Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4 has set everyone back to level 1, and the grind to complete the battle pass and unlock all its cosmetics has begun once more. But according to dataminers, that grind is going to be a little bit slower this season, with Epic reportedly making it so players now learn less passive XP, which is XP that you periodically receive just by playing.

NEW XP VALUES (They nerfed all lol)
Creative: 3350 XP -> 2300 XP
Lego Odyssey: 3475 XP -> 2250 XP
Reload: 2350 XP -> 1200 XP
OG: 650 XP -> REMOVED
Ballistic: 2950 XP -> 1750 XP
Lego Brick Life: 3475 XP -> 2250 XP
BR: Still REMOVED
Jam Stage: 3850 XP -> 2300 XP
Lego… pic.twitter.com/6cPDm5bCXb

— SpushFNBR (@SpushFNBR) August 7, 2025

The amounts listed in the tweet are XP per minute for each mode, with most modes losing 30-50% of the passive XP rates they offered in Season 3, while OG has had its passive XP removed entirely. Standard Battle Royale had its passive XP removed last week, with someone apparently jumping the gun on that one.

This change may not look or feel great at first, but there are a couple reasons why this change isn't as impactful as you might initially think. First is that other sources of XP, like completing quests and defeating enemies, are still intact, so there's still plenty of XP to be had.

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As part of the Nintendo Indie World event, Pine Creek Games debuted a new trailer for Winter Burrow and confirmed a launch window, which includes when it'll be available on Game Pass as a day-one new release.

Winter Burrow will launch some point this winter on Switch, Xbox Game Pass, and Steam. There is no word yet on a PlayStation release for Winter Burrow.

Described as a "cozy woodland survival game," Winter Burrow tells the story of a city mouse returning home to restore the burrow in which they grew up that's now in ruins. Players will do lots of cozy stuff, including knitting warm sweaters for winter and baking pies, along with hanging out with locals and gathering resources to craft.

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Sony's live-service video game releases haven't all succeeded like Helldivers 2 did, with Concord being a particularly high-profile failure. Sony CFO Lin Tao said during the company's earnings briefing this week that "it's not entirely going smoothly" as it relates to live-service games. But Tao pointed out that Sony has come a long way in the past half-decade.

"If you look five years ago, live-service games were almost non-existent for PlayStation Studios," Tao said, as reported by This Week In Video Games. "In terms of the transformation, it's not entirely going smoothly, but from a longer-term perspective, if you look at the changes over five years, you see that there has definitely been change."

Tao went on to say that Sony is still working through "many issues" in its pursuit of live-service games. "So we should learn lessons from mistakes and make sure that we introduce live-service content, where there's less waste and it's more smooth," Tao said.

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The next entry in EA's annual hockey game series, EA Sports NHL 26, arrives on September 12. We still don't have full details about the upcoming game, but it's looking to introduce a few new gameplay changes, including updated movement using the ICE-Q 2.0 tech, reworked Be A Pro mode, and new HUT Seasons and team-building mechanics. The game will be available for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, but is skipping out on a PC and Switch 2 release. Nevertheless, PS5 and Xbox players can preorder the game now. EA Sports NHL 26 is available in multiple physical and digital versions, and preordering gets you a bunch of extra in-game content and digital bonuses. You can even get 7-day early access by preordering the Deluxe Edition.

EA Sports NHL 26 Preorder BonusesEA Sports NHL 26 Preorder Bonuses

EA Sports NHL 26 preorder bonuses differ between each version. However, there are a few bonuses you get regardless of which edition you choose, including:

• HUT NHL Player Pack
• Matthew Tkachuk 99 OVR (NHL 25)
• World of Chel Battle Pass XP Boost (x2)

These bonuses are included for everyone who preorders the standard or Digital Deluxe Editions. Keep in mind that the Matthew Tkachuk 99 OVR is for ES Sports NHL 25, not the upcoming NHL 26, but it can be redeemed immediately.

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Near the beginning of July, Microsoft unleashed a new round of layoffs and game cancellations, including Project Blackbird, an action-RPG MMO from The Elder Scrolls Online team at ZeniMax. Now, a report has shared several previously unknown details about Project Blackbird and its story, which will likely never be finished.

True Achievements has posted an in-depth report about Project Blackbird, which sounds like it would have incorporated elements from Cyberpunk 2077, Destiny, and Warframe. Players would have assumed the role of a fully customizable human cyborg known as a Revenant. The game was set on a remote world called Soteria in a floating capital megacity called Exodus that was ruled by a sentient AI called PAN. It would have also featured five different alien syndicates to contend with, as well as numerous other species from across the galaxy.

The game's primary story had noirish overtones as PAN tasks the player's character to solve the murder of a high-profile figure in Exodus. PAN would also give players numerous side missions to keep the peace in Exodus without letting any of the alien syndicates overpower the rest. The syndicates themselves would also offer players assignments that furthered their goals within the power struggle to control Exodus.

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Battlefield 6 may reinvigorate the long-running first-person shooter franchise, but you'll have to be able to play it before you can know if you like it. If you've booted the game up to see an error message telling you to turn on Secure Boot, then chances are you haven't had an opportunity to dive into any warfare quite yet.

Simply put, Secure Boot is a setting turned on through your BIOS that adds an additional layer of protection when booting up your PC. Battlefield 6 absolutely requires you to have it turned on before you can load the game. So, unless you want to stare at an error code rather than operate a tank, we'll need to walk you through how to enable this setting.

If you're a techie who builds your own PCs, you may have an idea of how to turn on Secure Boot already. But for the average gamer with less computer knowledge, accessing the BIOS can sound as daunting as hacking a mainframe. Worry not, though--here's a step-by-step process for turning on Secure Boot.

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In an era where cross-platform releases between Microsoft and Sony are more common, Helldivers 2 is one of the rare PlayStation-published properties heading to Xbox Series X|S. But while another PlayStation exclusive in MLB The Show made the jump between platforms due to an external party (in that case, MLB itself), the big move to launch Helldivers 2 on Xbox was entirely on Sony, according to a key figure behind the game.

Shams Jorjani, the CEO of Helldivers developer Arrowhead Game Studios, gave credit to Sony in a Discord message (per Windows Central). Replying to a thankful message from a fan, Jorjani replied: "It was all PlayStation. Send them your thanks! We were all in support of course."

Xbox players (and even PlayStation fans) heavily advocated for a version of Helldivers 2 on Xbox since the game's launch, but the prospect appeared unlikely at the time. While Microsoft-owned games such as Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 5 were making it to PlayStation 5, the inverse wasn't happening. Finally bringing Helldivers 2 on Xbox should increase the game's player count and grow its existing community, a prospect that excites the game's fanbase.

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Doom: The Dark Ages Physical Edition Deals

$45 (was $70)

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Doom: The Dark Ages Limited Edition Xbox Wireless Controller

$74 (was $80)

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Doom Anthology Deals

Save 50% or more

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Doom: The Dark Ages is on sale for its best price since launching back in May. PS5 owners can grab the physical edition for $45 at Amazon and Best Buy, which is $25 off the game's normal $70 price. The Xbox Series X physical edition is discounted to $49 at Walmart.

The Doom-themed, limited-edition Xbox Wireless Controller is in stock and on sale for $74 (was $80) at Walmart. Amazon previously sold the controller for this price as well, but the online retailer has since sold out. You can also save big on Doom Anthology at Amazon and Woot. For some new and upcoming Doom-related collectibles, check out the Doom Slayer and Doom Slayer Atlan Elite Edition Action Figures from McFarlane Toys.

Take a look at all of the Doom: The Dark Ages deals below.

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After a disastrous debut for the live-service shooter earlier this year, Bungie and PlayStation made the decision to move Marathon out of its planned September 23 release date and into next year. During a Q&A session after the company's Q2 earnings call, Sony CFO Lin Tao fielded some questions about not only the game, but Bungie itself, and it seems the longtime development house will soon be fully integrated into the PlayStation Studios family.

As reported by VGC, when asked about Marathon's current status and whether or not it will launch in the fiscal year--which ends March 31, 2026--Tao said through an interpreter that the company "factored it in the forecast" and that it "expects the launch to happen within the fiscal year." However, she did also stress that her words were not a confirmation of that target, as "no official announcement has been given yet."

Tao added that Sony has stepped in to make "modifications in development," and that either Bungie or PlayStation will be able to announce Marathon's new launch date "in the autumn timeframe." Tao said the company, at this moment, does not expect the game to be canceled.

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With the Battlefield 6 open beta now available, players are discovering that there are bots in some of their matches. Battlefield Studios has clarified how bots work, with the developer making it clear that AI soldiers only show up in the "Training Grounds" playlists for the open beta.

This week, the Training Grounds playlist is Breakthrough Initiation. The Training Grounds playlists aim to help players learn the ropes and should be a "smoother experience" compared to a full match populated with real humans. The Training Grounds playlist is only available for ranks 1-15.

None of this is major news, as Battlefield Studios already explained all of this days ago. But Battlefield Studios is reiterating things now that the open beta is live.

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Battlefield 6's open beta went live today, and it's putting up big numbers its early-access stage before the beta becomes more widely available this weekend and next.

On Steam alone, the Battlefield 6 open beta reached more than 314,000 peak concurrent players. The open beta is also available on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, along with the EA App for PC, so the Steam numbers reflect just a portion of the beta's total audience.

Given the huge amount of people trying to play Battlefield 6's open beta, the servers are struggling somewhat. Some players have reported matchmaking issues, and the developers say players can restart the game client to help improve things. Battlefield 6's open beta is using server queues to help mitigate demand, with Battlefield Studios announcing it is working on a "substantial increase in server capacity" to help meet demand.

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Business is once again booming for Sony, as the company announced that lifetime sales of the PS5 console have reached 80.3 million units shipped as of June 30, 2025. This new figure comes from Sony's quarterly results for its current financial year, with the company adding that 2.5 million consoles were shipped during that three-month period, an increase of 100,000 when compared to the same period during the previous financial year.

The PlayStation Network has also grown, with Sony reporting that the subscriber number has increased to 123 million users. Compared to last year's numbers during the same quarter, this number has grown by 7 million subscribers. In the games department, PS5 and PS4 software reached a combined total of 65.9 million copies sold, an increase of 12,3 million units year-on-year.

First-party games counted for 6.9 million, a rise of 900,000 compared to last year. The future of game sales is also looking increasingly digital, as Sony says that 83% of software sales were digital downloads.

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Painter Boss Paradise, Castle Crashers' first new DLC since 2012, is out now, bringing with it custom characters, Steam Workshop integration, and an overall graphics refresh for the 17-year-old game.

Named after original Castle Crashers boss the Painter, the new DLC follows a pretty clear artistic theme. The DLC introduces Paint Junior as a new playable character, complete with a new weapon and unique magical moveset. Paint Junior is the first new addition to the Castle Crashers roster since Blacksmith and Pink Knight were added in 2011.

The meat of the DLC is the brand-new Painter Boss Toolkit--a feature that allows players to design their own custom characters and weapon skins. Players will be able to customize their character's head, body, weapon, shield, portrait, beefy form, and Back Off Barbarian art, by using a template provided by The Behemoth. The DLC also integrates Steam Workshop for the first time, allowing players to explore and enjoy other fans' custom creations.

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One month after release, College Football 26 now has a major title update bringing improvements to visuals, realism, and gameplay, as well as plenty of post-launch bug fixes. Here's everything that's changing in the latest update.

Good news for players who want their College Football experience to be as close to the real thing as possible--the new update is bringing new or adjusted uniforms for over 20 teams, including Ohio, Notre Dame, Boston College, and more. The update is also bringing five new school mascots, adding to the game's existing stable of often fun and goofy mascots.

The updates to realism in CFB 26 also extend to game timing and time zones--now, teams outside of the ET time zone will have their games scheduled at the correct times locally, and the game's lighting will more correctly reflect the time of day. The update also adds two new awards--the Shaun Alexander award, and the Jet Award.

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Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition Console Bundle

$170 | Releases October 31

Preorder at Amazon

Atari CX40+ Wireless Joysticks: Pac-Man Collection

$40 each

Preorder at Amazon

Bandai Namco Atari+ Cartridges

$35 each

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The Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition Console is up for preorder for $170 at Amazon. The eye-catching, bright yellow retro system was unveiled in July as part of Bandai Namco's year-long celebration of Pac-Man's 45th anniversary. The console comes with a matching CX40+ Wireless Joystick and the new Atari 7800 game Pac-Man: Double Feature on cartridge. The Pac-Man Edition Console releases October 31.

As the name suggests, Pac-Man: Double Feature comes with two games on one cartridge. Most notably, you'll get to play Pac-Man 7800, a brand-new arcade version of the classic game. The other game is the first edition of Pac-Man for console, Pac-Man 2600 (1982).

Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition Console

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The Mafia series has always been an outlier in the open-world action genre. While the 2002 original could have easily been written off as another Grand Theft Auto clone, Mafia and subsequent titles in the franchise carved a niche for themselves by being narrative-driven experiences built around a specific time and place. Empire Bay from Mafia 1 and 2 is an amalgamation of Chicago and New York created to capture the feeling of 1930s and 50s gangster culture, while New Bordeaux from Mafia 3 attempted to depict the Vietnam-era in the south. Mafia: The Old Country successfully continues this trend with its depiction of Sicily in the early 1900s, but is ultimately held back by its shallow mechanics and dated design.

Mafia: The Old Country follows Enzo Favara as he falls in with the Torrisi Crime Family. After fleeing the sulfur mines, Enzo is saved by Don Torrisi, a soft-spoken and enigmatic mob boss that sounds like another very famous soft-spoken crime lord. Torrisi sees potential in Enzo and puts him to work at his vineyard where he meets Luca, a mentor-like figure to Enzo; Cesare, Don Torrisi’s hot-headed nephew; and Isabella, the Don’s daughter with whom Enzo has an instant connection. Throughout the course of the 12-hour story, Enzo sinks deeper and deeper into the criminal underworld. It’s a fairly predictable mobster story that’s elevated by strong characters, great performances, and thoughtful writing.

Protagonist Enzo staring down an adversary

That said, Mafia: The Old Country’s cast doesn’t make the best first impression. Enzo is very quiet and standoffish in the early hours; Don Torissi, at times, sounds a little too much like Michael Corleone; and Luca--despite being one of my favorite characters by the end--comes across as just another rank-and-file mobster. Fortunately, after the first couple of chapters, their personalities start to come through more strongly. This is especially true for Luca, who helps guide Enzo through his new life within the Torrisi family. Meanwhile, Cesare develops beyond a simple hothead as he struggles to live up to his uncle’s lofty expectations. The only exception to the slow burn of character personalities is Tino, Don Torrisi consigliere. Portrayed by Anthony Skordi, Tino makes a chilling impression out of the gate and frequently steals whatever scene he’s in.

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Guntouchables, a co-op roguelike doomsday shooter, has just launched into 1.0 on Steam with a hefty discount. How hefty? Well, it's 100% off! Now, that does come with the catch that you have to pick it up within the first 24 hours of launch, which started at 12 AM PT / 3 AM PT / 8 AM BST / 9 AM CEST, so you'll have to figure out how many hours you've got left yourself. Once you've claimed the game, it's yours for life, but if you miss out after the 24 hours are up, it'll revert to the still-pretty-affordable price of $5.

For those that haven't heard of Guntouchables before, it's a roguelike where the "entire world has fallen and the surface has been overrun by a hostile and aggressively evolving horde of mutants. Well, not entirely." That last part is in reference to a group of preppers, i.e. the characters you play as, who are tasked with defending their doomsday residence from the mutants. You can either play solo, or with up to three of your friends.

Gallery Guntouchables.

The game is mission based, and between missions you and the group you're playing with vote on a random selection of mutations the mutants can develop, making them harder to deal with--on the flipside, you also get some bonuses that also differ depending on your choice. There are also class-specific perks to upgrade throughout your runs, and the ability to mod your guns to suit how you like to play.

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