Paradox have announced grand strategy game Europa Universalis 5, following some teasers last week. It’s the next big entry in the series of complex globe-spanning historical simulations, and having played a little as the hapless ruler of Korea in the 14th century, I can confirm that it is so far as chunky, complicated, and deep as usual. The changes in this sequel won’t look wild or revolutionary to a dabbler, but seasoned tyrants might find a lot to pique their interest. Come see a trailer below.
Mafia: The Old Country has a release date: August 8, 2025 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S.
The Hangar 13-developed gangster game also has a new trailer showcasing the combat and new stealth mechanics.
We also have a handful of new screenshots showing off Mafia: The Old Country, below.
The announcement comes alongside some interesting quotes from the developer and publisher, 2K. Hangar 13 President Nick Baynes described Mafia: The Old Country as a “focused, linear experience that combines quality storytelling, authentic era immersion and a refined take on the familiar Mafia gameplay.”
He continued: “That focus allows us to deliver a story that’s gritty, grounded, brutal and emotional. Embracing early 1900s era Sicily, this is a mafia origin story that follows our protagonist, Enzo Favara, as he takes the oath and works his way up Don Torrisi’s crime family.”
Tellingly, 2K President David Ismailer added: “We think there’s a large audience for compelling stories that don’t require massive time commitments.
“We’re excited to offer a game like Mafia: The Old Country in our portfolio, and to provide a linear highly-polished narrative experience that can easily complement the other more persistent games our players also love and engage with on a more consistent basis.”
Based on these comments, Mafia: The Old Country will be a relatively short affair. There is no multiplayer mode, so the story is the entire package.
Perhaps that’s why the standard edition costs $49.99 across all platforms, and the deluxe edition costs $59.99. Here’s the breakdown, per 2K:
Mafia: The Old Country will offer two editions: Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition. Both editions are available for pre-order today and will release worldwide on August 8, 2025.
The Standard Edition includes the full base game and will be available for $49.99 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
The Deluxe Edition lets players descend into Sicily’s criminal underworld in true Cosa Nostra style with a variety of bonus items and will be available for $59.99 on PlayStation, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. This edition includes the Padrino Pack, featuring “Lupara Speciale” Shotgun, “Vendetti Speciale” Pistol, “Immortale” Charm, “Padrino” Outfit, “Stiletto Speciale” Knife, “Eckhart Speciale” Limousine and “Cosimo” Horse and Accessories. Additionally, it offers the Gatto Nero Pack with the “Bodeo Nero” Pistol, “Velocità” Charm, “Gatto Nero” Racing Outfit and “Carozella Nero” Race Car, plus digital bonus materials including the Original Score and Digital Artbook full of concept art and developer notes.
Pre-order Mafia: The Old Country Standard Edition or Deluxe Edition to receive the Soldato Pack featuring the “Soldato” Outfit, “Scannaturi Speciale” Knife, “Tesoro” Horse and Accessories and “Lupara” Charm.
In the interview, the pair dismissed comparisons to GTA 6, insisting Mafia: The Old Country shouldn’t be considered an open-world game at all.
Rather, the pair insisted, Mafia: The Old Country is more like Mafia 1 and 2 than it is the open-world Mafia 3. It is a “linear, narrative-driven” game, a “focused package” that offers a “cinematic experience.” You might find yourself driving around an authentic representation of 1900s Sicily in Mafia: The Old Country, or even riding around on horseback a bit like that other Rockstar game, but the similarities to Rockstar games stop there.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Taken at face value, Trailer 2 does not appear to feature gameplay, with most of what we see looking like cutscene material. There is now Heads-Up Display (HUD) shown, no controller icons, or any other element that would suggest gameplay is in there.
However, given Rockstar’s statement, we can assume that there is gameplay, just with the HUD turned off and the camera perhaps in a non-gameplay position. So, what bits of Trailer 2 fit the bill? That’s exactly what the GTA community is trying to work out right now.
Elsewhere, redditor OriginalTomato8235 compiled a compilation of what they believe to be gameplay shown in Trailer 2. It includes:
The sequence where Jason robs a convenience store
Jason walking out with beer
Jason driving in what looks like a first-person perspective
Jason lifting weights on the beach (which players suspect is one of GTA 6’s mini-games)
Jason firing a gun from inside a moving car
Lucia’s combat training (another potential mini-game)
Lucia shooting what looks like a grenade launcher at police cars (the camera is in a third-person perspective here)
The sequence where we see Jason’s TV from a first-person perspective (this is the shot that includes the fake PS5 and DualSense controllers, and a character who may be Phil Cassidy from Vice City)
That’s a long list (remember, Rockstar said “equal parts”), but what it boils down to is that the gameplay is probably all the bits that aren’t obviously cutscenes. That is, all the bits where a character does not talk.
Trailer 2 is already breaking viewership records but it’s also wowing fans, and the idea that we’re seeing in-engine PS5 gameplay footage here is pretty spectacular. Yes, the HUD is turned off, and yes, Rockstar is positioning the camera in ways players won’t be able to when they finally get to grips with the game in May 2026, but we are getting a realistic look at what to expect next year – and that’s encouraging.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Despite Donkey Kong Bananza being a little over two months away from its 17th July release, much mystery surrounds the upcoming platformer.
Case in point, a new discovery from user ‘Triistan’ on Famiboards seems to point towards the game containing some sort of local multiplayer component. Make sure to slot this into the filing cabinet labelled ‘nebulous’, because it’s all a little vague at this point, but there’s definitely some weight behind it.
To celebrate the eradication of the Illuminate invaders, Super Earth mobilizes our most regal looking troops yet – a true celebration of our forebears. Enter the Masters of Ceremony Premium Warbond*! Wield all-new elite weaponry, capes and armours to step into the boots of Super Earth’s most decorated units.
To start, let us look at the R-2 Amendment.
Carve through bugs like butter with an attached bayonet for close-quarter combat alongside a 20-round magazine. Perfect for vanquishing foes in style both up close and at a distance.
Paired with the CQC-2 Sabre.
A sabre hailing from an elegant time will inspire you to lead the charge and thrust your blade through the heart of our enemies.
To round out the parade spectacle; introducing the G-142 Pyrotech Grenade.
When thrown, it will spin and shower the surrounding area in sparks before ceremoniously exploding in a ball of flames. Farewell, pitiful enemies of Super Earth.
Show off your love for Managed Democracy and inspire those around you with the CQC-1 One True Flag.
Feared across the galaxy and attesting to the might of Managed Democracy, this sharp symbol of freedom doubles as a spear to drive home the values of our glorious sovereignty. It brings a tear to our eyes.
Sure, your killing looks great. But how do you look, Helldiver? Let’s accessorize.
For formal occasions the RE-1861 Parade Commander brings old-school prestige whilst being lightweight enough to react in the heat of battle. Pair it with the Humble Regalia cape to make it shine for Democracy in red, black and gold.
After something a little more menacing? Look no further than the RE-2310 Honorary Guard. A traditional but battle hardened armor. Pair with the Federations Embrace cape to pay honor to the glory of Super Earth and our fallen forebears.
Both armors come stock standard with the Reinforced Epaulettes perk, offering your limbs the chance of not breaking so you can continue to wave the flag of victory. For maximum respect, unlock the Decorated Hero title and Lockstep emote to ensure you and your fellow Helldivers parade together on the bodies of your victories. In unison.
An intricate new look from Warbonds of past eras
By popular demand, we are adding a new stash of FRV patterns to previously released Warbonds to all owners. Go check out the Viper Commando, Freedom’s Flame, Chemical Agents, and Truth Enforcers Warbond pages in Acquisitions on May 15!
Are you ready to join the rank of heroes? The Masters of Ceremony and new FRV patterns march in on May 15 for PS5 and PC.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are some of the best-selling Pokémon games ever.
As shared by the webmaster of Serebii.net, Joe Merrick, and spotted by Eurogamer, the two games combined have sold north of 25 million copies, which is more than any other Pokémon game since Pokémon Red/Green/Blue, and that sold 31.4 million copies when it released way back in 1996 on the Game Boy.
Scarlet/Violet’s 26,790,000 sales only just pip Sword/Shield to second place, which has sold 26,720,000 copies.
Gold/Silver and Diamond/Pearl round out the top five games by units sold with sales of 23.7 million and 16.7 million, respectively.
Scarlet/Violet had a mixed reception when it launched, debuting to mainly mixed or average scores that make it one of the lowest-received mainline games of the entire series, with fans complaining of technical issues, performance troubles, and bugs.
We thought Game Freak’s latest instalment was “Okay,” awarding it 6/10 and writing in IGN’s Pokémon Scarlet and Violet review: “The open-world gameplay of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a brilliant direction for the future of the franchise, but this promising shift is sabotaged by the numerous ways in which Scarlet and Violet feel deeply unfinished.”
Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Earlier today there was a mighty eruption of Death Stranding 2: On The Beach previews, featuring commentary on the new game’s themes and social relevance from erstwhile Metal Gear Solidifier and Kojima Productions boss Hideo Kojima. Themes and social relevance, eh! Kojima is one of the few bigwigs who will engage openly with such things, which is perhaps less praise of Kojima than a judgement upon the hesitant and anodyne way other blockbuster game creators discuss the impact of their work.
In this case, Kojima has talked at some length about how Death Stranding 2 builds on and, at times, resists the first game’s theme of connection, based on his experiences of the Covid pandemic and his dislike of the “metaverse” – that ageing umbrella term for a newly monetisable “web 3.0” fauxtopia of networked technologies, ranging from VR to cryptocurrency, which many large video game publishers have sought to normalise in their hunger for profit growth.
Did you watch the new GTA 6 trailer and think, ‘Wow, the bubbles inside that bottle of beer look really, really good?’ You’re not alone. Hundreds of millions of viewers have now watched the second Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer and marveled at the technical brilliance on display. And knowing that the trailer footage was all captured on PS5 is just mind-blowing. But are we being set up to be fooled?
IGN spoke to Digital Foundry’s Alexander Battaglia to help break down what we saw and understand whether there are any takeaways we can glean from the newest GTA 6 trailer and how it might translate into actual gameplay experience on console. And it turns out, we can.
“The trailer is running at 30 fps and is completely made up of — presumably — real-time cutscenes and not gameplay — hence the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen,” Battaglia says. “I imagine the game’s primary target for such cutscenes is 30 fps, and it’s likely the same for gameplay.”
30 fps on PS5 and Xbox Series X is nothing new. Games often come with either a fidelity mode, which prioritizes up to 4K resolution at 30 fps, or a performance mode, which targets 60 fps at lower resolution. But with the launch of the PS5 Pro, Sony has made efforts to bridge the two modes, and it’s something Battaglia says we’ll likely see pushed closer to the game’s release.
“Given the image quality in the trailer, which may well be a use of FSR1 (AMD’s AI performance enhancing tool and the basis of PS5 Pro’s PSSR) from a low internal resolution, PS5 Pro could enhance image quality through the use of PSSR making a less aliased, more detailed image with less blur.”
Personally speaking, I tend to always opt for performance mode over fidelity mode, but one of the key selling points for PS5 Pro is that you don’t have to make that choice, you can have both. So while Digital Foundry thinks PS5 Pro can improve image quality, the big question is: Will GTA 6 run at 60 fps on console?
On the Digital Foundry tech breakdown posted on YouTube, the panel seems to agree that GTA 6 will not be able to hit 60 fps on console. “As soon as you have RTGI [Ray Traced Global Illumination], a massive open world, those things tend not to run well at 60 fps… I think everything points to this being a 30 fps game, maybe with a 40 fps mode on some [consoles].”
The trailer uses ray tracing extensively, which could be further enhanced on PS5 Pro
At the heart of the matter is ray tracing, which Digital Foundry says seems integral to GTA 6, not just from a tech perspective but an artistic one. “You can’t get rid of RTGI. It’s inherent to the way the game works. And they’re throughout the trailer, so they obviously made them a part of the gameplay.”
Leonida, Rockstar’s version of the Sunshine State, is full of light. Whether it’s from the sun itself beaming on bright beaches and suntanned bodies, or the neon lights illuminating Vice City’s nightlife, ray tracing feels core to GTA 6’s art direction, and also why it likely won’t run higher than 30 fps. It could also be where PS5 Pro players find the most joy over their PS5 and Xbox Series X counterparts: “The trailer uses ray tracing extensively, which could be further enhanced on PS5 Pro,” Battaglia says.
While the ray tracing improvements on PS5 Pro are speculative, you only have to compare the new GTA 6 trailer with the first one to see that Rockstar is hammering the importance of RTGI to the look of GTA 6. “Real-time ray-traced transparency reflections are much more obvious in this trailer, so glass on beer bottles, cars’ windscreens, building windows, and more look particularly good.” The bubbly beer that hundreds of millions of GTA fans are obsessing over is why GTA 6 might not run at 60 fps, but also why GTA 6 might look even better on PS5 Pro.
While 30 fps seems to be the default across consoles, PS5 Pro’s better ray tracing capabilities mean this key GTA 6 feature should get a better showcase on Sony’s more powerful console. To date, the improvements PS5 Pro offers over the base console varies wildly from one game to the next, with Assassin’s Creed Shadows currently the best showcase for what the console can do. But I’m hoping Rockstar and GTA 6 take it a step further and make the difference even more noticeable.
At the opposite end of the powerhouse scale is the Xbox Series S, which is currently the weakest console that can play GTA 6 (there’s no word yet on whether Rockstar will bring GTA 6 to Switch 2). Digital Foundry says that to get GTA 6 on the Series S, Rockstar may need to sacrifice ray tracing completely to run the game at 30 fps, with sub-1080p resolution. But the Series S still has the same ballpark CPU power and storage as Series X, so it’s not impossible.
There’s still a whole year until GTA 6 hits shelves (sadly), and with only two trailers released so far, there are still a lot of unknown variables. But even the changes from the first GTA 6 trailer to the newest one reveals loads of interesting technical details, from a constant 30 fps captured on PS5 to the improved ray tracing. And with history telling us that Rockstar typically only releases 30 fps GTA games, all signs are pointing to the same for GTA 6 – although if the trailers are anything to go by, the series has never looked better.
GTA 6 Trailer 2 is the biggest video launch of all time, Rockstar has claimed.
It told The Hollywood Reporter that Trailer 2 hit 475 million views across all platforms on its first day. That’s bigger than all other movie trailer launches, including Deadpool & Wolverine’s 365 million views in its first 24 hours, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ 200 million. Last year’s Superman trailer launched to over 250 million views and became the most-viewed trailer in the history of both DC and Warner Bros. GTA 6 Trailer 2, however, overshadows them all.
It’s worth noting that GTA 6 Trailer 1, which saw 93 million views on its first day, was released exclusively on YouTube first and became the biggest non-music video launch of all time on the platform. Trailer 2 is now up to 85,276,196 views on Rockstar’s official YouTube channel at the time of this article’s publication on May 8.
“Grand Theft Auto cuts through popular culture like almost nothing else,” Spotify’s Global Head of Editorial Sulinna Ong said in a statement. “Music has been synonymous with the series since the very beginning, so it’s great to see fans both new and established connecting with an iconic track in this way.”
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Rockstar is believed to have spent north of $1 billion on GTA 6’s development, so the pressure is on to deliver. But based on the interest in its trailers, GTA 6’s success is pretty much guaranteed.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
“Attacking is the most consistent element of Elden Ring Nightreign’s gameplay,” says director Junya Ishizaki in a new PlayStation blog, explaining the choice to have players revive each other by hitting wounded mates with swords – a famously crucial tenet of the hippocratic oath. “We tested to see if it would work for resuscitation, and we discovered a wide variety of tactics depending on range, frequency, and probability, so we formally implemented it. We also found it quite amusing (laughs).”
