Share of the Week: Vacation

This past week players took a vacation through their favorite games using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

dodgykebaab shares Astro taking a relaxing moment in the sun in Astro Bot.

BBSnakeCorn goes jetskiing in Grand Theft Auto Online.

mandylorian__ shares their space adventurer exploring a colorful planet in No Man’s Sky.

snakemanuele shares Sam riding a coffin board through the desert in Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

xenobitz shares a hunter with a giant beach ball in Monster Hunter Wilds.

JacoBee___ shares a historical site in ancient Egypt from Assassin’s Creed Origins.

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Filter
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on August 13, 2025 

Next week, pick a filter! Share moments from the game of your choice that have been stylized with a Photo Mode filter using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

2 Years Later, Starfield Looks Set to Actually Let You Fly From One Place to Another, Though Not Quite Like No Man’s Sky

Remember Starfield? Launched to huge fanfare in 2023, Bethesda’s big sci-fi hope landed to a mixed reception from players — who have since gone on to complain about the game’s disappointing first expansion and lack of substantial ongoing support.

However, one bright spot on the horizon appears to be signs of Bethesda finally adding the highly-requested ability to travel in your spaceship from one planet to another — rather than what happens now, as you load up a loading screen to enter orbit, and from there load up another loading screen to get to where you’re going.

Fragments of code uncovered by Starfield fans now suggest Bethesda has a more streamlined experience in the works, though potentially still with some caveats. While you may be able to travel between planets within the same system, fans say it looks like you won’t be able to fly all the way between systems. Oh, and you also won’t be able to fly directly from a planet’s surface into orbit, like No Man’s Sky. Oh, well.

References to the new offering, referred to in the game’s code as “Cruise Mode,” were detected by players this week and shared on reddit, though Bethesda has reportedly now issued another small patch to scrub them from view.

After another no-show at June’s Xbox Games Showcase, it remains to be seen when Bethesda will get around to mentioning the game again. Last month, Bethesda said it had “exciting things” coming to the game soon — presumably referring to this. Perhaps we’ll hear more in a couple of weeks around Gamescom, ahead of the game’s two-year anniversary?

Earlier this month, it was reported that Starfield’s second expansion and much-anticipated PlayStation 5 port will now arrive in 2026, following the poor reception to 2024 add-on Shattered Space. Bethesda boss Todd Howard had previously talked of expansions arriving annually, but perhaps Bethesda sees the addition of some form of spaceflight as something to keep players occupied until then.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Ok is not ok, good is bad, great is the new great and BioShock 4 is coming out, as Take-Two boss stops short of claiming that up is down

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has reaffirmed 2K Games’ assertion that the reportedly troubled BioShock 4, currently in the works at Cloud Chamber, will make it to release.

The reassurance follows a report from Bloomberg earlier this week which reported that the game had failed a recent internal progress check, with the story specifically being tapped as an aspect that needs reworking, and some of the devs working on it have been reassigned to non-BioShock roles.

Read more

How payment networks control the definition of acceptable sex in videogames

To speedily summarise a lot of very knotty reporting, last month a bunch of credit card companies and payment processors forced Steam and Itch.io to alter their definitions of acceptable sexual material in PC games. Seemingly faced with the prospect of having all transactions blocked, the two storefronts now require developers to comply with the extremely open-ended adult content policies of their financial partners. This has led to a spate of delistings or outright takedowns across Steam and especially Itch, with projects affected ranging from anime stepdaughter fantasies on Steam to bundles of self-described “games for girlthings with something wrong with them”.

Read more

Take-Two Boss Strauss Zelnick Says Borderlands Chief Randy Pitchford ‘Can Be Controversial at Times — Sometimes Intentionally, Sometimes Unintentionally,’ but ‘I Still Love Him to Death’

Borderlands 4 will cost $70, publisher 2K Games confirmed in June. That seemingly innocuous fact was big news after the price of the upcoming looter shooter was thrust into the headlines when Gearbox development chief Randy Pitchford sparked a backlash with a series of controversial tweets.

The outspoken Pitchford had responded to a fan who had expressed concern about the prospect of paying $80 for Borderlands 4, saying: “if you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen.”

Pitchford ended up having to address the negativity surrounding his comments, which some suggested might have harmed Borderlands 4’s chances of success. But this was hardly the latest drama revolving around Randy Pitchford, who often gives the press plenty to talk about whenever he addresses hot topics within the video game industry.

So, in an interview with Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Gearbox parent company Take-Two, ahead of the company’s latest (and impressive) financial results, I asked whether he has a mini heart attack whenever Pitchford tweets anything.

In his response, Zelnick admitted Pitchford can be a controversial figure, and even suggested some of his antics are deliberate, but ultimately he’s a big fan.

“I love Randy, first of all. Let me just say that on the record,” Zelnick began. “And I love his big personality. I love his passion and he is one of the all time great game makers. He also can be controversial at times — sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally. I still love him to death.”

Some had expected Take-Two to follow Nintendo’s (and at that time, Microsoft’s) lead and make the jump to $80 for Borderlands 4, which it’s now decided will hold the line at $70. I asked Zelnick why that was the right decision for the looter shooter, and his response was along similar lines to his answer to 2K’s Mafia: The Old Country being set at $50.

“We’ve always engaged in variable pricing and we really want to make sure that the consumer’s experience of the title is that Borderlands 4 is a great, great game, which we believe it is, and that we’re offering a terrific value at the same time,” Zelnick said.

Zelnick has used this sort of response to answer questions about GTA 6’s price (some believe it will be $80, some as high as $100). “We always want to make sure that we deliver way more value than whatever we charge consumers, because we think of the consumer’s experience as an intersection of the thing itself and what you paid for it,” Zelnick said, talking generally of Take-Two’s strategy.

“So we just want to make sure we’re always delivering way more value than whatever we charge.”

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Talking Point: Nintendo Is Laser-Targeting Your Toddlers With This New ‘My Mario’ Line

Full-on Disney mode engaged.

Of the big three platform holders, Nintendo is the ‘family-friendly’ one. Did you know that?

Of course you did – you’re an intelligent human being. And over the course of the Switch generation, with all the company’s eggs now in a single console basket, Nintendo has diversified its business, leaning into non-gaming areas and getting its IP under the noses of a broader audience with mobile apps, movies, theme parks, stores, and all that game. This has been a stated goal for many years, and the monster success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie worked as planned, funnelling interest back to its gaming hardware and software, resulting in revenue bumps across the board.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for August 11 to 15

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for August 11 to 15

Next Week on Xbox Hero Image

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox PC, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!


EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL 26

Electronic Arts

Free Trial

EA Sports Madden NFL 26 – August 14
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Madden NFL 26 leverages a new AI-powered machine learning system trained on thousands of plays from nearly a decade of real NFL data to deliver more explosive gameplay—with new player-specific traits, authentic playstyles, and adaptive counters that match on-field tendencies and strategies of NFL quarterbacks and coaches.


Xbox Play Anywhere

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown

Strange Scaffold

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown – August 14
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown is the first-ever turn-based TMNT video game. Inspired by the classic cartoon, you’ll experience a bold new approach to the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Splinter and Shredder are dead, and as the Turtles approach adulthood, they’re not just growing up… they’re growing apart.


Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol.1

Clear River Games

Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol. 1 – August 14
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

With The Toaplan Shooting Collection Vol. 1, you get eight of these milestones. Enjoy them as the historical classics they are, or simply as fantastic action games packed with pixel explosions and crisp 2D graphics. It’s quadruple the action, a billion times the fun, and a thrill ride back in time to the neon-lit arcades of the past!


Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol. 2

Clear River Games

Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol. 2 – August 14
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

With modern enhancements, leaderboards, screen filters, and quality-of-life extras, no threat stands between you and absolute victory. Got what it takes? Prove it on the battlefield!


Echoes of the End

Deep Silver

Echoes of the End – August 12
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

A cinematic third-person action-adventure game. It blends a deeply personal, character-driven story with thrilling magic and sword-based combat, engaging traversal and thought-provoking puzzles. Inspired by Iceland, this epic adventure offers a mature, rich and immersive experience in a breathtaking and original fantasy world.


Ra Ra BOOM

Gylee Games

Ra Ra Boom – August 12
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Gear up for 4-player co-op action with a modern twist! Ra Ra Boom rockets you to a future Earth overrun by rogue AI. Battle waves of enemies and upgrade your ninja cheerleader’s skills as you beat ‘em up, shoot ‘em up, and smash through the chaos!


Temari Trials Xbox + Windows Bundle

Afil Games

Temari Trials – August 12
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Step into the sharp mind (and quick paws) of a samurai cat in training! In Temari Trials, you’ll solve logic-based Sokoban-style puzzles, pushing temaris to unlock chests and prove you’re ready for the warrior’s path.


Xbox Play Anywhere

Viewfinder

Thunderful Publishing

Viewfinder – August 12
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere

Challenge perception, redefine reality, and reshape the world around you with an instant camera. Viewfinder is a new single player game offering gamers hours of interesting and fun experiences while uncovering the mysteries left behind.


DUCK: Dangerous Ultimate Cartridge Kidnapper

Valkyrie Initiative LLP

DUCK: Dangerous Ultimate Cartridge Kidnapper – August 13
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

A group of ducklings finds a mysterious 100-in-1 cartridge and are now forced to play all the games to escape the insidious cartridge spirit! 100 microgames, fun and increasing difficulty, what more do you need for an interesting adventure?


Faye Falling

Eastasiasoft Limited

Faye Falling – August 13
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Take the role of a recently passed soul, unable to recall who you are or how you died. After a chance encounter with a powerful entity, you begin an epic journey to defeat a growing darkness, while recovering your memories along the way. Engage in fast-paced turn-based battles against a wide variety of enemies, evade damage by dodging enemy attacks in snappy minigames and cast powerful spells to fend off your opponents.


Midnight Cat Heist (Xbox One)

Synnergy Circle Games

Midnight Cat Heist – August 13

Play as a sneaky city cat with sticky paws and a heart of gold. Sneak, leap, and loot your way through cozy urban levels to bring the purrfect gifts home to your beloved human. Every shiny trinket is a treasure in this 2D pixel platformer of feline thievery and chaotic charm!


Curse Rounds

QUByte Interactive

Curse Rounds – August 14
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

A frantic game where you must try to survive random rounds, accumulating a curse with each room from the 60+ available cards in the game, while killing enemies with your pistol flash and a variety of amazing shots. No two attempts are ever the same!


Diamond Hands: To The Moon

Ultimate Games S.A.

Diamond Hands: To the Moon – August 14
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

A deceptively simple yet brutally challenging platformer where your mission is clear: get to the moon. Move left, move right, jump, that’s all you’ve got. But mastering your jump strength is key to landing on those elusive platforms and climbing higher.


Dorfromantik

Headup

Dorfromantik – August 14
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

In Dorfromantik you start with a stack of procedurally generated tiles. One after the other, you draw the top tile of the stack, place it on one available slot and rotate for the best fit. Thereby groups and combinations of landscapes are formed, such as forests, villages or water bodies, and you are rewarded with points depending on how well the tile fits.


Xbox Play Anywhere

Lost Twins 2

Playdew

Lost Twins 2 – August 14
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere

Rearrange the world. Reunite the twins. Rediscover wonder. Abi and Ben are lost—but not alone. In Lost Twins 2, you’ll shift entire pieces of the world to guide them through a beautifully handcrafted puzzle adventure full of cozy charm and clever surprises.


Steampunch: Lost Tombs Xbox Bundle

Afil Games

Steampunch: Lost Tombs – August 14
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Steampunch: Lost Tombs is the second game in the franchise, and it takes the action to a whole new level with simplified combat, mysterious levers, and precision-based platforming. Run, jump, and dash in eight directions as you explore dangerous tombs, collect relics, and unlock portals to the next challenge.


Xbox Play Anywhere

Relic Hunters Legend

Rogue Snail

Relic Hunters Legend – August 14
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere

Relic Hunters Legend is a fast-paced looter-shooter RPG where you collect powerful weapons, upgrade skills, and battle enemies in intense combat. Play solo or team up in a 4-player co-op as you embark on a journey to recover lost memories and take down the tyrant Duke Ducan.


1989 After the War

Ratalaika Games S.L.

1989 After the War – August 15
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

An atomic war has reduced the world to a toxic heap of ruins and chaos. As an ex-agent named Sebastian Beck, you’ll face off against 7 dangerous criminals and traverse 7 levels filled with enemies and traps to overcome. The game also challenges you with a unique mechanic where the environment becomes increasingly hostile due to radiation—reach regenerating refrigerators that serve as life-saving checkpoints. Use your blade, grenades and shotgun to fight your way through this dangerous world, in glorious 1980s arcade style.


Bangman

ChiliDog Interactive

$4.99

Bangman – August 15
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Bangman gives you everything you love: hordes of monsters, tons of unique characters, countless ways to slaughter them, and many, many, many attempts to do so. Wondering what’s in short supply here? The game costs very little money! And that’s always nice.


Bendy: Lone Wolf

Joey Drew Studios

$19.99

Bendy: Lone Wolf – August 15
Optimized for Xbox X|S / Smart Delivery

Step into the inky nightmare of Bendy: Lone Wolf, a thrilling survival adventure set in the twisted, rubberhose world of Joey Drew Studios. As Boris, the lone wolf, you’ll brave endlessly shifting corridors filled with monstrous cartoon creeps, deadly traps, and the relentless pursuit of the Ink Demon. Every day brings new challenges in this heart-pounding quest for survival and truth.


Demons Are Coming!

COMMANDO PANDA


$9.99

$7.99

Demons are coming! – August 15
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Your once-sacred homeland now lies in the grip of a demonic invasion. Wielding two fully customizable weapons, you’ll fight back with precision and power—dodging, parrying, and blazing through relentless enemy hordes. With hundreds of upgrade combinations, adapt your playstyle and push back the darkness. Shatter enemy cover, deflect incoming fire, and emerge as a true slayer of demons.


Girls of the Tower

Happy Player

$14.99

Girls of the Tower – August 15
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Girl squad assembled! Conquer the tower in this auto chess adventure! In this adventure, you can recruit over 70 unique companions across 17 races and classes, including orcs, archers, assassins, dwarves, elves, mages, and more. Build your ultimate team by combining their abilities and synergy.


GOST of Time (Xbox Series X|S)

Sometimes You


$9.99

$7.99

GOST of Time – August 15
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Welcome to a distant and absurd future where even time is subject to government regulations. In this glorious era of progress, an elderly citizen requires vital medication. He acquires a government-approved Time-Clone device for pill delivery. The process is, as always, efficient and precise – to get the pills, he must clone himself and send the clone into the machine, where it solves puzzles, retrieves the pills, and travels through time.


Xbox Play Anywhere

Maze: Path of Light

QubicGames S.A.

Maze: Path of Light – August 15
Xbox Play Anywhere

Embark on a relaxing yet mind-bending journey through thousands of uniquely designed mazes. From classic square puzzles to complex circular, triangular, and even hexagonal labyrinths—experience a truly diverse and enchanting experience.


Xbox Play Anywhere

Mind Over Magnet

Alchemy Games

$12.49

Mind Over Magnet – August 15
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere / Smart Delivery

An attractive puzzle platformer where you use magnetism to escape a factory. Meet a cast of magnet characters and work together to solve logical conundrums. Created by Mark Brown, owner of the popular YouTube channel Game Maker’s Toolkit (GMTK), Mind Over Magnet is a blast for players of all ages and skill levels! Escape a dangerous factory using the power of magnetism. You must team up with three different magnet friends and use their unique abilities to solve more than 50 tricky single-screen puzzles.


Ukko & Guará: Stellarbound

Maqna Interactive Ltda

$12.99

Ukko & Guará: Stellarbound – August 15
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Travel through worlds inspired by the fauna and culture of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Explore lovingly crafted stages, solve logic-based puzzles through collaboration, and uncover a silent story that speaks straight to the heart. Control two characters at once from your couch — perfect for friends, couples, and families.


INAYAH – Life after Gods

Headup

INAYAH – Life after Gods – August 15
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

In the post-apocalyptic remnants of an advanced alien civilization, an orphaned outcast named Inayah sets out on a perilous journey to find her tribe. Guided by her mentor, she navigates a divided world, forging bonds and uncovering secrets that redefine the meaning of family. Experience an emotionally charged adventure where every decision shapes Inayah’s destiny.


Hidden Depths

Fa Games

Hidden Depths – August 15

A challenging 2D platformer in pixel art style with fixed-screen levels, where each stage is a deadly puzzle on its own. Step into the boots of a young explorer who, upon receiving an ancient map, decides to enter a mysterious cave from which no one has ever returned.


Zumba – Treasure of the Marble Sea

EpiXR Games

$4.99

Zumba – Treasure of the Marble Sea – August 15
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Zumba – Treasure of the Marble Sea throws you into a fast-paced marble shooter set in a colorful pirate world! Help your cheeky pirate survive the marble madness by shooting, matching, and destroying endless waves of rolling marbles. Choose a level, aim carefully, and fire your marbles to create chains of three or more matching colors.


The post Next Week on Xbox: New Games for August 11 to 15 appeared first on Xbox Wire.

The hottest upcoming horror game releases of 2025 and beyond

It’s not quite the designated Spooky Season yet, but there’s something about hot summer nights that makes the thought of body-chilling horror hit much harder. Fortunately for fans of the creepy, bloody, and frightening, there are noteworthy PS5 horror games on their way that’ll stick around in your nightmares.

Still, true terror is a year-round experience. So, we’ll be looking at releases further forward as well—into the 2025 Halloween season, and even further beyond into the harsh, unforgiving winter months of 2026. Steel yourselves, players, because between atmospheric indies, classic reimaginings, and blockbuster sequels, the next several months will offer a harvest of the finest frights.


The hottest upcoming horror game releases of 2025 and beyond

Killing Floor 3

Release Date: July 24, 2025
Developer: Tripwire Interactive
Publisher: Tripwire Interactive

Sometimes, all you can do in the face of massive, encroaching horror is fight back with the biggest, baddest weapons and the bravest companions that you can. Gather a group of up to four friends (or play solo, if you’re brave) and take the role of one of six different types of specialists to lay waste to the hordes of monstrous Zeds. The enhanced M.E.A.T. (Massive Evisceration and Trauma) system makes every shot, slice, and stab interact with enemies and the environment in realistic, satisfying detail.


The hottest upcoming horror game releases of 2025 and beyond

Cronos: The New Dawn

Release Date: September 5, 2025
Developer: Bloober Team
Publisher: Bloober Team

Time comes for us all eventually, but in the future of Cronos, it looks like humanity’s time is almost up. Surviving the attacks of the hideous, once-human terrors of this bleak future and ensuring their remains are incinerated before they merge into bigger threats is already a challenge, but the only glimmer of hope seems even more impossible: extracting the souls of those involved in The Change from decades ago into the future. As these souls aid and augment you, they also haunt you. Will you be able to endure an ordeal that transcends time?


The hottest upcoming horror game releases of 2025 and beyond

Dying Light: The Beast

Release Date: September 19, 2025
Developer: Techland
Publisher: Techland

Kyle Crane, the protagonist of the original Dying Light, has a grudge—he’s still dealing with the aftereffects of years of unethical experimentation on his body. He’s left as something not quite human, but not quite undead, and he wants revenge on the Baron who did this to him. The monstrous hordes infesting the once-scenic Castor Woods aren’t going to make this easy for him, either—especially once the sun sets and they get really vicious. It’s up to you to use all of Kyle’s abilities to survive solo or in up to four-player co-op play.


The hottest upcoming horror game releases of 2025 and beyond

Silent Hill f

Release Date: September 25, 2025
Developer: NeoBards Entertainment
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment

The all-time great horror series re-invents itself with a new setting, but keeps all of the psychological horror you know and love. Travel back to the ’60s in fog-filled Ebisugaoka, Japan, where young Hinako Shimizu’s ordinary schoolgirl life has been taking some very disturbing turns. Famed visual novel writer Ryukishi07 has developed a setting and narrative that combines the classic atmosphere and madness of the Silent Hill series with the best of Japanese horror traditions. Longtime series fans and newcomers alike won’t want to miss this one.


The hottest upcoming horror game releases of 2025 and beyond

Little Nightmares 3

Release Date: October 10, 2025 
Developer: SuperMassive Games
Publisher: Bandai Namco Games

The cult classic horror adventure game returns with a new duo of adventurers and a new realm of terror. Two youths, Low and Alone, find themselves in the Nowhere—a world that exists beyond human sleep and is filled with the abominations of our unconscious. Using Low’s bow and Alone’s wrench, you’ll need to figure out how to navigate this wasteland and conquer its threats. You won’t have to face these nightmares alone, however, as Little Nightmares 3 offers co-op play in a series first.


The hottest upcoming horror game releases of 2025 and beyond

Crisol: Theater of Idols

Release Date: 2025
Developer: Vermila Studios
Publisher: Blumhouse Games

In the alternate-universe Spain of Crisol, faith and folklore have melded to create a realm of twisted devotion and idolatry. As the warrior Gabriel, you have been sent to the accursed island of Tormentosa, where wicked cults hold demonic ceremonies and beautiful yet horrifying graven images move in a mockery of life. Your blood acts as both your life force and your weapon ammunition, adding a terrifying twist to already intense combat. In the end, how will your blood be shed?


The hottest upcoming horror game releases of 2025 and beyond

Resident Evil Requiem

Release Date: February 27, 2026
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom

Ahh, Raccoon City, how we’ve missed you. The ninth entry in the trailblazing survival horror series goes back to where it all began, bringing back some classic storyline threads along with it. FBI intelligence analyst Grace Ashcroft takes the starring role this time around. Her mother was murdered while looking for information on the mysterious Wrenwood Hotel, leading Grace into a life of her own investigation. When Grace revisits the Raccoon City incidents, what will she discover? Resident Evil Requiem is due out in February 2026, and we can’t think of a better anniversary celebration.


The hottest upcoming horror game releases of 2025 and beyond

Reanimal

Release Date: 2026
Developer: Tarsier Studios
Publisher: THQ Nordic

Familial bonds are put to the test in Reanimal. Two young orphans are put through a living hell on a dark, isolated island, facing both mutated monstrosities and representations of their own trauma. Local and online co-op allows you and a companion to fight your way through this oppressive world together, and a dynamic camera designed to constantly ratchet up the fear and tension will keep you on your toes throughout.


The hottest upcoming horror game releases of 2025 and beyond

End of Abyss

Release Date: 2026
Developer: Section 9
Publisher: Epic Games

Deep underground lies a seemingly abandoned complex—but a strange message has emerged from its forgotten depths. The technician Cel goes down to investigate the source of the signal, only to encounter a dim, claustrophobic world of tunnels, eerie glows, and aggressive creatures that appear to be both organic and mechanical. The top-down perspective of End of Abyss allows for players to feel the weight of the atmosphere and the tension of exploration, as the mystery beckons them ever deeper.


The hottest upcoming horror game releases of 2025 and beyond

Directive 8020

Release Date: 2026
Developer: SuperMassive Games
Publisher: SuperMassive Games

Tau ceti f looked like a potential new home for humanity. Then the ship Cassiopeia crashed there, and our assumptions were proven extremely wrong. The latest in the Dark Pictures horror game anthology series, Directive 8020 puts five heroes with few defenses on an unfamiliar planet, where they’re pursued by a shapeshifting organism. The Turning Points feature allows players to rewind back to pivotal scenes and make different choices to see new outcomes, but will you have it in you to make the hardest choices of all?


The hottest upcoming horror game releases of 2025 and beyond

ILL

Release Date: To be announced
Developer: Team Clout/Mundfish
Publisher: Team Clout

A mysterious fort in a desolate world acts as the setting for the highly-anticipated horror-action game ILL. The narrative will draw you in, but the encounters will leave you shaking. As you explore the fort’s halls, you’ll come face-to-face with some truly unsettling creatures that look and move as though they were torn directly from your nightmares. You’ll need to use your limited resources wisely, wielding and crafting weapons before tearing the freaks apart in physics-driven, ultra-gory combat.


The hottest upcoming horror game releases of 2025 and beyond

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival

Release Date: To be announced
Developer: Saber Interactive
Publisher: Saber Interactive

Hellraiser: Revival is a single-player, first-person action survival horror experience that will put you into the dark world of Clive Barker’s twisted imagination. Play as Aidan, the protagonist in the story who must fight with various melee and ranged weapons, and use the mystical powers of the Genesis Configuration to take down unholy enemies.  Finding a way to survive your bargain with the infamous Pinhead and help your girlfriend Sunny escape is never as simple as it seems in a world filled with Cenobites, cultists, deviants, and the realm of torture and pain that is the Labyrinth.  

*Release dates shown are correct at time of publish but subject to change.

Doom: The Dark Ages Price Drops $25 on PS5 After Its Official Update 2 Patch

Doom: The Dark Ages remains one of the best shooters of 2025 so far, and it seems it’s only getting better with Update 2 dropping this week.

Not only does the update add new skins and bug fixes, but a new Ripatorium adds an infinite arena for, well, ripping through foes ad nauseum. Better yet, you can get this new and improved version of the Doom Slayer for under $45.

Best Buy is now offering a $25 discount on Doom: The Dark Ages for PS5, bringing the price down to just $44.99 from $69.99, and it’s a great time to jump in.

It’s the best price for a physical copy of the game from major online retailers right now, with Amazon OOS, Walmart listing for $49, and Target down to $55.99 today as well. For those looking to buy digitally, Dark Ages is also down to $52.99 for PS5.

So what about that new update? Combat is always at the heart of DOOM, and the new Ripatorium in Update 2 lets you pick your opponents, the quantity of them, a time limit if you want to challenge yourself, and tweak respawn settings.

Or, just throw everything on and work to stay alive as long as you can.

As you’d expect from a game where the soundtrack is so core to the experience, you can choose the music for your showdowns, too, as well as your arena, with three to choose from.

In his review for IGN, Mitchell Saltzman awarded The Dark Ages a 9 out of 10 score, and said “Doom: The Dark Ages may strip away the mobility focus of Doom Eternal, but replaces it with a very weighty and powerful style of play that is different from anything the series has done before, and still immensely satisfying in its own way.”

Should I Buy Now or Wait for Black Friday?

It really depends on your preferences. In my opinion, Doom: The Dark Ages will likely be even cheaper by the time Black Friday rolls around.

At $45, it’s still a significant saving with $25 off the MSRP. But, Black Friday could potentially hold even better discounts, if you can wait another three months to find out.

My best guess is it will drop to $30-40 during the Black Friday sales that tend to kick off around the beginning of November. If you can hold out, you could find yourself with a better deal. There’s also other 2025 sale events like Prime Day in October, or any post Gamescom sales to consider as well.

However, some folk are old enough to know you can pay yourself with time as well, so if you want to play Doom: The Dark Ages now, without having to pay the eye watering $70 price tag, there’s nothing wrong with dropping $45 on a Game of the Year contender today.

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.

Battlefield 6’s beta been treating you to infinite loading screens? EA are on the case

Waiting’s been a bit of theme during the early stages of the Battlefield 6 open beta, which has otherwise been earning a lot of thumbs up from FPS heads. If you’ve recently run into an never-ending loading screen while trying to jump into a Conquest match, the good news is that the devs have been working to solve those issues.

While EA reckon the problem’s specific to that game mode and the Siege of Cairo map, that doesn’t look to have stopped plenty of players from running into it over the past 24 hours. Cue a number of frustrated Reddit posts that boil down to the word ‘stuck’ being yelled so loud it could bring down a helicopter.

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