Ahead of the full patch notes, Bethesda released initial details on Update 3 in a tweet. It’s set to make a number of fixes and improvements, as well as add support for Nvidia DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation and DLSS Ray Reconstruction.
Players are hoping Update 3 fixes the various game-breaking bugs Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has suffered from since its launch in early December. Last month, Bethesda said the February update would add new graphical features and options, and the bug fixes would target issues that have prevented some players from 100%-ing the game and from climbing vines or squeezing through walls in Sukhothai. It’s unclear at this stage if any or all those changes have made it into next week’s patch.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launched on PC and Xbox Series X and S and, as a Microsoft-owned game, day-one on Game Pass, and has reached 4 million players so far. MachineGames’ latest release garnered critical acclaim and multiple awards, including three at the D.I.C.E. Awards. A PlayStation 5 release is set for this spring.
Indiana Jones actor Harrison Ford has said Troy Baker playing the beloved character in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is proof “you don’t need artificial intelligence to steal my soul.”
Ford discussed alleviating control of Indy with The Wall Street Journal, saying he was very happy with the performance of The Last of Us actor Baker.
“You don’t need artificial intelligence to steal my soul,” Ford said. “You can already do it for nickels and dimes with good ideas and talent. He did a brilliant job, and it didn’t take AI to do it.”
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.
The 28th D.I.C.E. Awards have arrived and have celebrated the best of the best in the world of video games from 2024. While there were a lot of winners across 23 categories, Astro Bot won the night by taking home Game of the Year alongside Outstanding Achievement in Animation, Outstanding Technical Achievement, Family Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Game Design.
There were a few other games that won multiple categories, and Helldivers 2 came in second with four wins for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition, Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design, Action Game of the Year, and Online Game of the Year. Balatro and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle also both brought home three wins.
In addition to honoring the best games of 2024, this year’s D.I.C.E. Awards also celebrated two individuals who both made a great impact on the video game industry. First up, former Executive Vice President of Operations for Nintendo of America was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for his time with the company and his support for the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Next, Insomniac Games founder and president Ted Price, who recently announced his retirement from the studio, was given the Hall of Fame Award for all he has done for game development and “leading Insomniac Games for three decades and advocating for video game creators’ First Amendment rights.”
You can check out the full list of winners from the 28th D.I.C.E. Awards below.
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
Astro Bot – WINNER
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH
Neva
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
Black Myth: Wukong – WINNER
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
LEGO Horizon Adventures
The Plucky Squire
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Outstanding Achievement in Character
1000xRESIST – Watcher
FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH – Yuffie Kisaragi
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones – WINNER
INDIKA – Indika
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II – Senua
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
Astro Bot
Helldivers 2 – WINNER
Monument Valley 3
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Star Wars Outlaws
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
Frostpunk 2
Helldivers 2 – WINNER
Monument Valley 3
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Still Wakes the Deep
Outstanding Achievement in Story
1000xRESIST
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – WINNER
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Still Wakes the Deep
Thank Goodness You’re Here!
Outstanding Technical Achievement
Astro Bot – WINNER
Batman: Arkham Shadow
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Action Game of the Year
Batman: Arkham Shadow
Black Myth: Wukong
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Helldivers 2 – WINNER
Stellar Blade
Adventure Game of the Year
1000xRESIST
ANIMAL WELL
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – WINNER
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Family Game of the Year
Astro Bot – WINNER
Cat Quest III
Little Kitty, Big City
The Plucky Squire
Super Mario Party Jamboree
Fighting Game of the Year
Blazing Strike
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO
Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns
TEKKEN 8 – WINNER
UNDERDOGS
Racing Game of the Year
F1® 24 – WINNER
MotoGP™24
NIGHT-RUNNERS™ PROLOGUE
Role-Playing Game of the Year
FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
ELDEN RING: Shadow of the Erdtree
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Metaphor: ReFantazio – WINNER
Sports Game of the Year
EA SPORTS College Football 25
EA SPORTS FC 25
MLB The Show 24 – WINNER
NBA 2K25
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
Balatro – WINNER
Caves of Qud
Frostpunk 2
Tactical Breach Wizards
Satisfactory
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
Alien: Rogue Incursion
Batman: Arkham Shadow
Skydance’s BEHEMOTH
Starship Home – WINNER
UNDERDOGS
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
Alien: Rogue Incursion
Batman: Arkham Shadow – WINNER
Escaping Wonderland
Skydance’s BEHEMOTH
UNDERDOGS
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
ANIMAL WELL
Balatro – WINNER
Grunn
INDIKA
Mouthwashing
Mobile Game of the Year
Balatro – WINNER
Halls of Torment
Monument Valley 3
Paper Trail
Wuthering Waves
Online Game of the Year
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred
Helldivers 2 – WINNER
Marvel Rivals
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
ANIMAL WELL
Astro Bot – WINNER
Balatro
Helldivers 2
UFO 50
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
1000xRESIST
ANIMAL WELL – WINNER
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
Riven
Thank Goodness You’re Here!
Game of the Year
Astro Bot – WINNER
Balatro
Black Myth: Wukong
Helldivers 2
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.
Sega has officially released its ‘announce’ trailer for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds – revealing all sorts of exciting details about the newest entry in the long-running Sonic Racing series.
It’s a great pleasure to see you with our first post of 2025. From all of us at Team Asobi, we wish you a wonderful year ahead.
Last year saw the release of Astro Bot, our biggest game to date. As well as picking several game awards, we have been blessed with countless comments and lovely words from you, the players.
This has made the hard work of everyone at Team Asobi even more worth it. So from the bottom of our lil’ robotic hearts, hearts, a huge thank you to you all.
And now, into the main news! To start the year on a good note, we are delighted to announce new Astro Bot content is coming starting today. You might have noticed that a, yet unreleased, level of Astro Bot was featured at the PlayStation XP Tournament Final in London, England on January 18. That very level, along with 4 additional ones will be coming your way inside the brand-new Vicious Void Galaxy, starting today.
As before, this new update is completely free of charge and a gift from us to you, the Astro Bot community.
These five levels will appear on a weekly basis as follows:
Feb 13:Tick-Tock Shock
Feb 20: Thrust or Bust
Feb 27: Cock-A-Doodle-Doom
Mar 6: Hard to Bear
Mar 13: Armored Hardcore
Note: All Astro Bot updates from February 13 to March 13 will be available every Thursday at 6:00am PT, 2:00pm GMT, and 10:00pm JST.
Unlike our last update Winter Wonder, which was a walk through the Xmas park, this new update features harder levels to test your jumping skills. Each level comes with a brand-new Special Bot to rescue and, once that’s done, can be replayed in Time Attack mode with online rankings. To access these, you will need to have completed the main game. So sharpen those skills again and let’s get rescuing.
“Tick Tock Shock”, the first of 5 new levels will release on February 13
But hold on, we still have more news. Alongside these five new levels, we are pleased to say that owners of the PS5 Pro will be able to enjoy an improved version of Astro Bot featuring a constant best resolution while still running at 60 frames per second.
That’s about all for this update. We hope you enjoy it. We want to take this chance to thank you, sincerely, for the ongoing support. We could not be happier with the way Astro was welcomed into so many new homes. Your comments, positivity and kind words have carried us through the months and continue to warm our little robotic hearts. Thank you for your loyalty and we shall see you around.
Update: Here’s a teaser of the light-up collector’s edition.
First 4 Figures has kicked off the new year with a “first look” at its new Metroid Prime ‘Samus Phazon Suit’ PVC statue, which is apparently “coming soon”.
Pre-orders will open in 10 days on 20th February 2025, with pricing to be revealed on the same day. If you sign up to the website, you’ll also get $10.00 off the statue when pre-orders go live.
We just got our first PlayStation State of Play for 2025 with several big announcements from Metal Gear Solid Delta to a new game from developer Housemarque. While the best part of any new showcase is new game announcements, release dates, and trailers, we know some announcements are bigger than others.
That’s why we’re giving you a chance to rank your favorite announcements from the recent PlayStation State of Play. Was it the first look at Saros? Or the new game from the lead designer of Grand Theft Auto? With over 20 announcements from yesterday’s showcase, look back at our Everything Announced post and decide which big reveal made the most impact on you.
As for me, the Metal Gear Solid Delta release date was probably my most anticipated announcement, but it was also really cool to finally get a look at the main character of Capcom’s upcoming Onimusha: Way of the Sword. And what’s more, it’s incredible that he’ll be modeled after one of my favorite actors, Toshiro Mifune.
So let us know how the State of Play news items ranked for you below.
Akupara Games’ critically acclaimed survival horror Sorry We’re Closed may be making its way to the Nintendo Switch in the near future.
As spotted by Gematsu (thanks, GoNintendo), the title, developed by newcomer à la mode games, has been rated for the Switch, PS5, and PS4 via the Taiwanese ratings board. Originally launched for Steam on 14th November 2024, Sorry We’re Closed has recieved plenty of positive reception from critics and players alike.
If you want a single platform to play games at home and on the go, the Nintendo Switch has got your back. Even better if you’re a fan of Sonic: Ever since the Switch arrived in 2017, Sega has worked like clockwork to consistently release Sonic games for the hybrid console. Last year we got Sonic x Shadow Generations alongside the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie, so it’s safe to say Sega’s speedster is bigger than ever.
Now that the Switch 2 has been officially announced, it’s pretty much guaranteed more Sonic games are on the way. Thankfully, the Switch 2 trailer confirms the system’s backward compatibility, so your existing Sonic games aren’t going anywhere. For anyone looking to check out the modern era of Sonic (and friends), here are all the Sonic the Hedgehog games you can play right now as well as upcoming Sonic games we expect to see on the Switch 2.
How Many Sonic Games Are There on Nintendo Switch?
A total of nine Sonic games have been released for Nintendo Switch. This spans the first year of the system back in 2017 to the most recent game, Sonic x Shadows, released in October 2024. Keep in mind that this list below does not include the games available with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
Every Sonic Game Released on the Switch (in Release Order)
Sonic Mania (2017)
Sonic Mania was developed by PagodaWest Games and Sonic fangame community member Christian Whitehead as a love letter to the classic Sonic the Hedgehog titles released on the Sega Genesis and Sega CD platforms. Taking place after the events of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the game remixes eight iconic levels, including Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant Zone, and introduces five new ones, including the glamorous Studiopolis Zone and the peaceful Press Garden Zone. This game also introduces a new troupe of Eggbots called the Hard-Boiled Heavies for Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to beat.
Mania is considered one of the best Sonic games of the 2010s because of the experiment in allowing a group of Sonic fans to create a game other Sonic fans would love, the vivid neon graphics, and the new challenges present in every stage.
Sonic Forces (2017)
Sonic Forces makes Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic form a resistance against Dr. Eggman after he conquered most of the world alongside Infinite, a masked jackal who uses the Phantom Ruby to create doppelgangers and warp reality. The game switches gameplay modes between third-person Boost gameplay with Modern Sonic, side-scrolling gameplay with Classic Sonic, and a mode with the custom avatar character, which can be any animal you want, whose weapons use Wisp power-ups. Forces’ writing and lighting aren’t exactly the best in the series, but the game is still tolerable for some people.
Team Sonic Racing (2019)
Team Sonic Racing takes racing games to a whole new level by having players race with each other, not against each other. This game has a cooperative gameplay mechanic similar to Splatoon and Overwatch, using Sonic Heroes as a frame of reference, where you play in teams of three characters and work together to win each race, paying very close attention to your teammates’ performance and sharing Wisp power-ups with them to allow them to speed up and pull your ranks. Since most of the karts are sports cars, you can customize them with gold rims and paint your car any color you want West Coast Customs style.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (2019)
Released a year before the real-life Tokyo Olympic Games was scheduled to begin (only to be postponed to 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic), Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 brings the platform rivalry between the jolly red plumber, the speedy blue hedgehog, and their respective friends back to the world stage with new events, like surfing, skateboarding, karate, and sport climbing, and bonus features. The game includes a story mode that takes Mario and Sonic back to the Tokyo 1964 Olympics and their early 2D sprite selves, while everyone else works to help bring them back to the real world in the present day. You get the best of both eras and some history lessons about the Olympic Games in Tokyo to go with it.
Sonic Colors: Ultimate (2021)
Sonic Colors: Ultimate is a remastered version of the original Sonic Colors developed by Blind Squirrel Games for Sonic’s 30th anniversary in 2021. The remaster enhanced the graphics to brighten up the colors of Eggman’s interplanetary amusement park and the character models, introduced a new Jade Ghost Wisp to help Sonic phase through walls and ceilings, replaced the traditional lives with rescues from Tails, and introduced mini races against Metal Sonic. You can also collect Park Tokens to customize Sonic with the wackiest designs for his shoes and gloves.
Sonic Origins (2022)
Sonic Origins compiles the first four classic Sonic games released on the Sega Genesis and Sega CD and remasters them for modern consoles and the audience that plays on them, whether they’re veteran fans seeking a nostalgia fix or young fans who want to understand Sonic’s history. Players can experience the game in Classic Mode, which is the original format presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio, or Anniversary Mode, which replaces lives with coins and allows Sonic to use Drop Dash as he did in Sonic Mania. Each game in the compilation features new animated cutscenes at the beginning and end done by the incomparable Tyson Heese to connect all four games into a cohesive story, provided you play them in the original release order.
Sonic Frontiers (2022)
Sonic Frontiers is the first open-world game in the Sonic franchise – or should we say, “open-zone”? – born out of a trend of open-world games being styled after The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Sonic explores the vast Starfall Islands to fight cybernetic enemies, solve various puzzles, and run through Cyber Space levels modeled after the levels from past Sonic titles in an effort to save his friends from the digitized dimension. Both veteran and new Sonic fans alike will enjoy running around the mysterious island set to a soundtrack that strikes a delicate balance between serenity and chaos.
Sonic Superstars (2023)
Sonic Superstars is a collaborative effort between Sega and Arzest to bring 3D graphics to a Classic Sonic game, a move that surprised everyone at the 2023 Summer Game Fest (including this author). With Classic Sonic being a CGI character on his own for the first time and classic levels getting revamped with new music and upgraded level designs, the game allows up to four people to locally play together as Sonic and his friends throughout 11 levels across the Northstar Islands and grants new powers for every Chaos Emerald they collect to overcome obstacles.
Sonic X Shadow Generations (2024)
Team Sonic’s latest is Sonic X Shadow Generations, a remastered version of 2011’s Sonic Generation that goes beyond graphical upgrades and quality-of-life improvements by including an all-new campaign comprised of reminagined Shadow stages from past Sonic games. The two campaigns combine for 15-20 hours of content across over 150 stages, leading us to say in our Shadow x Generations review that it “soars far and above previous enhanced versions we’ve gotten in the Sonic franchise.”
More Sonic Games Available with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack
If you’re looking to play some classic Sonic games with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, there are a few available under the SEGA catalog. You can find more info about them below:
2024 was a big year for Sonic fans between the release of a new game (Sonic X Shadow Generations) and movie (Sonic the Hedgehog 3). An upcoming Sonic game, Sonic Racing: Cross Worlds, was announced at the 2024 Game Awards and is set to release on the Switch (as well as PC, PS5, and Xbox) later this year. The game follows up on 2019’s Team Sonic Racing, featuring the full set of Sonic characters. You can check out IGN’s preview of the new Sonic racing game for more details.
Outside of games, Paramount has confirmed it will make Sonic the Hedgehog 4. The movie is targeting a Spring 2027 release window.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. She has contributed her work to various publications, including Digital Trends, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.
It’s easy to lose moments watching the ambience of the gameboard change in the demo for haunted house boardgame RPG The Horror At Highrook. The colours alter from daytime greyness through winey shades of sunset into pale lavender moonlight. There are little details to notice and zoom on: a fleeting embroidery of rain, the seep of flames in the kitchen and guest rooms, a fidgeting of moths in the archives. Ah, nice. The last time I felt so beguiled by a view of a house was while looking out from the hamlet of Darkest Dungeon.
