The State of Unreal 2025 showcase has just offered us a first glimpse at what playing The Witcher 4 might look like, via an Unreal Engine 5 demo build that featured Ciri exploring the wilds and a village in Kovir. Kovir was also confirmed to be a location you’ll visit in the final game, so start packing your bags.
Without question, the biggest discussion surrounding Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour has been its price point – meaning, that it has one at all. Welcome Tour will sell for $10 on the Nintendo eShop on Switch 2 launch day, and for a piece of software mostly focused on teaching players about the new console they just spent at least $450 on, many people – myself included – have argued that it should have been a pack-in game. Price drama aside, I recently spent about 45 minutes with Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, and to be completely honest, came away somewhat intrigued and maybe even a little bit excited to play the full thing on June 5.
Before you call me a shill in the comments, let me be perfectly clear: I’m not totally in love with this game, and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is not going to interest most players, in my estimation. But if you’re a mega Nintendo enthusiast like me, who follows the company’s quarterly financial results, reads every Ask the Developer article on Nintendo’s website, and could tell you the differences between a DS, 3DS, New 3DS, 2DS, and New 2DS XL, this is for you. Welcome Tour is an edutainment game with the goal of teaching you everything about Nintendo Switch 2 through exploring, minigames, tech demos, and quizzes, and it has just enough of that Nintendo charm to make it work.
After selecting my character from a seemingly endless line of honey-I-shrunk-the-kids-sized avatars (I really wish Welcome Tour featured Pikmin running around the console instead!), I was set loose to explore the left Joy-Con 2 and the Nintendo Switch 2 console itself. To progress to the next area of the console, I needed to find all of the hidden stamps in these locations, which are tied to specific parts of the unit like the touch screen or the cooling vents. But during the search, I stopped by activity stations laid out on each part of the map.
One minigame had me test out the mouse controls by piloting a UFO trying to survive against an endless stream of spiky iron balls. In true Nintendo fashion, there is a completionist element to all of it, where I was awarded one or two stars depending on how long I lasted in that endless challenge. The mouse controls felt good, and after just missing out on the top rank, I felt the drive to try again for the high score. Earning more stars grants access to harder minigame difficulties, and the menus indicate there are plenty of medals to hunt down.
The most memorable tech demo so far had me play World 1-1 of Super Mario Bros. from the NES in 4K, in its original resolution. Since the NES worked with so few pixels compared to modern technology, this results in the entire level stretched out across the 4K TV screen I was playing on, and it’s a cute way to look at how far we’ve come. This demo had five achievements to complete, which should be a breeze for anyone familiar with the course. Other demos showcased Switch 2’s HD Rumble, 120fps, and HDR capabilities. It’s clear Nintendo is very proud of the new technology it’s embracing this generation, and Welcome Tour shows it off in a way that’s accessible to all audiences, including those who aren’t super tech savvy.
Elsewhere, Welcome Tour’s Insight Quizzes shared some fascinating information about things like why they settled on the U-shaped kickstand and how Switch 2’s front-facing speakers are an improvement over the OLED model. Nintendo doesn’t want us to show you the information in these quizzes before launch, but I found it genuinely interesting to get a look at Nintendo’s thoughtful design behind multiple aspects of the new hardware. Again, your mileage will greatly vary depending on how much you care about these minute details, but as someone who covers this company that’s generally incredibly secretive, this level of knowledge and transparency was refreshing. After Welcome Tour’s announcement, I assumed the information presented within the software would be common knowledge to hardcore Nintendo fans and come across as an advertisement for a product you already bought, but it legitimately doesn’t feel that way in practice thanks to how in-depth and niche some of the details are.
Even though I enjoyed Welcome Tour more than I expected to, I walked away feeling more strongly that it should have been included with the console. It’s a charming, light experience that grants fascinating context to the hardware it’s designed around, and it’d be great if all Switch 2 owners could check it out in between Mario Kart World sessions on launch day. Instead, everyone has to decide if it’s worth their $10 to learn about the Switch 2 cartridge slot and watch an HDR fireworks display, and the whole conversation surrounding Welcome Tour has suffered because of Nintendo’s irritating decision to charge for it. To help you decide if you want to spend your $10, stay tuned for our full review of Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour coming shortly after launch.
Logan Plant is the host of Nintendo Voice Chat and IGN’s Database Manager & Playlist Editor. The Legend of Zelda is his favorite video game franchise of all time, and he is patiently awaiting the day Nintendo announces a brand new F-Zero. You can find him online @LoganJPlant.
Every few moments in the current build of arcade space shooter Nova Drift there’s a chance the game will spawn a Cargo Train. Whenever the game decides to spawn a Cargo Train, there’s a 1/7777 chance it will spawn a Space Whale instead. “Nonsense,” you bellow. “Space Whales are a myth. Designer Jeffrey Nielson has been telling us they’re not real ever since the original Kickstarter in 2017.” Ah, you poor, unsuspecting mooncalf. You chirpy little starfish. Consider the subtleness of the sea; how its most dreaded creatures glide treacherously hidden inside downloadable software packages. Nielson has been telling you porkies.
He did, in fact, surreptitiously add a Space Whale to the game shortly before Nova Drift’s 1.0 release back in August 2024, after years of conspiracy theories. This, friends, is the good kind of lie, the kind of lie that makes combing through a million changelogs for potential headlines worthwhile.
Moo-ve it on out, girl.
It’s not much of a claim to fame to say you’ve played Mario Kart World at this point. After countless public preview events, the number of people lucky enough to have had a pop must at least be in the tens of thousands. But I’m special. I’m special because I got to play it for about four or five hours solid.
I had a fair old shake at most of the game modes on offer, and suffice it to say I had a lovely time with the game. Among the various experiences, the newest of them was finally getting a go at free roam, and the missions that exist within the world.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
State of Play returns June 4! Watch live for news and updates on must-play games coming to PS5. The show highlights a selection of great games from creators across the globe.
The 40+ minute show begins June 4 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 11pm CEST | June 5 at 6am JST on YouTube and Twitch, and will be broadcast in English. See you then!
Please note that this broadcast may include copyrighted content (e.g. licensed music) that PlayStation does not control. We welcome and celebrate our amazing co-streamers and creators, but licensing agreements outside our control could interfere with co-streams or VOD archives of this broadcast. If you’re planning to save this broadcast as a VOD to create recap videos, or to repost clips or segments from the show, we advise omitting any copyrighted music.
Sony has confirmed a State of Play showcase for tomorrow, June 4.
In a PlayStation Blog post, Sony Interactive Entertainment content communications manager Tim Turi said fans will get “news and updates on must-play games coming to PS5.” Turi continued: “The show highlights a selection of great games from creators across the globe.”
That’s not much to go on, but it seems likely we’ll see more of Sucker Punch’s PlayStation 5 exclusive sequel, Ghost of Yotei, which launches in October.
Could we also see Insomniac’s Wolverine game, or what’s next from Sony’s other development studios, such as God of War maker Sony Santa Monica, Days Gone developer Bend Studio, and Horizon studio Guerrilla, which is working on a multiplayer spin-off?
Sony-owned Bungie also has Marathon in development, and Fairgames — without Jade Raymond at the helm — is still in the works.
The 40+ minute show begins June 4 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 11pm CEST.
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.
Another day, another Hollow Knight: Silksong SteamDB update that’s whipped information-starved Hollow Knight fans into a frenzy. Could this one finally be the one?
Overnight, Hollow Knight: Silksong was quietly updated on Steam, with SteamDB noting that one package received its first update in over a year (thanks, Eurogamer). It immediately sent the rumor mill into overdrive, with players speculating that something’s afoot. Will we finally see more at Summer Game Fest? Could it be part of the Xbox Showcase? Or could we even get a Nintendo Switch 2 shadow drop…?!
Hollow Knight: Silksong received updates to its packages tonight on SteamDB (one apparently receiving an update for the first time in 15 months) https://t.co/DJz9ebnffghttps://t.co/THPp2luYgp pic.twitter.com/9RvHY290ez
— Wario64 (@Wario64) June 3, 2025
Of course, fans immediately began scouring the updates for clues. And while some have been hurt before by a flurry of nothingburger, this update is particularly exciting because several fans believe we have proof Hollow Knight: Silksong — or at least some version of it — has “been uploaded to the Steam servers.”
“[Is this R]eal?” asked one fan hopefully. “Real,” the OP replied.
Team Cherry has always done things on its own timescales, and is notoriously tight-lipped, leaving us speculating over the tiniest, and sometimes silliest, details. Now, however, it really feels like there’s something coming… here’s hoping we find out what it is sooner rather than later.
Team Cherry’s sequel is one of the most anticipated games in the world right now, topping the Steam wishlist charts for years. Silksong made a brief appearance at Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct in April, and soon after Team Cherry nailed down the 2025 release window, much to the relief of its very patient fans. And now, given we know it will be playable for those who can be at Australia’s national museum of screen culture, ACMI, from September 18, some are speculating that we could be looking at a launch before then… although nothing’s confirmed as yet, of course.
IGN recently exclusively shared a Silksong sprite sheet and… well, the internet internet-ed.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Stellar Blade director and producer Kim Hyung Tae reportedly “fully supports” mods and is looking forward to trying them out.
According to several sources, Kim was reportedly asked about his stance on modding at a recent press conference in Yeouido, South Korea. “First of all, I fully support the phenomenon of players using mods. In fact, I myself also want to try out some of the more exciting mods,” he replied.
“I look forward to seeing many players create their own mods and engaging in healthy competition with them to see whose mods are more attractive. I also hope that more players can get involved in mod creation.”
Which is just as well, really, as the game isn’t even out on PC yet, and already there are dozens of mods listed on Nexus for the PC demo, covering everything from new skins to reshaders and VR to nail polish. There are also several more hidden carefully from public display and categorized as “adult.” Let’s leave it at that, shall we?
IGN’s Stellar Blade review returned a 7/10. We said: “Stellar Blade is great in all of the most important ways for an action game, but dull characters, a lackluster story, and several frustrating elements of its RPG mechanics prevent it from soaring along with the best of the genre.”
The PC version of Stellar Blade launches via Steam on June 11 along with a raft of PC-specific features, including AI upscaling via Nvidia DLSS 4 and AMD FSR 3, an unlocked framerate, Japanese and Chinese voiceover, ultrawide display support, higher resolution environment textures, and DualSense support for haptic feedback and trigger effects. It was originally region locked in 100+ countries, but is now available to pre-order on PC in “over 250 regions.” And no, there is no Stellar Blade multiplayer mod… but there are signs of multiplayer in the game files.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
It is showcase season…
We last heard from Hollow Knight: Silksong in the April Switch 2 Direct, where Team Cherry’s hotly anticipated metroidvania made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance, accompanied by a ‘2025’ release window. In the weeks since, the game returned to its dormant state, but a new update to its Steam page has once again stoked the fires of speculation. With showcase season right around the corner, is it finally time?
The SteamDB update was brought to our attention on BlueSky by @Wario64, who claimed that one of the game’s packages was receiving its first update in 15 months.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Private servers are coming to Dune: Awakening, albeit with “concessions” to ensure players retain the large-scale aspects of multiplayer worlds.
Developer Funcom confirmed the news in an update posted to the Steam store page, revealing “rentable private servers” will be available from the moment the game goes live for “head start” (read: early access) players on Thursday, June 5.
“We’ve previously communicated that private servers are for post-launch, but we’re happy to share that progress has been faster than expected,” the team said. “We do, however, want to manage expectations about how private servers work in Dune: Awakening. As you know, this is not your typical survival game.”
Each server will belong to a World consisting of “several other servers,” all of which will share the same social hubs and Deep Desert. Funcom said that by doing this, it’ll help retain a “neighbourhood-like feel.”
“We decided early on that we did not want to remove the large-scale multiplayer aspects of the game as that is such a crucial part of the Dune: Awakening experience, and the game’s content and mechanics are deeply rooted in this setup,” the update explained.
“That meant we had to make some concessions in terms of how much control players have over their private servers. The result is a model where you have fewer settings available than you would in some other survival games such as Conan Exiles.”
So if you decide to rent a private server, you’ll have one Hagga Basin, just like the official server, and belong to a World of other private servers (and you’ll be able to pick which one when signing up). You will not be able to rent or control social hubs or the Deep Desert, but you can still “take full advantage of Dune: Awakening’s large-scale multiplayer content and mechanics.”
Enough of what you don’t get — what about what you do get if you rent a private server? Funcom said you’ll be able to disable security zones entirely, “making all parts of Hagga Basin PvP enabled,” or you can have pockets of PvP, much like the official servers. You can also disable taxation and sandstorms, as well as name your server and set a password for it. Private server owners can also visit other World servers if they know the password and even claim land (something you can’t even do on the official servers).
“Enabling private servers for Dune: Awakening has not been trivial considering our unique large-scale multiplayer setup, and it was important to us to retain the fundamental MMO-like gameplay that makes Dune: Awakening so unique,” the team concluded. “That means it does come with some restrictions on how you can configure them compared to some other survival games such as Conan Exiles.
“But we hope that this service will still be meaningful to those of you who prefer to play on servers you do not have to share with others, and we hope that the shared World structure will add an extra dimension without taking away from the unique content and mechanics that makes Dune: Awakening what it is.”
“As a longtime fan of Dune, it also just feels so good to explore and learn more about a world that I’m quite fond of, and Funcom has clearly put a ton of effort into worldbuilding and lore, even despite taking quite a bit of creative liberty by placing Awakening within a parallel reality and canon than the books/movies,” we wrote in IGN’s Dune: Awakening closed beta impressions preview.
“There are little details that have a massive impact on gameplay. I won’t go into spoilers, but this kind of attention to detail touches just about every aspect of the world, including the factions and characters you meet along the way, which should be a treat for any fan of the setting.”
Dune: Awakening is set to release on June 10, 2025, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S after a three-week delay to fix issues identified during its beta testing. Players with a “head start,” however, get to play five days early, from June 5. For more, check out details on the MMO’s business model and post-launch plans. We’ve also got the global release time schedule for Dune: Awakening right here for you, too.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
