Xbox Series S News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Allegedly in the works since as far back as 2018, Resident Evil 9 is set to have the longest ever development cycle for a Resident Evil game by the time it launches, which, as per prior reports, is going hand-in-hand with the series’ largest ever budget for a single game to date. It seems, however, that Capcom might have pushed back the game further out than originally planned to give it even more time in the oven.

Despite its rough early access launch last week, Moon Studios has worked extensively to improve No Rest for the Wicked. The Souls-like action RPG has garnered some positive impressions, though – check them out in the trailer below.

Bandai Namco’sSAND LAND is now available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC. You can check out its launch trailer here, featuring all the hijinx and vehicular action (though be warned of potential spoilers).

The Plucky Squire sits close to the top of most anticipated lists for a great many people, and even though we’ve seen frustratingly little of it, every time it does re-emerge, it continues to look incredibly promising. In recent days, for instance, developer All Possible Futures has been posting short gameplay clips of the action-adventure title on its official Twitter page, and you guessed it- it’s looking really good.

The wait for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has been a long one, but with the long-anticipated open world survival horror FPS drawing closer to its launch a few months down the line, on the 38th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, developer GSC Game World has released a brief new trailer that offers another look at the game.

Ubisoft opens up about new content for Assassin's Creed Mirage, confirming that it won't get any DLC, but the devs may not be done exploring Basim's story. This latest title in the franchise received considerable recognition from new and long-term fans of the hooded protagonists. With Assassin's Creed Mirage, the franchise went back to its roots by offering a compelling and story-driven narrative that die-hard AC fans were waiting for.

After ending its open beta last year, Player First Games’ MultiVersus will fully launch next month. Alongside new characters, netcode changes, a PvE Mode, a shift to Unreal Engine 5 and more, several changes and new mechanics have been added. These include new Dash Attacks.

Star Wars Outlaws will task players with dealing with several different criminal syndicates at the same time, and while many of these – like the Hutts, the Pykes, and Crimson Dawn – will be familiar to fans of the property, the game will also be introducing things of its own creation into the Star Wars canon as well. There is, for instance, the Ashiga Clan, one of the criminal factions in the game, and in an article published by Game Informer, members of the game’s development team at Massive Entertainment have revealed more details on the newly created Syndicate.

Remnant 2 launched its second DLC this week, introducing new content for the apocalyptic co-op shooter with the mysterious and powerful Polygun. This expansion continues to enrich the game's universe, particularly enhancing the mystical forest world of Yaesha. Known for its engaging boss fights and treasure trove of secrets, Remnant 2 follows the successful formula of its predecessor, Remnant: From the Ashes, further cementing the game's reputation as an engaging co-op experience on PC.

When Exodus was announced at The Game Awards last December, it was none other than actor Matthew McConaughey who unveiled the game on-stage. At the time, it was revealed that he was playing a major character in the game, though since then, further details on the role he will play have been scarce.

As a sci-fi RPG coming from ex-BioWare devs, it’s no surprise that Exodus is getting as much attention from Mass Effect as it is, and clearly, the game is going to offer a similar experience to BioWare’s series in a number of key ways.

Archetype Entertainment might be an entirely new studio, but with its ranks full of industry vets from BioWare, Naughty Dog, and more, it certainly seems to have the talent to back its AAA ambitions. The studio revealed its first game – AAA sci-fi action RPG Exodus – in December last year, turning the heads of more than a few Mass Effect fans, and has been doling out new details on it in bits and pieces ever since.

The brand-new MMO Age of Water has released in early access, giving fans the opportunity to experience a game that is reminiscent of the cult classic 1995 film Waterworld. Ocean-faring video games have grown in popularity in recent years, and Age of Water looks to build upon the aquatic craze with gameplay straight out of an action movie.

One of the developers behind No Rest for the Wicked recently talked about the usefulness of early access releases, suggesting that even well-regarded titles such as Dark Souls could have benefited from this practice. Early access is becoming increasingly popular in gaming, and No Rest for the Wicked is just one of the many recent projects to use this release model.

Coming from the creative leads of Persona 3, 4, and 5, Metaphor: ReFantazio is obviously borrowing plenty of elements from the Persona series, but Atlus’ upcoming RPG is also going to put its own twist in that formula in a number of ways, appropriately enough for an entirely new IP. Take, for instance, its blend of real-time and turn-based combat mechanics, or how it will handle exploration throughout its map. Another area where the fantasy RPG will differ from Persona games is how it’ll handle bonds.

Rabbit and Bear Studios’ Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has seen a long journey since its 2020 Kickstarter (including the passing of director Yoshitaka Murayama), but is now finally playable. Unfortunately, the Nintendo Switch version has some issues, including a bug preventing a major character’s recruitment.

If there’s one area (or one of several, actually) where Persona games never fail to impress, it’s the music. Persona 3 Reload, which launched in February, was no different, with the remake receiving widespread praise for how it reimagined and expanded on the original Persona 3’s beloved soundtrack. Now, the remake’s full OST is available for purchase and streaming.

Developer Hooded Horse's CEO, Tim Bender, has addressed the ongoing query regarding the undisclosed price of Manor Lords, attributing this to management issues. Additionally, Bender took the opportunity to address concerns regarding Manor Lords market scams and unauthorized stores.

NOTE: There are spoilers ahead for Gears 5.

Bandai Namco has a new trailer for its upcoming action-adventure SAND LAND, based on Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama’s manga. Be warned, since it’s rife with story spoilers. Check it out below.

Last year’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage was very much a back-to-the-basics moment for Ubisoft’s flagship franchise, opting to have a smaller world with a gameplay loop focused on stealth and parkouring, rather than the RPG mechanics that the series has become known for. Whether or not we’ll ever see a direct follow-up to Mirage is a question that some series fans have wondered at since the game launched last October, and though there’s no concrete answers on that front yet, its development team certainly seems open to the idea of making more games with Mirage’s protagonist Basim.

Tomas Salas’ Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles launched as a sizable follow-up to The Falconeer that veers into the city-builder genre. However, it’s expanding ever more, starting with its first free update, “Trade, Tribute and Spoils.” A new trailer is available, outlining its features – check it out below.

Continuing its extensive post-launch support for Lords of the Fallen, Hexworks has released perhaps its largest update yet, Master of Fate. It adds Advanced Game Modifier Options — seven modifiers to enable before a playthrough — to significantly up the challenge. Check out the near-eight-minute overview trailer below.

Moon Studios’ action RPG No Rest for the Wicked, currently in Steam Early Access, has received a new hotfix. Hotfix 4 offers one performance improvement, fixing a GPU culling leak, but adjusts several gameplay features. One of the most important is that Bounties and Challenges will no longer be deleted if you abandon them, which is excellent news.

Gunfire Games’ latest paid DLC for Remnant 2 is live with The Forgotten Kingdom, with players exploring a new biome in Yaesha. Check out the launch trailer below, which outlines the new environments and enemies.

Rabbit and Bear Studios’ Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, a spiritual successor to the Suikoden series, is now available. It’s playable on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC (along with Game Pass). Check out the launch trailer below, highlighting the different heroes and villains that players will encounter.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora came and went without making too much of a mark for a great many people who played it, but developer Massive Entertainment has continued to put out new patches for the open world title since its launch in December, with another one now having gone live in the form of Title Update 3.2.

Hot off its showcase for Metaphor: ReFantazio, where it revealed cities, exploration, dungeons and whatnot, Atlus has announced Atlus Fes for June 8th and 9th in Bellesalle Akihabara, Tokyo, from 10 AM to 6 PM JST. It will feature playable demos forReFantazio and evenShin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance.

Along with announcing an October release date for Metaphor: ReFantazio, Atlus has revealed a bunch of new details on the fantasy RPG’s combat and dungeons, cities and exploration, and much more. In addition to that, with pre-orders for the title going live today, the company has also revealed a physical Collector’s Edition that players will have the option of picking up.

Atlus broadcast a digital showcase for Metaphor: ReFantazio, its next big role-playing game, outlining its different elements. To kick things off, developer Studio Zero revealed that it will launch on October 11th worldwide. Check out the trailer below.

As promised, developer Weta Workshop and publisher Private Division have premiered the debut trailer for Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game, their upcoming life sim title, showcasing glimpses of its cozy setting, art style, core mechanics, and more.

Riot Games has released a new trailer for its upcoming fighting game 2XKO, this time around, offering up an in-depth look at a new addition to the game’s roster—Illaoi, the Kraken Priestess. Check out the trailer below.

Sony’s multiplatform release strategy has accelerated rapidly in recent years, with the company now viewing PC as a much more prominent part of its larger strategy, especially where live service titles are concerned. Earlier this year, for instance, Helldivers 2 launched simultaneously for PS5 and PC, and it’s fair to say that the majority of game’s unexpected success has been thanks to PC audiences. Now, interestingly enough, it looks like Sony might be considering ways to bring even larger audiences into Arrowhead Game Studios’ acclaimed co-op shooter.

Developer FuturLab has announced that PowerWash Simulator has been played by 12 million players. Celebrating the milestone, the studio states that the game’s various collaboration DLC releases, including ones with SpongeBob SquarePants, Back to the Future, and Warhammer 40,000, had a hand in hitting the number.

Atlus has shared extensive new details on Metaphor: ReFantazio with a deep dive showcase dedicated to the upcoming fantasy RPG. Along with announcing an October launch date for the title, the developer has also offered new information on what to expect from the game’s overarching structure, the locations you’ll be visiting across its fantasy setting, and more.

Iron Gate Studios has released its latest and most challenging region for Valheim yet with Ashlands. Available for public testing on Steam, the penultimate biome sports lava everywhere, the menacing Valkyrie and other horrors, though there’s new armor and weapons to make it worthwhile. Check out the first gameplay trailer below.

Respawn Entertainment’sStar Wars Jedi: Survivor will be available for EA Play subscribers on April 25th. Of course, it’s also playable for PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate members.

Microsoft has announced another edition of the ID@Xbox Digital Showcase, its annual event focused on indie games, which is returning a week from now, on April 29, at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST.

During a recent showcase, Atlus announced an October release date for Metaphor: ReFantazio, which was followed by an extensive deep dive detailing various elements that players can look forward to in the upcoming fantasy RPG.

An inventive Palworld fan has shared ideas for five original Pals. Palworld has more than a hundred Pals that players find on the Palpagos Islands, including fan favorites like Lamball, Jormuntide, and Chillet. While Palworld recently added Bellanoir, players are eagerly awaiting the expansion of the Paldeck with even more new Pals, and have been offering their ideas.

Moon Studios’ No Rest for the Wicked launched into Steam Early Access last Thursday and received a mixed response due to various issues, including performance. Nevertheless, the development team has been quick to address many of these. Its second hotfix is now available, improving the overall performance of rendering, visual effects and fog.

One Starfield fan has started a discussion by pointing out how weak frag grenades are in the game, and how that makes no scientific sense. The grenades in question have been present in the game since day one, though a recent discovery makes their weakness even more confusing to Starfield fans.

While Square Enix recently released the benchmark tool for the upcoming Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, producer and director Naoki Yoshida has taken to a blog post on the game’s official website to reveal that the software will be getting a new version to improve what has been described by players as the “lifeless eyes” of characters.

Capcom reveals planned changes to Dragon's Dogma 2 inside an upcoming April patch and gives players a sneak peek at what they can expect to see once it arrives. Capcom's return to its action RPG series has proven to be a hit with fans and critics alike, especially for those who enjoy customizing their Pawn helpers through the detailed character creator. Still, for all of its successes, Dragon's Dogma 2 launched with a number of issues which Capcom has been busy attempting to fix.

A talented artist has created two life-sized statues based on iconic characters from the Halo franchise. Developed by Bungie and released as an original Xbox exclusive in 2001, Haloestablished itself as an instant classic, one which many have cited as a game that redefined first-person shooters on consoles.

Developer Pieces Interactive and publisher THQ Nordic have released a new trailer for horror game Alone in the Dark, celebrating the positive responses the game has received from certain outlets and critics. You can check it out below.

When The Wolf Among Us 2 was re-announced five years ago, many had hoped that the game would finally have a smooth development cycle on the road to launch, but it has hit a number of significant stumbles behind-the-scenes since that time, and that launch has continued to be pushed back. Recently, developer Telltale Games broke months of silence on the game by sharing four new gameplay screenshots, accompanying which, the developer has also issued a brief statement.

The second paid DLC for Gunfire Games’ Remnant 2, The Forgotten Kingdom, sees players returning to Yaesha to combat Lydusa, a wrathful stone spirit. There are new weapons, mods, rings and amulets to collect and bosses to tackle, but perhaps most exciting is the new Archetype – the Invoker. The developer outlines the new class and its powerful abilities in a new trailer – check it out below.

11 bit Studios’ Frostpunk 2 isn’t even out yet but is garnering praise for its recent beta. A new accolades trailer highlights what critics think of the social survival sequel. Check it out below.

Starfield players are expressing frustration over what they call a «lazy» detail after discovering that three mission NPCs are identical. The detail is annoying Starfield players because of how easy it would have been to fix, and has some lamenting the issues with the game in general.

Ubisoft and developer Massive Entertainment haven’t spoken as much about Star Wars Outlaws’ space sections as they have about its many planets and moons and the gameplay opportunities they will present, but what little has been said so far has certainly indicated that the game’s grand scale and ambition will be reflected in the parts of its intergalactic map where protagonist Kay Vess will be piloting her ship, the Trailblazer.

Star Wars Outlaws’ promise of a vast map where players are able to seamless travel from open world planets and moons into outer space has been one of its more enticing aspects, but there’s still plenty yet that we don’t know about when it comes to what kind of content and gameplay opportunities the game’s space areas will bring. Developer Massive Entertainment has said that space in Star Wars Outlaws will be “full of things to do”– but what things exactly?

Ori developer Moon Studios launched No Rest for the Wicked into Steam Early Access yesterday, and it’s seen mixed impressions from players for various reasons. These include performance issues, lack of key rebinding in-game, untranslated text, etc.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 has no shortage of devious tricks up its sleeve with which to take players by surprise in the meanest way possible, but none of them can hold a candle to Dragonsplague. The disease is contracted by Pawns and is highly contagious, which means Pawns can infect other players’ games if summoned, and if signs of the disease are ignored, the results can be (literally) catastrophic.

Releasing for PlayStation and Windows in 2021, Kena: Bridge of Spirits was one of the highlights of its year, but nearly three years on from release Ember Lab’s acclaimed action-adventure title has still yet to make its way over to additional platforms. That, however, could be changing soon, if a recent age rating is anything to go by.

Square Enix’s Visions of Mana is the next big title in the long-running action RPG series, with a story focused on Val as he accompanies his friend Hinna to the Tree of Mana. Combat incorporates special abilities via Elemental Vessels, which can also result in different classes. However, it won’t have one thing that the series is renowned for: Co-op multiplayer.

Developer Owlcat has released a new trailer for its sci-fi RPG Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, which released in December. The trailer is essentially a guide highlighting one of the game’s lesser talked-about aspects, showcasing the game’s space combat between spaceships. Check it out below.

Alongside offering a lengthy apology for the state of Cities: Skylines 2 as well as its recently-released Beach Properties DLC, CEO of developer Colossal Order, Mariina Hallikainen, and Paradox Interactive deputy CEO Mattias Lilja, have revealed that the console release of the city builder is being pushed back.

Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment are promising an expansive open world experience with the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws, which is being billed as the ultimate scoundrel fantasy, and though that will involve a lot of juggling of different criminal syndicates and maintaining your reputation with each different faction, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find the time to sit down and, say, play some cards.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is out this year, and while Warhorse Studios’ first title had a massive scale, the sequel is much bigger. The developer revealed it’s “twice as big” as the first game, with two maps to explore. Coupled with a story that sees Henry of Skalitz involved in the “problems of kings,” there’s much to look forward to.

Warhorse Studios finally announced Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 after various rumors, and it sees Henry of Skalitz returning as the protagonist. The open-world action RPG has a much larger scale than its predecessor, with spokesperson Tobias Stolz-Zwilling calling it a “behemoth” of a game that’s “twice the size” of the original.

After rumors and an accidental trailer leak, Warhorse Studios and Deep Silver have officially announced Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. The sequel to the 2018 open-world action RPG launches this year for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Check out the announcement trailer and 14-minute gameplay reveal below.

As it celebrates Baldur’s Gate 3 winning Game of the Year at the BAFTA Games Awards, Larian Studios is prepping for its next big patch. Patch 7 adds improved evil endings to the experience and promises “even darker conclusions” for the “most sinister playthroughs,” even if you’re not playing as The Dark Urge. It then posted two short GIFs of new cutscenes for the evil endings (be warned of spoilers).

Baldur’s Gate 3 won’t receive any paid expansions, and Larian isn’t keen on developing a sequel, but that doesn’t mean fans can’t look forward to more updates. Patch 7 is in the works, and alongside the improved evil endings, with new cutscenes and music, it also marks the arrival of official modding tools.

The latest update forDying Light 2 Stay Human is pretty massive, adding Nightmare Mode, its new highest difficulty. However, there are also several night-time changes, Gear Loadouts, visual improvements and more.

Techland’s massive Update 1.16 for Dying Light 2 Stay Human is live and introduces the new, most challenging difficulty yet – Nightmare Mode. Check out the trailer below for quick bullet points on what to expect.

Developer Thekla has revealed that the launch for Braid: Anniversary Edition is being pushed back from its originally-planned April 30 release date for the PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Netflix versions to May 14. The Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S versions are also being delayed, albeit to one day later at May 15.

Warhorse Studios will be announcing its next game today, and reports indicate it’s a sequel to Kingdom Come: Deliverance, its open-world medieval action RPG. Said reports appear legitimate, with an IGN video preview seemingly going live early. It’s since been pulled, but you can check it out courtesy of Reddit.

Bethesda Game Studios has promised some significant updated for Starfield in 2024, from “new ways” of travelling to new gameplay features to the launch of its first expansion, Shattered Steel. Thus far, however, more than a quarter of our way into the year, details on those updates have remained scant, even if the space RPG has received a couple of patches.

NetherRealm’s latest DLC fighter for Mortal Kombat 1, Ermac, is now available in “early access.” Those who own the Kombat Pack can play him now, while others need to wait for his worldwide launch on April 23rd.

Embark Studios has released a new update for THE FINALS, updating the store with new weapon skins and the Lurkfin La Goon monster head for players. Check out the trailer below to see how they look.

Red Barrels has announced that a new limited-time event is live inThe Outlast Trials. Toxic Shock sees players collecting rats for “tissue analysis” while dealing with lethal gas in the Trial. The event is live until May 7th – check out the launch trailer below.

Developer Appeal Studios and publisher THQ Nordic have released a new trailer for open-world action/adventure title Outcast – A New Beginning. The trailer, released a little over a month after the game’s launch, celebrates the title by highlighting some of the positive reviews that it has gotten. Check it out below.

New characters for upcoming arena fighter Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero have been revealed. Spotted by X (formerly Twitter) user @SLOplays, the characters were shown off through an issue of Japanese publication V-jump magazine.

Amid delays and rumors of development troubles for XDefiant, Ubisoft has announced a server test session for the competitive shooter. It starts on April 19th, 10 AM PT and runs till April 21st for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. The pre-load is now available, with all players free to participate.

Remember Mortal Kombat 1’s fourth season of Invasions? Regardless, Season 5 or the Season of Storms, is live and features a more distinct antagonist. It’s Dark Raiden, a corrupted and decidedly more aggressive version of the Thunder God seeking to destroy threats to Earthrealm. Check out the trailer below.

Microsoft has revealed the lineup of games that will be added to the Game Pass catalog over the next couple of weeks, and subscribers have some notable titles to look forward to. Most prominent among them is probably Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, Rabbit and Bear Studios’ long-awaited Suikoden spiritual successor, which launches April 23 and will also be available with Game Pass on PC, console, and cloud at launch.

If you’re not one of the reported five million (and counting) players to have tried out Assassin’s Creed Mirage, a free trial is live now. It’s available until April 30th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC and allows for two hours of playtime with progress transferring over to the game.

Developer Hangar 13 is gearing up to launch TopSpin 2K25 later this month, but it’s not the only game the studio is working on. In 2022, the developer officially confirmed that it was working on the next instalment in the Mafia franchise, and allegedly, it’s going to be announced soon.

Developer Fatshark has announced that its next major update for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, titled Path of Redemption, will be released later today. Celebrating the update, the studio has released a new trailer that showcases some of the new content coming to the game. Check it out below.