PC Gaming News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

While the Metro UI wasn’t the best way of interacting with your desktop or laptop computer, it could be the best way to interact with Windows on your handheld PC. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, Microsoft should unretire Metro and unleash it on handheld PCs, here’s why.

Microsoft is all in on AI after a recent push for “AI PCs,” is a joint venture with Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm. One of the specs for the upcoming “AI PCs” lists Neural Processing Unit (NPU) performance of at least 45 TOPS. This could be bad news for Steam Deck and the gang. Here’s why.

There are numerous great video game accessories—flight sticks, steering wheels, VR headsets, and many more. However, for every awesome accessory there are ten that come across as just a little silly. While I could probably fill a book with them, these are some of the most (in)famous examples.

Many developers now make early builds of their games available as a paid "early access" or "game preview" offering. If you're truly excited or intrigued by a game, you may be tempted to pay for it before it's actually done, but should you? Let's look at the factors for and against buying an early access game.

Hi-Fi Rush fans are currently leaving tons of positive reviews on the game's Steam page, marking another community-driven instance of reverse-review bombing. The occurrence follows parent company Xbox's decision to shutter Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks.

The Dungeons of HinterbergSteam playtest has gone live ahead of the game's summer 2024 debut. Aside from Steam, this picturesque title will also be coming to the Xbox Series X/S, in addition to being a day-one Xbox Game Pass release.

The God of War Ragnarok PC port announcement is imminent, a reliable leaker has said. Their information indicates that God of War Ragnarok could mark an unprecedentedly short gap between the release of a first-party Sony game and its PC port.

There is a likelihood that Honkai: Star Rail will soon add one of the following planets: Patrevia, Edo Star, Lushaka, or Melustanin. Honkai: Star Rail features several beautiful planets, such as Penacony, Herta Space Station, Jarilo-IV, and The Xianzhou Lufou, that Trailblazers must explore to progress through the game's story. Each planet boasts a unique culture, leaving players in awe of its design. These superhabitable regions host NPCs and playable characters that have a crucial role in the story.

The Rogue Prince of Persia has been delayed, but its Early Access release will still be in May. According to The Rogue Prince of Persia developers, the delay was to avoid competing with the surprise release of Hades 2.

A new Honkai: Star Rail leak has revealed the complete kit for the upcoming five-star character Jade. HoYoverse keeps expanding the game's playable roster with each new update, introducing at least two new characters. The ongoing Version 2.2 has already introduced a new five-star character named Robin, who is part of the first banner phase.

Faerin Lothar, a new character from World of Warcraft: The War Within, has a prosthetic limb in the form of a shield. This awesome new World of Warcraft character will accompany players in the Hallowfall region in The War Within, where her unique fighting style will literally help save the day.

Helldivers 2 director Johan Pilestedt agrees with fans that game balance updates have occasionally gone too far. Helldivers 2 is one of Sony's most popular games right now, and the new Polar Patriots Warbond is out. Because of the game's popularity and recent negative reception to updates, Arrowhead Game Studios' responses to feedback and PlayStation's approach to PC gaming fans have been the topic of frequent discussion.

Tekken 8 players with Nvidia GPUs are experiencing crashes in the game. The problem appears to be happening to players regardless of whether they have Tekken 8 mods in place.

Asus has officially provided new details on the ROG Ally X, the successor to its popular handheld gaming PC. The updated Asus handheld is more akin to a revision than an outright ROG Ally 2, and focuses on addressing feedback and improving the overall user experience over the current model.

Ghost of Tsushima's upcoming PC port has reportedly been delisted from some storefronts in several countries that aren't covered by PlayStation Network. The surprise move comes exactly one week before Ghost of Tsushima's long-awaited release on PC, which is slated for May 16.

Indie developer Evil Raptor has teamed up with PLAION to reveal a first teaser trailer for the upcoming action-adventure shooter Akimbot, which has already received positive response among audiences for its likeness to Ratchet and Clank. Offering a colorful journey with two partnered heroes and gameplay akin to the beloved action-adventure video games synonymous with the PlayStation 2, this upcoming release is one fans of Ratchet and Clank and Jak and Daxter may want to take a closer look at.

The newly-released survival-horror game Crow Country, available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X, is getting great reviews from critics. Crow Country is a throwback to classic PlayStation 1 survival-horror games. Many indie titles have attempted to replicate old-school Resident Evil and Silent Hill survival-horror with mixed results, but Crow Country is certainly one of the best to take a crack at it to date.

Xbox Game Pass has added Little Kitty, Big City to its ever-expanding content catalog. This is the first day-one release to reach Microsoft's subscription service in May 2024, as well as the third overall addition to Xbox Game Pass since the turn of the month.

It seems Redfall was gearing up to release a big update for May 2024 before Arkane Austin was suddenly shuttered by Xbox. Redfall got off to a very rough start when it first launched last year. The game released to overwhelmingly negative reviews and was quickly abandoned. Despite this, there were still plans to release Redfall DLC characters and updates to improve the experience.

A release date trailer has confirmed that day one game Galacticare is coming to Xbox Game Pass on May 23. While multiple games have already been added to the Xbox Game Pass lineup in May, only one of them was a day one release.

The Epic Games Store has updated its list of free games for May 2024 while confirming that next week will see the long-awaited return of the platform's mystery game promotion. Typically, Epic Games Store free game updates not only give users a fresh batch of freebies to claim, but they also let fans know what they will be able to add to their digital libraries the following week. The exception to the rule is when the Epic Games Store runs its mystery game promotions.

The newly-released day one PlayStation Plus Extra game Animal Well is now one of the highest-rated video games of the year. Compared to competitor Xbox Game Pass, it's relatively rare for PlayStation Plus Extra to add day one games. However, there are indeed times when PlayStation Plus Extra subscribers are treated to brand-new, day one releases, with some fantastic games added as day one releases in the past.

A Honkai: Star Rail leak showcased gameplay animations for Firefly, giving players an insight into her abilities. Honkai: Star Rail will introduce Firefly in version 2.3, which is set to be released in June. She will be part of an event warp that will last for three weeks. According to leaks, at least three rerun units will be available in her debut banner in the upcoming version.

Developer Arrowhead Game Studios has launched Helldivers 2’s Polar Patriots Premium Warbond, introducing a range of new weapons, utilities, armor, and capes for players to experience. This release arrives amid recent controversies regarding Helldivers 2’s PlayStation Network account linking, prompting the Arrowhead Game Studios boss to let players decide when the new Warbond would impact the game.

Helldivers 2 Director Johan Pilestedt wants gamers to decide when the next paid Warbond will arrive. Helldivers 2 has been the source of heated discussion in recent weeks, as it is at the center of Sony's controversial decision to have PC players link their accounts to the PlayStation Network. The wave of negative reception surrounding recent Helldivers 2 news has been a shock to many gamers because of just how popular Helldivers 2 has become in such a short time. Releasing in February 2024, Helldivers 2 is now Sony's 7th highest grossing game of all time.

Marvel Rivals has released a new trailer revealing Hela's abilities and gameplay. This year, players were surprised by the unveiling of Marvel Rivals, a shooter that pits Marvel heroes and villains against each other in 6v6 matches. Although Marvel Rivals doesn't yet have a confirmed release date, players are already looking forward to checking out the game.

Honkai: Star Rail will reportedly introduce five-star Erudition Light Cones in version 2.3. In Honkai: Star Rail, players can obtain a variety of Light Cones, which have their own rarity and path, by spending their Rail Passes on banners or completing specific events. Not only do these items boost certain stats, but also provide a passive that makes the equipping character more powerful.

The Draenei Heritage quest from World of Warcraft Patch 10.2.7 confirms plans to build a new city on Azeroth. This new World of Warcraft city is a huge deal for the Draenei, who have been without a true home for about 17 years, both in and out of the game.

While tens of thousands of gamers are enjoying Hades 2’s recent early access release, thousands more are looking back to indie developer Supergiant Games’ previous titles. While Hades 2 has quickly become the indie developer’s most-played game of all time, the first installment of the Hades franchise has also just broken its all-time peak concurrent player record, four years after launch.

Honkai: Star Rail received numerous new HoYoLab tools that will aid player progression in the newly released Version 2.2 update. By using the new tools, players will be able to track their progress in the new map and learn how to level up new characters efficiently in Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.2

Helldivers 2 players started a petition calling on developer Arrowhead Game Studios to rehire community manager Spitz. With the recent PlayStation Network account-linking controversy finally at an end, much of the Helldivers 2 community has begun to shift focus back to the Galactic War. However, some fans were still dismayed upon hearing of the recent dismissal of Spitz from the official Discord channel and are doing all they can to gather their fellow players in support of the former community manager.

World of Warcraft Classic just increased the Season of Discovery experience boost by an additional 50% across all levels. This increase will make leveling in World of Warcraft Classic Season of Discovery even easier for players, whether they are just getting started, catching up, or rolling new characters.

The latest update for V Rising introduced a number of quality of life features, but the ability to craft from storage was not one of them, despite players' pleas to add it. Being able to store materials and have them automatically used without them being in the inventory is a highly requested feature in the survival crafting sub-genre. With multiple types of resources and storage containers, players were hopeful that it'd be added in V Rising's full launch update.

During the new campaign quests for World of Warcraft Patch 10.2.7, Dark Heart, players unlock five new Void Elf-themed transmogs and a Dragonriding drake customization. Though these new World of Warcraft cosmetics match the Void Elf Heritage armor perfectly, characters can use these items regardless of race.

A huge Marvel Rivals leak has potentially revealed 20 new characters for the hero-shooter's roster, in addition to five new maps that could be on the way for the game. Marvel Rivals is a new hero-shooter game that's clearly inspired by Blizzard's Overwatch. An official release date for Marvel Rivals has yet to be revealed, but some lucky Marvel fans will have the chance to play it as early as this weekend.

Vampire-themed survival game V Rising has fully launched with the completely new area Ruins of Mortium, new bosses, new mechanics, and more in update 1.0. After a 24-hour maintenance period, the update went live, and patch notes were released. The notes detail the new features, as well as quality of life changes to V Rising.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, a highly rated game from one of Activision's top franchises, may be available for Game Pass subscribers on Xbox and PC in the near future. The compilation game Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy contains the first three entries of the popular series built from the ground up.

Another Helldivers 2 update is now available to download on the PlayStation 5 and PC. Identified by version number 01.000.303, this release is largely focused on fixing some «common» causes of Helldivers 2 crashes.

The newly-released early access co-op survival crafting game Abiotic Factor is proving to be a big hit on Steam. Steam and its early access program have been huge for the survival genre, with all kinds of early access survival games finding a great deal of success on the platform. 2024, in particular, has been a big year for early access survival games on Steam, with multiple titles proving to be big hits.

Nvidia will launch the RTX 5080 before releasing its next-generation flagship GPU, the RTX 5090, a known hardware industry leaker claimed as they addressed rumors regarding the unannounced cards. The tech giant unveiled its upcoming graphics microarchitecture earlier this year.

Honkai: Star Rail players will reportedly attend a series of events in version 2.3 to claim generous rewards. Honkai: Star Rail has recently introduced version 2.2, bringing several events that give Light Cones, Stellar Jades, and upgrade materials as completion rewards. The Gift of Odyssey, which provides players with Special Rail Passes, has now returned to the game with the launch of 2.2.

Developer Madfinger Games has released a new update, Hotfix 3, for Gray Zone Warfare. The hotly anticipated tactical first-person shooter MMO game launched in early access on April 30. Many features announced for the full release of Gray Zone Warfare are the result of community feedback. These include customizable player bases and gear, a dynamic weather system, a trading system, and a dynamic NPC AI system that alters behaviors based on weather conditions, time, and the situation players are in.

A Honkai: Star Rail leak has revealed fresh details about the Apocalyptic Shadow mode, which will reportedly be released in update 2.3. Several leaks regarding Honkai: Star Rail's update 2.3 have recently emerged online, giving players an insight into the upcoming content. The game's next version is rumored to bring new planar ornaments, relics, and a PvP event in which players must take on each other to claim generous rewards.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt announced its official mod editor kit is scheduled for a PC release on May 21, 2024. Since its launch nearly a decade ago, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has become one of the landmark titles of the gaming industry, thanks in part to its thriving library of downloadable fanmade mods. Now, CD Projekt Red revealed a powerful new tool for modders, which promises to provide creative fans with unparalleled options in expanding upon the game's content.

The latest season of Marvel Snap, A Blink in Time, is now available on PC and mobile devices. This content drop introduces five new Marvel Snap cards and two extra locations, among other novelties.

Nintendo Switch exclusive Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is coming to PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as PC. Spike Chunsoft announced its trio of ports just six weeks shy of the game's first anniversary.

The upcoming World of Warcraft expansion is introducing an inventory bag with an attribute bonus, opening up the possibility that future bags will offer different buffs and special effects to player characters when equipped. While World of Warcraft has enjoyed newfound popularity with its Season of Discovery on the Classic servers, the Retail version of the game is at a major crossroads. With Dragonflight coming to a close, the Worldsoul Saga is expected to commence with the launch of The War Within before the end of 2024.

Iron Gate Studio has rolled out update v0.218.14 for Valheim's public test build, encompassing tweaks to building pieces, food recipes, enemy spawning mechanics, and more. Additionally, this Valheim update is packed with a plethora of fixes and improvements across various aspects of the game.

Helldivers 2 developers are reportedly working on a new cape inspired by the account-linking controversy. While the community can breathe a sigh of relief knowing the worst of the fiasco has passed, some fans have additionally taken to sharing designs for costume accessories inspired by Helldivers 2's Steam page. Some of these designs even managed to reach the offices of developer Arrowhead Game Studios and, if one executive is to be believed, will soon hit live servers as an official cosmetic.

In an announcement made on May 7, Xbox stated that it is ending all development on Redfall. In the same memo, Xbox also announced the closure of Arkane Austin, the developer of the game. Redfall’s developer wasn’t the only studio shut down, as several others are also shutting their doors.

Spoilers ahead for Honkai: Star Rail's story

Arrowhead Game Studios has rolled out Helldivers 2 patch 1.000.302, focusing on key areas like damage-over-time effects issues, weapon and enemy balancing, social menu issues, and more. This update also introduces a range of fixes to enhance the overall gaming experience for Helldivers 2 players.

Xbox has reportedly shut down Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog Studios, and Roundhouse Games, with members of the latter team being folded into ZeniMax Online Studios. Layoffs have been a harsh reality of the video game industry these past couple of years, with companies of all sizes laying off significant portions of their staff or shutting down studios entirely. Xbox itself has engaged in multiple waves of layoffs this past year.

A new Honkai: Star Rail trailer features the upcoming five-star character Robin in a music video-style presentation. The recently held live stream event has already confirmed that Robin will be featured in the first phase of the new Version 2.2 alongside Topaz, who is going to receive her first banner re-run.

Less than 24 hours after launching on Steam, the early access version of Hades 2 has already doubled the all-time peak concurrent player account set by the original Hades. While Supergiant Games certainly found success with its earlier titles like Bastion, Pyre, and Transistor, the studio really took off after it released the roguelike action title, Hades. Although Hades was originally an Epic Games store exclusive, it eventually launched on Steam a year later in 2019 through Early access, releasing Version 1.0 on September 17, before eventually launching across most other platforms like the Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles.

World of Warcraft Classic just locked Lava Lash, it's only normal roleplaying realm in Season of Discovery. With this change, there are no longer any pure RP servers available for new World of Warcraft Classic players to join in Season of Discovery.

There are several cats in World of Warcraft: The War Within that characters can pick up and hold. While World of Warcraft has let players pet cats and other creatures before, this is the first time their characters can actually lift them in the game’s history.

For Darkest Dungeon fans, Red Hook Studios has good news: Darkest Dungeon 2 mod support is nearly here, with the first stages of it arriving in June. Darkest Dungeon 2 has been on a hot streak lately, with exciting new announcements, but this one might be the most anticipated of all.

As per a recent leak, Honkai: Star Rail players will participate in a PvP event in version 2.3. Honkai: Star Rail features a series of temporary events, which provide players with Stellar Jades, upgrade materials, and Special Rail Passes. These activities occasionally give away free four-star characters and Light Cones that don't appear on standard banners. There are only a few recurring events in the game, such as Gift of Odyssey and Nameless Honor, which offer players Special Rail Passes in every update.

Warning: Spoilers for World of Warcraft: The War Within below.

Following the news that Sony no longer plans to move forward with its controversial Helldivers 2 PlayStation Network account-linking update, reviews are skyrocketing in a positive direction. The Helldivers 2 community has been up in arms over the recently announced update, which would have forced players to create and connect to a PlayStation Network account in order to access the game. Massive backlash ensued, with Helldivers 2 being review-bombed on Steam. This decision was ultimately reversed, with reviews immediately shooting up as a result.

A newly announced Steam game called Starsand Island has strong Stardew Valley and Studio Ghiblivibes, and it has unveiled its first trailer. Announced for a late 2025 release on Steam, Starsand Island will take players to a Ghibli-esque island paradise they can explore and live in.

Xbox Game Pass subscribers can look forward to the addition of two more games coming this year in the form of Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2and Lords of the Fallen. It's been a big couple of weeks for Xbox Game Pass users, as last year's hit action adventure masterpiece Star Wars Jedi: Survivor just recently landed on the Ultimate tier of the service. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons populate Game Pass' May calendar, all leading up to the long-awaited release of Ninja Theory's Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 on the 21st.

The latest Honkai: Star Rail leak has revealed a new four-star Light Cone that would be a viable choice for Erudition units. Honkai: Star Rail features an array of Erudition characters who excel at dealing AoE damage to multiple enemies. They can fit into the DPS role for their teams and be effective in the endgame modes, such as Pure Fiction and Memory of Chaos.

Amid the turmoil of the recent Helldivers 2 controversy, its predecessor Helldivers has also been review bombed by disappointed fans. The original's latest negative reviews criticize the account-linking requirement of Helldivers 2, which was eventually retracted by publisher Sony.

PlayStation has announced that it no longer plans to push the controversial Helldivers 2 PlayStation Network account-linking update. The Helldivers 2 community was rocked by controversy after it was announced that PC users would have to link their Steam account to Sony's PlayStation Network by June if they wanted to continue playing the game. However, the resulting public outcry has seemingly convinced the publisher to rescind its decision.

A Minecraft player comes up with an ingenious idea to add some flair to the newly-updated loading screens in the game's PC launcher and make them more bearable to wait through. Though the ideas they have may not always be acknowledged by Mojang, Minecraft fans continue to share interesting concepts on how to make the beloved sandbox game even better.

Mortal Kombat 1 has revealed the Homelander trailer, presenting the first in-game look at how the character of The Boys will be portrayed in Netherrealm Studios' game. Mortal Kombat 1 players are anxiously awaiting Homelander's debut in the game, as he will expand the cast of characters with what will surely be a very powerful addition.

A Minecraft player has created a mod that enhances the effects of explosions to make them seem more realistic. Minecrafthas long been a game that fans have modded with dozens of different additions or tweaks, changing the game however they like. Mods have been such a deep part of the Minecraft community on PC that some have even inspired features in the full game, like the recipe book.

Arrowhead is currently in discussions with Sony over how to deal with the ongoing controversy surrounding the retroactive enforcement of the PSN account requirement for playing Helldivers 2 on PC, a senior company official has revealed. This community update also offered some additional insights into the ongoing Helldivers 2 drama.

A talented gamer has created an amazing Fallout-themed PC case, including many items that fans of the series will definitely recognize. Playing with this Fallout-themed PC case would be the perfect way to jump back into the games, which are seeing a surge in popularity of late.

A new leak from Honkai: Star Rail is teasing pairs of Relic sets and Planar Ornaments coming to the game with the Version 2.3 update, expected to launch next month. The sci-fi RPG from HoYoverse provides players with a plethora of different methods for powering up their characters and optimizing their playstyles. Light Cones provide bonuses to characters in specific classes alongside unique effects that can benefit each roster member's individual playstyles, while Relics and Planar Ornaments provide more general boosts. Now, new Relics and Planar Ornaments are reportedly coming with Version 2.3.

Honkai: Star Rail players will unlock new relic sets and Light Cones by completing the Echo of War: Salutations of Ashen Dreams stage, which will arrive in version 2.2. Honkai: Star Rail's version 2.2 is now on the horizon, with the developers introducing new characters, Light Cones, and relics that will be available to claim soon. It's been revealed that Boothill and Robin will finally receive their debut banners in the next update, which will start on May 8.

A recent Honkai: Star Rail leak teases a four-star character selector that will reportedly be released in version 2.3. Although Honkai: Star Rail is still in version 2.1, HoYoverse has already confirmed Jade and Firefly, a pair of five-star units, for 2.3. Firefly will make her playable debut in the first phase of the update, and Jade will be obtainable in the second phase. As per the schedule, players can expect the upcoming version to arrive in early June.

Arrowhead's popular co-op shooter Helldivers 2 has been delisted from Steam in over 170 regions. This drastic step follows a controversial decision by publisher Sony, mandating Steam players to connect their accounts to a PlayStation Network (PSN) account before June 4 to continue playing Helldivers 2.

A new leak from Honkai: Star Rail is detailing the signature Light Cone for upcoming five-star character Firefly, expected to release during Version 2.3. Honkai: Star Rail's Light Cones serve as one of the most effective ways of powering up a player's character, offering major stat boosts and unique effects. Each new character added to the sci-fi RPG typically comes with their own unique Light Cone for players to acquire, granting buffs catered to that character's abilities and strengths. Now, one of the game's upcoming characters is seeing their Light Cone surface early.

Steam is making unexpected moves in the gaming world, refunding Helldivers 2 players despite their playtime exceeding the usual two-hour limit. Helldivers 2, developed by Arrowhead Game Studios, has been a popular multiplayer game on both PlayStation and PC platforms. However, recent controversies surrounding mandatory PlayStation Network (PSN) account linking for PC players have led to widespread discontent among the gaming community.

Helldivers 2 fans are buzzing about a new revelation: a keen-eyed player has spotted a subtle issue with the icon for one of the game's popular Stratagems, causing a stir within the community. Helldivers 2, developed by Arrowhead Game Studios, is a cooperative third-person shooter set in a dystopian future where players battle against alien forces on various planets. The game features a wide array of Stratagems, powerful abilities that players can deploy to aid them in combat, including the Orbital Precision Strike, which has gotten a lot of attention for its effectiveness in eliminating foes.

Early Access title Kerbal Space Program 2 is currently being review bombed on Steam, after the game's developer, Intercept Games, was closed down by Take-Two. The closure has naturally led to questions surrounding the future of Kerbal Space Program 2, which first entered Early Access in February 2023.

A notableLast of Us speedrunner manages to beat an incredibly challenging world record while playing on Grounded mode, the hardest difficulty in the game. This impressive feat goes to show just how dedicated the speedrunning community truly is, even when it comes to rushing through linear, narrative-driven titles like The Last of Us.