21.55 ($27)
• BWT Alpine F1 Team A524 (258 pieces) -- $21.55 ($27)
• MoneyGram Haas F1 Team VF-24 (242 pieces) -- $24 ($27)
• Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 (251 pieces) -- $24.49 ($27)
• Ferrari SF-24 (275 pieces) -- $24.60 ($27)
• McLaren F1 Team MCL38 (269 pieces) -- $25 ($27)
• Williams Racing FW46 (263 pieces) -- $26 ($27)
• Kick Sauber F1 Team C44 (259 pieces) -- $26 ($27)
• Visa Cash App RB VCARB 01 (248 pieces) -- $27

See at Amazon See all 10 cars

Lego Formula 1 Racing Sets

We rounded up all of the F1 Speed Champions, Technic, City, and Icons sets.

See at Amazon

The aforementioned Lego F1 miniature race car collection is discounted at Amazon and Walmart right. Normally $30, the mystery boxes with six cars each are up for grabs for only $20. There are 12 cars to collect, and each box contains six different models. Just know that if you buy more than one, you're likely to get duplicates.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Eyes Wide Shut: The Criterion Collection (4K Blu-ray)

$35 (was $50) | Releases November 25

Preorder at Amazon

Stanley Kubrick fans can save 30% on their preorder for The Criterion Collection edition of Eyes Wide Shut. The legendary filmmaker's polarizing final movie arrives on 4K Blu-ray for the first time November 25. Preorders for Eyes Wide Shut's 3-disc 4K Blu-ray edition are discounted to $35 (was $50) at Amazon. Criterion is also releasing a new 1080p Blu-ray edition the same day, and it's also on sale for 30% off, dropping the price to $28.

Arguably Kubrick's strangest--and certainly the most sexually explicit--film, Eyes Wide Shut was a major box office hit, but it proved to be too unsettling and weird for some critics and fans back in 1999. These days, though, many critics and fans alike consider Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman film to be a masterpiece. While it's only the second Kubrick 4K release from Criterion--Barry Lyndon became the first in July--nearly all of Kubrick's movies are now available on 4K Blu-ray from other distributors.

Eyes Wide Shut: The Criterion Collection (4K Blu-ray) $35 (was $50) | Releases November 25

The 4K release of Eyes Wide Shut is a three-disc set with one 4K UHD disc and two 1080p Blu-ray discs. Like other Criterion releases, this version is designed to be as close as possible to Kubrick's thoroughly meticulous vision for how it should be presented. While the famed director passed away in 1999 less than a week after screening the final cut for Warner Bros., Criterion's restoration was supervised by the movie's director of photography, Larry Smith. Since the 1080p version is based on the 4K restoration, it should also be an improvement over the current Blu-ray edition.

Notably, Criterion restored the international version--the aforementioned final cut--not the US theatrical edition, which was censored in order to attain an R rating.

On a technical level, this release offers support for Dolby Vision HDR and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound.

For the bonus materials, new interviews have been filmed with Smith, photographer and second-unit director Lisa Leone, and Stanley Kubrick archivist Georgina Orgill.

There are also archival extras from previous Blu-ray releases of Eyes Wide Shut, like interviews with the actors, a documentary examining the unfinished films of Kubrick, and more. All of these are available to watch on the bonus standard Blu-ray disc. The standard Blu-ray edition is a two-disc set with the same bonus features.

Inside the display case you'll also find a booklet with a 1999 interview with Kubrick and actor Sydney Pollack as well as a new essay by author Megan Abbott.

Eyes Wide Shut: The Criterion Collection Features

• 4K digital restoration supervised by director of photography Larry Smith
• 3-disc set: 4K Blu-ray & 2 standard Blu-rays
• Dolby Vision HDR
• DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• New interviews with Larry Smith, second-unit director Lisa Leone, and Kubrick archivist Georgina Orgill
• Archival interview with Kubrick's wife Christiane Kubrick
• Never Just a Dream: 2019 interviews with producer Jan Harlan, Kubrick's daughter Katharina Kubrick, and his personal assistant Anthony Frewin
• Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick
• Kubrick Remembered: Interviews with Steven Spielberg and actors Todd Field and Leelee Sobieski
• Kubrick’s 1998 acceptance speech for the Directors Guild of America’s D.W. Griffith Award
• 1999 press conference with executive producer Jan Harlan, Tom Cruise, and Nicole Kidman
• Trailers
• English subtitles
• Booklet with essay by author Megan Abbott and a 1999 interview with filmmaker and actor Sydney Pollack

Preorder at Amazon

Stanley Kubrick Movies on 4K Blu-ray

Most of Kubrick's films have received 4K restorations in recent years.

See at Amazon

Loosely adapted from Arthur Schnitzler's novella Dream Story, Eyes Wide Shut follows doctor Bill Harford (Tom Cruise) and his wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), as they confront their unconscious desires, jealousies, and fears inside of a version of New York City that feels a step removed from reality.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Get your fishing rods, it's time to play Minecraft. Mojang is working with Conservation International to give us a new educational Minecraft add-on called Friendly Fishing. Friendly Fishing is "an epic fishing adventure loaded with everything from tuna and clams to anchovies, sharks, and treasures," and it's available now.

The Barracuda is just one of many fish in Friendly Fishing.

In addition to offering up a new place to explore and fish to catch, this is meant to educate players about ocean pollution. As you fish, you'll be able to catch a variety of underwater creatures, but you'll also hook plastic waste, which you can then use to craft unique items. You'll unlock more fish--over 90 types--as you clean up the ocean, in addition to learning about real-world ocean cleanup.

This add-on also features an aquarium to fill with fish, and the ability to suit up for a dive to explore some ruins.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Minecraft is all about making the world your own, and part of that is making your character look how you like, whether that's simple customization or something from your favorite show, movie, or game. The latest collab to come to Minecraft is Dragonball Z. Mojang hasn't given us a hard release date, but says this is happening later this year.

As part of the latest Minecraft Live presentation, Mojang teased the new Dragonball Z collaboration. Details on the collab are light, but right now you can get free Super Saiyan Hair from the Minecraft Marketplace, which is available until November 4, 2025.

Minecraft has collaborated with a variety of companies previously. This includes characters like SpongeBob SquarePants, Sonic the Hedgehog, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hello Kitty, Terraria, and a whole bunch more. Fashion collaborations include Burberry, Lacoste, and AAPE.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Sometimes nights in Minecraft are overwhelming, feeling like you're battling an unstoppable army of hostile mobs. Minecraft's next update, which drops in Holiday 2025, will offer up a new weapon, new mount, and new enemy configurations to mix up your battles.

The new weapon is the spear. Mojang says that this item is suited for both hand-to-hand and mounted combat, and that the damage scales with your speed, giving you all the excuse you need to charge into battle.

The new underwater mount, the nautilus.

That will pair great with the new underwater mount, the nautilus, which you can tame using pufferfish. In addition to making travel faster, this mount will preserve your existing air supply, making those enchanted helmets a little bit less necessary. You'll also be able to find nautilus armor in chests, with copper, iron, gold, diamond, and netherite variants.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

When copper debuted in Minecraft on June of 2021, it was immediately a block with tons of potential, thanks to the ability to age the material into a variety of different shades. Now, though, copper is finally living up to all that potential in Mojang's upcoming update, The Copper Age, which brings a bunch of new options to put all that copper in your storage chests to use. The Copper Age update drops next week, on Septemer 30.

First (and finally), you'll be able to wear and carry copper. Copper armor, which sits between leather and iron armor in terms of durability and protection, includes the full suite of armor, plus armor for your horse. You'll also be able to create a full set of copper tools. These items won't oxidize, and they'll be more durable than stone tools, but less so than iron.

The copper chest, copper armor, copper lanterns, and other copper tiles.

This update also adds copper chests, golems, and golem statues. You'll get your first copper chest when you create a copper golem (combine copper blocks and a carved pumpkin to make this new friend-shaped mob). Then, you can put items into the copper chest, and the copper golem will sort those items into normal chests around your base. Additionally, when one of these little guys meets an iron golem, legend has it that something super adorable happens.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Last year's Fortnitemares was extremely packed with microtransactions, with the Fortnite item shop averaging a new collab skin every other day over the course of October. And it may be that Fortnitemares 2025 will be even more crowded, with long-rumored collabs with Scream, Friday the 13th, and Scooby-Doo expected to appear in the Fortnite shop during spooky season. But now there's a new rumor about yet another Fortnitemares collab--KPop Demon Hunters.

The exact nature of the Fortnite x KPOP Demon Hunters collab isn't clear at all right now, since the entire leak is just HypeX saying that it's "the main Halloween collab" and that it's "not just skins." If true, this would presumably mean that there will be some new KPop Demon Hunters-related gameplay mechanic, like a new weapon or other item. Though since Fortnitemares is also rumored to have a Jason Voorhees medallion and Ghostface's mythic knife, the KPop Demon Hunters collab would have to be even more involved with that.

The new season of Fortnite Festival begins on October 9, and so it's possible that HUNTR/X will be the new season headliners. Epic previously promised the upcoming Festival season would be focused on Fortnite-original stuff, but that just means they had a plan that would have been very easy to pivot away from if they had the chance to swap in a collab with the biggest Netflix movie ever.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Standard Edition

$60 | Releases October 21

Preorder at Amazon Preoder at Walmart Preorder at Best Buy

It's been a long wait, but Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 finally launches on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on October 21. Those eager to preorder the long-awaited follow-up to the immersive RPG from 2004 can grab one of the multiple physical and digital editions available now--including a $60 physical edition on PS5 and Xbox. The game is available at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. Preordering the game even unlocks a fun bit of bonus content that fans of the original Bloodlines will enjoy.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Preorder BonusesBloodlines Nostalgia Jukebox

Preorder any version of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 to unlock the Bloodlines Nostalgia Jukebox. This in-game item unlocks original music from the original Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines soundtrack composed Rik Schaffer. It's not much, but it's a fun extra for long-time fans of the series.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Standard Edition $60 | Releases October 21

The Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 standard edition is the only physical edition of the game available. It includes the base game, plus the Bloodlines Nostalgia Jukebox if you preorder before October 21. You can preorder physical PS5 and Xbox Series X copies for $60 at Walmart and Best Buy. Digital preorders are also available on consoles and PC.

Preorder at Amazon Preoder at Walmart Preorder at Best Buy Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Deluxe Edition$70 | Releases October 21

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

$70 | Releases December 8

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy

We've seen numerous first-party Xbox games make the jump to PS5 in recent months, and one of the next titles to appear on Sony's platform is a big one: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The latest entry in the long-running flight sim series will land on PS5 on December 8. The game will be available physically and digitally for $70, and preorders are now live. Securing an early copy will unlock an extra aircraft, the Northrop T-38A Talon, to pilot in-game.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2025 (PS5) Preorder Bonus

As mentioned above, preordering any version of Microsoft Flight Simulator on PS5 will unlock the Northrop T-38A Talon as an extra in-game aircraft, letting player fly the supersonic jet immediately once they start the game.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 $70 | Releases December 8

For the PS5 release, players can expect the same accurately rendered world, flight paths, and aircraft as the PC and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game. Developer Asobo Studio has added several significant post-launch updates, and the PS5 version will feature up to 125 highly detailed aircraft. Not only can you fly business jets and ultralight airplanes, but Flight Simulator 2024 also includes airships, hot air balloons, rotorcraft, and fight jets.

There'll also be several PlayStation-exclusive features for this version of Flight Simulator 2024, designed specifically for the DualSense controller. Adaptive triggers will respond to different speeds and surface types on the ground to add a sense of immersion, air traffic control communications will be played through the controller speaker, and there'll be more features that will utilize the DualSense lightbar, gyro controls, and touchpad. PS VR2 owners will be able to experience the entire game through their headset when a free update for Flight Simulator 2024 arrives in 2026.

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Premium Deluxe Edition (Digital Code for Xbox Series X|S) $63 (was $130) | Now available

If you're on Xbox and you haven't tried it out yet, you can get a good deal on the Premium Deluxe Edition of Flight Simulator 2024. This is for a digital code, but it does unlock the full game, 25 additional aircraft and 10 extra international airports. Normally, you'd pay $130 for this edition, but it is on sale for $63 currently through a limited-time Amazon and Walmart deal.

See at Amazon See at Walmart Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas One Microsoft Flight Sim 2024 Collectors Edition (PC and Xbox Series X|S)

While Flight Simulator 2024 is perfectly playable with a traditional controller on console, you just can't beat a proper flight stick for making you feel like you're really sitting inside of a cockpit. There's no shortage of these, and while the best models do cost quite a bit, there are affordable alternatives to choose from. The official Flight Simulator 2024 flight stick from Thrustmaster is rock-solid, and attractively priced at $107.

It's compatible with Xbox Series X|S and PC, and its design offers 10-bit precision with five axes--including Z axis--14 programmable buttons, a rapid-response trigger, and a multidirectional hat switch. All of that hardware is housed in a crisp white shell with Flight Simulator 2024 branding on it, and you can separate the joystick from the throttle.

See at Amazon Logitech G Pro Flight Yoke System (PC) $150 (was $180)

If you're looking for realistic yoke controls instead, Logitech does offer a peripheral designed to emulate that piloting setup on PC. Inside the box you'll find the flight yoke with a long USB connector cable, the flight throttle quadrant, and desk clamps. This controller has a stainless steel yoke shaft designed to provide accurate and smooth control, and for inputs, it's loaded with a POV hat switch, 14 buttons, and a three-position mode switch for added customization.

This can also be integrated into Logitech's other flight sim devices thanks to its modular design, so if you want to build a realistic cockpit, the company does offer switches, flight instruments, and radio panels alongside flight rudder pedals.

See at Amazon

As noted above, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is one of several Microsoft-published games launching physically on PS5. Some, like with Gears of War: Reloaded, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Doom: The Dark Ages, are already available, while others are launching soon, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 on October 21 and The Outer Worlds 2 on October 29. Forza Horizon 6 was also confirmed to be in development for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PS5, with a 2026 release window.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

EA could reportedly go private with a $50 billion deal to be revealed as early as next week between a group of investors, which includes Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), according to The Wall Street Journal.

Alongside PIF, according to people the WSJ said are familiar with the matter, private-equity firm Silver Lake is also reportedly involved with the deal. While EA has a market value of approximately $43 billion, two people told the WSJ that the behind-closed-doors discussions have valued the sports-sim maker closer to $50 billion.

According to the WSJ, if the deal comes together and goes through, this will be the "largest leveraged buyout of all time." The last mega-buyout was in 2007, when Texas-based utility company TXU was purchased by a group of private-equity firms for about $32 billion.

Continue Reading at GameSpot