PC News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma 2 has emerged as the top-selling premium game in the United States for March 2024, per Circana analyst and executive director Matt Piscatella. It’s the third best-selling game of the year to date, with dollar sales surpassing the combined lifetime figures for Dragon’s Dogma and its expansion, Dark Arisen.

4X-meets-real-time-strategy game Sins Of A Solar Empire 2 will finally launch on Steam this summer, Stardock and Ironclad Games have announced, a couple of years after going into technical early access on Epic Games Store. I loved the first Sins and so did Kieron Gillen (RPS in peace) whose 16-year-old review dwells appreciatively on the spectacle of cruisers and frigates bouncing to hyperspace on the very edge of a solar system. We don't seem to have written about the second one - time to change that, I guess. Here's the Steam release announcement trailer.

Despite how acclaimed Ironclad Games’ Sins of a Solar Empire is, you could be forgiven for not knowing about the existence of its sequel. Thankfully, publisher Stardock Entertainment has announced that Sins of a Solar Empire 2 is coming to Steam this Summer. Check out the latest trailer below.

The next game in the Batman: Arkham franchise has been announced for VR.

Take-Two Interactive recently announced that it was laying off 5 percent of its staff as part of a wider cost-saving initiative, and it seems like those cuts are also going to entail the shuttering of an entire studio- specifically, Intercept Games, the team behind Kerbal Space Program 2.

With Honkai: Star Rail’s next update – Version 2.2, “Then Wake to Weep” – launching next week, miHoYo has begun detailing the abilities and skills of its new characters, starting with Robin. She deals Physical damage and follows the Path of the Harmony, supporting allies with her singing. Check out the latest “Keeping Up With Star Rail” to learn more, as Owlbert and her brother, Sunday, discuss her skills.

Genthru will be a playable character in the Eighting-developed fighting game Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact.

Lucy’s backpack from Amazon‘s Fallout TV show is now available to preorder at Game in the UK.

Digital Cybercherries’ shooter HYPERCHARGE: Unboxed, which made an impact for its unique setting and visuals, finally has a release date on Xbox. It launches on May 31st for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One, retailing for $29.99. Check out the announcement trailer below.

The Earth Defense Force franchise might not be the most pristine or mainstream gaming property around, but it’s picked up a sizeable and dedicated fanbase over the years, one that’s filled with players who’re all too happy to get fresh doses of its pulpy bug-shooting action once every few years. If you’re in that group, you’ll soon be getting another helping of the series’ offerings.

Following a report by Game Developer on the ESA’s refusal to budge during a hearing on easing copyright restrictions around academia’s remote access to legacy games, Deus Ex creator Warren Spector has written for the website on his own frustrations with, and efforts to aid, game preservation. Channeling some of the classic immersive sim resourcefulness he helped pioneer, he writes that he’s “literally dumpster dived to retrieve information other developers have simply thrown away, believing it to be worthless.”

The golden horse’s campaign of terror hasn’t ended yet in Blizzard’s Overwatch 2, but it’s somewhat curtailed thanks to the latest patch. Tank hero Orisa has seen key survival skills, Fortify and Javelin Spin, the former having a duration of 3.5 seconds from 4.5 (and 20 percent slower movement speed) while the latter’s cooldown has increased to nine seconds from seven.

A player-run troupe of actors will be performing an adaptation of Richard III in Fallout 76, featuring a "ghoul" in the lead role. They're partly inspired by the recent Fallout TV show, which puts a jaded cowboy ghoul in a pivotal role and has lead to an increase in players of the online multiplayer RPG. This production will likely be more faithful to the bard than to Amazon Prime. It will open with the lines: "Now is the nuclear winter of our discontent."

We learned a bit about Deep Rock Galactic's upcoming Season 5 update a few weeks ago, and now we know a bit more thanks to a Ghost Ship dev stream. Not only has it gifted us details on the new mission type and the new season event, it's also given us an idea of when we might see Season 6 emerge. I suppose you could liken the stream to a bushy Dwarven beard, from which the devs pluck out announcements like it's show and tell. And the show and tell is set in a dingy mine. And there are multiple pints involved.

The high-fidelity rustic hurly-burly of Manor Lords is all very well, but some of us yearn for a simpler and perhaps, more elegant age, when city builders looked like a bunch of copulating squares, and could run on PCs with approximately the computing power of a slice of bread (toasted, but not buttered). Step forward Mini Settlers, which has a free prologue version you might try if you're weary of Manor Lording, or you've already exhausted the play possibilities of early access Franconia.

Blizzard Entertainment has confirmed that Diablo 4’s fourth season, Loot Reborn, arrives on May 14th. It contains sweeping changes to the game’s loot and crafting systems, but there will also be balance changes and new items. For those looking to plan their builds, Season 4’s patch notes will go live on May 2nd.

After hosting a Public Test Realm for Diablo 4 Season 4, Blizzard Entertainment has announced that it goes live on May 14th at 10 AM PT. “Loot Reborn” offers extensive overhauls to loot, new activities and challenges, new crafting and upgrade systems, and much more.

Earth Defense Force 6 will launch for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store on July 25 in the west for $59.99, D3 Publisher and developer Sandlot announced.

Ubisoft has announced a release date for Assassin’s Creed Mirage on iOS devices.

Microsoft has revealed the next batch of titles coming to Xbox Game Pass for console, PC and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Blizzard has announced Diablo 4 Season 4, which is titled Loot Reborn.

Housemarque and Dark Horse comics have announced Returnal: Fallen Asteria.

Bethesda has said that issues preventing some PlayStation Plus subscribers from accessing Fallout 4’s next-gen update have now been resolved.

Microsoft has a stacked lineup of major first-party releases lined up for 2024, but while a number of them are officially confirmed for this year, not many of them have specific release dates. That, however, is going to change at the company’s summer showcase in June, as per a report published by The Verge.

Microsoft has announced that the Xbox Games Showcase will be returning on June 9, and given the many first-party titles the company has in the pipeline for 2024, it seems safe to assume that it’s going to be a packed show. In fact, according to The Verge, multiple upcoming first-party games are going to get official release date announcements.

The developers of sci-fi action-adventure Deliver Us Mars have laid off all their staff. The news was announced by KeokeN Interactive's leadership in a statement in which they state they have "exhausted all our possible options" of finding funding for a new project. They also say they plan to rebuild the company.

Publisher Atlus shared a new trailer for the upcoming. Releasing June 14 on PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox and PlayStation consoles, the re-release expands the game with an alternate “Canon of Vengeance” story path.

Destiny 2’s Pantheon, a new raid boss gauntlet, is now available as part of Into the Light. It sees players facing off against raid bosses currently in the game, one after another, with the opportunity to earn raid weapons (including Adept and Deepsight versions), armor, Tokens and more.

Bandai Namco’s Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, the successor to the Budokai Tenkaichi series, has received a new gameplay trailer. The theme is “Master and Apprentice” and reveals ten additional playable characters, including some fan-favorites. Check it out below.

Bandai Namco promised a balance patch for Tekken 8 this Spring, and based on the recent notes, it’s a doozy. Going live on May 7th at 7 PM PDT, Ver.1.04.00 contains adjustments to several fighters. Right off the bat, characters like Asuka, Bryan, Jack-8, Panda, Zafina, and Kuma have received some buffs, improving the usability of the game’s new Heat mechanics or further carving a niche for them.

A new trailer for Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, the enhanced version of the 2021 RPG, is now available. Nahobino’s new form is in action, alongside some of the new Demons to recruit, but more than anything, its tone is foreboding. Of the coming apocalypse to ensure the “ideal world.” Check it out below.

Rare’s live-service action-adventure title Sea of Thieves is available now for PS5 players. First available on Xbox One and PC in March 2018 before receiving an Xbox Series X/S update, it’s the first game from the developer to release on a PlayStation platform. Check out the launch trailer below.

PQube will release MAGES.-developed otome visual novel Genso Manege, also known as Rever d’un Manege, for Switch and PC via Steam in the west, the publisher announced. A release date was not announced.

Dread Delusion is a creepo-tastic open world RPG that positively reeks of King's Field and the Elder Scrolls of yore. Created by Lovely Hellplace and published by horror anthology specialists DreadXP, it's so far up my alley it's probably been mugged by some kind of hideous clockwork cutthroat - and yet somehow, I've never played the thing. I'll be rectifying that on 14th May, when Dread Delusion leaves early access.

After launching on Nintendo Switch last year, Forever Entertainment’s Front Mission 2: Remake is now available on PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. While it’s a remake of the 1997 classic, it also marks the first time worldwide audiences can experience the tactical RPG. Check out the launch trailer below.

After rumors of the same, Microsoft has confirmed that the next Xbox Games Showcase will occur on June 9th at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET/6 PM BST. It will be the first to feature titles from Activision, Blizzard Entertainment and Bethesda alongside Xbox Game Studios and third-party partners.

Publisher Daedalic Entertainment and developer Tiny Roar have announced cozy exploration game Into the Emberlands. It will launch in Early Access for PC via Steam this summer.

Turn-based roguelite dungeon crawler The Land Beneath Us will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC via Steam on May 13, publisher PID Games and developer FairPlay Studios announced.

Xbox Games Showcase 2024 will air on June 9 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. BST, Microsoft announced. It will be immediately followed by a special deep dive “Direct” into the next installment of a “beloved franchise.” You will be able to watch it on YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook.

Cozy narrative adventure game Pine Hearts will launch for Switch and PC via Steam on May 23 for $19.99 / £15.99, publisher Little Nook and developer Hyper Luminal Games announced. The Switch version is newly announced.

Publisher Bandai Namco and developer Spike Chunsoft have released a new trailer and screenshots for Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO dubbed “Master and Apprentice,” which introduces 10 more playable characters.

Microsoft has announced new titles coming to Xbox Game Pass in early May, which includes Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, Kona II: Brume, Little Kitty, Big City, and more.

Open-world RPG Dread Delusion will leave Early Access and launch for PC via Steam on May 14, publisher DreadXP and developer Lovely Hellplace announced.

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.

Remember Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League? Rocksteady’s live service looter shooter hasn’t been doing so good, peaking at a measly 193 concurrent players on Steam in the last 24 hours (per SteamDB). Nevertheless, the development team is preparing Episode 2 of Season of the Joker, which goes live next month.

I don't have a lot of interest in VR these days, but I do have an interest in the beautifully realised miniature doings of your villagers in Manor Lords, the city builder that is currently rather popular on noted purveyor of ye finest interactive entertainments Steam - and which now has unofficial VR support care of Flat2VR and Praydog's UEVR.

Marvel Rivals will see players battling with and against each other while playing as a variety of different Marvel heroes and villains, but given its nature as a 6v6 hero shooter, the arenas that you’ll be fighting in are going to be just as crucial as the characters you’ll be playing as.

In its latest Community Update video forThe Rogue Prince of Persia, Evil Empire outlined traversal and how players could get around the rogue-lite’s many levels. However, combat is the other part of the equation, and there’s plenty to keep players occupied.

For all long as the Fallout franchise has been around, it has never been set outside of the United States. Of course, its over-the-top, retro-futuristic Americana satirization is a core aspect of what makes Fallout, Fallout, but on new few occasions, large chunks of the series’ fanbase have wondered how locations outside of the US are faring in Fallout’s post-apocalyptic setting, and whether they could fare as suitable settings for a future Fallout game.

Evil Empire’s The Rogue Prince of Persia enters early access on May 14th, so before that, it’s providing more details in various Community Update videos. This week, it delves into Traversal and Combat, the former consisting of wall runs, jumps and more. Check it out below.

Earlier this year, multiple leaks and reports claimed that Hi-Fi Rush was headed to the Nintendo Switch, and though Tango Gameworks’ acclaimed rhythm action game has received a multiplatform launch, it’s only released for PS5, with there being no official word on it coming to Nintendo’s console.

DON’T NOD is no stranger to narrative adventure titles with extensive dialogue systems, where your choices can affect the course of the story. While Lost Records: Bloom and Rage sees one playing through two timelines – Summer of 1995 and 2022 – and making decisions that affect each, the development team at DON’T NOD Montreal is going with a slightly different approach to its dialogue system.

DON’T NOD recently announced that Lost Records: Bloom and Rage, its next narrative adventure, would launch in late 2024. The new trailer showcased Swann, one of the main characters, and some locations in Velvet Core. Players go through the Summer of 1995 and 2022 when the core cast reunites, making decisions that shape both timelines.

Microsoft has announced the first wave of titles coming to Game Pass in May. It’s kicking things off early with Have A Nice Death, a 2D action rogue-like available today on console, PC and the cloud.

Bethesda Games Studios are thinking about how they can release games more frequently while still ensuring that they have a healthy audience for years, the Elder Scrolls company's king wizard Todd Howard has remarked in an interview with Kinda Funny, from which Alice B has already scientifically extracted some titbits about forthcoming Starfield expansion Shattered Space.

Trailered last night, Centum is "an unreliable narrative-driven adventure where everything may be a lie", according to the Steam page. Does the suggestion that everything may be a lie also apply to the suggestion itself? Is this an unreliable Steam page? Perhaps the game is secretly a cheerful Playmobile platformer with plentiful ledge-assist, rather than a horrible point-and-clicker that starts you off in a dark cell with a bunch of obviously cursed artefacts, and gets steadily worse.

Unveiled last night at the IGN x ID@Xbox Digital Showcase, Vampire Survivors has received a free new update called Laborratory (yes, with two 'r's). It includes one new character, one secret character, three weapons, one stage, and a bonus go-cart racing stage. But perhaps most importantly of all, Poncle say they'll answer the question that's been on everyone's lips: "Why is it called Santa Water?". This is something that's puzzled me since the game's inception, and therefore, I will be thrusting myself back into the game where there are, in fact, no vampires at all. I need to know.

Single-player action RPG and social simulation game hybrid Dungeons of Hinterberg will launch for Xbox Series and PC via Steam on July 18, publisher Curve Games and developer Microbird announced. It will also be available via Xbox Game Pass.

Wow, remember Starfield? I do, just about, although any interest in it feels like a distant dream now. But not to Todd Howard! The Bethesboss had a chat with Kinda Funny and confirmed that Shattered Space, the first big DLC for the brave little space RPG that could, has a release window of "in the fall". Shattered Space adds new locations and stories and gear, and is the sort of DLC that was announced before the game came out, and you got it bundled with some of the super mega hyper awesome pre-order editions (you can still get it bundled with the Starfield Premium Edition if you want to spend an extra 30 quid).

Palworld has teased four new beasts of burden for players to corral into their open world survival crafting sweatshops. The new pals are still unnamed but they appear to be the following: karate frog, confused peacock, dopey fungus, levitating sleeve creep. Within the confines of the arms manufacturing Pokélike, such creatures make sense. You can see them struggling to eke out an existence as a close personal friend of the player in the trailer below.

Every day, I wake up, and write about videogames, so it’s a strange feeling to realise I won’t be able to do that anymore, because videogames have been completed. Won. Done. Wonso. Doneso. Promise Mascot Agency is "the world's first (and best) open world mascot management crime drama." It's from Paradise Killer studio Kaizen Game Works Limited. You recruit Yokai-lookin' mascots. Yakuza are in it. You can upgrade your battered truck. You can play a tactical card game to help your mascots. Ikumi Nakamura, of Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo art-fame worked on it. Quick! Someone arrest these reprobates for voter fraud, because no one game should tick this many boxes.

Todd Howard has reassured fans that Starfield will support console mods, and that the Creation Kit modding software is coming soon.

Hi-Fi Rush has been rated in Europe for Nintendo Switch.

poncle’s Vampire Survivors is gearing up for some Contra collaboration DLC next week, but for now, a free new update is available. Version 1.10 “Laborratory” adds seven new Achievements, a new Challenge Stage, a new Bonus Stage and a new character. Check out the trailer below to see it all in action.

Moonana and Serenity Forge revealed a new gameplay trailer for Keylocker during the recent ID@Xbox Showcase, and it looks more sumptuous than ever. The turn-based cyberpunk rhythm RPG launches this Summer and will be available for Xbox Series X/S and PC.

As excited as some may be for new ship-building options or city maps in Starfield, there’s the ever-present question of when official mod support will go live. Director Todd Howard confirmed it would be this year, previously stating the sci-fi RPG would be a “modder’s paradise.” As it turns out, some new information will be dropping soon.

Pocketpair’s Palworld appeared during the recent ID@Xbox Showcase, with the upcoming Summer update receiving its first trailer. It revealed four new Pals, two new weapons, and a new island players will traverse. While the new Pal count may seem low, the developer reiterated that the roster will grow with subsequent updates.

The Fallout franchise has been the center of attention despite the Next-Gen Update’s issues, but Bethesda continues supporting Starfield. The space-faring RPG will receive its first paid expansion this Fall with Shattered Space, and an update is coming up to add maps for cities and “some great stuff” for shipbuilding.

One of the most bizarre yet compelling puzzle titles in recent years is making its way over to Xbox consoles. THA Limited and Enhance’s Humanity, released last year for PlayStation and PC via Steam, and the acclaimed puzzle action title will soon be opening the gates for a new audience.

Bethesda Game Studios has been promising new content and features for Starfield for a while now, and though updates for the space-faring RPG haven’t been as significant as many would have hoped, more new details have emerged on when to expect some of that. Shattered Space, for instance – which will be Starfield’s first paid expansion – has been given a narrower launch window.

It’s been six years since Fallout 76 came out, and close to a decade since Fallout 4. Even if fervour surrounding the franchise wasn’t as high as it is right now thanks to the wild success of Amazon Prime’s Fallout series, demand for a new game would still be ravenous, but in the aftermath of the show, that feels doubly true. And even though it’s clearly going to be a while (to say the least) before that long-awaited new game releases, it seems like Bethesda might actually have two unannounced Fallout projects in the works in some capacity.

poncle has released the version 1.10 update for Vampire Survivors, which is dubbed the “Laborratory” update.

“Snack ‘n slash RPG” HANGRY will be available for Xbox One alongside its previously announced PC (Steam) version, developer Game Pill announced. A release date was not announced.

Gamera Games has announced five titles coming to Xbox Game Pass and/or PC Game Pass, starting with The Rewinder for Xbox One and PC today, followed by Firework, Depersonalization, and Keplerth for PC, and Volcano Princess for Xbox Series and PC in the coming months.

Publisher Kalypso Media and developer Claymore Game Studios have released a gameplay teaser trailer for real-time strategy game Commandos: Origins.

poncle has released the version 1.10 update for Vampire Survivors, which is dubbed the “Laboratory” update.

Free-to-play 60-player racing game Stampede: Racing Royale will launch in Early Access for Xbox Series and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store this summer, publisher Secret Mode and developer Sumo Leamington announced. The Xbox Series and Microsoft Store versions are newly announced.

Monster hunting action RPG Fera: The Sundered Tribes will be available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series following the game’s Early Access period, which will begin for PC via Steam in Q3 2024, developer Massive Damage announced.

Todd Howard has said Bethesda is working on solutions to shorten the length of time between its game releases.

DON’T NOD has released a new trailer for Lost Records: Bloom & Rage dubbed “Lo-Fi Summer.”