The Arc Raiders Achievement/Trophy for killing another player in PvP combat is titled "Crossing The Threshold," and after 120 hours of intentional pacifistic gameplay, when I saw that alert come across my screen, I felt like I had done exactly that: I'd waded into uncharted territory. More than that, I'd found myself in a world I didn't even want to be in. I'd prided myself on never killing another player in the game. Through dozens and dozens of rounds, I'd gone well out of my way to avoid such an outcome, often being slow to shoot first, even to my own detriment. I put my trust in other players, and sometimes it would prove unwarranted. Mostly, I'd resorted to diplomacy, often talking my way out of problems with other players I'd encounter. I had so many big ideas about what it takes to return to Speranza without blood on one's hands. To me, Arc Raiders was this exciting social experiment. How long can I effectively talk down other players who means me harm? In the end, the answer was about 122 hours of play.

The fateful encounter occurred on Stella Montis, which will be no surprise to some Arc Raiders veterans. This newest map, and the first to take place entirely indoors, is an ultra-tense setting where you are either diligently checking your corners or you're soon bleeding out on the ground. Even in solo queues, where Arc Raiders remains mostly the bastion of good-natured and helpful PvE-only players, it feels like Stella Montis is kill-or-be-killed more than the game's other maps.

I was minding my own business, cautiously looting but certainly not planning to hurt anyone, when I heard some gunfire nearby. Hiding behind some lockers, I had a clear view of this fight, except for when it wrapped into the next room via the open doors leading to a hallway. I was still within range to hear the proximity chat of those who were scrapping, and witnessed with my eyes and/or ears a scuffle that took the lives of at least two players, whose flares shot toward the ceiling from inside the hallway. I crouched a safe distance away from the noise, then continued exploring other rooms.

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While many of the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals have vanished, a few are still around. One such offer is at Displate, which is offering up to 44% on select metal posters. The price cut applies to dozens of pieces in Displate's product catalog, which offers metal prints based on everything from video games and movies to TV shows and anime. To cash in on the deal, add any eligible product (or products) to your shopping cart, then use promo code CYBER at checkout. The amount you'll save is directly related to how many items you have in your cart: 35% for one or more prints, 41% for three or more, and 44% for five or more. The savings ends at 11:59 PM PT, so be sure to swing by the retailer and check out the offer while you can.

See deals at Displate Displate Cyber Monday Discounts

Use code CYBER at checkout.

• Buy 1-2 -- Get 35% off
• Buy 3-4 -- Get 41% off
• Buy 5+ -- Get 44% off

Need help sifting through Displate's gigantic catalog? Here's a look at a few of our favorites. Keep in mind that pricing varies based on how you customize the poster (size, matte, gloss, frame, etc.), but your standard 17.7 x 12.6 inch matte poster starts at $32.49 (was $50) when using the promo code. Note that all of the products below are officially licensed.

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YouTube has published its list of the top trending topics of 2025, and once again, gaming and pop culture were popular choices for what people watched on the video-streaming website. Out of the trending topics--which aren't ranked in any particular order--US YouTube viewers devoured any content related to the Switch 2 console, Roblox, and the RPG-strategy game Cookie Run Kingdom. Other topics of interest in the US included KPop Demon Hunters, Labubu collectible dolls, and the hit anime series Blue Lock.

Roblox user-generated experiences and the Switch 2 continued to be popular topics on YouTube worldwide, especially in countries such as Korea, Germany, Mexico, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom. YouTube says that it determined the top trends for the US and other regions through "a variety of signals," including views, uploads, and creator activity around the topics. Only the topics that were determined to have had conspicuous popularity this year--either because they were new to 2025 or because they saw significant increases in their user-interest metrics--were eligible for the list.

YouTube Trending Pop Culture Topics in the US for 2025

• Squid Game
• User-Generated Roblox Experiences: Grow A Garden, Dandy's World, Forsaken, Steal A Brainrot
• KPop Demon Hunters
• Brainrot
• Labubu
• Nintendo Switch 2
• Cookie Run Kingdom
• Blue Lock
• Katseye

While Roblox has seen its popularity reach new heights in 2025, that has also brought new scrutiny to the game-creation platform, following accusations that it is infested with child predators who prey on its young userbase. Recently, Roblox Corporation CEO David Baszucki unveiled an initiative to introduce a new face-scanning feature to increase child safety, but an interview with The New York Times yielded some questionable responses from him.

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Mark Cerny--best known as the lead architect of the PlayStation Vita, PS4, and PS5--recently appeared on Simon Parkin's My Perfect Console podcast to choose five games he would preserve on a fictional console. While much of the conversation naturally touched on his long history with Sony, one of the most surprising and heartfelt moments came when he talked about his love for Nintendo's Pikmin.

Despite his deep ties to PlayStation, Cerny made it clear that Pikmin left a lasting mark on him. Cerny described playing the original Pikmin as a truly "transformative" experience. He explained how emotionally invested he became in Captain Olimar's struggle to survive and return home.

"I had this thing where I tended to play smaller, lighter games for about 10 years, so I don't know, Portal or Plants vs. Zombies or Flower or Katamari Damacy. Pikmin, I just [picked] out of that list because I thought it was such an emotionally involving story," Cerny explained. "Poor Captain Olimar, he crash lands, and he's got 30 days to reassemble his ship, or he'll run out of oxygen and die, and he's sending letters home every day."

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Metroid Prime 4: Beyond opens upon a massive battle as Samus comes to the aid of Federation troops. The action-packed sci-fi spectacle wouldn't be out of place in a Halo game, signaling a very different take on the Metroid series. But while it accurately signals some degree of departure from traditional Metroid Prime games--particularly with a greater emphasis on interactions with Federation characters and combat--the vast majority of Prime 4 is a well-crafted sequel that delivers on what Prime does best. The result is a satisfying long-awaited return that is excellent at capturing the Prime fundamentals, but hit-or-miss when it experiments with new ideas.

The massive battle that serves as the opening tutorial is between the Federation and a loose assemblage of Space Pirates, under the leadership of Sylux--a rival of protagonist Samus Aran who has been seen before, but not featured so prominently. Sylux is controlling Metroids somehow, but for the moment, the Federation's main concern is securing an ancient artifact before it's taken by Sylux's forces. When things go extremely wrong in that mission, the artifact transports Samus to Viewros--a dying planet whose sentient beings, the Lamorn, passed away untold years ago. Samus quickly finds a Psychic Crystal that imbues her with the ability to interface with Lamorn technology. It becomes apparent that Samus isn't alone--Sylux appears to have been transported here too, along with pieces of Federation tech and personnel. You're all trapped on this dying rock together, unless you find a way out.

However, recordings reveal that the Lamorn see the bearer of the Psychic Crystal as a "Chosen One," a savior for their people, in a sense. It's too late to rescue the Lamorn, but they wish to preserve their history and culture, and so they've prepared a Memory Fruit for the Chosen One to carry off-planet with the aid of their Master Teleporter. This aspect of the story is appropriately melancholic: You can't save the Lamorn people, but you can preserve what mattered most to them. So your mission is twofold: Carry the Memory Fruit to another world, and in doing so, get access to their teleporting technology that can save you and the other stranded Federation troops. Commence video game adventure.

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Nintendo has provided game file sizes for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on Switch and Switch 2, letting console owners know how much space they need to download the first-person adventure game. On Switch 2, Metroid Prime 4 comes in at an estimated 31.6GB, while the original Switch version only takes up 26.3GB, per the Nintendo Store. Intriguingly, though, the eShop accessed via Switch 2 showcases the Switch edition as taking up 28.9GB.

Regardless, it makes sense Metroid Prime 4 has a bigger download size on Switch 2, since the game offers 4K visuals in quality mode docked and 120fps in performance mode docked. There is also HDR support and mouse controls, courtesy of the Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers. Both versions will launch this Thursday, December 4.

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In November, PC and PlayStation 5 users were able to dive into Everstone Studio and NetEase Games' Wuxia action-adventure-RPG, Where Winds Meet. Now, the mobile launch is just over a week away.

Where Winds Meet will get its official debut on iOS and Android on December 12, and the mobile version will support cross-play and cross-progression for PC and PS5 users.

"We are both humbled and flattered by the kind words and encouragement from players around the world," said Where Winds Meet lead producer Beralt Lyu in a statement. "Their support inspires us to continue improving the game and delivering even better content to our players. With the mobile version coming soon, we can't wait for more players to join our growing community."

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Lego Stranger Things: The Creel House (2,593 pieces)

$300 | Releases January 4, 2026

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Lego has officially revealed a new Stranger Things set, as fans can look forward to a 2,593-piece tribute to the iconic Creel House. The hub of all things spooky in the Stranger Things series, this Lego replica is loaded with Easter eggs from all five seasons of the Netflix show and it's now available to preorder for $300. Members of the Lego Insiders rewards program can get their hands on the set early, starting January 1, 2026, and it'll be available globally starting January 4. Anyone who buys the set from the Lego Store from January 1-4 will also receive the 584-piece Lego Icons Stranger Things: WSQK Radio Station set as a free gift, which includes Joyce and Hopper minifigures.

Lego Stranger Things: The Creel House (2,593 pieces) $300 | Releases January 4, 2026

Just like the infamous location, the Lego replica of the Creel House features a richly detailed facade and several highly detailed rooms. Alice and Henry's bedrooms, the haunted upstairs hallway, and Vecna's Mind Lair are all part of the build, and other nods to the series include the infamous grandfather clock, Steve's car, the WSQK radio station van, and Will's bike. The mansion can be displayed in its eerie boarded-up state, or you can open it up to examine all the rooms inside.

The set comes with 13 minifigures--Eleven, Will, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Holly, Steve, Nancy, Robin, Jonathan, Max, Mr. Whatsit, and Vecna--and it measures over 11.5 inches high, 20 inches wide, and 7 inches deep after it has been fully constructed.

See at Lego Store Gallery

This isn't the first Stranger Things set produced by Lego, and if you're looking to complete the collection, you can pick up a BrickHeadz collection of Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, and Will Byers buildable figures for $40. The set launched in October, and each figure adapts the Stranger Things character's look and '80s fashion.

Stranger Things BrickHeadz See at Lego Store

Each blocky figure also comes with a buildable display base to pop them on and accessories like a walkie-talkie for Mike, a headset for Dustin, and a slingshot and binoculars for Lucas.

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Writer-director Hideo Kojima has announced that he is part of the voice cast for the Japanese version of Disney's Zootopia 2. He voices the mole role of Paul Moldebrandt.

Kojima told Famitsu that Zootopia 2 director Jared Bush personally asked Kojima to play the role for the Japanese dubbing of the Disney film that's now in theaters and putting up massive numbers.

Zootopia 2 has already made $560 million+ globally, thanks in large part to China, where the film has earned $270 million so far. China is far and away the biggest market for Zootopia 2 so far, the next closet being the US and Canada ($158.8 million).

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Sony has unveiled a new limited-edition look for the DualSense controller, just in time for the launch of Genshin Impact Version Luna III. Dubbed the Genshin Impact Limited Edition, this controller is inspired by the game and its signature style, giving it a fantasy-themed makeover. Preorders begin December 11 at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET, and the controller is priced at $85.

This version of the DualSense controller combines an ethereal white, gold, and green palette with arcane glyphs found in Genshin Impact. You'll also find emblems of the Traveler Twins Aether and Lumine, as well as a nod to their companion guide, Paimon, with a cute graphic. Sony says that it collaborated closely with Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse to create the controller and celebrate the popular live-service game's fifth anniversary.

Genshin Impact DualSense controllerGallery

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The infamous Rising Heat is a gladiator-style spaceship spectacle, a tournament backed by the exorbitantly wealthy, extraterrestrial elite. Wingmen from across the cosmos test their skills and compete for a chance to achieve prestigious victory. Can you beat the heat? Fight your way through the Rising Heat, a gladiator style space spectacle bankrolled by the Extraterrestrial Elite! Take flight with a diverse cast of pilots, ships and weapons! Choose upgrades, discover synergies and construct a build powerful enough to give yourself a fighting chance!

From Cory Davis (Spec Ops: The Line) and Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails) comes a first-person psychedelic horror set in the far future. In the last known city on Earth, people are disappearing in their sleep. Those who remain exist in a crisis of reckless experiments to keep awake. Katja must navigate depraved death cults, otherworldly forces, and the ever-present horror of The HUSH, to save herself and those who rely upon her.