Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer appeared on a moderated panel with Double Fine Studio Head Tim Schafer at the Paley International Council Summit in Palo Alto, California today, discussing "Big Ideas, Small Games: Creativity Beyond the Blockbuster." In the panel, moderated by Idilio CEO Gabriela Tafur, Spencer was asked about AI use at Xbox. He said that Xbox does use AI, but probably not how you might think.

"Our applications of AI today are mostly actually on the security and protection of our networks," he said, referring to voice and text chat on Xbox Live. "It's now at a scale where you can't really moderate the safety of those with just people alone. The volume is too high. So we have AI that we use to make sure that the conversation and topics that are happening, and for protected child accounts and other things and who gets to talk to those accounts to those people, is locked down by parents or guardians who are setting those controls. That's our primary use of AI inside of our organization today, which maybe isn't the most glamorous use of AI, but it's something that I fundamentally believe in."

He did, however, address the big question of AI use in the creative process of making games: "On the creative side, I really leave it up to the teams," he said. "I have found that creative teams will use tools that make their job easier when it makes their job easier, and any top-down mandate that 'Thou must use a certain tool'...is not really a path to success. I look at the teams, and we make tools available, and I kind of let it organically percolate."

He stayed on the AI topic, but pivoted to the idea of how it might be used for game discovery. "An area that you've talked about that's interesting is discovery," he told Tafur. "How do I find the next thing that I might love? In that scenario where we are looking at some of the AI tools – it's not in practice today – but is there a way for us to use discovery based on things that you've done in the past to surface the next thing that you might not know about that might be interesting to you?

"On the production side, which I think is where a lot of people go...we don't have any goals in our model for that to happen. I think more about the pace of creativity, maybe the number of things we can try and take risks on before we decide on our next opportunity. But our AI use today is much more operational than it is in the creative space."

Be sure to tune in to our weekly Xbox show, Unlocked, for long-form discussion on everything happening in the world of Xbox.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Costco has revealed its Black Friday schedule for 2025 and you can already check out what deals will be coming to a warehouse near you. The annual holiday shopping booklet was leaked by Costco Insider earlier this week with all of the dates, and every page is now available as an ad scan. You can expect the first round of holiday deals at Costco to kick off on Halloween, which is the same time Best Buy is planning on launching its early Black Friday sale this year. Here's a full breakdown of the Costco Black Friday schedule:

The official Costco Black Friday sale kicks off on November 17 this year, but there are more savings launching on Thanksgiving. Costco warehouses will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but you can still start shopping online before the sale resumes in stores on Black Friday. The main sales are currently only set to run through Cyber Monday, so Black Friday weekend will be the ideal time to shop.

What Black Friday Deals to Expect From Costco

According to the ad scan, the Costco Black Friday sale is going to have discounts on just about everything. Gaming laptops, video game consoles, jewelry, furniture, TVs, and appliances are all included in this year's price cuts. You can check out the full Black Friday weekend ad scan for yourself in the Reddit thread below.

Some of the most notable discounts featured here are $120 off of PS5 consoles and savings on Apple stuff. The ad itself doesn't reveal what the actual discounts on Apple products will be this year, but the image features everything from MacBooks to AirPods. The discount on the PS5 is also noteworthy because Sony increased prices on PlayStation consoles by $50 earlier this year and it was unclear how substantial the discounts would be to offset that during Black Friday.

If you're looking to upgrade your home theater setup, it looks like Costco will also be dropping $220 off the price of the the popular Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar. The last time we saw that go on sale was during Labor Day weekend and that was only $100 off.

For more upcoming sale dates, check out our guide to all of the Black Friday sales announced for 2025 so far.

It's been a week where my willpower evaporated faster than dog water out in this crazy hot October heat. Between a stack of heavy hitters and cult faves going for pocket change, your cart may just fill itself before your smoko coffee can get gulped. I’ve played (and replayed) most of these gems, so trust me when I say this is a line-up worth smashing the buy button for.

Contents

• Retro
• Nintendo
• Xbox
• PlayStation
• PC
• LEGO

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm celebrating the 22nd bday of the mouthful that is Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3. I remember this as arguably the best version of SMB3, with a proto-QR code mechanic that used a link cable to connect a second GBA with an e-Reader. Then, using one of 40+ specially printed cards, you'd unlock exclusive levels, demos, and basically "amiibo" yourself in-game power-ups, like the Cape Feather from Super Mario World (!!!). Mercifully, the Switch Online version just bundles all those cards in.

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

- Ace Combat 2 (PS) 1997. Sequel

- FF Tactics Advance (GBA) 2003. eBay

- Super Mario Advance 4 (GBA) 2003. Sequel

- F-Zero GX (GC) 2003. eBay

- Midnight Club: L.A. (PS3,X360) 2008. eBay

- The Unfinished Swan (PS3) 2012. eBay

- Rocksmith 2014 (PC,PS3,X360) 2014. Sequel

- Bayonetta 2 (WiiU) 2014. Sequel

- Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (3DS) 2015. Get

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

• Super Smash Bros. Ult. (-23%) A$69 *Low stock* A frantic party brawler that’s still the ultimate celebration of Nintendo history, packing fighters from every corner of gaming into one endlessly replayable package.
• Persona 5 Tactica (-73%) A$25.50 A clever spin-off that transforms the Phantom Thieves’ stylish flair into grid-based tactics, blending humour, rebellion and flashy Persona powers with deep strategy.
• Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (-50%) A$39.90 Musou mayhem meets strategy as familiar Three Houses characters charge through massive battlefields in this fast, satisfying hack-and-slash adventure.
• Dragon Ball FighterZ (-46%) A$48.90 Arc System Works’ 2.5D fighter nails the anime’s explosive look and pace, offering one of the best tag-team brawlers in years.
• Yoshi's Crafted World (-27%) A$58 A charming cardboard diorama of platforming whimsy, with Yoshi waddling through handcrafted stages that ooze creativity and cuteness.
• Mario Tennis Aces (-27%) A$58 A surprisingly tactical sports title that mixes power shots, trick returns, and classic Mushroom Kingdom chaos in every match.

What's Big on the Radar?
Current hotcakes selling

• Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 - $79
• Pokémon Legends: Z-A - $78
• Super Mario Party Jamboree - $64

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

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Exciting Bargains for Xbox

• Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (-61%) A$39 A soulful supernatural action-RPG from Dontnod that balances ghost-hunting combat with emotional storytelling about love, loss, and letting go.
• Hogwarts Legacy (-57%) A$47.10 A dream come true for Potter fans, letting you roam the castle, learn spells, and duel dark wizards in a lavish open-world Wizarding World adventure.
• Alan Wake 2 (-70%) A$27.20 Remedy’s haunting sequel dives deep into psychological horror, blending detective work, metafiction, and unsettlingly stylish storytelling.
• Grand Theft Auto V (-52%) A$29 The open-world classic remains a chaotic playground of crime, cars, and comedy that still feels unmatched in scale and polish.
• The Quarry (-74%) A$29 From the creators of Until Dawn, this cinematic teen horror story is packed with jump scares, moral choices, and movie-quality performances.

Xbox One

• NBA 2K26 (-42%) A$69 The latest basketball sim refines shooting and dribbling yet again, delivering slick presentation and plenty of modes for hoops heads.
• Assassin's Creed The Ezio Col. (-37%) A$44 Relive Ezio’s legendary trilogy of stealth, swordplay, and intrigue in a package that chronicles Assassin’s Creed at its storytelling peak.
• Assassin's Creed Mirage (-63%) A$29 A back-to-basics entry returning to stealth, parkour, and old-school assassination thrills set in a gorgeously realised Baghdad.

What's Big on the Radar?
Headed out the door quick

• Battlefield 6 - A$89
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds - A$89
• Borderlands 4 - A$99

Or just invest in an Xbox Card.

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Pure Scores for PlayStation

• Dragon's Dogma 2 (-43%) A$61 Capcom’s massive open-world sequel builds on the cult classic with richer combat, smarter pawns, and sprawling fantasy adventure.
• Grand Theft Auto V (-52%) A$29 Los Santos got a slick 4K makeover, with faster loading and performance options that make revisiting GTA’s crime saga worthwhile.
• Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon (-31%) A$69 FromSoftware’s mech epic delivers punishing battles, gorgeous explosions, and customisation depth that rewards tactical precision.
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (-31%) A$69 Ichiban’s island holiday takes a wild turn in this comedic RPG full of turn-based brawls, karaoke chaos, and tropical nonsense.
• Like a Dragon: Ishin! (-49%) A$51.30 A historical spin-off where samurai swagger meets Yakuza mayhem, retelling 1860s Japan with stylish swordplay and political intrigue.

PS4

• Batman: Arkham Col. (-59%) A$34.90 Rocksteady’s trilogy remains the gold standard for superhero action, packed with tight combat, dark storytelling, and obsessive detail.
• Crysis Rem. Trilogy (-26%) A$55.90 The iconic PC shooters recharged for console, showcasing nanosuits, open combat zones, and improved visuals that finally run smoothly.
• Riders Republic (-62%) A$38.40 A chaotic extreme-sports playground mixing bikes, boards, wingsuits and snow for thrill-seekers craving a multiplayer adrenaline rush.

What's Big on the Radar?
Fast movers shifting

• COD Black Ops 7 - A$89
• Battlefield 6 - A$89
• Borderlands 4 - A$99

Or purchase a PS Store Card.

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Purchase Cheap for PC

• Persona 5 Royal (-68%) A$30.30 The definitive version of Atlus’s stylish JRPG masterpiece, packed with new characters, confidants, and dozens more hours of turn-based brilliance.
• Dredge (-60%) A$14.60 A quietly haunting fishing adventure where Lovecraftian horror lurks beneath tranquil waters and every catch might just stare back.
• Undertale (-75%) A$3.60 The cult classic RPG that flips expectations, offering kindness or chaos in a witty, emotional journey that still hits hard years later.
• Mass Effect Leg. Ed. (-92%) A$7.10 BioWare’s epic sci-fi trilogy remastered for modern PCs, reuniting Commander Shepard and crew in a saga that defined a generation.
• Metaphor: ReFantazio (-51%) A$56.90 From the Persona team comes an all-new fantasy JRPG, merging turn-based strategy and surreal style in a mysterious, dreamlike kingdom.

Or just get a Steam Wallet Card

Legit LEGO Deals

• Captain America vs. Thanos (-35%) - A$39.20
• Mario Kart - Toad's Garage (-35%) - A$39
• Hogwarts Castle: Flying Lessons (-33%) - A$87
• Jango Fett Helmet (-32%) - A$87.90

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Halloween may be right around the corner, but the winter holiday season will come at us just as fast. If you're a big Zelda fan or have special someone in your life that is obsessed, Hallmark has a handful of awesome ornaments spanning the franchise's storied history you can buy right now. Ranging in price from $12 to $32, purchasing one of these won't break the bank and will last for holidays to come. If you're looking for an affordable Legend of Zelda gift to buy ahead of the 2025 Christmas season, this is a delightful option worth considering.

Legend of Zelda Hallmark Ornaments

Pretty much every era from Zelda's history is represented with these ornaments, from the NES original 8-bit Link to 2023's Tears of the Kingdom Decayed Master Sword. The Link with his sword and shield ornament is another notable inclusion, since it plays classic Zelda tunes at the push of a button. I personally would have appreciated some Twilight Princess love with this collection, but I can't complain with what's on offer here.

Each ornament is only a few inches in every dimension, so storing them efficiently in the off-season or utilizing them as year-round decor is definitely on the table. I have a game shelf that the Toon Link ornament would be right at home on. The 8-bit Link ornament is low on stock, so if you've had your eye on it, now's the perfect time to pick one up.

More Hallmark Nintendo Ornaments

Naturally, The Legend of Zelda franchise isn't the only Nintendo property receiving the Hallmark treatment. There's an Elephant Mario from Super Mario Bros. Wonder would look great on any Christmas tree, and the winter hat Rowlet is one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

Is Hallmark a Good Ornament Brand?

Hallmark isn't the only ornament brand out there, but it is certainly one of the most well-known. The main appeal of Hallmark Keepsake ornaments is that the brand offers yearly releases from popular IPs like Nintendo, Star Wars, Disney, and more. If you're looking for a little piece of your favorite movie or video game to hang on your tree, it's most likely going to be a Hallmark-branded ornament. Seeing as the ornaments are officially-licensed, they are also likely to be of higher quality than any knock-off brands you find elsewhere.

Myles Obenza is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Bluesky @mylesobenza.bsky.social.

Do you remember the worst day of your life? It’s okay; you don’t have to answer. I do. I was doing something I loved, I made a mistake, and a story someone else told about it for their own purposes cost me almost everything I had. People I thought were my friends walked out of my life, doors slammed shut in my face, and everything I’d worked for evaporated. My family resorted to communication by postcard because I refused to answer the phone, and I spent the next two years contemplating suicide before finally finding some semblence of peace. Nearly a decade later, those moments, that mistake – such a little thing, really – impacts every aspect of my life. I spend a lot of time grappling with that, wondering if I’ll ever be the person I was before that moment again. I don’t know the answer.

The worst day of Clementine McKinney’s life reminded me a lot of my own, though it came inside the cockpit of a Raptor mech rather than behind a keyboard. She made a decision, one rooted in trying to do the right thing and defend people she loved, and it cost her everything she had. Clementine McKinney died that day, and Graveyard Clem was born from the ashes. Bounty Star is about who you are after the worst day of your life, about what you do when the only option is to climb back into the machine that put you there in the first place. I didn’t have a choice; neither does Clem. We don’t know how to do anything else.

Clem is a bounty hunter. Building and piloting a Raptor is all she knows, and it’s the main thing you’ll do across the roughly 15-20 hours it took me to finish Bounty Star’s story (though there is ample replayability if you want it). After her world collapses, her friend Jake Triminy, the local marshall of a post-plague future that caused the collapse of human civilization and the return of the dinosaurs, sets her up with an old workshop that has enough space to double as a farm. Nobody much trusts her after what happened, so the bounties she is offered are for small fry: local bandits and the like. You spend her money to buy food and cook it in her kitchen for stat increases before going out on a mission. The first time she gets into her Raptor after the decision she made inside one destroyed her life, she spends a long time staring at the ol’ girl, her heart beating fast. Then she closes her eyes, exhales, and gets to work. Clem sees the irony, but it might also be her only way out. Both she and I sit in that cockpit, but we are not in the same place.

Clem wears her battles on her body. There’s a nasty burn on the side of her neck, a deep scar on the right side of her face, and another on the opposite cheek. She’s not young anymore; if you leave her alone long enough, she’ll stretch and complain about the way her body is failing her, even though her physique tells the story of a woman who builds Raptors and welds steel. Her clothes are covered in engine grease and stained with sweat. Her accent bears the twang of the American South. She drinks, smokes, plays guitar, and swears like it’s going out of style – and yet, when she gets stuck on a problem, she’ll pull out a stuffed dinosaur named Jeremy and talk to him until she realizes the solution. After a completed bounty, Clem sits on her Raptor and writes down her thoughts in a small journal, a warrior poet hoping that she’ll find herself in the words she arranges on the page. She is a person, messy and flawed and glorious, and I loved her in the way you love a kindred soul, someone whose failings you understand and strengths you admire.

Once you've got your assignment, it's time to outfit your Raptor and get to work. Raptors are relatively tiny mechs – think an Armored Core’s AC, but smaller, less well armed, and faster. They have melee and ranged weapons that range from chainswords and giant hammers to assault rifles and grenade launchers. You can customize them to fit your playstyle even further by popping in things like a booster for quick dodges, a burst repairer for on-the-spot healing, or a thermal computer to restore your Raptor to its base temperature faster.

There's a lot to consider: each weapon has one of three types (Blade, Bludgeoning, Boom) that operate in a rock, paper, scissors style against different types of armor. Weapons and systems also build or reduce heat. Too much or too little, and your Raptor will shut down until it comes back under control, leaving you vulnerable. But there are benefits. High heat speeds up your melee weapon swings, while a cooler Raptor fires its guns more quickly.

Some bounties are only available in the morning, afternoon, or evening. It’s cooler at night, so weapons that generate heat are more viable than they would be in the afternoon, when you'll want systems to keep your Raptor running cool. The right build takes your targets, time of day, and heat into account, and there is a joy in stepping into Clem's mind, getting under the hood, and building a smooth-running rig.

In the field, a Raptor is nimble but purposeful, a force of fury and steel. It can dodge and run to avoid fire, but when you swing that chainsword, you commit to its weight and momentum. An assault rifle will kill a man in a single shot, but it will be less effective against a Driller mech built heavy for mining and repurposed by outlaws for combat. A double-barreled shotgun will chew through an unmanned Sieger, but you'll need to be more precise against another mech. The heavier enemies – Drillers, Raptors like yours – have stability that must be reduced before your melee weapons stagger them, but once it's gone, a hammer, chainsword, or flame gauntlet will rock them to the frame, steel grinding against steel until something breaks. But be wary of counter-attacks, which can stop your offense cold and send your Raptor reeling. To compensate, you have melee and dash tricks of your own. Cancel a swing of your hammer into an evasive maneuver while leaping backward and firing your shotgun, or dash forward into a swing of a built-for-a-mech baseball bat. To fight another Raptor is to tango, two gunslingers circling until one finds an opening.

It’s satisfying, though repetition does set in when you see the same Raptor, the same Sieger, the same group of enemies again and again, especially during the Low Priority repeatable bounties you’ll do between High Priority story missions. The environments Clem navigates, clearly a loving tribute to the American Southwest, are stunning at least. Though you’ll see some of the maps several times, many of them never lose their beauty, especially at night. Variety is found in optional objectives that offer additional cash and challenge you to take no damage, use a specific build, complete a bounty quickly, destroy objects scattered around the environment, find a hidden item, and so on. And it is always worth scavenging an area to find secret chests for additional rewards like world lore, resources, or even blueprints for new weapons or recipes for Clem to whip up in the kitchen.

Between bounties, you’ll use the money Clem earns to build up her new home and improve her Raptor. Things start small. But soon enough, you’re crafting new weapons, unlocking additional slots or loadouts, producing your own fuel, making your own ammunition, growing crops, and raising chickens. As she rebuilds herself, a place she didn’t want to be becomes a home. These chores are minor – feed the chickens, water the plants, sow new seeds, make sure the fuel producing systems have enough water, cook a meal before you head out – but I found joy in the repetition of a life lived outside of the cockpit, of seeing the real, tangible progress Clem and I were making on our journeys of healing.

A I invested more time and money into the farm, I was able to do these jobs faster, more efficiently. Carrying water to each plant will get the job done. But it’s much more fun to build a firearm-activated irrigation system, to watch empty space get filled in by the work you’ve done, slowly, piece by piece. Isn’t that a life? And my Raptor was becoming fiercer, too, the bounties bigger. At the start, one feeds the other. The Raptor. The farm. Over time, they intertwine, and it’s harder to see where one ends and the other begins.

In one of her journal entries, Clem reflects on her relationship with Raptors, wondering if she should loathe them on principle as machines of war or lean into the power and joy she feels while piloting one. It’s a question not just for her, but us as the player, too. She opts for the latter, partly because she has no choice, and partly because she feels she is making the world a better place by removing bad men from it. You can thankfully take bounties alive or scare off dinosaurs with fireworks instead of killing them (and sometimes you are paid more for it), but you’re going to rack up a lot of bodies either way. The home she builds is the opposite of that. At first, she resents it, wanting out as quickly as she can find a way. But she comes to see its potential. Soon, I was making just as much money from farming as I was from bounty hunting. What was a chore became a way of life.

And as she builds a new life, other characters come to inhabit it. She befriends a reformed bandit who offers her a way to relive past battles, useful for completing optional objectives in bygone story missions; a former thief atoning for his crimes by wearing a ridiculous steak outfit and selling meat as Mr. Meat; a miner trapped inside his suit who has dedicated himself to building an ethical mine for other miners; a weapons dealer who becomes a confidant; a giant insect driven from its colony who becomes a friend (and, when fed and watered, a weapon to be mounted on a Raptor).

Each is a mirror that offers Clem a chance to reflect on her life, her choices, to show us who she is, and who she still might be. Shall she be a woman at war with herself, reliving the battles that brought her here? There are many kinds of prisons. Some you carry with you wherever you go. Clem’s Raptor could be a cell. But it could be armor, too, the key to something else. Something better. The past is prologue, but it doesn't have to define us. We choose who we are every day.

Bounty Star is a simple game. You would never mistake it for something with a ton of money behind it, though the writing and voice acting are excellent. And there were times it frustrated me, such as when it locked story progression behind building an engine I couldn’t afford. (Luckily, I had a pretty sizable farm at that point, and chicken eggs and corn command a premium.) It crashed on me a few times. It can be repetitive. I’m not sure I care about much of that, but it was part of my experience. But I did care about Clem, about her story, the people she loved and who loved her in return. This town takes in all kinds. I wanted her to rebuild her life, and that saw me through.

The Galaxies Showcase has arrived and it featured more than 50 games, six world premieres, exclusive reveals, demo drops, and much more, including the long-awaited release date for Mouse: P.I. For Hire, a release window for the Tony Hawk meets Trains game called Denshattack! and a new look at Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2.

There were a ton of big moments from the show, and this guide has gathered them all to ensure you don't miss a thing. Be sure to let us know which game you are most looking forward to below!

Mouse: P.I. For Hire Will Officially Arrive in March 2026

Mouse: P.I. For Hire, the much-anticipated stylized first-person boomer shooter where players will become Jack Pepper across a jazz-filled adventure with a mystery to solve. Oh, and it's all wrapped in a black and white 1930's cartoon aesthetic.

Denshattack! Is Like Tony Hawk With Trains and It's Out in Spring 2026

In the perfect mix of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Japanese Trains, Denshattack! wants you to perform skateboard tricks as a speeding train. It sounds ridiculous, but that's what makes us so excited for it in Spring 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 Is a Retro FPS That Lets You Obliterate Heretics in the Name of the Emperor

Pick up where the original left off in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, a retro FPS that encourages you to obliterate heretics in the name of the Emperor. Take on the role of Malum Caedo once again and visit the colossal heights of a hive cit, the impenetrable mangrove swamps of a jungle, and much more with youe chainsword, shotgun, and other deadly Space Marine weapons. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 will be released on PC and consoles in 2026.

Dumb Ways to Party Requires Players to Win Using a Combination of Skill, Sabotage, and Sheer Dumb Luck

Say hello too the world's dumbest party game! Play as your favorite Bean and go head-to-head with up to four players to become the Dumbest of the Dumb by using a combination of skill, sabotage, and sheer dumb luck. Dumb Ways to Party will be released on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, and PC. If you buy Dumb Ways to Die on the Epic Games Store, you'll unlock the Dumb Ways to Die Bundle in Fortnite as well!

PowerWash Simulator 2 Is Out Now and Welcomes Players Back to Clean

Get ready to bring your power washer out again as PowerWash Simulator 2 is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC. Check out the launch trailer above and read our PowerWash Simulator 2 review right here.

Lead a Band of Misfits in Rockbeasts and Take Them to the Top of the Music World

Come along for a journey into Rockbeasts, where players will lead a band of misfits on a roller-coaster ride to stardom in the age of MTV, rock anthems, and bad haircuts. Lean more about the gameplay in this story-driven, role-playing management game that tasks you with taking your band to the top of the music world. Rockbeasts will be released in the future on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Turnbound Is an Auto-Battler Where You Build a Haunted Board of Weapons, Creatures, and More

We not only got a look at Turnbound, an auto-battler where you build your very own haunted board filled with puzzle pieces representing weapons, trinkets, creatures, and more, but it was confirmed that it will be released in Early Access on PC on November 13 and that you can try a demo right now.

Run Your Own Vending Machine Shop With This New Idle Simulator Called Vending Dokan!

Have you ever dreamed of running your own vending machine shop? Vending Dokan! lets you live out this dream as it is an idle simulator with big cozy vibes. Decorate, clean, restock, and run the best shop you can in this new game that is out now on Steam in Early Access.

Become an Egg and Escape a Hen House in Egging On

Take on the unlikely role of an egg in Egging On and platform, roll, jump, climb, and even fly as you do all you can to get out of a hen house. Egging On is coming soon to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Explore a Brand New World and Hunt Weird Monsters Called Apomo in Apomo District

Enter a strange new world filled with monsters called Apomo in Apomo District, and take all the time you need to explore a place that changes every day, and one you'll need to catch and cook fish, collect bugs to cast spells, and find gear to become stronger and stronger as you hunt down these weird monsters called Apomo.

Meet The Krasue, the New Killer in Dead by Daylight's Sinister Grace DLC

Dead by Daylight's Sinister Grace DLC is available now and introduces the new terrifying killer called The Krasue, a horrifying murderous singer players will get to play as or do all they can to survive against.

Sleep Awake Gets a Release Date and Begs You Not to Fall Asleep

In Sleep Awake, which now has a release date of December 2 on PC and PS5, you live in the last known city on Earth, and everyone who falls asleep ends up missing. Dive deeper into this mystery and learn the lengths people will go to stay awake.

Crosswind Lets You Live Out Your Pirate Fantasy

Become a pirate and sail the seven seas in Crosswind, a survival crafting game that also lets you build giant manors with Jolly Rogers, fight giant frogs, and sink anyone who dares to cross your path.

Shroom & Gloom Has a New Demo That Lets You Grow Your Own Deck

In Shroom & Gloom, which has a demo available now ahead of its launch on PC in the future, you get to grow your own cards as you play through a first-person roguelike where you'll need to take out all kinds of weird fungus.

Sagas of Lumin Is an RPG Filled With Dragons and We Love That

In celebration of the release of its demo on Steam, Sagas of Lumin got a new trailer that showcases this single-player action RPG that lets you enjoy both grounded and aerial combat seated atop a dragon.

Defect Wants You to Gather Friends and Take Down an Authoritarian AI

Defect is a 4v4v4v4 squad-based cyberpunk shooter that wants you to bring your friends along (or go solo!) in an effort to fight against an authoritarian AI ruling over the last human city.

Bylina Is Rooted in Slavic Folklore and Legends and Its Out Later This Year

Bylina is an upcoming game set to be released in 2025 that rooted in Slavic folklore and legends and wants you to challenge Koschei the Deathless himself. You'll also need to journey to the Far Far Kingdom to save your soul and become a true hero in this action RPG that has a heavy focus on skill-based combat.

Become a Raccoon, Wolf, and Raven in Edenfall: Legacy of the First Wardens

A new demo is now available for Edenfall: Legacy of the First Wardens, a PC game set to be released in 2026 that lets you transform into a raccoon, a wolf, and a raven to take the fight against the force leeching color from the world.

Long Drive North Hits Steam Early Access Next Month

Get ready for a solo drive or an adventure with up to four people in Long Drive North, an upcoming game set to hit Steam Early Access on November 1 that puts you in an RV and tasks players to travel, survive, and scavenge in the American Wilds that are filled with animals to hunt, old abandoned vehicles, and more.

A.I.L.A. Is an AI That Promises Everything Is Fine When It Clearly Is Not

In A.I.L.A., you play as lone game tester for a fictional AI that may be overstepping its bounds. It promises that everything is find and that you can forget all of your stress, but things really seem off, especially the scar on your hand that appeared after visiting its VR world. This upcoming first-person horror game will be released on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC in November.

Far Far West Brings Magic to the Wild West

Far Far West is much more than a game about the wild west, it's also about casting spells, dealing with monsters, and teaming up with up to three friends for some co-op FPS action and bounty hunting. Those interested can join a playtest on PC right now on Steam.

Quantic River Is a Cyberpunk 2.5D Action Game Made for Speedrunners and Explorers

Quantic River sends players to Japan's fictional United City for a cyberpunk adventure about hacking (computers) and slashing. Oh, and it's made for those who both want to speedrun the game and those who want to take their time and explore all Quantic River has to offer.

Icarus Is a PvE Survival First-Person Crafting Multiplayer Game That's Headed to Consoles Soon

Icarus, which is currently available on PC, is coming soon to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For those unfamiliar, Icarus is a PvE survival first-person crafting multiplayer game that is set in the aftermath of a terraforming mission gone wrong.

Explore a Comedic Fantasy World in The Bureau of Fantastical & Arcane Affairs

Enter a fantasy world in The Bureau of Fantastical & Arcane Affairs and explore and inspect different environments in this first-person comedy narrative sandbox game. What's intriguing is you can choose to fix what's wrong with this world or not and see the chaos and hilarity that ensues from your choices.

Climb and Slay Towering Creature and Remember Your Past in Norigin

Norigin in a third-person action platformer that will have players climbing and slaying towering creatures in an effort to remember your past, your relationship with your father, and what you place is in in this strange world.

Pacific Drive - Whispers in the Woods DLC Invites Players In to the Olympic Exclusion Zone And It's Out Now

Enter the Olympic Exclusion Zone of the Pacific Northwest in Pacific Drive - Whispers in the Woods DLC. This area that has been sealed off from the rest of the world and your only companion is your old beat-up car and voices on the radio. As with the main game, you will scavenge and fix the car up alongside discovering what is breaking the laws of physics in the Exclusion Zone and try to find a way out.

Solasta II To Enter Early Access in Early 2026

The turn-based tactical fantasy RPG based on SRD 5e rules called Solasta II is entering Steam Early Access in early 2026 and will welcome players into the magic-drenched world of Neokos.

Find Out What Happens After a Meteor Hits South Korea and Turns Every Living Thing into Horrifying Creatures in Ground Zero

Ground Zero is set in a world where a meteor hit South Korea and has turned most every living thing into horrifying creatures. It's up to you to figure out why alongside exploring, surviving, solving puzzles, and learn the truth in Ground Zero, a retro-style survival horror game that's available now on PC and coming soon to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Hark the Ghoul Is Getting a New Demo Before Its Launch on PC in 2026

If you want to try out Hark the Ghoul, which is set to be released on PC in 2026, a new demo is now available. Hark the Ghoul is a retro-modern low-poly game that wants you to kick, slash, cast spells, and more in a fantasy world.

Build an Epic Deck and Forge Your Path Through a Mythological Japanese Landscape in Talespinner

In the deck-building game Talespinner, players will forge their path through a mythological Japanese landscape, choose a character, gain companions, and work through branching storylines where your choices matter. Talespinner will be released on PC in the future.

Town to City Is Getting Pets and We Are Very Excited

Town to City's Official Animal Update is headed to the game in November 2025 and and will allow players to give their citizen's pets, find new ways to decorate, build new buildings, and experience the game in a first-person perspective.

Become a Fierce Feline Hero and Take Back Feral City in Clawpunk

Play as fierce feline heroes and battle villainous gangs to take back Feral City in Clawpunk, a delightfully chaotic arcade adventure that will have players scratching, clawing, and being the best cat ever through destructible environments that are just as stylish as you could want in a retro-inspired game.

Windblown Is Celebrating One Year of Early Access With a New Update

To celebrate one year of Windblown being in Early Access on Steam, Motion Twin has released an Anniversary Update that includes 2 new vast biomes, 8 new deadly weapons, new unlocks and metaprogression, 2 ferocious new bosses, a new storyline, and much more.

Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss Gets an Official Release Date and Gameplay Trailer

Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss will be released on PC on April 16, 2026, and, to celebrate the release date reveal, NACON has revealed a new gameplay trailer that shows more of this first-person dread thriller that takes players to the depths of the Pacific Ocean to an ancient sunken city where Cthulhu is imprisoned. Solve puzzles, make choices, and resist the mind-corrupting influence of Cthulhu as you work to investigate the disappearance of miners.

Cloudheim Is Entering Early Access via Steam and Is Set in a World Shattered by Ragnarok

Cloudheim will officially be released in Early Access on PC via Steam on December 4, 2025, and players will be able to jump into a world shattered by Ragnarok with up to three of their friends to awaken forgotten deities, drive back corruption, and upgrade your shop in the sky to bring harmony to a broken realm.

Rue Valley Story Trailer Reveals a Narrative RPG About a Man Trapped in a Time Loop

Learn more of the world of Rue Valley in this latest story trailer alongside seeing gameplay of the narrative RPG about a man trapped in a time loop. The main character also has to deal with mental challenges and must rise from the depths and work with others to handle an anomaly and uncover its enigmatic origins. Rue Valley will be released on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on November 11, 2025.

Shadow of the Road Is Japan Meets Magic and Technology

Check out new gameplay of Shadow of the Road, an upcoming story-driven turn-based RPG where traditional Japan meets magic and technology. Gather a cast of characters to take on magical yokai and deadly machines as you work your way to change the fate of the Empire. Shadow of the Road will be released on PC in the future.

It Takes a War Is All About Graphics! Guns! and Glory!

Graphics! Guns! Glory! Learn all about these three mantras of It Takes a War in its newest gameplay trailer. Get ready to drop into a devastatingly real depiction of the battlefield as you work with your team to take on a relentless foe. It Takes a War is scheduled to debut in Q4 2025 on PC.

Experience a Heist Disrupted by a Supernatural Event in Dark Hours

Get another look at Dark Hours, a co-op survival horror game for up to four players that is all about a heist being disrupted by a supernatural event. As a team of robbers, you and your friends must work together to survive against an evil entity and last the night. Dark Hours is out now in Early Access on PC via Steam.

PACS: Post Apocalypse Courier Service Is a Co-Op Delivery Simulator That Needs You to Deliver Packages on Time

Get ready for the 'postiepocalypse' in PACS - Post Apocalypse Courier Service, the upcoming co-op delivery simulator that will have your and your friends navigating treacherous environments, scavenging for vehicle upgrades, and growing a courier service that fulfills the apocalyptic miracle of a package delivered on time. PACS is headed to PC in the future.

Enginefall Is a Massive PvP Game Set Across a Player-Driven Railworld on an Earth in Ruins

Check out the gameplay overview trailer for Enginefall, a massive PvP title set across a player-driven Railworld. The Earth is in ruins and this train network is humanity's last refuge. Players will need to craft, fight, and scheme their way through the train's classes, take control of the engine, and build a home that can survive in this brutal new world. Enginefall will be released on PC in Q1 2026 and a playtest is happening this weekend.

Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror: Reforged Is the Remaster of the Classic Narrative-Driven Exploration Game

Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror: Reforged is a remaster of the classic narrative-driven exploration game from 1997 and will allow players to experience the game with new 4K visuals, remastered audio, and more modern enhancements.

Painkiller's Launch Trailer Reintroduces the World to the Brutal and Fun World of the Classic Franchise

Painkiller is a modern reimagining of the classic franchise and even includes online co-op for up to three players and offline play. Once again take on hordes of demons and titanic terrors across detailed gothic environments and escape Purgatory after being sentenced for your transgressions against Heaven. You are given a chance to redeem yourself as a Champion, and you must stop the fallen angel Azazel from unleashing his demonic armies onto Earth. Painkiller will be released on October 21, 2025, on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Escape the Backrooms' Version 1.0 Update Is Arriving Today

Escape the Backrooms is officially leaving Early Access on October 23, 2025, as it launches its Version 1.0 Update on PC. Traverse 30+ eerie backrooms levels while avoiding entities and other dangers with up to 3 friends in this co-op horror exploration game. Following this launch, Secret Mode will be hard at work on getting it ready of its debut on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Instruments of Destruction Is Now on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S Alongside PC

Alongside PC, Instruments of Destruction is now available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Now, console players can crash through walls and tear down buildings in this vehicle-action game featuring advanced physics-based demolition. Pilot over 130 unique vehicles or design your own in highly-interactive sandbox worlds.

Experience a Survival Horror Metroidvania in Silver Pines

Silver Pines is a survival horror metroidvania that will have players fighting nightmarish terrors and solving puzzles, all while working to uncover a mystery that could hold the key to redemption. Silver Pines will be released in 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Save Your Daughter and Fight the Monster Within in Skinwalker

Check out the Reveal Trailer for Skinwalker, a 2D pixelated side-scrolling narrative game developed by Sismo Games. After a father who's concerned about his daughter's medical treatments gets infected by a strange experiment in a lab, all chaos unfolds as he losses his ability to control the monster within. Slice and dice through anything in sight in Skinwalker, launching in 2026 for PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam).

Sail Across Endless Waters and Discover Yourself in Will: Follow the Light

Take another look at Will: Follow the Light, the upcoming story-driven, first-person adventure puzzle game all about a perilous personal journey through the harsh northern latitudes. In order to find peace and reunite with his family, Will must sail across the endless water and discover himself. Will: Follow the Light will be released on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2025.

Get Out of a Bizarre Corporate Experiment in Unhinged

Unhinged is an open-world survival crafting game where players find themselves trapped inside of a bizarre corporate experiment. Explore a brutal open world, build modular machines, and survive mind-bending trials to uncover the terrifying truth that brought you to this mysterious place. Unhinged will be released in Early Access on PC in 2027.

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc will be released in theaters in the United States on October 24.

From the black and white opening scene that recreates the visuals of creator Tatsuki Fujimoto's manga, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc promises a different kind of shonen anime movie, one that plays and experiments with visuals and story. And while it accomplishes that for the most part, the worst thing about this movie is that it can at times feel safe in its action sequences.

Much like the recent Infinity Castle movie, Reze Arc is both a canon continuation of an ongoing series and also technically a movie that regular moviegoers can see on the big screen. Taking a story that is told in chapters and stitching them together for a single movie is inherently going to lose something in translation, but the biggest problem with Reze Arc is that it gives up interpreting the source material in lieu of a straightforward adaptation. Once the action kicks into full gear in the second half, it feels more like anime studio MAPPA's work on Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 than their work on the rather cinematic and experimental first season of Chainsaw Man — or even their masterpiece that was Vinland Saga Season 2.

That said, this is still the best-case scenario for an anime arc movie so far, the best shonen series movie in years, and the feel-bad rom-com of 2025. That speaks to the strength of the source material, but also how much the story of Reze Arc further develops Denji as a character. From the very first episode of Chainsaw Man, we are quickly shown just how much Denji has had to fight to survive, having lived in extreme poverty from a young age. His lack of social interactions and the very basic and instinctual lifestyle he leads has more in common with the devils he kills for a living than the humans around him. Denji literally cannot distinguish between pure sexual attraction and real love, having never experienced the latter. So when he meets a girl his own age who doesn't just treat him as a pet but seems enthusiastic about him, he has an existential crisis that makes him ponder whether or not he could imagine a quiet, normal high-school existence.

This is the crux of Reze Arc and what makes it stand out as an anime arc movie. It’s genuinely a self-contained story, even if it does nothing to explain the overall premise of the show, or the story so far, to newcomers, and the lack of huge developments for the overarching hunt for the Gun Devil make the film quite standalone. The focus lies squarely on Denji and Reze's love story, with Denji not even transforming into his titular alter ego until a whole hour into the film's 100-minute runtime.

This is where the movie comes closest to replicating the slow-burn, the meticulous attention to character acting, the deliberate silence and the exploration of mundanity of the first season. The small glances and touches between Reze and Denji, the way his demeanor changes and becomes less agitated and aggressive, or even the way the screen bursts with color and the movie becomes much more vibrant the moment Reze comes into the story… these all help sell Denji's first love.

It also doesn’t hurt that Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc features one of the best scores of the year, regardless of medium or genre. Kensuke Ushio (Devilman Crybaby, A Silent Voice) returns, and his score is what seals the hauntingly beautiful yet tragic love story between Denji and Reze, especially the piano-heavy theme for Reze that plays during a pivotal pool scene.

Hey, chump! The new Miami Vice movie has reportedly found its Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs in the person of Sinners and Creed star Michael B. Jordan.

According to Variety, Jordan is “in early talks” to play Tubbs in the movie, which is particularly inspired by the series pilot and first season (1984-85). Jordan's next project is a remake of The Thomas Crown Affair.

In the NBC TV series pilot, New York City cop Ricardo Tubbs travels down to Miami in search of his brother’s killer and eventually teams up with local undercover detective James “Sonny” Crockett, who’s also after the same drug dealers since they killed his partner.

In the end, Tubbs transferred to Miami and became Crockett’s partner and best friend as they went on a litany of dangerous undercover missions in the hugely influential 1984-89 TV series.

Philip Michael Thomas originated the role of Tubbs in the TV series while Jamie Foxx played him in Michael Mann’s 2006 big screen reboot.

The role of Sonny Crockett has yet to be cast.

With its unsettling backdrops and detailed worldbuilding, Tormented Souls 2 may look like a contemporary horror game, but don't let that modern dressing fool you. At its core beats the blackened heart of stone-cold classics like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, with all the treats — and tricks — that both endeared me to and enraged me about these formulaic survival horror games when they first gained popularity. Fixed camera angles? Check. Tank controls? Check. Insanely complex puzzles and an even more bizarre story, complete with cheesy dialogue and a manual save system? Check, check, check, and check. It makes Tormented Souls 2 a surprisingly faithful homage, bringing back all the stuff I loved about old survival horror games… as well as many of the things I loved to hate.

Tormented Souls 2 picks up right after the events of its 2021 predecessor, but you don't have to have met the Walker sisters before to make sense of this sequel. That’s partly because it tells a standalone story, and partly because it's so fantastical that nothing makes sense anyway. Sure, you may have questions about Caroline's fetching eyepatch, but all you really need to know is she’s searching for answers about her little sister Anna's terrifying visions and reality-bending drawings. For reasons that seem to exist exclusively in schlocky horror tales, that answer apparently sits somewhere in the depths of a creepy convent nestled in a far-flung location.

Before Caroline even gets the chance to shrug off her (exceedingly 90s) leather jacket, though, Anna goes missing, and it's up to the older sibling to both find her sister and figure out what the hell is going on before it's too late… with an emphasis on the “hell” bit, naturally. As stories go, it's not unique, no, but the twists and turns of Tormented Souls 2's roughly 20-hour campaign are delightfully over-the-top in the same way the original Resident Evil games are. It’s packed with cheesy dialogue, curious flavor text, and some truly bizarre encounters I couldn’t help but smile at. Caroline's stay in the remote town of Villa Hess will take you to a number of wonderfully grim places, including a processing plant, spooky school, abandoned mall, bunker, and the sprawling convent you start off in, keeping the creepy environments feeling fresh.

And those environments are so detailed! Stuffed with interest and plenty of lore, Villa Hess and its surroundings are such fascinating, atmospheric places to explore. You never know when a key item or a helpful tool may be secreted away in a hidden room somewhere, so it's always best to keep your curiosity piqued. While your investigation is sometimes interrupted by a bladed demon or shambling zombie, you'll find that enemies have a tendency to stay dead in Tormented Souls 2 — once you've cleared out an area, you're usually left to explore at your leisure. With little more than a flickering candle to guide the way, though, it's a little too easy to miss things; I've been caught out a couple of times by overlooking a key clue or item, even in areas I thought I'd examined pretty closely.

As is seemingly the law for old-school survival horror, the more you play, the more you'll find yourself opening up new routes to old places, providing access to rooms and entire areas that were previously blocked off. I suspect the backtracking will irk some — there's a lot of it, particularly early on — but as the levels and fetch-quests are well-designed and usually rewarding, I couldn't begrudge it. That said, there's a reason fixed camera angles and tank controls are considered relics of the past. I grew up playing the games Tormented Souls 2 pays homage to (Resident Evil, Silent Hill 3, Parasite Eve, Alone in the Dark), but moving around Villa Hess is frustrating even when there isn't a demon on your tail, with tight corridors and dead ends that make getting from one side of a building to the other unduly long-winded.

Add in Caroline's fear of the dark: she'll freeze and start to hyperventilate if plunged into darkness for even a split second, dying completely if you leave her there too long. You can’t even put away your lighter to shatter a porcelain pot or smash open a wooden crate unless there's an ambient light source nearby… which there very often isn't. The lighter sure does add to the atmosphere, though, which is almost continually tense and unnerving. As the primary source of light quite often, you'll have to proactively step into a room to illuminate what, if anything, is hiding in the shadows, which inevitably means unwittingly getting up close and personal with the denizens skulking around the place.

It all falls apart a bit when there is something hiding in the dark, though. Tormented Souls 2's combat isn't clumsy as much as it is enraging. The reliance on Caroline's lighter means you're often unarmed when something lunges at you, and the fixed camera angles and stiff character movement make it harder than it should be to retreat or create a little distance. Caroline protects herself with a range of acquired and improvised weapons, from a shotgun to a nail gun. Some of them can be upgraded to improve their rate of fire or reload speed, but they're still slow to use and difficult to wield accurately in a panic. I know it's kind of a genre convention to ensure we feel weak and underpowered, but this could've been achieved through scarcer ammo or by throwing more enemies at us; inefficient weapons and fixed cameras don't ramp up the tension as much as snap the immersion entirely.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, that jankiness follows you into boss fights. One of the first you'll encounter, a giant nun, stomps around the room trying to batter you with a gigantic steel cross. But in that one single room, there are at least three different fixed camera angles, which means you may find yourself inadvertently sprinting towards your foe if the camera shifts while trying to put distance between you. This wouldn't be so bad if your shotgun held more than two shots at a time or if the nun flinched with each hit, but she'll keep galloping like an aggravated rhino, which made the camera feel like the real boss I was fighting.

Thankfully, for every underwhelming boss fight you're forced to endure, you'll happen across a good half-dozen puzzles which confuse and delight in equal measure. I never felt closer to an old Resident Evil or Silent Hill game than trying to figure out how to open a door, or decode a cipher, or prise open the jaws of a dead shark for reasons I still don't quite understand. Often deeply cryptic, maddeningly illogical, or completely unsolvable because I stupidly missed a clue somewhere, these puzzles were exactly what I want from a game like this, all the way down to the mini-puzzles that ask you to combine specific items in your inventory. Yes, I'll admit one or two (or five) brain teasers truly stumped me for an embarrassing amount of time, but if that isn't old-school survival horror, then what is?

As part of the Intel Gamer Days Sale event, Lenovo is offering an excellent price on one of its highest end laptops. You can pick up the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 gaming laptop, equipped with a 16" OLED display and RTX 5080 GPU, for $2,369.99 after you apply two stackable coupon codes "BUYMORELENOVO" and "EXTRAFIVE". That's a total of about $1,200 off in savings and the lowest price I've seen so far for this particular configuration.

Lenovo Legion 7 Pro Gen 10 RTX 5080 Laptop for $2,370

Apply both codes: "BUYMORELENOVO" and "EXTRAFIVE"

The recent Deadpool/Batman #1 was notable for being the first Marvel/DC crossover comic in over two decades, but that was just half the story. DC is poised to release Batman/Deadpool #1 in November, and they've revealed the incredible lineup of backup crossovers that will accompany the main story.

Check out the slideshow gallery below to see a new preview of Batman/Deadpool #1:

• Batman/Deadpool #1 features a main story, "The Cosmic Kiss Caper," by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora, who previously collaborated on Klaus. This issue will also include four backup stories:
• John Constantine and Doctor Strange in “A Magician Walks Into a Universe” by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, Hayden Sherman, Mike Spicer, and Frank Cvetkovic
• Nightwing (Dick Grayson) and Wolverine (Laura Kinney) in “Sticks & Snikts” by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Adriano Lucas, and Wes Abbott
• Harley Quinn and The Incredible Hulk in “Harley & Hulk’s Amazin’ Saturday!!!!” by Mariko Tamaki, Amanda Conner, Tamra Bonvillain, and Dave Sharpe
• Static (Virgil Hawkins) and Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) in “New Friends in Old Places” by G. Willow Wilson, Denys Cowan, Klaus Janson, Francesco Segala, and Steve Wands

DC's official description of Batman/Deadpool #1 teases, "it’s a metaphysical car crash between two storytelling philosophies. One character broods in the shadows of trauma and justice. The other cartwheels through chaos, breaking the fourth wall and occasionally the laws of physics. Together, they’re forced to confront a threat that doesn’t just endanger their worlds—it questions their very existence as fictional constructs."

Batman/Deadpool #1 is priced at $7.99 for the main cover and $8.99 for the variants. This issue will be released on November 19, 2025. You can preorder a copy at your local comic shop.

Deadpool/Batman #1 and Batman/Deadpool #1 will mark the first act in a larger collaboration between the two publishers. We recently learned that they'll publish a pair of new Superman/Spider-Man crossovers in 2026, timed to the 50th anniversary of Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man #1.

For more crossover fun, check out the top 10 Batman crossovers of all time.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Ahead of the holiday season, Dell is offering an Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop equipped with the GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card for under $2,000 with free delivery. Most RTX 5080 prebuilts you'll find elsewhere, including the more affordable brands you find on Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, are priced closer to $2,400 and up. That's impressive considering Alienware usually commands a higher price premium. Such a system would have cost as much as $3,000 at the beginning of the year, but Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 prices have been trending downwards lately.

Alienware Aurora RTX 5080 Gaming PC From $1,945

Although a big Hollywood music biopic, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere owes more to intimate 1970s character studies than it does to glitzier films in a genre largely populated by crowd-pleasers that tell a familiar rags to riches tale set to a hit parade of jukebox favorites. This is a throwback, indie-style drama whose protagonist just so happens to be then-burgeoning rock star Bruce Springsteen, but it nevertheless still has some music biopic cliches, a measured pace, and an overall lack of conflict that may limit its appeal to just hardcore fans of The Boss.

As directed by Crazy Heart’s Scott Cooper, Deliver Me From Nowhere only focuses on a very narrow period of Bruce’s life and career - the two years he spent making what would become his most daring (and arguably best) album, 1982’s Nebraska. This limited timeframe is already a blessing in a genre full of bloated cradle-to-grave entries.

Deliver Me From Nowhere is a small, introspective and subdued story about a depressed guy writing sad songs about serial killers and lost souls. Played with brooding soulfulness by Jeremy Allen White, who also impresses with his own singing of Springsteen’s classic tunes, Bruce is trying to figure out what is eating away at him despite achieving mainstream success with his most recent albums, Born to Run and The River.

He is poised to become a big-time rock star (and later America’s working class poet laureate) so the powers that be want him to make his next Top 10 hit, but that’s not what Bruce wants to do. Something is profoundly wrong with him and if he doesn’t purge that darkness through these (less commercially appealing) songs stirring inside him, there’s a very real chance he won’t even be around to ever make another Top 10 hit again.

Deliver Me From Nowhere is the anti-Elvis, the Baz Luhrmann maximalist epic about Springsteen’s boyhood musical hero that covered all the major beats of the King’s life, but rarely slowed down long enough to let the audience just sit with Elvis and truly get to know him. Deliver Me From Nowhere, on the other hand, is a lot of literally just sitting around with Bruce.

We see him writing the songs that will make up the album Nebraska (and the ones that ultimately were cut and later used as his global bestseller Born in the USA). An adaptation of Warren Zanes’ book, the film lovingly documents the (by modern standards) lo-fi approach Springsteen embraced to record these songs, even if Bruce and his guitar tech, Mike Batlan (Paul Walter Hauser), were just trying to make a demo on a cassette and not an actual album.

It wasn’t until he was in the studio trying in vain to recreate those recordings with the E Street Band that Bruce made the risky career move of simply releasing the recorded demo, imperfections and all, much to the concern of his record label (personified by David Krumholtz’s exasperated exec).

The slow-moving first hour of the film comes perilously close to rock biopic cliche territory as Bruce finds inspiration for some of the album’s key songs, such as the title track Nebraska (which was inspired by the Terrence Malick movie Badlands, itself a fictionalized take on the Charles Starkweather killings of the 1950s). But the second half of the movie is the stronger part, where Bruce’s anxieties and crippling depression mount as he struggles with the album that’s in his head, but which he can’t seem to capture in the studio.

This is all unfolding as his unresolved issues with his alcoholic, abusive and mentally ill father Douglas (Adolescence’s Stephen Graham) also come to a head, and his romance with hometown girl Faye (Odessa Young) is threatened by his depression and emotional withdrawal.

As great as he is at recreating Bruce’s onstage and studio performances, it’s in these quieter, lonesome moments that Jeremy Allen White shines most, conveying a deep internal life through just his posture and a meaningful look in his (brown contact lens) eyes. That said, dramatizing the act of writing and the curse that is depression is very difficult to pull off (or to at least make cinematically compelling) since both involve isolation and internal thoughts an audience isn’t privy to.

That’s where the screenplay, which Cooper also wrote, strains to make sure there isn’t any uncertainty about what’s driving Bruce by having his producer-manager Jon Landau (an understated, empathetic Jeremy Strong, in a rare good guy role) articulate it to others, such as his wife (Grace Gummer in a thankless, largely dialogue-free role). These sequences are all pretty clunky and on the nose.

The black and white flashbacks to Bruce’s blue collar youth in Freehold, New Jersey, more than suffice in explaining with imagery, rather than words, what the root causes of Bruce’s demons are. Now, it’s important to emphasize that back in the early ‘80s, when Nebraska was being made, anxiety and depression were still largely taboo subjects for most people (famous or otherwise) to recognize and deal with. So Bruce himself and those around him just don’t get what’s happening with him.

The film’s exploration of depression, and of ultimately finding light within the darkness, makes Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere a rarity in the music biopic genre. This isn’t about a rock star who lives fast and dies young due to excess and the trappings of fame. This is a hopeful story about a flawed, vulnerable human being who finally confronts their pain and survives to see better days and greater success.

While the work of the two Jeremys has dominated the film’s promotional cycle — the brothers-in-arms bond between Bruce and Jon offers a healthy and compassionate counter to, say, the toxic and destructive bond between Baz’s Elvis Presley and his manager, Colonel Parker — more kudos needs to be given to the always reliable and compelling Stephen Graham, who brings Bruce’s deeply troubled dad to life with few words and the threat of violence always simmering underneath the surface. The film ultimately finds humanity in Douglas, offering him the sort of redemption many of the characters in Bruce’s own songs desperately yearn for.

Unfortunately, like Grace Gummer’s aforementioned thankless wife character, there are a few other characters who chew up screen time but whose names you’d be forgiven for not remembering. Like, say, Bruce’s pal who works on motorcycles and later drives him to California. Who is he exactly? Then there’s mustache-less Marc Maron, who does a few big scenes as the Nebraska studio producer, Chuck Plotkin, without ever saying a line of dialogue. Why hire a guy of Maron’s stature just to have him be a background player?

Odessa Young shines in her limited screen time as Faye Romano, a waitress, single mom and the sister of one of Bruce’s high school classmates. But Faye is a composite character of a few different women Bruce was seeing at that time, so once you know that she’s not real, her scenes lose something intangible yet keenly important. Maybe it’s because the film takes such pains to be seen as authentic, from its New Jersey locations to the classic recording equipment to the involvement of Springsteen himself (who was often on set and has been heavily promoting the film alongside Cooper and the cast), that finding out one of the film’s most integral relationships is fictional just feels off-putting.

Whether Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere introduces The Boss to a new generation of listeners or merely appeals to his aging fan base remains to be seen, but in the end, Scott Cooper’s film has its (hungry) heart in the right place even if its overall execution is sometimes clumsy and cliche.

As part of its Fallout Day broadcast, Bethesda announced Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition, due out across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox on November 10, 2025, and on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026. It’s the first time Fallout 4 will be available on a Nintendo console.

Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition — designed to coincide with the post-apocalyptic role-playing game’s 10th anniversary — contains the six official add-ons and over 150 pieces of Creation Club content. Creations (user created content) arrive in Fallout 4 via a brand new in-game Creations menu, which will make it easy for players to find and download the new content on PC and console.

The six official expansions included are the Far Harbor, Automatron, and Nuka-World story add-ons, and the Contraptions, Vault-Tec, and Wasteland Workshop add-ons. The Creation Club content includes unique weapons, power armor, Pip Boy paint jobs, and more. Bethesda teased some of the Creations in the works, including one that will bring a "slice of the Mojave Desert" to the Commonwealth, an escape room experience, and even a mind's eye version of your spouse voiced by the original actors you can interact with.

Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition will be available on Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Steam and PC. The Anniversary Upgrade comes to the same platforms, and players on Game Pass and PlayStation Plus will be able to access the DLCs and/or Creations content via two Upgrade options.

It’s the latest version of Fallout 4 following last year’s big next-gen update, which was released following heightened interest in all things Fallout following the hugely popular Fallout TV show. Bethesda has said it will get around to releasing Fallout 5, but not before The Elder Scrolls 6 comes out.

Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition wasn’t the only Fallout project revealed by Bethesda today. For more, check out everything announced during the Fallout Day broadcast.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Bethesda has announced native versions of Fallout 76 are coming to Xbox Series X and S and PlayStation 5 early 2026.

The announcement came as part of Bethesda's Fallout Day broadcast, which also brought news that “optimizations” are coming for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players, too. Bethesda didn't reveal any more info on what these new versions of Fallout 76 actually do.

However, Bethesda did use Fallout Day to show more of Fallout 76’s Burning Springs update, which is due out December 2, 2025. This is the big update that expands the map to include a brand-new arid region in Ohio, where players will encounter the raider-like supermutant Rust King, battle desert Deathclaws, and join up with friends in two new public events.

But the headline here is the new bounty hunting system, which is led by The Ghoul from the Fallout TV show. Actor Walton Goggins has reprised his role for Fallout 76 with new voice work. It’s a well-timed update, given Season 2 of the Fallout TV show is set to him Prime Video in December.

Timeline wise (both Fallout 76 and the Fallout TV show are canon), it turns out The Ghoul set up shop in Ohio to run a bounty hunting operation before the post-apocalyptic events of the Fallout TV series, which takes place after all the Fallout games.

It’s worth remembering where we are in the overall Fallout timeline: the TV show is set in the year 2296, Fallout 4 takes place in the year 2287, while Fallout: New Vegas is set in the year 2281, a full 15 years prior to the events of the show.

The Fallout 76 timeline, meanwhile, begins in 2102, on October 23, known as Reclamation Day. It is the earliest game in the Fallout franchise, set 25 years after the Great War of 2077, when nuclear bombs devastated the Earth. We know from Season 1 of the Fallout TV show that The Ghoul has survived for over 200 years out in the wasteland. Now we know some of what he was up to.

For more, check out everything announced during the Fallout Day broadcast.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Bethesda has used Fallout Day to announce the Fallout: New Vegas 15th Anniversary Bundle, which celebrates Obsidian’s much-loved post-apocalyptic role-playing game turning 15 years old.

This edition will be available for pre-order on October 23 via the Bethesda Gear Store, and includes:

• Fallout: New Vegas: Ultimate Edition PC Code
• Victor Statue (8" PVC): The friendly Securitron stands tall and is ready to roll
• Doc Mitchell’s Evaluation Cards (8x8 cardstock set): Straight from your first moments in Goodsprings, a true piece of New Vegas history
• Vault Boy Enamel Pin (1.5"): Vault Boy stacks the odds with poker chips in hand
• Mojave Express Patch (3.5" × 1.9"): Woven, iron-on, and full of wasteland charm
• NCR Recon Patch (3.25" × 3.5"): Woven, iron-on insignia of the New California Republic’s finest
• Collector’s Big Box: A throwback-style display box created exclusively for the anniversary

Fallout Day 2025 has come to an end without the announcement of any new Fallout video games. Yes, there’s a new version of Fallout 4, a new Fallout: New Vegas bundle, and new content for Fallout Shelter and Fallout 76. But there was no word on any Fallout remasters, which some had hoped for, or — less likely — Fallout 5.

At the end of the Fallout Day broadcast, Bethesda design chief Todd Howard acknowledged that Fallout fans were probably left a little disappointed by this, and promised that the developer is working on “even more” Fallout. What that means exactly is anyone’s guess, but Howard did say Bethesda is looking forward to showing fans what it’s cooking.

Weapons, the horror/thriller movie from writer/director Zach Cregger (known for also writing and directing Barbarian and being in the mid-aughts sketch group The Whitest Kids U' Know), is finally going to be available to stream, just ahead of Halloween. It's been available to rent or purchase digitally since September, but if you haven't wanted to dish out $20 or more just to watch it at home, now's your chance to stream it on HBO Max staring at midight PT.

I haven't gotten a chance to see Weapons yet, but I plan on doing so this weekend. It's been at the top of my watch list since reviews started rolling in and everyone I know who has already seen it has had nothing but great things to say. I'm ready to understand what the hot dog meme is all about.

Weapons Streaming Release Time

It's Also Available on Blu-ray

If you're going to rent Weapons from SVOD, you might want to consider opting for a physical copy. The limited edition 4K steelbook has already sold out, but there are still plenty of regular 4K UHD and Blu-ray editions available.

Who's in the Cast?

Weapons was written and directed by Zach Cregger. It stars the following actors:

• Julia Garner - Justine Gandy
• Josh Brolin - Archer Graff
• Alden Ehrenreich - Paul
• Austin Abrams - James
• Cary Christopher - Alex Lilly
• Benedict Wong - Marcus
• June Diane Raphael - Donna
• Amy Madigan - Aunt Gladys

Rating and Runtime

Weapons is rated R mostly for violence, gore, and intense scenes. The movie runs for 2 hours and 8 minutes, including credits. There is no mid- or post-credits scene, so there isn't any need to sit through the credits if you don't want to.

LEGO is getting ready to sunset 18 sets from the Star Wars theme, according to the 'last chance to buy' section of its website. These sets range from everything like Brick Headz and playsets for kids, to scale models and display sets. The retirement dates on LEGO sets aren't always entirely clear, but it's fair to assess that these will be retired in the coming months as 2025 comes to a close. Once a set is retired, it will be difficult to find anywhere at its normal retail price. There is some strategy on the best time to buy LEGO sets, and the sets that are about to retire will sometimes get steep discounts during sales events. So it's worth checking out what's on the chopping block ahead of the LEGO Black Friday sale.

LEGO Star Wars Sets Retiring Soon

Some of the most notable sets included in this batch of retirees are Din Djarin's ship the Razor Crest from the Mandalorian, The Onyx Cinder from Skeleton Crew, the X-Wing Starfighter, and the Mos Espa Podrace Dioroma. Personally, I'm a big fan of the buildable Droideka model and the Duel on Peridea set, which comes with some great minifigure versions of characters from Disney+'s Ahsoka show. These sets cover pretty much every era of Star Wars, spanning the prequel trilogy and the Clone Wars, the original trilogy with the Tantive IV scale model, and the sequel trilogy and beyond, so there's really something for everyone if a certain time period speaks to you more than others.

LEGO Brick Headz are a staple of almost every property they make sets out of. The Revenge of the Sith Heroes & Villains collection has some of the coolest designs I've seen of the buildable figures I've seen, with General Grievous and Emperor Palpatine being some of the highlights. Then you have Clone Commander Cody on his own, which is a faithful recreation of the Clone who serves Obi-Wan Kenobi. And if collecting minifigures is more your bag, many of these sets include some exclusive characters that will surely become much harder to obtain once they're retired.

We don't quite have the official dates for retirement, but according to BrickEconomy, the Obi-Wan Kenobi & Darth Vader and Revenge of the Sith Heroes & Villains Brick Headz sets will likely be sunsetted by the end of 2025.

Free LEGO Gift With Purchase Right Now

If you're looking for an Anker power bank that can handle the demands of power hungry electronics like the new Xbox Ally X handheld gaming PC or the latest MacBook Pro 16" laptop, then the model that I currently use and recommend is on sale. Amazon is offering Prime members the Anker PowerCore 737 24,000mAh Power Bank with 140W of Power Delivery for just $74.99 with free shipping. I've owned this exact power bank for a few years and still use it regularly; it has been on multiple flights and road trips and works as intended. There are plenty of good battery brands nowadays, but Anker is still up there as of the most, if not the most reliable brands on Amazon.

Anker 737 24,000mAh 140W Power Bank for $74.99

The Xbox Ally X, the latest powerful handheld gaming PC, is a terrific machine, instantly taking the top spot on our list of the best handheld gaming PCs. For some, however, the price was a source of sticker shock (cue the Drew Scanlon blinking meme.) To help out against the $999.99 MSRP, you can now get a small discount on the Xbox Ally X at Best Buy. If you’re cool with buying an open-box unit, you can save up to $110, depending on the condition (see it at Best Buy).

A compact power bank that is perfect for your Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck, or Apple iPhone 17 has dropped in price for a limited time. Amazon is currently offering the Iniu 10,000mAh 45W Power Bank for just $10.19 after you clip the 49% off coupon on the product page. I hope you don't mind a power bank with a bit of pizzazz because this one's decked out in a fun tropical punch colorway. I expect this deal to reach its redemption limit very quickly.

Update: Unfortunately, the price has now gone up to $16.82

Iniu 10,000mAh 45W Power Bank for $10.19

Gearbox has released the big Borderlands 4 Day 30 patch, which makes a number of key balance changes to the game.

This update, released October 23, includes widespread stability improvements, multiplayer fixes, UI polish, and a suite of quality-of-life upgrades across visuals, audio, and accessibility. It also addresses various reported issues for Vault Hunters including major balance tuning, loot systems, gear, and achievements — further refining late-game, mission flow, and overall player experience.

Borderlands 4 players had been bracing themselves for this patch, as it finally takes aim at what Gearbox called "unintended interactions." Chief among these were builds that revolved around what was dubbed the 'crit knife,' which caused so much damage players were able to one-shot bosses even on Borderlands 4's toughest difficulties.

“We will monitor the community closely for feedback and respond after the changes have settled,” Gearbox said. “This measured approach to your input will provide a consistent and better experience. As a reminder, our primary goal with balance adjustments is to provide you the greatest number of viable builds.”

The update launches alongside the free Horrors of Kairos Seasonal Mini-Event. From today, October 23 to November 6, players will experience “a terror-inducing blood rain during all world boss encounters, with the added chance to loot the all-new legendary ‘Murmur’ Tediore Assault Rifle and ‘Skully’ Order Grenade.

The patch notes, courtesy of the Borderlands website, are below:

Borderlands 4 Day 30 October 23 update patch notes:

Change List:

Horrors of Kairos!

• Added support for the Horrors of Kairos! This free mini-event will be live from October 23 to November 6.
• Added the "Murmur" Legendary Tediore Assault Rifle and "Skully" Legendary Order Grenade to the rewards for world bosses across Kairos! These special drops will only be available during Horrors of Kairos, and delivered to the Reward Center. These do not change the rates on any other gear for that boss.

Read the official announcement article for Horrors of Kairos for more information on the event and a spooky SHiFT code to shoot fear into your enemies!

Progression, Loot, & Rewards

• Reduced Specialization Respec Machine cost from 5000 Eridium to 1500
• Added drops to a certain boss fight that was not dropping loot
• [PC] Ultimate Vault Hunter Level 5 Rank Up mission now correctly increases rank on Steam
• Granted missing cosmetic rewards for players who completed Kairos Speaks with 155 Echo Logs prior to a previous update
• Improved equipment handling when opening Rewards while driving
• Lost Loot Machine logic updated to better prioritize higher-quality loot in overflow situations
• Lost Loot Machine SDU upgrades now properly expand slots in multiplayer sessions
• Addressed a reported issue with the Lost Loot Machine that could cause duplications in multiplayer
• Loot enemies now drop more cash
• Golden Chests can now consistently be opened after joining a session and redeeming SHiFT keys
• Reward Center behavior adjusted after claiming the Gilded Glory Pack, to prevent it from losing function
• Break Free reward bundle redemption standardized, will now correctly apply account-wide as intended
• Adjusted unlock conditions so Rift Incompatible achievement now correctly completes for all players in multiplayer
• Cut That Out achievement now unlocks when viewing the board from a further distance.
• Level-based progression updated so Crimson Rising achievement unlocks at character level 10 as designed
• Timing adjustments made so Catch a Ride! achievement unlocks only at the intended progression point
• Challenge tracking updated so Jakobs Throwing Knives no longer count as gun kills
• Ensured that Bobblehead collectibles in Pester’s Grotto and Motherbird Node were accessible.
• Discovered locations now stay discovered when returning to single-player after multiplayer
• Various Fast Travel stations have been adjusted to unlock when they’re intended to, including concerns seen in Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode
• Vault Key animations now play correctly during ECHO-4 sequences
• ECHO Log pickup in Unpaid Tab now counts properly
• Amara’s Escort to Core objective now consistently advances when replayed
• Improved various instances of mission waypoints not showing up accurately

Gameplay & Missions

• Maurice’s Black Market Vending Machine is able to be interacted with reliably in multiplayer
• Legendary Vending Machine no longer closes unexpectedly during Vend of the Line
• Made general improvements to prevent enemies from getting stuck when spawning, and addressed various reported spawn point issues
• Addressed bounties Beatloaf, Grip, and Shagriculture not reliably spawning
• Addressed reported instances of Terminus Range Vault enemies getting stuck on ledges during encounters
• Addressed a reported issue in co-op during the Splashzone boss fight, leading to more consistent behavior
• The Howl Capture Station no longer reactivates after safehouse capture
• One Fell Swoop has been updated to prevent players from being left floating in the air. Bio-Bulkhead now shows the correct elemental icon and movement has been smoothed to eliminate jitter after certain attacks
• Warden Scathe no longer clips through arena walls in his boss fight
• Improved Echo Location guidance across several missions
• Patched collision gaps, holes, clipping, and invisible walls
• Corrected Order drop pod events to consistently reach that ground and no longer appear stuck in the air
• NPCs should no longer cause players or vehicles to get stuck when the player runs them over
• Pangolin enemies can now be damaged by grenades while in ball mode
• Chain Master trait now tethers to all allies in range when multiple enemies have the ability
• Mangler enemies no longer desync their position when dodging in multiplayer

Vault Hunter Changes

Harlowe the Gravitar

• Addressed some Gravitar builds that reportedly caused performance slowdowns; they should no longer prevent UI elements from updating or Fight For Your Life sequences from completing
• Gravitar passive and Augment bonuses to Gun Damage now correctly apply to Ripper Heavy Weapon barrels and the Ripper Legendary Heavy Weapon Steamer; Entanglement interactions also function as designed
• Gravitar class mods have been adjusted to no longer roll +5 Pencils Down and push passives past their intended cap

Creative Bursts

Balance Adjustments:

• Neutron Capture now converts all Gun Damage into radiation, and now only applies to Gun Shots, and not all instances of Gun Damage.
  • Dev Note: Neutron Capture is one of the best damage scalars in the entire game, but during testing, we found that this was erroneously applying to all instances of Gun Damage and was able to scale in unanticipated ways as a result. This new change will still see Neutron Capture being one of the best (if not the best) damage scalars in the game, but the power level will be much more in line with our expectations. Additionally, since all damage from the Gun is converted into Radiation, it should have more scaling vectors for clever build crafters, and allow for meaningful boosts from Gun Damage.

Cosmic Brilliance - Passive

• Flux Generator + Annihilation interaction updated so spawned grenades now scale correctly with character level

Amon the Forgeknight

• Shield visuals adjusted for improved clarity in combat situations

Trait - Forgeskill

• Adjusted interaction with Forge Master class mod so Forgeskill now respects its cooldown in multiplayer

Onslaughter - Calamity

• Camera behavior stabilized when combining Onslaughter with Order Legendary Pistol Noisy Cricket
• Attack frequency of Rocket Punch is now consistent in multiplayer

Balance Adjustments

• Seeing Red Duration restored no longer increases per point invested, and is now 4 seconds for all ranks.
  • Dev Note: Seeing Red was always meant to have huge damage scaling potential, but was always meant to be hard to maintain. We didn't want to nerf this passive's power, but we're making the effect harder to maintain.

Scourge - Vengeance

• Scorched Kairos passive now displays consistent magazine size values for the Ordnance gadget
• The Forgewave no longer fires unintentionally during Glacial Rapture
• Projectiles no longer get stuck in the air when Forgemaster Firewall is active during the Fortress Indomita boss fight
• Blackout Shock Damage now properly scales with points invested
• Blackout is now 15% per point, down from 21% per point
  • Dev Note: After fixing the scaling of the DoT (damage over time), we found that Blackout was overperforming a bit, so we gave it a slight re-adjustment. This will still be an overall buff, now that the DoT properly scales.

Crucible - Cybernetics

• Visuals corrected so Forgeknight Forgeaxe no longer disappears when activating Crucible at the same time as throwing with Double-Edge
• Corrected animation of Crucible while climbing
• Raging Inferno Incendiary Damage now properly scales with points invested

Vex the Siren

• Challenge “Me, Myself, Myself, and I.” now tracks correctly in multiplayer, independent of clone duration on other players

Dead Ringer - The Fourth Seal

• Specter’s copied weapon now displays proper visual effects when firing with a Maliwan Element Switcher

Incarnate - Vexcalation

• Bleed from Bloodletter has been updated so it no longer recursively triggers itself, preventing unintended damage loops

Phase Phamiliar - Here Comes Trouble

Balance Adjustments

• Double Trouble Illusion Damage Multiplier is now 75%, up from 50%
• Double Trouble Illusion's Duration is now 8 seconds, up from 5 seconds
• Apex Beast Damage Dealt increase increased to 15% from 10% per stack of Unsealed

Rafa the Exo-Soldier

• Free Grenade from Filantropo class mod now deals appropriate damage even when no grenade is equipped

People Person skill tree

Action Skills - APOPHIS Lance

• APOPHIS Lance changed to penalize Gun Accuracy instead of Gun Handling, resulting in projectile speed being unaffected.
• APOPHIS Lance now benefits from cooldown reduction effects

Gear

• Skills that boost Gun Handling now properly increase Projectile Speed
• Addressed reports that swapping weapons with the Free Loader Enhancement on an Order weapon with a Ripper magazine would cause all weapons to not consume the accurate amount of ammo
• Health restoration from Legendary Repkit Adrenaline Pump now works correctly when combined with Legendary Shield Guardian Angel
• Reduced critical chance on Jakobs crit knife to 30%
  • Dev Note: It had to happen, you knew it was going to happen!
• Jakobs Legendary Pistol San Saba Songbird no longer stacks infinitely when swapping weapons
• Using a Jakobs Shotgun with Torgue sticky projectiles and the Knife Launcher underbarrel no longer deals knife damage after switching fire modes
• Jakobs weapon parts updated so ricochet effects only trigger from intended damage sources
• Ripper Legendary Shotgun Golden God overheating effect now clears correctly when switching weapons
• Corrected behavior on Maliwan Legendary SMG Ohm I Got so the first three shots no longer consume ammo without dealing damage during continuous fire
• Maliwan Legendary Heavy Gun Gamma Void corrected to apply proper increased Radiation damage to enemies inside the Singularity
• Weapons with COV magazines now function correctly if a repair animation is interrupted with a Repkit in multiplayer
• Daedalus Legendary SMG Frangible removed from chest loot tables
• Daedalus Legendary AR First Impression reduced the critical damage multiplier
• Recoil behavior improved while charging and firing Order ARs and Torgue Heavy with Triple Barrel parts with Gun Handling passives
• Vladof Flamethrower underbarrel no longer deals infinite damage or bypasses Bio Armor
• Torgue Grenades with Spring and Apex Augments now always explode on its first apex
• Grenades with Spring Augment and Divider Payload now have the intended three additional bounces when paired
• Gadgets no longer reset to maximum uses after gaining Second Wind
• Healing Orbs spawned from Legendary Repkit Kill Spring can no longer heal enemies
• Order Legendary Shield Cindershelly combat voice lines now trigger at the intended frequency, less often to be less distracting
• Tediore underbarrel names now match correctly across item cards and ammo widgets
• Maliwan Lingering Payload and Splat Pack Augment projectiles no longer persist when thrown at vending machines

Gear Balance: Assault Rifles:

• Star Helix fire rate increased by 33%
• Bonnie and Clyde base damage increased by 40%; Pair of Thieves: Bonus damage granted increased to 150% from 100%
• Bugbear base damage increased by 40%; Rotary Gun: Max Damage increased to 200% from 100%
• Rowan's Charge base fire rate increased by 100%
• Rowan's Charge recoil reduced slightly
• Lucian's Flank base damage increased by 50%
• Lucian's Flank recoil reduced slightly
• Aegon's Dream base damage increased by 35%

Heavy Weapon Ordnance:

• Gamma Void base damage increased by 450%; Singularity Duration decreased to 6s from 10s, Radiation damage amp increased to 50% from 40%, Gamma Void Cooldown increased by 100%
• Ravenfire base damage increased by 25%

Class Mods: Dev Notes: Class Mods relating to Melee Damage, Action Skill Damage, and specific one-off stats on Legendaries have been buffed to make them more desirable.

All Class Mods:

• Melee Damage Action Skill Damage on level 50 class mods has increased to 60%
• Skill Damage on level 50 class mods has increased to 45%

Siren Class Mods:

• Avatar's Attunement Skill Duration on level 50 class mods has increased to 45%
• Kindread Spirits' Command Skill Cooldown rate on level 50 class mods has increased to 45%

Forgeknight Class Mods:

• Blacksmith's Forgedrone Duration on level 50 class mods has increased to 45%
• Blacksmith's Legendary Effect now also increases all Forgedrone Damage by 20% per active Forgedrone
• Viking's Detonation Damage on level 50 class mods has increased to 60%
• Forge Master's Forgeskill Damage on level 50 class mods has increased to 60%
• Elementalist's Legendary Effect now also increases all Damage Dealt by Amon by 2% per active Affinity Stack

Gravitar Class Mods:

• Bio-Robot's Hazard Damage on level 50 class mods has increased to 60%
• Skeptic's Stasis Damage on level 50 class mods has increased to 60%

Other Gear:

Dev Notes: Gear effects that are related to Melee and Action Skill Damage have increased effectiveness. We want these builds to be pushed up a bit, but wanted to distribute the power among the various pieces of gear to make them more desirable.

Rep Kits:

• Hard Hitter now grants 50% Melee Damage Dealt, up from 40%

Firm Ware:

• Reel Big Fist now grants 25% Melee Damage at rank 1 and 2, up from 15%/25%
• Action Fist now grants 25% Melee Damage at rank 1, up from 15%
• Action Fist now grants 30% Action Skill Damage at rank 2, up from 30%
• Action Fist now grants 30% Action Skill Damage on Melee Kill, up from 25%

Shields:

• Boxer Armor Shields now grant 20%/30%/50% Melee Damage depending on parts rolled, up from 15%/25%/40%
• Berserker Energy Shields now grant 20%/30%/50% Melee Damage depending on parts rolled, up from 20%/27.5%/35%

Specializations

Groundbreaker:

• Groundbreaker now only stores Gun, Action Skill, and Ordnance damage.
  • Dev Note: Groundbreaker was causing recursive loops that could lead to infinite damage by storing “Bonus Damage” across the board. We still want this skill to be effective, but it should not be able to scale infinitely. We’ll be monitoring Melee builds after this change to make sure they are meeting expectations, and will further adjust if necessary. This ultimately had to be fixed so we can establish a baseline before we investigate further buffs/changes.

UI & UX & Text

• Sorting settings in menus now persist when switching tabs or leaving the menu
• “Toggle Junk” behavior has been corrected to target the desired item in Bank menus and Backpack
• Weapon wheel no longer sticks when opened near Guns vending machines
• Combat Radar now features a dedicated Legendary Loot Indicator, making high-value drops easier to spot in the heat of combat
• Press/Hold input now cancels correctly without triggering unintended actions
• “Apply Settings” prompt only appears when changes are made
• [PS5 and Xbox] Splitscreen updates, including number text scaling, Equipment/Backpack improvements, scrollbar behaviors, Party list layout, and “Flip Card” functionality
• Restored Fullscreen resolution controls and switching behavior
• Weekly Activities now populate after campaign completion
• Maurice's Black Market Vending Machine timer updates to show correct cooldown
• Firmware 3-Piece bonuses (Ahoy, Oscar Mike, Daed-dy O’) now show cooldown icons; Deadeye Tier-3 stacks now appear in the passive bar
• Boss Bar spacing corrected when Combat Radar is active
• Transfer Machine naming has been standardized across the game
• Travel notification now displays the initiating player’s name
• ECHO Location path remains readable over time; made improvements to pathfinding
• Updated various UI visuals and icons for alignment, consistency, and clarity
• Updated localization and various text descriptions across the game
• Standardized/updated terminology across gear, menus, customization, and manufacturers

Visuals

• Updated various character and NPC animations
• Corrected various reported instances of VFX not rendering correctly
• Grapple Vault points now show proper models instead of placeholders
• Reduced reported instances of visual pops at cinematic starts

Audio

• Audio and VO now remain active when returning to menus after level traveling in multiplayer
• Adjusted audio mix for improved balance across gameplay and VO
• SFX volume slider now correctly applies to high HDR-value sounds
• Addressed several reported instances of VO not playing as intended across multiple missions and scenarios
• Vault Hunter battle voiceover frequency has been tuned so lines repeat less often
• Missing pain reaction audio restored for several named NPCs
• Improved various subtitle timing and text
• Background music now continues as expected during the Idolator Sol boss fight
• Unique audio cue restored for Phosphene (shiny) gear spawns

Settings & Accessibility

• Personal Cross-play settings can now be adjusted immediately after switching Party Privacy from Local Only to Public in Session Settings
• Air Dash is now fully usable on controller when Toggle Crouch is set to Off under Accessibility → Gameplay
• Individual graphics options now reset properly after making changes and then selecting Run Auto-Detect in Options
• [PS5 and Xbox] Field of View resets consistently to Default on consoles without showing mismatched values

Player Experience

• Improvements to stability
  • We are continuing to investigate and will make further improvements to stability and performance.
• Addressed multiple reported issues across multiplayer, missions, menus, and engine systems.
• Improved matchmaking and session stability.
• Addressed performance in multiplayer when there were large numbers of homing projectiles
• Refined graphics settings and shader handling
• Improvements made to patch reliability and automation processes
• Ocean could occasionally fail to load

Miscellaneous

• [Epic] Rich Presence now displays correctly in non-English languages on Epic
• [PS5] Friend list now loads properly after logging out and back in during patch checks on the title screen
• Joystick input now behaves consistently when lowering deadzones
• [PS5 and Xbox] SHiFT account linking verification codes now auto-copy and apply correctly on console

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Bethesda Softworks brought its Fallout Day 2025 livestream to a close after delivering around 30 minutes of announcements, including reveals for Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition, the Fallout: New Vegas 15th Anniversary bundle, new content for Fallout 76, and more.

Although actor and Fallout alum Danny Trejo didn’t get his wish for a Fallout: New Vegas remaster, Bethesda did take time to celebrate the classic offshoot’s 15th anniversary with the announcement of a new bundle. Plus, as the fourth mainline Fallout game celebrates its 10-year anniversary, players should be excited to know that an all-inclusive Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition re-release is on the way.

With Fallout Season 2 approaching, Fallout 4 prepped to make its Nintendo Switch 2 debut, and Fallout 76 ready to deliver its Burning Springs update, Bethesda had plenty to talk about during today’s show. While we wait for more news about the classic post-apocalyptic series’ future, you can check out everything announced during the Fallout Day 2025 stream below.

Fallout Day 2025 Is Here

Following a very musical pre-show, the Fallout Day 2025 livestream began with an introduction from senior community director Jess Finster and senior community manager Richard Stanford – and even a live-action Dog Meat. They tease updates on projects like Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and Fallout Shelter, while also promising appearances from a few special guests.

Celebrating 10 Years of Fallout 4 With an Anniversary Edition and Nintendo Switch 2

Studio and production director Angela Browder showed up for the Fallout Day 2025 livestream to talk about 10 years of Fallout 4 and what Bethesda had planned for it next. Fallout 5 is surely many years off, but the newly announced Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition should help with the wait.

It’s a bundle aimed to revitalize the fourth mainline Fallout game with a re-release that includes all six pieces of DLC: Nuka-World, Far Harbor, Automatron, Vault-Tec Workshop, Contraptions Workshop, and Wasteland Workshop.

“In addition to the add-ons, the Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition also includes over 150 pieces of Creation Club content, including some previously unreleased items to supplement your adventures,” associate art director Daniel Lee said during the show. “And now, with this anniversary, we’re taking your experience to the next level because Creations are coming to Fallout 4. That means you’ll see even more new content coming to the Commonwealth.”

Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition has a November 10 release date. Platforms remain unclear for now, but Bethesda at least confirms that Fallout 4 will be coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026.

Obsidian Entertainment Shows Up to Celebrate Fallout: New Vegas and Reveal a New Bundle

Trejo may have to wait for a proper remaster, but Fallout Day 2025 did at least bring some Fallout: New Vegas news. Original developer Obsidian Entertainment made an appearance during today’s livestream to talk about the classic offshoot, revealing that a 15th Anniversary Bundle will soon be available. It comes with a Collector’s Big Box containing the PC version of the Ultimate Edition of the game, a Vault Boy pin, Evaluation Cards, Mojave Express and NCR Recon patches, and a Victor Statue as its centerpiece.

The Fallout: New Vegas 15th Anniversary Edition bundle is available to pre-order via the Bethesda Gear Store today.