Gaming

The success of X-Men '97 and an upcoming Marvel Studios X-Men reboot have sent new readers and collectors into the back catalogue, propelling a 39-year-old first-appearance issue of an iconic X-Men villain to the top of the market. Longtime readers point to Chris Claremont's runs and Jonathan Hickman's House of X/Powers of X as key entry points. That specific vintage issue is being promoted as a good introduction to the reboot's themes and is now selling for high prices.

Blizzard has begun posting cryptic secret messages that fans are decoding as hints of a new StarCraft project. The StarCraft franchise has been dormant for nearly a decade, and Korean publisher Nexon is named as a partner in the revival effort. Teasers arrived days before BlizzCon 2026, positioning the show as the likely venue for an official announcement.

An analysis argues that video-game levels act as the medium’s “brush strokes,” shaping a game’s artistic impact. It finds that even widely praised games contain levels where design principles falter or potential goes unmet. This matters because level design directly affects player experience and how games are evaluated as art.

Inde Navarrette gained breakout recognition for her performance in the film Obsession, a role that made her widely memorable to viewers. She is now attached to a new science‑fiction thriller project. The move shifts her profile from a provocative drama breakout into genre filmmaking, which could raise her visibility further.

Polygon released episode 2 of its news show Point It Out!. Hosts Patches and Simone present a state-of-the-union review of the games industry in 2026. The episode summarizes the current industry landscape for players, creators, and observers and continues Polygon's ongoing news series.

Firaxis is offering Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 free to play on Steam for one week. The game is a large turn-based strategy title that normally sells for $70, so the promotion lets players try it without paying the usual price. The free window gives players direct access to the game before deciding whether to purchase.

Rust launched a force wipe update called "Breach and Clear" on the first Thursday of September. The update adds mechanics for breaking obstacles and destroying lootable structures and applies dozens of major changes plus more than 100 minor updates. Many of the changes are targeted to rebalance gameplay in favor of solo players who face zergs and large clans.

Nvidia's DLSS 5 .dll files were released (via NBA 2K27 early access) and modders have built game-agnostic injectors like RenoDX and ShortFuse that let the neural renderer run in titles that don't officially support it. Experiments in FM26, The Blood of Dawnwalker and other games show DLSS 5 can improve scene and character fidelity when using Model C at about 60–70% intensity, but games lacking motion vectors or scene depth often produce strong visual artifacts. The injection is relatively easy to apply but demands heavy GPU resources and brings stability and compatibility trade-offs.

Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4 includes a story quest named "Geno: The Ultimate Reality" whose first objective appears as "???", giving no clear instruction on how to start it. Players must complete this hidden-step quest to use the admin panel code "YourThoughtsAreMine" and to unlock the Void Master Geno outfit style, making the obscured first step a direct barrier to those rewards.

Neil Druckmann stepped away from creative duties on HBO's The Last of Us to focus on Naughty Dog's game projects, including Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Neither Druckmann nor Naughty Dog had a creative role in Season 3, which is set to wrap up the series. Naughty Dog remains the steward of The Last of Us IP and is pursuing multiple game projects beyond the TV show.

A user on X, Parker Drouillard, wore through the palm rest of a 2018-era Dell XPS 13/9370, exposing the laptop’s carbon-fiber composite. Microscope images show flecks of carbon fiber embedded in the user’s fingers and the user reports persistent pins-and-needles sensations and contact-lens irritation. Carbon-fiber splinters can break further in skin, carry toxic coatings, and increase the risk of infection or accidental ingestion, making this a potential health hazard from prolonged wear of carbon-fiber palm rests.

Players can confront the final boss immediately after the prologue, but an unprepared attempt will destroy them. The game's plot centers on rescuing the player's family from Brencis, the Knyaz of Vale Sangora, who holds them captive. Players have up to 30 in-game days to reach Greifberg Castle, the region's most fortified building, and defeat Brencis.

Ion Storm Austin received roughly five to six additional months of post-production on Deus Ex from publisher Eidos. Designer Harvey Smith used that time to expand NPC Gunther Hermann’s on-screen presence and give the character narrative closure across multiple missions. Eidos granted the delay while distracted by turmoil at Ion Storm’s Dallas studio during Daikatana’s development. The episode demonstrates that a protected post-production window can materially improve an immersive sim’s quality.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword launches on PC as a simultaneous global release at 12 a.m. EDT (5 a.m. BST) on Friday, September 4. Console versions unlock at midnight in each local timezone, so the unified PC release means some regions east of UTC−4 gain access later than console players. Preloading is available on Steam but not on the Epic Games Store, and early coverage highlights the game's mix of classic Capcom action and weighty physical swordfighting.

At Gen Con 2026, Dungeons & Dragons head Dan Ayoub said he would love a StarCraft crossover while speaking with World of Warcraft VP Holly Longdale, signaling mutual interest. Blizzard has not announced or confirmed any StarCraft tabletop project. The interaction follows an upcoming D&D: World of Warcraft release on November 17, showing continued collaboration between Wizards of the Coast and Blizzard.

Wizards of the Coast and Blizzard are bringing World of Warcraft content to Dungeons & Dragons, adding multiple WoW classes, six new subclasses, specializations, spells, items and enemies to the tabletop game. WotC and Blizzard executives also teased — without confirming — the possibility of Dungeons & Dragons content appearing inside World of Warcraft. A formal reveal or update could arrive at BlizzCon, where World of Warcraft has a main-stage "What's Next" panel on Sept. 12–13.

Sucker Punch showed a first-look trailer for Most Wanted during Sony's State of Play. Most Wanted is a roguelike mode for Ghost of Yōtei that reintroduces Ghost of Tsushima protagonist Jin Sakai as part of the game. The mode was announced earlier in August alongside the Complete Edition, tying it to the expanded release.

Halloween: The Game drops players into 1970s Haddonfield for online asymmetrical matches where one player is the killer and four are survivors. Survivors must locate escape routes, collect weapons and actively persuade NPC civilians/residents to help them escape. The killer's role is to hunt down and execute survivors with brutal takedowns. The developer behind prior licensed asymmetrical titles brings a civilian-interaction mechanic that differentiates this entry from similar horror multiplayer games.

A player completed an 80+ hour playthrough of The Blood of Dawnwalker and distilled 20 practical tips for surviving the vampiric RPG's Vale Sangora. Tips cover combat tactics (Perfect Block and Riposte), time management (fast travel and enemy farming), exploration (tower markers), and vampire mechanics (health upgrades, drinking Vrakhir blood). These tactics change immediate play decisions and reduce risks of losing control or wasting limited in-game days.

In the Anca's Stronger Than Achilles quest players reach a chamber with The Font and must choose whether Coen uses it, Anca uses it, or they destroy it. If Coen uses The Font he gains the Font of Life passive that regenerates human health during the day, which offsets HP costs from Witchcraft. If Anca uses The Font she is cleansed of her curse, the red sigils on her arm disappear, and the subsequent romance scene includes additional dialogue. The immediate romance is not blocked by choosing Coen, but the decision changes Anca's long-term fate.

Players unlock specific vampire abilities by drinking Vrakhir blood from key enemies or quest rewards in Blood of Dawnwalker. The three Vrakhir bosses—Ambrus, Bakir, and Xanthe—grant unique powers when drunk from, and vials and quest rewards provide additional Vrakhir blood that can unlock or upgrade abilities. This matters because drinking from Vrakhir sources grants those abilities immediately without spending skill points, letting players access powerful skills faster.

In the prologue quest Withering Away you must prepare Anca’s medicine so your mother Esme can overcome anxiety and attend the Blood Mass. The game does not allow viewing Anca’s instruction page while crafting, so you must have the steps memorized or follow the correct choices. Choose Use hot water, then Add three spoonfuls of herbs to make the proper medicine; brewing it incorrectly causes severe in-game consequences for Esme.

Players can defeat the prologue boss Brencis by using Perfect Blocks and dodges, but doing so triggers a cutscene where he transforms into Brencis, Grotesque Ascendant and immediately becomes a second boss. The Grotesque Ascendant deals one-hit kills, takes negligible damage even with top early-game gear, and grows harder across two additional health phases. There is no quicksave before that second fight, so every attempt requires defeating the regular Brencis first; dying to the initial Brencis plays a cutscene and progresses the story as intended.

In The Blood of Dawnwalker, choosing to spare or kill Xanthe during The Cycle of Love changes the final Griefberg Castle encounter and a later moral outcome. Sparing Xanthe prevents Blood Guard enemies in the castle, eliminates a short nightmare puzzle sequence, and allows Xanthe to survive and continue killing women to sustain her daughter Chariklea. Killing Xanthe prevents her return in the castle, presents a decision about Chariklea’s fate, and lets the player unlock the Blood Surge ability by drinking her blood. The choice affects combat difficulty, a unique power, and the moral consequences for Chariklea.

Players can send up to five letters to Lunka in Blood of Dawnwalker to gather extra intel about Coen's family in Griefberg Castle. The initial letter is granted as the Good Home quest reward, and completing a Sanzhani quest around Vale Sangora unlocks one additional letter each. Each new letter creates a follow-up quest at the main burrow; completing these Sanzhani tasks also yields local rewards and can unlock a Sanzhani trader. This quest chain ties into other objectives by providing story details and items needed for quests like A Bulwark Against Darkness.

The Ravenous Bear is an early boss near Laslea that becomes difficult because players have few skills and weak gear; defeating it is required to start the Into the Den quest and reach a nearby treasure. Players should obtain the Undead Warrior’s Sword by completing the Deep Down quest across the lake at the big tree with wolves to speed the fight. Combat tactics: parry regular attacks to conserve stamina, dodge sideways for the bear’s red-skull unblockable strikes, and time Perfect Parries when the shield color shifts from yellow to orange. After killing the bear, loot the mangled corpse to begin Into the Den; the quest’s marked stone is in the logging camp in the valley’s north.

Ethan Hawke and director Scott Derrickson are collaborating on a new horror movie following Black Phone 2. The two previously worked together on memorable horror projects and are now developing another film together. This continues their recurring actor-director partnership in the horror genre.

Krafton revealed a new game called Dednet during Gamescom 2026's Opening Night Live, set in the same universe as PUBG. The reveal trailer pairs Ministry's "Jesus Built My Hotrod" with surreal, violent set pieces — including a woman losing her face to an explosion, a blazing truck nearly running over a player with a light machine gun, players sliding down a grassy slope, and a player swapping his arms for machete blades. The trailer's chaotic, comedic imagery departs from PUBG's usual battle-royale realism, signaling a deliberate expansion of the franchise into anarchic, hijinks-focused content.

Neon Giant revealed No Law, an immersive sim that aims to reimagine the cyberpunk genre, during a closed, hour-long hands-off demo at Gamescom 2026. The studio behind 2021’s isometric co-op shooter The Ascent is shifting from that game’s vertical, perpetual-night city aesthetic to a different visual and design approach. The change represents a clear new direction for Neon Giant and introduces a distinct take on cyberpunk gameplay and presentation.

This week we saw big-franchise momentum — comics, Blizzard IPs, and tabletop crossovers — collide with hands‑on player stories: a major Rust wipe, DLSS 5 modding experiments, and dense new reporting from Blood of Dawnwalker. Expect those threads to converge at upcoming shows and patches that will shape what players actually experience.