Dungeons & Dragons is no stranger to crossovers with other IP, and a collaboration with Blizzard's World of Warcraft also already on the way. However, that may not be the only Blizzard crossover we get in D&D, as both Wizards of the Coast and Blizzard teased recently.

Speaking to GameSpot's Jessica Cogswell during Gen Con 2026, head of Dungeons & Dragons Dan Ayoub made it clear that he would love a StarCraft crossover.

"I will say this, since I am sitting here with [World of Warcraft VP] Holly Longdale, who is super persuasive and has cool stuff: I think StarCraft would be badass," Ayoub said. "As I said earlier today, I quite literally almost flunked out of university because of StarCraft. That one gives me the feels."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yMOZlYqsnY

The two exchanged conspiratorial smiles before Longdale replied, “Hmmm. I think we should talk. I know a guy." Ayoub laughed, then added, "I think I know where to find you."

Blizzard was not giving any more details on a potential StarCraft crossover and at this point, it’s not clear if it’s even officially in the works. However, their coy nature discussing it has us very intrigued.

Prior to that, we'll get to see how D&D and World of Warcraft work together. D&D: World of Warcraft is out November 17, featuring 30 dungeon bosses, seven dungeons, 60 new spells, and more.

Dungeons & Dragons fans will soon be exploring the dangerous lands of Azeroth, as World of Warcraft is coming to the tabletop game. Wizards of the Coast (WotC) and Blizzard have gone all-out with this crossover, as not only does it feature multiple World of Warcraft classes and six additional subclasses, but also various specializations, spells, items, and enemies. That sounds like a dream pairing between two titans of the fantasy genre, but could we see Dungeons & Dragons make an appearance in World of Warcraft's digital realms?

WotC isn't saying anything official right now, but in an interview at Gen Con with GameSpot's Jessica Cogswell, Head of Dungeons & Dragons Dan Ayoub and VP of World of Warcraft for Blizzard Holly Longdale were certainly teasing something. "I cannot say at this time," Longdale said. "Not at this time. This is a grand experiment. I am really excited to see where it goes."

"As we exchange knowing glances," Ayoub added.

Dungeons & Dragons; World of Warcraft

If a reciprocal crossover is in the pipeline, then it'll most likely be revealed at BlizzCon later this month. Blizzard's big event for all of its games typically kicks off with a grand-opening ceremony--this year's one will be on September 12--and dedicated panels will be held over the weekend for its games. That same day, World of Warcraft will be in the spotlight, as Blizzard will host a 45-minute "What's Next" panel for the game on the main stage, which does suggest some big news. On September 13, that panel will continue on the main stage as the development team previews upcoming adventures, features, and updates.

World of Warcraft might not be the only Blizzard franchise coming to Dungeons & Dragons, as Ayoub teased that StarCraft would also be a dream addition to the tabletop game. "I know a guy," Longdale said in response. While WotC continues to introduce new IP to Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, Ayoub also stressed that the core games won't be sidelined in favor of Universes Beyond crossovers.

Revealed during today’s State of Play presentation, Pearl Abyss has confirmed that Crimson Desert’s first major expansion will be launching in October. It not only adds a new region and plenty of new narrative surprises, but also gameplay features that pull from the most unlikely of places. If the reveal trailer is any indication, Crimson Desert could soon be a life sim that gives The Sims a run for its money. 

In Chartering the Unknown, players can expect underwater combat in which you pilot submarines, ride sharks, and use a jetpack to propel yourself through the beautiful ocean blue. In classic Crimson Desert fashion, it looks absolutely ridiculous, with no rhyme or reason to its mechanical intentions or oddball art design. But that willingness to try so many things, regardless of how they turn out, is part of what makes Crimson Desert so charming. 

Other unexpected additions coming to the paid expansion include Assassin’s Creed-esque naval combat, giant underwater dragons, and a new narrative threat that seemingly revolves around an unexplored location far beyond the Crimson Desert. Players can likely expect a new region dominated by a huge body of water, and a city in which abused workers are beginning to rebel against their leaders. Nothing about it makes sense, but players have come to expect that from Crimson Desert by now. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fQCPmH6kOg

But one of the most exciting things coming to the game as part of Charting the Unknown is the ability to construct your own buildings and fill them with whatever you like. The trailer is focused primarily on erecting what appears to be a massive castle outside the city, showcasing its evolution from a foundation in the ground to a formidable stone fortress. There is even plenty of scaffolding, which gives off the impression you will be able to climb buildings while they’re being constructed or perhaps help out with the assembly yourself. 

The trailer then transitions to the interior of a completely different building, where the player is using an interface to place walls just like you would in The Sims or Paralives. This isn’t just an open-world action-adventure game anymore; it’s a borderline life sim where you can construct a series of rooms, place furniture, and, thanks to the forthcoming update, start up a romance with one of the game's numerous NPCs.

Towards the end of the trailer, we see protagonist Kliff Macduff getting on his knees and offering a lovely bouquet of flowers to an NPC, suggesting that more robust romance options could soon be coming to Crimson Desert. If you’re adding all the other ingredients of life sims, obviously it makes sense to let our hero fall in love and settle down. 

It’s likely the expansion is hiding plenty of secrets we’ll have to wait until launch to discover. It also gives you the option to hire employees, each with different statistics and roles, so you might want someone with particular skills to run the castle kitchen or a smart-talking fella to act as your castle’s traveling merchant. The presence of attack and defense stats gives off the impression that there will also come a time to defend your castle from outside forces. It wouldn’t be surprising if the presence of a pirate ship also asks that players assemble their own crew, which could come from your castle, or vice versa. 

Crimson Desert: Chartering the Unknown

The Chartering the Unknown expansion follows in the footsteps of countless free updates that have utterly transformed the ambitious open-world game since it arrived earlier this year, with the most recent patch adding several narrative-focused cutscenes to its once lightweight main story.

Crimson Desert has proven itself to be quite polarizing since its release, with critics arguing it does too much mechanically and far too little narratively. However, this throw everything at the wall attitude also makes it impossible to look away when an expansion like this comes around. Nobody expected it to suddenly transform into a life sim where you can make a castle and fall in love, yet here we are.

The Crunchyroll Game Vault is expanding, as the anime brand has announced several new additions to its collection of mobile games. Available as a membership perk for Mega and Ultimate Fan subscribers, the Game Vault will now offer more than 100 games free of ads and in-app purchases, with new arrivals like Baki Hanma: Blood Arena and ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs being added to the service.

For fans of cozy experiences, ReStory is a delightful game where you run an electronics workshop and spend the day restoring old tech to working order while listening to some chill lofi beats. Designed to be satisfying and relaxing, it's a nostalgic look back at retro gaming hardware, cellphones, and other essential gadgets. Other upcoming games being added to Crunchyroll's vault include the stylish psychological-horror adventure Little Goody Two Shoes, the elegantly designed adventure Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, and Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon, which reimagines the spade-wielding hero's quest as a roguelike with puzzle elements. Rounding out the arrivals is Streets of Rage 4, which is still one of the best beat-'em-ups ever made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiYNNGR4uLo

Crunchyroll also added a few more games recently, like the 2D brawler Baki Hanma: Blood Arena, a monster-hunting adventure where you cook what you catch in Battle Chef Brigade, and Beyblade X Xone for fans of the blade-spinning anime and toy franchise.

If you're unfamiliar with it, the Crunchyroll Game Vault offers a curated library of premium mobile, indie, and anime-inspired games on iOS and Android devices. Available at no extra charge to Mega and Ultimate Fan members, this means that you're getting dozens of games on top of access to all the anime series and films through the streaming platform. Many titles also support Bluetooth gamepads (Xbox, PlayStation, or mobile controllers like the Backbone One) on mobile devices, so you're getting a traditional gaming experience if you have this hardware.

You can find this section in the Crunchyroll App, and it already includes several great games, such as Dungeons of Hinterberg, Pepper Grinder, and Metal Slug Tactics. If you're interested, the full list of games is below.

Considering how video game hardware is more expensive than ever before, Crunchyroll's Game Vault is a pretty solid deal considering how most people have access to smart devices. GameSpot recently took a look at how you can save some cash during Cheap Week, and if you missed it, you can check out our features on the best games for under $10, game subscriptions you might already have, and why the future is friendslop.

Crunchyroll Game Vault games

• 9 Years of Shadows
• 10 Second Ninja X
• Ao Oni
• Ariana and the Elder Codex
• Asdivine Saga
• Baki Hanma: Blood Arena
• Battle Chasers: Nightwar
• Battle Chef Brigade
• Battle Suit Aces
• Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
• Beyblade X Xone
• Black Lily's Tale
• Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince
• Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions
• CATO: Buttered Cat
• Classroom of the Elite
• Connectank
• Corpse Party
• Crypt of the NecroDancer (includes Hatsune Miku DLC & SYNCHRONY)
• Dawn of the Monsters
• Destiny's Princess: A War Story, A Love Story
• Dungeons of Hinterberg
• Evan's Remains
• ExZeus: The Complete Collection
• Eternights
• Fishing Star World Tour
• Fruit Mountain
• Freshly Frosted
• Gift
• Grisaia Phantom Trigger Series (Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8)
• Gungrave G.O.R.E.
• Hidden in My Paradise
• Hime's Quest
• Horror Hop
• inbento
• Kardboard Kings
• Kawaii Kitchen
• KinnikuNeko: SUPER MUSCLE CAT
• Kitaria Fables
• Last Time I Saw You
• Lock's Quest
• Lost Words
• Lunar Lux
• Magical Drop VI
• Metal Slug Tactics
• MMC KENKEN Math
• Moonstone Island
• Patch Quest
• Pepper Grinder
• Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Mobile
• PictoQuest
• Pikuniku
• Ponpu
• Princess Maker 2 Refine+
• PSYCHO-PASS: MANDATORY HAPPINESS
• Pub Encounter
• Raging Loop
• River City Girls
• River City Girls 2
• Roto Force
• RWBY: Arrowfell
• Sailor Cats 2: Space Odyssey
• Shantae and the Seven Sirens
• Shin chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation – The Endless Seven-Day Journey
• Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town
• Shogun Showdown
• Space Crew
• Spidersaurs
• Spin Rhythm XD
• STEINS;GATE
• Sushi for Robots
• Sweet Sins 2
• Tengami
• The Amazing Shinsengumi: Heroes in Love
• The House in Fata Morgana
• The Men of Yoshiwara: Kikuya
• The Men of Yoshiwara: Ohgiya
• The Star Named EOS
• Thunder Ray
• Tokyo Dark Remembrance
• Two Strikes
• Umiro
• Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth
• White Day
• Wolfstride
• Yohane the Parhelion
• Ys I Chronicles
• Ys II Chronicles
• Yuppie Psycho

Coming soon

• Little Goody Two Shoes
• ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs
• Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon
• Streets of Rage 4
• Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley

Pre-Registration & Upcoming Titles

• Bananya Buddies (Pre-registration)
• Call of Boba
• Cuisineer
• Gato Roboto
• Little Goody Two Shoes
• Mythic Love: Iberian Legends

CD Projekt joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski has commented on how the studio thinks about artificial intelligence when it comes to developing games.

Speaking during CD Projekt's latest earnings briefing, the executive said AI is "definitely becoming a thing in games development." However, he stressed that the Polish developer is still "predominantly using people" to make games.

"AI, if anything, is a tool like many others that's helping in places that can maybe become more helpful in the future but we're not planning to rely on AI making complete games," he said, as reported by PC Gamer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54dabgZJ5YA&rco=1

Nowakowski said CD Projekt makes "very complex games," and using AI would not be "the right or ethical path to follow."

At the same time, Nowakowski said every studio--or at least its management--will decide for itself how it wants to use, or not use, AI.

"So whether this is true for the whole industry, I'm not the person to make those statements. I think everybody has to make those judgments on their own," he said.

The Witcher 4 is set for release in 2028, and it kicks off a new trilogy of games. CD Projekt is also working on Cyberpunk 2 and a multiplayer Witcher game.

After its liberation from Microsoft's ownership, the newly independent Double Fine Productions has been quite busy. At the September 2026 State of Play, PlayStation revealed that Double Fine's surreal adventure Keeper is shadow-dropping on PS5, and the studio added that the acclaimed game is getting some intriguing updates.

Along with the surprise PS5 release, Keeper is also getting a "Psychedelic Mode," which is probably exactly what it sounds like. Considering how much bizarre imagery is already in the game, an even more "wild new way" to play the game should be a treat. And Double Fine wants to sweeten the deal with a price cut, which the studio implemented with its other recent title, Kiln.

https://bsky.app/profile/doublefine.com/post/3mummzhp4ws2f

Keeper launched in 2025 at a $30 price point and now sells for $20. Kiln, which released earlier in 2026, cost $20 for the base game, with a $30 deluxe "Fired Up" edition; those are now $8 and $10, respectively. Unlike Keeper, Kiln launched on PS5 along with Xbox and Steam.

Meanwhile, Double Fine revived its Amnesia Fortnight game jam and already exceeded its crowdfunding goal of $400,000 for the project. The game jam, a tradition for Double Fine since 2007 (and was halted while it was under Xbox's ownership), will result in the studio's next title.

But the loftiest stretch goal in the crowdfunding campaign is the promise of a Brutal Legend 2 should it reach $100 million. It's a huge ask, and one that likely won't be met pending intervention from any moguls who are big Jack Black fans.

Keeper was beloved by critics, with GameSpot's Keeper review calling it a "visual feast." Since Double Fine's spin-off from Xbox, purchases of its games will directly support the studio. The split from Microsoft occurred in July, but the studio unfortunately cut 25% of its staff as a result.

The most exciting part of a video game showcase is when developers shadow-drop something immediately after announcing it. Today's State of Play had a few such announcements. Demos for a new Final Fantasy game and anime-inspired action titles, as well as a port of a Double Fine game that was previously Xbox exclusive, are out now.

Final Fantasy Resonance Demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZvZYwQdXN8&pp=0gcJCRoMAYcqIYzv

Final Fantasy Resonance is an HD-2D game based on the narrative of Brave Exvius, a game previously only available on mobile. This demo will give you a taste of the game's first chapter and all of the throwback pixel art and Final Fantasy character summons that come during that. Progression will carry over to the full game too, which is out on October 22. Although only the PS5 version was mentioned during the stream, the demo is also out now on PC, Switch, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S.

Keeper's PS5 Port https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PilyJu1DDEo

Keeper was released by Double Fine in October 2025 and is the latest title from Headlander and Stacking designer Lee Petty. It's a surreal, visually stunning game where you explore a decrepit world as a lighthouse and its fantastical bird companion. It flew under the radar last year, so it's great to see it come to PS5 now that Double Fine is independent once again. It got a price drop and new psychedelic mode today too.

Stupid Never Dies Demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_33MQFuVEY

Stupid Never Dies is a quirky new action game from Hiroyuki Kobayashi, a producer best known for his work on series like Dino Crisis and Dragon's Dogma at Capcom. You can get a taste of its flashy action from this new demo, which lasts two hours and lets you transfer progress once Stupid Never Dies launches on October 21.

SlashZero Demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrJuL3XSLTc

SlashZero is a fast-paced action roguelike with an anime aesthetic where players control a time hacker trying to kill something called "Hieros-I." While the game won't be out until sometime next spring, a limited-time demo was released on PS5 today.

Following Nintendo, both Sony and Microsoft have now argued in court that they are not obligated to provide refunds to consumers who paid more for a price-hiked PlayStation or Xbox console related to US President Donald Trump's controversial tariff plan. The tariffs were deemed illegal, prompting companies to seek refunds. The companies getting those refunds are largely keeping them, though there have been some exceptions and outliers.

In July, Sony said it was projecting to get $508 million back in refunds from the US government over the tariffs, and "most" of that money was owed to Sony's gaming division. Sony is facing a lawsuit that claims Sony should disperse refunds, at least in part, to consumers who paid more for a PS5.

Sony's legal team, however, says Sony will keep all the money and you'll get nothing back.

"Paying fair market price for voluntarily purchased consumer goods is not a legally cognizable injury in fact," the lawyers said in a memo seeking to dismiss the class-action suit, as reported by Game File.

Microsoft's own legal team took a similar approach, saying in court, "There is nothing unjust about plaintiff purchasing an Xbox at an advertised price and getting exactly what [they] paid for..."

Sony's argument in court added that the class-action lawsuit brought by gamers does not provide evidence that tariffs were to blame for the PS5 price hike implemented in August 2025, calling the claim "speculative and illogical." In announcing the price hike, Sony said it was raising PS5 prices in response to a "challenging economic environment," but not mentioning tariffs specifically.

Sony's legal team said things like "inflation, currency fluctuations, component costs, logistics, competitive dynamics, or demand" could have also contributed to the PS5 price hike. Indeed, beyond tariffs alone, the AI-fueled demand for components and memory--the same equipment needed to make PS5 consoles--has led to shortages and increased costs for Sony and others in the market.

No refunds.

Sony went on to cite its own additional PS5 price hike in March 2026--following the Supreme Court deeming the tariffs illegal--as proof that the hikes are not attributable to tariffs.

"If tariffs were the cause of the price increases, one would expect SIE to lower prices once the tariffs were eliminated--not raise them again. Instead, the timeline confirms that the pricing of PlayStation consoles includes a diverse and dynamic set of input costs," Sony's lawyers said.

Microsoft took a similar stance, saying the class-action suit fails to provide "pricing differential attributable to tariffs..."

For Sony, its refusal to provide tariff refunds to players is just the latest public relations issue the company is facing. The company also announced plans to end support for physical PlayStation game discs in 2028, and a lot of people dislike that decision.

Not every gaming company is taking such a hard line on this topic. Panic, the company behind the Playdate gaming handheld, said it will pass its own refunds on to customers who paid more. People should get about $12 back.

“It’s just not our money to keep, and it felt really good to give it back,” Panic’s Cabel Sasser told Game Developer. “That’s an easy way to know you made the right decision.”

Many companies received major tariff refunds, and they are handling refunds differently. For example, Wamart and Home Depot have said they will use the cash infusion to lower prices on a variety of products, but not directly refund anyone..

“At the end of the day, a product is worth what somebody’s willing to pay for it, and there is a lot of choice in this marketplace,” Bryan Eshelman, a managing director at consulting firm AlixPartners, told CNBC.

This may be true, and Sony may have no legal obligation to pass along refunds to consumers, but that doesn't mean it's sitting well with everyone. People are loudly voicing their opinions on social media, with many posting the Jeremy Irons quote from the movie Margin Call where his character says, "We are selling to willing buyers at the current fair market price."

The latest gaming-related price hike came from Nintendo, which increased the price of the Switch 2 from $450 to $500 on September 1. Historically, console prices came down over time, but the world is different today.

With the release date of Final Fantasy VII Revelation confirmed as April 8 during today's PlayStation State of Play, it seems Steam is jumping the gun on what comes after, as two downloadable story expansions have appeared on the digital storefront.

Each expansion features specific characters, with the first called "Sephiroth" and the second called "Vincent and the Turks." Both are listed as release "between Winter 2027 and April 2028. No other information is included with the listings.

The news comes alongside an extended look at Final Fantasy VII Revelation during the State of Play, with nearly ten minutes of gameplay exploring the open world, side missions in Yutai and Gongaga, side activities like Queen's Blood, and more.

Series producer Naoki Hamaguchi introduced the gameplay demo, as well as a new Trilogy Edition which combines all three parts of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy into one package.

Square Enix has also detailed the Deluxe and Collector's Editions of Revelation, which will include both DLC packs found on the Steam page. Details for each edition are below:

• Physical - PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2
  • Standard ($69.99)
    • Day 1 Editions available at several retailers include Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY Final Showdown Promo Card*
    • Amazon Day 1 Edition includes folded poster
  • Deluxe ($99.99)
    • Mini-Soundtrack
    • Artbook
    • Day 1 Editions available at several retailers include Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY Promotional Card
    • Steelbook case
  • Collector’s Edition ($349.99) - Square Enix Store Exclusive
    • All “Deluxe Edition” contents, plus…
      • Premium statue (featuring Cloud, Zack and Sephiroth)
      • Story Expansion Pass**, granting access to two story-centered DLCs planned for later release***
        • Includes in-game accessory Reclaimant Choker
        • Includes Survival Set of useful in-game consumable items
      • In-game equipment Armor: Nymphwing Bracelet
      • In-game equipment Accessory: Risk Taker’s Choker
      • In-game item: Summon Materia: Mecha-Chocobo & Moogle
      • In-game item: Summoning Materia: Polydroid Alexander

• Digital - PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2
  • Pre-order incentive (all editions): Summon Materia: Mecha-Chocobo & Moogle
  • Standard ($69.99)
  • Premium ($99.99)
    • Story Expansion Pass*, granting access to two story-centered DLCs planned for later release**
      • Includes in-game item Accessory: Reclaimant Choker
      • Includes Survival Set of useful in-game consumable items
    • Early Access, which allows for access to the game 24 hours before release
  • Premium Plus ($109.99)
    • All “Premium Edition” contents, plus…
      • Digital Mini Soundtrack
      • Digital Artbook
      • Summoning Materia: Polydroid Alexander
      • In-game equipment Armor: Nymphwing Bracelet
      • In-game equipment Accessory: Risk Taker’s Choker

Epic Games has announced that it's going to make it easier than ever to hang out and talk with friends across different platforms by launching Epic Parties. This voice chat service will work across Fortnite (on all supported platforms), the Epic Games Store launcher (PC, iOS, and Android), and the Epic Games app (iOS and Android).

For example, you can start a voice party from your phone or PC launcher, ring up a friend who is busy playing Fortnite on their PlayStation, and even transfer that call from your phone to your PC when you get back to your desk. This means that you can sit in on a voice call through the Epic PC Launcher while playing completely different games from your Epic library. Other benefits include a seamless approach to grouping friends together, as Epic says that if you're in a voice party with friends and everyone decides to open Fortnite, then the game will automatically drop you all into the same lobby together.

This new feature is competing directly with Discord, which has been the go-to third-party app for users for several years. Epic's built-in alternative aims to let users bring their social list, voice channels, and digital avatar with them across multiple platforms and from game to game, whether you are on iOS, Android, PC, or console. Epic has also hinted that these voice and avatar systems will be integrated directly into Unreal Engine 6, and the tools will be offered to other developers in time. For now, it's currently rolling out to Fortnite, and Epic Parties will be available in Rocket League next year.

According to Epic's year-in-review stats, over $1 billion was spent in the store in 2025, and it reached an all-time record of 78 million monthly active users on PC. Earlier this year, Epic spoke more about its plans to further improve its digital storefront. "Our goal is to keep building a storefront and launcher that players want to engage with and use to grow their game library, but we need to be able to connect players with the game they want to play at the time they want to play it," Kyle Billings, director of strategy and business operations at the Epic Games Store, said to GameSpot.

During today's State of Play broadcast, Sony announced that two limited-edition Grand Theft Auto 6-themed DualSense controllers will be released.

They'll come in black or white and feature distinctive Leonida-themed graphics and coloring. Both have pastel pink icons on the buttons, with a blue-purple shift that sparkles along the bottom of the controller.

You can get the controller in black or white.

On the rear of the controllers, the Grand Theft Auto logo is embossed, while the grips maintain the standard PlayStation icon texture.

Elsewhere, the GTA 6 logo is etched on to the touchpad, and palm-tree-like shapes are embossed on the controller grips.

Both controls launch alongside GTA 6 on its release date, November 19. Surely there's no better way to experience the biggest gaming release of the decade so far? They'll set you back $85 each.

At least you'll no longer have to mash the X button on your new controller, as it's been confirmed that there's a new mechanic for sprinting in GTA 6. In other GTA 6 news, you won't have to tend to Jason and Lucia's romantic relationship if you don't want to.

Rockstar Games has confirmed new details about how fishing and hunting work in GTA 6, and it's probably not what you would expect.

Speaking to YouTuber TGG, Rockstar North's Rob Nelson confirmed that fishing in GTA 6 is limited to catch and release--players cannot keep any fish. Why? "It didn't fit this game," Nelson said, adding that fishing in GTA 6 is mainly for fun. Players can also complete fishing-related challenges and amass collectibles.

Jason fishing in GTA 6.

In Rockstar's last game, 2018's Red Dead Redemption II, players could catch a great assortment of fish and then cook and eat them. That made sense given the time period of the game, that being 1899. GTA 6 is set in modern times, and main characters Jason and Lucia, like you and me, have access to numerous food options at any given time. Eating food in GTA 6 will make you gain weight, and players can use the excess calories to bulk up at the gym.

As for hunting in GTA 6, Nelson said the game's hunting system is one of many ways in the game that players can make money. The hunting system is unlocked through a friend that knows Jason, but TGG theorized that this person has not been shown yet in any GTA 6 footage so far.

In addition to catching fish and killing animals, players will be able to "inspect" the creatures, borrowing a system from Red Dead Redemption 2. GTA 6 also has dogs that you can pet, scold (you monster), and inspect.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. At the State of Play event on September 3, Sony and Rockstar announced a GTA 6-themed DualSense controller.

Final Fantasy VII Revelation finally has a release date: April 8, 2027. Square Enix confirmed the news today during the PlayStation State of Play livestream, along with nearly 10 minutes of new footage.

The release date was confirmed via a trailer highlights all eight playable characters in the main party: Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Red XIII, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Vincent, and Cid. We also see gameplay of the team in action, including team-up abilities like Vincent's Galian Beast form rushing a group of enemies with Red XIII, and Tifa and Yuffie attacking from above with a dive kick/spinning shuriken combo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YHP48v7vyg

From there, FF7 director Naoki Hamaguchi introduced an extended look at raw gameplay, which focused on traveling the massive world map. Invoking the original game's PlayStation 1 roots, the Highwind flies over the world of Gaia, and players can pilot it wherever they wish. Once they reach a location of interest, they can choose a party from any of the eight playable characters, and then parachute down to the surface instantly.

The demo then dives into a side quest in Gongaga featuring Sotetsu, a character featured in a FF7 Rebirth side quest. Yuffie, knowing Sotetsu from that side quest, has a special interaction with him, implying that some missions may play out differently depending on the characters brought to complete them.

Along with the news of Final Fantasy VII Revelation's April 8 release date, the Steam page for the game dropped a few hints on what is coming after launch, with listings for story expansions featuring two key characters.

As part of the September 3 State of Play event, Sony announced more games for the PlayStation Plus catalog.

Devolver's customizable looter-shooter Mycopunk is launching directly into the PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra tiers in October 2026, the company said.

https://twitter.com/devolverdigital/status/2095505751632453905

Additionally, more PlayStation "classics" are coming over the next few months for Premium subscribers, including Mega Man X Command Mission, Dino Crisis 2, and the 2002 original Ratchet & Clank.

While PlayStation Plus members have to wait a bit longer for these games, the latest PlayStation Plus games are out now. These include Sniper Elite: Resistance, MLB The Show 26, Chained Echoes, and Wobbly Life.

For more, be sure to check out GameSpot's rundown of all the big announcements from State of Play.

Today, during the PlayStation State of Play livestream, Sucker Punch offered a look at Ghost of Yotei's upcoming roguelike mode, Most Wanted. The mode will feature four playable characters, and Yotei's Atsu, Oyuki, and Nagato will be joined by a familar face from the past: The Ghost of Tsushima, Jin Sakai, will officially return.

Most Wanted, which the trailer calls a "combat survival mode," lets players choose one of the four samurai, each with their own weapons and abilities, to take them on a hunt for one of the Yotei Six. Each of the Six, if defeated, will offer a reward of coins that can then be spent to upgrade the samurai for future runs.

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

A new post on the official PlayStation Blog further explores the new mode, saying that the core of the mode lies in its Perks system. "As you progress through a run, you’ll frequently select between new perks including weapon mastery, gear loadouts, summons, parries, survivability, and more," the blog says. "These are the cornerstone of crafting the perfect build and lead to some of the most exciting surprises as you find the challenge or unexpected value that comes from mixing and matching perks.

This new mode marks the first time Jin Sakai returns as a playable characters since his starring role in 2020's Ghost of Tsushima. The PS Blog post says that the development team made sure to "take his Ghost of Tsushima model and keep it faithful while also applying upgrades for Ghost of Yōtei," as he can use all four of his fighting stances from Ghost of Tsushima, as well as sticky bombs, the Dance of Wrath, and his Ghost stance.

Ghost of Yotei's Echoes of Sekigahara expansion, as well as the Most Wanted roguelike mode, launch October 1. Players who own the base game can purchase a Complete Edition upgrade with the extra content, while new players can purchase Ghost of Yotei: Complete Edition with all content in one package.

During the September 3 State of Play, Sony debuted a new clip from the upcoming Resident Evil movie, and it was both dark and hilarious. That should be no surprise, as comedy and horror are naturally intertwined, and the movie is written and directed by sketch comedy veteran Zach Cregger.

In the clip, we see Austin Abrams' character, the medical courier Bryan, running down a street in Raccoon City as zombies throw themselves off rooftops trying to catch him. They explode on impact, with blood flying everywhere.

Bryan screams as he runs down the street amidst the carnage, uttering some hilarious noises and guttural screams. Check out the new footage below.

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

Cregger wanted to film this sequence practically instead of using CGI. The production team created 150-pound “body-sized blood bags” that were dropped from cranes to create the effect. One of the blood bags came close to striking Abrams, and Cregger said, “It would’ve killed him.”

Bryan, according to Cregger, is an "idiot" who finds himself in a horrifying situation and is just trying to survive.

The entire movie feels like “one gigantic sequence,” Cregger said, adding that things begin to “pop off” five minutes into the movie–and it only ramps up from there.

“It feels like one gigantic sequence,” he says. “Things pop off about five minutes in and it basically stays like that until the end. What I love about the games is that you move from set-piece to set-piece. Every location has a unique challenge. So again, I’m borrowing from the games directly in that rhythm, where you’re just running through a gauntlet.”

The Resident Evil movie releases on September 18, and it's expected to have the biggest opening ever for a Resident Evil movie.

Guild Wars 3 developer ArenaNet wants to try "wild, crazy ideas" in a genre that, according to its studio head, has "stagnated" in recent years.

During a hands-off demo where early Guild Wars 3 gameplay was shown to members of the press, I asked ArenaNet studio head Colin Johanson about the state of the MMO genre in 2026 and what problems Guild Wars 3 is looking to solve.

He had plenty to say on the subject. Many MMO players are still playing the same games they were 10-20 years ago, Johanson said, citing decade-old (or older) examples like World of Warcraft, The Elder Scrolls Online, Final Fantasy 14, and, of course, ArenaNet's own Guild Wars 2. In that same time, "minute-to-minute gameplay in MMOs has stagnated," even as other genres have modernized and become more approachable, he said.

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

That's "really good timing" for ArenaNet and Guild Wars 3, Johanson said, and one that presents a big opportunity for a new game to break in and shake up the scene.

"There's been very little new in the last decade, and a lot of those [newer] games either don't exist anymore or were canceled in development before they made their way out," Johanson said. "We see MMO fans constantly clamoring for and asking for something new and saying this genre desperately needs something new to move it forward right now."

Johanson certainly has a point. The biggest new MMOs of the last few years have been games like 2021's New World or Korean MMOs like Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty, all originally tied to Amazon's game publishing arm. If nothing else, their launches showed how hungry MMO players are for a big new game in the space, with each title attracting hundreds of thousands of concurrent players in their first weeks, or in the case of Lost Ark, over 1.3 million.

Flash forward to now, and Amazon is pulling out of the MMO business entirely and shutting New World down. Other prospective MMOs fans were eager to learn more about have also languished. Riot's planned League of Legends MMO went back to the drawing board in 2024 after years of development, even as the former executive producer of that project's next new MMO also got canceled. ESO is being scaled back amidst layoffs, with a sci-fi MMO codenamed Project Blackbird from the same studio getting canceled before ever being officially announced. Another promising MMO that raised $3 million onKickstarter, Ashes of Creation, imploded earlier this year following the resignation of its game director and an ongoing legal battle.

It's a grim state of affairs for MMO fans, but Johanson said there is an opportunity to make a MMO that looks to solve the genre's approachability problem and overcome the perception they are "second jobs" many players don't have time for. For him, that means making a game where meaningful progress can be made in shorter play sessions, you can play with a controller, and prep time is massively cut down.

"For many gamers today, where we have so many different games to pick from and our time is more challenged than ever in how much time we have to play any individual game, if you don't have a couple of hours available, you're just not going to play an MMO and you're going to play other genres that are more approachable and can be played in quicker sessions," Johanson said.

He said it also means designing a MMO where it's okay to have a "healthy relationship" with the game, one where players can take breaks between expansions and not feel like they've been completely left behind. Being more approachable is about more than just attracting a wider audience, he said. It's also about making it more approachable for MMO fans who have busy real-life schedules and more game options than ever before.

"You can set this game down and go play a bunch of other games and come back when the next expansion comes out and that's okay," Johanson said. "That's a totally healthy relationship to have with a game, and we don't need to demand that you be in this game 24/7 to stay relevant and to stay up with everybody else."

Johanson's comments line up with a blog post he penned shortly after Guild Wars 3 was announced. In it, he said the goal is to make a game that respects players' time and investment and can be enjoyed by those who only have a few hours a week to play. In that same blog, Johanson said Guild Wars 3 won't have a subscription fee, nor what he described as "hidden" subscriptions like battle passes.

Guild Wars 3 doesn't currently have a release date but will release for PC and PlayStation 5. A beta is slated to begin Fall 2027.

Among horror royalty, there is perhaps no greater icon than Michael Myers. First appearing in 1978, the slasher helped ignite a trend of similar movie monsters that defined the next decade and beyond of the horror landscape.

Halloween: The Game displays a keen understanding of his special place in that lineage, and IllFonic has brought his unique sense of unrelenting menace to video games in a way I can't get enough of.

Halloween: The Game is a 4v1 asymmetrical horror game from a team that has established its brand on similar projects. From Friday the 13th and Predator: Hunting Grounds to Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed and Killer Klowns From Outer Space, IllFonic has spent the last decade becoming synonymous with this genre, and yet it's never made the same game twice. That's true again here, as one of Halloween's best attributes is that it plays quite unlike any other, be it from this team or the others also making games in this realm. The studio didn't reskin something we've seen before in a blue jumpsuit. This is the real deal.

Though games of this sort have used a 4v1 setup before, most famously in the genre's king of the hill, Dead by Daylight, Halloween adds a unique wrinkle in the form of NPCs. Across the various maps of Haddonfield, Illinois, residents go about their day-to-day lives, and it's up to the team of four player-controlled survivors to warn them of the threat Myers poses, protect them, and eventually escort them off the map or hide them until the round's timer expires.

I love this new approach to the genre for two big reasons. For one, it dims the spotlight on the human survivors. In a game of Dead by Daylight, for example, one or two people dying early will likely doom the entire round. But in Halloween, your group of four is joined by a handful of other potential survivors, and the game's scoring system, like Killer Klowns' before it, is not built on a binary pass/fail. You could die in a round, but if your team helps a handful of residents flee to safety, you may have won the round anyway. It feels like less pressure is on your shoulders.

Fundamentally, this gives the entire game a feel unlike anything that's come before it. You're not just trying to escape or wait out the timer to win, as you did in Friday the 13th. You actively need to outrun and outsmart Michael Myers, creatively using the limited time you have before he appears in stabbing range. Staying stealthy, locking doors behind you, and pre-planning an exit strategy--like jumping out a window when he's swarmed the house you're in--are vital.

But there's another big reason this novel setup works so well: It authentically captures the spirit of the movies, particularly that timeless first one from 1978. This is especially true when you're playing as Michael himself. His key ability, the Shape Jump, allows him to quickly and invisibly float around the map, reappearing anywhere so long as it's dark and no survivor is too near, mimicking his way of almost supernaturally being where you least expect him. 

But simply spawning on survivors to quickly gut them only awards the killer a measly score for his gory efforts. Instead, you're encouraged by the scoring system to stalk your prey, watching from a distance, building up your stalking meter, before ultimately moving in for the kill. The higher your stalking meter, the more environmental kills you can unlock, too, which don't just add even more score, but also sell the horror-movie vibe--Michael isn't merely slashing everyone with his butcher knife. He's throwing them through TVs, into fireplaces, or leaving them propped up on fences like twisted lawn decorations.

Halloween is certainly Illfonic's best-looking game yet.

After a kill, you're also encouraged to admire your work, staring at it in the same first-person view you use to stalk people in order to build up a Bloodthirst meter that makes Michael more powerful for subsequent kills. 

This loop of stalking and killing residents, both user-controlled and NPCs, gives Halloween its special ingredient. I found myself role-playing as Michael in ways I didn't see coming, peeking out from bushes just enough to stealthily build my stalking meter on unsuspecting victims, practically recreating some of the film's most memorable imagery. Staring into people's living rooms as they gabbed on the phone or leisurely watched TV was so immersive, I'd even creep myself out at times. It felt like I was playing a home-invasion simulator. It was unsettling, but true to the film. 

With a lot of games in this space, the community is often obsessed with playing as the killer, and that'll likely happen here, too. But playing Halloween as a survivor has been my most enjoyable experience on that side of the asymmetry since Friday the 13th. The objective of getting people out alive is fresh, but even when it's your neck Michael is breathing down, it's well-balanced. After a few matches as Michael, I thought he was overpowered, but as I played more and people came to understand how to operate as survivors, it became clearer that those survivors have a lot of strength in numbers.

Banding together to arm NPCs, escorting them to escape routes, and disrupting Michael's restless pursuit with flashlights, firecrackers, guns, and melee weapons are best done with your friends nearby. If you're grabbed, you can pry yourself free rather easily with a pocket knife, or with more effort using a quick-time event that lets you escape his clutches if you're fast enough. When Michael closes the distance, it's possible and could even be likely that you down him with a gang attack. Though he can't seemingly be killed like Jason once could, when he's downed, his Bloodthirst meter takes a major hit, before he sits up like The Undertaker (okay, to be fair, The Undertaker stole that move from him), and continues his pursuit. 

Little moments like that will be rarer, but in between, the period-specific cars, kitchens, garages, and TV shows soak you in the time and place of the film, while the front porches lined with jack-o'-lanterns, as vibes-rich as they already are, feel destined to be even more appreciated every October. I love the fall season, and that's partly because I love horror so much. It feels so good to live in the world of the film, faithfully brought to life in every would-be-quaint home turned into a crime scene, aglow in the lights of both pumpkins and police cars.

Yes, Laurie Strode is playable and sometimes even an NPC--and, as an added plot twist, she might even die first.

It's not only the NPCs that make Halloween stand out from the pack of asymmetrical horror multiplayer games. There's also a single-player campaign, though it's not the draw here. Across six missions and only about two hours total for a single playthrough, you'll play entirely as Michael Myers, re-enacting some of the movie's scenes while also adding to the canon. The premise is that you're playing as him, starting with his escape from Smith's Grove Sanitarium and up through Halloween Eve, essentially filling a gap in time when we otherwise don't see what he's up to. 

It functions more than anything as a tutorial. With various icons on the screen, cooldown abilities, and lots of mechanics to manage, from killing the electricity, phone lines, or, of course, the many people around town, the campaign does its job at teaching you the basics, though it should be noted there's no survivor equivalent. For that side of the game, you really just learn by doing. I didn't mind that since it meant things like repairing getaway cars, calling the cops, or unlocking the emergency bunker weren't so clearly understood, heightening the horror of my earliest rounds.

The campaign also has more to do than just see each mission once, as it includes a set of challenges to complete that award items such as player banners, clothing, and other cosmetics for its several survivor characters and Michael himself. I had more fun with the campaign when chasing these rewards than I did on the first pass when I was playing it simply for its own sake. The solo mode isn't much to get excited about on its own.

Each map envelops you in the place and time of the original film.

Halloween also continues a long trend for IllFonic games, and it's one I wish all other games of this sort would copy: You lose nothing for playing in private matches. You enjoy the same XP rates; you can unlock all the same rewards; there's nothing gated behind matchmaking versus playing in a private lobby. Though it's easy to load into a multiplayer game with your friends anyway, I know firsthand that sometimes you want to keep it more casual or private in a game for just you and your buddies. I can see why other games, particularly the ultra-competitive Dead by Daylight, aren't as willing to tear down that barrier, but IllFonic has never punished players for playing in private matches, even if they choose to never step foot into a public lobby, and I love that.

I had a ton of fun with Halloween, so much, in fact, that I was willing to forgive what was a messy experience during many rounds. Bugs in the game ranged from cosmetic blemishes, like misaligned kill animations and floating police cars appearing on the map, to more serious issues, like players losing the ability to move or frame-rate slowdowns. 

Lots of these issues were cleaned up over time; I've been playing the game for a few weeks now and have seen several patches come through. Still, with more planned patches on the way, my expectation is early adopters will experience some janky aspects of their own, even if they may be less common or different than the ones I named here. If there's one consistent mark against this studio, it's a lack of polish out of the gate.

Though the launch-day patch may provide a cleaner experience than I had, I'd be surprised if Halloween is entirely free of the issues I ran into.

These issues slightly tempered my enjoyment of Halloween, though I'm generally not easily frustrated by bugs if the core experience is good enough. If you tend to be more bothered by them, you may want to see how the broader community reacts in the early days after launch. For me, though, I had so much fun and only didn't play more than my 20+ hours because it's hard to coordinate multiplayer sessions when only a few people in the world are playing before launch. 

People often like to stack up every asymmetrical horror game to Dead by Daylight. I've never felt that makes sense. Games like Halloween aren't trying to replace that genre titan; they're seeking to live alongside it. To do that, they need a distinct and exciting gameplay loop and to capture the tone of their source material. Halloween achieves both of these things, giving players a vibes-heavy experience befitting the timeless film while also offering a unique hook that keeps the game from feeling like a rehash of the many horror multiplayer games that came before it. Games like Halloween don't make me think the landscape is oversaturated. It makes me excited to see what teams that love horror the way IllFonic does will do next, because here, with Halloween, they nailed it.

Sony's next State of Play broadcast is almost here, and with the next few months being packed with new game releases, we're expecting a beefy session of game trailers and announcements in today's broadcast. We already know that Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will be closing out the first half of the show, and it will be followed immediately by a new episode of State of Play Japan hosted by Yuki Kaji.

Beyond that, Sony has teased updates and announcements from PlayStation Studios and third-party partners. If you're interested in watching, you can catch the livestream at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET via this link or the embedded video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHaGFvazVA8

As always, we'll be covering the event and everything shown off as it happens. In case you can't make it, you can check back here for everything shown off from both State of Play broadcasts, so don't forget to hit your F5 key for regular updates. As mentioned above, the next couple of months have plenty of big games on the way, with the likes of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Marvel's Wolverine, and Control Resonant being the mere tip of the iceberg.

Beyond those 2026 releases, there's also God of War Laufey in February 2027 and Naughty Dog's first new game of the PS5 generation, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Could we see more of those games today? There's only one way to find out.

Frontier Developments, the UK-based game studio known for a great many creative management sims like Planet Coaster, Zoo Tycoon, and Jurassic World Evolution, has announced a deal with Disney--and it's gotten people excited about the possibilities.

In a news release, Frontier said the game is based on "Disney's iconic portfolio of IP" and will be "fully funded" by Frontier itself. Frontier will also publish it.

Frontier CEO Jo Cooke said in a statement, “We are delighted to announce this collaboration with Disney, which further reinforces our clearly defined strategy of developing and nurturing world-class creative management simulation game franchises."

Cooke added: "Our mission with this game is to connect a passionate creative community of players with one of the world's most iconic and beloved brands, and I can’t wait to see what our talented teams will create with this amazing opportunity.” 

Frontier's announcement was very light on specifics, so there is no word yet on what this game actually is. Despite that, people are buzzing with excitement over the possibilities of what Frontier could create with the Disney IP.

After all, Frontier makes some of the most-celebrated management sims out there, and Disney operates some of the biggest and best theme parks in the world. People are naturally theorizing that the new game could allow people to create their own digital Disneyland or Walt Disney World.

Disney's new CEO, Josh D'Amaro, is a big believer in video games as a new method to reach more people and has pledged to do more in gaming.

There have been Disney theme park games before. All the way back in 1990, Capcom released the NES game Adventures in the Magic Kingdom. This game allowed players to visit a virtual park based on Disney's real parks and collect keys to enter the Cinderella Castle.

There was also 2011's Kinect Disneyland Adventures, which was also made by Frontier, allowing players to explore a virtual Disneyland. Then there was 2016's city-builder Disney Magic Kingdoms for mobile, which had players seeking to restore a theme park based on Disneyland after Maleficent casts an evil spell on it. Additionally, there was 2009's Toy Story Mania, a game based on the Disney theme park ride Toy Story Midway Mania.

Disney's video game business is booming, as the company now has nine franchises that have generated more than $1 billion at retail. Gaming will be a "key part of Disney's storytelling strategy in the present and the future," the company has said.