AMD has launched an update to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D (aka The Best Gaming CPU) and named it the Ryzen 7 9850X3D because it is ever so slightly faster. Frankly it's a rubbish name but there are some points we need to discuss so buckle up and prepare yourself for many charts and loads of data.

Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:49 Specifications
01:35 Hardware
03:12 A quick look at behaviour
04:39 Multi Core Performance
05:23 Ryzen Master Software / Curve Optimiser
06:31 Efficiency / Per watt points
07:22 Geekbench 6 Multi Core
08:04 Geekbench 6 Single Core
08:33 Aida 64 Memory Bandwidth
08:59 Far Cry 6
10:07 Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
10:44 Assassins Creed Mirage
11:19 Cyberpunk 2077
11:58 Total War Pharaoh
12:36 Leo’s verdict

Testing and Performance

Test systems

CPUs: AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, 9800X3D and 7800X3D
Motherboard: ASRock X870E Taichi
Memory: 32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal Neo RGB DDR5-8000

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
Motherboard: MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi
Memory: 48GB G.Skill Trident Z5 DDR5-8200

Graphics Card: MSI RTX 4090 Ventus 3X 24GB
CPU cooler: Phanteks Glacier One 360D30
SSD: 1TB Crucial T700
Power Supply: Seasonic Focus ATX3.1 GX-1000 Gold

Geekbench 6 Single Core

In Geekbench 6 Single Core we see the benefit of the improved boost speed with Ryzen 7 9850X3D leaping to the top of the chart.

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

You will have seen in our video that we showed a great many charts and this chart is a focussed view of the larger Geekbench 6 chart. We can see the 9850X3D has a significant lead over 9800X3D and that is enhanced when we bring Ryzen Master Curve Optimiser into the equation.

Far Cry 6 at 1080p

Far Cry 6 at 1080p demonstrates the impressive nature of AMD's 3D V-Cache technology in gaming, and the way it improves with each new generation of processors.

Closing Thoughts

When AMD announced the Ryzen 7 9850X3D we felt the increase to Maximum Boost Speed was a minor tweak for the amazing Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

Now we have dug into the CPU in some depth we feel there is slightly more to the story than we first expected. Clearly AMD has improved the silicon in 9850X3D compared to 9800X3D, but where we assumed this was merely a better CPU chiplet we now feel the IO die has also been improved.

Our takeaway with Ryzen 7 9850X3D is that this is an interesting update to the 9800X3D that lays the groundwork for the rumoured Ryzen 9 9950X3D2. That should be the ultimate Zen 5 CPU for the desktop and will be AMD's best chance to fight off Intel Nova Lake at the end of 2026. You might think that 2026 is looking to be a grim year but it will certainly have its points of interest.

AMD told us the official MSRP is £439.99, though we expect retail pricing to be closer to £469.99 inc VAT based on conversations with UK retailers.

Pros:

• Superb gaming performance.
• Compatible with AM5 motherboards and coolers.
• Low power draw, easy to cool.

Cons:

• Ryzen 7 9850X3D only offers an incremental improvement over 9800X3D.
• Our guess is that AMD will use 9850X3D to jack up prices.
• £70 premium over 9800X3D.

KitGuru says: The Ryzen 7 9850X3D boosts frame rates in your favourite games.

 

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Microsoft has begun testing a refreshed web experience for Xbox Cloud Gaming, designed to streamline navigation and look closer to the Xbox console dashboard. Xbox Cloud Gaming users can already opt in to the new interface, although there could be lingering issues in the early build. 

Players can access the preview by visiting xbox.com/play in a compatible browser, signing in, and enabling the “Preview Features” toggle in the settings menu. Once enabled, users can either follow the on-screen prompts or navigate directly to the new site (it may take up to 10 minutes for the prompts and links to appear).

Microsoft notes that, as this is a foundation-building phase, some features may behave differently or be temporarily unavailable as they iterate based on feedback. Users are encouraged to report bugs via the profile menu or the Xbox Web Guide to help refine the platform during the testing period.

KitGuru says: Do you use Xbox Cloud Gaming? Have you already tried the new interface? Do you prefer the new UI over the old one?

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Just as has been the case with many previous Nintendo consoles, the Switch 2 is slowly but surely receiving a backcatalogue of titles from 3rd party publishers. While better late than never, one insider has claimed that 2025’s Game of the Year winner Expedition 33 will land on the Switch 2 at some point this year – with Final Fantasy XVI reportedly coming in 2027.

As reported by known industry insider Nate the Hate via their podcast of the same name, the Nintendo Switch 2 is seemingly set to slowly-but-surely continue getting a number of major 3rd-party releases from the past few years.

According to Nate, 2025’s GOTY winner Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 “will be coming to Switch 2 in 2026”. Given that the game utilises Epic’s rather demanding Unreal Engine 5, it will be interesting to see how the game looks/performs on the handheld-hybrid.

Going back to 2024 meanwhile, ATLUS’ JRPG Metaphor: ReFantazio is said to also be coming to the Switch 2 some time this year. This comes as little surprise however, with ATLUS / SEGA having supported both the Switch (and now Switch 2) quite strongly over the years.

Last but not least, going another year back, 2023’s Final Fantasy XVI is said to be also coming to Switch 2. Unlike Metaphor and Clair Obscur however, the ex-PS5 exclusive is apparently not set to arrive until 2027 (though an official announcement is expected some time this year).

Given that all three of these titles are from years prior, it will be interesting to see how the games look; perform and most importantly cost when they are finally officially announced and released.

KitGuru says: Will Nintendo ever reach parity with other systems? Are you bothered by the fact that 3rd party titles usually come out later? Let us know down below.

The post Insider claims Expedition 33 and Metaphor: ReFantazio will come to Switch 2 this year first appeared on KitGuru.

Following years of hype and anticipation, Monster Hunter Wilds finally arrived last year to an explosive launch, selling over 10 million copies within its first month on the market. Since then however, the game’s adoption has slowed to an absolute crawl, with Wilds taking an additional 9 months to go from the 10 million mark to 11 million.

As part of the company’s latest fiscal earnings report, Capcom released updated sales data for many of its titles and franchises. Alongside confirmation that 2019’s Devil May Cry 5 has surpassed 11 million copies sold, the publisher revealed that Monster Hunter Wilds sales have fallen off a cliff.

As mentioned, Wilds managed to shift a massive 10 million units within its first month on the market. Unfortunately, the game suffered from plenty of performance issues – particularly on PC – leading to an influx of negative reviews.

While the game has gotten some performance patches in recent months, it seems Monster Hunter Wilds will not manage to have the same legs as its past two entries. Thanks to the latest reports, we now know that Wilds has officially sold a total of 11.09 million copies as of the 31st of December; meaning it sold just 1 million more units over the past 9 months (fewer copies than MH: Rise managed in the same period).

All that being said, it is possible that Wilds could have a resurgence come the inevitable release of its post-launch expansion(s). We will have to wait and see.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Monster Hunter Wilds in 2026? Is it worth playing? Will the game ever be able to fully recover from its launch woes? Let us know down below.

The post Monster Hunter Wilds finally surpasses 11 million sales, 9 months after hitting 10 million first appeared on KitGuru.

Initially released back in 2015 as a paid product, Rocket League is a highly popular Soc-Car title which went on to be played by over 75 million people prior to it going free-to-play in 2020. Since then, the game has continued to truck along, maintaining a consistent playerbase. That said, in a surprise resurgence, Rocket League has now reached a new major milestone – surpassing 1 million concurrent players for the first time in half a decade.

Last week, the official Rocket League Twitter page revealed that the game had reached a major player milestone, writing: “Today has been a wild ride: more than 900,000 of you hit the pitch in Rocket League at the same time!”

Since then, interest appears to have grown further, with the ‘Rocket League Garage’ fansite (which tracks concurrent player numbers) revealing that the game has now hit 1 million concurrent players – a record not seen since the initial free-to-play launch back in 2020.

In terms of why the game has seen a sudden influx in players, it appears as though Rocket League has the popular YouTuber ‘Jynxzi’ to thank – who started streaming the title a couple weeks ago.

Additionally. Rocket League also recently got its Switch 2 update, which did contribute some amount to the 1 million concurrents – albeit only by an additional 39k players.

Given the sudden rise in interest pertaining to Rocket League, it will be interesting to see whether the team at Psyonix choose to capitalise on this moment, or whether things will remain business as usual.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Rocket League in 2026? Is the game still a fun time so many years later? Let us know your thoughts down below.

The post Rocket League surpasses 1 million concurrent players for the first time since 2020 first appeared on KitGuru.

The Reigns series of games offers players the chance to take on the role of a leader who has to address and solve the issues of its people, all the while trying not to end up with your head on a chopping block. Since the first game’s release back in 2016, Reigns has received a number of crossover titles. In a surprise announcement, Reigns: The Witcher has been officially confirmed – launching on PC and mobile next month.

Published by Devolver Digital in partnership with CD Projekt Red, Reigns: The Witcher has you play as Geralt, fighting for “survival within the drunken ballads of his dear friend, Dandelion the bard. Will you hunt monsters, upset the locals, or run a hot bath? Navigate the moral meanderings of the world through the eyes of the bard, and compose an inspiring epic to perhaps, one day, claim immortality.”

Launching on the 25th of February for PC and mobile (Android + iOS), players can head over to the official website for a small taste of what you can expect from the game when it launches in a month’s time.

The previous Reigns entries have been pretty hardcore, with every choice having potentially major consequences – something which the Witcher series does quite well. As such, it will be interesting to see exactly how the game is formatted and whether it resonates with fans when Reigns: The Witcher officially arrives on the 25th of February for $5.99.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the Reigns series? Is a Witcher collab of interest to you? What other franchise would you like to see receive a ‘Reigns’ treatment? Let us know down below.

The post Reigns: The Witcher officially announced first appeared on KitGuru.