Not content with only releasing a new mainline game and tickets to the upcoming pop-up store in October, The Pokémon Company is bringing even more monster-catching content to the UK in the coming weeks with a new series of the Pokémon Horizons anime.
Part one of the third season, subtitled ‘Rising Hope’, will arrive on BBC iPlayer on 27th October, with more episodes following in the future. Those in the US will have to wait a little longer before it makes its regional debut on Netflix on 6th January 2026.
It’s been almost six years since Crimson Desert was first revealed to the world. Across that period, developer Pearl Abyss has shown off a huge array of ideas, mechanics, and boss battles. It’s frequently been cited as something of an “everything game” – an open world adventure with sky islands, mechanical dragons, wrestling moves, interdimensional gateways, interacting elemental effects, and even a Spider-Man web swing. But the more that’s been revealed, the more there’s been the sense that Crimson Desert may be a lot of pieces in need of a whole. Finding that whole was my main objective when I visited Pearl Abyss’ studio in Seoul for this month’s IGN First. And while I can’t say I’ve found it yet, multiple hours of hands-on playtime has revealed a game that’s maybe not as strange as you’d expect. In fact, Crimson Desert feels pretty straightforward.
Pearl Abyss has crafted a reasonably traditional open world adventure, made up of multiple regions peppered with towns, outposts, and castles. There’s the usual collection of main and optional quests, plus classic distractions like fishing. You’d be forgiven for not realising this, though – Pearl Abyss has put almost all its promotional efforts into showcasing boss fights. Not only that, but Crimson Desert’s blend of traditional medieval fantasy with sci-fi and steampunk elements does make it seem like it’s being pulled in several directions at once.
When you’re on the ground and seeing how all these elements interact, though, it doesn’t feel quite so alien. The continent of Pywel is perhaps less like a typical Tolkien-esque fantasy world and more akin to Dungeons & Dragons – a setting that, in recent years, was host to a Mad Max-like vehicular chase through Hell. Pearl Abyss’ design team explained that they wanted Pywel to reflect the variety of our reality, in which some countries feel much more futuristic than others, and note that some of the Pywel’s leaders may be more resistant to the advancement of technology than others – a conflict that’ll be explored through various faction quests. All this means the variety doesn’t feel artificial or there simply for the sake of being wild, even when you’re at the controls of a flying battle robot (which was, of course, designed by dwarven engineers.)
The inclusion of these mechanised and steampunk elements grant Pearl Abyss the creative license to build quests that are a significant departure from anything we’d see in something like Skyrim. A major part of my hands-on time involved completing a quest for Marni, a scientific genius who cloned his own consciousness to create the AI-like entity, H.A.L.L. Naturally the results of such an experiment have gone very wrong, and Marni’s evil digital-magic twin has taken command of a flying fortress that’s terrorizing Pywel’s skies. Defeating H.A.L.L requires the use of a power core, which Marni reveals is hidden inside a “weapon” called Golden Star. And by “weapon”, he means a giant mechanical dragon. While they presumably have ballistic missiles in Pywel, what with the advanced engineering and all, of course the fantasy version of a nuke is flying Mechagodzilla. All that stands between me and this winged menace is… a fortress filled with angry battle robots.
It appears that fortress assaults will be a significant recurring objective in Crimson Desert, considering that my hands-on time involved no fewer than three of them. I can see why Pearl Abyss was keen to show them off, as they are a showcase for some of the project’s strongest achievements. There’s a great sense of atmosphere, with a legion of men from either side battering the living hell out of each other, and you’re caught in the middle of it all. Fun mechanical wrinkles add texture; during one attack I was able to fire signalling arrows that were quickly followed by a bombardment of artillery, decimating enemy soldiers and reducing buildings to splinters. In another, I was able to circumnavigate the brutal melee entirely, sneaking into the castle through a crumbling wall and using the prison as a shortcut to the boss. And in my fight through the robot fortress, a backpack-mounted EMP device allowed me to fry the circuits of both the lumbering ground threats and the airborne bug-bots in one giant blast. There’s always something new to try, something to experiment with.
The variety of ideas doesn’t feel artificial or there simply for the sake of being wild, even when you’re at the controls of a flying battle robot.
But as much as these fortress assaults are a demonstration of Crimson Desert’s highs, they simultaneously reveal what could turn out to be some of its biggest blemishes. Battling masses of enemies is surprisingly tedious, feeling messy and repetitive rather than an engaging chain of frontline fights. An awkward lock-on feature pushed me away from one-on-one duels and into a more freeform playstyle, but that came with the baggage of imprecise strikes and occasionally kicking the air instead of faces. Absolutely none of these issues hamper the boss battles, which was my only experience of Crimson Desert prior to this demonstration, and I was quite surprised at how different combat can feel in alternative scenarios, even when using the same moveset.
It’s in these smaller, less refined details where Crimson Desert threatens to lose itself. There are occasions where you need to pick up and manipulate objects, such as planting a banner to inspire your allies. Doing so requires standing still, turning to face the object, activating a focus mode, rapidly tapping a button to lift your target, and then finally manually carry it. All of this is a slightly baffling annoyance when erecting flags, but it turns into a genuine frustration in the middle of a boss battle, when you’re desperately trying to swing a fallen masonry column during the precious few seconds in which the boss is stunned.
Thankfully, no such awkward Ultrahand juggling is required to extract the power core from Golden Star. As we explored earlier this month in our making-of feature, this is a boss battle with a unique mechanic that must be discovered in the (quite literal) heat of battle. The dragon’s flaming breath activates an array of pylons dotted around the fortress’ battle arena, which then dispense EMP bombs that you can fire from an arm-mounted cannon. The system creates a repeating phase loop; Golden Star circles above, belching the flames that produce the EMP bombs that will eventually bring him crashing to the ground, where you can unleash a barrage of strikes until he reboots and begins the cycle anew. Pearl Abyss are keen to point out you don’t have to do this – you could, for instance, use lightning-wreathed arrows to apply a stun, or simply chip away at his health bar with ranged attacks – but I feel that the real enjoyment in all of Crimson Desert’s boss fights has been finding the unique mechanic built into the arena or even the enemy itself.
With the power core obtained, I take to the skies on the back of my own (completely organic) dragon to attack H.A.L.L’s flying fortress. The initial assault is pretty simple – I have my mount spit fireballs at a number of weak spots in the structure’s shields to break down the defences and allow me to land. But getting inside the fortress itself is more complicated; a navigation puzzle that’s just the right side of obtuse. My journey takes me up elevator shafts and along a precarious route perched on the fortress’ exterior. At one point I have to activate a machine by rotating a wooden pillar that has no crank, achieved by using the thrust attack to bury my blade in the timber to create my own handle. There’s no prompt for this, and I appreciate that the solution is to think about your ability set in a non-conventional manner.
Such an approach continues inside, where defeating H.A.L.L is more of a puzzle than a traditional challenge of brawn. I like that Crimson Desert’s AI spirit character doesn’t just become another boss brawl – another indicator that the world’s weird steampunk and sci-fi elements actually make some kind of in-universe sense. This time, though, the solution really is obtuse, and someone from Pearl Abyss had to spell it out to me. Hopefully the hours prior to this quest will have equipped you with the knowledge of how to approach this particular foe.
I am a little apprehensive that at least some of Crimson Desert’s offerings will be “stuff to do” rather than meaningful, interlinked opportunities.
H.A.L.L’s flying fortress isn’t the only airborne destination I visited. Suspended high above Pywel are a scattering of Abyss Islands, accessed through portals that are unlocked with mysterious Abyss Artefacts. These islands appear to come in multiple guises; last year we saw that one of them is home to an alchemist called Alustin and his Library of Providence, and my hands-on session included one that was more akin to Zelda’s puzzle shrines. Its checkerboard floor was essentially a room-size circuit board in need of a total rewiring, and finding the correct path through the grid of rotating flagstones unlocks the island’s treasure trove. This is, of course, the sort of puzzle you’ve solved in everything from Watch Dogs to BioShock, but I enjoyed how your equipment is integral to completing it – your lantern illuminates the correct pathway, and your grapple hook is used to spin each tile. So while this challenge is not particularly taxing, I hope its solid foundations are the basis for more interesting puzzles that await among the clouds.
When you’ve uncovered an Abyss Island’s secrets, you can leap off the side and float down to earth, where plenty more traditional open-world fare awaits. There are towns to visit, in which you’ll find shop keepers to trade with and bounties to take on. Out in the wilderness there are camps to clear out and roaming barbarians to slaughter. And then there’s the factions. From what I glimpsed in the menus, there are dozens and dozens of them, although some will be more important than others, I’m told. A few have their own questline, such as House Wells, a family of nobles led by a Duke who’s lost his castle to rebel forces – a situation that’s the catalyst for one of those aforementioned fortress assaults.
Pearl Abyss was quick to clarify that these groups are not like Fallout’s factions, and allegiances with them won’t change the course of the story or impact Crimson Desert’s ending (which is set in stone.) And so I’m left wondering what are the faction quests in aid of? When asked, Pearl Abyss’ design team explained that they were there to ensure the factions felt like significant actors in the plot, and that they offered more content for players to complete. That considered, I am a little apprehensive that at least some of Crimson Desert’s offerings will be “stuff to do” rather than meaningful, interlinked opportunities.
That brings us back to my very first question. What is Crimson Desert as a whole? I know it’s a vast open world with deep, fighting-game inspired combat that works better against bosses than it does against fodder. It’s got spectacle-laden quests that take you from in-the-mud castle assaults all the way up to aerial strikes on a steampunk Death Star. And it’s littered with good time distractions, from fishing to taming bears and buckling up in a battle mech. But I’m still waiting to discover the glue between all this that elevates an open world to new heights.
Shadow of Mordor has the Nemesis system, which chains its enemies together into a foe-conquering big picture. Red Dead Redemption 2’s systems are united by a pursuit of realism and authenticity that makes its campaign feel like a life lived rather than a game played. And this year’s Ghost of Yotei links every activity on its map to a new unlock on your skill tree, ensuring even little diversions are a growth opportunity. That’s the stuff that’s so far been missing from Crimson Desert’s demonstrations, and the thing I hope will eventually be revealed when I get to play multiple consecutive hours, rather than a collection of isolated quests and bosses. Without it, I still think Crimson Desert stands a solid chance of being an overall good time. But with it, it could become something much more special.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s Executive Editor of Features.
Co-operative starship mishap sim Jump Space just received the first major update of its early access phase, bringing both functional capitalism and a surprisingly enjoyable trio of melee weapons. The former takes the shape of newly opened item shops at your home base, giving you a chance to stock up on guns, repair kits, or artifact buffs before shipping out on a mission. And, having thwacked a few bots with the latter, I’m liking how worthy they are of a precious weapon slot, even in a game previously set up entirely for gunplay.
Two Point Museum is just about to launch on the Switch 2, and to celebrate, Sega has announced another new DLC expansion scheduled to launch this winter.
Dubbed ‘Zooseum’, it’s essentially, well… a zoo. It’s a brand new location that will no doubt introduce a smorgasbord of interesting creatures to care for as you look to expand your blossoming museum even further.
We talk with Design Director Matt Scronce and Senior Director of Production Yale Miller about the map design process Treyarch is employing for the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
Treyarch has crafted some of the most detailed and compelling Multiplayer maps the Call of Duty series has ever seen, following a three-lane map design philosophy that creates a natural flow for players to learn.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launches November 14, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, Cloud, Battle.net, Steam, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4. It is an Xbox Play Anywhere title and available day one with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
Boxes are important.
That’s one of my favorite takeaways from talking with Design Director Matt Scronce and Senior Director of Production Yale Miller at Call of Duty: Next recently, where we had a chance to sit down and chat about the map design process Treyarch is employing for the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and how important a well-placed piece of cover (e.g., a trash can) can help bring balance to the overall flow of a map.
Over the years, Treyarch has crafted some of the most detailed and compelling Multiplayer maps the series has ever seen – who can forget Nuketown? Part of that is understanding how these maps feed into a “three-lane” design philosophy, in which two side lanes and a central lane connect the two team spawn locations, creating a natural flow for players to learn — Treyarch has refined this over the years and will continue to do so now with the upcoming Black Ops 7 Multiplayer.
“Every lane needs a purpose,” explains Scronce. “If this lane has a power position, for example, like a building, then you most likely want an opposing power position, likely another building. Toshin, one of the new maps set in Japan, is a very good example of that where you’ve got two power positions looking over the street — the street can get a little dicey, so you want to stay on the move there, but you also want your buddies watching over your flank straight ahead.”
As I touched upon earlier, cover placement is another big piece of a balanced lane, Scronce tells me. “If I don’t have cover, I’m just in the open. Whether it’s a trash can or a crate or a rock, if I can post-up at this piece of cover, then most likely you want the opposing player to have another piece of cover, so we can have kind of a proper head-on engagement.”
My experience on Toshin during the recent Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Multiplayer Beta confirmed much of what Scronce detailed. That city street between the buildings? In every match that landed on Toshin, I found it to be one of the biggest danger points where teams would mix it up, with each side being naturally driven to that point through alleyways, shops, and apartments. It’s clear a tremendous amount of work goes into crafting every one of these Multiplayer maps, taking chokepoints, lanes, and other considerations into account, and that it must be hard to know when to check a map off as “ready” to be deployed.
“It’s tough: because the team is so passionate about all the maps, they want to continue going forever,” says Miller. “That’s why things like the Beta are so crucial for us. It’s a lot of looking at how a team and the overall community plays on the map.”
To get it to a point where Treyarch feels a Multiplayer map is ready to be deployed, the team goes through a ton of playtesting in the studio, until it feels like they’ve created the best map possible for their players — in the sense that it feels fair, balanced, and the average player could learn the map and get better at it, and doesn’t feel like there’s any spot that’s exploitative in the sense of single power position where you can see the whole map.
“Another huge one is visibility,” adds Miller. “So much work goes into it because you have interiors, you have exteriors, you have lines of sight. If someone’s hiding in the back of a building, but there’s a doorway here and it’s looking down onto a lane, if you’re on the other side, can you see them? Does it make sense how you move through it? Then as you start to layer things like visuals, additional cover… you start seeing different sight lines. You’re smoothing something down and you look for those problem spaces – it’s like whittling wood and trying to get it as smooth as you possibly can. And if we’re playing a bunch and no one’s seeing a huge cut or a nick, to continue that analogy, then we feel like we’re in a pretty good spot.”
Call of Duty maps are well known for showcasing some truly great-looking maps (Hijacked and Carrier come to mind), but part of that “awesome” is also ensuring these maps have good visual landmarking as well. Not only should the map play well after a few turns, as a player you need to be able to figure out “Where the hell am I?” when you spawn in, so you know you’ll be able to call out where you’re at to your teammates so they can come help you.
“That’s why the Betas are so important to us,” says Miller. “Because there are things that we’re trying, but how’s the community reacting? There will be changes to maps post-Beta absolutely, there’s no question. The team’s already debating this stuff.”
“It’s a conversation between design and production,” adds Scronce. “If it’s up to design, they’re never done (making the map). I was talking to our level design director (during Call of Duty: Next) who was back at the offices watching the stream, and he was like, ‘Hey, we should address this…’ We’ve been known to make changes to maps that are already out in retail based off player feedback. If we have time and we feel like it will make the map better, we will try our hardest to make that change.”
One of the things that made Black Ops 6 Multiplayer stand out was introducing a new way for players to move through the maps with Omnimovement – a feature that allows you to sprint, slide, and dive in any direction with a full 360-degress range of motion. It was perhaps one of the biggest game changers to come to Multiplayer in years. New for Black Ops 7 will be wall jumps, which have given matches an even greater level of verticality and speed, in addition to a refined version of Omnimovement. When the crafting process starts, I wanted to know at which point do these new and distinct gameplay features play a role in how a map is built – is it from inception or later in the process?
“I think it can be both, but usually it’s from inception,” Scronce tell me. “Where a map like Blackheart, for example, which was in the Beta, that map has wall jumps that go over a grinder. So, for sure, new mechanics are considered. I think, when everything turns out the best is when everybody’s kind of aware and driving towards the same goal. But there are maps where you start playing them, and then you’re like, ‘Oh, it’d be really cool if I could do this…’ That might not be a wall jump opportunity, but perhaps a sneaky, clever opportunity. Maybe we’ll put a piece of plywood down to tell you that you can jump here, and the team will shape it a little bit more.”
“When we’re looking at stuff and talking about different maps, before they’re even starting paper design, it’s like, ‘What’s the intention of this map?’” adds Miller. “Do we want it to be a big map, but [have] the engagements be close? What are the goals? And some of it could be we want this to be a map where it’s about finding flank routes and moving constantly, versus a map where it’s about finding good cover, posting up, and kind of head-to-head battles.”
No player wants every map to play the same way, which circles back to how features like Omnimovement and wall jumps can feed into making each of these maps feel distinct, whether they are leaning into these new features or not. “You can kind of learn from that in the design. And then, of course, the community figures out other ways of being successful in maps… and we make changes,” Miller says.
Treyarch has confirmed they’ve already begun implementing key improvements and updates for launch (see Beta patch notes), thanks to some key takeaways from the recent Black Ops 7 Beta. One of those is having Open Matchmaking with minimal skill consideration as a default for Black Ops 7 Multiplayer (like the Open Moshpit approach tested during the Beta). They also confirmed they’re focused on keeping players together from match to match more often, and that persistent lobbies will be available at launch, with more details and confirmed changes to be shared in the coming weeks.
At the end of the day, Scronce tells me that making sure a map is competitive, fair, and fun are part of the ethos that the team drives to during their creations. “Whether you want to tune out and play Nuketown all day, or spend the night diving into Ranked, you should be walking away feeling that it was a fair fight, no matter which side you’re on.”
Now in the lead-up to the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Treyarch is taking all their collective experience over the years of crafting best-in-class Multiplayer experiences into the newest Call of Duty title. Knowing the team’s stellar track record, and what we’ve personally been able to play ourselves recently during the Beta, this year’s Multiplayer offering is shaping up to be one of the best. November 14 can’t get here soon enough.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launches November 14, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, Cloud, Battle.net, Steam, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4. It is an Xbox Play Anywhere title and available day one with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
– Items for immediate use in Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty®: Warzone*:
— Reznov Challenge Pack – unlock the SOG Reznov Operator Skin. Plus, get access to unlock the Stalingrad Reznov and Memory Reznov Operator Skins
— Guild Override Weapon Camo – unlock the Guild Override dynamic Weapon Camo
The Vault Edition includes:
– Cross-Gen Bundle of Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7
— Includes Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Xbox PC versions of the game
– BlackCell (1 Season)**
— Includes: Battle Pass, 20 Tier Skips, 1,100 CP and more
– Operator Collection
— 4 Operator Skins: Harper, Karma, T.E.D.D. and Reaper EWR-3
– Mastercraft Collection
— 5 Mastercraft Weapons
– Ultra GobbleGum Pack for Zombies
— 8 GobbleGums of Ultra rarity for Black Ops 7
– Permanent Unlock Token for Black Ops 7 (available at launch)
In Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7, Treyarch and Raven Software are bringing players the most mind-bending Black Ops ever.
The year is 2035 and the world is on the brink of chaos, ravaged by violent conflict and psychological warfare. David Mason leads an elite team on a covert mission to the sprawling city of Avalon. While there, they discover a sophisticated plot that won’t just plunge the world into chaos, it will pull them into their own haunting pasts.
Squad up or go solo in an innovative Co-Op Campaign that redefines the Black Ops experience.
Multiplayer explodes out of the gate with 16 electrifying 6v6 maps and two 20v20 maps at launch. Master a cutting-edge arsenal and outmaneuver your enemies with an evolved Omnimovement system.
In Treyarch’s legendary Round-Based Zombies mode, the nightmare begins where reality ends. Trapped in the heart of the Dark Aether, the crew is thrust into a vast, ever-shifting hellscape.
Game requires a Game Pass Core subscription (sold separately).
TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot required for PC, other security measures may be enforced. Learn more at https://support.activision.com/tpm.
*Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 or Call of Duty®: Warzone on Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One / Xbox PC required to redeem. Sold / downloaded separately. Must be redeemed by November 14th, 2026.
**BlackCell, Battle Pass, Call of Duty® Points and Tier Skips will be accessible in Black Ops 7 upon availability of the Season 1 Battle Pass in-game. Redemption applies to one Season of the Black Ops 7 Battle Pass only.
Content, features, services, online play, and support not available in all regions, and may vary, change, or terminate.
Requires an Activision account and acceptance of the Activision Software License and Services Agreement. A mobile phone number linked to your Activision account may be required to play Black Ops 7.
Additional storage space may be required for mandatory game updates.
For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com.
Upgrade to the Vault Edition and receive the following bonus content*:
– BlackCell (1 Season)**
— Includes: Battle Pass, 20 Tier Skips, 1,100 CP and more
– Operator Collection
— 4 Operator Skins: Harper, Karma, T.E.D.D. and Reaper EWR-3
– Mastercraft Collection
— 5 Mastercraft Weapons
– Ultra GobbleGum Pack for Zombies
— 8 GobbleGums of Ultra rarity for Black Ops 7
– Permanent Unlock Token for Black Ops 7 (available at launch)
*Requires existing ownership of the digital version of the Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7 – Cross-Gen Bundle on Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One / Xbox PC (sold separately), or active subscription to select Game Pass plans (Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass PC, or Game Pass Console).
**BlackCell, Battle Pass, Call of Duty® Points and Tier Skips will be accessible in Black Ops 7 upon availability of the Season 1 Battle Pass in-game. Redemption applies to one Season of the Black Ops 7 Battle Pass only.
For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com.
Pre-order any digital edition or subscribe to select Game Pass plans* and receive:
– Items for immediate use in Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty®: Warzone**:
— Reznov Challenge Pack – unlock the SOG Reznov Operator Skin. Plus, get access to unlock the Stalingrad Reznov and Memory Reznov Operator Skins
— Guild Override Weapon Camo – unlock the Guild Override dynamic Weapon Camo
Includes:
– Cross-Gen Bundle of Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7
— Includes Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Xbox PC versions of the game
In Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7, Treyarch and Raven Software are bringing players the most mind-bending Black Ops ever.
The year is 2035 and the world is on the brink of chaos, ravaged by violent conflict and psychological warfare. David Mason leads an elite JSOC team on a covert mission to the sprawling Mediterranean city of Avalon. While there, they discover a sophisticated plot that won’t just plunge the world into chaos, it will pull them into their own haunting pasts.
Squad up or go solo in an innovative Co-Op Campaign that redefines the Black Ops experience. Take on high-stakes challenges across a wide spectrum of environments, from the neon-lit rooftops of Japan to the Mediterranean coast, and even into the deepest corners of the human psyche.
Multiplayer explodes out of the gate with 16 electrifying 6v6 maps and two 20v20 maps at launch. From futuristic Tokyo vistas to the frozen, unforgiving wilds of Alaska, every environment is brimming with danger and opportunity. Master a cutting-edge arsenal and outmaneuver your enemies with an evolved Omnimovement system.
In Treyarch’s legendary Round-Based Zombies mode, the nightmare begins where reality ends. Trapped in the heart of the Dark Aether, the crew is thrust into a vast, ever-shifting hellscape. This isn’t just survival. It’s a descent into madness.
Game requires a Game Pass Core subscription (sold separately).
TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot required for PC, other security measures may be enforced. Learn more at https://support.activision.com/tpm.
*Requires active subscription to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass PC, or Game Pass Console. Subscribers must login to Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 or Call of Duty®: Warzone on Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One / Xbox PC by November 14, 2025 to redeem the Reznov Challenge Pack and Guild Override Weapon Camo.
**Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 or Call of Duty®: Warzone on Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One / Xbox PC required to redeem. Sold / downloaded separately. Must be redeemed by November 14th, 2026.
Content, features, services, online play, and support not available in all regions, and may vary, change, or terminate.
Requires an Activision account and acceptance of the Activision Software License and Services Agreement. A mobile phone number linked to your Activision account may be required to play Black Ops 7.
Additional storage space may be required for mandatory game updates.
For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com.
The long-leaked Battlefield 6 battle royale experience will seemingly shadow-drop across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S soon, with a full gameplay reveal for Battlefield REDSEC now set to premiere tomorrow morning.
EA and Battlefield Studios (finally) confirmed plans to pull back the curtain on its new free-to-play Battlefield mode via social media today. A Battlefield REDSEC official gameplay trailer is now scheduled for premiere at 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. ET tomorrow, October 28, with its description teasing a surprise launch. The news follows months of rumors and leaks, suggesting that Battlefield 6 battle royale was nearly here.
Eyes up. Plates on.#REDSEC arrives tomorrow at 8:00 PT / 15:00 UTC 🔴
Those who have enjoyed Battlefield 6 since it first landed for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S October 10 expected to hear news of a proper, complimentary battle royale experience when Season 1 was properly unveiled last week. As first details of EA and BF Studios’ latest came and went, however, there was no sign of what many had expected to be a substantial new game mode to drop into.
It was strange, especially as hints of a Battlefield 6 battle royale game mode began to leak as early as July 2025. The popular, last-squad-standing experience is nothing new for the franchise and remains popular among shooter fans, so with Battlefield promising a return to its roots with destructible environments and gritty gameplay, another stab at battle royale felt like a no-brainer at the time. Community manager Kevin Johnson then confirmed BF Studios had indeed begun work on such a mode in August, adding that only those involved in the Battlefield 6 closed test program, Battlefield Labs, would get to play at first.
Official updates have been quiet since, but that didn’t stop Labs testers from drumming up hype. Battlefield battle royale gameplay snuck its way online in September, confirming that things like swimming, combat, and destruction had been translated over to this new experience. Just as quickly as EA stamped out leaks, more soon popped up on social media.
Even with so little in terms of official word from the developers, a Battlefield 6 battle royale shadow-drop seems all but confirmed for tomorrow morning. Labs leaks date back months ago, so there’s no telling what content made it into the Battlefield REDSEC launch build.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
Battlefield 6’s battle royale mode has a name, and it isn’t quite as awful as I was expecting, though it falls well short of the exhilarating cringe of “Battlefortnite”. Battlefield REDSEC, they’re calling it. Such a Tom Clancelled, Limp Bizkit-ass moniker. What does REDSEC stand for, EA? Rampant Ennui Detected, Send Emergency Cookies? Or is it a game about hunting down commie office assistants? See, this is why they pay me the big bananas here at Rock Paper Shitpun Dot Com.
Wreckreation: An Open World Sandbox Racer that Lets You Build Your World, Your Way
Alyx Heather, Junior Marketing and Events Manager, THQ Nordic
Strap in and floor it—Wreckreation is the huge open-world racer where you don’t just drive the track, you drop it mid-drift. Sling loops hundreds of meters in the air, stitch ramps across canyon mouths, make it rain obstacles, traffic, and total mayhem—then blast through your own chaos at breakneck speed while your friends pile in. It’s part battle racer, part sandbox fever dream: build, race, wreck, repeat until your map is a highlight reel of near-misses, jaw-dropping stunts, and glorious slow-mo carnage.
From Tutorial to Total Mayhem
Fire up Wreckreation and you’ll first rip through an intro race to get a feel for the handling and earn your initial Wreckreation License Points—your main progression path. The intro race will showcase a skytrack with loops, turns and ramps to get you into the feel of what Wreckreation is all about. The Wreckreation License will showcase the points you have earned from races. As you progress you will earn more track pieces and cars to make your experience all the more fun. When you finish the intro race you will find yourself in a playground-style parking lot with Live Mix unlocked and several Live Mix track pieces to play around with until you decide to take to the roads.
From there, the world is your… oyster? Car graveyard? Junkyard? But a massive one because you have over 406,000 square km to explore with 454 km of roads to tear up! But whatever you do, that part’s up to you— as well as how chaotic you want it to be. Create Sky Tracks with friends, barrel around the vast world at breakneck speed, or scratch that arcade racing itch with Takedown Races and Road Rages. The choice is yours at your own pace.
What is Live Mix?
Live Mix is the real-time world editor. It lets you change the track and world while you’re driving. In Live Mix you can place track pieces on the fly. Ramps, loops, jumps, pipes, moving obstacles and many more things – anywhere, even into the sky or over the sea. You can change the worlds settings instantly: toggle the time of day, traffic density, even the weather just at the press of a button.
Live Mix also lets you edit live in shared sessions so everyone you are playing with can immediately race on what you place. With those same friends you can make Mix Modes, these are events on demand. Be it a race, stunt event or other mode, you will be able to create it and play it with your friends in your session to test out the new tracks you build together.
Build Like A Manic Mastermind
When it comes to creation, your only limit is your imagination… and, okay, the skybox. Want enough loops to induce G-force giggles? Done. Want spinning smashers, pop-up hazards, and cheeky traps that punt your crew into a smoky heap? Double done. With 400+ track pieces and objects with over 1200 variations—from giant jumps and savage drops to banked curves, hang times, and outrageous loops—no two races will ever look (or explode) the same. Show off your builds to your friends, or even collaborate and create tracks with them!
Meet the Storm
Rolling up to your freshly minted track, what will you face? The Cyclone? The Vortex? THE MAELSTROM? Why choose—throw them all in. These death-defying loops and hoops will test your driving skills to the MAX! Get your heart pounding and your palms sweaty (you’re seated, so your knees are safe), pin the throttle, and cause maximum destruction before your rivals do it to you.
Wreckreation launches October 28 on Xbox Series X|S.
What if a single key could open up an entire 400 square kilometer driving game universe? You’ve probably thought about it. The seemingly infinite number of what-ifs inside your head after pouring countless hours into racing, open world and building games. Wreckreation is exactly that. Developed by Three Fields Entertainment, the UK-based team comprised of veteran arcade racing game developers, Wreckreation finally hands you the keys to your own MixWorld. This will be a MixWorld that you can decorating and personalize, either alone or in collaboration with your friends online. A place of your own where you can continually strive to outrace, out-stunt or even out-crash yourself and others with courses, tracks and game modes designed by you – or your friends – but yours will probably be better.
Now, a number of screenshots reportedly taken from the canceled project have been published by MP1st, hinting that the game may have be set in Greece once again and feature a range of diverse backdrops, including caverns and temples.
Two screenshots, purportedly of Hades’ Armory, apparently show the same area in different states, one ‘normal’ and the other seemingly infected by a curse or otherworld state with rust-colored stains.
Hades was introduced in 2005’s God of War and appeared in God of War II, but it wasn’t until God of War III that he became a major antagonist before his brutal death at the end of the third instalment. Quite how Bluepoint planned to explain his return in this game we may never know, but it does show the Sony-owned studio was moving beyond the rebooted series’ hitherto Norse setting, although there are some Norse-like touches in the screenshots, too, suggesting Bluepoint was either intending to mix it up or still experimenting.
Sony has yet to announce a new God of War game, although given the success of both 2018’s God of War and 2022’s God of War Ragnarök it seems inevitable that fans will get more from the franchise. The question is, in what form and in which setting will God of War take on next?
Speaking at MCM London Comic Con last week, Kratos actor Christopher Judge said he hoped God of War would cover the Egyptian pantheon. “Because I became best known as Teal’c from Stargate, to go to Egypt would be a completion of my circle,” he teased. “But whatever is decided — wait… if there is another game, I have no doubt that no matter what pantheon it is, it will be great.”
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
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