When the Steam Machine is finally in the hands of players, it'll already have a large volume of compatible games with the "Verified" green checkmark, with Valve indicating to developers that they won't have to worry too much about the verification process.

Valve designer Lawrence Yang told outlet Game Developer in an interview that the Steam Machine Verified badge will require "fewer constraints" than Steam Deck verification. Yang added that "if your title is Verified on Steam Deck, it will be Verified on Steam Machine."

Games earn the Steam Deck Verified label after testing by Valve. Being verified isn't necessarily an indicator that a game will run flawlessly on the handheld device, but rather that it checks off requirements of full controller compatibility, proper display settings, and middleware support.

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The frighteningly excellent Resident Evil Village will creep its way onto Xbox Game Pass on January 20, but before that, Capcom made the survival-horror game available on the Xbox Ally and Windows PC via Xbox Play Anywhere as of January 15. However, you might want to wait before downloading it on any of those devices because the game is reportedly busted right now.

According to a Windows Central report, RE: VIII picked up Xbox Play Anywhere support despite not initially being announced for the service, which went live all the way back in September 2016. There are now over 1,000 games in the initiative--which lets you buy the game once and play it across Xbox platforms, Windows PCs, and some PC gaming handhelds (like the Xbox Ally)--and while RE: VIII is the latest, it also appears to be the most broken as the installation file isn't anywhere to be found on the Ally or PC.

As Windows Central noted in its January 15 story, the "install" button you can click on doesn't actually install the game. Instead, it downloads a 10MB container that doesn't contain the actual game. You can still sync your saves from Xbox Series X|S, but strangely, the game doesn't launch. When you try to launch it, you'll just receive a "This game has crashed" message on these devices, meaning Xbox Play Anywhere has broken RE: VIII's release for now.

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World of Warcraft players have long asked for communal Guild Halls to hang out with guildmates in between adventures, and it sounds like that dream is finally becoming a reality, as Blizzard has confirmed what new housing-related features are currently in the works.

In an interview with PC Gamer about the future of WoW player housing, many of the biggest names on the WoW development team, including Blizzard VP and executive producer Holly Longdale and senior game director Ion Hazzikostas, outlined what players can expect from housing in the months and years to come.

Among a long list of improvements and new features coming to housing in the near future are Guild Halls. According to PC Gamer, principal designer and housing lead Jesse Kurlancheek said Guild Halls are not only coming, but that they will go live "relatively quickly." They will not, however, be part of the upcoming Midnight pre-patch arriving on January 20.

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The ongoing RAM shortages and the associated increase in RAM prices are starting to affect other pieces of hardware that make use of fast memory. Graphics cards are especially susceptible, which has seemingly forced Nvidia to start discontinuing at least two 50-series cards that ship with 16GB of VRAM.

A report by Hardware Unboxed states that several GPU manufactueres have designated both the RTX 5070Ti and the 16GB version of the RTX 5060Ti as "end of life," meaning that no new stock is being produced. At CES 2026, Asus, one of the largest AIB partners Nvidia works with, confirmed stock of the two cards was difficult to acquire from Nvidia and that current stock of both cards would be the last until further notice.

The report mentions that Asus is not alone in this decision, and that several other manufacturers and retailers (specifically across Australia) have noted the same for existing stock of both SKUs. The RTX 5070, which features 12GB of VRAM, seems unaffected for now, while cheaper cards with 8GB of VRAM, such as the regular RTX 5060, will continue to be produced. That leaves the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 as the only cards part of this generation of Nvidia GPUs that ship with 16GB or more VRAM, with both still only available at inflated prices.

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The use of generative AI in video games has been controversial to say the least, but when it comes to art, the blowback has been even stronger. One game currently being accused of using the technology is Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, as the new trailer for the fighting game's upcoming second season of DLC characters is being picked apart online. Viewers and commenters have pored over the trailer, claiming that the character designs are inconsistent and that certain visual elements contain generative AI. The biggest smoking gun, according to viewers, is a quick shot of series antagonist Geese Howard, who appears to be missing an entire foot.

Other instances of generative AI pointed out include Blue Mary's motorcycle missing several vital components--and being a completely different model from what she normally rides--and Kim Jae Hoon having noticeably different wardrobes between his cinematic and gameplay character models. We have reached out to the developer, SNK, for details on the trailer and will update this post as soon as we hear back.

If Fatal Fury is using generative AI, it wouldn't be the first game to do so. Activision confirmed that AI tools were used in the development of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, but it has insisted that the creative process "continues to be led" by humans. Meanwhile, fans believe that Battlefield 6 features AI-generated art, and the Indie Game Awards rescinded the awards given to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 after it was discovered that developer Sandfall Interactive used AI-generated assets during the game's production.

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Remember Bully Online, that fan-made mod that introduced online multiplayer to Rockstar Games' Bully, which launched in mid-December 2025? Well, if you didn't get the chance to play it when it came out, then you never will, because it has been shut down forever.

According to a Discord post by a moderator named Yubari, everything--the Bully Online project, the official Discord server, script development, source code, webpages, launcher, and all Bully Online account data--has been permanently deleted as of January 14. The YouTube video announcing the project's release has been privated, the Ko-Fi page has been removed, and any other Bully Online-related material is also unavailable. The ship has faded into the fog, if you will.

There's no explanation for why this happened just yet. However, Yubari noted that "this was not something [the team] wanted." YouTuber, developer, "massive Bully fan," and Bully Online project lead, SWEGTA, posted on X on January 14 that he'll "make a proper statement on the situation" in a YouTube video he'll post on January 21.

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Even after 35 years, Super Mario World players are unearthing weird new possibilities in the SNES game. The latest is an unsettling ending in which Yoshi can actually eat Princess Peach, leading to Mario and his green companion just staring at each other until the end of time.

Supper Mario Broth showcased the grim finale for Super Mario World on X, noting glitches are needed to achieve this conclusion. For instance, Super Mario World players might know that bringing Yoshi into the last battle with Bowser shouldn't be possible. Well, it's not without a glitch putting the green dinosaur in the reserve item box--which houses power-ups like the Cape Feather or mushroom. The latter comes into play to consume Peach, as timing is important to have Yoshi trying to eat that as the mushroom falls and then it's replaced with the princess. Basically, this isn't an easy trick to pull off while defeating Bowser.

Using a combination of glitches in Super Mario World, Yoshi can be taken into the final battle, where he can eat Peach upon Bowser's defeat. With Peach gone, the ending will not play, and Mario and Yoshi will simply stare at each other forever. pic.twitter.com/nEHGOWnmAw

— Supper Mario Broth (@MarioBrothBlog) January 14, 2026

This isn't the first time Supper Mario Broth has highlighted a hilarious and hidden factoid about a popular Nintendo game. In September, the account pointed out that Toad NPCs are capable of stealing cars in Mario Kart World.

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Bad news for fans of The Jumping Burger: the PlayStation Store has excised the game, along with over 1,000 similar titles published by the same developer, in what appears to be an effort to clear the storefront of shovelware.

German publisher ThiGames had its entire catalog of at least 1,196 games silently delisted. The company, as pointed out by streamer and "trophy hunter" RobThanatos on X, published the fourth-highest number of titles on the PlayStation Store. ThiGames has yet to publicly acknowledge the removals.

One quick look at any of these games and it's easy to conclude that they're nothing more than easy ways to farm trophies. "Gameplay" of The Jumping Burger consists of pressing or holding the cross button to make a burger jump up and down, earning a Platinum trophy for players in less than five minutes. A totally separate game called The Jumping Burger: Turbo shortened this process down to less than a minute and a half.

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Ahead of its upcoming release, Prime Video has revealed a first look at Tomb Raider star Sophie Turner. The live-action adaptation is currently in production, and Turner's outfit puts a modern spin on Lara Croft's signature adventure gear. Clearly inspired by the early Tomb Raider games, Turner's outfit consists of rugged shorts, red sunglasses, a turquoise top, and a pair of pistols--standard equipment for dangerous archeological expeditions.

Get your artifacts out. Lara's on her way… #TombRaider #WardrobeTest pic.twitter.com/kDcWhtlR4d

— Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) January 15, 2026

Turner was confirmed to star as Lara Croft in late 2024, and she'll be joined by several other notable actors. Sigourney Weaver. Jason Isaacs, Martin Bobb-Semple, Bill Paterson, Paterson Joseph, Jack Bannon, John Heffernan, Sasha Luss, Juliette Motamed, Celia Imrie, and August Wittgenstein will also star in the series. This is the second big piece of casting news this week, as Prime Video announced this week that Sons of Anarchy actor Ryan Hurst will play Kratos in its live-action God of War TV series.

For her preparation, Turner recently said she has been training up to eight hours a day, five days a week, since February 2025, to physically prepare for the demanding role of Lara Croft. She has also been playing the old games and reading the Tomb Raider comics, but she has avoided watching the Tomb Raider movies starring Angelina Jolie so that she can put her own unique spin on the character.

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As though life in Valheim's viking purgatory isn't already fraught enough, one player is filling his server with Dollar General stores and chain restaurants, to the exasperation of his friends. Just like in real life, the dreary, fluorescent-lit box stores started with just a single location, and have since spread to multiple biomes across the server.

The saga started when X user Greg the Sorcerer, as picked up by PC Gamer, posted a screenshot of a Dollar General store lovingly recreated in Valheim, saying he was "pissing off my friends in Valheim by building Dollar Generals." The attention to detail in the store is pretty impressive, with an eye-catching glowing sign on the front facade and fluorescent lighting in the interior.

Pissing off my friends in valheim by building dollar generals pic.twitter.com/zjAZNPdauh

— Greg the Sorcerer (@gregthesorcerer) January 11, 2026

Complete with obnoxious florescent lighting pic.twitter.com/ZoyQVtJg0F

— Greg the Sorcerer (@gregthesorcerer) January 11, 2026

Greg's friends started popping up soon after, with user Paladin Posting sharing a screenshot of the same building with the caption: "WTF is a Dollar General. Why is it in my Valheim server." Another user, Woman Mage, also shared a view of the building from a different angle with the caption "this is just absurd."

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Animal Crossing: New Horizon's free 3.0 update has dropped earlier than expected, bringing new features including the Slumber Islands, Resort Hotel, and the return of Resetti. One feature players didn't see coming is the brand-new movement system, which allows players to move precisely one square at a time, allowing strafing and even a cute little hop.

The new style of movement has been added to aid in construction and decorating. The options are mentioned as part of a tutorial in the Island Designer app, though some players managed to discover the new feature on their own.

One player posted to Reddit after finding that pressing L now makes your character jump, while others discovered that this was only part of the new movement function, which allows precise movement one square at a time by pressing and holding L.

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This year marks the 15th anniversary of Re-Logic's Terraria, and the developer is still making new content for the game after all of this time. For months, Re-Logic has teased the release of the next update, Terraria 1.4.5. Now, the release date is set for later this month.

On the official site for Terraria, Re-Logic announced that Terraria 1.4.5 will launch on January 27. The studio noted that the latest delay was caused because it needed to, "resubmit a few things, which pushed us back a bit further than expected."

Re-Logic hasn't shared a full list of the new features or improvements coming with the latest update, but it has teased a few during the game's monthly news updates. As an example, villagers will no longer need a house in order to show up in the game. However, they will ask the player to build them a house if there isn't one already.

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Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will receive an update on PC and PS5 on January 22. This patch will feature the ridiculously easy mode previously revealed for Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S, meaning all versions of the RPG will be comparable.

The official Final Fantasy VII account on X unveiled the upcoming update, calling it a celebration of the game's launch for Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S. The Streamlined Progression options include toggles to always deal 9,999 damage or have your HP maxed out. Players can also just switch on double EXP or max Gil. Basically, Square Enix is letting people decide how chill they want to make their Final Fantasy VII Remake experience.

To celebrate Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade launch day on Nintendo Switch 2 & Xbox, a patch for the PS5 and PC versions will launch next Thursday.
This introduces Streamlined Progression, including the ability to keep HP and MP topped up, and always hit for 9,999 damage! pic.twitter.com/XMuEdhreTP

— FINAL FANTASY VII (@finalfantasyvii) January 15, 2026

Last month, a demo for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade dropped on Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S. You can play the whole first chapter of the game on those consoles and even carry forward all of your progression to the full release next week.

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Actor Kevin Afghani is the new voice of Mario (and Luigi), taking over for the iconic and legendary Charles Martinet. He's now discussed taking up the mantle of voicing one of the best-known characters in gaming and entertainment in general, saying Martinet will always be Mario.

"Look, Charles, as far as I'm concerned, IS Mario," Afghani told USA Today. "He created something that is so unbelievably iconic. And he did it so masterfully. If I wasn't nervous, then I'm the wrong guy."

Afghani said he refers to himself as "the second guy who's doing Mario," with Martinet forever standing as "the guy."

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Resident Evil Requiem launches next month, and to start building momentum for the game, Capcom will broadcast a new look at it today. If you're interested in checking out new content for the survival-horror adventure, here's a closer look at how you can tune in for it.

When does the Resident Evil Showcase start?

The Resident Evil Showcase will kick off at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET today, January 15. Outside of the US, you can catch it at the following times:

• 2 PM PT
• 5 PM ET
• 10 PM GMT
• 7 AM JST (January 16)
• 8 AM AEST (January 16)

Where to watch the Resident Evil Showcase?

Like other Capcom streams, you can catch the showcase on the company's official Resident Evil YouTube and Twitch channels.

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A world of long ago. The protagonist, Kear, sets out on an adventure to rescue Claire, a daughter of the heavens who is also his fiancée, who has been kidnapped by monsters. However, behind this is a plot to destroy the world by the resurrection of the demon king Lucifer. One of the PC Engine's masterpiece RPGs, with a rare theme of Celtic mythology and the love between men and women. The majestic BGM, which matches the visual scenes and the story, is a must-listen masterpiece. In addition to the story, there are many elements to keep you engaged, such as searching for rare weapons for each character, and the gameplay is also attractive, so players will not get bored.

The "Poem of Angels" series is one of the best PC Engine RPGs, with a rare theme of Celtic mythology and the love between men and women. The story is set in a different world 100 years after the previous work. The main character Fate meets Rihanna, a girl who has lost her memory, and goes on a journey to save her. The battle with the forces of darkness begins again in another world beyond the dimensions. The main character from the previous work, Kur, also appears, and the heavy scenario that continues from the previous work, along with famous lines and famous music, will stir your emotions. In addition to the story, there are many elements to keep you busy, such as searching for rare weapons for each character, and the gameplay is also attractive, so players will not get bored.