Sony

I wouldn’t blame you if you forgot PlayStation Stars existed. In fact, I would guess the majority of people out there have no idea what that even is, but PlayStation’s reward program deserves more attention than it’s getting.

It is that time of the year again when Sony is gearing up to reveal its flagship phone, and this year, we are going to get the Sony Xperia 1 VI. Naming scheme aside, Sony knows how to make some really robust smartphones, and if you have been waiting for the phone to come out, you are not going to have to wait longer as the phone is going official on May 17th, and today we have a massive leak that shows everything that you need to know about the upcoming flagship.

Helldivers 2 players have found massive tunnels on Terminid planets after the latest patch. Helldivers 2, a cooperative third-person shooter developed by Arrowhead Game Studios, has gotten a lot of attention for its intense gameplay and ongoing updates. Set in a dystopian future, players battle against alien forces across various planets, facing formidable enemies like Bile Titans, Hive Lords, and plenty more.

Helldivers 2 has brought more success for Sony and developer Arrowhead Game Studios than they could ever have imagined, and a large portion of that success has come through the co-op shooter’s sizeable audience on PC. Soon, however, Sony will be implementing a new requirement on that audience in order to be able to play the game.

Sony has sparked a backlash after announcing plans to force Helldivers 2 Steam players to connect to a PlayStation Network account.

A touch of the cooperative gameplay seen in smash-hit shooter Helldivers 2 is coming to Halo Infinite, thanks to the efforts of a dedicated group of players. The new mode is being created entirely using Forge mode, the native Halo Infinite level editor.

Amazon’s latest Gaming Week promotion is offering discounts on some of our favorite gaming accessories through May 5, with some items on sale for their lowest prices ever. Hundreds of products are on sale, including gaming monitors, keyboards, headsets, and more, but if you’d like to see an abbreviated breakdown of what we’d spend our money on, check out the list below.

A new Helldivers 2 update is on the way, this time with the newly announced Polar Patriots Warband releasing on May 9. This content update brings a plethora of new items and weapons into the fold for use in missions in Helldivers 2, as well as a ton of new customization options.

Arrowhead Game Studios has released update 1.000.301 for Helldivers 2, bringing various crash fixes and massive performance improvements to the game. Many players have reported a dramatic decrease in performance since the last Helldivers 2 update, but it seems that the issue should now be resolved.

PlayStation is removing Horizon Zero Dawn from its PlayStation Plus catalog later this month. 

The PS Store listing for Horizon Zero Dawn has been updated to state it's leaving PS Plus Extra on 21st May 2024. As a first-party title published by Sony and internally developed at Guerrilla Games, the move comes as a surprise as it was thought all the titles Sony holds the rights to would remain on the service in perpetuity.

Stellar Blade was the best-selling physical game in the UK last week, with its launch sales on PS5 being enough to see it top sales charts in the region. Sony and Shift Up haven't shared any official sales data just yet, but this marks a good start for the title, which holds the potential to sell well long-term. TopSpin 2K25 was another new entry in the UK sales chart last week, debuting in third place.

This author thought Helldivers 2 was going to be a colossal flop, so it just goes to show how unpredictable this industry can be. According to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, it currently sits behind a trio of Spider-Man titles, a couple of God of War games, and Ghost of Tsushima as Sony’s seventh highest grossing game in the United States to date. It’s been out less than three months, and isn’t even being sold at full-price.

If you’re not familiar with the Playdate, it’s the dinky yellow handheld with a crank that’s actively coveting a hobbyist, indie game development crowd. It’s home to a number of unique experiences already, but for PlayStation fans, this may be the most intriguing outing yet: Psygnosis’ legendary PS1 racer WipEout, rendered in beautiful black-and-white polygons.

Sony has today confirmed the three PS5, PS4 games PS Plus Essential members can look forward to playing as part of their subscription for May 2024. Available to download from Tuesday, 7th May 2024, they are:

PlayStation's Shuhei Yoshida and Greg Rice will present the headlining keynote at the Develop: Brighton gaming expo in July, it's been confirmed. A conference designed for game developers, the two indie experts will host the «Supporting Indies and Creativity in Game Development» keynote in Brighton, UK on 11th July 2024.

Sony will add a new feature to PS5 later this year, allowing users to invite others to a multiplayer game by generating a shareable link on the console or via the PlayStation App. This link can then be shared on social media or via direct message, allowing AFK, offline, or even players you aren't friends with (yet) to secure a spot.

After the disappointment that was Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, wouldn't an entirely new entry in the Batman: Arkham series go over nicely? Well, that wish has come true, but you won't find it on any PlayStation hardware. Batman: Arkham Shadow is a VR title exclusive to Meta Quest 3, releasing at the end of 2024. Catch it in the teaser trailer above, with more details set to be shared next month at Summer Game Fest.

PS Stars, or PlayStation Stars, is a free loyalty program for PS5 and PS4 which enables you to earn PS Store credit, free games, and Digital Collectibles. If you're a PS Plus subscriber, then you'll earn additional Points based on each PS Store purchase you make.

Well, it's been quite some time since we wrote about Ghost of Tsushima updates, but the open world action game has a new patch on PS5 and PS4. As outlined by developer Sucker Punch, update 2.19 tweaks the title for crossplay support, ahead of the PC version's release on the 16th May. PlayStation users will be able to team up with PC players in the game's co-op Legends mode.

After almost seven years at the studio, Alex Barnes, director of PSVR2 spinoff Horizon: Call of the Mountain, has been made redundant by Liverpoool-based developer Firesprite. In March, a report from Eurogamer alleged that a toxic work culture had been allowed to develop at the PlayStation first-party developer.

The PS5 version of Fallout 4 should now be available to all PS Plus members no matter how you first claimed the game, as Bethesda has confirmed the edition provided by the now defunct PS Plus Collection will offer the free upgrade. There were some initial issues surrounding PS Plus Extra users gaining access, which were the first to be resolved, and now it won't block those who redeemed the RPG through the PS Plus Collection either.

Arrowhead Game Studios has announced the next Premium Warbond for Helldivers 2 – Polar Patriots. Going live on May 9th, it offers armor sets for cold climates alongside new weapons, emotes, capes and more. Check out the trailer below.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 emerged as the clear winner of video game sales for the United States in March, but Helldivers 2 wasn’t far behind. Arrowhead’s co-op shooter is not only the best-selling premium title of the year to date but also the seventh-best Sony-published title in the US in terms of dollar sales per Circana.

With all the top-selling titles over the past three months in the US there’s been one constant – the PS5. Circana analyst/executive director Matt Piscatella confirmed that it topped console charts in unit and dollar sales for March 2024 and the first quarter. The Nintendo Switch ranked second in unit sales, while the Xbox Series X/S claimed second place in dollar sales.

Sony has signaled its intention to pull Horizon: Zero Dawn from PlayStation Plus later in May, fueling rumors the company is set to announce a PlayStation 5 remaster of the game.

Sony has announced the lineup of free games coming to PlayStation Plus in May. This month's PS Plus offerings include four titles, led by popular football sim EA Sports FC 24. Other free games for May include action-platformer Ghostrunner 2, isometric action-adventure title Tunic and online shooter Destiny 2: Lightfall. All four titles will be available to PS Plus members across Essential, Extra and Deluxe/Premium tiers from May 7.

A Helldivers 2 player shared the perfect strategy for defeating the formidable Bile Titans with ease. Helldivers 2 is renowned for its intense cooperative gameplay and challenging enemies and poses significant challenges for players, particularly when facing off against the Bile Titans.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is set to leave PlayStation Plus' Extra tier catalog within the month of May 2024. The remake of developer Big Huge Games' classic action RPG will soon depart from the PlayStation Plus library in addition to the 25 titles already scheduled to disappear from the service throughout the coming weeks.

File sizes have been revealed for May's selection of free games featured on PS Plus. These titles range from a little over 1 GB to more than 50 GB, giving PS Plus subscribers extra information that should help with installation.

Helldivers 2 has continued a surprisingly frequent trend over the past couple of years of titles, such as Baldur's Gate 3 and Palworld, that have blown up in popularity more than anyone could have possibly predicted, even the developers themselves. We're yet to get official numbers for just how impressive Helldivers 2's launch has been, but it has been revealed that it's already managed to become one of PlayStation's highest grossing titles in the US.

The bad news? It’s the beginning of the month, so rent is due. The good news? Sony just revealed the PlayStation Plus games lineup for May, and there are some serious standouts. The lineup includes Ghostrunner 2, Tunic, Destiny 2: Lightfall and EA Sports FC 24. Most of these games are available for both PS4 and PS5, except Ghostrunner 2 which is only for PS5 players.

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Studios has addressed recent community uproar concerning changes to the game's ricochet mechanics. Following the 01.000.300 patch for Helldivers 2, players reported an increased frequency of deaths caused by ricocheting projectiles, even from explosives like rockets.

Stellar Blade, the latest PS5 exclusive title, may soon get a major update that brings a new game mode into the fray. Apparently, developer Shift Up is already working on adding a challenge mode for Stellar Blade.

Helldivers 2's Stalker enemies have reportedly gained a mutation with the game's latest update, which allows them to cloak their bodies entirely and sneak up on players. Helldivers 2 released an update several days ago, making numerous balance changes that could shake up the meta. It brought nerfs to some weapons, including the JAR-5 Dominator and the RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher. In addition, the update buffed Automaton enemies, such as Scout Striders and Devastators, slightly increasing their fire rate and durability.

Sucker Punch releases a surprise update for Ghost of Tsushima, addressing numerous issues and preparing Crossplay functionality for the PC version, though the patch also seems to have added an unintentional side effect. Following its launch back in 2020, Ghost of Tsushima has quickly become one of Sucker Punch's best games, not only in terms of critical reviews but surpassing 10 million copies sold 2 years after launch.

Sony has announced the next PlayStation 5 update will introduce a new feature for gamers interested in hosting online multiplayer sessions: the ability to invite other players or friends through a link. While the PlayStation 5 boasts a number of stellar single-player games, multiplayer games are a large part of the console's library. The PS5 has a number of features that support online gaming, such as the PlayStation App.

The May 2024 PlayStation Plus monthly games have been confirmed, with Sony pulling together a trio of games for all PS Plus subscribers – Essentials, Extra and Premium. Headlining this month’s selection is EA Sports FC 24, though there’s four games to choose from this time around.

Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto 5 and a trio of Call of Duty titles were consistently the most played games across consoles in the US last month.

While Dragon’s Dogma 2 topped US software charts for March 2024 per Circana’s Matt Piscatella, Helldivers 2 wasn’t far behind. It ranked in second place and is still the best-selling premium title of the year to date. Furthermore, it’s the seventh best-selling title (in terms of lifetime dollar sales) published by Sony, despite only being on sale for two months.

Some Helldivers 2 players are unhappy with the bullet ricochet changes implemented with Update 01.000.300. Patch days have always been somewhat contentious within the Helldivers 2 community, often because of the introduced balance changes included with the patch along with the wave of bug reports that follow in the wake of every update. Its latest patch was, unfortunately, no exception to the established pattern, and many players have since flocked to social media to call for a quick fix to what appears to be a problem with the game's ricochet mechanic.

After teasing a Returnal-related announcement for today, Housemarque has announced a graphical novel for its rogue-like third-person shooter – Returnal: Fallen Asteria. It’s out on October 22nd on bookstore shelves and October 23rd in comic shops. An animated video of the first issue is available, providing a peek at the graphical novel. Check it out below.

The latest Helldivers 2 leak shows a plasma pistol that will reportedly be available in the future. Over the past months, Helldivers 2 players have been treated to leaks that revealed details about the upcoming content. Recently, one provided a sneak peek into new Illuminate enemies, while another showed a new off-road vehicle that Arrowhead could add to its over-the-shoulder game in the future.

Team Ninja’s Rise of the Ronin launched with generally favorable reviews last month, though some were less positive than others (check out ours here). Nevertheless, in its financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2024, Koei Tecmo reports that sales are surpassing its Nioh series.

Fallout 4's current-gen update should now be available to anyone who plays the game via PlayStation Plus, regardless of their subscription tier. This comes after the update's initial launch last week, which was inaccessible to those who got the game through the now-defunct PS Plus Collection.

Sony seems to be putting more of an emphasis on day-one PS Plus game releases, with one of those being the upcoming Animal Well. This curious indie game has always looked like an intriguing, lo-fi platformer, and we can't wait to delve into it on 9th May as it arrives on PS5 and PS Plus Extra. The Trophy list is now available to view online (thanks, Exophase), and it looks like you'll need to trawl the Metroidvania's map for secrets if you want that Platinum gong.

Stellar Blade's overwhelmingly positive player reviews propelled the action-adventure title close to the peak of the PlayStation 5's user score rankings. Players have showered Stellar Blade with praise for its over-the-top combat and eye-catching character designs, with thousands of reviews bolstering the game's user score since its April 26 release. The success of developer Shift Up's latest title cemented its status as one of the most celebrated original IPs to debut in recent years for PlayStation and Sony.

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has just released patch 01.000.300 addressing various aspects, including weapons, stratagems, enemies, and missions. This update aims to enhance the gameplay and address community feedback. The long patch notes cover several weapon buffs, damage balancing, increased level cap and more. The update also added new planetary hazards in Helldivers 2.

Out of nowhere, Arrowhead Game Studios has released an extensive balance patch for Helldivers 2. While it reduces burning damage by 15 percent and reduces headshot damage on those with armor ratings above 100, it offers many changes to existing weapons and Stratagems.

Housemarque turned a lot of people into fans of its work with 2021’s Returnal, which, of course, means the studio’s next project is going to have more eyes on it than any of its past titles. But while it doesn’t look like the developer is ready to share details on its next big title just yet, it looks like another announcement related to Returnal might be coming soon.

Sony has announced a limited-period promotional offer that brings down the price of the newly launched PlayStation 5 slim variants in India. The “Summer Sale” offer will apply a discount of Rs. 5,000 on the PS5 slim. Starting May 1, the console will be available for Rs. 49,990, down from its retail price of Rs. 54,990. The slim variant of the PS5 was launched in India earlier this month. Sony had earlier discounted the price of the older PS5 disc-edition model by up to Rs. 13,000 following the launch of the PS5 slim.

The legendary DC Comics assassin Deathstroke has rallied to the defense of the Last City thanks to the efforts of a creative Destiny 2 player's customized costume setup. The costume uses Destiny 2 Titan armor pieces that are fairly easy to access, and cleverly repurposes pieces meant to evoke an entirely different crossover franchise.

The demand for Apple Vision Pro is slowly dwindling, but the company’s long-term goals have not budged an inch. A new report states that the successor to the $3,499 AR headset could launch sometime by the end of 2026. However, there is a huge glaring issue that Apple needs to address, or this product category will most likely never take off, and that is pricing. For that to happen, the technology giant needs to bring down its component costs, but with each current-generation unit estimated to set back Apple by $1,542, the road to a more affordable head-mounted wearable is long and hard.

Sony India has announced its ‘Summer Sale' offers on the newly launched PlayStation 5 Slim (PS5 Slim). The console was launched in India on April 5 at the same price point as the existing PS5 and it has already received a price drop. To entice new gamers and keep ahead in the console wars, both Sony and Microsoft announce special offers and bundles on their consoles periodically that include games, accessories, and more. With the latest Summer Sale, the Sony PS5 Slim has received a price drop.

Last week, we brought word of confusion among the ranks of eager Fallout fans trying to dive into the native PS5 port of Fallout 4, all fired up from watching Amazon's excellent adaptation. Those with access to either PS Plus Extra or Premium can now upgrade for free, with a small patch being released over the weekend.

Stellar Blade has launched to huge acclaim this weekend, but not every fan is delighted with Shift Up’s PS5 debut. Eagle-eyed players spotted some changes to a couple of costumes in the final product, prompting accusations of censorship from publisher Sony. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time the Japanese giant has requested changes in PlayStation games, as more titillating cutscenes in titles like Devil May Cry 5 were inexplicably edited on PS4 in the past. This decision was later reversed.

A group of Stellar Blade fans have accused developer Shift Up and publisher Sony of "censoring" the game. This comes as some of Eve's outfits were found to have received changes in the day one patch, with fans arguing that the alterations amount to censorship.

One lucky employee of an electronic waste disposal facility recently stumbled on a pair of old PlayStation debugging stations that someone discarded in the garbage. Their find serves as a throwback to the days of the second- and third-generation PlayStation hardware.

A Helldivers 2 player has discovered a hilarious glitch in the game that has caused one of the most brutal deaths ever. Helldivers 2 offers many strange ways that players can die in the game, but this latest death is as unfortunate as any that has come before.

A Stellar Blade petition asking the developer to roll back alleged changes to the action game is blowing up on Change.org. Stellar Blade is a newly-released PlayStation 5 exclusive game that has been turning heads for quite some time. One of the game's defining traits is its sexualized characters, with players able to dress main protagonist Eve in incredibly revealing outfits.

A Stellar Blade fan has discovered one settings change that could potentially improve the game for a lot of players. The recent release of Stellar Blade on PlayStation 5 has attracted a ton of hype, but there's one element that has left some fans underwhelmed, although this can be solved with a single change in the settings.

A new major order in Helldivers 2 has just been announced, and it forces players to make a choice between liberating Choohe or Penta from the Automaton threat. This announcement follows the previous one, which garnered a lot of attention in the Helldivers 2 community, and fans discerned it to be the new Helldivers 2 stratagems teaser.

Popular life/farming sim Slime Rancher has had a sequel in the works for a long time, but it's now nearly ready to make the leap to PS5. Slime Rancher 2 has been in early access on PC and Xbox since 2022, and it'll soon add PS5 to the party when it arrives on 11th June, 2024.

The long-awaited Lost Soul Aside out of Sony's own China Hero Project could be nearing the development finish line as the PS5, PS4 title has been handed a Chinese age rating, clearing it for release in the country. Daniel Ahmad, an analyst at Niko Partners, adds this likely means news surrounding the game's final release will likely be shared soon, potentially within the next three months.

As the only British baseball fan on Planet Earth, I had one simple mission when I first arrived in Taipei: to choose a local team to support. Taiwan is infatuated with America’s former favourite pastime, and it’s even dedicated a spot on its $1,000 note to a celebrating squad. After much deliberation, I settled on the Rakuten Monkeys for one rather simple, primitive reason: they’d just signed Korean cheerleader Lee Dahye.

Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella, has passed comment about Xbox's increased presence on other platforms. Speaking during an earnings call, he said how titles under the Xbox umbrella have been selling rather well on PlayStation Store.

Helldivers 2 may be getting two new Stratagems, thanks to a mysterious tweet featuring never-before-seen codes. When it comes to Helldivers 2, the developers at Arrowhead Game Studios oftentimes tease new updates coming to the game, and it looks like the addition of some new Stratagems is next.

Stellar Blade is out today on PS5 after receiving a stylish launch trailer to commemorate its release. However, Shift Up has a brief new trailer, this time showcasing the unique ranged attacks that Eve can unleash. Check it out below.

Fans, all fired up from watching Amazon's excellent adaptation, are returning to Fallout games in droves, with the free PS5 update for Fallout 4 looking particularly appealing. However, with the update in the wild, players who picked up the underrated Fallout 4 via PS Plus Extra find they cannot download it and are instead being prompted to pay for the game.

The soldiers of Super Earth have made major progress in the ongoing Helldivers 2 Galactic War by successfully defending a large number of planets from enemy assault. The feat hasn't been accomplished by the game's community since Helldivers 2 first launched in February 2024.

Sony and Shift Up have put out a new Stellar Blade trailer to mark the PS5 exclusive's launch, with the release date set for tomorrow, 26th April 2024. Like a lot of launch trailers, the two-minute slice of footage features a lot of cutscenes and stretches of gameplay we haven't seen before, so you might want to skip it given the full launch is so close. Still, you can catch it above.

Stellar Blade teased fans with new details for its planned New Game+ mode. Players will likely be pleased to know that developer Shift Up is already adding post-launch content for Stellar Blade, its highly anticipated sci-fi post-apocalyptic action game for the PlayStation 5. This includes a New Game+ mode, which will let players extend their playthrough with the promise of new content to unlock.

Since it was first unveiled as Project Eve several years ago, Korean studio Shift Up’s Stellar Blade has been on the radar for many, and now the action title is celebrating its release. Though officially the PS5-exclusive hasn’t yet launched in many regions of the world, there are some that have got access to it, to celebrate which Sony has released a launch trailer for the game. Check it out below.

Polyphony Digital’s latest monthly content update is available for Gran Turismo 7, focusing on two new electronic vehicles – the ŠKODA Vision Gran Turismo and AFEELA Prototype 2024. Check out the trailer below to see them in action.

After game director Kim Hyung-tae announced New Game Plus would be coming “very soon” to Stellar Blade, various reviews have confirmed its availability from launch. YouTuber FightinCowboy revealed this on Twitter, and IGN also updated their review to confirm the arrival of New Game Plus in a new patch.