Hola, big Steam update alert, featuring some stuff you might already have tried in beta and a crap tonne of other stuff you might not have. Either way, it’s all in the hands of the masses now, so worth being aware of. Yes, “removed a setting from music settings that wasn’t hooked up to anything” is a change you need to know about, don’t question me!
You can find the full notes for this latest Steam update here, and I advise you whip out your best Sunday Papers pipe and slippers when you do, because there are bullet points for days. In the meantime here’s a quick rundown that you can safely consume without old man tobacco and weird indoor shoes.
While I’m not the one to choose to watch a horror movie or read a spooky book, I actually love a good horror game. The bar-setting remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 4 are fantastic, Alan Wake 2’s unconventional storytelling was incredibly suspenseful and memorable, and my favorite spooky experiences come from passing the controller around with a room of friends trying to keep my character alive in games like Until Dawn or The Quarry. The thing is, while I’m a fan of dreadful atmosphere, creepy ambiance, and shocking, disgusting character designs, I don’t really play these games by myself, and can only stomach the anxiety of good horror if I’m experiencing it alongside other people in the room.
That’s why I’m so excited after playing Little Nightmares 3 for nearly two hours: the third entry in Bandai Namco’s horror puzzle-platformer series is designed to be a completely cooperative two-player adventure (though it can be played solo if you like), and based on the level I played, it’s shaping up to fit the same niche as puzzly co-op classics like Split Fiction and Unravel Two.
To be fair, Little Nightmares 3 isn’t nearly as scary as your traditional rated-M horror game anyways. It’s surreal, fantastical horror made from the stuff of children’s nightmares. The level my co-op partner and I played had us sneaking through a haunted carnival filled with giant blob-like people waiting in line for carnival games, stuffing their faces with apples, and carelessly whacking what appeared to be one of their own kind with sticks, like a pinata. It’s a delightfully unsettling, rich atmosphere, and in my conversation with Little Nightmares 3 producer Coralie Feniello – who also served as associate producer on Little Nightmares 2 – she talked about how the Little Nightmares games are built to star children in a world that is not made for them. The carnival level really nailed that feeling, as we climbed through vents, boosted each other up to open doors, and avoided oversized monsters in an unfamiliar, unwelcoming place.
Little Nightmares 3 isn’t nearly as scary as your traditional rated-M horror game anyways. It’s surreal, fantastical horror made from the stuff of children’s nightmares.
We played as Low and Alone, the two new protagonists being introduced in Little Nightmares 3. The pair is looking for a path that could lead them out of the Nowhere. I controlled Alone: a young girl with pigtails and an aviator helmet who comes equipped with a wrench, while my partner was Low, a young boy who wears a crow mask and uses a bow and arrow. Our two different tools led to combat encounters where Low needed to shoot an arrow at an undead creature charging toward us, and I would finish the job by pulverizing the decapitated head with my wrench before the animated, headless body took one of us out. This required constant communication, and while the instant death for any mistake felt a little frustrating throughout our demo, generous checkpoints kept us motivated to achieve the perfect run.
The controls for all of this are fairly simple, which is another reason Little Nightmares 3 is setting up to be a great choice to play with a partner or friend who may not be as familiar with games. Most actions are performed with just a couple of buttons, and the difficulty comes in through communication and the intensity of doing everything exactly right as you’re being chased around like an unwanted mouse in a large house.
Just like the combat, every puzzle is also designed to be completed by both characters. There was nothing too head-scratching, but one highlight saw us working our way through multiple rooms to find a power source for a radio. Once we found it, one of us had to tune the radio to the right frequency to power on the lights in the room while the other used said lights to open the path forward. Just as in co-op games like Split Fiction, simple puzzles like this are enjoyable when communicating with a partner to solve them. Little Nightmares 3 also seamlessly weaves its world into its puzzle design. In one room, we needed to move a box to use it as a platform to climb higher, and the crate available to us was one component of the classic sawing-a-person-in-half magic trick. Only this time, there was no magic involved and the victim was ripped in half, and as we pulled the box away, their guts unceremoniously spilled onto the floor.
Moments like that really sell Little Nightmares 3’s unique art style that combines claymation-like models with dense, moody lighting. The way light creeps into a dark room through a lone window is striking, and the outdoor segments where the carnival is the only illumination against a rainy, pitch black backdrop creates a very memorable atmosphere. The carnival is just one chapter in Little Nightmares 3, and I’m excited to see how its visuals translate to completely different settings across the full game.
Supermassive worked hard to understand the DNA of the originals while also bringing in their own passion for the universe.
I should point out that this was my first experience with the Little Nightmares series. Outside of researching ahead of this preview event, I never played the first two, which were developed by Tarsier Studios. In 2019, Tarsier Studios was acquired by Embracer Group, and they’re now working on Reanimal, a very Little Nightmares-esque game set to release next year (and which itself is leaning hard into co-op). Bandai Namco retained the Little Nightmares franchise in the transaction and have partnered with Supermassive Games on this third entry, the studio behind horror games like Until Dawn and The Quarry that I mentioned earlier. In my conversation with Feniello, I asked what changes longtime fans of the series should expect from Little Nightmares 3, and she said Supermassive worked hard to understand the DNA of the originals while also bringing in their own passion for the universe.
And, she said co-op was the most highly-requested feature from the Little Nightmares community, which led to Bandai Namco’s decision to build this sequel around that idea. While my impression so far of Little Nightmares 3 is without the context of the originals, I can safely say I really enjoyed my time with this one and it got me interested in checking out the whole franchise, for what that’s worth. It will utilize a Friend’s Pass system, where only one player needs to buy a copy of the game to play online with a friend on the same platform. And for any solo players out there, you can play Little Nightmares 3 alone with an AI companion instead of another person, with Feniello noting that they worked hard to balance the experience for single-player as well.
I’m glad I wasn’t playing alone for the second half of our demo, though, which had us working through a more choreographed stealth-action set piece where we had to escape from an old man and his… son? Pet? It’s unclear what that small creature who chased us on all fours was, but that’s part of the fun. It started when we were forced to wake the pair up by tearing a plank off the wall to progress, and from there, each room was another test in avoiding getting caught.
This sequence required us to learn the routines of the residents in this hellscape, watching as the man poured the little guy a bowl of food in the kitchen, as we learned we needed to make our break for the next safe spot as he crawled across the table to dig in. There was plenty of trial-and-error as we tested the limits and pacing of their movements, and I really enjoyed the loop of learning a little bit each run, forming a game plan with my co-op partner, and ultimately succeeding. We also got split up for a brief section where my partner was locked in a cage and needed to make noise to distract the man while I worked on setting him free. After several failed attempts we finally escaped unscathed, and I left feeling excited to see the other intense scenarios Little Nightmares 3 will drop us into in the full game. Little Nightmares 3 arrives on October 10 for all major platforms.
I regularly go against my best consumer instincts and check out the yearly iterations of sports games. It’s not something I’d likely be doing without some Steam press account magic letting me dodge the yearly cash sacrifice for a game that usually shares a huge chunk of DNA with its direct predecessor; a sense of deja vu is inevitable, unless you’ve been sensible enough to either let a few years pass or wait until you’ve spotted a new feature that piques your interest.
With NBA 2K26, there was one such addition in my mind. As someone who’s been keen to see 2K’s ball-to-basket series get rid of the invisible wall it’d put up between its simulations of men’s and women’s basketball for a good few years, the first-time addition of WNBA players to one of the marquee male-dominted modes caught my attention. Granted, it was MyTeam, the depressing pit in which you fork over either real money or fake money – acquired across hours of grinding – to buy trading cards that may or may not be dished out via something resembling a slot machine.
Despite leaning heavily on tried-and-tested survival horror tropes, Bloober Team’s latest delivers a fascinating story involving time travel, big helmets, and gross, gooey creatures that have the ability to merge with dead bodies. Gross. If you’re a genre fan or you simply enjoy well-told stories, this one might be for you.
A Nintendo Direct is confirmed to be taking place this Friday, September 12. The broadcast will begin at 6am PST/9am ET/2pm BST, and will run for roughly a whole hour.
As for what’s going to be included in the stream, Nintendo has yet to confirm. But seeing as it’s taking place just one day before the 40th birthday of the Super Mario Bros. series, it wouldn’t be a shock to see some plumber-related news.
For context, a similar showcase took place to mark the 35th anniversary of the original Super Mario and included Super Mario 3D World: Bowser’s Fury, and limited release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, and a Super Mario Bros Game & Watch.
What could we expect this time around? Well, we certainly wouldn’t say no to the reveal of a brand-new 3D Mario platformer to mark the Nintendo Switch 2 era, some Mario Kart World DLC, or a sneak peek at the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel, scheduled for April 2026.
Developing story…
Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.
Better yet, not only does Amazon have Sidon, Riju, and Tulin in stock, but they’re all discounted for a limited time right now.
Amazon Amiibo Sale: Save $10 for a Limited Time
Each of these amiibo figures would set you back $29.99 when they first released, but Amazon has discounted three of the figures to $19.99. That’s a saving of 33% each, and $10 off per amiibo.
So, whether you want Riju, Tulin, or Sidon to drop into your latest adventure, you’re in luck.
As for what they do in-game, all three unlock content in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Using any of the three figures via NFC will net you amiibo-exclusive paraglider fabric options, as well as some additional materials and a weapon or rare item.
Since they’re part of The Legend of Zelda series, you can snag extra goodies in other titles. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening has amiibo-exclusive Chamber Dungeons, for example, while Mario Kart 8 Deluxe players can get a new Mii racing suit.
If you are playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Switch 2 with the upgrade pack, you’re in for a treat.
The update smooths out that frame rate and improves the resolution throughout, fixing just about the only thing that was wrong with the Switch 1 original: Its performance.
Tom Marks said in his review update that ”This [Switch 2 upgrade] really does feel like the way this game was always meant to be played, and I’m thrilled by the idea of a new generation discovering it for the first time.”
Hard to argue there, really.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.
I bring ill tidings from the land of folks who’re usually busy stressing about their heirs, sire. Crusader Kings 3‘s paid Coronations DLC has arrived alongside the Ascendant update, and I regret to inform you that the little expansion’s immediately been put in the stocks. The rotten tomatoes doth fly towards its bonce, and the resulting juice has turned its Steam reviews a mostly negative shade of crimson.
Sucker Punch director Nate Fox has revealed that the day Rockstar confirmed GTA 6 was delayed until 2026 was a “great” one for the Ghost of Yotei team.
Grand Theft Auto 6 was due out in fall 2025, but over the summer, Rockstar confirmed a delay to May 26, 2026, saying it needed “this extra time to deliver at the level of quality [players] expect and deserve.” And while the delay may have been disappointing news for players desperate to experience a new GTA game, Sucker Punch was delighted that Rockstar’s upcoming game would no longer clash with the October release of Ghost of Yotei.
In an interview with MinnMax (thanks, GR+), co-creative director Fox said the news resulted in a celebration, joking: “We’re all still hungover, multi-month hangover. That was a great day.”
Much like how the shadow-dropped announcement of Hollow Knight: Silksong’s release date of September 4, 2025, was a less-than-celebratory day for the developers of around 10 other video games with existing marketing plans to launch around that same time, studios have also been shuffling release schedules to ensure their titles don’t bump up against GTA 6 and soak up the time, money, and interest of potential players.
As we summarized at the time, Hollow Knight: Silksong’s debut affected the release of games like Demonschool, Aeterna Lucis, Little Witch in the Woods, CloverPit, Megabonk, Baby Steps, Faeland, Starbirds, and Moros Protocol. Even Stomp and the Sword of Miracles, an indie game with no release date plans anywhere in sight, elected to delay its Kickstarter launch and demo release due to Silksong.
Nigel Lowrie, co-founder of Devolver Digital, told IGN: “There are AAA games and then there’s AAAA games and I’d argue that Grand Theft Auto is potentially the AAAAA game, it’s just bigger than anything else both in the scope and scale of the game and the kind of cultural impact that it has and the attention it demands.”
Adam Lieb, CEO of marketing platform Gamesight, added: “I would say that GTA for the last year and a half has been a part of almost every conversation around launch dates I have heard.”
At least Ghost of Yotei’s release date seems certain: October 2, 2025. The follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima, Yotei is set in the lands surrounding Mount Yotei, and takes place more than 300 years after the events of the first game.
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.
As highlighted by Mike Odyssey over on X, the trademarks are currently under examination as of 2nd September 2025 before full publication, which is normal. As for why they’ve been updated, well… that’s up for debate.
Borderlands 4 boss Randy Pitchford has suggested that the game’s pre-order bundle, which contains a free Fortnite skin, could become a worthwhile investment — after a previous Borderlands skin fetched “over $2k when trading on eBay.”
Writing on social media, Pitchford highlighted the looter shooter’s Epic Games Store pre-order offer, which unlocks the Mad Moxxi skin in Fortnite. But players have been quick to point out that “trading” is against Fortnite’s Terms of Service, and liable to result in a ban.
“Is it true that the pre-order incentive Psycho Bandit skin in became one of the most valuable skins in Fortnite sometimes fetching over $2k when trading on eBay?” Pitchford wrote. “What are the odds this bundle becomes worth much more than the price of the game it is promoting?”
Firstly, it’s worth breaking down exactly what Pitchford is referring to here. The Psycho Bandit skin he mentions was originally released in 2019, as part of a similar Epic Game Store promotion with Borderlands 3. It was also briefly available via Fortnite’s item shop — before disappearing from sale for a lengthy period.
It’s during this time that the skin did become something of a coveted item among Fortnite players, though its perceived value dropped significantly when it returned returned on sale in April 2025, becoming widely-available once again after a gap of five years.
Fortnite skins deemed rare or unlikely to be sold again often attract player interest, though Fortnite itself of course does not offer any ability to sell or trade in-game items with other players. Instead, some players simply buy or sell accounts with rare items included — something which Epic Games is clear is against the company’s Terms of Service, and risks a lengthy (or permanent) ban.
All of which is worth bearing in mind when considering whether buying Borderlands 4 just for its attached Fortnite skin is really the best pitch for a money-making scheme. But hey, at least the game isn’t $80.
Borderlands 4 launches this Friday, September 12, for PC via Steam and the Epic Game Store, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. A Nintendo Switch 2 version will then follow on October 3.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
