A new PS5 firmware update has arrived, and it's upgrading the console with more than just extra stability. Firmware update version 26.06-14.00.00 offers a new tweak for the PS5 Pro console, voice chat improvements, and tweaks to longstanding features. Here's a breakdown of everything.

For PS5 Pro owners, the update will now see the option for enhanced PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) turned on by default. When this is active, it will allow games to run with sharper, smoother visuals, and it also works with games that support the previous version of PSSR.

If you're feeling social, you can also see who's talking when a voice chat group is active--which should come in very handy for games like Big Walk. You'll need to turn this option on, but it's easy to do, and the instructions are listed below.

Additionally, new widgets have been added to the home screen. These include a trending tab for new game releases or games with major content updates, as well as multiplayer games and popular multiplayer modes. Bluetooth features for PS5 consoles have been changed depending on which country you reside in, and to cap things off, system software performance and stability have been further improved.

This is easily the biggest PS5 firmware update since March, when PS5 Pro consoles received the enhanced version of PSSR. This week's enhancements arrive ahead of a very busy gaming season, as the PS5 exclusive Marvel's Wolverine has launched and other big games on the horizon include Control Resonant, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and Grand Theft Auto 6.

PS5 Version 26.06-14.00.00 Update Notes

We've turned on Enhance PSSR Image Quality as a default setting. When you update the system software, this setting automatically turns on. When you enable this feature, enhanced PSSR is used even for games that support the previous version of PSSR, so you can enjoy a sharper and clearer visual experience. 

• To turn off this setting, go to Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output > Enhance PSSR Image Quality. 
• This feature is available only on PS5 Pro. 

You can now see who’s speaking while you’re in a voice chat. 

• To show the speaker indicator, go to the voice chat card in the control centre. Select More > Display Who’s Speaking and turn on Display Names. 
• To choose where the speaker indicator appears on your screen, select Position. 

We’ve added the Community Activity widget to your Welcome Hub. You can switch between the following views. 

• Trending Now displays ten multiplayer games or multiplayer modes that are surging in popularity. Look here for new game releases or games with major content updates. 
• Top 10 displays the ten most popular games in the last week for your country or region. Look here to see what games have a large community of players you can join.

We’ve changed the following features for PS5 consoles and PS5 Pro consoles in certain countries or regions. 

• If you go to Settings > Accessories > General > Advanced Settings and select Turn Off Bluetooth, your console does not enter rest mode and HDMI Device Link does not function. 
• The Turn Off Bluetooth function is for managing controller connections at esports venues and similar locations. Do not use this feature for any other purpose. 
• We've improved system software performance and stability.

Microsoft has released a statement in response to a new rumor that claims the company is considering a massive shakeup to Xbox Game Pass in 2027 that would include numerous significant changes.

ResetEra user Slayven, who has accurately reported on unannounced Xbox news before, said the changes could include the bifurcation of Game Pass into two tiers: one with ads and one without. The tier with ads would be $13/month, while Game Pass without ads would cost $20/month, according to the report.

Xbox Game Pass could see a big shakeup.

That's $3/month less than Game Pass Ultimate currently, and the price cut is reportedly reflective of another big change: Microsoft is reportedly removing day-one new releases from Game Pass starting in the February-April window of 2027. The rumor also stated that cloud-streaming access is being taken out of Game Pass, but people can pay for a $6 add-on that gets you 25 hours. Additionally, the report said a Family Plan will be available for an extra $6/month.

Beyond all of this, the report claimed there will be a tier of Game Pass that costs $15/month, and for that, people will get access to select titles in the Game Pass library, along with online multiplayer. Finally, it was reported that Microsoft will also offer a $11/month membership that provides access to online multiplayer alone.

Microsoft responded to the rumor in a statement to GameSpot, originally obtained by Paul Tassi of Forbes.

The statement reads: "We regularly test different Game Pass offerings and look at what works best for players in different markets. We don’t have any changes to announce today or plans that have been finalized. There are no changes to previously announced games coming to Game Pass Ultimate on day one."

Not a random leaker

Reputable leaker NateTheHate said on ResetEra that Slayven has a track record for accuracy, at least somewhat, so "the individual giving them information clearly has knowledge of some matters." However, NateTheHate did not corroborate the reporting.

Slayven said on October 1, 2025 that Microsoft was raising the price of Game Pass Ultimate to $25--they were right about an increase, but it actually went up to $30/month. They were also right about the names changing from Game Pass Core to Game Pass Essential and Game Pass Standard to Game Pass Premium. They didn't get everything right, though, as Slayven said PC Game Pass was being removed, but it wasn't.

In any event, this latest rumor of a massive Game Pass shakeup should be taken with a grain of salt until Microsoft officially makes an announcement.

Game Pass has undergone big changes already

While it remains to be seen if this rumor proves accurate, Xbox's new CEO, Asha Sharma, has already made efforts to shake up Game Pass. One of her first moves after becoming CEO in February 2026 was to cut the price and remove new Call of Duty games from the service when they release. Sharma previously said Game Pass was too expensive and that she had big changes in store for it.

She also alluded to a longer-term vision after the price cuts. "Long term, we will evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system which will take time to test and learn around," she said.

That sounds like exactly what the rumor is suggesting. If the rumor is correct, or even parts of it, the new evolution of Game Pass would offer more options and possibly become cheaper for those who are OK with ads.

On the subject of ads, Microsoft just recently rolled out a test for an ad-supported version of cloud gaming, and it's not a stretch to imagine this could be expanded in new ways to help Game Pass reach more people by way of lower prices. Not everyone wants this, of course, and Microsoft is sure to face pushback just like other entertainment companies have for their own ad-based tiers of their own subscription services.

With regards to removing day-one releases, Microsoft is already doing this with Call of Duty, as this year's Modern Warfare 4 won't be available on the service at launch. Getting access to all of Microsoft's first-party games at launch as part of Game Pass was previously one of the membership's top selling points. New Call of Duty games will not come to Game Pass until the following holiday season, so people shouldn't expect Modern Warfare 4 until late next year.

Sharma has said she is considering a "range of options" for exclusives going forward, including "windowing" some games, and that could mean a lot of things for Game Pass and beyond. One possibility is that certain games are kept out of Game Pass at launch and for a period of time, similar to how movies are only available in theaters at first before coming to digital and streaming. The idea is that this pushes people to pay full price as opposed to getting access to new content as part of their membership right away.

So far, it's just Call of Duty that is being "windowed" in Game Pass. Minecraft Dungeons II will launch into Game Pass this month, as will Gears of War: E-Day in October. 2027's Fable will be a day-one release, too, in February 2027.

As for the cloud gaming changes, earlier this month, Microsoft announced that in November, the company will put limits on how many hours per month people can use the service. People can then pay more to unlock more time.

In addition to making Game Pass more affordable, Sharma might look to partner with Netflix on some kind of bundle offering for Game Pass. Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said he and Sharma have “kicked around ideas” for how Netflix and Xbox could work together on subscription bundles. Nothing has been confirmed, but Peters said he “wouldn’t eliminate any possibilities.”

Speaking generally about Game Pass, Sharma has said one of her ambitions is to "fortify" the service with "clear differentiation and sustainable economics."

Sharma is also trying to get Xbox as a platform and company back into a healthy place, and that has meant drastic cuts of late involving layoffs, studio divestitures, and game cancellations. In regards to growth, Sharma recently oversaw the signing of Hideo Kojima for his new game, Physint, which was previously in the works at PlayStation. The game was reportedly over budget and late, which contributed to PlayStation's decision to part ways with Kojima.

Last month, System 3 Software released a trailer for James Pond Legacy, a four-game collection for Nintendo Switch 2. But the gameplay footage was largely overshadowed by accusations its developer used generative AI to create the game's promotional artwork and cover. System 3 followed this trailer up with a blog post asserting that generative AI was not used in the development process for James Pond Legacy, but some wires were evidently crossed. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFggndxGZk0

If you go back and watch that trailer, it's not difficult to see why viewers pointed out the AI-like quality of the 3D characters adorning the game's box art and other promotional material. When System 3 responded to the accusations with the assertion that "no generative AI was used in the creation of the artwork," referring specifically to the Bovine Bomber character, this was based on the information it was given at the time by Antstream, the studio that handled the collection's actual development. 

"That was the statement that we were given at the time by Antstream," System 3 CEO Mark Cale told GameSpot during a call. "We weren't involved in the process. They supplied all of the artwork and they supplied, in the process, the [work-in-progress] illustration. All of that was given to us." 

Cale later provided GameSpot with the statement it received back in December from Antstream, well before the trailer was made public. 

"The art pipeline on some non-in-game assets includes algorithm-assisted depth and form translation: Original 2D concepts are input into a model to estimate volume and lighting, producing pseudo-3D drafts," reads the statement from Antstream. "Artists then manually repaint, re-render, and finalise all illustrations using this pipeline. The final assets are fully human-authored, with algorithms used only for intermediate visualisation." 

You may notice that the statement omits the term "AI," which led to some internal confusion. 

"We requested this [statement] for use across the board, including Steam, and to address applicable requirements under the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, including the transparency provisions that took effect on August 2, 2026," Cale explained. "Antstream now argues that, because we requested the statement for these purposes, we must have known the extent of their use of AI. However, their statement expressly describes the final assets as 'fully human-authored,' with algorithms used 'only for intermediate visualisation.'" 

Had the use of generative AI been made clearer prior to the publication of the trailer and the blog post, System 3 would have taken a different approach, Cale said. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPypcOQ8SDQ

"That doesn't say 'generative AI,'" Cale said. "And if they've used any generative AI at all, it should have been clear in that statement. That was the statement we were told to put on to Nintendo, to Steam, PS5, Xbox--any format we want to go based on that. The actual gameplay itself is, of course, all emulated anyway. And for me, I don't know the definition of how you're going to try to say something that's prompt-based [is] 'generative AI' versus algorithms. And so we honestly looked at that and took that honestly to [mean] there was no AI." 

GameSpot was unable to reach Antstream for comment during our time investigating the situation.

Cale said he is far from wanting to throw Antstream under the bus for what happened. He explained the reason Antstream was contracted for the project was because it had done "a bloody good job" of emulating games for past compilations, such as The Last Ninja Collection. The situation for James Pond was a little different, though, with little in the way of existing concept art or other production designs to go on for the in-game supplemental materials. 

As someone wary, to put it mildly, of any generative AI usage in video games, I told Cale I would have preferred hand-drawn material created specifically for the collection based on past artwork, but Cale said it wasn't feasible. 

"All of the artwork that has been created within the Pond-verse has been based on art that's either on the box cover or characters that are in the game," he said. "And at the end of the day, if people think we're going to redraw, re-render to that quality, and have 20 or 30 people working two years on it, forget it: It's not going to happen. We wouldn't put the Pond-verse in there. The simple fact is, it would not match an investment versus a return. I'm only speaking for myself--I can't speak for Antstream--but if it was for me, I wouldn't do it, because I couldn't justify having 20 artists for a year create all of that in that way." 

Still, Cale said that full disclosure--and a clearer set of guidelines for what System 3 considers generative AI--should help to avoid another situation like this happening in the future. Having a set, and perhaps broader, definition for what constitutes generative AI will, at the very least, help prospective buyers know what they're purchasing. 

It won't completely solve the problem, though, as Cale mentioned the need to be careful about using the term "AI" to describe any element in a game--even some that have existed for decades. 

"AI's become such a swear word, and you should quote me on that!" Cale said. "So, you know, we're doing this other game. It's all been hand-done and everything, and I can't even say, 'Opponent AI's been tweaked to do this.' No, it's 'opponent behavior.' It's just madness! I just don't want to use the word 'AI' in anything, as far as I'm concerned, anymore." 

James Pond Legacy: The Pond is Not Enough doesn't have a final release date yet, but will launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 at the end of October.

HBO boss Casey Bloys has once again said that the upcoming third season of The Last of Us is expected to be its last.

He told Deadline that Season 3 is coming in 2027, though did not confirm when in the year. Asked if he still think it's the final season, Bloys said he believes showrunner Craig Mazin "has planned it as the final season."

In January this year, Bloys was asked if Season 3 is going to be the last, and he said, "It certainly seems that way." However, at the time, Bloys admitted that a decision like that would come down to Mazin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLtkt8BonwM

Before this, Mazin said that Season 4 was essential to bring the show to a conclusion. However, Bloys has indicated that the show may wrap up its run with Season 3, which could be a longer season.

“Craig is still working it out whether it will be two more seasons or one more long season. It hasn’t been decided yet, and I’m following Craig’s lead on that,” Bloys said in 2025.

In a big shift for the series, franchise creator Naughty Dog is not involved creatively in Season 3, and Neil Druckmann dropped out as a writer/director. People have speculated about what this could mean, but Druckmann, for his part, said he left the show to focus on his work on Naughty Dog's games.

He is currently directing Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and if it's true that Naughty Dog is also making The Last of Us 3, he's probably involved in that, too.

Microsoft has announced the second wave of removals from Xbox Game Pass this month, and eight more games are heading out soon.

Earlier this month, Microsoft removed 10 games from Game Pass, so a total of 18 games are being removed this month alone.

Titles set for removal on September 30 include Atomfall, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Sifu, and Little Nightmares 2 Enhanced Edition. Other games getting dumped include SOPA Tale of the Stolen Potato, Sworn, Little Rocket Lab, and Terminull Brigade.

In terms of new additions to Game Pass for September and early October, there are many on the way, including big-name day-one new releases Minecraft Dungeons II (September 29) and Gears of War: E-Day (October 6). Another Call of Duty game joins the service in September as well, with 2024's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 coming to Game Pass on September 25.

Atomfall is leaving Game Pass at the end of September. Game Pass removals for September 30

• Atomfall (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Little Nightmares 2 Enhanced Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Little Rocket Lab (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Sifu (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• SOPA Tale of the Stolen Potato (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Sworn (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Terminull Brigade (Cloud, Console, and PC)

The second wave of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in September has been revealed, and we've also gotten a sneak peek at what's coming in early October. In total, there'll be 12 games headed to Xbox and PC Game Pass libraries, joining September's wave of new arrivals. A few games are also leaving Game Pass on September 30, so you only have a few more weeks to check out some gems like Atomfall and Sifu.

Here's a closer look at what you can download soon.

Several day-one games are launching this month, and Game Pass subscribers can check them out, starting with Kernel Hearts on September 17. This magical adventure should scratch several genre itches, as it's billed as an action-RPG with roguelike elements and optional multiplayer co-op.

The dark fairy-tale metroidvania Well Dweller arrives on September 22, and you can enter a new dimension in Minecraft Dungeons II when it arrives on September 29.

Between those games, there are a few legacy releases to check out. If you need pure action, Ninja Gaiden 4 is an easy recommendation, and Marvel Cosmic Invasion joins Game Pass Premium this month if you want an old-school arcade brawler to play.

Another notable release is Dune: Awakening, as the open-world survival game launches in full on PC and console on September 22. This version includes all the enhancements from its early-access journey, as well as a full single-player mode to experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGq8TEZ5XQM&pp=0gcJCf4LAYcqIYzv Xbox Game Pass September Wave 2 Games September 15

RuneScape: Dragonwilds (Cloud and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

September 16

Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Planet of Lana II (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Routine (Cloud, Console, handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Ultimate Sheep Raccoon (Cloud, console, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

September 17

Kernel Hearts (Cloud, console, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Ninja Gaiden 4 (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

September 22

Dune: Awakening (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Well Dweller (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

September 23

Mad King Redemption (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

September 25

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

September 29

Minecraft Dungeons II (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

October 2

Keeper (Cloud, console, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

October 6

Gears of War: E-Day (console, Handheld, PC, and Cloud), Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

It appears some GTA 6 news is coming up soon, and it could be focused on the game's music. A variety of musicians have released GTA-inspired teasers, and people are theorizing it's tied to some kind of music reveal for the game.

Country pop singer Morgan Wallen released an image showing GTA-inspired visuals of a pool with no water in it. Rapper Travis Scott, meanwhile, shared his own GTA-inspired image of high heels on a pole. He wrote, "See yall soon," and tagged Rockstar Games in his post. Before this, fans thought they spotted GTA 6 references in own of Scott's music videos.

The record label Freebandz, meanwhile, posted its own image of a car with the Leonida license plate "VCE BBY." You can see all the teasers below, and we'll any additional ones if they come.

Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones released a teaser as well.

https://twitter.com/MorganWallen/status/2099880521727635464 https://www.instagram.com/p/DdT73c5ubnj/ https://www.instagram.com/freebandz/p/DdUC6hqtkEI/?hl=en https://twitter.com/officialKeef/status/2099891055814734185

Music has always been a big part of the GTA series, and that trend is expected to continue with GTA 6. The franchise is known for its numerous in-game radio stations featuring real, licensed music from world-famous artists.

It was previously rumored that GTA 6 will feature people like DJ Khaled hosting his own in-game radio station. Drake, meanwhile, may have his own station, too.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game is expected to be a huge hit, but anyone who bought stock in the company's owner is hurting currently.

A fresh batch of games are coming to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for Extra- and Premium-tier subscribers, but several games are also on their way out. While we don't have an exact date for their exit just yet, there'll be seven games in total leaving soon, so you only have a few weeks left to play one of the best survival-horrors of all time and a melodramatic gangland adventure where you can hit people really hard on the head with a baseball bat.

PlayStation Plus Game Catalog games leaving soon These games are leaving the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog soon.

• Silent Hill 2
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon
• Gloomhaven: Mercenaries Edition
• Jurassic World Evolution 2
• Rogue Lords
• Lake
• Death Squared

The biggest departure on the list is easily the Silent Hill 2 remake from Bloober Team, and it's leaving right before the start of spooky season. While the original Silent Hill 2 was long considered to be one of the greatest psychological-horror games of all time, the remake improved on it tremendously, offering more than just updated visuals and modernized gameplay. Dynamic combat is balanced by smarter enemy AI, while the titular Silent Hill is expanded with new locations and puzzles to create an explorable world full of suspense.

Critically acclaimed upon its 2024 release, it's one of several new entries that have helped kickstart a Silent Hill renaissance. The next chapter in the series, Silent Hill Townfall, launches on September 24, and this spin-off will see players explore a spooky Scottish town, using their handheld TV to stay a step ahead of the creatures haunting the local streets. Bloober Team is also working on a remake of the first Silent Hill game.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon was a major departure from its predecessors. Not only did it feature a brand-new protagonist in the form of Ichiban Kasuga, but the gameplay also went from beat-'em-up brawling to turn-based RPG action. First arriving in late 2020, it's another great Yakuza game that combines a surprisingly heartfelt story with goofy moments and a likable cast of rogues. While the turn-based gameplay can be a grind--especially in the endgame--it's still worth checking out. Fans of the Yakuza franchise have eaten well since then, as we've gotten a sequel to Ichiban's first adventure, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, as well as several spin-off games and remakes.

Don't forget, all PlayStation Plus subscribers can grab four freebies right now--Sniper Elite: Resistance, MLB The Show 26, Chained Echoes, and Wobbly Life. The PlayStation Plus Game Catalog is also adding Runescape: Dragonwilds and WWE 2K26 today, and it'll be updated with more games like Ball X Pit, Slitterhead, and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound over the next couple of weeks.

Actor Stephen Root recently confirmed that he will appear in GTA 6, after people correctly identified him as the voice of the drug-runner Brian Heder. He confirmed this on September 13, and on September 14, Root won his first-ever Emmy award for his incredible performance on the show Widow's Bay.

In winning an Emmy, Root becomes just the second-ever Emmy-winning actor to appear in a GTA game. The first? That was James Woods, who voiced Mike Toreno in 2004's GTA: San Andreas.

Stephen Root in Widow's Bay.

Woods has won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor--he won for Promise (1987), and My Name Is Bill W (1989). Woods also won a Daytime Emmy Award for playing Hades in the animated TV spinoff of Disney's Hercules.

Rockstar has not officially announced any casting details for GTA 6, but as mentioned, many people immediately recognized Root as the voice of Heder, and Root later confirmed his involvement in the game. It remains to be seen, however, who voices the game's two leads, Lucia and Jason, or any of the other main cast.

Stephen Root's GTA 6 character, Brian Heder.

Root won his Primetime Emmy for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow's Bay, an eerie, humorous show on Apple TV. He plays the central character, Wyck, alongside Matthew Rhys in the leading role of Tom.

In other gaming news from the Emmys, Prime Video's Fallout TV series won two awards out of the 10 it was nominated for. The Season 2 wins included Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes and Outstanding Production Design.

For the longest time in the Kingdom Hearts series, Kairi has gotten the short end of the stick, but the franchise's upcoming crossover with Fortnite will finally let Kairi fans choose violence.

A new trailer for Fortnite's ongoing Chapter 7 Season 4 shows the trio of Sora, Riku, and Kairi in action. The three sport their Kingdom Hearts 2 appearances, and each wields their own Keyblade. They're seen fighting Heartless (or Heartless-like?) enemies in an area resembling their home world of Destiny Islands, hinting that the ever-evolving Fortnite map will add the locale.

It's all set to the Kingdom Hearts 2 theme "Sanctuary" by Utada Hikaru, which still slaps two decades later. There's no footage of the Destiny Islands trio wielding firearms, but Sora using a shotgun and Kairi blasting opponents with an assault rifle will be a sight to see when the skins drop later this week.

It should be cathartic to a degree to play as Kairi in Fortnite, seeing how she's been treated in her own series. Kairi is often relegated to a damsel-in-distress role, and when Kingdom Hearts 3 (spoilers ahead for that 2019 game) finally put her in an important position as a Guardian of Light, she... gets kidnapped again and is effectively killed off, leading Sora to literally break the laws of nature to save her.

Kairi does have more to do as a playable character in the Kingdom Hearts 3 Re Mind DLC, and she serves as the protagonist of the Melody of Memory rhythm game. But arguably, that's not enough for fans to forgive the sins of the series and its use of Kairi. With Fortnite, Kairi fans can finally blow off steam by mowing down fools with a gun.

The next major Fortnite update is expected to drop on Thursday, September 17, and with it should come Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Roxas. It's also expected that Sora's Kingdom Key will be added to the loot pool as a weapon.

Between the release of Final Fantasy 7 in 1997 and the first chapter in the Remake trilogy in 2020, quite a few games have been released and have gone on to inspire developers. Final Fantasy 7 Revelation game director Naoki Hamaguchi is one such developer, as he explained that games like The Witcher 3 and Horizon helped inspire him and his team to deliver cinematic storytelling native to interactive media, as well as player agency through customizability and scalable world exploration.

"Final Fantasy 6 was a very impactful title for me when I was playing the games when I was younger, when I was a child. But as a creator, I would say that The Witcher 3 would fill that role of what inspired game creation," Hamaguchi said to GameSpot. "When I started working on the Remake series, I would frequently go back to The Witcher 3 and just marvel at the things that that game excels at. It's a frequent one that I revisit."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRA759MHPJs

Hamaguchi added that the Final Fantasy 7 Remake team also wanted to take a different approach to storytelling, as they didn't just want to insert cutscenes into the game world. Hamaguchi says he studied how The Witcher 3 and Guerrilla's Horizon created cinematic pay-offs within the framework of their gameplay mechanics. "We do have to acknowledge that there are certain moments that bring satisfaction that can be only achieved by doing it within the video game medium," Hamaguchi explained. "I think that is exactly something that The Witcher 3 and games like Horizon were really excelling at, just delivering these satisfactory moments. They feel cinematic. That was something that we were trying to follow suit with."

More than a decade after its release, The Witcher 3 is still considered one of the greatest open-world games of all time, and it's getting a massive remastered edition on September 29. Next year will also see the launch of an expansion, Songs of the Past, which should help with the long wait for The Witcher 4. Fortunately, Final Fantasy fans won't have to wait too much longer for the final chapter in the remake series to land, as Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will launch for PC and consoles in April 2027.

Square Enix is aiming to make this the biggest game possible, with a "planetary scale" world to jump into. Beyond the main campaign to stop Sephiroth once and for all, there'll also be other activities to take part in, like some classic snowboarding fun.

Interview conducted by Emma Fyffe.

Developer IO has confirmed that 007 First Light's Switch 2 edition has been delayed for a second time. It's now scheduled for March 2027.

The studio said in a notice that First Light's Switch 2 version was delayed "to ensure we deliver the quality of experience players expect."

"This additional time will go toward polishing the Nintendo Switch 2 performance of the game," IO said.

First Light's Switch 2 version was playable at Gamescom recently, and IO said it was "thrilled by the positive feedback." The same demo will be at Tokyo Game Show this week in Japan.

"Thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued support," IO said.

First Light's Switch 2 version was originally set to launch alongside the console and PC editions in May, but was later delayed to Summer 2026. Another delay for the Switch 2 edition seemed likely given that Summer officially ends on September 22 and IO had not communicated a release date.

Another reason another delay for the Switch 2 edition is not that surprising is because IO boss Hakan Abrak said back in May that the game needed "a bit more time to get it where we want it to be." At the time, Abrak said the game was now targeting late-Summer, but now it's been delayed to 2027.

“We just want to make sure it’s good as it can be. I don’t want to hear it wasn’t a good version," Abrak told The Game Business.

First Light sold more than 4 million copies and earned rave reviews. All the signs are pointing to a sequel, but it has not been officially announced yet.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is aiming to end the remake trilogy with a bang, and alongside the main campaign, there'll be plenty of other activities to tackle when you're not racing to stop Sephiroth from destroying the planet. Snowboarding is one such distraction, as the iconic minigame from the original Final Fantasy 7 is back, and Square Enix is suggesting that something wild could take place in it.

An activity that can be accessed at the Golden Saucer, game director Naoki Hamaguchi hasn't gone into too many details about it just yet, but he did tease that Square Enix knows that there are a lot of "high expectations" surrounding it. Especially when Red XIII (Nanaki) takes part in that event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRA759MHPJs

"I can say that this snowboarding section will be in Revelation, and all of the party members, you'll see them, um, in that snowboarding section. But Nanaki might not be on a snowboard," Hamaguchi said to GameSpot. "You'll have to like look forward to what he's going to be riding. I think it's going to get a lot of attention."

Red XIII stole the limelight in several scenes throughout Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth, thanks to moments where he attempted to blend in with the bipedal cast. From donning a disguise to take part in the Queen's Blood tournament to visiting his adopted family in Cosmo Canyon, he's been responsible for some of the biggest laughs and surprises in the series so far. 

A new trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Revelation dropped during the recent PlayStation State of Play broadcast, revealing more of the game and its April 2028 release date. GamneSpot also went hands-on with the Final Fantasy 7 Revelation at Gamescom last month, where we got a taste of just how massive the game is going to be with its expanded open-world design.

Diablo's world of Sanctuary isn't a top tourist destination, thanks to roaming monsters and demonic forces looking to corrupt humanity, and in Diablo 5, everything has gone to hell--quite literally! Unlike the previous games in the series, which revolved around saving Sanctuary from Diablo and his Prime Evil Kin, Diablo 5 kicks off long after the Lord of Terror has conquered the land. In a world this bleak, how will players find the motivation to keep going when evil has already triumphed?

Speaking to GameSpot at BlizzCon, the Diablo team discussed the grim setting of Diablo 5, as well as the glimmers of hope that still exist even during Diablo's post-apocalyptic reign. Human strongholds are no more, survivors are scattered across the land, and things look bleaker than usual for players when they set foot in that world. According to Blizzard, not only is Diablo 5 keeping the grim, dark atmosphere of Diablo 4 intact and doubling down on it, but the landscape will also reflect humanity's fall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blmyIDbxN2o&pp=0gcJCf4LAYcqIYzv

"We need to tell a story of this apocalyptic Sanctuary, executive producer Matt Zitterman said. "Sanctuary is already a pretty dark place. How do we double down on that darkness and go even further? That's where the ideas of thinking about our world as being built in layers--a layer about the past, a layer about the present, and a layer about the future--really came to light. And with that, you know, the past is all about telling the stories of what happened to humanity when Diablo overtook Sanctuary."

"A lot of games do this extremely well. There are little vignettes and stories that are told visually about how humans were trying to survive and ultimately failed, and we want those parts of the world, those parts of Sanctuary, to really tell that story."

Zitterman added that Sanctuary's state in Diablo 5 is akin to a forest fire, both during and after a devastating blaze has swept through an area. "We use the metaphor of a forest fire a lot," Zitterman explained. "A forest fire ravages through a place and leaves behind a changed landscape. And we see that as kind of the parts of the world that represent the battlefields of where demons were fought, and ultimately, humans lost. But the landscape was forever changed by that invasion. And then there are the areas where there is still an active invasion."

"We talked about the Dread Commanders as being the lieutenants in Diablo's army, and they are kind of roaming the world and controlling different parts of Sanctuary. When a Dread Commander is in an area in Sanctuary, it is an active invasion zone. It will feel like the forest fire is raging now. That represents the future of Sanctuary, should the player not succeed in kicking Diablo out. As you know, that's what Sanctuary will be forever. And so that's how we think about the world, as kind of three different layers of visual storytelling."

But there is still some hope during these dark times, as senior production director Tiffany Wat outlined how the game's story about a march to reclaim a lost legacy will eventually push players to become the saviours of humanity. "Humanity is worth fighting for, and as the heir to Westmarch, not only are you fighting for humanity, but you're trying to claim back the kingdom that is yours," Wat said.

"And that is where it's a little bit different from the past, where, as the Wanderer, you may not have as much of a personal stake in trying to defeat Diablo. But now, as the heir of Westmarch, this is your land; somebody else has conquered it, and that person happens to be Diablo. And so, as you're trying to survive and you're on the run, in the campaign, you're going to be meeting some survivors and forming that caravan, and it's going to start very small."

"As you progress through the story and you find the opportunity to meet other survivors of the apocalypse, and hopefully they're trustworthy enough to join you in your caravan. There's a lot of great visual storytelling there as you're progressing through the game, fighting back the darkness, and your campfire is growing because your caravan is growing, right? So if a jeweler joins you, they're going to bring their wagon. If a blacksmith joins you, then the wagon circle will grow. And I love Oregon Trail, so I think this is a really cool metaphor. I think as you're traveling through the dark world, just the idea that you are making progress and that you're going to hopefully have an opportunity to become victorious in the end, I mean, that's what you're fighting for."

Blizzard has big plans for Diablo 5 ahead of its 2029 launch, as it seeks to bring the best of previous games in the series to this new adventure. Fans of the loot grind can look forward to chasing down set items, and with so many classes to choose from, expect plenty of reasons to start a fresh run in Sanctuary. 

World of Warcraft has plenty of classes for players to choose from, but according to the game's senior game designer, Josh Greenfield, there's one class that has earned a very specific reputation.

Speaking to GameSpot at BlizzCon, Greenfield and senior art director Jeff Parrott discussed their favorite and most-played classes. While Parrott confirmed that his is Hunter, Greenfield's infamous inclination toward the Paladin was discussed a little more in depth.

He said that the Paladin is "certainly" a dad class, adding, "You know, I'm not a dad, I'm a dog dad, but I've got the dad bod, so Paladin is totally a dad class." So, straight from a World of Warcraft developer: Paladin is officially a dad class.

His choice certainly fits the stereotype, since Paladins are heavily armored, can heal their allies, protect their party, and generally have the sort of dependable, responsible toolkit you'd expect from the class entrusted with keeping everyone else alive while still dealing impressive damage.

Of course, being a Paladin isn't actually restricted to dads, but if you've ever encountered a Paladin player who seems particularly enthusiastic about keeping the party organized, now you know why. It's only a matter of time before Paladins start asking to take care of everyone's passport in the departure lounge.

World of Warcraft Forever launches November 4, with a playable beta going live on September 17.

At this year's BlizzCon, Blizzard announced a new version of World of Warcraft Classic, called World of Warcraft Forever. Blizzard says WoW Forever is "built as a new permanent home alongside modern and Classic WoW." It's set after the events of Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom but before Molten Core, and sends players back to the original continents with a cap at level 60. There are new stories, a new class, and over 1,000 new quests in the title.

With World of Warcraft Forever launching on November 4, a beta is due to start this week. There are a few ways you can gain access, so here's all you need to know.

https://youtu.be/uQuKE0KDgiM WoW Forever beta start and end times

The World of Warcraft Forever beta will run from Thursday, September 17, to October 21, 2026.

There are no official start times just yet, although Blizzard often rolls its updates out between 11 AM and 2 PM ET, so we'd expect the beta to become available around then.

How to access the WoW Forever beta

There are a few ways you can gain access to the WoW Forever beta, although preordering and buying specific packs are the only guaranteed ways.

Beta access is including with the Skyborne Epic Pack and Warcraft Forever Collection. The Skyborne Epic Pack is priced at $59.99 / £51.99, and the Warcraft Forever Collection is priced at $79.99 / £69.99, and both can be bought from the Battle.net store.

You can also head to the WoW Forever website and opt-in to the beta, although this is not a guaranteed method of entry. The only way to guarantee entry is by preordering one of the above packs. However, you don't need to buy these packs to get entry to WoW Forever when it releases. That's included with your World of Warcraft subscription or game time. However, if you want access to the new Skyborne race, you'll have to upgrade.

WoW Forever early name reservation

You'll be able to reserve your WoW Forever name from October 27 through November 3, 2026, and that's included with any upgrade purchase. You can create and customize up to three characters during this period, and character names are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

WoW Forever beta level cap

While WoW Forever will be capped at level 60, the beta will initially be capped at level 20, increasing to level 30 after a few weeks.

There's a host of new content coming with WoW Forever, including the Skyborne race, new dungeons, new raids, and an additional PvP battleground. It'll be released on November 4.

One of the most satisfying things about the Diablo games is their loot grind, and in Diablo 5, Blizzard has plans to keep you clicking enemies to death for a long time in pursuit of an elusive piece of armor or weapon. While it's still early days in terms of how itemization will be handled in the game, Blizzard has confirmed that gear-based sets will return. Set items were originally absent from Diablo 4 when the game launched in 2023, although set bonuses were later added through the Talisman system. Instead of armor collections, players could equip passive bonuses, set effects, and unique powers without needing to replace their current gear.

"Something we talk about a lot on the team is we want Diablo 5 to be a game that feels like it has elements for you, regardless of which Diablo game was your favorite," executive producer Matt Zitterman said to GameSpot at BlizzCon. "Clearly, there's some inspiration being taken from Diablo 2 there, but we're also looking at Diablo 4 and the successes we've had there, and are pulling forward ideas from there as well as Diablo 3. "I think for us, Diablo 5 represents this really special moment in the franchise's history where we get to look at the past and bring forward things that feel really familiar, but give them a fresh take."

https://youtu.be/Y8HaSFXR7tU

"We want to bring set items back. The set system in Diablo 4 worked really well for that game, but something about the way that set items worked in Diablo 2 and Diablo 3, they create kind of like a little quest, right? You want to go like you're on a long-term journey to collect the pieces of this set to unlock something really important about the build you're chasing. We want to bring that forward into Diablo 5. We want to create moments where players feel motivated, not just by a quest log, but by the loot chase. And I think set items, done right, do a really great job of that. We have ideas about how we can overcome some of the challenges of set items, narrowing the itemization game more than broadening it."

For more on Diablo 5--which won't be out until 2029--you can read up on how Blizzard wants to make combat feel more visceral than ever before, why the studio went for a new numbered game instead of another Diablo 4 expansion, and how you'll have a broader selection of classes to choose from when you return to Sanctuary.

If you've ever wondered which Overwatch heroes the people actually making the game enjoy playing, the answer is surprisingly varied. At BlizzCon 2026, GameSpot spoke with Overwatch game director Aaron Keller and associate game director Alec Dawson about their personal favorites, their original mains, and the newer heroes they think you should be playing.

Here are the best Overwatch heroes according to Blizzard developers:

Lucio

For Dawson, it all started with Lucio. "My first main, like, 'I want to play this character all the time,' was Lucio, he said. That's mostly down to Lucio's impressive movement, he explained. "When there's a character with very fluid mobility, I'm like, 'I'm going to lock in and learn as much as I can about this hero.'"

Lucio's mobility is one of the defining things about his kit. He can wall ride, allowing him to move quickly around the map by chaining movement across walls rather than taking the ground approach. His Crossfade also gives him an area-of-effect speed boost which applies to any teammates within the radius. Combined with wall riding, this makes him especially good at quickly repositioning, escaping danger, chasing enemies, or returning to the point after death, as Dawson agrees.

"I think Lucio just spoke to me on a level--I was like, 'Wait, I can do all of those things?' This guy's slide-sliding around walls! That was awesome from the start."

And yes, you can count on it that Dawson has used Lucio's Soundwave to boop more than a few opponents down the well in Ilios.

Tracer

For Aaron Keller, his original main was Tracer. As someone who has been working on Overwatch from its inception, Keller's endorsement of the hero from the original roster is glowing.

"I don't know if I have a main now, but my first was probably Tracer," he explained. "I just loved the mechanics. I feel like the kit is almost perfect, the way that it works."

Tracer's kit is built around speed, mobility, and constant repositioning, which helps to explain why Keller finds it "almost perfect." Using her Blink ability, she can teleport a short distance, and it has multiple charges to escape danger quickly. She can then hit her Recall ability to essentially rewind to where she was a few moments earlier, restoring her previous health and ammo. Then there are her Pulse Pistols, which do huge damage at close range.

It's that coherence and synchronicity that Keller loves. While he ends up taking the tank role pretty often these days, when he's playing damage, he'll opt for Tracer, although he admits, "I'm a lot worse at damage than I used to be."

Reinhardt, Winston, Zayra, and Orisa

When he is playing tank, Keller has several favorites rather than one definitive main.

"I typically queue flex now, which means I typically queue tank now, is what happens. So, I rotate through a few of the tanks, between Reinhardt, Winston, I love playing Zarya. I'll play Orisa, also," he explained.

If you're wondering which tanks have the seal of approval from one of Overwatch's key developers, that's Keller's shortlist.

Doctrine

When it comes to the newer heroes, Dawson singled out Doctrine as an example of the development team getting many different elements right at once.

"Doctrine is a wonderful example of taking an art visual archetype that we hadn't explored yet, this techno-vampire, making it the Overwatch version of that, with all the gameplay bundled together for his drones," he said. "I thought that was just a really perfect sandwich of things all coming together."

He's not alone in his admiration for Doctrine, though, as Keller agreed with him. "It's like this amazing combination of backstory, visuals, and gameplay that really supports this, sort of, vampire fantasy," he added.

Doctrine takes the classic vampire concept and mixes it with Overwatch's futuristic sci-fi world. Instead of making a traditionally supernatural vampire, Blizzard created the "techno-vampire" by combining classic vampire imagery with futuristic technology.

Doctrine has the seal of approval from both developers. That's probably as close as you can get to an official developer-certified hero recommendation.

Shion

Dawson's personal favorite among the newer heroes is Shion. "I think the one that I personally vibe with the most, 'cause it was just over the top, is Shion," he noted. And the developers apparently knew exactly what kind of hero they wanted Shion to be from the beginning.

"From the very get-go we were basing this off some action movies; we need to kick a motorcycle from the air. It was like we're going crazy with this hero," Dawson explained.

It seems Shion's personality is something that the developers feel connects her to players. "She just had that personality that's, sort of, villainous to her that I think also struck a really nice chord with people."

It's those over-the-top, action-movie-inspired, slightly villainous elements that Dawson thinks resonate particularly well with players. Her personality matches the extravagance of her concept, and she's certainly not designed to be understated.

Emre

Keller's pick of the newer heroes is a little less flashy, but that's exactly where his praise is aimed. "I think the primary file of Emre feels so good," he explained. That primary fire is Emre's Synthetic Burst Rifle, a three-round burst weapon. That straightforward, satisfying burst-rifle shooting makes Emre easy to learn how to play.

"Overwatch is a first-person shooter, so you just want a weapon like that in the game," Keller explained. "He might not be the flashiest character that we've got, but he has really resonated with a lot of players, and I think one of the reasons is that primary fire."

While these heroes come highly recommended, they didn't always function in the way that you see today. Tracer used to shoot lasers from her eyes, while two of Overwatch's most-criticized characters are getting a rework.

Diablo 4 is far from dead, but don't expect any new expansions for the game going forward. Instead, Blizzard is preparing to tell the darkest story yet in Diablo 5, one that required a new numbered game to properly reintroduce Diablo himself back to the series, following his defeat in 2012's Diablo 3. Currently aiming for a 2029 release, this would mean that players are in for a relatively short wait for a new Diablo game--compared to previous releases--as Diablo 5 will arrive a mere six years after Diablo 4.

Speaking to GameSpot at BlizzCon, Diablo senior production director Tiffany Wat and executive producer Matt Zitterman explained that it made sense for Blizzard to move to a new Diablo so that the studio could make structural changes to the game--changes that would have been very challenging to pull off within the framework of a Diablo 4 expansion.

"It really started by looking at who our players are," Zitterman said. "Who are Diablo players? Why are they playing Diablo? What do they want out of a Diablo game? That is a really critical step in the early conceptual phase for a game, even before you're thinking about, like, 'Gosh, should we make this an expansion? Should we make it a sequel? How do we do this?' Looking at past examples, looking at what's working well in Diablo 4, where there are opportunities for improvement, and we kind of build our ambition for the game at the conceptual phase through those avenues of information."

https://youtu.be/Y8HaSFXR7tU

"And as we started to understand and kind of solidify what that ambition was, it became very clear to us pretty early that in order to achieve what we wanted to achieve with this game, we needed to make some more deeply structural changes to the way the game works, changes that are just frankly hard to do in an expansion. Again, it's all about figuring out what the best way is to make the best Diablo game we can for players. Diablo is the main villain. Diablo is the guy that we want to tell a real story about. We want to tell a story that's on par with--and hopefully exceeds--the story we told with Lilith and Mephisto."

"And to do that in an expansion just didn't feel right. We needed to give him his own game."

Player feedback also plays a vital role in the development of Diablo 5, and Zitterman said that by announcing the game this early, Blizzard could make important changes well ahead of the game's eventual launch. "If we didn't announce now and we kind of held back until we were much further along in development, at that point, it's much harder to take that feedback and use it to make those really important changes and refinements to the game throughout development," Zitterman explained.

For more on Diablo 5, you can learn how combat could be even more ferocious, how the game will offer more character classes than ever, and how the Plague Knight uses the grossest powers to stay a step ahead of Diablo's demonic armies.

With the FPS Wardogs dominating the Steam charts, developer Bulkhead is paying close attention to the game's various systems. The studio recently dropped a new patch that makes some necessary changes for server stability, while confirming that the team has their eyes on cheaters and exploiters.

As part of Patch 0.11, which came out on September 14, Bulkhead announced that should any dogs of war take advantage of Wardogs' economy by farming servers, they'll find themselves either temporarily or permanently banned from the game.

"As an early access game, we’re not perfect, and we never will be," Bulkhead said in the patch notes. "But if you do find something and take advantage of it, we have decided to come down hard."

To be specific, Bulkhead outlined three different scenarios that will come with three different repercussions depending on the type of exploit you partake in.

Scenario 1: Stockpiling money by abusing cash exploits and bugs will result in a timed ban, with the length determined by whether you were banned previously. Your cash and experience will get reset, too.

Scenario 2: Showing economy exploits through tutorial content will be treated as "advertising cheats," resulting in a permanent ban. However, if you happen to stumble upon an exploit and share that with Bulkhead on Discord or social media, that'll be seen as an "alert," which prevents you from being permanently banned.

Scenario 3: If you're farming experience via server exploits, which Bulkhead says will result in "the most serious bans," your account will get banned permanently.

The studio clarified, though, that it's open to feedback on this policy, stating that these positions could change if enough people believe they're too harsh.

"In the very early stages of finding these issues you may find yourself getting away with it, but it doesn't take long for our backend data to flag abusers," Bulkhead said, "Effectively, if you find something and you then keep doing it, over and over again, that is abuse of an exploit. If you figure something out and test it once or twice, no biggy, thanks for helping us QA."

Wardogs is currently Steam's hottest game right now, with over 320,000 people playing at the time of writing. It didn't have the smoothest of starts, but the kinks are getting ironed out as the days go on. Players are a little riled up at the moment, though, particularly because people don't know how to close the door behind them.