Release News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

On April 28, Darkrise released a new update! And we all know it’s been a while. Let’s have a little looksie into what the new content looks like.

Microsoft unveiled the batch of games coming to Xbox Game Pass throughout the first half of May. It’s a smaller group of only four games, but all of them are neat additions to Microsoft’s subscription service. Here’s the full roster of games coming to Xbox Game Pass between May 2 and May 14.

Samsung announced two new video games for its TVs at the IAB NewFronts 2024 event that won’t require a controller to be played.

Razer, makers of various pretty good gaming peripherals and one deeply questionable face mask, have been slapped with a $1.1 million fine by US regulators after said mask was determined to have misled buyers over the amount of protection it afforded. Kotaku reports that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took issue with Razer’s claim that the Zephyr, an RGB monstrosity released during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, could act as a medical-grade N95 respirator – it could not – and will allocate $1 million of that fine towards refunds for fooled, if colourfully illuminated, buyers.

Housemarque got us all excited on Monday when it teased something regarding Returnal to mark the game's third anniversary would be dropping 24 hours later. That left us wanting for a sequel, or at the very least some DLC for what remains one of the best PS5 exclusives to date. Unfortunately, we're not getting either of those things, at least not yet. On the bright side, Housemarque has announced a graphic novel- Returnal: Fallen Asteria, as well as a Returnal artbook, both of which are available to pre-order now.

While Square Enix may remain quiet when it comes to the development of , a new report alleges that the highly-anticipated sequel could be out sooner than expected. Despite its massive fanbase and passionate community, isn't exactly known for maintaining a consistent release schedule given that over a decade passed between the launch of the second and third games. Smaller titles have been released for handheld systems and mobile devices in that time span, but the mainline franchise has always suffered when it comes to consistent releases.

Funko Inc. and developer 10:10 Games have announced that 20(!) franchises will be a part of their upcoming Funko Pop-based co-op action game Funko Fusion. They also announced a release date for PC and consoles: September 13. Check out the new gameplay trailer above and a half-dozen screenshots showing off some of the crossover IPs in the gallery below.

Housemarque has celebrated the third anniversary of Returnal with an announcement for a spin-off graphic novel titled 'Fallen Asteria'. It will be released on October 22, 2024, and is available to preorder now at Amazon for $19.99.

Movie theaters, and the studios that provide their content, have been clawing their way out of a financial crater ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began. After Avengers: Endgame, the live-action Lion King, and Todd Phillips’ Joker helped fuel record-breaking box-office returns in 2019, the pandemic-era lockdowns froze theaters in their tracks, and the subsequent thaw has been slow and difficult for every industry that touches cinema.

If you missed seeing Hayao Miyazaki’s final* film, The Boy and the Heron, in theaters, GKIDS is bringing the enigmatic animated masterpiece to Blu-ray and DVD July 9.

Despite being one of the most successful games released by Remedy Entertainment, Alan Wake II still hasn't recouped its expenses, according to a new financial report.

During the lengthy Kinda Funny Gamecast interview mainly focused on Fallout, Bethesda's Todd Howard revealed a big Starfield update coming this week to the Steam beta branch. The first story expansion, Shattered Space, will be released this Fall.

ASUS is expected to be the next major player to enter the AI PC laptop segment utilizing Qualcomm's Snapdragon X CPUs.

Square Enix has announced that it “expects to recognize extraordinary losses” for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, attributing them as “content abandonment losses”. The Japanese company has, in other words, cancelled undisclosed projects, owing to which it will incur losses amounting to ¥22.1 billion (roughly $140.4 million).

Microsoft has unveiled a slew of new games coming to Xbox Game Pass in the near future and subscribers can look forward to plenty of Day-One releases. One of the best parts about the console's subscription service is the ability to play new titles for no extra cost the moment they launch, meaning those who use the platform have access to a wealth of fresh titles that they don't need to pay an additional fee to access. Following the recent ID@Xbox showcase, the company confirmed that the next few months will be packed with some exciting Day-One drops.

For years Fallout fans have wondered if a video game in the franchise will ever leave the United States for another country. According to Fallout lore, the nuclear war of 2077 upon which the franchise is based was not localized to the U.S., but a global event. And so, the idea of traipsing astound post-apocalyptic London or even Canada has long-been mooted by fans.

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island has received a new update on Switch, Spike Chunsoft has confirmed. The update brings quite a bit of new content to the game, including dojo challenges, a new playable character, new Sacred Tree dungeons with six new modes though the sixth is a mystery. A further content update is due in the summer too. The content update notes are below.

Stampede: Racing Royale will be added to Xbox Game Preview and Steam Early Access in the summer, Secret Mode and Sumo Leamington have confirmed. Those on the Xbox Insider Program can already get access to the game already. The 60 player racing battle royale game will also be receiving playtests on Steam soon.

Hi-Fi Rush's long-rumoured Nintendo Switch port has popped up again, this time in an age rating from the ESRB. This comes more than a month since the PS5 port dropped, and months after a release on the Nintendo console was first reported on.

We wrap up a busy April with another batch of our Crowdfunding Campaigns to check out. This time we have a nice variety of campaigns, whether you are looking for thematic games or even a microgame. Check it out.

Todd Howard says Bethesda is working on getting games into players' hands more quickly.

The developer of upcoming Sims competitor, Life By You, has confirmed it's ready to launch on its new Early Access release date, and it's right around the corner. 

Whenever Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead releases a big balance update for the PC and PlayStation 5 co-op shooter, the community debates the various nerfs and buffs as it gets to grips with the evolving meta. After this week’s release of patch 01.000.300, which tweaked a long list of weapons, stratagems, and enemies, the debate was especially vociferous.

With all things Fallout now enjoying a significant boost following the breakout success of the Fallout TV show, Fallout 76 is enjoying a significant rise in player numbers. Last week, Bethesda announced that Fallout 76, its most recent mainline Fallout game, saw over one million people play in a single day.

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.

Reviving something popular from the past, whether it be a best-selling game or a well-loved TV show, is always a risk. There's usually a worry that whoever it is doing the reviving might not do the source material justice. That has not been the case when it comes to X-Men '97. The first season of the rebooted animated show has been going down a storm, and as we stare down the barrel of its three-part finale, Reebok has turned Wolverine and Gambit into some officially licensed footwear.

Square Enix has revised its approach to PC and console game development, and absorbed ¥22.1 billion (approx $140.9 million) in what it calls “content abandonment losses.”

The newly-released Fallout TV show has been watched by more than 65 million people to date.

After iOS, the EU has targeted Apple once again with respect to iPadOS, calling it a digital gatekeeper. What this means is that the changes imposed by the EU under the Digital Markets Act for the iPhone will be coming to the iPad. In lieu of recent events, Epic has announced that it will be bringing back Fortnite to the iPad as well.

Gray Zone Warfare, the tactical first-person shooter PC game currently ranked 7th on Steam's global wishlist, will launch tomorrow in early access. The news was shared this afternoon by Czech developer MADFINGER Games, formerly known for hit mobile releases like Shadowgun and Dead Trigger.

Blizzard has released hotfixes for Rolling Thunder for Shamans and Felguards for Warlocks in today's hotfixes.

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.

Nearing a decade after its original release, Bethesda has ported Fallout 4 to PS5, promising the kind of improved technical performance that you'd expect from a generation-jumping upgrade. But does the once highly-rated, open world RPG still hold up in 2024?

Classic RPGs Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VII have been referenced as inspirations behind a new galaxy-spanning RPG set for release on PS5, PS4 later this year. Beyond Galaxyland, from individual developer Sam Enright, is «an all-new take on the beloved RPG adventures of old» with an active turn-based combat system, platforming, and puzzle solving from the 2.5D perspective. Check out the announcement trailer above.

Don't Nod has shared a fresh look at its next narrative adventure, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. Releasing for PS5 at the end of this year, it looks to capture the feel of the mid-1990s as four friends spend the summer break together in Velvet Cove. Check out the lo-fi trailer above for more context.

Popular MOBA game SMITE is getting a sequel, and you’ll soon be able to play it yourself. While the release date for Smite 2 is still a ways off, developer Hi-Rez Studios is letting fans get an early look at the title with a closed alpha test.

Kingdom Hearts IV will grace PS5 boxes next year, according to the increasingly reliable online tipster Daniel Richtman (DanielRPK). The TV and film leaker posted to his Patreon that he's heard about a 2025 release date for Kingdom Hearts IV, just days after his claim Sonic Frontiers 2 is in development was backed up by another reliable insider in Midori. The rumour may suggest we'll see more of the Square Enix title later in 2024 after two years of radio silence since its reveal.

Gothic fans already know the original 2001 open-world RPG is getting the remake treatment, which is expected to arrive on PS5 sometime in 2024. Publisher THQ Nordic and developer have revealed that a Collector's Edition of the game will be available, with some appropriately leather-bound goodies.

With Cataclysm Pre-Patch set to release tomorrow, and launch just a few weeks away, Blizzard has released a breakdown of how the Cataclysm Classic pre-patch (4.4.0) will differ from the original Cataclysm (4.0.3a) release. Cataclysm Classic Pre-Patch Overview Guide

Intel issued a statement to address the stability issues currently affecting 13th and 14th gen Intel Core i9 CPUs, including the i9-14900K, in certain PC configurations. These stability issues can cause select Intel Core i9 processors to run out of their recommended specs, which can negatively affect performance during gaming sessions and productivity tasks.

Bethesda fans won’t have to wait much longer before they finally get their hands on Starfield’s first expansion, Shattered Space, and there is even more content on the way, too.

Blizzard has announced three Beta Test Weekends that will occur ahead of Cataclysm Classic's release on May 20th! These tests will include two weekends' worth of Raid testing and one weekend of Tol Barad PvP Battleground testing.

The debate around which Fallout game is best typically comes down to either Fallout 3 or New Vegas. Whichever side you land on, there’s no denying that New Vegas made the most out of what it had to work with. This game was originally made by Obsidian, not Bethesda, and it had a very short development time that resulted in a game in which the technical performance couldn’t quite match its narrative and mechanical ambitions. While the core was still great, it has also been over a decade since the game came out, which makes those blemishes even more evident. Because fans took so well to what this entry was trying to do, mods have kept New Vegas alive and well to this day. From basic visual enhancements to new quests and locations, here are the best mods you can get for New Vegas.

It's been a while since we've had an official update on Starfield's long-awaited Shattered Space story DLC, which was first revealed even before the game launched last September. Thankfully, Starfield director Todd Howard was on hand to give us an official release window, as he recently revealed in an interview during the most recent Kinda Funny Gamescast that Shattered Space is currently scheduled to release this Fall.

Pocketpair has announced that Palworld is going to be getting four new Pals, though they have not been named yet. They will be part of the updates coming this summer for the game, and it looks like a new area could be in the works too, but the PvP mode for Palworld is not likely to be released during the summer.

Q-Games has announced its newest project and it is All You Need Is Help. The game is a co-operative multiplayer puzzle game, where players are different shapes, that look a bit like Tetris shapes, work together to solve various puzzles.

Developer Microbird and Curve Games have confirmed that the action RPG Dungeons of Hinterberg will be available from July 18th, for PC and Xbox Series X|S. It has also been confirmed that Dungeons of Hinterberg will be available on Xbox and PC Game Pass on day one too.

Enhance and tha ltd. have announced that their puzzle platformer Humanity will be coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One on 30th May. The game will also be available via Xbox Game Pass for both console and Windows PC.

Capcom has released the gameplay trailer for Akuma as players get ready for his return. The new gameplay trailer shows Akuma absolutely beating Ryu, and staking his claim on the title as the true Master of the Fist. You can feel the rage, and if you want to harness it you can too. Akuma, like other characters, can be your master in World Tour mode, and train you in Satsui no Hado.

The Sonic cinematic universe expanded beyond the big screen last week as all six episodes of the Knuckles spinoff show sped exclusively onto Paramount Plus. The show has been receiving mixed reviews so far. An audience score of 75 percent on Rotten Tomatoes is pretty great, but the apparent lack of Knuckles in the show hasn't been sitting well with a lot of Sonic fans. Whether you love the show and you'd like to own a physical version, or you don't have Paramount and you're waiting for other ways to watch it, pre-orders for its Blu-ray and DVD versions are already available.

New redeem codes have been released for May 2024! Many of these codes come from the 2.2 live stream that occurred Friday, April 26th, and some of them are leftovers that are still active from April's codes. As is usual with live-stream codes, these codes will only remain active for 24 hours after the stream, so redeem them while you can.

Spring has sprung and that means new creatures coming to the chaotic, monster-filled lands of Palworld. Developer Pocketpair revealed four new Pals heading to the hit survival monster-catching game on Monday. The brief trailer showed four new Pals that will join the growing roster of creatures in the game. Pocketpair did not share a release date for the new Pals.

There’s plenty of good TV — even plenty of great TV on right now (see, for example, the myriad series newly on Polygon’s own list of the best TV of 2024 so far). And lo, there’s even some new great TV coming to screens this week, as there always is.

Pokémon Go: Rivals Week 2024 has been announced by the developers! There’s a lot to look forward to in this year’s event.

WorldWinner is celebrating a major milestone in a big way.  Founded in 1999, the developer of skill-based competitive cash tournament games has been in business for 25 years.  To mark the occasion, WorldWinner is launching Lotería Fantástica on their website and mobile apps in both English and Spanish.

Bandai Namco has released a brand new trailer to showcase Tekken 8’s season 1, confirming a new stage, mode and fighter. First off the trailer confirms that there will be a battle balance update released, which will tweak various elements for the fighters, though no release notes have been released yet.

Game of Thrones is reportedly the basis of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game set from The Finals publisher Nexon.

After dropping Methods: Detective Competition in January, Erabit Studios is back with more mystery and thrill. They’re releasing the second part of their gripping visual novel series today. Titled Methods2: Secrets and Death, it’s a game of 100 detectives vs 100 criminals.

The new is an interesting addition to , but more than anything, it's a reminder that one older game in franchise deserves to have a proper comeback. Although the release model of has long relied on extensive amounts of expansion packs, the series also spent much of its lifespan spinning things off into proper side games. Although this could sometimes get very far from the original concept (like in ), the franchise also had its fair share of games that fulfilled core concepts in their own interesting ways.

Last week Dan Henderson, a former product manager at PC water-cooling manufacturer EK Water Blocks, made a public post on LinkedIn, in which he described almost four months of no pay, and being “strong armed and bullied into signing a new contract through fear of losing my job and also financial ruin.” He also accused the company - one of the biggest in the space - of “blatant racism...psychological manipulation, plain bare faced lying, [and] severe unprofessionalism.”

The soon-to-be-released Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake doesn't run at 60 frames per second like the original GameCube release, but it is likely due to the developer's choice to prioritize other things over frame rate and performance.

Looks like a crossover with all the good stuff-ing is going to drop soon in China. It’s the Reverse: 1999 China x Pizza Hut collaborations that’s about to drop for the Chinese servers. Bluepoch, the publishers of the game, is all set to bring three of the most popular characters of the game into Pizza Hut’s world. Who are they and what else is going down? Keep reading to find out!

Aftermagic is a roguelike RPG launched on April 17, 2024, gaining plenty of attention since its release. It’s a mix of strategic deck building and roguelike cave crawling.

Medieval strategy title Manor Lords has sold north of one million copies.

Legend tells of a man so consumed by his pursuit of strength that his soul and body have now faded into nothingness. Though many wish he were a mere legend, Akuma will rise again in Street Fighter 6, to challenge foes worthy enough to face him on May 22. Will you harness the power of the Satsui no Hado or succumb to it?

Hades 2 developer Supergiant Games has signaled the end of the game’s technical test and early access launch soon afterwards.

The studio behind Escape from Tarkov has attempted to partially U-turn on its plans to add a PvE mode exclusively to a new $250 edition of the game, but players continue to express anger.

Capcom has finally fully revealed Street Fighter 6’s long-awaited DLC character Akuma, confirming a release date and showing off gameplay.

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has released a significant patch for the game that makes big balance changes to weapons, stratagems, enemies, and missions.

Japanese publishing giant Capcom has increased its financial outlook for the financial year ending March 31st, 2024.

Bandai Namco has revealed its roadmap for Tekken 8 throughout the rest of 2024, including the game’s second DLC character, new story, and plenty more.

SNK has released a new trailer forFatal: Fury: City of the Wolves, announcing the addition of Marco Rodrigues to the roster (voiced by Earl Baylon in English and Kenichirou Matsuda in Japanese). As a practitioner of Kyokugen Karate, he made his debut in Garou: Mark of the Wolves, so a return only makes sense. Check out some of his moves below.

Based on rumors so far, the Nintendo Switch 2 seems to be mostly focused on keeping what people love about the Switch and improving on it, but a new report indicates that one iconic element of the system could be going away with its successor. The long wait for news on the console has been full of ups and downs, dating back to the time when a Switch Pro was expected before a new system entirely. More recently, a presumed 2024 date seemed to slip out the window in favor of a 2025 release, making the wait even longer.

Samsung has maintained the same 5,000mAh battery capacity and fast-charging speeds for various flagship generations falling under the Galaxy S Ultra lineup. Sadly, based on one rumor, the company will repeat history with the Galaxy S25 Ultra launch next year. This means that Samsung has to develop creative ideas to deliver a higher runtime than the previous models.

Fans of both Baldur's Gate 3 and Stardew Valley are in for a treat, with the Baldur’s Village project combining both games into one. This mod for Stardew Valley will add all of the main characters from Baldur's Gate 3 into the game, giving you an excuse to romance them all over again.

The weekend is here, and there are loads of exciting deals you do not want to miss! This Saturday, new deals on some amazing video games, technology, and devices have appeared, and we've rounded up our picks. The best deals for Sunday, April 29, include the Glorious GMMK 2, Tekken 8, 2024 MacBook Air, Armored Core 6, Apple Watch Series 9, and more.

The popular Nintendo emulator, Delta, that arrived on the App Store for iPhone to much fanfare a few weeks ago is now getting a version that’s optimized for the iPad. Developer Riley Testut shared an update on Threads this weekend revealing that an iPad app has been in the works, and is now being prioritized since Apple changed its tune on game emulators. The iPad app is “near completion,” and subscribers to Testut’s Patreon can get it now through the AltStore, an alternative marketplace the developer created a few years back for sideloading iOS and iPadOS apps. Otherwise, you can wait a little while for it to come with Delta’s next big update, version 1.6.

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.

Hearken to this, my fellow retro gaming sickos: Nintendo is finally catering to our very unusual tastes with the latest updates to the Nintendo Switch Online retro game library. This time, we've gotten a pair of N64 games that I'd wager you've either never heard of or entirely forgotten up until this moment.