Astro Bot just received its latest free update, adding five more levels and new bot cameos to Team Asobi's Game of the Year-winning platformer.

Originally announced during Sony's June 2025 State of Play, the update adds a new galaxy, the Vicious Void, for players to explore. Four of the levels are titled Twin-Frog Trouble, Suck It Up, Handhold Havoc, High Inflation, with Team Asobi keeping the name of the fifth as a surprise. The addition of the new levels brings Astro Bot's total level count to over 90.

The developer teased in a blog post that completing the new galaxy "might lead to something really cool," so players will have to dive in and see what surprises are in store.

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Lego Star Wars: The Phantom Menace BrickHeadz Collection (732 Pieces)

$38 (was $55) | Officially retired by Lego

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Lego Star Wars: The Phantom Menace BrickHeadz is on sale for $38 (was $55) at Amazon. It's one of two Star Wars Lego sets with official Prime Day discounts. Amazon's nearly $50 discount on the 1,555-piece Imperial Star Destroyer isn't all that surprising, but the existence of the BrickHeadz deal is fairly bizarre.

Like most BrickHeadz, this six-pack of Phantom Menace characters was exclusive to the Lego Store when it launched last year as part of Episode I's 25th anniversary celebrations. It remained exclusive until it was retired by Lego in December. Though Amazon sometimes randomly restocks retired Lego sets, such as this R2-D2 model, those products were typically already sold out at Amazon.

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Superman is one of the most iconic superheroes, if not one of the most iconic characters, of all time. The demigod from another world, raised by a kindly couple to embody the best qualities of humanity, has been inspiring audiences for nearly 90 years across several movies, thousands of comics, and unfortunately, a handful of mostly forgettable video games. For all of his status and prestige, video games have struggled to capture the unique appeal of the Man of Steel. As DC's film division gets a high-profile reboot with the release of James Gunn's Superman, it's time Superman got the game he deserves.

Superman's history in video games has been, to be generous, spotty. Early games for the Atari or Commodore 64 were simplistic affairs that captured his titanic feats of strength, at least as well as could be portrayed for the time. Their rudimentary nature meant that narrative was virtually nonexistent and they could only really capture one or two types of heroic actions and then loop them repeatedly. A 1992 Genesis game was a decent but unremarkable action-platformer. Superman was strong enough to punch down fearsome robots, and it made a token attempt at capturing his suite of powers, but it was barely distinguishable from any other action-platformer contemporary. The Death and Return of Superman game, a tie-in with the major comic book event of the same name, was a beat-'em-up featuring the four "Supermen" who appeared after the hero's untimely death at the hands of Doomsday: Cyborg, Steel, Eradicator, and Superboy. Many superheroes of the time were adapted into similar brawlers, including Batman, Spider-Man, Punisher, and others. Death and Return of Superman was a standout as one of the better ones, but it still didn't portray what makes Superman so remarkable.

Superman on Atari 2600, via vghchannel on YouTube

These early games largely failed to capture the essence of Superman. Some were better than others, but in broad terms they largely borrowed familiar genre templates. Superman often didn't feel powerful enough, as a limitation of game design; but more crucially, those early narrative structures couldn't properly support the fundamental goodness that is at the heart of the character. Sure, he could punch through solid steel--but why is he putting himself in harm's way for this planet of strangers at all? Why does he care so much about humanity? Superman's capacity to see the best in us--to be the best in us--is just as central to the character as his titanic strength and bulletproof skin.

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We're a month deep into superhero season in Fortnite, but most of the tools and abilities have been generic Fortnite originals--Robin's grappler and Krypto's dog treats being the only exceptions. But that's going to change in a big way on Friday, July 11, when the new Superman arrives on the Battle Royale island--and brings with him the Superman's Call ability, which will allow one player per match to take on the Superman mantle and all the ridiculous powers that come with it. In addition, we've got new skins based on the movie, and a major new POI on the Battle Royale island based on the Fortress of Solitude.

This is the latest version of a mechanic that Fortnite has been doing a lot of this year: allowing one player or group of players in each match to temporarily become the main boss of the island. It started in January with Godzilla, and then they did it again in May with the Star Destroyer from Star Wars. And now we've got the Superman version, which will allow one player to fly around, melting people and structures with heat vision.

Friday is also when players can unlock the new Superman skin on the battle pass--folks who have the pass simply have to gain 12 levels to unlock the David Corenswet version, and 24 levels for the very slick "pen & ink" cel-shaded version. Along with the skin itself is a slate of matching cosmetics, including a glider, a pickaxe, and matching capes for each style of Superman. And, naturally, there will also be a pair of skins from the film in the shop as well--the Engineer, and Mister Terrific. No sign of the Lex Luthor everybody was hoping for, however.

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Earlier this month, Subnautica 2 was rumored to be delayed following the reportedly forced exits of Unknown Worlds' leadership team by parent company Krafton. Now, Unknown Worlds has officially delayed Subnautica 2's early-access period to 2026. However, the studio also shared a new trailer for the game to tide over fans.

In a post on the developer's official site, Unknown Worlds attributes the delay to a desire to improve "a few areas" following a private beta test out of a desire to make the game stronger. The devs also stated that the delay will allow Unknown Worlds to include additional biomes, vehicle upgrades, more tools and creatures, and an expanded story.

Subnautica 2's ousted director and designer Charlie Cleveland recently shared his belief that Subnautica 2 is ready for early-release now. A report earlier this week indicated that the delay may be due to a $250 million bonus that Krafton was supposed to pay Unknown Worlds if the company reached certain financial thresholds this year. Without Subnautica 2's early-access release, Unknown Worlds is unlikely to reach that goal in 2025.

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ModRetro has announced a relaunch for the Chromatic handheld, its modernized Game Boy. The device quickly sold out last year after it initially launched, and ModRetro says that new stock for it is now available. Alongside the console--which will be available in seven new colors--the company is also debuting new games and accessories for it. Two models will be available--a $200 version with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass and a $300 version equipped with Sapphire Glass that is designed to be extremely durable.

The Chromatic library will also expand with five new games, ranging from story-driven adventures to nostalgic re-releases. Sabrina: The Animated Series – Zapped is a re-release of the fast-paced platformer that was based on the cartoon series, Wicked Plague is an old-school metroidvania, and Self-Simulated has over 100 levels to conquer with precision platforming. Rounding out the new arrivals is First Contact Protocol--an adventure-puzzle game with branching choices and cinematic cutscenes--and the puzzle-platformer Gravitorque.

The new Chromatic colorway options.

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Need some space from all of the Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy mania? Couldn't be me, but for those of you who are ready to make the hyper jump to the trading card game's next set, you're in luck, because Edge of Eternities is almost here.

Starting on August 1, the trading card game is headed to a new, all-original plane for some transgalactic adventuring. Yes, in case my terrible puns didn't give it away, Edge of Eternities is a space-focused set, and as such takes all of Magic's enchanting elements and transports them to a galaxy far, far away (no, not that one) making for a high-fantasy space opera of sorts rather than a gritty sci-fi saga.

Earlier this week, Wizards of the Coast offered players an an extensive first look at some of the spells they'll be slinging with the new set, as well as some truly gorgeous land cards and exciting reprints of cards from Magic's past. With its fantastic art design, lore-packed story, and promise to give fans a glimpse into a new plane, it's safe to say there is a lot of excitement around this set. And now, we here at GameSpot are even more excited, because we have three never-before-seen cards from the set to share with you.

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Patch notes for the next major The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered update have been revealed, and they include a brand-new difficulty option for players to experiment with as well as improvements to performance.

As stated in the Steam patch notes for update 1.2, a sixth difficulty option, Journeyman, will be added to Oblivion Remastered. The difficulty option lands smack dab in the middle of Oblivion's existing ones, with the patch notes stating it is meant to "act as a better bridge between Adept and Expert for players."

That's not the only difficulty change coming in the update. It will additionally introduce specific settings for player combat damage and enemy combat damage, allowing players to further fine tune their experience.

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Lego Icons: Soundwave Transformers Collectible Model (1,505 pieces)

$190 | Releases August 4

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Lego Icons: Optimus Prime Transformers Collectible Model (1,508 Pieces)

$144 (was $180)

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Lego Icons: Bumblebee Transformers Collectible Model (950 Pieces)

$85.49 (was $90)

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Lego has officially revealed that its Transformers line will be expanding next month with the arrival of Soundwave. This is the first Decepticon to get the Lego treatment, and it joins the already released Optimus Prime and Bumblebee figures. Just like those fan-favorite characters, Soundwave can also transform into his iconic boombox alt-mode, and he's packed with extra features. Priced at $190, Soundwave will be available to infiltrate your toy shelf starting August 1 for members of the free Lego Insiders program and August 4 for everyone else.

Lego Icons: Soundwave Transformers Collectible Model (1,505 pieces) $190 | Releases August 4

This looks like it'll be another enjoyable build, as there are 1,505 pieces in this kit. The Decepticon communications specialist will stand 33cm tall in his robot mode and he comes with minifigures of Ravage and Rumble that can transform into cassette tapes.

Just like the G1 version this figure is based on, Soundwave's partners can fit inside of his cassette bay in their transformed state. The best thing about the figure is that it also comes with a sound-brick, and when activated, Soundwave will spout newly recorded lines.

Preorder at The Lego Store

In case you haven't grabbed them yet, the Optimus Prime and Bumblebee Lego sets have been big hits since they were first released. Each one is a pleasure to build and can transform without needing to be disassembled, and for Prime Day, you can score a pretty good discount on each one. Normally $180, the 1,508-piece Optimus Prime set is currently on sale for $144 and the 950-piece Bumblebee kit is available for $85.49 (was $90).

For even more Lego deals, Walmart is currently running its own sale alongside Amazon's Prime Day 2025 event. Lego is a big focus here, as popular sets like the Star Wars UCS X-Wing Starfighter, the retired Lego Ideas: The Office diorama, and the Guardians of the Galaxy Milano Starship are all on sale.

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For the last couple of years, the Epic Games Store has given away free games every week through its PC storefront. With the company having launched its own mobile store, it has also started a second free games program on iOS and Android devices, kicking things off with a curated library of titles and weekly freebies. The app also features mobile versions of Fortnite, Fall Guys, and Rocket League Sideswipe.

To access these games you will need to create a free Epic account and install the free Epic Games Store mobile app and log in with your account, but once you do, you can start claiming your free games every Thursday through it. One other thing to note is that Android users can access the app via Android-based emulation devices like Retroid Pocket, as they aren't limited to just smartphone and tablets.

Download the Epic Games Store Mobile app

For now, only iOS users in the European Union can install the app, but the app is available worldwide to Android device users and they have a wider selection of games to choose from in comparison. Like its PC counterpart, you'll have one week to grab each game that's offered. Here's a closer look at what you can grab this week, and what the current mobile games library has to offer. You can also explore what the free PC games are this week on the Epic Games Store.

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Following a successful four years as a mobile exclusive, Blue Archive released on Steam earlier this month. On face value it seems to have been a successful launch, topping 20,000 concurrent players and 10,000 Steam reviews. However, according to a now-removed Nexon forum post, the developer ran an in-game event incentivizing players to leave reviews on Valve's platform, something which is clearly disallowed in the Steamworks documentation.

The in-game event description explained that once Blue Archive's Steam review count had reached 10,000, all players would receive five Gift Choice Boxes and five Beautiful Bouquets in-game. The event was due to run from July 4-11, but there is no longer any mention of it when opening Blue Archive. Interestingly, the Steam reviews have exceeded Nexon's goal of 10,000.

Blue Archive is facing allegations of ignoring the Steam rules.

As spotted by one user on the Steam forums for the game, the Steamworks documentation clearly states that it is not permitted "to abuse or artificially manipulate the review system" nor should anyone "solicit reviews in exchange for any games, DLC, money, or other rewards" with the only exceptions being sending copies of the game to press or creators for previews or reviews. Additionally, developers should not "ask customers to review" games from within the game itself. GameSpot has reached out to Nexon for comment.

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Last week, Microsoft announced sweeping layoffs and restructuring efforts, much of which targeted the tech giant's Xbox division. Multiple games were canceled and projects defunded, and thousands of workers were let go. This move induced widespread condemnation and an outpouring of sadness from the industry, including from EA Japan's general manager, Shaun Noguchi.

Noguchi, writing in his personal capacity, posted on X about how disappointed he was to see more waves of layoffs and cancellations. He wrote (in Japanese and translated by IGN) about how the trend in Western companies to chase short-term profits and reduce long-term payoffs or stability has led to damaging the game industry as a whole. "The game industry is held up by every single creator and member of staff who diligently develops games on the ground," he wrote. "As someone in the same industry, I feel deep pain regarding this decision."

He later reiterated (in English) that Microsoft's decision to kill off projects that had been in the works for many years was deeply regrettable. Although companies justify canceling projects to cut losses and avoid the sunk-cost fallacy, Noguchi expressed specific concern for the staff who would have nothing public to show for their work. "This is just my personal opinion but if a game was in development for 7~10 years, canceling feels like the worst move. That's a decade of work, potentially a quarter of someones [sic] entire career completly [sic] lost," he argued. "Even if the final product isn't what people originally expected, I think it still deserves to ship. Something is better than nothing for both the team and for the players."

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With the Nintendo Switch 2 now out in the wild, it's reasonable to expect that Nintendo might make a few policy changes to better reflect the company's intentions for the console. At least one of those changes comes with a cost, however: the Nintendo Switch Game Voucher program will be discontinued (permanently this time) on January 30, 2026.

The Nintendo Switch Game Voucher initiative allowed Switch owners to essentially pre-pay for two Nintendo Switch games--so long as they were included in the program--through the purchase of two Game Vouchers; the vouchers cost $100, while two games purchased separately would normally cost $120. Many of Nintendo's first-party releases--including Super Mario Odyssey, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, were included in the program.

The official Nintendo support site made the discontinuation of the program official, saying that "as of 11:59 PM Pacific Time January 30, 2026, it will no longer be possible to purchase Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers." The post does mention, however, that any vouchers purchased between now and the end of the program will be redeemable for 12 months after the date of purchase.

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Seasoned Mario Kart players know to drift often to build up boosts and get some extra speed coming around corners. With charge jumps, Mario Kart World seemed to add yet another technique to get some marginal gains and edge out opponents--but the story isn't that simple.

Charge jumps, which are essentially drifts done on straightaways instead of corners, come with all the same visual indicators of granting a speed boost as classic drifting, but it turns out that the technique may technically slow you down. Following intensive investigation from the Mario Kart community, fans have seemingly confirmed that normal acceleration on a straight is preferable to charge-jumping.

YouTube user Karting All Day comprehensively explored the differences in speed between charge-jumping and normal racing in the video embedded above. Kotaku also independently confirmed the results across different top-speed builds.

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The Lord of the Rings: Tolkien Illustrated Edition

$30 (was $90) | Prime members only

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The Hobbit: Tolkien Illustrated Edition

$27.43 (was $75) | Prime members only

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The Silmarillion: Tolkien Illustrated Edition

$39.78 (was $75) | B2G1 Free Eligible

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One of the most popular editions of The Lord of the Rings is on sale for its lowest price of the year during Prime Day. The Lord of the Rings Tolkien Illustrated, a $90 hardcover with a gorgeous design and dozens of illustrations by J.R.R. Tolkien, is discounted to $30.07 for Prime members. The Hobbit's Tolkien Illustrated Edition is even cheaper right now--you can get the matching edition of the prelude to LOTR for only $27.43 at Amazon.

The Deluxe Special Edition version of The Lord of the Rings Illustrated is also steeply discounted. Click the coupon box on the store page to drop the price to only $93 (was $250). Earlier in the sale, Amazon had limited-time deals on the Deluxe Special Editions of The Hobbit and The Silmarillion. Those deals are gone now, but The Hobbit's Deluxe Special Edition price is very close to the expired Lightning Deal.

Tolkien Illustrated Editions

• The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien Illustrated Edition) -- $30 ($90)
• The Hobbit (Tolkien Illustrated Edition) -- $27.43 ($75)
• The Silmarillion (Tolkien Illustrated Edition) -- $39.78 ($75) | B2G1 Free
• The Lord of the Rings: Tolkien Illustrated Deluxe Special Edition -- $93 ($250)
• The Hobbit: Tolkien Illustrated Deluxe Special Edition -- $81.66 ($195)
• The Silmarillion: Tolkien Illustrated Deluxe Special Edition -- $83 ($195)

The Lord of the Rings: Tolkien Illustrated Edition $30 (was $90) | Prime members only

The Lord of the Rings Illustrated is a single-volume hardcover containing all three parts of Tolkien's masterwork: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.

This edition 30 pencil sketches, full-color illustrations, and maps drawn by Tolkien scattered throughout its 1,178 pages. This unique feature makes this edition a worthwhile addition to any Tolkien collection, even if you already own a version filled with the sublime artwork by renowned Tolkien artist Alan Lee.

Tolkien's illustrations might be the main draw for most fans, but this complete, unabridged edition also benefits from a few eye-catching design choices. It has red-sprayed page edges adorned with Elvish script, gold foil trim with Elvish and Dwarvish lettering on the dust jacket, and the Eye of Sauron is stamped on the cover. A built-in ribbon bookmark adds to the premium aesthetic.

You'll find two fold-out maps, one tucked inside each cover, created by Christopher Tolkien.

The Deluxe Special Edition includes additional inserts and has cloth board covers, a clothbound slipcase, and the ribbed binding is quarterbound in leather. If you opt for the Special Edition, make sure to click the coupon box on the store page to drop the price to $92.81 (was $250).

See at Amazon The Hobbit: Tolkien Illustrated Edition $27.43 (was $75) | Prime members only

The Hobbit Illustrated follows the same general design principles, so it looks great next to The Lord of the Rings Illustrated on a shelf.

This 273-page hardcover includes the complete text of Tolkien's beloved prelude to LOTR. Though significantly shorter, The Hobbit Illustrated actually has more of Tolkien's artwork. There are over 50 sketches, maps, and color illustrations created by Tolkien while drafting Bilbo Baggins' adventure.

The Hobbit's pages are sprayed blue and features Dwarvish script on the side and along the gold-foil edges of the dust jacket. A circular emblem featuring The Misty Mountains is stamped on the front cover.

This edition also comes with a pair of fold-out inserts: Thror's Map and the Map of Wilderland. Both of these maps were drawn by the author.

See at Amazon The Silmarillion: Tolkien Illustrated Edition $39.78 (was $75) | B2G1 Free Eligible

It doesn't have a limited-time Prime Day discount, but The Silmarillion Illustrated is eligible for Amazon's B2G1 Free Book Sale.

The Silmarillion Illustrated is a 358-page hardcover with a dark blue dust jacket and lime green edges with white lettering in Tengwar script. It has silver-foil trim running along the top and bottom of the dust jacket. The flower image stamped on the cover represents Luthien's Heraldic Device.

Like the other two Tolkien Illustrated Editions, The Silmarillion has dozens of sketches, maps, and drawings interspersed throughout the text. You can mark your spot with a ribbon bookmark and refer to the pair of fold-out maps when reading about regions in Middle-earth where some of the stories take place. The maps are pretty interesting because you can compare Tolkien's Map of The Silmarillion to Christopher Tolkien's expanded and more detailed version: Map of Beleriand and the Lands to the North.

The Silmarillion was the first posthumously published Tolkien book. If you haven't read it, just know that it is markedly different from Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Edited by Christopher Tolkien and Guy Gavriel Kay, The Silmarillion is a collection of myths created by the author while developing the exhaustive backstory of Middle-earth. It has become a classic in its own right.

If you only read one Tolkien book beyond LOTR and The Hobbit, The Silmarillion should be the one. It's also a good predictor as to whether you'd enjoy the daunting 12-volume series known as The History of Middle-earth.

See at Amazon Lord of the Rings Movie Box Set Deals

Amazon also has terrific deals on the 4K Blu-ray box set editions of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit Trilogy, and the Middle-earth 6-Film Collection, which includes both of Peter Jackson's trilogies on 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and Digital. Check out our roundup of Lord of the Rings movie deals for more details on these collections.

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Regardless of what game mode you're playing in College Football 26, you'll need to score points if you want to win the game. While defense might win championships, it doesn't always work that way in the virtual world, as scoring points on offense is usually going to be the key to victory in one way or another.

To effectively score on offense in College Football 26, you'll need to use the right plays and personnel. You can always use the coach's suggestion plays if you want to keep things simple, but if you want to run circles around your opponent, you need to take full advantage of your offensive playbook. Fortunately, you're able to select from any school's offensive playbook in a wide variety of game modes, giving you tons of choice. Of course, this also means you need to make some decisions.

To see the best offensive playbooks for any kind of offense you want to run in CFB 26, check out the guide below.

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Owlcat Games' The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is a space-set third-person action-RPG based on The Expanse TV series and the novels by James S. A. Corey (aka Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck). When the trailer debuted earlier this summer, the comparisons to Mass Effect were almost immediate. Alexander Mishulin--the game's creative director--recently acknowledged that Mass Effect influenced the development of Osiris Reborn. But the team plans to go in its own direction rather than simply copying Mass Effects' approach.

"It's different [from Mass Effect] in many ways," Mishulin told Polygon. "First of all, we make our story a little bit differently. We're making more choices and consequences, and we want to make sure that this game still has a lot of them provided with a lot of agency."

As an example, Mishulin noted that players won't be locked into character paths like paragon or renegade. The player can decide whether their characters come from Earth, Mars, or the Belt. That choice will affect how NPC and companion characters react and relate to them during the game.

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This week, Marvel Rivals Season 3 will launch by adding Jean Grey aka Phoenix to the lineup, with Blade slated to arrive soon after. And while the new season is arriving in close proximity to The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the FF were already added to the game earlier this year. In the future, NetEase has plans to incorporate more content from the MCU and comics, while also ensuring that it doesn't interfere with the game's pre-planned storylines.

Marvel Rivals progression systems game director Guangyun Chen recently told Video Gamer that the game is "driven by its own universe and seasonal storylines" and that the seasons are planned out far ahead of time. He went on to explain that the dev team is developing new seasons in "a systemic manner" while also keeping an eye out for fresh additions from the films and comics.

"We are closely monitoring the release schedules of comics and movies, and we will incorporate relevant content when appropriate," said Chen. "However, this will not disrupt our own content development timeline."

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Smelting is a crucial part of Minecraft survival. This is how you cook food, make ore ingots, and produce other resources. In this guide, we'll discuss all the different types of furnaces, fuels, and explain how smelting works in Minecraft.

Table of Contents [hide]

• How smelting works in Minecraft
• Minecraft furnace types

How smelting works in Minecraft

Smelting in Minecraft allows you to place a material and fuel into a furnace in order to cook food, make ore ingots, turn sand into glass, refine stones, and more. To smelt, you first need to build a furnace.

Minecraft furnace types

There are three different types of smelters you can build in Minecraft.

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Destiny 2's new expansion, The Edge of Fate, is on its way next week. Ahead of that release, Bungie has made the past three years' worth of Destiny 2 content available to anyone, absolutely free.

Starting with 2022's The Witch Queen, you can now dive into the story of Savathun, explore the villain arc of The Witness in Lightfall, and watch it all come to a conclusion in The Final Shape until July 22. That gives you a few weeks to blast through the main story content of each of the expansions before diving into The Edge of Fate to find out what comes next.

Alongside the expansions, Bungie has also given open access to all players to the Echoes, Revenant, and Heresy Episodes. These Episodes follow the events of The Final Shape, setting up the story for the new expansion as well as tying up a few loose ends left behind. These Episodes are only available until the release of The Edge of Fate, meaning they'll be unavailable after July 15.

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