Nintendo is bringing another beloved GameCube title to the Switch Online + Expansion Pack service next week. The original Luigi's Mansion is joining the classic games lineup on October 30.

Originally released alongside the GameCube in November 2001, Luigi's Mansion sees Mario's cowardly brother exploring a haunted mansion he won in a contest he never entered. With the help of Professor E. Gadd and his vacuum-like Poltergust 3000, Luigi must work his way through the mansion's many rooms and capture all the ghosts that lurk within.

Luigi's Mansion marks the sixth title to arrive on Switch Online's GameCube collection. The library launched alongside the Switch 2 with three games--The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and SoulCalibur II--while Super Mario Strikers and Chibi-Robo were added to the lineup in July and August, respectively.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Payday 2 may predate Payday 3 by a decade, but the former still remains popular while the latter has struggled. Now, publisher Starbreeze has lined up Sidetrack Games to work on Payday 2 updates on PC and keep those players satisfied.

Sidetrack was previously known as the M.U.G. Team in the Payday modding community, and the studio also worked on updates for RAID: World War 2 after that game's lifecycle came to an end. According to Starbreeze, Sidetrack's first Payday 2 update will go live on October 23, with a focus "on the stability of the game and improving the overall player experience." Future updates are planned for "quality-of-life improvements and general game fixes."

Starbreeze will host a livestream on October 23 that lays out the details of the patch and invites the player community to "help shape future improvements." With Payday 2 now in the hands of Sidetrack going forward, Starbreeze will primarily be working on updates for Payday 3. Payday 2 still has has tens of thousands of players at any given time, according to SteamDB. However, Payday 3 has trouble cracking 1,000 concurrent players.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The latest edition of Steam Next Fest is over, and Steam has shared its list of the 50 most-played demos from the week-long event. This year's list was pretty heavy with horror, adventure, RPG, and simulation games. And surprisingly, only a few roguelike and racing titles.

One of the most unusual titles was Final Sentence, a battle-royale typing game that has a fatal ending for any player who can't keep up with the pace.

Another title that caught our eye was The Cube, Save Us: an extraction shooter with a very arresting visual style.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Angry Birds developer Rovio is laying off three-dozen staffers amid the underperformance of one entry in the series in particular.

A spokesperson for the Sega-owned developer told Mobile Gamer that no upcoming games have been canceled but "Angry Birds Dream Blast has unfortunately not been performing as expected."

A total of 36 people are being let go, including some senior staff, according to the report. Additionally, Rovio's team in Finland will now work on "fewer games," while the office in Barcelona will ramp up, the report added.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The Mortal Kombat movie sequel has a new release date, and it's a week earlier. New Line and Warner Bros. have announced that Mortal Kombat 2 is now releasing on May 8, 2026, according to Deadline, and that's a week prior to its previously announced release date of May 15, 2026.

In shifting a week earlier, Mortal Kombat 2 now opens on Mother's Day weekend in the US. It's also now set to release the same day as Sheep Detectives from Amazon MGM Studios.

The new date for Mortal Kombat 2 is slightly sooner, but it's still much later than expected. New Line originally had the movie set for release on October 24, 2025 before delaying it more than seven months to May 2026.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Battlefield Studios has delivered on its promise to patch out Battlefield 6 Portal mode XP farms, making it so players will need to unlock things like weapon attachments and gadgets the old-fashioned way--by playing the game with actual humans.

In an update, Battlefield Studios has made it so playing in Battlefield 6 Portal lobbies with bots enabled will no longer reward Mastery XP or count towards challenge progress. Players, however, can still earn career XP in bot lobbies, as well as receive a 150% XP match completion bonus. Portal lobbies without bots can still be used to earn Mastery and complete challenges.

A statement from Battlefield Studios last week said that its internal data indicated that a "large number of these [bot-enabled Portal servers] were created primarily to earn XP, inflate player stats, and earn special accolades through defeating bots." While the developers understand why players would make these lobbies, it was making it "noticeably harder" for players to find non-XP-farming experiences in Battlefield Portal.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Despite what you might hear online, Microsoft is indeed working on a next-generation Xbox. While it's far too early for the Xbox team to share anything concrete about this upcoming machine, Xbox President Sarah Bond teased some vague details about what to expect.

Speaking to Mashable in a video interview, Bond addressed rumors that the next Xbox will function similarly to a gaming PC, saying that "the next-gen console is gonna be a very premium, very high-end curated experience."

Bond added that with the recently released handheld ROG Xbox Ally, we're "starting to see some of the thinking that [the Xbox team has], but I don't want to give it all away."

Continue Reading at GameSpot

If you're familiar with the legendary Ninja Gaiden series you'll know that it is known for high-octane, jaw-dropping action and superhuman feats of strength and agility. While those are executed in-game by trained ninjas, in the real world there are precious few that can manage feats as impressive. One of those that can, however, is Emmanuel "Master" Rodrigues, a professional gamer that is capable of playing games at the highest level under extreme conditions.

To celebrate the launch of Ninja Gaiden 4, a brand-new entry in the iconic franchise developed by Team Ninja and Platinum Games, we took the action to the skies by playing the game on a helicopter soaring over Miami. And to make things even trickier, the 20-foot screen Master is playing on is also flying over city. Needless to say, it takes some serious skill to pull something like that off, let alone do it as well as he does. It's an impressive achievement, and you can watch it happen in the video below.

Those that play Ninja Gaiden 4's will find that the stunt draws heavy inspiration from the game, in which the citizens of Tokyo have escaped toxic floodwaters by building skyscraper districts that tower above the ruined city below. The stunt was achieved using advanced sports broadcasting technology that was utilized to stream live gameplay from Emmanuel's helicopter to flying screen.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Since 2021, Thomas Donofri and the other members of Slurm Team have been passionately working on a conversion mod that transforms The Simpsons: Hit & Run into a Futurama game. Now, four years later, the first demo for Futurama: Hit & Run is available, and it has the approval of Joe McGinn, the lead designer of the original game.

The launch trailer for the demo was released earlier this week, and it quickly caught McGinn's attention. He left a comment on YouTube, and wrote, "I can only say ... this looks awesome! I want to play it."

Source: YouTube.

The demo is available for free on the links from the YouTube, however it requires players to have a copy of The Simpsons: Hit & Run on PC in order to work. As seen in the trailer above, the town of Springfield is transformed into New New York, and players assume control of Philip J. Fry as he makes his way through the city, one fare at a time.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 releases on November 14, and Treyarch's latest Dev Talk video revealed plenty of new changes for the game's multiplayer. This includes one of the most requested changes from the beta, which makes adjustments to the game's movement and the Dexterity perk.

The latest Dev Talk video featured Treyarch associate design director Matt Scronce, who discussed the community complaints about the Dexterity perk. Black Ops 7 initially removed the ability to aim down sights with weapons while diving and sliding, and players needed to equip the Dexterity perk to get the same fluid movement offered in Black Ops 6. Scronce announced that player feedback was considered, and Dexterity will no longer be needed to ADS while sliding or diving. Players can still equip the perk to speed up those specific actions, but it's no longer required to perform the movement.

We've got some BIG updates to MP coming out of the #BlackOps7 Beta in our latest Dev Talk:
✅ ADS & Dexterity changes
✅ Aim assist adjustments
✅ Louder footsteps
✅ New slide tuning
✅ Perk distribution updates
✅ New Perk combinations
✅ Faster mantle speeds
➕ more to come! pic.twitter.com/2BVcHUXnu0

— Treyarch (@Treyarch) October 21, 2025

Adjustments are also made to the game's sliding and the mantling movements. The slide speed is lowered and distance has been reduced.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

NFL football, and Madden by extension, isn't all about touchdowns, physical toughness, and Taylor Swift after all. EA wants you to care about kickers, too, and not just when they miss game-deciding kicks.

The latest Madden 26 update increases the maximum distance that talented kickers with a 99 KPW, also known as Kick Power Attribute, can now kick--up to 70-yard field goals.

"As part of our ongoing commitment to authenticity, we’ve incorporated this record-setting event from the real NFL into the game," a development blog detailing the update reads. "The historic 70-yard field goal was an extraordinary achievement that pushed the boundaries of what’s possible on the field. We brought this into Madden, giving players the chance to recreate this iconic moment themselves."

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Fortnite is reportedly set to get a major update in November that adds a big crossover with the iconic animated franchise The Simpsons. Now, the latest leaks have suggested that it won't just be The Simpson family coming to Fortnite, but also some of Springfield's residents, including Ned Flanders.

Flanders is among the best-known characters on The Simpsons, so his inclusion in the update would be little surprise. We don't know if this is true just yet, so take the leak with a grain of salt for now. Will there be a skin that celebrates "stupid sexy Flanders"? We'll have to wait and see.

NED FLANDERS IS COMING TO FORTNITE NEXT SEASON

[VIA @SpushFNBR & @Loolo_WRLD] pic.twitter.com/gely9GtfSE

— HYPEX (@HYPEX) October 21, 2025

The rumored upcoming Fortnite collaboration with The Simpsons is said to be significant, with Fortnite adding a new map based on Springfield and featuring its various points of interest, like the nuclear power plant where Homer works.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Popular board game Catan is getting a Netflix adaptation, as Netflix has announced that it is "developing a slate of scripted and unscripted projects" through its partnership with Asmodee and Catan Studio. Catan was created by the late Klaus Teuber in 1995, and his sons Guido and Benjamin Teuber will also be involved in these projects.

"Millions of people [have been] enjoying Catan since it was created, and for many it remains a gateway to modern board gaming. I'm thrilled to see the game expanding to a larger audience who will discover the richness of its universe. I find it exciting for the future of the brand," Asmodee CEO Thomas Koegler said in a press statement. "It’s also a testament that board gaming is truly part of pop culture and a popular form of entertainment in everyone's homes, and I’m delighted to continue Asmodee’s relationship with Netflix."

Originally released as The Settlers of Catan, the game has been a global hit, selling 45 million units since it was released. If you're unfamiliar with it, Catan is a multiplayer board game where players take on the role of settlers. The main goal is to establish a settlement and gain victory points by acquiring enough resources to grow your holdings. A consistent best-seller, you can try it out for yourself as the current Catan: Sixth Edition version is available alongside several expansions.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn Eclipsed

Preorder the new set before it releases January 23, 2026.

See at Amazon

Magic: The Gathering is starting 2026 off strong with a return to a longtime fan-favorite Plane. Lorwyn Eclipsed releases January 23, with preorders available on Amazon now, and will take players back to the high fantasy setting of Magic's past. Fun fact: The original Lorwyn set from 2007 introduced the now-staple Planeswalker card type. As is the norm with every new MTG set, Lorwyn Eclipsed has multiple ways to crack packs and build decks. From play booster boxes of 30 packs for $164.70, bundles with promo and foil cards for $57.99, and even 2 new Commander decks for $51.99 each, there's something for players of all experience levels. Below is the full list of sealed products available to preorder for MTG: Lorwyn Eclipsed. We're a few months out, but as a popular in-universe Magic set, stock is likely to be scarce over time. In fact, we've already seen the Lorwyn Eclipsed Draft Night Box sell out at Amazon. Luckily, the other releases are still available at the time of posting, and it's worth grabbing them if you're interested.

Magic: The Gathering: Lorwyn Eclipsed Set

• Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box -- $164.70
• Lorwyn Eclipsed Bundle -- $57.99
• Lorwyn Eclipsed Dance of the Elements Commander Deck -- $51.99
• Lorwyn Eclipsed Blight Curse Commander Deck -- $51.99
• Lorwyn Eclipsed Commander Deck Bundle (2 of each) -- $199.95
• Lorwyn Eclipsed Draft Night Box -- Sold Out

Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box $164.70 | Releases January 23

The play booster box is the best place to start when cracking MTG packs, and Lorwyn Eclipsed is no different. Here's what you'll get:

• 30 15-card booster packs
• 1 Rare or Mythic Rare in each pack
• Guaranteed foil in every pack

Preorder at Amazon Lorwyn Eclipsed Bundle $58 | Releases January 23

The Lorwyn Eclipsed bundle makes a great gift for both new and old Magic players, especially with the holidays around the corner. Here's what you'll get:

• 9 Play Booster Packs
• 1 Traditional Foil Alternate Art Card
• 30 Basic Lands (15 Foil, 15 Nonfoil)
• 1 Spindown Life Counter
• 1 Storage Box
• 2 Reference Cards

Preorder at Amazon Lorwyn Eclipsed Dance of the Elements Commander Deck $58 | Releases January 23

Commander is easily the most popular MTG format, where up to four players can battle it out to see who comes out on top. Most major Magic sets have their own bespoke Commander decks. Here's what you'll get in this one:

• 100-Card Ready-to-Play Commander Deck
• 12 New Cards
• 2 Foil Mythic Rare Cards
• 1 Deck Box
• 10 Double-sided Tokens
• Strategy Insert
• Reference Card

Preorder at Amazon Lorwyn Eclipsed Blight Curse Commander Deck $52 | Releases January 23

The other Commander deck in Lorwyn Eclipsed features a creature type the Plane is famous for: Goblins. Here's what's in it:

• 100-Card Ready-to-Play Commander Deck
• 12 New Cards
• 2 Foil Mythic Rare Cards
• 1 Deck Box
• 10 Double-sided Tokens
• Strategy Insert
• Reference Card

Preorder at Amazon Lorwyn Eclipsed Commander Deck Bundle (2 of Each) $200 | Ree

The Commander deck bundle is a good way to save a few bucks and help your play group get some new cards. Here's what's included:

• 2 Dance of the Elements Commander Decks
• 2 Blight Curse Commander Decks
• 24 New Cards
• 8 Foil Mythic Rare Cards
• 4 Deck Boxes
• 4 Strategy Inserts
• 4 Reference Cards

Preorder at Amazon Lorwyn Eclipsed Draft Night Sold out

Draft Night boxes are pick-up-and-play kits for 4-player Draft, the most popular Limited MTG format. Notably, Lorwyn Eclipsed Draft Night is set up for Pick 2 Draft. It comes with the following:

• 12 Play Boosters
• 1 Collector Booster
• 90 Basic Lands

Note that the Lorwyn Eclipsed Draft Night box is currently sold out at Amazon, but it's worth keeping an eye on it in case it's restocked.

Preorder at Amazon Magic: The Gathering Crossover Sets

Lorwyn Eclipsed might be the next in-universe set with original MTG characters and lore, but the Universes Beyond crossovers are a big part of Magic's identity. Here are some of the crossover sets you can buy now, or look forward to future releases:

• Final Fantasy MTG Set - Available Now
  • Scene Boxes + Chocobo Bundle release December 5
• Marvel's Spider-Man MTG Set
• Avatar: The Last Airbender MTG Set - November 21
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles MTG Set - March 6, 2026
• Lord of the Rings Commander Decks + Scene Boxes
• Fallout Commander Decks
• Doctor Who Commander Decks
• Assassin's Creed Beyond Booster Box

Spider-Man was the latest crossover set to come out, and sealed product is still readily available on Amazon and other popular retailers. See the links below to grab some packs you might have missed:

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Following a price hike for Xbox consoles sold to consumers implemented earlier this year, Microsoft is now raising hardware prices for developers. Microsoft has confirmed that it has raised the price of a Xbox Development Kit (XDK), with the price reportedly going up from $1,500 to $2,000. That's a 33% hike.

"The adjustment reflects macroeconomic developments," a Microsoft spokesperson told The Verge, without confirming the exact dollar amount that the site reported. "We remain committed to providing high-quality tools and support for your development efforts."

When Microsoft announced the price increase for Xbox consoles sold to consumers, the technology giant also cited macroeconomic concerns. The price increases are likely in response to US President Donald Trump's tariffs on imports from China, which are 30% currently.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

When Battlefield 6 was still in beta, some vocal fans wanted to send a message to EA and Battlefield Studios about their displeasure with a leaked skin. The players seem to want more realistic skins than the Call of Duty franchise provides, and they've teed off on another skin for apparently including orange in the design.

On Reddit, a poster shared a since-deleted image of the Recon class' Dead Sight skin that made it look bright orange. Players responded with some very funny messages.

Comment
byu/BOSS_Clan_Intl from discussion
inBattlefield6 Comment
byu/BOSS_Clan_Intl from discussion
inBattlefield6 Comment
byu/BOSS_Clan_Intl from discussion
inBattlefield6

All jokes aside, other posters noted that the original image was either modified to appear bright orange or it had inaccurate color settings. The unaltered skin in question looks more like this.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

In Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, the clan you choose from the list of the best classes determines which abilities you get access to first in the game. But, you can still gain access to the abilities from other clans, you will just need far more ability points, and an additional currency from Blood Resonance activities, but there is a way to reduce the cost. You can reduce the cost of these abilities by gaining Clan Affinity by doing side quests for each clan.

Clan Affinity is not tracked in-game visibly. Instead, you'll only know you hit a new milestone when the ability cost lowers and is labeled with "Clan Affinity." Once you gain access to the Clan Affinity system, you will typically be able to do one side quest for each contact, except for the ones based on collectibles, like Fletcher with the Ventrue clan.

How to gain clan affinity

After becoming the new Sheriff of Seattle, you will gain access to all of the clan representatives.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Over the course of its 26-year history, the Silent Hill series has built up a reputation for offering deep dives into the more psychological side of the survival horror genre and giving players complex stories and experiences that often resonate more deeply than those found in the genre’s action-focused contemporaries. This complexity, however, doesn't mean the series is without formula. By and large, this formula generally consists of taking a tortured or doubting protagonist, placing them in the titular town covered with fog, and allowing the monsters of their mind (or cults) to envelop them to help them discover or face their transgressions. It’s a setup that’s worked time and time again for Konami, and it’s what gamers have come to expect from the beloved series.

And yet, I find that Silent Hill works best when it takes more risks with that established formula.

Take, for example, the premise of the fourth entry, Silent Hill 4: The Room. The game saw players take on the role of Henry Townshend, another "tortured or doubting protagonist" forced to confront their own internal distress. But while this part of the equation remained the same, gone was the titular town. Gone was the cult that played a large presence in the first and third entries. Gone was the series' trademark fog.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Want to get the Cacao seed in Grow A Garden? As one of the rarer plants you can cultivate in the Roblox gardening sim, getting your hands on this Divine-tier fruit can be surprisingly difficult despite it being available throughout the year. However, if you have the money to snag one, it’ll soon pay for itself if you give it a few mutations.

Not to be confused with the Choc Grow A Garden mutation, there are many advantages to growing Cacao in Grow A Garden. Not only is it worth a reasonable amount per fruit, but if you have some available an hour before the next Grow A Garden update, you can use them as an offering to the Ice King during the exclusive Ice King weather event to get the exclusive Frostspike seed. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. This is how you get the Cacao seed in Grow A Garden, how much you get for selling its fruit, and everything else you need to know about it.

The only place you can find Cacao seeds in Grow A Garden is the regular shop, though it seldom ever appears.Where to buy the Grow A Garden Cacao seed

The good news is that you don’t need to wait for an event to get the Grow A Garden Cacao seed. You can find it in the Seed Shop about halfway down the list for 2,500,000 Sheckles or 679 Robux. It’s not worth spending your precious Robux on it, as that’s roughly the value of a higher-tier Grow A Garden pet, but it does at least guarantee you can buy it immediately.

Continue Reading at GameSpot