• Halo Campaign Evolved's executive producer, Damon Conn, says the team wanted to explore the relationship between Sergeant Johnson and Master Chief for the three new missions
• The new missions were also inspired by Troy Denning's Halo novels
• Halo Studios suggests players play them after the original story

Halo Campaign Evolved executive producer Damon Conn and creative director Max Szlagor have confirmed that the remake's three new missions were created with the help of Halo book author Troy Denning.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026, where we went hands-on with the upcoming game, the developers explained that the Halo universe has a lot to explore, but they wanted to explore the relationship between Sergeant Johnson and Master Chief in the missions of Operation: METEORITE.

"If you think about it, in the original game, you see Sergeant Johnson as such an important character in these original games, but you don't really get to know Sergeant Johnson that well, or his relationship with Chief," Conn said. "That really set the stage for us creatively to think about, 'Hey, let's talk about a mission that they went on a year before the events of The Ring,' and then really to go into their relationship and how they fight alongside each other.

"Even beyond that, there's all this other universe. You've got Spartans and ODSTs. You've got the Brutes. You've got the Prophets. It's really just us leaning into these other elements of the story that we can tell more deeply, that then let you go back and appreciate more of the campaign and what's there."

Szlagor added that Troy Denning, one of the authors who writes some of the Halo novels, like Halo: Last Light, Halo: Retribution, and Halo: Silent Storm - A Master Chief Story, also "helped with the story" of the three missions.

"It's a lore-authentic story," he said, explaining that series veterans who have been fans for 25 years and played on Xbox or PC are going to get new bits of information that they've been wanting, allowing them to "piece more of the puzzle together," such as the Covenant War.

"It's really going to be fun for them," Szlagor added. "But then also, if you're brand new to the experience, maybe you're a PlayStation player, you've never played before, and this is going to be something that would be really good to play after you play the main ring storyline."

However, the creative director suggests that players play the new missions "after they've played and experienced the original."

"It is meant to be played that way, because we've made it more of an intermediate difficulty experience, it's a little bit progressed further along. You start off, and it's a little bit more challenging than the first mission of Halo," he said.

"But again, you can play it in any order you would like. We're not going to make you choose or anything like that, but we just suggest that you play it that way."

Halo Campaign Evolved arrives on July 28 for PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC.

• Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently available to pre-order
• The standard edition version of the game costs $79.99 / £69.99
• The majority of those we polled said its price was too high

With Grand Theft Auto 6 pre-orders live right now, there's been plenty of discussion about the game's price.

Two versions of the game are available: a standard edition that costs $79.99 / £69.99 / AU$129.95 and an upgraded Ultimate Edition that throws in some bonus digital content for $99.99 / £89.99 / AU$159.95.

In my eyes, it's a pretty reasonable price point. The game has taken over a decade to develop and is estimated to have a massive budget, which has led some analysts to suggest that prices could start at as much as $100 / £100 / AU$200 before they were made official.

In the US, it's $10 more expensive than most major games, which generally go for $69.99. In the UK, it's actually the same price as most other releases with the likes of Ghost of Yotei or Stellar Blade also costing £69.99.

Still, according to a poll we ran with TechRadar readers, some fans are disappointed, particularly given the fact that physical versions of GTA 6 won't actually contain a proper disc but rather a printed download code.

Most think GTA 6 costs too much

We took to our almost 400,000 member strong WhatsApp channel to find out what our readers think and, after 459 responses, the results are pretty interesting.

Overall, the majority (59%) of responses said that GTA 6 is priced too high. Of that group, 68% stated that they would not by the game — vowing that "Rockstar just lost a sale" — while 32% admitted they would buy the game anyway, even if they thought it was too much.

Meanwhile, 41% were keen to get a pre-order locked in, selecting the option that said they will definitely "be there day one". This means that on the whole 59% said they were going to buy the game, even if they expressed concern with the price.

This leaves a sizeable minority that have seemingly been completely turned off. We'll have to wait and see whether this reservation is reflected in the official sales figures when they eventually release.

• Sony is going all out for GTA 6 marketing
• The PS5 homepage, PS Store, and PS App have been updated with a GTA 6 theme
• Pre-orders have officially begun

Sony has gone full Grand Theft Auto 6 marketing mode as pre-orders for the most anticipated game of all time officially begin.

The wait is finally over, GTA 6 pre-orders are now live, and in anticipation of the game's release later this year, Sony is showing that it definitely has a favorite by updating the PlayStation 5 homepage, PS Store, and PS App with a new GTA 6 theme.

Now, when players boot up their PS5, they're greeted by a full-screen animation of the game's logo, before it fades into an ad for the game on the console's welcome hub.

When navigating to the PS Store, the background now features co-protagonists Jason and Lucia, and the "Must See" UI has been updated with purple boxes that provide details on the Ultimate Edition, trailers, the Vintage Vice City and GTA+ pre-order bonuses, and a way to pre-order.

As spotted by Shinobi602, Sony has also updated the PS App logo with GTA 6 branding. Instead of the blue icon, it's been replaced by the game's sunset theme and palm trees.

It's clear that Sony is going all out to maximize the GTA 6 marketing, and it's not even a first-party exclusive.

It also shared in a post yesterday that "thanks to a close partnership" with the studio, "GTA 6 will play best on PS5" and take advantage of PS5’s features "to deliver a deeply engaging single-player experience."

GTA 6 officially launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X and Series S, and will cost $79.99 / AU$129.95 / £69.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 / AU$159.95 / £89.99 for the Ultimate Edition. Pre-loads begin on November 12.

It's also confirmed that physical copies won't have a disc and only include a digital download code in the box.

• GTA 6 physical editions won't have a disc and only come with a digital code
• Fans are disappointed with the announcement after some bought PS5 Pro disc drives solely for GTA 6
• Some retailers have dropped the game from sale due to their policies of only selling physical products

Physical copies of Grand Theft Auto 6 won't have a disc, and now multiple retailers have announced they won't be selling pre-orders as a result.

After Rockstar Games finally announced the price of the game yesterday and revealed GTA 6's Standard and Ultimate Editions, it was confirmed that physical copies will only include a digital download code in the box and no disc.

One explanation could be that Rockstar is trying to minimize the risk of leaks, but many fans hoping to secure a physical copy are disappointed.

"First look at GTA 6 physical edition," reads one Reddit post with a picture of an empty game box. Another replied, "Don’t forget the slip [of] paper with the code. Physical media is doomed."

One fan said, "I got a disc drive for my PS5 Pro just for this. **Sigh**"

"Got brand new PS5 Slim digital from outlet cause it was much cheaper [a] couple days before they announced price increase," another fan wrote. "Was planning to buy disk drive so I can later sell console and the game (mainly play on pc). But I won't be able to sell the game unless I sell my account as well lol."

The lack of a physical disc has also led certain retailers to stop selling pre-orders altogether as a policy, including Canadian retailer VGP, which is known for regular restocks of rare physical games (via GamesRadar).

"For nearly 40 years, VGP has been committed to supporting physical media and preserving the value of physical game ownership," the retailer said on Bluesky. "As part of that commitment, our company policy is that we do not carry physical products for video game consoles that contain only a digital download code."

The company added, "We want to be clear that this decision is not a reflection of the game itself. We have tremendous respect for Rockstar Games and the incredible achievement that Grand Theft Auto VI represents.

"Should Rockstar one day release a physical edition containing a disc in the box, we would be pleased to carry and support that version for our customers."

US-based Loot Box Gaming is also taking the same position, announcing on X/Twitter that it "will not be supporting the release of GTA 6."

"When we started LBG, it was out of a love for our favorite form of media, gaming, as-well as the preservation of said media," the post reads. "If a product can’t honor the people who pay their hard earned money to purchase it, then we have no business trying to sell it to our customers whom we value above anything else."

GTA 6 pre-orders are now live and will cost $79.99 / AU$129.95 / £69.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 / AU$159.95 / £89.99 for the Ultimate Edition.

GTA 6 officially launches on November 19, but pre-loads begin on November 12.

Developer Rockstar Games has unveiled a deluge of new promotional screenshots, alongside the confirmation of the game's price and GTA 6 pre-order information.

In an email sent to outlets including TechRadar Gaming, the publisher shared 63 new images, which can also be found on the game's official site.

They mainly focus on the content included with the Ultimate Edition, or the Vintage Vice City Pack pre-order bonus DLC, but still reveal some interesting titbits about the game and point to some potential key mechanics.

Expect plenty of flashy cars, and vehicle customization

Loads of the new screenshots focus on cars and car customization, with the press release accompanying the images confirming that Ultimate Edition owners will be able to visit two exclusive vehicle mod shops.

We know that interiors will be customizable, alongside rims, paint jobs, and more.

Clothing stores and hairdressers are returning too

As in past games, it's clear that players will be able to visit clothing stores to customize how their characters look as the Ultimate Edition comes bundled with access to the exclusive Stock 305 Clothing Store.

There will also be hairdressers if you need a trim, including Sara's Unisex Salon if you buy the Ultimate Edition version.

The game will also feature tattoo parlors, again just like previous games.

You can get your own boats

One of the biggest benefits of the Ultimate Edition seems to be access to the Shitzu Squalo, a flashy boat that you can use to explore the sea and access a weapons crate. Like Grand Theft Auto 5, it seems players will be able to own and presumably customize their own ships.

You'll have somewhere to stay on land as well

When you're on land, you will be able to access safehouses, with one included in the Ultimate Edition. It will allow you to store vehicles and, I assume, access other features.

Weapon customization is back with a bang

Loads of the screenshots show flashy weapons (or characters holding them). The fact that you will be able to customize weapons has been confirmed, which should mean access to skins and attachments. like scopes or suppressors.

Pre-order buyers get a dose of nostalgia

While the screenshots so far have focused on the Ultimate Edition, 12 of the 63 sent out today are all about the Vintage Vice City Pack.

This is one of the bonuses that will be given to fans who pre-order, and includes some outfits, hairstyles, and weapons that you can see above.

They're clearly inspired by the world of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and so should offer a big dose of nostalgia to returning fans.

• A digital Grand Theft Auto 6 pre-order comes with a free month of GTA+
• The subscription service offers access to GTA Online benefits and the ability to play older GTA games
• Here's everything you need to know about the service

If you place a GTA 6 pre-order on a digital storefront for PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X and Series S, you immediately get access to a free month of GTA+.

But what exactly is it, and how should you use it? Here's what you need to know.

What actually is GTA+?

GTA+ is Rockstar's subscription service, primarily intended for the most devoted GTA Online players.

It gives you access to a load of benefits in the multiplayer game, including a monthly $500,000 in-game cash injection, a 15% bonus when you buy Shark Cards (the game's currency gift cards), and reward multipliers in certain missions.

You also get access to The Vinewood Car Club, where you can claim a free vehicle or modify your existing collection in its exclusive workshop. The Car Club also boasts a 100-car garage for you to use.

This is on top of monthly drops that include exclusive liveries, special paint jobs, and unique clothing. Other smaller benefits include free taxi rides in-game, access to a discounted gun store, the ability to bribe the police to reduce your wanted level, and some other additional features.

These are some fantastic benefits if you're a big GTA Online player, but GTA+ does also have something to offer with its game library...

Which games does GTA+ include?

Alongside its GTA Online benefits, GTA+ includes access to a range of Rockstar Games title. The selection changes on a regular basis, but right now the following GTA games can be played:

• Grand Theft Auto 5 (PS5, Series X / S, PC)
• Grand Theft Auto Online (PS5, Series X / S)
• Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition (PS5/PS4, Xbox, PC)
  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition (Android, iOS)
  • Grand Theft Auto 3 - The Definitive Edition (Android, iOS)
• Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (Android, iOS)
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Android, iOS)

That's not everything, though, as there are some titles from other series included too:

• Bully (PS5/PS4, Xbox, PC, Android, iOS)
• Red Dead Redemption (PS5/PS4, Xbox, PC)
• L.A. Noire (PS5/PS4, Xbox, PC)

As you can see, the games are available on a wide range of platforms, with some even available for mobile devices.

Out of all the games here, I would recommend checking out Vice City the most ahead of GTA 6, either as part of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition or its standalone The Definitive Edition version.

With GTA 6 set to take place in the same fictional city, it's likely going to offer important context and should get you up to speed ahead of the new game.

How much does GTA+ usually cost?

One month of GTA+ usually costs $9.99 / £6.99 / A$11.95.

If you do make use of the free month, remember to cancel the auto-renewal unless you wish to continue your subscription at those rates.

• Grand Theft Auto 6 will have a Standard and Ultimate Edition
• The Ultimate Edition is the premium version that comes with a host of exclusive features
• Pre-ordering any edition will grant the Vintage Vice City Pack

Rockstar Games has officially revealed that Grand Theft Auto 6 will only have two versions at launch: Standard and Ultimate Edition.

It's not what many expected, but there are some major differences between the two.

If you're on the fence about what form your GTA 6 pre-order will take when it comes to the edition, here's everything you need to know about both.

Price

The Standard Edition will cost $79.99 / AU$129.95, which isn't too expensive for the most highly anticipated game of all time, while the Ultimate Edition is priced at $99.99 / AU$159.95.

No disc in physical editions

Rockstar has confirmed that those who pre-order digital versions of GTA 6 can begin pre-loading on November 12, seven days in advance of the game's launch on November 19.

However, no matter what version of the game you purchase, be it Standard or Ultimate, the physical edition won't come with a disc, but a download code in the box instead.

It's unfortunate, but the physical version will be available starting November 12 to support pre-loading.

What's included in the Standard Edition?

As is typical with most games, the GTA 6 Standard Edition will only come with the base game and no additional add-ons, unlike its more premium counterpart.

What's included in the Ultimate Edition?

Being the more costly edition of the game, the Ultimate Edition will come with an exclusive collection of "premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action around every corner."

"Ultimate Edition bonuses are threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story, with new items uncovered behind each chapter," Rockstar teased.

The Ultimate Edition exclusive features include:

• The '95 Gotti Cheetah vehicle
• Hawk & Little Morgan Revolvers - His and hers versions of this powerful revolver with classic Vice City stylings sourced from the Vercetti Estate, including palm-tree-etched grips, engraved detailing, and high-performance scope
• Personalized variant weapons - Personalized sidearms with detailed engravings for Jason's Girardi ES9 pistol and Lucia's Klose K17 pistol.
• Exclusive Vice City Style outfits, tattoos, and more for Lucia and Jason
• Jason's safehouse vehicles - including an Army fatigue-tinged Dinka Enduro motorcycle or Crest Kayak
• Jason's Vapid Ganado low-riding pickup with exclusive mods
• Rideout Customs - a mod-shop to customize vanilla vehicles
• Sara's unisex hair salon - facial hair and hairstyles for both Lucia and Jason, and makeup and nails for Lucia
• Shitzu Squalo boat with an explosives-laden weapons crate
• Stock 305 clothing store - featuring various unique and exclusive looks for Jason and Lucia at Stockyard’s premier destination for elevated streetwear
• '67 VAPID Dominator Buggy - can be stored at the Paradise Garage in Watson Bay, which features a weapon locker plus a secure place to deposit stolen goods to be fenced
• Electric Fang Tattoo Shop - featuring over 50 tattoos for Lucia and Jason
• One-eyed Willie's mod shop in Lake Leonida
• Goodtime Gear - a capsule collection of apparel and accessories inspired by the Goodtime State’s hit TV show character, Macca the Gator
• PTT Younging$ Illegal Goods Store - a gang compound in Southside Vice City to score some special items and distinct contraband
• Classic Car Collection - Track down a variety of abandoned classic and work-in-progress project cars and revitalize them to their former glory in this special commission from eccentric collector and local fixer, Wyman

Vintage Vice City Pack pre-order goodies

Players who pre-order or purchase any edition of the game before November 20 will receive a code for the Vintage Vice City Pack, "a collection of items that flash back to when the neon burned brightest."

The Vintage City Pack includes:

• ’55 Vapid Stanier vehicle - can be stored in the Shore Court personal garage by Ocean Beach
• Outfits and hairstyles - a linen, vintage pastel suit for Jason and a red sequin mini dress and curls for Lucia
• Weapon pattern - inspired by Tommy Vercetti's iconic palm tree button-up

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S.

If you're interested in placing a physical pre-order as quickly as possible, you can check and save the search links below.

US GTA 6 pre-order retailer search links: Amazon | Walmart | Best Buy | Target | GameStop

UK GTA 6 pre-order retailer search links: Amazon | Currys | Argos | Very | EE | ShopTo | The Game Collection | John Lewis

AU GTA 6 pre-order retailer search links: EB Games | JB Hi-Fi

• Crime Boss: Rockay City is still receiving massive free updates
• The latest added a new story mode and two new heists
• The developers are already teasing more

Remember Crime Boss: Rockay City? The co-op heist shooter that launched back in March 2023 and didn't get the best review scores. It's not a perfect game, but I've always defended it.

The shooting feels great for a mid-price title; the 1980s Miami setting is pretty cool, and, importantly, I think it's a lot more fun than its biggest competitor: Payday 3.

I like to boot it up every few months as it's always receiving new content drops, and it sounds like developer Ingame Studios has no plans to slow down three years on.

The game just received its 21st major update, bringing it into what the studio dubs "Version 2.0". It's billed as the biggest set of additions yet, and includes a whole new story campaign.

Originally, the game followed an almost roguelike format, with randomized campaigns and deaths that would reset your progress. Now, it has a more traditional, linear story experience with a selection of new cutscenes added to bridge it all together.

This mode also incorporates all of the narrative content from the Gold Cup and Cagnali's Order expansions, creating one unified Crime Boss experience.

If that massive change wasn't enough, the game also just received two new missions as part of the update. This includes the 'Hell's Kitchen' heist, which looks like a take on the iconic 'Cook Off' mission from the Payday franchise that has players trying to cook up piles of drugs while fending off waves of law enforcement.

The devs are even teasing more, urging players to "stay tuned" because the "story isn’t over yet" in a press release.

I'm excited to dive in, and I won't even need to part with any extra cash to do so, as the update is free on every platform where Crime Boss: Rockay City is available — PC, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PlayStation 5.

• The Grand Theft Auto 6 Ultimate Edition comes with a ton of exclusive content
• Some fans are understandably disappointed
• However, it looks like an Ultimate Edition upgrade will be available

Some Grand Theft Auto 6 fans are frustrated by the amount of exclusive content locked behind the game's Ultimate Edition, but it looks like a separate upgrade will be available at some point.

Rockstar Games has officially announced the price for GTA 6, when pre-orders go live, and what editions will be available: a $79.99 Standard Edition and a $99.99 Ultimate Edition.

Unlike the Standard Edition, which only comes with the base game, the more expensive Ultimate Edition features a ton of extra goodies, including premium and exclusive content such as missions, Vice City shops, locations, and outfits.

While the announcement has many fans excited, some are disappointed that much of GTA 6 will be locked behind a higher cost version of the game.

"Locking this much s*** behind the Ultimate Edition is scummy," one fan said. Another wrote, "Having stores locked behind the Ultimate Edition in a single player game is definitely a choice."

A user on Reddit shared similar frustrations, saying, "Rockstar I love you and all but locking content behind editions of the game like this is pretty egregious. This shouldn't be things you hide behind an ultimate edition of the game for players who just want to buy the basic game."

However, taking a look at the PS Store now that pre-orders have gone live in New Zealand, it seems that an Ultimate Edition Upgrade will be available.

There's no price right now, but if we had to guess, it could cost about the difference between the Standard and Ultimate Edition, so roughly $20.

A release date for the add-on hasn't been confirmed, but it will likely be available at launch, giving players who purchase the Standard Edition the option to upgrade and unlock all Ultimate Edition content.

Elsewhere, Sony has teamed up with Rockstar and announced that players who pre-order any edition on PlayStation Store will also instantly receive a redeemable free month of GTA+, a premium subscription for Grand Theft Auto Online.

Unfortunately, physical copies of GTA 6 won't include a disc. Instead, they'll come with a download code, and some fans aren't pleased with the new.

• Star Wars: Galactic Racer has a synergy system that impacts the players' vehicles
• Fuse Games says planets will have status effects, like driving in lava or burning in Jakku's sun
• Players can also counteract these effects, like driving through water, if their vehicles overheat

Fuse Games has revealed that Star Wars: Galactic Racer features a synergy system with status effects that impact the players' vehicles.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026, where studio co-founder and CEO Matt Webster and Creative Director Kieran Crimmins discussed the game's "runs-based" campaign structure and "consequential decision-making," the pair also detailed the game's reactive gameplay system.

In the game, players will visit a range of planets to take part in races, each with their own environmental differences. There are the hot, dry sand planets like Tatooine and Jakku, the lush jungle planet Lantaana, the snow planet, Ando Prime, and more.

This means players will need to adapt to the occasion, swapping out vehicle parts for ones better suited for the specific track. There's also an upgrade tree, which Crimmins said will let players improve their cornering, speed, or resilience, and upgrading vehicles over time will be "a very satisfying experience."

However, the game's synergy system will offer a bigger challenge. Planets will also have status effects, meaning hot lava will overheat your vehicle, but it can also be counteracted by physically driving through water.

"We wanted synergies, so that is status effects that each planet has a different status effect that can be inflicted on you," Crimmins said. "For instance, Ando Prime, you can get frozen, Lantaana, you can overheat in the lava, but you can also get cooled in the water. And then on different versions of Jakku, you can get burnt as well by the sun."

The developers said they couldn't speak on Crait just yet, which is a planet covered in a layer of white salt over a red crystalline mineral, suggesting that, just like in the movie The Last Jedi, speeders and other vehicles will impact the ground players navigate.

Crimmins continued, explaining how negative status effects can be subverted, for instance, to increase the speed of the new system called a Ramjet, which offers a massive boost in speed.

Webster added that using the Ramjet can "come at a real cost and heats up," but if players drive over the rivers of water in Lantaana, it heats up more slowly.

"You end up thinking of your build in a much more tactical way, where you're like, how can this thing prop this thing and create this thing to make an entirely new race," Crimmins said.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer arrives on October 6 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.

• Sony says Grand Theft Auto 6 "plays best on PS5"
• The company is giving away a free month of GTA+ if fans pre-order the game on PS5
• It says GTA 6 takes full advantage of the PS5’s immersive features "to deliver a deeply engaging single-player experience"

Rockstar Games has teamed up with Sony to offer Grand Theft Auto 6 fans a free month of GTA+ if they pre-order the game on PS5.

In a new PlayStation Blog post, Sony claimed that "thanks to a close partnership" with the studio, GTA 6 "will play best on PS5 by taking advantage of PS5’s immersive features to deliver a deeply engaging single-player experience," following the game's price and pre-order time announcement.

"Since Grand Theft Auto first arrived on the original PlayStation in 1997, the series has defined generations of play," the company said. "We know players are excited for Grand Theft Auto 6, which heads to the state of Leonida — home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond, in the biggest, most expansive evolution of the series yet."

It's confirmed that the game will feature DualSense haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, an integrated speaker, and sound effects to enhance the experience, as well as Tempest 3D AudioTech to "surround yourself in the distinct soundscapes of Leonida."

GTA 6 will also leverage the PS5’s ultra-high-speed SSD, which Sony said will enable "near-instant load times."

Pre-orders will begin on June 25 at midnight local time for the Standard and Ultimate Editions, which cost $79.99 and $99.99, respectively.

GTA 6 pre-orders are currently live in New Zealand, and according to the PS Store, an Ultimate Edition Upgrade will be available at some point, likely at launch.

Players who pre-order the Standard or Ultimate Edition before November 20 will also receive the Vintage Vice City Pack and can begin pre-loading the game on November 12, seven days before the game's launch on November 19.

What's more, Sony announced that players who pre-order any edition on PlayStation Store will also instantly receive a redeemable free month of GTA+, a premium subscription for Grand Theft Auto Online.

"Grand Theft Auto 6 marks an exciting new chapter for one of gaming’s most iconic series, and we’re proud to help bring the best experience to players on PS5," Sony said.

"We can’t wait until the game arrives on November 19 and we look forward to celebrating its launch with Rockstar Games and our PlayStation community around the world."

• Grand Theft Auto 6 physical copies come with a digital download code instead of a disc
• Fans hoping to secure a physical copy are disappointed
• One said it's "Such a bummer as a physical collector"

Physical copies of Grand Theft Auto 6 won't include a disc. Instead, they'll come with a download code, and some fans aren't pleased.

Rockstar has finally announced the price of the game and some more details on the ins and outs of GTA 6 pre-orders, as well as unveiled the two editions players can choose from: Standard and Ultimate.

Both versions are available physically and digitally; however, the studio has said that the physical editions won't feature a disc as expected, but rather a digital download code in the box.

One explanation for this could be is that Rockstar is trying to minimize the potential for leaks as much as possible, even if that means physical copies won't come with a disc.

Some fans who were eager to get their hands on a physical edition of the most anticipated game of all time are upset, to say the least.

"Obviously I’m going to get this game but 13 years of waiting & this is all physical editions are getting? A f****** code in a box? For the biggest game to ever launch & that’s all the effort you’re putting in for physical? So damn disappointed man," one said.

A user on Reddit wrote, "Such a bummer as a physical collector. Hopefully they start printing disks after release but that’s probably copium on my part".

"This is beyond ridiculous. So everybody has to pay the insane digital price without any discounts whatsoever. Such a lame and greedy move," another added.

There are some who are also considering skipping the day one purchase in hopes of a disc being produced later down the line, but again, there's still the risk of spoilers. For now, it looks like all players will own a digital license for the game instead.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S at $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition.

Pre-loads will begin seven days in advance, on November 12.

• GTA 6 pre-orders will officially begin at midnight local time
• The Standard Edition will cost $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition will cost $99.99
• Pre-loads will begin seven days ahead of launch, on November 12

Rockstar Games has unveiled the editions for Grand Theft Auto 6 and confirmed when fans can secure their pre-orders.

GTA 6 pre-orders are scheduled to begin on June 25 at midnight local time for the Standard and Ultimate Editions. The Standard Edition will cost $79.99, and the Ultimate Edition will cost $99.99.

As Rockstar details on its website, the Ultimate Editions "amplifies this experience with an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story."

Players who pre-order the Standard or Ultimate Edition before November 20 will also receive the Vintage Vice City Pack, which comes with a collection of items that "flash back to when the neon burned brightest."

Those who pre-order digital versions of GTA 6 can begin pre-loading on November 12, seven days in advance of the game's launch on November 19.

The physical version of GTA 6, which contains a download code inside the box, will be available starting November 12 to support pre-loading.

After only two hours of playtime, it's clear that Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is a breath of fresh air for A Plague Tale fans. It provides an engaging narrative with fresh but familiar ground, suitable for both franchise veterans and newcomers.

It's all thanks to an original story that will leave you wanting more after every discovery — and notably, one that doesn't absolutely require knowledge of previous entries.

Asobo Studio has taken a risky but bold step in a completely different direction with Resonance, and while there is still plenty more to be seen, it's off to a great start in both its narrative and gameplay.

In Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy (set 15 years before A Plague Tale: Requiem), we follow a familiar face that both previous main characters, Amicia and Hugo, encountered. Sophia, labelled a 'fierce young plunderer,' will be center stage as she journeys to uncover the mystery behind her past, while on the run from a gang she left behind.

Unlike anything the franchise has offered before, Asobo sets out its stall in Resonance from minute one, focusing on action-adventure aspects to a greater extent, with combat that will not only entertain players but also test their mettle.

Resonance borrows from the best action-adventure games

If you love Tomb Raider and Naughty Dog's Uncharted games, or even Bethesda's Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, you're likely going to have a lot of fun with Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy.

In exploration, you'll be tackling a wide range of puzzles, many of which will require you to look through clues in a notebook (just like you would with Nathan Drake in Uncharted). Set pieces will see Sophia jumping from ledges or shimmying in tight and dangerous spots, all in a fascinating spectacle that left me smiling, ready for more.

Remember those sequences in Uncharted or Tomb Raider that saw either Nathan Drake or Lara Croft finding a key item, only to be stopped by an antagonist, leading to an epic escape? Resonance captures the essence of those moments in its own charming and entertaining way.

Unlike Amicia, Sophia can wield swords and a dagger, pull enemies off of rooftops with a grappling hook, and engage in a brutal and bloody back-and-forth with enemies thanks to the game's parry, dodge, and attack functionality. You'll feel like you can hold your ground against a barrage of enemies, with a character who isn't afraid to make a foe think twice about approaching.

While some areas of sword clashes and fights can feel slightly janky, particularly with dodges or general strafing that feel as though they lack much weight, the melee mostly holds up quite well, featuring multiple skills to unlock and enhance Sophia's capability in combat.

Asobo has seemingly structured Resonance's combat encounters, puzzles, and exploration very well. It doesn't feel like there are too many moments of combat, puzzles, or exploration, as each moment does just enough to keep you engaged and ends before it overstays its welcome.

Perhaps above all, Resonance features one of the best horror-like, thrilling sequences I've seen in a long time, forcing an unarmed Sophia to survive and escape a deadly and terrifying creature that can snatch her life away with very little effort.

It was during this encounter that I realized Resonance has just about everything I hoped it would in a new entry within the series, and I genuinely can't wait to see what more it has to offer when it launches later this year on August 27, 2026, on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

• Star Wars: Galactic Racer will feature a combination of vehicle parts "in the trillions"
• Creative Director Kieran Crimmins says the game has "unbelievable depth"
• He adds, "There may not be an arcade racer with that much depth in it ever made"

Fuse Games has revealed that Star Wars: Galactic Racer has a combination of moving parts that is "in the trillions."

Speaking in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest (SGF), Fuse Games co-founder and CEO Matt Webster and Creative Director Kieran Crimmins shared how the studio designed a Star Wars racing game with a narrative that balanced what fans are already familiar with while also adding to the universe in a meaningful way.

Webster touched on the accessible planets where the races will take place, such as iconic planets like Tatooine, and others like Lantaana and Jakku, as well as the game's "runs-based" campaign structure and vehicle customization with over 300 parts.

That's a lot of options which will certainly offer a lot of player freedom, but according to Crimmins, the game at large goes beyond that. The creative director said that he spoke to one of the game's designers at SGF and asked how many combinations of moving parts there are in the game, and he was told, "It's in the trillions."

"I can't really calculate it at that point, because the amount of mechanical depth we've got in both the parts, the racer styles, the abilities, the upgrades, and then the different environmental effects that are on the planets, is an unbelievable depth."

"We've never had that much depth in a game we've made," he added. "I would argue there may not be an arcade racer with that much depth in it ever made. This might not be the biggest one possible, and that's something we really wanted to give back to the genre."

Coming back to how the team balanced the new and old of Star Wars, Crimmins explained that it wants people who are familiar with the franchise to have those "touch points," but it also looked at it from "more of a fantasy fulfillment point of view."

"It's like when we watch the movies, we watch the TV shows, or we play the games," he said. "What are the vehicle fantasies that are represented in this universe, which there are a lot of, and then, how do we get the right word, the right worlds, the right parts, the right vehicles? So that we can give as many of those different fantasies as possible."

One of those new vehicles is the skim speeder, which offers fast mobility and is something the Fuse Games knew needed to do a "knife-edge" turn in races.

"We made a vehicle that was able to do that and give, what I feel is a very authentic Star Wars experience, but it is a completely new vehicle, so something new to the Star Wars canon."

Star Wars: Galactic Racer launches on October 6 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.

• Fuse Games CEO Matt Webster confirms Star Wars: Galactic Racer has a runs-based structure in the campaign
• Webster says "consequential decision-making" is built within the campaign
• Creative Director Kieran Crimmins says that when the team prototyped the system, "it felt right" for Galactic Racer

Star Wars: Galactic Racer will feature a runs-based structure within the campaign, which Fuse Games has said will involve "consequential decision-making."

That's according to Fuse Games co-founder and CEO Matt Webster, who told TechRadar Gaming during an interview at Summer Game Fest 2026 (SGF) that while he and the team love arcade racing games, "you can't make one really in the same way as you did all those years ago," because game genres have adapted and evolved.

Webster said the team wanted to bring something fresh to Galactic Racer, and the runs-based structures, which "are built for replayability and racing thrives on replayability," and in other games, the "meta" is car collection. So instead, the team shook things up by bringing back "consequential decision making and consequence back into the experience."

Creative Director Kieran Crimmins added that "consequence" was the "key" for Galactic Racer, saying, "We want every decision to matter, every upgrade to matter, every vehicle to matter, every race to matter, and like the runs-based structure allows us to do that, like we've never done in an arcade racing before."

"Not only have you got to keep on top of the curve with your build and your skill and your track knowledge, but also you get to reset every time," Crimmins continued.

In other arcade racers, the developer explained, cars can be upgraded to max level, but then players will realize they haven't experienced 99% of the other systems. And while they can always be revisited, the runs-based structure "allows you to do that with consequence."

"It gives you a reason to try all those different builds, a reason to experiment, and also a reward if you get your synergies right, you get your build right, and you get your knowledge right," Crimmins said.

"Then that's what actually wins the game, so it was incredibly compelling to us to have a structure that not only changed the way that you play, but changed the way that you play that was advantageous for the feelings that you get in a racing game, and like anything, the way we made it is we prototyped it and it felt right.

"This is an innovation we think we can bring to the genre."

During the interview, Crimmins also revealed that the game will feature a combination of moving parts that are "in the trillions," across racer styles, the abilities, the upgrades, and then the different environmental effects that are on the planets.

"It's an unbelievable depth," the creative director said.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer arrives on October 6 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.

• New Grand Theft Auto 6 details have been spotted
• Fans have seemingly discovered an easter egg referencing Vice City's Tommy Vercetti
• A Marvel's Wolverine actor has also reportedly been cast in the game

Ahead of the game's pre-order availability this week, new Grand Theft Auto 6 details have been discovered, including a new cast member and a strange easter egg that could have a connection to another GTA game.

First, let's talk about the easter egg, which was spotted in the game's second trailer by TheGameVerse (via IGN) following some deep analysis of every single frame.

While the trailer was posted over a year ago, the split-second nod was easily missed. But if you pause at the 33-second mark, you can spot it.

As protagonist Jason Duvall backhands a store clerk, just behind his head, you can see a lizard wall ornament that appears to be wearing a blue floral shirt. Upon closer inspection, it's believed to be the same shirt worn by fan-favoriteVice City character Tommy Vercetti.

Not a huge easter egg if it was Rockstar's intention, but the game is sure to feature many more nods to the wider GTA franchise.

The second detail comes courtesy of IGN and seems to confirm that actor Brett Gipson, who plays Sabretooth in Marvel's Wolverine, has joined the cast of GTA 6.

The actor recently updated his resume, stating that he will play a character named Ellis, but there's no information on his role in the game.

The cast of GTA 6 has been kept pretty under wraps since its announcement, and we still don't know who will be playing co-protagonists, Jason and Lucia.

Rockstar has now officially confirmed that GTA 6 pre-orders will begin on June 25 ahead of the game's launch on November 19, while also revealing the game's official cover art.

No price has been set just yet, but if you're looking to pre-order a copy, here are some PS5 and Xbox gaming accessory upgrades that we'd recommend before you play.

• Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 game director Chris Cross says the game will have "massive amounts of customization"
• The new Specialist class can be customized to become almost like a multiclass
• Cross says players can build a team that is just four medics

Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 will feature "massive amounts of customization" across all available classes, including the brand-new endgame Specialist class.

That's according to game director Chris Cross, who told TechRadar Gaming in an interview at Summer Game Fest 2026 that besides the new addition of four-player co-op, "there are so many different ways to put together" the highly customizable Specialist class, which also has its own progression system.

"Basically, you can end up with like really awesome multiclass," he said, adding as an example, "It's like a Marauder and a Gunslinger."

The game will also introduce four new elemental damage types, fire, cyro, electric, and piercing, as well as interchangeable weapon attachments, which can be used to combat the three "expanded" enemy factions, Xenomorphs, Pathogen horrors, and Security Synths, which will all have their own "weaknesses and strengths versus the different damage types."

Players can also build their fireteam however they like, with Cross confirming that squads can "take four medics in and they're not going to be the same."

"There's enough customization that you can take four medics in, and they'll all be different," he said, "It's mostly weapon synergy, damage synergy, ability synergy. It's funny, you would think that four medics are not as offensively capable, but actually, you can take a poison medic and drop off a med station that puts poison out; it's almost a cheat code, because almost everybody's running at overclocked help. It's totally awesome."

Cross added, "Basically, there's almost an infinite amount of ways to coordinate with your buds, on how you want to kit up as a group...You could customize to your heart's content."

Managing your loadout will also become more important as players reach greater difficulties because friendly fire will be turned on, which in turn makes coordination with their squad vital.

For this reason, Cross explained that the crouch ability "becomes very important in the higher difficulties."

"Crouch seems so trivial, but it's actually one of the more important things," he said. The director also hinted at Horde mode, which has been "revamped" since the first game, but is keeping some additional features secret for the time being.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC.

• Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 director Chris Cross confirms that the sequel won't be a continuation of the first game
• He says the sequel is a "self-contained" story
• Cross reveals that Cold Iron worked closely with 20th Century Studios to ensure it matched the Alien lore

Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 creators Cold Iron Studios worked closely with 20th Century Studios to ensure the game respected the Alien franchise lore.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026, where we went hands-on with the upcoming co-operative shooter, game director Chris Cross discussed the game's story and confirmed that it won't be a continuation of its predecessor.

"It's its own story. It's self-contained," he said, but revealed that it "does feature return characters."

Cross went on to say that Cold Iron actually worked closely with 20th Century Studios to make sure that Fireteam Elite 2's story followed the Alien lore correctly.

"There's a linear mystery that you're uncovering as you're going here," he said, "and I will say that it is all like we worked very close[ly] with 20th Century to make sure that we were hitting the lore correctly and doing things in our story that are exciting for Alien fanatics."

The director also hinted at what players can expect, including a prologue mission that will introduce new and returning fans to the game, then four locations that the studio is calling "biomes" with different environmental features, such as a planet-side surface colony and a ship.

The game will also feature an underground area beneath the colony, where players will encounter something Cross wanted to simply describe as "Alien-esque"... which sounds creepy.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC. It will also feature four-player co-op, which Cross explained was added because it was "highly-requested" and it "works better in a PVE game."

• Gears of War: E-Day creative director Matt Searcy says the game "makes a lot of sense" as an Xbox exclusive
• He confirms that The Coalition "never talked about this coming to PS5"
• Meanwhile, two developers for Halo: Campaign Evolved and Fable are "excited" about branching out to multiple platforms

Xbox games coming to other platforms has been an intriguing concept and process to witness from the outside. There have been ebbs and flows, reports of this and that, and recently an interesting move back to console exclusivity for two titles, as per that recent Xbox Games Showcase earlier in June.

We had the chance to speak to multiple Xbox Game Studios teams at an event adjacent to this year's Summer Game Fest 2026 after the showcase had streamed and found that there was a stark difference of opinion between some of the developers on being an Xbox exclusive or embracing being on multiple rival platforms.

For example, the Coalition creative director Matt Searcy believes making Gears of War: E-Day an Xbox exclusive was the best decision — something not all Xbox Game Studios teams are aligned on.

According to Searcy, it feels right in the case of Gears of War, and the studio never talked about it going to other platforms. "Well, we never talked about it going to PS5; it was announced as an [Xbox] exclusive," Searcy said. "I would say that Gears as an exclusive makes a ton of sense to me, thinking about how tightly [...] Gears has been tied to the Xbox brand [for] its entire life."

He went on to say that, "It's kind of an honor, and I think excitement to be like one of the best Xbox flagship titles. As a developer, of course, it's awesome to have people play our games, but we're Xbox fans."

When asked about missing out on a potential player base and the effect it might have had on hypothetical multiplayer numbers, he went on to say that "we're not too concerned about the size of the audience."

While it's admirable, in a way, that such confidence and sense of ease was exuded by the devs in the face of a smaller player base than some of their contemporary Xbox studios are hoping to get, it does seem a bit of a shame when those other studios will get the games in front of millions more players.

This was clear when we spoke to two other Xbox Game Studio developers in Halo: Campaign Evolved executive producer Damon Conn, and Ralph Fulton, founder and GM of Fable studio, Playground Games. Unlike Searcy, both developers are eager to branch to multiple platforms and are truly excited by it, because it will allow them to reach a wider audience.

"We're excited to put the game [out] and to play it with as many different people as we can," Conn said. "With Halo Campaign Evolved, we have it coming out on more platforms than ever before, and we're going to meet the player where they are."

The executive producer is also looking forward to players trying out cross-play, which he calls "a win for us, just sharing the experience with as many people as possible."

"Halo has always been about coming together and shared experiences and socialising, and this is something that we're really excited about," Conn added.

Meanwhile, Fulton confirmed that he and the team at Playground Games are still committed to bringing Fable to PlayStation 5, alongside Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC, like Halo, and are incredibly excited at the prospect of reaching a larger number of people.

"For us, we look at this as an opportunity to get this game - [in a series] that has been out of circulation for some 15 years - in front of as many fans who want to play it as possible," Fulton said. "We're really excited with the number of people we can bring this game to."

Each game can of course be treated in isolation to some extent, but it is intriguing to see such a contrast and witness such opposing views within the Xbox Game Studios group itself.

Fable has been in development for a very long time, but will officially launch on February 23, 2027, while Halo: Campaign Evolved releases globally on July 28. Gears of War: E-Day arrives on October 6.

• Brand new GTA 6 footage has been released
• The footage shows Vice City at sunset, and fans think it looks "glorious"
• One fan says it "almost looks like real footage"

Rockstar Games has released a brand new look at Vice City in Grand Theft Auto 6.

In case you weren't around when the internet exploded yesterday, the studio finally announced that GTA 6 pre-orders will officially begin on June 25, although we still don't have a price.

The news arrived alongside the official cover art reveal trailer and an updated website featuring new artwork of GTA 6 protagonists Lucia and Jason, as well as a dynamic image on the landing page showcasing Vice City at sunset.

It looks pretty impressive, and the sprawling city looks highly detailed, with helicopters flying overhead and boats sailing across the waterfront.

While the footage is quite literally seconds long, it offers a sneak peek at what players will be able to freely explore when the game arrives later this year, and fans are eating up every single crumb.

"IT LOOKS GLORIOUS!!" said one fan on Reddit. "This is the most realistic and beautiful night shot of VC we have gotten so far. I swear it didn't look this good in previous media."

"Holy s***, this almost looks like real footage," another said.

The new video on the website from r/GTA6

Meanwhile, some fans are suggesting that the footage doesn't look "polished", with one user pointing out the missing ferris wheel reflection in the background.

"Damnit OP JUST DELAYED THE GAME," one fan joked in response, while another said, "Yep game is unplayable."

"It just shows the limitations still with this generation," a fan suggested, "maybe the next gen version will be able to have the reflections in the distance as well."

Others are concerned about how the game will perform on current-gen consoles, considering the graphical fidelity.

"Looks like the raytraced water cuts off at a distance. The pop will be disgusting," one user said.

Following the pre-order and cover reveal announcements, Rockstar also updated its icon and banner on social media to match the game's theme. Now it's pink and purple, instead of the classic yellow fans are familiar with.

GTA 6 will officially launch on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Series S. A PC release has not yet been announced.

• Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 game director Chris Cross says the sequel will have four-player co-op because it was "highly requested" and it "just feels better"
• Cross says four players also comes with "challenges"
• Balancing the "attention economy" is "basically a constant challenge for us"

Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 game director Chris Cross has explained why Cold Iron Studios decided to make the sequel four-player co-op, but acknowledged that it came with some obstacles during development.

Speaking in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026, Cross said one of the "challenges" of making the jump to four-player was balancing the "attention economy" and the multitude of assets and effects on screen at the same time.

"There's four times the amount of things that you need to put on screen," he said, "like more enemies and such, because if everybody focuses fires on something, it'll melt, [so] managing enough targets and distractions for the team is basically a constant challenge for us."

Fireteam Elite was two-player, but when asked why the team decided on making the successor four-player instead of three-player, as you would typically find in other online co-op shooters, Cross revealed that it was for two reasons. One, it was "highly requested" by fans, and two, "four works better in a PVE game because you can do two and two."

"You can have even more combinatory-like abilities, mixing and matching, but also it kind of harkens back to like four-player split screen, right? Like it feels good to have co-op before."

Cross continued, saying, "The thing for us, though, is if you go three and one person splits off, they would end up being a liability. Whereas, [with four players] you can do two and two now. But another thing, though, is the three-person sort of convention I kind of felt like came from battle royale games, like trios [in] Apex Legends, Fortnite, etc.

"It feels like a good, a good mix for a solitary unit, but I just like four, [it] just feels better... A four-person rifle team feels good having four slots with five classes and a possible six. The opportunities that mix and match are so much greater than just three."

Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 doesn't have a release date yet, but it will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC.

• 007 First Light game director Hakan Abrak says the game was always planned as an origin story
• He says the team pitched to MGM and had ideas for a young Bond story that was a "non-negotiable"
• He adds that there were weekly feedback meetings, but IO was always in charge of the story

IO Interactive has confirmed that 007 First Light was always intended to be a young James Bond story, and it collaborated frequently with the franchise owner, Amazon MGM Studios.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at an event adjacent to Summer Game Fest 2026, game director Hakan Abrak discussed the conceptual phase of the game and confirmed that First Light was "always supposed to be a young Bond story," and the pitching process to MGM and Bond IP co-owners Barbara Broccolo and Michael G. Wilson was "massively intimidating."

Abrak recalled the pitching process being in a room decked in old books from James Bond novelist Ian Fleming, a grand piano, and "the atmosphere of history was so thick you could just cut through it."

When he and other IO team members went in to pitch, he remembered the MGM heads came into the room and were "completely silent" before telling the developers to go ahead and pitch.

"We pitch the story, we pitch our approach, and why this would be different from other Bond games," Abrak said. "[They were] very silent, and then Barbara just says, after a while, stonefaced just says, 'I quite like it,' and then the room just erupted right after; [they said] 'These guys are so cool, like they didn't really get it, I was like keeping my cool and whatnot, but deep inside I was like 'phew' that was something."

The game director did note that he thought IO's initial pitch was "a bit ballsy" and the team had lots of ideas of introducing aspects from Ian Fleming novels, like James Bond's scar, and create a young coming-of-age story "where it's not like he has figured everything out."

Abrak said the team didn't want to recreate a "perfect digital version of Daniel Craig, I love Daniel Craig, but it just wanted to make something that feels original."

"More importantly, what we also told them was that we want to go for the gamers, we want to create a Bond for the gamers," he said, explaining that some young gamers might not have a familiar attachment to Bond like the older generation.

"We [wanted] to take that risk and introduce a fresh Bond for the gamers," he said, "We want to make a Bond for the gamers, not the gamification of a movie. It's difficult [to go there] with non-negotiables, but this was a non-negotiable for us. If we did this, we needed to get this freedom for this approach. So, this was very, very clear from the get-go."

While IO had creative control over the story, Abrak said there was input from MGM, as well as several sessions of casting before Patrick Gibson was cast as Bond. The team also had weekly meetings with Eon Productions, the British film production company that primarily produced the Bond film series.

"Although the story was written by IO and delivered by us, we got a lot of feedback," he said. "I think we had some affinity, and we had something to start with, like with the Danish dark humor, dry humor, but getting the British humor right, there [was] still some way to go.

"It's been massively helpful, and we're really into it, and I think for the younger generation of Eon creators that we had meetings with, and the artwork from the movies, which [was] attached to it as well, it was very, very exciting for them to get to do, because they were actually making a new one [Bond] from the ground up.

"It was a collaboration; they were very much involved, but it was always IO, doing the story, doing the characters and things, and then getting feedback and working closely."

007 First Light is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is slated to launch sometime this year.

• The last-gen version of Grand Theft Auto 5 can now be upgraded to the current-gen for free
• Players on PS4 and Xbox One can now upgrade their game to the PS5 and Xbox Series X and Series S versions
• The upgrade has been made free ahead of the next GTA Online update

Grand Theft Auto 5 fans still playing the last-gen version can now upgrade to current-gen, free of charge.

Rockstar Games announced the upgrade in a new blog post, confirming that those with a copy of the PlayStation 4 or digital Xbox One version of GTA 5 can upgrade to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S versions for free, ahead of the next GTA Online update.

This means players will save roughly $40 compared to if they were to purchase the game for the first time on current-gen.

"Beginning tomorrow, those who own any PS4 version or the digital Xbox One version of Grand Theft Auto 5 will be able to upgrade to the PS5 or Xbox Series X|S versions at no additional cost, and experience the best versions of GTA 5 and GTA Online ahead of the launch of The Kortz Center Heist," the studio said.

"GTA 5 and GTA Online on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S feature vast technical improvements, easy migration of your Story Mode and Online progress, and new features including Hao’s Special Works high-performance vehicles and upgrades, Career Progress rewards, and much more."

These features have already been available for PC for some time, along with additional PC-only features like ambient occlusion, global illumination, ray-traced shadows and reflections, as well as Nvidia DLSS 3, AMD FSR1, and FSR3 support.

In case you missed it, Rockstar has also officially confirmed that pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto 6 will begin later this month on June 25.

The long-awaited announcement comes from a new trailer, where the studio revealed the game's official cover art and shared new artwork fans can use as their desktop wallpaper.

While we finally know when fans can secure their copies ahead of the game's November 19 launch, there's still no word on how much GTA 6 will cost. However, we'll know within the next seven days.

GTA 6 will be available for PS5 and Xbox Series X and Series S at launch, with no PC version announced just yet.

Directive 8020 has been out for a few weeks now, and I've enjoyed exploring it. From finding all the collectables to trying out multiplayer mode, there's been plenty to explore in the new horror game.

Movie Night is a popular feature from Supermassive Games, and you can find it across all of the Dark Pictures Anthology, including Directive 8020. It is a local pass-the-controller style multiplayer for up to 5 players, where they can choose which characters they want to control before they dive in.

Because there's only one controller involved, it makes it easier for more people to join in the fun. I tested out Movie Night on Directive 8020 with one other person, my partner, which dials up the pressure more as you're effectively in charge of more people's fates. Yeah, no pressure then.

Movie Night was a largely seamless experience. We had the usual anxiety-inducing quick-time events, arguments about what options to choose, nothing out of the ordinary.

Well, except for one thing...

Look ma, no legs!

Horror games rely heavily on atmosphere to build tension; unlike the Cassiopeia, it's not rocket science. But we encountered a glitch that made the game unintentionally funny, because none of our characters had any legs.

Each cutscene we entered became much less dramatic, especially when there were close-ups of space boots that were attached to nothing. Kinda ruins the vibe, you know?

Even though I didn't think to screenshot this glitch and have since missed my opportunity, I also found out that we were not alone. Other Directive 8020 players experienced the same glitch and took to Reddit to share images and videos. Even just looking at these makes me laugh.

We experienced this glitch on PS5, but I'm not sure if it has happened to players on other platforms.

darkpicturesanthology from r/DarkPicturesAnthology/comments/1tc4w7r/no_legs

Never skip leg day from r/DarkPicturesAnthology

I'm happy (and, honestly, a bit sad?) to report that once we restarted the game, the glitch disappeared. So if you're hoping for a totally serious horror gameplay where all your characters have their legs intact, such a thing does exist.

Aside from the whole no legs thing, Movie Night is still worth your time in my opinion. This is especially true if you have played the other installments in the Dark Pictures Anthology so you can see how your experience here compares to the other games.

Directive 8020 has divided some fans, though, including TechRadar Gaming's contributor Vic Hood, who described the game as "not quite hitting the mark when weighed up against other heavyweights in the sci-fi genre" in her review.

It's a fun entry into Supermassive Games' catalog, and I enjoyed seeing them finally take on sci-fi horror. Given the often claustrophobic nature of the Cassiopeia, it makes for a fun multiplayer experience as you get to watch how stressed and scared people get, proving that space continues to be the perfect backdrop for horror.

It does appear the leg glitch is easily fixable too, so those who are rightly frustrated by bugs spoiling the atmosphere should be able to move past that pretty quickly. Or you can just embrace the chaos as we did; it really does take the edge off.

• Grand Theft Auto 6 pre-orders will begin later this month
• Rockstar Games shared the game's cover art and confirmed that preorders begin on June 25
• There are still no price details yet

Rockstar Games has officially confirmed that preorders for Grand Theft Auto 6 will begin later this month.

The long-awaited announcement comes from the official cover art reveal trailer, in which the studio said that GTA 6 preorders will begin on June 25 on digital storefronts and at other select retailers.

"Add Grand Theft Auto 6 to your wishlist today on the PlayStation Store or Microsoft Store to get alerted when pre-orders are live," Rockstar said in a blog post.

This also means Rockstar has confirmed that the game won't be coming to PC at launch, and will only be available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S.

While we finally know when fans can secure their copies ahead of the game's November 19 launch, there's still no word on how much GTA 6 will cost.

Prices are sure to be revealed within the next seven days. Many believe the game could cost as much as $100, but analysts have suggested that a $70 price would generate more money for Rockstar.

Following a six-month delay, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick suggested that GTA 6 is more than a year behind schedule.

He was also recently asked why the game has taken so long to come out, he explained: "The team at Rockstar really does seek to do something that’s never been done before. That’s really hard, and it takes a long time."

• IO Interactive says 007 First Light's upcoming story expansion is "awesome"
• The principal level designer Mattias Engström says fans are "starting to expect" post-launch content from IO Interactive games
• Lead environment artist Hilde Sunde says the positive reception has "been amazing"

IO Interactive has teased 007 First Light's upcoming post-launch content following the game's "unreal" reception.

Speaking with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026 following the announcement of a brand-new story expansion, principal level designer Mattias Engström and lead environment artist Hilde Sunde discussed working on IO games long after their release, such as Hitman 3 and, in this case, First Light.

According to Engström, getting to create new content for players is "very cool because it's very rewarding for our players," and is something IO is now well known for, unlike other studios that ship their game with no further content updates.

"It doesn't just stop," he said, "it's not the one and done, right? So, adding more content for our fans is very cool. I think it's also something you're starting to expect from IOI, right?"

"It's kind of in our DNA to do that type of stuff and also keeping the players happy," Sunde added. "In Bond, we also have a lot of replayability. So, if you play through it one time, you could do it very differently the next time and try different ways and play it again."

"Also, IO is a pretty big company," continued Engström. "We can have people moving around and going to other projects, and some people who may not have worked on Bond before can get going and bring in fresh new ideas and whatnot."

Engström went on to tease the post-launch content, saying it will be "awesome" and "we want the players to come back, and we want to create more content."

007 First Light was a success with critics and players alike, selling 1.5 million within its first 24 hours before hitting 2.7 million copies worldwide in its first week across all platforms.

Sunde recalled the emotional response she and the team had when the reviews came in, touching on what it was like to hear the reception after working on First Light for six years out of the game's seven-year development cycle.

"A lot of blood, sweat, and tears have gone into this," the developer said. "We really wanted to nail the Bond fantasy and get everything right, and right up until release, when you have worked on a game for that long ride, and you're gonna ship something that is very dear to I think [Bond] fans, you really want to get it right.

"And then when we got the reviews in, there people were crying, we were hugging each other, we were like it was unreal. I was in shock. I'm still in shock. I mean, I knew the game was good, but you're not prepared for it. It just feels so good for everybody who has worked so hard on this at IOI and all the other people we have collaborated with on this.

"It's just been amazing. I still don't believe it. I'm pitching my arm."

007 First Light is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is slated to launch sometime this year.

• Actor Alastair Mackenzie says the scene in which his character, Q, teaches Bond to tie a bow tie was a "key moment"
• He says it was a "very little special relationship moment"
• Mackenzie adds that the stories like that of 007 First Light are all about "humanity"

The actors behind 007 First Light's supporting cast have revealed the most memorable moments between their characters and James Bond.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at an event adjacent to Summer Game Fest 2026, the cast of IO Interactive's Bond game, including Alastair Mackenzie, Priyanga Burford, Lennie James, and Noémie Nakai, sat down to discuss the filming process and how they brought their characters to life.

First Light is a cinematic action-adventure game and a prequel origin story for Bond, so there are plenty of moments where he interacts and grows his relationships with the cast.

Mackenzie, who plays Q, recalls the scene in Vietnam where Bond is struggling to tie his own bow tie before heading off on his mission, and Q helps him in an almost paternal way. It's a lovely moment, and one the actor himself found the most memorable.

"I had to teach him how to tie a bow tie, which I mean, I don't know if you ever tried, but it's impossible," Mackenzie said. "It's a really nice moment between Bond and Q, where he presents him with his tie, and he doesn't know what the f*** to do, so he teaches him how to tie [it]. So that was a little key for me; that's very, very little special relationship moment."

Burford, who plays M, also touched on a "beautiful" moment with reluctant allies Bond and John Greenway early on in the story that demonstrated Bond's character development.

"For me, there was one [scene] where Bond is really angry with Greenway, and he wants to kick the whole thing down and finish it," she said. "And there's a beautiful bit where it's sort of teaching someone how to handle their emotions and how to regulate and step out of an emotional state as a young person might do; someone impulsive who gives in to their anger and looks at the situation from a bit of a wider perspective.

"Instead of getting angry, what can this guy teach you? What do you want them to pick and try and think about it that way. And that, for me, was a good clue about what this dynamic was, and [what] M's approach was."

Mackenzie added that these stories are all about "humanity" and something he believes isn't shown very often in gaming.

"These are all human interactions that make this game," he said. "There's a sort of visceral nature to it, where you're connecting on a human level, which I think doesn't happen in every game, does it? I mean, it's not something that is normal in gaming stories."

007 First Light is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is expected to launch later this year.

• The 007 First Light cast have shared their Bond movie recommendations
• Lennie James picked On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and thinks George Lazenby "nailed Bond"
• Priyanga Burford thinks players should watch Skyfall after finishing the game because "You get the beginning and the beginning of the end"

The cast of 007 First Light has shared their personal picks for which Bond movies players should watch as a companion to the game.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at an event adjacent to Summer Game Fest 2026, where actors Alastair Mackenzie, Priyanga Burford, Lennie James, and Noémie Nakai, along with game director Martin Emborg, discussed IO Interactive's newest release, they were asked to recommend what Bond movies they'd recommend to players to watch before, after, or alongside First Light.

"That's kind of like saying, what's your favorite Bond movie, isn't it?" joked Q actor Mackenzie, before James, who plays John Greenway, decided on the 1969 flick starring George Lazenby, On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

"It's old school, but weirdly, even though he only did it once, I think Lazenby nailed Bond in that, until Daniel [Craig], actually, it was a unique telling of a Bond adventure."

Burford, the actress behind M, went with Skyfall, one of the most popular films in Craig's 007 series.

"I'm going to go really obvious and say play the game, and then watch Skyfall. You get the beginning and the beginning of the end," she said.

Emborg agreed with Burford's recommendation, but said, "There's something really interesting in watching No Time to Die, and then playing this game."

"I really like the contrast of [what] he says in Skyfall: 'Well, everyone needs a hobby. Well, what's yours? Resurrection.' And so there's something meeting Bond at the very end, and then seeing him step out of the ocean, a young man. I think there's something quite moving."

Mackenzie added that he "loved every Bond movie" growing up, "even the ones that we look back on now, say they aren't great." However, he loves The Man with the Golden Gun for its locations.

"All of that kind of affected my entire life, really," he said. "I'm thinking, I sort of identify that as being paradise."

Emborg continued, saying it's a difficult question because there are 25 movies and compared it to deciding one's favorite type of music or deciding how you feel depending on the occasion.

"It is really like, what do you feel like today? It's like, what's your favorite type of music? It's like that depends. Did I just break up with someone? That's going to change it."

007 First Light is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC. A Nintendo Switch 2 version will launch later this year.

• Lara Croft's new actress, Alix Wilton Regan, says her version of the character isn't "overtly sexualized"
• Wilton Regan says Lara is "objectively gorgeous" without it being "dependent on a man's gaze"
• She says modernized Lara Croft "unapologetic" and "completely self-possessed"

Alix Wilton Regan, the actress behind the new Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, has explained how her "modernized" version of the beloved character differs from iterations that have come before.

Speaking in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026, Wilton Regan talked at length about her portrayal of the beloved character in Crystal Dynamics' upcoming title, calling her version of Lara someone who is not "overtly sexualized" for the sake of the male gaze, but beautiful because that's who she is.

"Our version of Lara, what I love about this version of Lara, is she is sassy, charismatic, stunning, objectively gorgeous, and completely self-possessed as a woman without being overtly sexualized, and that's something that myself and a lot of the animation team have talked about at length," she began.

"She is attractive simply because that is who she is as a woman, without apology, without it being dependent on a man's gaze, and I actually think that's a really attractive thing to play as a male player and a female player, and everyone else in between.

"That's the feedback that we have gotten from people on the animation team, and so on and so forth. And, you know, her proportions are still remarkable. They just look more realistic now."

Wilton Regan touched on what her version of a "modernized" Lara Croft looks like in Legacy Atlantis, likening her to an evolved version of the character that has existed previously.

"Modernized Lara Croft is cool, charismatic, confident, unapologetic, completely self-possessed, rises to a challenge without her emotions rising at the same time, which is quite an interesting differentiation, I would say," she said.

"Supremely physically capable, of course, that has to be stated," the actress added. "She is supremely physically capable and highly intelligent."

In the same interview, Wilton Regan revealed that her favorite "favorite" movie in the franchise is the original 2001 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie, and that Crystal Dynamics used a lot of Jolie's scenes for her auditions.

"They used a lot of those scenes for my callbacks when I was auditioning, because Angelina Jolie encapsulates Lara's charisma, confidence, sassiness, and that was something that the creators at Crystal Dynamics really wanted to capture as we move forward into a new era of Tomb Raider," Wilton Regan said.

You'll be able to play Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis when it launches on February 27, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

• Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has reaffirmed Grand Theft Auto 6's release date
• He says the game will launch on November 19
• He adds that Rockstar is seeking to "do something that’s never been done before,"

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has once again confirmed Grand Theft Auto 6's release date, so it seems like fans shouldn't worry about further delays.

Speaking in a street interview with the popular TikTok account The School of Hard Knocks (via GameSpot), Zelnick was asked about his business before touching on GTA 6.

When asked when the highly anticipated game will come out, the CEO reaffirmed that GTA 6 will launch on November 19 this year. But why is it taking so long to come out, 13 years after GTA 5 to be exact?

According to Zelnick, "The team at Rockstar really does seek to do something that’s never been done before. That’s really hard, and it takes a long time."

The CEO added that Take-Two earned $6.7 billion in revenue last year alone, and this year it's expected to hit $8 billion, likely due to GTA 6's upcoming release and its estimated sales of 25 million copies on day one.

He then offered some business advice, saying that people should "never compromise your integrity. It's the only thing you have," and they have to stick to their word "unquestionably."

"I have flaws. There was a time I acted in a way that wasn’t consistent with my views about integrity in business. It hurt me really badly, and I learned a powerful lesson. Never do that," Zelnick said.

He added, "I think everyone is looking for an overnight success. My experience is that the only overnight successes are someone else’s. Everything worth doing is hard and takes a long time," before offering some career advice.

"People should chase the intersection of what they’re good at and what they like to do with emphasis on what you’re good at," he said. "Do that thing and the world will probably open up to you."

Despite holding firm to the game's new release date following a six-month delay, Zelnick recently suggested that GTA 6 is more than a year behind schedule.

He also said marketing for the game will kick off soon, which could mean the long-awaited third trailer could finally drop sometime this summer.

• Lara Croft's new actress, Alix Wilton Regan, says the first Tomb Raider movie starring Angelina Jolie is her "favorite"
• She reveals that "a lot of those scenes" from the movie were used for her Legacy of Atlantis auditions
• The actress says Crystal Dynamics wanted to capture Angelina Jolie's "charisma, confidence, and sassiness"

The actress behind Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis's new Lara Croft, Alix Wilton Regan, has revealed that her auditions were based on scenes from the first Tomb Raider movie.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026, Wilton Regan, who discussed the process of bringing the character to life for the new "reimagining" of the 1996 game, shared that her "favorite" movie in the franchise is the original 2001 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie.

Besides loving Jolie's portrayal of the iconic video game character, the actress also said developer Crystal Dynamics "used a lot of those scenes" for her auditions.

"They used a lot of those scenes for my callbacks when I was auditioning, because Angelina Jolie encapsulates Lara's charisma, confidence, sassiness, and that was something that the creators at Crystal Dynamics really wanted to capture as we move forward into a new era of Tomb Raider," Wilton Regan said.

When asked if players will be able to recognize some of Jolie's vibe from her performance, the actress joked, "I mean, I would never compare myself to Angelina Jolie, but I would love for someone else to compare me to Angeline Jolie."

She went on to outline the audition process, which began in a hot, mountain villa in Italy (very Lara Croft) where she shot three scenes, with two takes each. Afterward, she took a moped down the mountain to a tiny cafe and begged for the Wi-Fi password, then sat for "literally, not figuratively, five hours" getting steadily drunk on Aperol spritz. "Which I love, by the way," she added.

"So it was no chore as I watched these six auditions upload and get sent back to LA to my agents there, and all those were auditions from the game, but they were dummy scenes," Wilton Regan continued.

"Dummy scenes are when they're fake scenes with fake character names, the essence of what the creative team are looking for, and then the next few rounds were a combination of some of the scenes from the Angelina Jolie movies, and also a combination of actual scenes from the video game, where I could see that it said Lara Croft. However, all of the other characters in the scene still had dummy names, so I couldn't work out who Lara was actually talking to."

When she eventually received the news that she got the role, Wilton Regan said she "screamed and burst into tears."

"It was remarkably undignified, but it was very true to what I was feeling emotionally in the moment," she said.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis will launch on February 27, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

• Crystal Dynamics confirms Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is connected to its Tomb Raider Survivor trilogy
• Game director Raul Siqueira says the Survivor trilogy is Lara Croft's past
• He adds that Lara is in "her prime" in Legacy of Atlantis

Crystal Dynamics has said that Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is connected to its Tomb Raider Survivor trilogy in terms of both gameplay and narrative.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026, game director Raul Siqueira and experience director Jeff Adams discussed what the studio is calling a "reimagining" of the original 1996 game.

While Legacy of Atlantis may look different, featuring a new actress for Lara Croft in Alix Wilton Regan, and even though the story was released 30 years ago, Siqueira confirmed that the Survivor trilogy is linked to the upcoming game.

"Absolutely," Siqueira replied when asked if they're connected, "but I think [because] we've worked on the modern trilogy, it helps that a lot of people working on this game actually did the previous one.

"Jeff [Adams] has a really nice way of saying it, that it kind of connects the two of them together, that Survivor was Lara's past, right?"

Siqueira said the studio planned Legacy of Atlantis "as Lara's future," where she is in "her prime" and has learned lessons from the events of the Survivor trilogy.

"Everything that you saw in the Survivor trilogy helped shape who she is," he explained. "When she was just starting, she was beginning her career; she didn't have the confidence to pull acrobatics or anything like that. Lara, in the future, does — so when you go from a narrative perspective, there's a lot that we pull from [the Survivor trilogy], but even on the gameplay side of things: you probably saw that the T-Rex has a lot of flavor from [those] high-intensity cinematic moments [in the Survivor trilogy].

"I think that there is quite a bit that we go from jumping from the Survivor trilogy in terms of gameplay, but also from the narrative side of it."

Adams added that they've been asked a similar question before, and if Survivor "counts" within the canon story Crystal Dynamics is telling. He reiterated that "Survivor is absolutely Lara's past, but she is not beholden to that now."

"The Lara that you find in Legacy of Atlantis is one who's unfettered by the past, I guess."

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis launches on February 27, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

• Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis experience director Jeff Adams has explained why the game is a "reimagining" instead of a remake
• Adams says it allows Crystal Dynamics to capture "iconic moments" and still make new creative decisions
• Some features will be familiar, while others will be brand new, like the new Focus Mode

Crystal Dynamics has explained why it is treating Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis as more of a "reimagining" than a remake or remaster of the classic 1996 game.

That's according to experience director Jeff Adams, who told TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026 that the approach it's taking allows the studio to stick to what fans are familiar with, whether that be story beats and recognizable puzzles, while also building on that groundwork.

"It allows us to still be able to capture these really iconic moments in the original experience and make sure that that feels recognizable and echoic," Adams said, "but it gives us also the creative leeway to say, 'Hey, can we potentially make a slightly different creative decision here and push the game further?'"

Some of those new creative decisions include a reimagined Lara Croft, played by Dragon Age: Inquisition's Alix Wilton Regan, but who will be just as acrobatic as she was 30 years ago, a gorgeous photorealistic world, and a Focus Mode that fills a combat gauge that can grant a slow-motion bullet time ability.

Crystal Dynamics has also applied ideas from its Tomb Raider Survivor Trilogy, like more intuitive traversal and deeper puzzles, while still keeping memorable moments like the T-Rex boss fight.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis was originally slated to launch this year, but will now launch on February 27, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

Wilton Regan also spoke to TechRadar Gaming at SGF as well about playing the iconic character in Legacy of Atlantis, saying she feels "incredibly lucky to be bringing Tomb Raider into this new era," and isn't "worried about having to differentiate, because I feel very confident in the choice that we are going back to core Lara."

"Within the context of classic Lara, my job as the actress portraying her is to leave no Laras behind," Wilton Regan said.

"I'm very keen to understand, acknowledge, and respect everything that's been before across the Tomb Raider franchise, take the most important bits, assimilate them, digest them, and then bring them up to speed for modern audiences."

Summer Game Fest 2026 was jam-packed with exciting announcements, and we spent the whole event live on the ground in Los Angeles, going hands-on and conducting interviews for unparalleled insight into some of the biggest upcoming games and hardware products.

Keep your eyes peeled for a deluge of coverage based on the event in the coming days and weeks, but a few of the things we saw were just too exciting to wait. Our Best of Summer Game Fest 2026 awards gave us the opportunity to celebrate what we loved the most while we were at the show.

We had seven awards to give out at the sole discretion of our editorial team based on what we saw in our preview sessions. Given the breadth of things on show, we decided that there were no specific categories for awards (and the winners here are presented in no particular order), but each of the recipients below should be celebrated as some of the highlights of SGF 2026.

Dashiell Wood, Gaming Editor

Control Resonant

Making a sequel to the critically acclaimed Control was never going to be an easy job, but Remedy looks to have absolutely nailed it. I had an extended hands-on at an SGF-adjacent event and came away hugely impressed and desperate for more.

Playing as Dylan Faden — brother of Control protagonist Jesse Faden — you’re thrown into the paranatural world of Control’s Manhattan setting, but this time exit The Oldest House to fight The Hiss on the streets of a familiar-but-distorted New York. The atmosphere oozes even more cool than the first game, and Remedy’s embracing of larger, open areas, teamed with Dylan’s melee-focused combat and slick movement, are a match made in weird heaven.

There’s plenty of Remedy panache to the level design, with changes to gravity, orientation, and perspective on offer even in the small slither I played. With such flare in the more linear space offsetting the more open areas you can explore, there’s a neat balance to the spaces and places you’ll experience. It makes the perfect setting for another weird story too…

The real star of the show so far, though, is the combat. Much more multi-layered than Jesse’s in the first game, there are so many options, weapon variants, abilities and skills available to you. Team this with a focus on fluidity and dynamic movement in Dylan’s fighting style, and you can create some wild combos and movesets.

Rob Dwiar, Managing Editor, TechRadar Gaming and Streaming

Seed

I’ve been writing about games professionally for more than half a decade now, and I can count on one hand the times that a hands-on session has truly blown me away. Unassuming life simulator Seed did exactly that with its incredible ambition and technical complexity. It’s basically The Sims crossed with an MMO on steroids, and has you dropping custom characters (or Seedlings as they’re known in-universe) into a vast shared world with seemingly endless possibilities.

Everything is player-driven. Even a simple object like a chair has to be built by players and is the result of a complex production line, with prices dictated by a fully simulated economy. The jobs that your Seedling can work are all created by others as well, with the chance to create your own if you have the cash and need something done. Want someone to clean up your (player-built) house every couple of days? Simply create a job listing with your requirements and wait for another player to apply.

You don’t have to watch your Seedling toil away at their workplace for hours, which is certainly a relief. If you do want to check in, an in-development companion app (which was also demoed at the show) will let you keep tabs on them while you’re out and about enjoying your own life.

Seed also features one of the best and most natural implementations of large language model (LLM) tech that I’ve seen in a game with its Seedling chat system, which lets you talk directly to your character to discuss how they’re feeling, give them tasks to accomplish, or even influence their social interactions. It feels seriously futuristic and is something that would have been simply impossible a few years ago, showing how AI can be used tastefully to deliver all-new experiences rather than in a misguided attempt to replace artists and developers.

Dashiell Wood, Gaming Editor

Alien: Isolation 2

I’ve never felt so conflicted going into a hands-on preview: I’m a pretty big fan of the Alien franchise and loved Alien: Isolation, but only got through the latter through sheer perseverance. The prospect of playing Alien Isolation 2 knowing I’d be in a high-stress situation wasn’t one I could truly say I was looking forward to.

However, increased heart rate aside, the wait for this follow-up has been worth it. Creative Assembly looks set to deliver a (often literally) breath-taking sequel to one of the best horror games of all time. Taking care to keep within the first game’s key successes but evolve them and adapt them to a new setting and story, Alien: Isolation 2 already looks to be an absolute thrill, and it's worthy of one of our awards this year.

The introduction of an exterior environment for you to play cat and mouse with the Xenomorph looks to be a stroke of genius. Contrasting this with some familiar but terrifying interior scenarios, the evolution of the world is going to go down very well with fans. On top of that, everything looks fantastic and incredibly detailed, showing a huge jump in graphical fidelity that true Alien heads will take great joy in soaking up. And yes, the Xenomorph looks even more terrifying this time around.

You can look forward to limited resources to juggle, fantastic environments to explore, a cleverer-than-ever Xeno to escape, and some of the best aesthetics in a horror game to marvel at, all while carrying on the story straight from the first game.

Rob Dwiar, Managing Editor, TechRadar Gaming and Streaming

Fable

We’ve been waiting ages, but having now seen Fable in real life, it looks like it’ll absolutely be worth it.

Talking pigs, endless romance options, permanent-feeling actions, consequence-dealing behaviour, enjoyable dialog and fun humour, and a beautiful English-countryside-inspired setting? All are present, and it’s a game that’s undoubtedly going to be joyful to get stuck into.

With systems so deep and rich, and a cast of non-player characters (NPCs) so varied, real, and engaging, there’s so much fun to be had in the world of Fable no matter your intentions. But it’s very much not all good and bad choices: there are many shades of gray between, and every NPC’s perspective will be different, so you’ll have to deal with a variety of consequences no matter what decision you take.

A brief look at combat also proved exciting. It’s fluid, flashy, and downright fun-looking with flurries of fantastical movement and fighting actions combining beautifully on the hero I saw a glimpse of.

Fable is shaping up to be a hugely rewarding and interesting experience that you can lose yourself in, and could even become part economy-sim, life-sim, and settlement-builder, as well as RPG, all in one.

Rob Dwiar, Managing Editor, TechRadar Gaming and Streaming

Sonic Pico Park

What happens when you take a popular indie party game and pair it with one of the biggest platformer franchises around? An incredible amount of charming fun — at least if Sonic Pico Park is anything to go by.

Gathered around a sofa with a group of strangers for my hands-on session, it wasn’t long before we were chatting and laughing together like old friends as we worked our way through a series of pixellated puzzles. Returning Pico Park fans will already know to expect smart level design, but I was particularly impressed by how well some core Sonic mechanics are incorporated into this new crossover.

Careful use of the blue blur’s shiny gold rings helps you get past deadly obstacles that would otherwise be game over, while springs send you shooting forward with enough momentum to conquer big loop-de-loops. Sonic, Tails, and Amy are all playable with some unique tricks between them. Everyone can spin dash (used in my demo to break the occasional destructible surface), but only Tails gets the ability to fly and even airlift others, while Knuckles has a little glide that makes it easier to get over big gaps.

It’s all rendered in a simplistic but cute art direction that conveys a great sense of playfulness, and I simply can’t wait to play more.

Dashiell Wood, Gaming Editor

TCL 2A Pro

I’ll take any opportunity to sit down and play a few matches of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, but demoing it on TCL’s newest gaming monitor line took the experience to a whole new level. The flagship TCL C2A Pro 4K might be the ultimate all-round package for those after a display that can take everything from cinematic story experiences such as The Last of Us Part 1 to fast-paced first-person shooters in a stride.

Its QD-Mini LED panel is seriously colorful, with a vibrancy that, to my eyes, rivals many OLED displays. It’s bright, achieving a peak brightness of up to 2,000 nits and featuring the desirable DisplayHDR 1400 certification. By default, it offers a cinematic 4K picture at a speedy 160Hz, but those with a more competitive side can use its dual mode feature to bump it down to 1080p at an incredibly smooth 320Hz, which is going to be simply invaluable in titles like Counter Strike 2 where high frame rates and split-second performance can mean the difference between a clutch win or devastating defeat.

The monitor’s design and build are impressive too. The sleek white chassis has an almost sci-fi aesthetic, complemented by streaks of attractive RGB lighting, and houses a generous selection of ports — the perfect blend of looks and practicality.

Dashiell Wood, Gaming Editor

Star Wars: Galactic Racer

Since going hands-on with Fuse Games’ Star Wars: Galactic Racer, it has become my go-to answer whenever someone asks me what the most fun game I played at SGF was. Going in not knowing what to expect, and within seconds, and I do mean seconds, I was beaming from ear to ear.

Everything is just sheer fun. From the setting and characters in the canon story, to the level of customization, vehicles, and race tracks on offer—not to mention the spectacular crashes that feel ripped straight out of Burnout.

However, the true joy is in the racing and even the moment-to-moment events in one race: a hilarious slow-mo look at an opponent crashing that I may or may not have caused; an equally hilarious recap of me crashing moments later; nailing a drift around a corner through an old ship; listening to some in-race banter; it’s all great fun. And then extra satisfying when cashing in on my winnings and upgrading my ship at the end.

With an intriguing narrative focus, and also a branching, runs-based approach to the structure of the game, there’s plenty to get into with Star Wars: Galactic Racer and I can’t wait to jump back into the hotseat.

Rob Dwiar, Managing Editor, TechRadar Gaming and Streaming

If you're a gamer with a pulse, you may have noticed that a few new titles were announced at this year's Summer Game Fest. Of course, if you're a Bethesda Softworks stalwart who'd hoped the event would yield fresh intel on the game maker's next Fallout and Elder Scrolls entries, then, well, you may have been more disappointed than delighted by its many reveals.

While both Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls Online shared peeks of future updates – and a Doom: The Dark Ages expansion was announced – details on the studio's most anticipated, long-awaited games were sadly a no-show. All that said, one of Bethesda's biggest, most ambitious efforts has recently been released on PlayStation platforms.

Arriving two-plus years after its exclusive launch on PC and Xbox Series X and Series S, sprawling sci-fi role-playing game Starfield has finally landed on Sony's systems…but with little fanfare. That's a bit surprising, as the 2023 role-playing game (RPG) is not only one of Bethesda's best original efforts in recent years, but one that has reserved its most polished, content-packed version for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro owners.

A Bethesda RPG, evolved

If you're a new Constellation recruit, let's catch you up real quick. Starfield is a big, ambitious Bethesda RPG not unlike the studio's other staple series within the genre. While it's not exactly The Elder Scrolls in space, its systems-fueled gameplay, expansive open-world, and author-your-own-adventure formula will feel comfortably familiar to anyone who's sunk hours into the fantasy RPG series or the Fallout franchise.

Starfield essentially refines, polishes, and expands on those games' enduring formulas…then recruits you as a starship captain and hurtles you into the scary expanse of the cosmic frontier. As you might expect, there's plenty of enemies to eviscerate, massive progression paths to evolve, resources to gather, items to craft, factions to tangle with, mysteries to uncover, and so much more.

But as a galaxy-exploring, planet-hopping sci-fi RPG, you can also count on deep starship customization, crew member recruitment, dogfights among the stars, and ugly extraterrestrials looking to turn you to pulp. Starfield allows you to dig deep into all of these elements while also steering and shaping your journey, molding it to your playstyle and preference at every turn.

While you're certainly welcome to stick to the critical path and closely adhere to the game's narrative, it's at its best when you're fulfilling your own sci-fi fantasies – whether that's becoming a pistol-packing bounty hunter, peace-keeping diplomat, or just some dude who really digs collecting and customizing a fleet of cool starships.

A galaxy of updates and improvements

Despite giving players the keys to a lightspeed-capable craft and encouraging them to author their own sci-fi epic, Starfield wasn't without its share of flaws when it was originally released. From empty-feeling planets and a confusing economy to clunky combat, sometimes sluggish travel, and an overall lack of charm and personality, it left some players as cold as deep space.

But like any ambitious AAA game with two-plus years' worth of updates, patches, and expansions in its rearview, Starfield has benefited from a spaceport full of improvements and polish since releasing in the summer of 2023. On top of countless quality-of-life tweaks, it's also seen several significant updates, like the awesome planet-roving REV-8 vehicle that makes exploring even the most boring expanses a rubber-burning blast.

But Starfield's biggest update by far has nicely coincided with the game's PS5 release, leading to what Bethesda producer Tim Lamb called its "best version" in a recent interview with TechRadar. The substantial offering introduces a ton more tweaks, improvements, and even fresh content, from a powerful new resource that deepens customization to an adorable alien pet companion you can adopt.

The update's biggest game-changers, however, are its "Free Lanes" and "Cruise Mode" additions, which blow some of Starfield's more tedious elements out an airlock. Combined, these enhancements introduce seamless, smoother, and more satisfying space travel, allowing for easier planet-to-planet navigation, as well as the ability to manage many of the game's complex systems while casually cruising through the stars.

While this latest update will likely feel long overdue for existing fans, it's just an organic, out-of-the-box part of the experience for those earning their captain stripes in the PS5 version. Those same new recruits are also treated to the game's story-based expansions, Shattered Space and the more recent Terran Armada, which add hours of content and are included in the premium edition's $70 price.

Boldly going where previous versions have not

In addition to all previous patches and enhancements – as well as the new update – PS5 players are treated to some Sony platform-specific features when they strap into the cockpit. Starfield doesn't skimp on the extras that smartly leverage the consoles' unique elements and – in the PlayStation 5 Pro's case – considerable horsepower.

PS5 players can choose between a graphics-favoring Visual mode and a frame-rate-focused Performance option. The former delivers 4K resolution – with PSSR upscaling doing some of the heavy lifting – at 30fps, while the latter ups the frames to 60-per-second at the cost of dropping the resolution to 1080p. The Pro also gets its own Enhanced mode, which further optimizes specific visual features, like foliage and draw distances, at 30fps.

I primarily played on the Pro, and found the Visual mode to offer the best overall experience, delivering fantastic fidelity and a peppy framerate that never felt compromised. I also found that the Pro's performance mode actually offered a slight visual bump over the base PS5's graphics mode. All that said, the game ran smoothly and looked great on the standard system.

More impressive is what the game accomplishes with the DualSense across all PS5 platforms. While plenty of ports take advantage of the controller's adaptive trigger and haptic feedback tech, Starfield goes above and beyond, fully integrating these features, but also leveraging the peripheral's light bar and built-in speaker to significantly up the immersion. The game ultimately serves as a great showcase of what the controller's unique features can bring to an interactive entertainment experience when fully utilized.

Much like Bethesda Softworks' PS5 port of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the studio's latest looks and plays better than ever on Sony's systems. But Starfield's PlayStation debut actually shares more with Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed, which arrived on PS5 consoles not only with the usual graphical and performance bumps, but also with a host of welcome updates and new content that made it the definitive version of the game.

Thanks to two-plus years of tweaks and enhancements – as well as a recent, significant update adding even more polish, improvements, and content – that's exactly what fans are getting with Starfield's latest release, a definitive experience that makes an already fantastic game out of this world.

Should I play Starfield on PS5?

Play it if…

Don’t play it if…

Accessibility

Starfield's accessibility features feel pretty bare bones, offering some standard options for adjusting audio settings, as well as different selections for subtitles, captions, and fonts.

There's plenty in the way of controller mapping options, but little depth in other areas. And some features that have become fairly standard, like color filter modes and other assists for visually-impaired players, are notably absent here.

How I reviewed Starfield on PS5

I spent 30-plus hours exploring, battling, and adventuring through Starfield's Settled Systems. During my time on planet surfaces and among the stars, I focused on the many updates the game has received since its launch, from its dozens of quality-of-life tweaks to its more significant inclusions and enhancements.

I also tested the various quality and performance modes on both my PS5 and PS5 Pro. Finally, I paid particular attention to how the game looked and played today – on Sony's consoles – versus how it felt when I first experienced it on my Xbox Series X. I played on my TCL 4K TV, with HDR enabled, using Sony's PlayStation Pulse Elite headset for audio.

First reviewed June 2026

• Resident Evil Veronica producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi has explained why the remake isn't called 'Code Veronica'
• The producer says Code Veronica is just as important as the other mainline games
• Veronica's title follows the naming convention of the remake series

If you've been questioning why Resident Evil Veronica isn't called 'Code Veronica' like the original 2000 title, Capcom has explained its reasoning, and yeah, it sounds pretty logical.

During a press Q&A at Summer Game Fest (SGF) 2026, TechRadar Gaming asked Veronica producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi why the studio decided to rename the upcoming remake, considering the original game is a spin-off and not a mainline entry.

Hirabayashi explained that Capcom sees the original Code Veronica as just as "important" to the franchise as any other mainline game, like Resident Evil 2 or Resident Evil 4.

"For our development team, and everyone at Capcom, we consider the original Code Veronica to be just as important and relevant as any other mainline entry," Hirabayashi said, "so when we tackled this remake, the question we asked ourselves was, 'How do we communicate that to our audience?'"

The producer pointed to the naming convention for the remake entries, which are typically numbered or feature a word closely associated with the game's corresponding theme, such as the recently released Resident Evil Requiem.

"What we did is we looked at how we were handling naming titles for more recent and mainline numbered entries," Hirabayashi said. "If you look at the naming conventions that we've been using more recently for mainline titles, you'll notice a pattern.

"It's usually one word that is really iconic or connected to the concept of the game [...] We wanted to take a similar approach to the title of this remake as well. So we asked ourselves, what is that one iconic work that best represents the identity of the game? And we settled on Resident Evil Veronica."

Resident Evil Veronica is planned for a 2027 release for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC. Hirabayashi has confirmed that the game is being handled by the same team behind Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 remakes.

"When we approach a remake, it doesn't matter which remake it is, we do have a very similar approach that we take to that process," the producer said.

Veronica follows Claire Redfield three months after the events of Resident Evil 2. After travelling to Paris in search of her brother Chris, Claire is captured by Umbrella and transported to a remote island, where she must escape due to another biological disaster.

• Resident Evil Veronica hits a million wishlists across PS5 and Steam on PC in under a week
• It has reached the milestone faster than Resident Evil Requiem did after its reveal
• Capcom has recently stated Veronica's importance, effectively as a mainline entry to the Resident Evil franchise

Capcom is arguably in its best run of form in decades, particularly when it comes to its beloved survival horror Resident Evil franchise, with several successful entries launching in recent years — and it looks like the upcoming remake could join the party.

Announced on X, Capcom's upcoming Resident Evil Veronica has received a million wishlists across PS5 and PC (the only two platforms currently available for wishlist), in just under a week after its Summer Game Fest reveal. It has accomplished the high figure of wishlists faster than Resident Evil Requiem did, which took two weeks.

If the name Resident Evil Veronica sounds familiar to you, that's because this is Capcom's remake of Resident Evil Code: Veronica, the original which dates all the way back to 2000. It's one of, if not the, most requested remakes from Resident Evil fans, and those wishes have now been answered.

Instead of fan favourite Leon S. Kennedy featuring as the main focus, Capcom is taking us back to 1998 and we'll be following Claire Redfield instead, set three months after the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 remakes.

Comment from r/residentevil

Comment from r/residentevil

Capcom says its removed 'Code' from the remake's name, in attempt to align the title closer to recent titles (e.g, Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil Requiem), and frankly, while Veronica isn't a numbered title, it's still considered to be just as important as one, effectively acting as a mainline entry in the franchise.

There's plenty to be excited on what this remake will have to offer, especially because it won't simply be a graphical upgrade, but instead feature major changes to the gameplay and narrative — and unsurprisingly, the wishlists are a strong indication of fans' intrigue on what those changes will be, as evident on Reddit.

The same development team responsible for the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 remakes will be at the helm for Veronica, and if the success of those entries is anything to go by, we're in for a treat.

Back in 2022 I went to a preview event for The Callisto Protocol in London to write an article for the gaming magazine that I worked for at the time. Shortly after shaking hands with director Glen Schofield, he watched in stunned silence as I repeatedly died in the corner of an intense enemy encounter, awkwardly failing to swerve incoming swings with its incredibly unwieldy directional dodging system.

“Have you tried using the gravity gun?” he eventually suggested. “I literally can’t find the button for it,” I replied. I looked over my shoulder and saw his head in his hands. Back then I thought that I was struggling because I had been tossed late into the game with no tutorial. Of course, when the game finally released, I, along with tens of other players around the world, realized that, no, it's actually just hellish to control.

I bring this up because I couldn't help but recount the episode as I walked away from my brief hands-on time with some of Stranger Than Heaven’s combat encounters at Summer Game Fest 2026. To be clear, I don’t think its mechanics are quite that rough—but even when I fully understood its many idiosyncrasies, I wasn’t exactly having fun.

Heavenly? Not quite

Just like The Callisto Protocol, directionality is at the core of brawls in Stranger Than Heaven.

The left-hand side of your controller represents the left-hand side of the player character’s body, while the right-hand side is the right. It sounds simple enough. You tap the right bumper to swing with your right fist. Pull the left trigger, and you get a left kick. You’re meant to alternate between sides as you beat up thugs—rely on one too much and they’ll soon cotton on and block.

Fair enough: switching between mashing buttons on both sides sounds like it might have a good rhythm to it. Unfortunately, Stranger Than Heaven is far from a button masher. Encounters, especially those against large groups, play out at a snail’s pace. Swings are slower than you would expect, and you’re clearly meant to think about each move carefully. If you’re too aggressive, you’ll get knocked down and summarily beaten to a pulp.

Enemies deal a Dark Souls level of damage, and if one of them grabs you, they can easily whittle your health bar down to a slither in just a few hits. When you do find yourself in a baddie’s grip, your first instinct is probably to mash the dodge button to escape, but you actually need to work out which side they’re grabbing you on and send out some attacks from the opposite one in order to knock them off. It goes against basically everything that other action brawlers have ever taught you, and feels clumsy as a result.

Don’t even think about using a health item either. For some reason, the protagonist takes what feels like an hour to scoff a single rice ball in an animation that you can’t seem to interrupt, even in the face of imminent danger. You’ll barely have a chance to swallow before a foe unleashes a special katana attack that cleaves you in half.

You do at least get some melee weapons of your own to even the odds, and I got to try three. My favorite was comfortably the knife, finding it often hilariously unbalanced. Sprinting up to a goon while frantically mashing the attack button seemed to catch them totally off guard, causing them to freeze up and take a few hits before actually starting to fight back.

There was also a moment where I used my swings to push a powerful boss enemy, the supposed climax of my hands-on, into a doorway in the background of the combat arena—which he immediately became stuck on, giving me the opportunity to mince his torso into steak tartare. It felt like some well-deserved payback for the handful of times my own attacks inexplicably failed to connect throughout the encounter.

I was, of course, playing an early build, so a lack of polish is to be expected, but watching your fists simply pass through someone's chest with no visible reaction lent the fight a real sense of sloppiness that was hard to shake. It’s a shame that I wasn’t able to sample any of the activities outside of the fights as well, or even see any of the narrative beyond a few out-of-context voice lines before getting stuck in.

The idea of an epic story that spans five whole eras is certainly intriguing, and I hope it will be able to make up for any combat awkwardness that might remain when Stranger Than Heaven releases for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC on January 15, 2027.

• Control Resonant lead level designer Anne-Marie Grönroos and art director Elmeri Raitanen want players to engage in side content alongside the story
• Grönroos says, "We want the player to kind of get lost in the world in a good way"
• The game will also feature linear "dungeons", which Grönroos says are a "really nice contrast" to the overworld

Remedy Entertainment has placed a lot of emphasis on exploration in Control Resonant, and it wants players to discover and engage in side content in the game's open areas alongside the main story as much as possible.

That's according to lead level designer Anne-Marie Grönroos and art director Elmeri Raitanen, who discussed how Remedy went about creating the game's ambitious open world after Control's interior setting, in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at a preview event alongside this year's Summer Game Fest (SGF).

Raitanen explained that the team is "standing on the shoulders of an aesthetic giant," so moving past the award-winning Control's level design and striking concept was a challenge.

"From the design side, well, we did the first Control, [and] I think we were a bit naive back then, we didn't really realize how big of a jump it could be, [you] could go from Quantum Break, which was like a completely linear game, to something [Control] where you're actually supposed to backtrack, and it's more open, and it has a main mission, it has side missions, and so on," Grönroos said.

"So, there definitely was a lot of stuff in there we learned, but it was impressive what we did back then, but there were still a lot left out of out of there that we couldn't really get done in the first game, so this one, we are now outside [in] Manhattan, so the world is much bigger, the areas are more distinct from each other, they have more of this identity that has been thought of."

She added, "It turned out a lot of people actually just played the [Control] main mission and didn't even find the side content at all," but with Control Resonant, the team "really wanted to push more for in this game."

"We want the player to kind of get lost in the world in a good way," Grönroos said. "And force them to have fun," Raitanen added.

In Control, players were limited to the interior of the Oldest House, but in Resonant, the open world of a supernaturally warped Manhattan will be fully explorable.

This means many more visual landmarks to encounter that "can attract somebody's curiosity into some direction," which Raitanen explained "might not have been possible to do" in the first game "when we are going from like an interior space into another interior space."

"In the indoors we couldn't have those landmarks from very far away, and you couldn't have those visible from other sectors at all, but here now... the game is not fully open, it is separated in a disc, similar things to sectors, but the sectors themselves, the city zones, they are a lot more open than the sectors where the Oldest House, and in fact, like that big red building, for example, you can see that from three other zones over, you can see this big global landmarks from a lot of other zones," Grönroos said.

Raitanen hinted at what players can expect when they explore Manhattan, and while the world may appear to be filled with supernatural threats, the team didn't want to "sprinkle paranatural things and weirdness a little bit everywhere."

Instead, Remedy has built the environments with the intention of being explored, and you never know what you'll find.

"One key thing has been that we want to make it like the city is not necessarily your enemy, it might actually feel like deceitfully pleasant," the art director said. "[It] occasionally invites you to explore, but then there might be this layer of paranatural threat and chaos that kind of is overlaid on top of the normal city, so that's definitely been one of them key tools to make the zones feel like they have identity, and if you take screenshots of different places of the game, you can immediately tell that, hey, that's from Evacuation Zone, and that's from the molding park, or an abundant part of the oldest house, something like this."

Beyond the main story, Grönroos also hinted at additional sequences and "linear levels" that Remedy called "dungeons", which she explained are a "really nice contrast" to the overworld that players see from the outset.

"These spaces, which are not in the part of the overworld, [are a] more content linear experience, and there's not a ton of other things distracting you there," she said. "It is all about the story [in this area], although when the story is done, then we might be doing something different than there.

"There might be a side quest that opens up that in the place where you are just about to go, and in fact, later on in the game," Grönroos added, but said Remedy wants the first-time experience playing Control Resonant "to be very graded in a very similar [way] to how we did the main quest in the first game."

Control Resonant launches on September 24 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

• The Fable reboot will feature over 150,000 lines of dialogue
• Playground Games says multiple studios have recorded over 1000 hours of VO this year alone
• The studio says, "It takes a lot of work to balance all of the systems, but that's part of the challenge that we've been relishing"

Playground Games has said that more than 150,000 lines of dialogue have been recorded for its highly anticipated fantasy role-playing game (RPG), Fable, an impressive system that it "relished" making.

That's according to Playground founder and general manager Ralph Fulton, who shared some fun statistics about the game with the press during a Q&A at Summer Game Fest (SGF) and revealed that a good chunk of Fable's dialogue was also recorded across multiple studios just this year alone.

"There are over 150,000 lines of dialog about VO in this game, and the lion's share of that is in that system that you should be seeing today [in the demo]," Fulton said. "We've had multiple studios set up running in parallel for over 1000 hours just this year alone, just recording VO, so it's a huge machine, because the vision that the guys have for this part of the game just requires that way of writing."

While impressive, it raises the question of how this will be illustrated in-game without the RPG feeling too bloated. When asked if Playground sees a risk of this being "too systemic for a world that you want to feel immersed in," Associate Game Director Will Kennedy didn't think so, explaining that everything is "handcrafted" with a purpose.

"We've got 1000 handcrafted [non-player characters] NPCs, over 1000 handcrafted NPCs that you can interact with," Kennedy said. "We put a lot of time, dedication into thinking about all of these different systems that we have in the game, and that handcrafted part of something that's actually really beneficial in terms of the way you're talking about, because we have a game design team and other teams that care deeply about what we're building, and they can really grab hold of the work that's being done and apply that craft.

"Our game design team [made] sure that that [every] NPC made sense. It takes a lot of work to balance all of the systems, but that's part of the challenge that we've been relishing, and we think the game over the past half an hour that I've shown you really stands on its own two feet and shows how well everything you've been doing with that."

Fable has been in development for a very long time, but will officially launch on February 23, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.

• After four years, we finally get a second Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer
• Disney characters were few and far between, but two worlds were teased
• We also didn't get a release date

It’s tough being a Kingdom Hearts fan. The series is an all-time great, but if its platform-hopping origins weren’t frustrating enough — with entries exclusive to different consoles and even different regions for a while — we must now face the fact that Square Enix loves taking its time between entries, and between a new game’s announcement and release.

Kingdom Hearts 3 was first showcased around five and a half years before its release, and it seemed Kingdom Hearts 4 might take just as long between merely its first and second trailers. That is, until we got a brand new look at the game at Nintendo Direct, saving this year’s Summer Game Fest event for me just as I had conceded the Disney meets Final Fantasy crossover would be absent yet again.

The minute and a half of footage blended combat gameplay with cutscenes of black robe-clad figures, protagonist Sora facing off against a Heartless behemoth on the streets of Tokyo, and a few new and familiar faces — including several from Kingdom Hearts’ now-defunct mobile and browser games.

Despite these more obscure inclusions, Square has said KH4 is meant as a jumping-on point for the series, with the game’s director, Tetsuya Nomura, describing the KH3 ending in a interview as a “reset” — one which “should make it even easier for newcomers to join the story starting from KH4.”

Disney who?

I’m not convinced the latest trailer supports Nomura’s claims, though, as a long-time fan who has loved the series’ weird spin-offs, I’m not complaining.

The one other interesting detail of the trailer for me is how short it is on Disney characters. We only get the briefest glimpse of Donald and Goofy surrounded by blue flames.

Though we did get hints at two possible Disney worlds we’ll get to visit in some capacity. The first comes from those blue flames, which strongly hint at the return of Hades, the god of the underworld, from Hercules. Hercules’s world has appeared in almost every entry in the series so far, so its inclusion in 4 makes plenty of sense.

Further, while Sora’s fate at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 is a little strange, it seems he has died in a way, so a god of death would likely be involved in his friend’s quest to find him. Plus, Hades’ voice actor has since teased his involvement online, saying “I might have a little bit of inside knowledge on this” and sharing the latest trailer.

The other hint comes from Sora’s keyblade — a swirl of fire and water combined into one weapon. While we don’t get the best look at it while it’s swung around in combat, this feels like a clear reference to 2023’s Elemental, especially as the keyblade creates a flower effect when it hits enemies, which looks a little bit like the film’s vivisteria flowers.

Interestingly, Sora has this keyblade while battling in the realistic version of Tokyo, suggesting he’ll be world-hopping while still trapped in this alternate reality — one which didn’t experience the visceral conflict of light and darkness before his arrival, we learn in this new clip.

One missing detail

The only thing missing is a release date or even a release year. After four years since it was first teased, you’d hope Square Enix would be able to give us some kind of timeline for this game’s release.

My guess is sometime in late 2027 at the earliest, maybe early 2028. That’s based on a new Kingdom Hearts collection that is landing this October, and that we have the final part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy dropping in Spring next year (that’ll be sometime in March through May).

This is certainly frustrating. I can’t tell you how desperate I am to jump back into the Kingdom Hearts world, but hopefully the wait will be worth it.

Admittedly, this trailer makes me a little concerned. Perhaps it’s the wide open space of Tokyo’s streets, but the combat felt a little sparse, and something seemed a little off about Sora’s fight against the giant Heartless. Footage, so perhaps things will change come Kingdom Hearts 4’s eventual full release.

At least we found out it’ll be yet another multi-platform launch across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PC, and the Nintendo Switch 2.

• Capcom announced a major expansion for Dragon's Dogma 2 during the latest Nintendo Direct
• Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is coming for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2
• The expansion is set to launch on October 9, 2026, and there's already a major title update available now

It's been a long wait for Dragon's Dogma 2 fans, with all hope of a potential expansion or major game update seemingly lost — but now Capcom has finally delivered.

During the latest Nintendo Direct, Capcom's Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen was announced for the Nintendo Switch 2, as well as for current platforms such as PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, set for release on October 9, 2026.

This is a major expansion to the base game experience, featuring a new region, Norgan, and plenty of new armor, weapons, skills, and enemies to discover, alongside dungeons and several new character customization options.

Most importantly, though, Capcom has already kickstarted preparation for the expansion's launch with a new update having arrived.

Title update 3.1 is available now, featuring dozens of quality-of-life (QoL) improvements, bug fixes, and gameplay adjustments — with another similar update arriving in August, addressing several pain points for players.

Notably, this Dragon's Dogma 2 expansion has a familiar name. In fact, Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen is the first game's title, with 'Dark Arisen' added only after the Bitterblack Isle expansion arrived, with very similar QoL and gameplay improvements. So it's safe to say history is repeating itself.

A surprise for some — but not for others

The sudden expansion announcement and title update serve as a huge surprise for Dragon's Dogma fans, as Capcom has effectively been radio silent on the franchise aside from anniversary posts since the game's 2024 release.

However, some may say that this was expected, given Capcom's mysterious activity relating to the game on Steam's backend, and the latest anniversary post hinting at a new character and region known as Norgan. Those fan theories have now been vindicated.

Frankly, Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is yet another example of Capcom's relentless development work lately. Monster Hunter Wilds, Resident Evil Requiem, and Pragmata have all launched with huge success and critical acclaim. A story expansion for Requiem is expected to arrive this year, alongside Onimusha: Way of the Sword set for September 25, and then Resident Evil Veronica in 2027.

Gamers have plenty to be excited for in the coming months, and there's no denying that Capcom has a huge part to play in that.

Secretlab is practically synonymous with the words ‘gaming chair’, with its flagship Titan Evo line the preferred choice of many esports athletes, professional streamers, and practically anyone looking for one of the best gaming chairs on the market. But the company doesn't want to stop at gaming — and its new Atlas chair is its first step in a different direction.

The Atlas is the company’s first dedicated task chair, a product that looks like spearheading a more aggressive expansion into the home office market where it will butt heads with the likes of Boulies and Herman Miller.

So, how will it make this transition? And how was the Atlas developed? Back in April I flew out to Secretab’s Singapore HQ for a very early hands-on, and to learn more about the development of some of its biggest features.

Built for just the right level of support

One thing that's always defined the Titan Evo is how nice it is to sit in. Our original reviewer called it "the most comfortable chair” they’ve ever used, lavishing praise on the high level of ergonomic support that it offers, and having tested countless gaming chairs over the years, it's the model that I most consistently recommend.

Whether you pick the fabric or leatherette finish, I know first hand that the quality of the materials on offer is excellent, too — and that the brand provides one of the most consistently smooth and approachable assembly processes on the market.

Throw in included extras like a comfortable magnetic neck pillow, plus the availability of optional accessories that range all the way from upgraded armrests to a full-on recliner, and it’s not hard to see why they’re so popular.

All of that helped the Titan Evo become a top home office pick, too. So how did the company approach the development of the Atlas?

According to head of product development and industrial design Vincent Sin the Atlas’ backrest was crafted using data from ergonomic studies and features a combination of the brand’s proprietary cold-cure foam and integrated springs that help it subtly adapt to your natural curve as you sit.

When I first sat in the Atlas I discovered that, much like the Titan Evo 2022, it feels quite firm at first — especially compared to super soft seats like the Corsair TC100 Relaxed — and noticed that it doesn’t press up against your lower back quite as aggressively as other chairs.

“People don’t know that having too much lumbar support is also a bad thing,” Sin explained, revealing that it can lead to hypertension and cause strain over time. Crafting the shape of the Atlas involved plenty of iteration, with pressure mapping used to identify where extra support was needed. The Secretlab Atlas doesn’t offer any dedicated lumbar adjustment controls, with all the fine-tuning occurring by itself as you sit.

“What we found is that often than not, with task chairs that have a lot of adjustments, it’s very confusing and people often will get it wrong,” Sin said. “And I would say that’s worse than having something that automatically adjusts for you.”

That’s not to say that the Atlas doesn’t offer plenty of other ways to tailor the seating experience. The chair’s height can be raised or lowered of course, the armrests can be pulled up or rotated, and even seat depth can be adjusted to cater to a range of leg lengths.

Business-ready colors

Secretlab has always opted for a more understated aesthetic than other gaming chair makers and that approach carries through to the Atlas. It definitely echoes the shape of the Titan Evo, giving it a distinct look compared to most office furniture, but it’s not overly flashy or garish.

The standard version of the Atlas starts at $499 / £399 and comes in either Hybrid Leatherette or SoftWeave Plus Fabric finishes in a selection of suitably business-appropriate colors. Those buying the leatherette can choose Classic Black or Moon (which is white with black accents). On the fabric side there’s a standard Black, grey Cookies & Cream, and the sandy Dune.

There’s also the option to upgrade to the premium Secretlab Atlas with Nanofoam Composite starting at $699 / £599. This adds a layer of microfoam for an even more supportive and, having sat on both side by side, noticeably softer experience and swaps the black armrests, hydraulic mechanic, and wheel based to color matched variants.

There are two NanoGen Edition models (which use Secretlab's latest super plush finish) on offer here, Pure White+ and Black+, in addition to the less flashy fabric Dune+ and Pure Black+.

The Secretlab Atlas is available now via the Secretlab website.

• Crazy Taxi: World Tour has been announced and it launches in 2027
• The game will feature multiplayer modes for the first time
• Series creator Kenji Kanno says some staff have experience with multiplayer games, and "with their knowledge, we were able to create a multiplayer mode"

Sega has officially announced Crazy Taxi: World Tour, an all-new installment in the classic driving action series, launching for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC in 2027.

Revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase 2026 adjacent to this year's Summer Game Fest (SGF), the game will be led by the original Crazy Taxi creator, Kenji Kanno, and take players on a story-driven campaign around the globe as longtime series protagonist Axel, who is chasing down mysterious masked villains who stole his beloved taxi.

The trailer, set to the iconic track 'All I Want' by The Offspring, showcased new game features such as brand-new maps and missions, vehicles and customization, and an Arcade mode that captures the thrills of the original games.

"This new title, Crazy Taxi: World Tour, is not just a recreation of the original Crazy Taxi gameplay," Kanno said in a Q&A after the reveal, "But there's a story mode that expands on the world and background of the characters within Crazy Taxi. Players can expect a lot of content."

The series creator added that while there are fans of the series who will be excited to get their hands on World Tour, the game will also appeal to the younger generation and those who aren't familiar with the series at all, revealing that many of the staff who developed the game are young, too.

"Our staff with the development of World Tour, there's actually a lot of very young staff in their twenties, and it's not just old people like me," Kanno said. "We basically all just sit on the same table and really work together to make a game that would appeal to all generations".

Unlike earlier entries in the Crazy Taxi series, World Tour will also be the first game to feature multiplayer modes, which Kanno knows has been highly requested from long-time fans.

"There will be multiplayer, and even when I created the original [Crazy] Taxi back in 1999, a lot of our players were like, 'Hey, I want to play this game with my friends', but you know, back then we were limited by the technology," he said.

"But now in 2026, even in our development team, there are a lot of our staff who have experience with multiplayer games. So with their knowledge, we were able to create a multiplayer mode for Taxi as well.

"We have the focus on the single player story mode part of the game, but we have a multiplayer mode for those who want to be more hardcore [...] But of course, both are very fun modes."

Scuf Omega: one-minute review

The Scuf Omega is the Corsair subsidiary’s latest PlayStation 5-compatible controller. It’s received the PlayStation seal of approval as an officially-licensed product, so you’d expect it to be of at least a reasonably high quality, right?

Here’s the thing. I’ve reviewed loads of the best PS5 controllers, including a bunch of those at the premium price level, including the Razer Raiju V3 Pro, DualSense Edge, and the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded. The Scuf Omega hasn’t outshone any of them in my testing, even though, on paper, it should win out with its feature set and customization options.

So, where has Scuf gone wrong? Much of it comes down to build quality. While it’s solid enough in the hands - and actually very comfortable - most individual parts can be removed, like the faceplate, touchpad plate, d-pad, face buttons, and the thumbsticks. In isolation, these parts (and the accessories included in the box, like button and paddle blanks and optional long-shaft thumbsticks) feel cheap and flimsy.

I’m also not at all a fan of the optional paddle buttons on the sides of the controller. These are far too easy to press accidentally, and because they come pre-mapped out of the box, even gently tapping one mid-game can feel like the video game equivalent of stepping on a Lego brick.

I’ll get into other issues I have with the Scuf Omega below, but I want to stress it’s not all bad news. Those side buttons and paddles are removable and can be replaced with included blanking plates, preventing accidental presses entirely if you don’t really feel like using them (though this is a controller squarely aimed at players who do appreciate these additional input options).

And in general, actually playing games with the Scuf Omega is a pretty wonderful experience. The d-pad and face buttons are extremely tactile with a ludicrously short travel. The textured grips are comfortable, and the controller just sits in your hands so nicely. I adore the digital trigger option here, too, giving them the exact same immediacy as the buttons you’ll be pressing the most.

Again, there’s plenty Scuf has gotten right with the Omega, but I just can’t recommend it at the triple-digit sticker price when it’s not as solidly or thoughtfully built as competing premium options.

Scuf Omega: price and availability

• List price: $219.99 / £209.99 (around AU$300)
• Available to buy now from Scuf’s website
• Many special liveries are available, but they are a tad pricier

It’s easy to baulk at the price of the Scuf Omega. However, this is the bracket where most third-party PS5 controllers sit. For example, the Razer Raiju V3 Pro comes in at $219.99 / £199.99, while the official DualSense Edge can be had for $199.99 / £199.99. Meanwhile, there’s the similarly modular Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded, which will set you back $209.99 / £179.99. It’s an expensive space.

The thing is, if you want to buy a PS5 controller that isn’t the standard DualSense, options outside of that premium space are practically non-existent. I could forgive many of the Scuf Omega’s shortcomings if it were made available at a more tempting mid-range price.

We know that Sony can be challenging to work with for third-parties, especially as it reserves features like haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and native PS5 wireless connectivity for its own controller hardware. That often means that brands stick to PC, Xbox, or Nintendo consoles, thus drying up any meaningful budget-to-mid-range alternatives on PlayStation.

Still, when I look at controllers in other spaces, like the 8BitDo Pro 3 or GameSir Tarantula Pro, I’m seeing similar premium features on those pads, like Tunnel Magnetoresistance (TMR) sticks and extra remappable buttons. All available for much, much less.

My two cents right now? Wait for a sale. If you see the Scuf Omega drop by around 20-25% over a major sales period, then I’d say that’s a good time to consider picking one up.

Scuf Omega: Specs

Scuf Omega: design and features

• Wonderful ergonomics
• Lightweight and comfortable in hand
• Removable parts feel a bit cheap and flimsy

The Scuf Omega is a mixed bag on the design front, but it has nailed it on the ergonomics front. The controller feels fantastic in the hands, resting snugly and firmly, thanks to the rugged textured grips on the back half of the controller. It’s close in shape to the DualSense Wireless Controller, though the Omega’s row of G1 to G5 buttons at the bottom between the grips adds some slight extra volume.

If you read that last sentence and thought “wow, that’s a lot of buttons,” then you’d be right. The Scuf Omega is not wanting when it comes to ancillary features. Those G1 to G5 buttons mainly govern headset volume and mic muting (which is lovely to have on the controller itself), though G1 and G5 are remappable on PS5.

Beyond those, you have a dedicated profile switching button, four paddle buttons on the back (two of which can be removed and replaced with the included blanking panels), a pair of side bumpers (one on each flank), and trigger locks that are built right into the triggers themselves.

The central touchpad also works as it would on a DualSense, enabling cursor movement and gestures in supporting games. That isn’t something you see often with third-party PS5 controllers, which often opt for the basic touchpad clicks and no actual touch functionality.

One design aspect I do find to be a bit finicky is how the Omega handles connectivity options. You can swap between 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, and wired connections with one switch, and PS5 and PC connectivity with another. That isn’t uncommon for third-party PS5 controllers.

The problem is that these switches are hidden beneath the Omega’s faceplate. So yes, that means you have to remove the faceplate every time you want to make a connectivity change. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s an irksome extra step you’ll need to contend with if you regularly swap between PS5 and PC play, for example.

It’s not just the faceplate that’s removable here, though. Practically every module on the Omega - from the sticks and touchpad plate to the rear paddles, d-pad, and face buttons - can all be taken out and swapped for other parts (many of which are sold on Scuf’s website separately). On the one hand, I like this; it gives the Omega the kind of customizable flair usually reserved for speciality controllers like fight sticks.

On the other hand, it reveals the Omega’s build quality isn’t at all what it seems. When put together, it feels solid enough. However, its individual parts in isolation feel rather cheap. Especially the faceplate, which feels brittle enough to snap in half with little effort. Obviously, I would never do this, and I imagine you wouldn’t, either. But a mischievous nephew might. Just something to be cautious about if you choose to buy the Scuf Omega yourself.

There are also some instances where the controller just doesn’t feel all that thoughtfully put together. Those blanking plates for the rear and side paddles can start to feel loose, and I often need to secure them back in place. The touchpad plate almost has the opposite issue, where it can sometimes get wedged to the left or right. While this didn’t have a profound impact on play, it does add to that feeling of cheapness that I shouldn’t expect from a controller that costs as much as the Omega does.

Scuf Omega: Performance

• Marvelous play experience
• Around 17 hours of battery life
• Some of the nicest-feeling buttons in the business

I’m going to keep this section short because I have virtually no complaints (I have one, but I’ll get to that) about the Scuf Omega’s game performance. It may fall short of the competition on build quality, but when it comes to actually playing games, the Omega does it better than any PS5 controller I’ve tested to date. Yes, even Sony’s own DualSense Edge.

Performance is where the Scuf Omega just about clinches a four-star rating from me. I adore the clicky immediacy of its d-pad and face buttons, both of which are powered by the brand’s own Omron mechanical switches. And on the thumbsticks front, you’ll have no issues with drift, thanks to Scuf leveraging Hall effect-like TMR tech here.

I think my favorite aspect of the Scuf Omega is its two-way trigger locks, though. These are housed on the underside of the triggers themselves, which is a really thoughtful design touch. I love the digital trigger press here, which provides fast, fluid inputs for shooters like Fortnite and Call of Duty. You can switch back to a more traditional analog pull at any time, too, which makes the Omega a dab hand at racing games like Forza Horizon 6.

It'd be almost a slam dunk if it weren’t for the awkward and frankly annoying side bumpers. Aesthetically, they’re horrible, jutting out of the sides of the pad where your fingers can accidentally press them all too easily. And because they come pre-mapped, my first hour or so with the Omega came with no shortage of mispresses in-game.

Sure, there’s a use case for pro players who like quick and easy access to input shortcuts, but they’re wholly unnecessary for casual folks. After a bit of testing, I swiftly swapped them out for the side blanking paddles.

Should I buy the Scuf Omega?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Scuf Omega: Also consider

If you’re not quite feeling the Scuf Omega, here’s a quick glance at a couple of other PS5-facing third-party options.

How I tested the Scuf Omega

• Tested for two weeks
• Tested on both PS5 and PC
• Played a variety of single and multiplayer games

I tested the Scuf Omega for roughly two weeks for this review. In that time, I made use of the controller’s broad swathe of features, including its remappable buttons and swappable modules. Games I played with the Scuf Omega include Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Saros on PS5, as well as Final Fantasy 14 Online and Forza Horizon 6 on PC, broadly aiming to test out a variety of game genres with the controller.

First reviewed May 2026

Read more about how we test

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 looks like the ultimate first-person shooter package.

It combines a cinematic single-player campaign with innovative multiplayer and, as detailed in the latest Xbox Games Showcase, a practically standalone extraction shooter called DMZ.

Long time fans will recognize this upcoming mode as an evolution of the DMZ Beta that launched with 2022's Modern Warfare 2. It once again has players dropping into a hostile map and duking it out in a battle for scarce resources against both rival squads and roaming non-player character (NPC) enemies, but has been significantly expanded this time around.

At a recent visit to developer Infinity Ward's Los Angeles office, I was told be the team told me that it was built using all of the learnings from the original beta and a careful eye on the evolution of the wider extraction shooter genre.

It takes place in a whole new map: the sprawling Hajin exclusion zone — a huge swathe of land that encompasses parts of South Korea, North Korea, and Russia. It's been evacuated following a deadly nuclear meltdown depicted in the campaign, with players dropping in as part of an off the books CIA operation to recover abandoned military tech.

Danger close

DMZ will offer three distinct ways to play. You can pursue story missions, tackle highly replayable dynamic operations, or drop in with freedom to roam and explore the map.

Each deployment is designed to feel as distinct as possible, with a variety of factors affecting how events will unfold. Enemies move dynamically throughout the map, moving cargo in deadly convoys that can pose a serious threat to players. You can expect encounters with tanks, helicopters, armored juggernauts, and even drone swarms.

Luckily, an all-out fight is always a choice. DMZ has been built with a stealth system that sounds surprisingly in-depth for a Call of Duty title. An on-screen detection meter alerts you when you're about to be seen and killing enemies quietly will help you evade detection.

Players that do go in guns blazing will have to deal with an almost Grand Theft Auto-style wanted system with a star level raises every time you get into a big fight, prompting waves of more advanced enemies to deploy and hunt you down potentially forcing you to extract early.

An advanced weather system is an important part of the experience too. Conditions can vary from sunny days with the odd spell of drizzly rain to lashing thunderstorms and even snow. The devs are even working on a system that should cause the weather conditions to worsen as a match progresses, reflecting the increased danger the long you stay deployed and helping create a real sense of urgency.

DMZ comes with its own progression systems to master, with each of your operators having their own trait tree to work through. You can choose different operators to specialize in, all with distinct roles — for example, creating a dedicated character for stealthy looting and another more geared towards open combat.

If you die in the field you lose your loot, but you are given at least the opportunity to recover your operator by spending money that you've managed to scavenge on sending in an evac team.

It's not just your operators that you're building out either. The entire DMZ experience is centred around a Forward Operating Base (FOB) that you can upgrade with looted swag. It sounds a lot like the upgradeable hideout in Escape from Tarkov, and is complete with a 3D printer that lets you craft gear and a stash for storing your most valuable swag.

Everything that I've seen of DMZ so far suggests that it's a mammoth enough to be considered almost a game in its own right, a sentiment very much shared by the development team.

"I think with the combination of the changes to Core MP [...] and then combining that with DMZ being a game within a game with its own dedicated progression and persistent inventory and upgrading and all of that, I think [Modern Warfare 4] is the biggest, and I think for us even the most impressive Call of Duty that we've ever had a chance to work on," studio multiplayer creative director Joe Cecot told me in an interview during my studio visit.

The mode will be available from day one when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

• A new gameplay trailer for Metro 2039 has been released
• The first-person action game will feature "a return of close and claustrophobic stealth-action gameplay" and a new protagonist
• Metro 2039 launches in February 2027

4A Games has revealed a brand new gameplay trailer for Metro 2039, as well as a February 2027 launch window for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and Series S.

Unveiled during the Xbox Games Showcase 2026, adjacent to this year's Summer Game Fest (SGF), the three minutes of gameplay footage captured in-engine offers the first look at Hunter, the new Führer, "who has washed the Metro in lies and propaganda to gain the ultimate power."

The trailer showcases "a return of close and claustrophobic stealth-action gameplay, tunnel and surface exploration, iconic Metro mechanics, and diegetic survival elements."

Thanks to impressive graphical fidelity, environments and characters look ultra-realistic as players traverse a post-apocalyptic Moscow, dark rooftops and tunnels, and take down enemies in first-person shootouts.

Fans also got a glimpse at the new stealth weapon, The Shatun, as well as a new breaching charge for their arsenal, which will be used as they delve deeper into Metro 2039's environment.

"The Metro has been transformed by a powerful new regime and its leader, the fanatical Spartan leader known as Hunter," the new description reads. "Metro 2039’s protagonist, The Stranger, is consumed with anger and hatred, chastising the Fuhrer for his lies and hypocrisy. As part of the Spartan Order, Hunter was a legend, a high-ranking, experienced Ranger who swore to protect the Metro.

"What’s left of the Spartan Order as he knew it lies in ruins, and where the Spartans were once considered selfless protectors, the Stranger believes Hunter has become the very enemy the Spartans used to fight..."

• Final Fantasy 7 Revelation has been announced at long last
• The third and final installment of the remake trilogy launches in Spring 2027
• Vincent Valentine and Cid will both be playable

Square Enix has officially announced Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, the third and final installment of its Final Fantasy 7 remake series.

Unveiled during the Summer Game Fest 2026 live show as a big final surprise, we were treated to not one, but three separate trailers for Revelations before game director Naoki Hamaguchi and voice behind Vincent Valentine, Matthew Mercer, confirmed a Spring 2027 release date for all platforms. This means that it's coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC on the same day.

"I’m beyond excited to announce Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, launching simultaneously across all platforms in Spring 2027," Hamaguchi said in a press release.

"I’m truly grateful to our fans who believed in this story and supported us for so many years. In this title, centered around 'resolve,' Cloud and his companions will confront their respective convictions and continue their journey towards the final battle that will determine the planet’s fate. All the stories and emotions accumulated over the years will culminate in the most satisfying way with this experience, brought to you as the series’ final chapter. Please look forward to it."

Alongside the reveal trailer, fans were also offered an extended look at gameplay, showcasing Cloud, Tifa, Barrett, and the rest of the gang as they explore new regions and defeat the enormous Weapons awakened to protect the Planet.

The world can be freely explored via the Highwind airship this time around, and players can freedive and drop in via parachute anywhere to make a quick landing almost like the start of a Fortnite match.

"With Meteor descending and enormous Weapons unleashing terror, the planet’s conflicts are many, and the party will need to divide and conquer," Square Enix said.

"Choose where to go, who to help and in what order as the planet itself fights for survival. Make one last stand alongside a beloved cast of legendary heroes, making decisions along the journey that can impact aspects of their stories."

In Revelations, Vincent and Cid will finally be playable and also have their own synergy abilities. Vincent is a deft gunslinger with fast gunplay and a bestial transformation ability, while Cid can close distances for powerful single-target lance strikes or sweeping area-of-effect damage.

A new Functional Integrated Tactile suit wear, aka FIT system, has also been added and offers more customizable play style options, as well as gives each character a new look.

“As creators, we have carefully built and nurtured the Final Fantasy 7 series over many years, expanding it through numerous spin-off titles along the way," said creative director Tetsuya Nomura.

"Over time, we believe each fan has developed their own unique interpretation of the story, and our goal has been to bring all of these Final Fantasy 7 stories together so that they ultimately converge in the final chapter of the Remake Series. While there may be a mix of excitement and uncertainty, we are confident that this journey will remain an unforgettable experience for years to come. Thank you sincerely for joining us and being part of this journey over so many years."

• Control Resonant art director Elmeri Raitanen confirms it was always the plan to make a game starring Dylan next
• Raitanen explains that creating the world of Control was the priority
• This allowed the team to create more "organic characters"

Remedy Entertainment has confirmed that it was always the plan to make a Control game starring Dylan.

That's according to Control Resonant art director Elmeri Raitanen, who told TechRadar Gaming in an interview at a preview event just before this year's Summer Game Fest (SGF) that a game starring Dylan as the playable protagonist was a concept the studio always had in mind.

However, Raitanen said building Control's "high level" world came first and foremost, even when making the first game starring Dylan's sister Jesse, because it allowed for more creative opportunities.

"The high-level idea in building the world of Control, and the Control franchise, of course, is that we want to be like 'world first', as I think it creates more organic characters," Raitanen explained.

"So we create the world, and then there are opportunities to have these different lenses into it, or different stories. So, the first one was Control [which] was Jesse's angle into it, and now we're looking at the other side of the fate and coin, so to speak, so Dylan's point of view."

He stressed, "It has always been the high-level plan of Control as a world, [and how] we approach these things."

Lead level designer Anne-Marie Grönroos also added that there is a "symmetry" between the two games, explaining that Jesse is an outsider who steps inside the Oldest House in the first game, whereas in Resonant, Dylan is the one who leaves and experiences Manhattan for the first time as an adult, and it's someplace "he doesn't belong."

"Then things that are mundane to us and actually strange to him," Grönroos said.

Control Resonant launches on September 24 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

Remedy has previously confirmed that while Jesse will appear alongside her brother in the sequel, she won't be playable.