Obsidian’s Avowed just went live in advanced access for those willing to spend more, sending new adventurers out across the Living Lands. While they’re out there, they might discover some magical items and dangers, and apparently, a little bit of love after all.
During the pre-release run-up for Avowed, Obsidian said the game wouldn’t feature a dedicated romance system, and would instead focus on building “thoughtful relationships” with companions. Here’s a quote from an IGN interview with Avowed game director Carrie Patel, explaining the thought process:
“We are building thoughtful relationships with our companion characters,” Patel said at the time. “Ultimately, I personally am a fan of making that an option, but I feel like if you’re going to do it, you really, really have to commit and make sure that you’re giving all to fulfilling that in a way that feels both true to the character, but also creates an engaging player experience. So not something we’re doing for Avowed, but I wouldn’t say never.”
Early players and reviewers of Avowed are reporting that, actually, at least one companion has eyes for your player character. Spoilers ensue for specific interactions with the companion Kai, so if you’re looking to avoid that, turn back now.
Warning! Avowed spoilers follow:
GamesRadar reports that Kai, voiced by Brandon Keener (also the voice of Mass Effect’s Garrus Vakarian), can wind up in a romance with the player. Complete his own personal quest line, confess your feelings, and apparently you’ll get a confirmation of your happily-ever-after in the credits roll.
I’m not far enough in my personal Avowed playthrough to confirm as much, but PC Gamer encountered similar dialogue in their playthrough. The romance seems gender-agnostic too, as PC Gamer played as a male character, and GamesRadar’s reported success was with a female character.
It’s a nice little treat, especially for all the Garrus fans. It does make one wonder what shifted in development, but if love wins in the end, that’s all that really matters.
The pre-registration window is officially open on PC, iOS, and Android for Mecharashi, a free-to-play tactical RPG that puts you in charge of outfitting and deploying a squad of mech pilots.
If this is your first time hearing of Mecharashi, it’s developed by BlackJack Studio and is focused on strategy and tactics. Every mech, both yours and your enemies’, is made up of four parts: a body, legs, right arm, and left arm. Each part has its own separate HP, and reducing each part to zero brings about different results.
“The core gameplay of our game is inspired by Front Mission,” the dev team told IGN. “When we reviewed the design brilliance of Front Mission, the most striking revelation came from its groundbreaking choice in 1995: while other strategy games of that time were fixated on the rock-paper-scissors style of counter systems (e.g., “sword > axe > spear”), it boldly abandoned this easy-to-grasp approach. Instead, it introduced part destruction to create a truly physically meaningful battlefield.”
In Mecharashi, destroying each enemy’s body is the ultimate goal, since that finishes them off for good. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should focus all your attacks on that one area. Taking out the legs makes them unable to move, and as each mech’s weapons are equipped on their arms, destroying those can drastically reduce their firepower and prevent powerful charged attacks. You need to assess the threat each enemy poses, figure out the best way to neutralize them, and use the strengths of each member of your squad to make that happen.
“We have adopted the charming tactical chess logic from Front Mission because it fits perfectly with the mecha + tactical chess theme,” the dev team said. “The strategic dimension has been significantly enhanced: Instead of focusing on memorizing attribute counters, players now rely on more realistic logic — destroying legs to limit mobility, breaking weapon pods to eliminate threats, and hitting the cockpit to disable combat capabilities. Each decision corresponds to tangible tactical gains.”
Destroying different parts won’t just have a strategic effect on battle, you’ll also see visual differences depending on what part you destroyed.
“We used the 3D standards of this generation to create mechs with realistic metal textures, dirt, and scratches. When a mecha’s leg is destroyed, not only does it affect the movement range, but you can see the details of the broken surface and internal spark short-circuiting — visual depth that was hard to achieve under the technical limitations of 1995.”
Each pilot in your crew belongs to a character class that defines their role in battle. Fighters are melee specialists who have powerful attacks but limited range. Raiders use assault weapons to deal high burst damage. Snipers attack from range and can target a specific part of the enemy. Tacticians can also attack from longer distances and hit multiple targets at once. Guardians protect allies and limit enemy movement. And last but certainly not least, Machinists can repair allied mechs.
You can customize every pilot’s mech — including their individual parts, weapons, and color scheme — and can assemble various bodies, arms, and legs, which affect the mech’s appearance and stats. Different weapons provide different types of attacks from different ranges. Color schemes give you the option of choosing from more than 120 colors, and you can mix and match several colors at once to fully customize the look of each mech.
“Front Mission hasn’t had a new tactical chess game in many years, and mecha is a highly visual genre,” the dev team said. “The realistic textures of mechanics and metals have strong visual appeal. Therefore, we invested a huge amount of art resources into the design of mechs and the construction of the world atmosphere.”
Once you’ve equipped your squad to your liking, it’s time to deploy. You’ll be given missions in the gritty setting of Milkhama Island, where the discovery of a new mineral known as Arashium has led to factions forming and trying to secure it for themselves. And what does that lead to? You guessed it: violence and war.
You play as a mercenary squad recruited into the government’s National Defense Force to help put down a rebel group known as The Ashes, but you’ll quickly realize that not everything is as it seems. As the story evolves, you’ll deal with corruption, complicated politics, deceit, and betrayal, and you just might become key players in a struggle that will change the course of history.
The story develops through fully voice acted chapters and sub-chapters, with each sending your team on a mission. Before each mission, you’ll have the chance to choose your combat party and their starting positions on the map. Combat is turn-based and progresses in phases until you’ve completed the designated goal for that mission. Those goals can include eliminating all enemies, destroying one specific enemy, or reaching a designated evacuation zone.
Each mech has a movement limit and attack range, which are displayed as different colored blocks on the grid-based map. Some character classes and weapon types provide unique abilities that require a certain amount of AP to use. Each character starts combat with 3 AP and replenishes some on each turn, but many attacks require more AP than a unit can gain in a single turn, meaning you’ll need to bide your time to strategically build up your AP reserves.
Destroying enemy mechs will grant AP to whoever dealt the finishing blow, so part of your strategy will revolve around AP management to make sure each party member can consistently contribute without wasting any turns. You’ll also need to pay attention to enemy mech types and weapons, since they can counterattack if you hit them from a range they’re equipped for.
Once your goal is completed, you’ll receive rewards and each member of the combat party will gain EXP. Rewards include Arashium, mech parts, weapons, Recruitment Tokens, money, and items you can give to specific party members to instantly give them EXP. Arashium is a special currency, while Recruitment Tokens are used to recruit new members for your squad.
Between battles, you’ll return to your base, where you can upgrade your mechs and pilots. During the course of the story, pilots will unlock the Bionic Computer, which essentially acts as their personal skill tree. You’ll need to gather specific items in order to unlock each node, which can provide things like stat boosts, passive skills, and combat abilities.
If Mecharashi sounds like it’s up your alley, you can go to the official website to sign up for pre-registration now on PC, iOS, and Android. It’s scheduled to release internationally later this year and will support eight languages: English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Thai, and Chinese. If you’d like to be part of the community, you can follow the game on Twitter and YouTube.
Elden Ring Nightreign‘s first big network test is underway, but eagle-eyed observers have already spotted that the survival royale has more on the way. A now-deleted Steam page mentioned additional DLC, seemingly confirming Elden Ring Nightreign will get additional boss and characters as DLC.
Per PC Gamer, a line on Elden Ring Nightreign’s Steam page read: “Additional DLC — Additional playable characters and bosses.” It’s since been removed, and there’s always the slim chance this was added in error, but it more than likely confirms Elden Ring Nightreign will be getting more content down the line.
Since this particular version of Elden Ring is a bit more online and live service, it’s not a surprising note. Elden Ring Nightreign is a standalone game, and developer FromSoftware has been pretty consistent with producing DLC for its previous games.
Iconic fights like Gwyn, the Looking Glass Knight, or Lady Maria would almost certainly be fun to see in this co-op take on Elden Ring. Nothing’s set in stone yet, but given FromSoftware’s portfolio of bosses, it’s hard not to start picking out some dream matches. And that’s not even digging into the possibilities for new characters to play as, fighting against said bosses.
Nightdive Studios announced that System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition — its modernized edition of the 1999 classic sci-fi horror action role-playing game — has been renamed System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster and is also coming to Nintendo Switch.
System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster will soon be released on Windows PC via Steam and GOG and on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch.
Here’s the official blurb:
It’s the year 2114. As you awake from cryo sleep on the FTL ship Von Braun, you are unable to remember who or where you are… and something has gone terribly wrong. Hybrid mutants and deadly robots roam the halls while the cries from the remaining crew reverberate through the cold hull of the ship. SHODAN, a rogue AI bent on the destruction of mankind has taken over, and it’s up to you to stop her. Delve through the corridors of the derelict ship Von Braun and immerse yourself in the story-rich atmosphere and environment. Explore deck by deck and unravel the horrifying fate of the Von Braun and her crew.
A release date will be announced at the Future Game Show Spring Showcase livestream on March 20, 2025 alongside a new trailer, Nightdive said.
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.
Civilization 7 features some of the most significant gameplay changes the long-running strategy series has ever seen. Chief among them is the ability to, for the first time, mix leaders with civs they have nothing to do with, going by real-world history.
In previous Civ games, the civilizations themselves are tied to a specific leader, usually a famous head of state, in such a way as to make historical sense. Elizabeth I, for example, leads the English. Gandhi leads the Indians, and so on.
Civilization 7, however, lets players mix and match history for some crazy combinations, and while some players have said they are enjoying the gameplay possibilities this system unlocks, others have bemoaned what they consider to be an assault on historical accuracy — a quality the Civilization franchise is known for.
A full campaign in Civilization 7 is one that goes through all three Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Once the Age is completed, all players (and any AI opponents) experience an Age Transition simultaneously. During an Age Transition, three things happen: you select a new civilization from the new Age to represent your empire, you choose which Legacies you want to retain in the new Age, and the game world evolves. The Civilization games have never had such a system.
In an interview with IGN, Civilization 7 lead designer Ed Beach explained Firaxis’ thinking here, and defended the gameplay changes as they relate to historical accuracy.
“I think what we actually did is moved it around to a different place,” Beach said.
“So if you look at previous Civ games, you would have historical anomalies such as America existing in 4,000 BC or Sweden and Canada in 4,000 BC. And none of those things actually made any sense. They were just accepted parts of the Civ canon.
“But now if you’re going to get to America, you’re going to start somewhere else. You’re going to start with Rome and go to the Normans and then go to America. I just did a Harriet Tubman playthrough where I was trying to honor her African heritage, and so I played as Aksum and then as the Songhai and then came over to America. So these are all valid pathways through history. You can set them up so that the leaders make good sense with this one, and arguably the history is more solid this way than it was before.”
Beach acknowledged, however, that Civilization 7 opens up the possibility for players to create combinations “that seem like we’re breaking history even more than before,” but insisted its fresh take on video game history “is a healthy one.”
“There are ways you can take the game that we’re putting together with Civ 7 and mix up the history in an even more scrambled fashion than you ever had before,” Beach said. “So you can take Confucius and you can have him lead Spain, or you can take Xerxes from Persia and have him lead the Mayan civilization.
“So absolutely, there are crazy combinations that seem like we’re breaking history even more than before, but there are some problems that we fixed. So I’d like to look at as we’ve moved it around. It’s a new way for players to experience and think about history, and I think that kind of fresh take is a healthy one.”
Generally speaking, Civilization 7’s changes have divided the franchise’s fanbase, although the game’s ‘mixed’ user review rating on Steam has more to do with launch deficiencies Firaxis is working to address. Beach told IGN he never set out to deliberately cause a furore within the Civilization community, but insisted the changes came from a desire to have more players actually finish a game of Civilization 7 compared to previous titles in the series.
“Anyone who knows me, that’s really not sort of in my personality or DNA to purposely try to shake people up,” Beach said.
“There are people that do that for sure, but that’s not where I usually come from. We really just wanted to, I think, accomplish two things. One, we needed to really think about the Civ formula and what was working and what wasn’t working. And it’s not just the Civ formula, it’s the 4X strategy formula in general. There is this exponential explosion of objects in the world and decisions forced on the players. And in most 4X games that just sort of continues linearly from the beginning of the game, exploding outward in all directions. But it’s really hard to finish a 4X strategy game because the end of the game is so tedious to get through usually that it’s just a problem. So it was really that was the number one thing that we were trying to address.
“Now, I’d say the second point is that every time we do a new version of Civilization, it’s not okay for us to take the exact same gameplay that we had before, put a fresh coat of paint on it, sharpen up the units models and the way the game world looks and say, Hey, we’re done. We really want each version of Civilization to have sort of a signature element that people associate with it. And so if breaking the game up into big chapters where each chapter has a climactic finish to it and then you take a breath and reset and go into the next stage, if we felt like that was going to be an improvement to the whole 4X strategy formula, we wanted to do that. And it also gives a signature element for Civ 7.”
Executive producer Dennis Shirk chimed in to say Firaxis didn’t want to take the Madden team approach putting out an “iterative release” with Civilization 7. “We’ve got a highly polished Civilization 6 planted there right now,” Shirk said. “We’ve got a ton of players playing it. Ed and his team… every time they do a version of the game, everything is put on the table. We put everything into it as a team to make a new experience. It’s not something where we strategize over the next few iterations the kind of things that we want to do from version to version. It just gets all on the table.”
Perhaps in the shorter term, Firaxis will be working to address Civ 7’s ‘mixed’ user review rating on Steam, which stems from various community complaints around the user interface, a lack of map variety, and a feeling that the game has launched without a number of key features fans have come to expect.
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.
Elden Ring Nightreign’s first network test — ongoing at the time of this article’s publication — is suffering from significant server issues that have prevented many from playing.
IGN staff with access to the test reported server problems so extreme they were unable to access the game for the test’s first hour.
The issues were bad enough that FromSoftware issued a statement on social media, confirming that players were struggling to find a match due to server congestion. The developer apologized, but encouraged players to try matching again after a while.
It appears the PlayStation servers in particular are having problems, and indeed were brought down for maintenance. “The #NIGHTREIGN PlayStation servers are currently under maintenance,” FromSoftware tweeted. “Work is ongoing to restore server functionality. Further updates will be provided. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”
Exacerbating the problem is the fact the Elden Ring Nightreign network test is only available during five three-hour periods on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S from February 14 to February 17. Here’s the current schedule:
Elden Ring Nightreign network test session timings:
February 14: 3am-6am PT / 6am-9am ET
February 14: 7pm-10pm PT / 10pm-1am ET
February 15: 11am-2pm PT / 2pm-5pm ET
February 16: 3am-6am PT / 6am-9am ET
February 16: 7pm-10pm PT / 10pm-1am ET
The network test is a “preliminary verification test in which the selected testers play a portion of the game prior to the full game launch,” Bandai Namco said.
“This large-scale Network Stress Test is designed to evaluate various aspects of the online system’s functionality and performance. We are looking forward to your cooperation to make Elden Ring Nightreign even better.”
It is of course better that Elden Ring Nightreign suffers server issues now than when it launches in May, but players who had earmarked time to try out the game now have expressed their frustration. Hopefully subsequent play sessions will run more smoothly.
Elden Ring Nightreign is FromSoftware’s standalone co-operative spin-off set in a world parallel to that of 2022’s Elden Ring. The network test will allow three players to team up and take their chosen Nightfarers to battle “against new terrors, and explore an ever-changing map to defeat increasingly challenging bosses and ultimately take on the Nightlord,” Bandai Namco added, before confirming the network test features a three day-and-night cycle squads must try to outlast.
Last year IGN had the opportunity to visit FromSoftware and go hands-on with an early build of Elden Ring Nightreign. We came away impressed, stating that Elden Ring Nightreign “takes the cautious dungeon crawls of Elden Ring and turbocharges them into propulsive, slash ‘n’ dash speedruns.”
Elden Ring Nightreign launches on May 30, 2025 priced $40 across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.
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.
What happens to GTA Online when Grand Theft Auto 6 comes out? That’s a question a lot of GTA Online players have been asking ever since GTA 6 was announced. And now, as GTA 6’s fall 2025 release date approaches, they’re no closer to an answer.
GTA Online is Rockstar’s hugely profitable live service that continues to pull in players even now, well over a decade since launch. Its enduring appeal and ability to print money is thought to have influenced Rockstar’s decision to prioritize the live service over story DLC for Grand Theft Auto 5, much to the annoyance of some fans. But there is a more pressing concern looming over the horizon.
When GTA 6 eventually comes out, it is expected to bring with it a new and improved GTA Online. Perhaps this will be GTA Online 2. Perhaps it will be called GTA Online, as before. Either way, players of the existing GTA Online have expressed concern that all their time, effort, and money spent in the current GTA Online will be left behind for a potential clean break later this year.
So, why invest time and money into GTA Online now, in early 2025, when the new GTA Online is potentially due out in perhaps eight months or so? That’s a question IGN put to Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick during a recent interview ahead of the company’s third-quarter financial report, and his answer makes for interesting reading.
While Zenick wouldn’t be drawn specifically on any new GTA Online because it has yet to be announced, he did talk generally about Take-Two’s form when it came to NBA 2K Online, a free-to-play online-focused version of 2K Sports’ hugely successful basketball franchise aimed at the Asian market.
NBA 2K Online launched all the way back in 2012, and then 2K Sports released NBA 2K Online 2 in 2017. Both games were maintained simultaneously, so fans of the first version could continue to play and invest their time and money safe in the knowledge they wouldn’t be left behind.
“I’m going to speak theoretically only because I’m not going to talk about a particular project when an announcement hasn’t been made,” Zelnick began. “But generally speaking, we support our properties when the consumers are involved with those titles. As an example, we launched NBA 2K Online in China, I think originally in 2012 if I’m not mistaken. And then we launched NBA 2K Online 2 in China in 2017. If I’m not mistaken. We did not sunset Online 1. They both are still in the market and they serve consumers and they’re alive and we have this massive audience.
“So we’ve shown a willingness to support legacy titles when a community wants to be engaged with them.”
That last line is of particular importance. It suggests — but doesn’t confirm at this stage — that if there is a GTA Online 2, it won’t come at the cost of GTA Online falling by the wayside. If people keep playing GTA Online, Zelnick is suggesting here, then Rockstar will continue to support 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.
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.
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.
