PlayStation Store: November 2024’s top downloads

It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, PS VR, and free-to-play games topped the download charts last month. November’s PS5 list saw spooky newcomer Phasmophobia rise from the dead, landing in the top five of the US and EU charts. Metro Awakening claimed the top spot on November’s PS VR2 list in the US and EU.

Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month?

PS5 Games

US/CanadaEU
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
PhasmophobiaEA SPORTS FC 25
NBA 2K25Farming Simulator 25
EA SPORTS FC 25Phasmophobia
EA SPORTS Madden NFL 25Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto VHogwarts Legacy
Dragon Age: The VeilguardMinecraft
EA SPORTS College Football 25NBA 2K25
Farming Simulator 25Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2UFC 5
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZEROCyberpunk 2077
Hogwarts LegacyDragon Age: The Veilguard
MinecraftPalworld
Mortal Kombat 1God of War Ragnarök
UndisputedASTRO BOT
ASTRO BOTPlanet Coaster 2
PalworldBaldur’s Gate 3
UFC 5DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO
Cyberpunk 2077The Crew Motorfest
God of War RagnarökResident Evil 4

*Naming of products may differ between regions
*Upgrades not included

PS4 Games

US/CanadaEU
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6EA SPORTS FC 25
Red Dead Redemption 2Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Need for Speed HeatNeed for Speed Heat
Batman: Arkham KnightRed Dead Redemption 2
Gang BeastsBattlefield 1
Grand Theft Auto VNeed for Speed Payback
EA SPORTS FC 25The Forest
Need for Speed PaybackBattlefield V
The ForestGrand Theft Auto V
Battlefield 1Gang Beasts
EA SPORTS Madden NFL 25Mortal Kombat X
MinecraftBatman: Arkham Knight
theHunter: Call of the WildMinecraft
Mortal Kombat XHogwarts Legacy
Battlefield VKingdom Come: Deliverance
NBA 2K25A Way Out
Hogwarts LegacyRayman Legends
STAR WARS Battlefront IIUnravel Two
Chained Climb TogetherChained Climb Together
BODYCAMERA SHOOTERMafia: Trilogy

     *Naming of products may differ between regions

PS VR2 Games*

US/CanadaEU
Metro AwakeningMetro Awakening
Beat SaberBeat Saber
Arizona Sunshine RemakeArizona Sunshine Remake
Arizona Sunshine 2Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced Edition
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced EditionArizona Sunshine 2
PavlovPavlov
Into the RadiusHorizon Call of the Mountain
Red Matter 2Red Matter 2
Among Us VRCrossfire: Sierra Squad
Crossfire: Sierra SquadCreed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition

 *PS Store purchases only. Game upgrades or games bundled with hardware not included

PSVR Games

US/CanadaEU
ASTRO BOT Rescue MissionBatman: Arkham VR
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VRThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR
Batman: Arkham VRASTRO BOT Rescue Mission
Borderlands 2 VRJob Simulator
Paranormal Activity: The Lost SoulDOOM 3: VR Edition
SUPERHOT VRLethal VR
Beat SaberBeat Saber
Job SimulatorDOOM VFR
DOOM 3: VR EditionBorderlands 2 VR
Surgeon Simulator: Experience RealitySUPERHOT VR

Free to Play (PS5 + PS4)

US/CanadaEU
FortniteFortnite
Call of Duty: WarzoneCall of Duty: Warzone
RobloxRoblox
Rocket LeagueRocket League
Asphalt Legends UniteAsphalt Legends Unite
Fall GuyseFootball
Apex LegendsFall Guys
VALORANTVALORANT
eFootballThe Sims 4
The Sims 4Stumble Guys

Red Dead Redemption’s John Marston Actor Rob Wiethoff Starts OnlyFans, But It’s Not What You Think

Red Dead Redemption actor Rob Wiethoff, who plays the iconic John Marston in both the original game and Red Dead Redemption 2, has started an OnlyFans page.

While the website is predominantly associated with adult content, Wiethoff’s OnlyFans page, spotted by ComicBook, will instead chronicle his journey getting in shape.

“This page is not like other OnlyFans pages,” Wiethoff said in an Instagram comment. “If you follow, you’re going to watch an old guy work out. That’s all it is. My plan is to get ripped, though. You can do it with me if you want.”

He warned he’s by no means an expert, however. “I am not certified or even trained in any kind of physical training nor am I an educated or certified dietician,” Wiethoff said on his OnlyFans page. “If you decide to do what I do and eat what I eat, that’s up to you. I’m certainly not asking for you to do either of those things or even suggesting that you do. This is for fun. I hope we all enjoy it.”

His first post on OnlyFans asked fans if they’re ready for it, and if he’s ready for it. Wiethoff’s second and latest post chronicles his water drinking philosophy for the day while explaining his eating habits.

The actor plays one of the most iconic roles in video games as the protagonist of Red Dead Redemption and a main character of its sequel, both of which have gone down among the greatest games of all time.

In our 10/10 review of the second, IGN said: “Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game of rare quality; a meticulously polished open-world ode to the outlaw era.”

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Infinity Nikki Dev Celebrates 10 Million Downloads With In-Game Rewards

Infinity Nikki, the open-world dress up role-playing game from former The Legend of Zelda director Kentaro Tominaga, has already crossed 10 million downloads, and developer Infold Games is celebrating with in-game rewards.

An X/Twitter post revealed the impressive milestone was reached just four days after Infinity Nikki’s December 5 launch, and players can now access 10 free draws as a thanks for their support.

“Infinity Nikki has reached over 10 million downloads worldwide,” Infold Games said. “On this whimsical journey, take each step with confidence and embrace the brilliance of every moment. Let’s set forth toward a bright and sparkling future.”

Players can access the rewards by opening their mailbox before January 1, where they’ll find a special bonus of 10 Resonite Crystals which can be used to unlock as many draws. Players have access to the mailbox once they have joined the Florawish Stylist’s Guild and received a Pear-Pal.

Infinity Nikki is described as “a grand adventure in the glamourous dress-up adventure game series,” where, “for the first time ever, Miraland is now an explorable open world. Nikki and Momo will set off on another marvelous journey, exploring the world, discovering amazing landscapes, and collecting outfits.”

It has enjoyed a very successful launch so far, as beyond a brief website hack which stopped players downloading the game, no technical difficulties or other issues have arisen. This has obviously converted well for Infold Games with the 10 million downloads.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said: “Infinity Nikki has deep open world exploration, a quirky story, and some of the most beautiful in-game outfits you’ll ever see – you just have to be ready to navigate a maze of menus to get them.”

For curious stylists and outfit collectors, we’ve got a guide to all Outfits in Infinity Nikki, plus all Ability Outfits, to help you avoid a fashion faux pas. As you explore Miraland and search for collectibles, keep an eye out for all the Whimstar locations, and make sure to check in with our Infinity Nikki daily tasks guide. Plus, there are plenty of Infinity Nikki launch rewards to claim, including some very generous promo codes you won’t want to miss.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Tekken 8’s next character will be revealed this week, and clues point to a certain lady in red

The big question a Tekken player always wants to know is: which DLC character is coming next? Well, you’ll know by the end of the week, as the studio is planning to reveal this at Geoff Keighley’s winter festival of expensive advertising, the Game Awards. However, there may already be some clues in a trailer they’ve just released, which suggests some sisterful slapping is overdue. The trailer also promises new moves for all characters in a Season 2 update next spring, along with some minor presents in a winter update due sooner than that. But yes, come see for yourself.

Read more

Call of Duty Fans Give Black Ops 6’s Zombie Santa Loading Screen the Finger Amid ‘AI Slop’ Backlash

Activision is embroiled in a backlash over Call of Duty Black Ops 6 in-game art that some fans have accused of being “AI slop.”

Following the release of the Season 1 Reloaded update, fans noticed a number of telltale signs in Black Ops 6 loading screens, calling cards, and art used to explain how Zombies community events work.

At the centre of the backlash is a loading screen image of Zombie Santa, aka ‘Necroclaus,’ which some have said shows the undead Father Christmas with six fingers. Others, however, believe the bottom left ‘finger’ is simply flesh falling off the little finger above it, although there are irregularities with the present boxes and ribbons in the bottom right, too. Generative AI often struggles with hands, adding extra fingers where they shouldn’t be.

Another image of a gloved hand was used to show off a new Zombies community event. It contains what looks like six fingers with no thumb on-screen, suggesting up to seven digits on this hand.

IGN has asked Activision for comment.

The release of the Zombie Santa image sparked a closer look at other images in Black Ops 6, which some in the Call of Duty community have now called into question. Redditor Shaun_LaDee highlighted three images included in paid bundles that have irregularities that could suggest the use of generative AI.

Fans are now calling on Activision to disclose the use of generative AI for art that is included in bundles that are sold. And as others have pointed out, Steam operator Valve now has AI disclosure rules that call on publishers and developers to describe how they use AI in the development and execution of their games. As part of this, Valve has told developers it will include their disclosures on the Steam store page of their game, “so customers can also understand how the game uses AI.” Currently, Call of Duty’s Steam page has no such disclosure.

In July, Wired reported that Activision sold an “AI-generated cosmetic” for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 last year. The cosmetic in question was not named, but was linked to the Yokai’s Wrath bundle released in December 2023. The store did not disclose any use of generative AI for this bundle.

This bundle cost 1,500 COD Points, the premium virtual currency sold for real-world money that generates hundreds of millions of dollars for Activision each year. 1,500 COD Points is approximately valued at $15.

Wired pointed out that Microsoft, which owns Activision Blizzard after its $69 billion acquisition of the company last year, cut 1,900 staff from its gaming business just months after Activision sold this skin. The report alleged that 2D artists’ jobs were being replaced by AI at the company.

“A lot of 2D artists were laid off,” one anonymous Activision artist told the site. “Remaining concept artists were then forced to use AI to aid in their work.” Activision employees were allegedly “made” to sign up for AI training, with its use promoted throughout the business.

Generative AI is one of the hottest topics within the video game and entertainment industries, which have both suffered massive layoffs in recent years. Generative AI thus far has drawn criticism from players and creators due to a mix of ethical issues, rights issues, and AI’s struggles to produce content audiences actually enjoy. For instance, Keywords Studios attempted to create an experimental game internally using entirely AI. The game failed, with Keywords citing to investors that AI was “unable to replace talent.”

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.

Random: Metroid Prime 3 Dev Left Retro Studios After “Unhealthy Relationship” With Nintendo Micromanagement

“If you’re not directly working on the game, go away”.

We know that Nintendo can be a little protective of its intellectual properties (now there’s an understatement), but it turns out that the company’s micromanagement was enough to make one artist on Metroid Prime 3: Corruption leave his position at Retro Studios.

That’s according to a recent episode of the Kiwi Talkz podcast, where host Reece Reilly sat down with former Retro and Bethesda world artist Nate Purkeypile to talk about his experience of working on Corruption.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Path of Exile 2 Enjoys Massive Launch, Becomes 15th Most-Played Game Ever on Steam

Path of Exile 2 looks like a smash hit for developer Grinding Gear Games, with over half a million concurrent players on Steam alone.

Path of Exile 2 is GGG’s action role-playing sequel set years after the original game. Players return to the world of Wraeclast and seek to end a spreading corruption, with six character classes, each with two Ascendancy Classes, available to play at the launch of Early Access. There’s co-op for up to six players, but you can play solo.

It launched across PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S on December 6 and immediately ran into server issues that prevented players from logging in. GGG had warned players that Path of Exile 2 might struggle with the influx of players at launch, and so it proved. But over the course of Friday and into the weekend, the New Zealand developer began to get on top of the problems, and its concurrent player count on Steam shot up.

Concurrent players peaked on Valve’s platform at a huge 578,569, which put Path of Exile 2 straight into Steam’s top five most-played games. In terms of all-time peak concurrents on Valve’s platform, Path of Exile 2 is in 15th place, ahead of the likes of Valheim, Call of Duty, and Terraria. Microsoft and Sony do not make Xbox and PlayStation player numbers public, so Path of Exile 2’s true concurrent player peak will be even higher, potentially hitting that million mark GGG had flagged would perhaps cause problems.

Path of Exile 2 has a ‘very positive’ user review rating on Steam, with 82% of the 26,800 reviews flagged as positive. It’s also the top-selling game on Steam by revenue, ahead of NetEase’s superhero PvP shooter Marvel Rivals. IGN’s Path of Exile 2 Early Access review returned an 8/10. We said: “Path of Exile 2’s redefined action and surprisingly fleshed-out endgame have gotten this sequel off to an exciting start, even in its predictably rocky early access state.”

Here’s which class to pick in PoE 2 Early Access, plus an early Mercenary build guide and Sorceress build guide to help you get started. Beyond that, if you’re wondering how to get more Spirit, how to trade, and how to ascend, we’ve got you covered.

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.

I have rarely hated a bad guy as much as I hate Voss in Indiana Jones And The Great Circle

It’s not just because he’s a Nazi. It’s because he’s a smartass Nazi. As the main antagonist in Indiana Jones And The Great Circle, Emmerich Voss vacates the archetypal armchair usually reserved for secondary fascist goons, so that he can goosestep straight into the big boy seat himself. He smiles with all the sleaze of right-hand-man Major Toht, the grubby gestapo who gets that right hand burned in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Yet he also engages in the pseudo-intellectual trash talk of the main archaeological rivals to Jones, like Rene Belloq or Walter Donovan. He is a hideous grab bag of all the things that make an instantly detestable villain in the series. But there’s something else. Voss is so immediately and gutturally hateable because he resembles a type of racist encountered not in the 1930s, but one you’ve probably met today: the asshole you meet on the internet.

Warning: Here be spoilers.

Read more

Daily Deals: Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Astro Bot, Sonic X Shadow Generations, and More

The weekend is officially here, and we’ve rounded up the best deals you can find! Discover the best deals for Sunday, December 8, below:

Sackboy: A Big Adventure for $12.59

Sackboy: A Big Adventure first made its debut alongside PlayStation 5, eventually jumping over to PC in Fall 2022. For a limited time, you can score a Steam key of the game on Amazon for just $12.59, which is easily the lowest we’ve seen Sackboy on PC. This 3D platformer has so much to offer, and it’s even great to play with friends!

Stellar Blade for $49.99

You can grab Stellar Blade for just $50 this weekend. This action game from Shift Up has been one of the most popular games of the year. Just a few weeks ago, new Nier: Automata DLC was released, which included new outfits inspired by A2, 2B, and Emil. In our 7/10 review, we stated “Stellar Blade stands out as a gorgeous and well-crafted action game with very impressive strengths and very clear weaknesses.”

Metaphor: ReFantazio for $49.99

Metaphor: ReFantazio is the latest game from Persona 3, 4, and 5 Director Katsura Hashino and the team at Atlus’ Studio Zero. For the first time since launch, you can score the game at a discount, saving $20 post Black Friday. In our 9/10 review, we stated, “Refining the Atlus RPG formula of weaving tough turn-based combat into compelling social sim mechanics, Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn’t just send a powerful message across its political drama, it becomes a beautiful expression of the real impact storytelling can have on all of us.”

Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster Collection

Woot has the Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster Collection on sale for $44.99, making each game only $7.50! The first six Final Fantasy titles paved the way for the series as we see it today. Many fans still regard both Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy VI as some of the best that Final Fantasy has to offer, with gripping narratives and engaging gameplay. This package includes all six Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, which feature updated graphics, soundtracks, font, and more.

Bose Soundlink Micro Wireless Bluetooth Speaker for $49

This Bose Soundlink Micro Bluetooth Speaker is just $49 today at Walmart. If you’re someone who likes to bring a speaker with you to places like the lake or the beach, this is an excellent option. The Soundlink Micro has excellent sound quality with a waterproof design that allows you to bring it anywhere you’d like. You won’t have to worry about keeping this speaker dry and out of harm’s way.

Astro Bot for $49.99

Astro Bot is on sale for the first time since launch, and there has never been a better time to pick up one of the PlayStation 5’s best games. Building off Astro’s Playroom, Astro Bot features many new abilities and bosses to fight, with over 300 bots to rescue across the galaxy. You’ll find planets modeled after beloved PlayStation games like Ape Escape and Uncharted, and even surprise third-party bots like Leon S. Kennedy from Resident Evil 2.

Persona 3 Reload for $24.97

Persona 3 Reload is one of the best RPGs of the year. This remake recreates one of the most praised Atlus titles ever, with loads of new quality-of-life and gameplay features. An all-new voice cast debuted with this release, and each cutscene was remade with new assets for higher quality. If you’ve never jumped into the world of Persona before, this is a great place to start, especially at this price.

Sonic X Shadow Generations for $29.99

Sonic X Shadow Generations just released a month ago, and you can already save $20 off a PlayStation 5 copy at Amazon. This package includes a remastered version of Sonic Generations and a brand-new campaign focused on Shadow. Both 2D and 3D levels are included, making for the ultimate package for any Sonic fan.

Splatoon 3 for $39.88

Splatoon 3 is available right now for just $39.88! If you have yet to pick up a Splatoon game, Splatoon 3 is a perfect starting point. This is one of the best multiplayer titles on Nintendo Switch, and you can easily spend dozens of hours exploring the different multiplayer offerings. You can also play through the Side Order DLC, a fun additional single-player campaign!