Crimson Desert excels as an open-world action-adventure game when exploration and combat intersect. In the lead-up to release, there's been a lot of discussion about what exactly the game is and whether it's too good to be true, with trailers showing off everything from dragon-flying and mech-piloting to Shadow of the Colossus-style boss fights. Developer Pearl Abyss certainly set its sights high with its first single-player game, and there's no denying that Crimson Desert is an incredibly ambitious game stitched together with as many ideas as humanly possible.

A few hours into my adventure in Crimson Desert, I decided to explore to the east of the Duchess of Hernand--the game's starting location. Just beyond a sloping valley, I could make out what looked like a giant diving board nestled atop a mountain ridge. With this landmark in my sights, I made it my mission to scale the chalky cliff face and find out what exactly this enticing structure was.

As I figured out how best to tackle the climb, finding spots where I could stand and replenish my stamina before continuing, I eventually reached the top and discovered that what looked like a diving board was actually a mysterious wooden pulley. It wasn't clear what it was used for, but I didn't really care. The view from the top instantly grabbed my attention, presenting a breathtaking panorama of Hernand and beyond. Pastoral countryside stretched as far as the eye could see, dotted with hamlets, beautiful meadows, and dense forests. In the distance, snow-capped mountaintops reached for the clouds, while a number of hilltop castles were only a horse ride away.

Josh D'Amaro took over for Bob Iger today as the new CEO of The Walt Disney Company, and one of his first orders of business was to give an update on the long-awaited Disney x Fortnite project.

During Disney's annual shareholder meeting, D'Amaro said he recently reviewed some of the progress on the Disney x Fortnite project. "I was blown away by the possibilities," he said (via DrewDisneyDude).

That doesn't tell us much, of course, and it's not surprising to hear D'Amaro speak so enthusiastically about the Fortnite project. After all, he is the person who spearheaded Disney's investment into Epic Games in the first place. He's also a regular visitor to Epic's headquarters in North Carolina.

John Carpenter--best known for his legendary horror films like The Thing and Halloween--is evidently big into gaming, and says one of the games he's most looking forward to at the moment hasn't even been officially revealed yet.

"I have loved the Fallout universe for years so anything they do next, I’m ready for it," Carpenter said in a recent interview (via IGN).

Carpenter listed the next Fallout game--which currently has no title and no release date--as one of three games he's most excited to play. Notably, the other two games that made the list--Saber Interactive's upcoming shooter John Carpenter's Toxic Commando and Illfonic's upcoming Halloween--are both adaptations of Carpenter's work, whereas Fallout 5 obviously is not.

Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2 starts tomorrow, and Epic Games has unleashed a final pair of teasers to try to kickstart the hype cycle. We've got the Season 2 launch trailer, which shows off some of the weapons and wacky new gameplay items we'll be playing with, and even better is the live-action teaser, a comedy short which features SNL writer/Please Don't Destroy member Martin Herlily as the manager of spawn island, where players briefly hang out before a match begins.

Let's start with the launch trailer.

There's a lot of emphasis on the Fortnite story in this one, highlighting the Foundation's imminent faceoff against the Ice King. But more important is the gameplay changes we can see here. The highlight is the skyzip device, which will seemingly allow you to move around by launching a balloon with a zipline attached to it for quick getaways. And we can see several new weapons in action as well, including the Foundation's Rift Rifle.

Another GameCube classic, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, is finally playable on the Switch 2. Nintendo has been slowly unlocking games for members of its Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service, and it announced during the February 2026 Pokemon Presents livestream that the spiritual successor to the classic Pokemon Stadium and Colosseum games would be out in March.

Considered a fan-favorite, the 2005 game is notable for its storyline, and it was the closest thing to a 3D Pokemon adventure at the time. While the mainline series would graduate to the Nintendo DS consoles a year later with Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, N64 and GameCube spin-offs had primarily focused on one aspect of the franchise or took it in an entirely different direction. While Gale of Darkness had mixed reviews upon release, it's still fondly remembered by the Pokemon fandom for its narrative and the hunt to catch all 83 Shadow Pokemon, including the cover star Shadow Lugia.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Pokemon franchise, and while there are plans to celebrate this milestone, don't expect the next mainline entry in the series to be included. Pokemon Winds and Waves was officially revealed last month, but Nintendo and The Pokemon Company are allowing the developer more time to cook, as it's currently scheduled to be released in 2027 for Switch 2.

Blizzard has announced a new charity campaign for World of Warcraft, through which players can purchase an adorable little dog named Roofus, and all proceeds will go to Habitat for Humanity.

Players can purchase The Roofus Pack for $20 to get Roofus the dog as a pet in modern WoW and WoW Classic. The DLC pack also comes with items that players can use in their home from the newly released player-housing update. These items include four different dog houses, as well as blankets and a water bowl for the little pooch. Check out the video below to see the new content.

Players need World of Warcraft: Midnight to access these items, because they are related to housing.

Bungie's latest, Marathon, has barely been out a few weeks, but the developer is clearly keen to keep the ball rolling and start carving out a space for its most hardcore players. To that end, the developer is launching Marathon's Ranked mode later this week, and we've finally got details about what exactly that'll look like.

First and foremost, Marathon's Ranked mode will be unlocked on March 21 at 10 AM PT / 1PM ET. To access the mode, you must first reach level 25. Moving forward, Ranked will only be open to play on the weekends, much like Destiny's Trials of Osiris playlist, and crews of all sizes will be able to play Ranked.

Every weekend, the Ranked playlist will run on a "different planet-side zone," like Perimeter, Dire Marsh, or Outpost. The first weekend, perhaps unsurprisingly, will take place on Marathon's beginner map, Perimeter. Curiously, the language on Bungie's post emphasizes "planet-side," which could mean that the game's forthcoming endgame zone Cryo Archive, which takes place on the titular Marathon ship, might also be available at the same time, though Bungie has not outright said as much at this time.

Starbreeze has announced a new partnership to bring Payday to film and TV. The game studio has teamed up with Vice Studios to adapt the heist-themed game series beyond games. It appears the rights have changed hands, as Starbreeze previously announced a deal with a different company back in 2023 for a live-action adaptation of the franchise. Rights changing hands like this is not unusual.

"The parties will collaborate closely to ensure that future adaptations capture Payday's tone, characters, and high-stakes heist energy, while inviting new audiences into the franchise," Starbreeze said about itself and Vice Studios.

Starbreeze CEO Adolf Kristjansson said the goal is to make Payday a "fully entertainment platform." Vice Studios president Amy Powell said Payday has lots of potential for film and TV because the series has a lot of "mythology" to be tapped into.

Starting today, select members of the Xbox Insiders program will be able to take several new "highly requested updates" for a test run before they become available to all Xbox console users.

These new features include the ability to create up to 10 Groups on Xbox Home (up from the previous two-Group limit), a custom UI color palette, visible profile badges when browsing player profiles via the Xbox Guide, and a feature that former Xbox Live director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb says he wanted to see implemented long before he left Xbox in 2023: a Quick Resume feature that can be customized on a per-game basis.

"Love this," Hryb said in an X post responding to Xbox's announcement. "I filed a feature request to make Quick Resume per title in 2021. Great to finally see it happen."

For the last couple of years, PC users have been able to grab free games every week from the Epic Games Store. Epic's Free Games program offers a wide variety of titles to choose from, with the storefront mixing AAA hits with under-the-radar indies. This has helped grow the Epic Games Store over time, as well as shine a spotlight on games that people might have overlooked in an increasingly crowded market.

"In the early days of the Epic Games Store, the intent of the Free Games program was to keep giving players compelling reasons to come back every week as we built an audience and the catalog," Kyle Billings, director of strategy and business operations at the Epic Games Store, said to GameSpot. "We started monthly while we built up the programming and moved to weekly as soon as we could. In January 2025, we ran a very similar playbook with the mobile store when we launched."

"We know the Free Games program helps players discover new games or games that they never had a chance to play previously, and it continues to bring us around 8-9 million new users every year. This also helps developers continue to grow exposure for their games. In the end, we see the benefits to both players and the industry."

Last year was a great time to be a fan of ninjas, thanks to the release of brand-new Ninja Gaiden and Shinobi games. It also looks like the year of the ninja isn't over yet, as Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is getting a new expansion next month that will pit master of the ninja arts Joe Musashi against his toughest enemies yet: Sega icons Death Adder (Golden Axe), Dr. Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog), and the Mad Dog of Shimano, Goro Majima (Yakuza/ Like a Dragon).

Out on April 3, the Sega Villains Stage DLC also adds five new stages, two new Boss Rush modes, more ninpo arts, extra outfits, and new music tracks. The DLC will be available to owners of the Digital Deluxe Edition of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance or as a standalone purchase priced at $10. Alongside the DLC release, a free update patch for the game will go live, adding a "Hardcore Mode," combat system adjustments, updates to character outlines, and tutorial display features.

"Shinobi: Art of Vengeance has few equals when it comes to 2D combat," Richard Wakeling wrote in GameSpot's review, scoring the game 9/10. "It's a thrilling triumph, emblazoned by a striking art style that confirms Lizardcube is at the top of its game. After a prolonged absence, this is the perfect way to reintroduce the world to Shinobi and Joe Musashi, instantly revitalizing one of Sega's earliest heroes with his best game to date."

The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development now at Bethesda Game Studios, and studio head and game director Todd Howard has said development should go more smoothly than Starfield for a key reason.

Speaking to GamesRadar, Howard said the team has done a "much better job" on The Elder Scrolls 6 as compared to Starfield based on the development tools specifically. Starfield was made using Bethesda's Creation Engine 2, and that was a "big change" from Creation Engine 1.

This led to challenges for the developers who were "doing things in tandem with old and new." A number of developers had concerns about this, and for The Elder Scrolls 6, the team is using an updated version of the Creation Engine--the Creation Engine 3.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is getting its final substantial patch before developer Team Cherry focuses entirely on delivering the game's first expansion, which is still scheduled to launch this year. Thankfully, it brings with some very welcome balance changes.

The patch, which is out already for PC users and is coming to console versions soon, predominantly addresses one of Silksong's biggest shortfalls since its launch. Updated Traditional and Simplified Chinese translations are now available for the metroidvania, after Team Cherry was criticized for a poor effort at launch. The patch notes mention that Team Cherry worked closely with translators to "ensure lore accuracy throughout", which will hopefully preserve the game's world and atmosphere for more players to enjoy in their preferred language.

Other balance changes are making some bosses and traversal easier, if you've found specific gear. The Magma Bell, for example, now protects you from all types of fire-based damage instead of just specific types, which will come in handy for fights like The Savage Beastfly in Far Fields. That fight has also been addressed slightly, with the boss' minions now instantly dying if you're victorious rather than hanging around to sour the moment prematurely.

After two successful launches and the creation of a burgeoning competitive scene, Riftbound--the trading card game based on Riot Games's League of Legends universe--is about to release its next expansion, Unleashed. This third Riftbound set focuses on the jungling aspect of League of Legends, with new legends, monsters, and mechanics framed about diving into the jungle and grinding for more power.

We have an exclusive reveal for one of the Legend cards arriving in Riftbound: Unleashed, and it's one that uses the new XP mechanic to give its controller consistent card draw. Here is Poppy, Keeper Of The Hammer.

• Poppy, Keeper Of The Hammer (Legend)
  • Colors: Body/Order (Orange/Yellow)
  • Passive Ability: Whenever you hold a battlefield, gain 1 XP.
  • Activated Ability: Spend 3 XP and exhaust Poppy to draw a card.

As a Legend, Poppy will serve as the base for your entire deck, and she is all about XP, both gaining it herself and serving as a place to spend earned XP for a benefit. In this case, any time you reach 3 XP, you can exhaust (or "tap" for those familiar with Magic: The Gathering) Poppy and spend the XP to draw a card. XP is tracked as a separate resource, and some packs of Riftbound: Unleashed will come with a token card that can be used to track earned XP during the game.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is promising to be a big Easter egg hunt for longtime franchise fans, with Nintendo and Illumination teasing a cavalcade of Mario characters and references. But a new promo for the film contains a brief glimpse at some Nintendo characters from outside the franchise.

A social media video on the movie's official X account features a rapid-fire montage of many of the faces we'll see in the movie, including the familiar main characters and an entire rogues' gallery of Mario enemies and NPCs. If you pause at the exact right moment around 5 seconds in, you'll spot a yellow, red, and blue Pikmin.

They're ready for their close up. Don't miss The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, only in theaters April 1. pic.twitter.com/IDaOyBzfvJ

It's no secret that Mario creator (and producer of the Mario movies) Shigeru Miyamoto has an affinity towards Pikmin, also a property of his own creation. Pikmin are hidden throughout the Super Nintendo World theme park, and Miyamoto has expressed his desire for a Pikmin movie or series.

The free-to-play shooter Highguard has officially shut down, and now players on PS5 are reporting that refunds are coming in for certain items they may have paid for and can now no longer use.

People are saying on Reddit (via Kotaku) that Sony is now giving refunds for microtransaction purchases. Some said they bought microtransactions specifically because they enjoyed Highguard and wanted to support the developers. "I honestly didn't care for a refund," one person said.

Some have theorized that Wildlight offering refunds for Highguard players on PS5 might be tied to some kind of mandated policy from Sony. It's unclear if refunds will go out on Xbox or PC.

Recently at GTC 2026, Nvidia announced DLSS 5, a new AI-powered tool for developers. Aspects of DLSS 5--including the eerie-looking facial features--have been the subject of public ire. Now, billionaire Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has responded, telling gamers they are "completely wrong."

Tom's Hardware asked Huang at a Q&A at GTC for his thoughts on the criticism of DLSS 5 so far, and Huang said, "Well, first of all, they're completely wrong."

"The reason for that is because, as I have explained very carefully, DLSS 5 fuses controllability of the geometry and textures and everything about the game with generative AI," Huang said.