Nintendo of America is back with its first big eShop sale of 2025, bringing some sweet discounts to thousands of games across the storefront until 9th February at 11:59pm PT.
So beefy is this ‘Supercharge Sale‘ that we’ve decided to make it a little easier to see the cream of the crop at a glance (and a good few scrolls). Below, we have assembled every game in the eShop sale that we awarded 9/10 or higher, listed in alphabetical order and accompanied by their discounted price — hey, you’re welcome.
We heard you like Baldur’s Gate 3 and breaking things.
Well, we have good news for you: The Patch 8 Stress Test is now live and available to all Xbox Insiders who own the game!
Not into breaking things but still want to know what this is all about? Read to the end to find out what’s coming in Patch 8.
Patch 8 Stress Test
The final major patch for Baldur’s Gate 3 is right around the corner, but with an update so packed full of bug fixes, new features, and additions, we’re enlisting your help to go beyond our internal testing and help us catch things before release.
How to Join the Stress Test on Xbox:
The Patch 8 stress test is a separate application from the main game and can be accessed via the Xbox Insider Hub. If you’re planning on joining us, you’ll need to already own Baldur’s Gate 3 and make sure your Xbox has enough storage available to download the game!
Follow these steps to download the Patch 8 stress test app:
Open (or, install if necessary) the Xbox Insider Hub on your Xbox Series X|S.
Navigate to Previews > Baldur’s Gate 3
Select Join.
You should then be directed to the correct Store Page to install the stress test version!
To return to the Patch 7 version of Baldur’s Gate 3, you will need to exit the Stress Test version via the Xbox Insider Hub. This will prompt an update and will revert your game to the previous version. Please bear in mind that any saves made within the stress test will not be compatible with the Patch 7 version once you revert back.
Share your experience with us by reaching out to our support team to report any bugs, and be sure to state “Patch 8” in the Game Version field!
Try Out Cross-Play!
Patch 8 is bringing cross-play to Baldur’s Gate 3, allowing players on all platforms to join each other in multiplayer sessions! So grab your friends on other platforms and get ready to fight… over who will romance each companion.
To set up your own cross-play session, head to the multiplayer menu:
Select Cross-Play from the tab options.
Then Select “Create”.
Customise your game options then choose “Launch”.
Join a cross-play multiplayer session by following these steps:
On the main menu, click on Multiplayer.
Select the “Cross-Play” tab.
Wait for your friend’s lobby to appear, then go ahead and join them!
If you or the host use mods and there are any discrepancies, a Verification Window will open to inform you which mods need installing, uninstalling, or updating.
Want to get your friends on other platforms involved in testing cross-play? Share the link below!
Alongside many fixes and improvements, Patch 8 also includes two other big additions: photo mode and 12 new subclasses!
Photo Mode
Whether you plan on lining up the perfect action shots or filling a whole folder with 50GB worth of photos of Lae’zel’s sweet smile, photo mode is here to make all of that a reality.
Adjust the camera angles, zoom in, select from a large list of facial expressions and poses, and add the finishing touches with filters, frames and stickers!
Patch 8 also brings 12 new subclasses – one per each existing class! Explode nearby corpses with a Death Domain Cleric, discover new ways to keep (or break) your new Oath of the Crown as a Paladin, or send a legion of bees towards your enemies as a Swarmkeeper Ranger.
You can learn more about each new subclass and photo mode in Community Update #30, so definitely give it a read.
Continue your adventure in the Patch 8 stress test, now live!
The Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 2 update is available to download ahead of today’s launch, with patch notes live now.
The 1.068.000 update, which weighs in at 19.907 GB on PlayStation 5, can be downloaded now ahead of the launch of Season 2 later today, January 28.
Season 2 brings weapon tuning, spawn logic improvements, a bullet penetration update, much-needed challenge tracker details, improvements to camo challenges, equipment, perk, field upgrade, and wildcard updates, new ranked cross-play options on consoles, ranked play SR gain/loss adjustments, HUD preset updates, and Zombies bug fixes and improvements.
There’s also the promise of improved anti-cheat amid growing frustration and cheating across Black Ops 6 and Warzone, particularly in ranked. Updates include enhanced detection models for behaviors like aim botting, stricter account trust and hardware identification to target repeat offenders, and new tools to combat dishonest behavior such as playing with cheaters or attempting to spam report innocent players.
“We are also focusing on more precise tools, including major upgrades to the kernel-level anti-cheat driver and server-side systems starting this season and continuing into Season 03,” Activision said in a blog post. “These measures, combined with ongoing improvements and legal actions against cheat sellers, aim to deliver a more secure and enjoyable experience for everyone.”
Meanwhile, with Season 2 comes a new battle pass packed with new weapons and cosmetics. There are over 110 pieces of unlockable content excluding the more expensive BlackCell, including three new base weapons, an underbarrel crossbow attachment, and new operator skins and weapon blueprints, and a whole lot more.
There are three new Multiplayer maps: Bounty (6v6), Dealership (6v6), and Lifeline (6v6, 2v2). New Multiplayer modes at the launch of Season 2 include Overdrive and, in week two, the fan-favorite Gun Game.
Expect four new weapons during Season 2: PPSh-41 – SMG (Battle Pass); Cypher 091 – Assault Rifle (Battle Pass); Feng 82 – LMG (Battle Pass); and the TR2 – Marksman Rifle (Event Reward).
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 Sims and The Sims 2 are getting digital PC versions with all their original expansion packs included, and should be released by the end of the week, say Kotaku. The report follows teases made by the official Sims account on X as part of a 25th anniversary celebrations roadmap, as well as a few other scattered hints in various bits of promo as collated by Redditor skyline7284. “According to a source familiar with the plans, both games will be released digitally on PC later this week,” write Kotaku.
Helldivers 2 creative director Johan Pilestedt has announced he has gone on sabbatical leave and, when he returns, will start work on developer Arrowhead’s next game.
In a tweet, Pilestedt said he’s spent 11 years working “around the clock” on the Helldivers intellectual property, starting with the first Helldivers game in 2013 and Helldivers 2 since early 2016.
“Eleven years of working around the clock on the same IP has made me set aside family, friends, and my lovely wife… and myself,” Pilestedt said. “I am going to take some time now to redeem what was lost from all of those that supported me for over a decade.
“I am sure my friends at Arrowhead will do their utmost in the meantime to deliver amazing stuff to Helldivers 2. When I’m back I will start working on the next Arrowhead game.”
Pilestedt was thrust into the headlines following Helldivers 2’s explosive launch in February 2024. Despite a raft of issues the cooperative shooter became PlayStation Studios’ fastest-selling game of all time, shifting 12 million copies in just 12 weeks. Helldivers 2 is so successful that Sony is turning it into a movie.
Pilestedt himself became the face of Helldivers 2, often wading into discussion about the game’s qualities and failings across social media, Reddit threads, and Discord. In May last year, Pilestedt revealed that Helldivers 2’s enormous success had caused a problem for the studio: more community toxicity than it had ever had to deal with before.
Prior to the release of Helldivers 2, Arrowhead had enjoyed big hits with the first Helldivers game and Magicka, but the success of Helldivers 2 raised the game and the studio’s profile. “The big difference now, which is horrifying, is the amount of threats and rude behavior that people in the studio are getting from some really shitty individuals within the community,” Pilestedt told G.biz. “That’s something new we have to deal with.”
When Helldivers 2 launched it faced significant server issues that made the game unplayable for many, sparking an initial backlash. Since then, Arrowhead has faced complaints about everything from weapon balance to low impact Premium Warbonds. But by far the biggest backlash was sparked by Sony’s controversial decision to force PC gamers to link to a PlayStation Network account to play. Sony eventually reversed its decision, but not before a review-bombing campaign savaged Helldivers 2 on Steam. Arrowhead community managers have said the PSN backlash caused staff to lose a week simply having to deal with the fallout.
Amid Helldivers 2’s success, Pilestedt changed his position from Arrowhead CEO to chief creative officer so he could focus more on the studio’s games as well as its community. Replacing Pilestedt as Arrowhead CEO was Shams Jorjani, former executive at fellow Swedish games company Paradox and publisher of Magicka.
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.
After a strong Xbox Developer Direct to kick 2025 off, things are looking good for Microsoft and its strong stable of first-party studios. But, which Xbox game series get you most excited? Which gave you more enjoyment than any other in the glory days of the 360? Or if you’ve never owned an Xbox console, which are you most looking forward to coming to other platforms like PlayStation, as Microsoft seemingly continues its plans to share its library with the world.
There are many legendary game series to choose from (especially since Microsoft’s acquisitions of both Bethesda and Activision Blizzard. That means this tier list can include any series associated with Xbox, Bethesda, and Activision Blizzard, as long as there has been more than one entry into it so far – sorry to MachineGames and Indiana Jones! Give us a sequel, please, and then you can make the cut. Just a reminder that this isn’t an all Xbox Game Series list, so we haven’t involved every single Xbox game series here, but have tried to cover the bases of current relevance and historical impact. Take a look at my personal tier list, based completely on what I’ve enjoyed playing the most over the years, here:
Doom is an easy S-tier pick for me, with the past couple of entries being amongst my favourite first-person shooters, and I’m very excited to see that Doom: The Dark Ages looks like id Software is maintaining form. I’ve also placed Forza Horizon in the S tier as they’re, perhaps outside of Burnout 3 and Burnout Revenge, the best racing games I’ve ever played. I’m sure Halo in the A tier may raise a few eyebrows, but while 2 and 3 are two of the finest campaign shooters ever made, I can’t ignore more recent inconsistencies and put it in that top bracket. I’m also more of a Fallout person than an Elder Scrolls one. I’d rather own a set of power armour than a dragon, OK?
Don’t agree with me? Think Gears of War is Xbox’s best? A big defender of Fuzion Frenzy? Well, why not have a go at ranking all of the Nintendo consoles yourself in a tier list below where you can compare your own S, A, B, C, and D tiers with the whole of the IGN community.
Is there an Xbox series we’ve missed that you’d like to give a shout-out to? Let us know in the comments, as well as why you’ve ranked the games in the order you’ve chosen.
Simon Cardy is a Senior Editorial Producer 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.
The latest distribution event is underway in Pokémon HOME, and this one is a prime opportunity to nab some extremely rare shinies — if you’ve completed the necessary Pokédexes.
All those who have completed the Sinnoh Pokédex from Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl can head to the Pokémon HOME app to redeem a Shiny Manaphy, while a Shiny Enamorus is available for anyone who has polished off Legends: Arceus‘ Hisui Pokédex.
Outside The Blocks is a diorama building game so beautiful I was initially distrustful of it, as if it was some sort of dazzling carnivorous plant trying to lure me in to munch on my hands. I’ve had a play of the Steam demo now, and am happy to report that it’s still very beautiful, and also that I still have hands: an incredible victory on all counts.
The Marvel Rivals community was briefly awash with rumours than publisher NetEase were playing 4D chess with their hero-loving hearts last week, according to a new report by Michael Cripe for Ian Games The rumours began in a Discord for the team shooter named Marvel Rivals Leaks, where user Keone speculated that NetEase were seeding fake information on upcoming heroes for dataminers to find.
After ongoing delays, we’ve got another update about the long-awaited Switch release Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, and it might not be what you expect…
As highlighted by Gematsu, it seems the sequel may no longer be a Nintendo-only release, with a listing popping up on the PlayStation Store overnight for PS4 and PS5 versions of the game before being removed.
