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33 Games Under $10 in the Steam Winter Sale

It’s the holiday season, which means festive activities, family time, and, most importantly, the Steam Winter Sale. With discounts on everything from massive open world RPGs to pixel-art platformers, it can be tough to limit yourself to just a few games. While I’m all for splurging on 2024 releases, if you’re looking to maximize bang for your buck, you could also pick up a solid bunch of slightly older (but still amazing) PC games. For example, right now you can get over 10 copies of Fallout: New Vegas for the price of one S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.

A starting point for Steam sales should always be checking your Wishlist, but if you’re looking for something new (or want to make sure you’re not missing an obvious deal), I found 33 of the best PC games for $10 or less.

The Complete Edition of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for $10

The Witcher 3’s massive open world, compelling characters, and meaningful approach to player decision-making raised the bar for RPGs back in 2015. After The Witcher 4 was revealed at The Game Awards, what better time to play (or replay) one of the greatest RPGs of all time? Especially now that the Complete Edition, which includes the base game and every DLC, is down to just $9.99.

More RPGs Under $10:

If you’re looking for a narrative-driven RPG, I highly recommend Disco Elysium, which is also down to $10. Other RPGs with deep discounts include Bethesda properties like Fallout 4, Fallout: New Vegas, and (of course) Skyrim. Meanwhile, Baldur’s Gate 3 fans who have a hankering for more turn-based combat can pick up one of Larian’s older games, Divinity: Original Sin, for just $3.99.

40% Off Stardew Valley

Leave your office job to inherit your grandfather’s farm and help rebuild (or price out) the local town in Stardew Valley. IGN re-reviewed Stardew Valley after the farming game got a massive update and ended up giving it one of the only 10/10 game reviews for all of 2024. Given that Stardew was somehow my most-played game on Steam and Nintendo Switch, I have to agree that “Masterpiece” is a fair assessment.

More Cozy Games Under $10:

Cozy Grove, which I feel is more like Animal Crossing than Stardew, is on sale for under $5. If you’re the type of person who enjoys organizing, I’d recommend Unpacking, while Spiritfarer brings the management game genre to the afterlife.

DOOM Eternal for $10

The DOOM series was pretty foundational to the FPS genre, and one of the best DOOM games of the modern era has dropped to under $10. In IGN’s 9/10 DOOM Eternal review, Ryan McCaffrey highlights the game’s satisfying difficulty: “This excellent refinement of the already outstanding 2016 reboot makes you an unspoken deal: if you can keep up with it, it will keep up with you.”

More FPS Games Under $10:

For more single-player shooting, you can get six Halo games for $10 with The Master Chief Collection. Multiplayer shooters like Siege and Battlefield 2042 are also under $10 for the time being.

50% Off Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight is one of the most rewarding gaming experiences I’ve had, and also the closest I’ve come to throwing my Switch at the wall in frustration (that’s a positive, by the way). Per IGN’s 9/10 review: “The world of Hallownest is compelling and rich, full of story that’s left for you to discover on your own, and built with branching paths that offer an absurd amount of choice in how you go about discovering it.” Now you can find out why there’s always a chorus of comments begging for a Silksong release date for just $8.

More Platformers Under $10:

Like Hollow Knight, Celeste doesn’t shy away from challenging the player, and additional “B-sides” for every level up the ante for even platforming veterans. I recommend Little Nightmares to any horror fan, while the 2020 Ori sequel offers particularly creative puzzles.

Civilization VI for $2.99

With Civ VII set to release in just a couple of months, most of the Sid Meier franchise is on sale. While I prefer Civ V’s map mechanics, Civ VI, in my experience, is better optimized for setting up multiplayer lobbies. Convince your friends to drop a couple of bucks, and you can all lock into an empire-building marathon that will most likely end in some form of betrayal.

More Strategy and Simulation Games Under $10:

Most Total War games and DLCs are discounted, though one of the best deals is the Warhammer base game for $6. And if you’ve ever wanted to travel across the entirety of Europe for $5, now you can (with Euro Truck Simulator 2).

75% Off Overcooked 2

If you’re looking for something cheap you can convince your friends to pick up and play with you, look no further than Overcooked 2. The cooperative cooking game allows up to four players to hop into a campaign that, with arcade-style levels and goofy physics, will probably lead to some screaming. But, as IGN’s Overcooked 2 review describes, this “frantic and inventive co-op game… manages to turn frustration into charm.”

More Co-op Games Under $10:

For larger groups, I also recommend For the King and Castle Crashers. It Takes Two is one of the best games for two-player co-op, and only one person has to buy the game courtesy of Hazelight Studio’s “Friend’s Pass.” And, of course, Portal 2, down to just $2, will always be a co-op classic.

Fatal Fury Series Returns with First New Entry in 26 Years

The Fatal Fury series from SNK began back in 1991 as part of the fighting game boom that dominated arcades across the world, and its popularity led to the series releasing several games throughout the ’90s. In the years since, those classic games have been ported to consoles, but there hasn’t been a new entry in the series since 1999.

Until now, that is. The series is returning with Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves in 2025, ending a drought of 26 years without a new title. It will feature the return of characters from past games, most notably series star Terry Bogard and his protege Rock Howard. Other fan favorites, like Mai Shiranui and Billy Kane, will also be included and get updated designs.

City of the Wolves will act as a continuation of the previous game in the series, Garou: Mark of the Wolves. The T.O.P. system, now called the S.P.G. system, makes a return. It allows you to pick a section of your health bar (either the start, middle, or end), and when your health is in that range, your S.P.G. will activate.

When your S.P.G. is active, you’ll regenerate health, have boosted attack power, your power gauge will fill faster, your REV Meter will fill slower, and you can perform REV Blows. Those last two points are part of an important new mechanic in City of the Wolves called the REV System. REV Blows blend together offense and defense, allowing you to strike hard while also shrugging off enemy attacks.

You can combo into these after REV Arts, which can be used after a special move to perform a stronger version of said move. And REV Guard is a unique type of block that creates more space between you and your opponent than a regular block and also eliminates chip damage from special attacks.

All of these actions build up the REV Meter in the bottom left corner of the screen, and once the meter is full, you’ll become overheated. While in this state, you won’t be able to use REV actions anymore and your guard gauge will decrease whenever you block attacks. If the gauge runs out, your guard will be crushed and you’ll take longer to recover from being hit.

Your REV Meter slowly reduces as time passes, as well as when you walk or dash toward your enemy, land an attack, or successfully use Just Defense or Hyper Defense. The former happens when you block an attack at exactly the right moment, while the latter happens when you do a forward input at exactly the right moment of a multi-hit attack.

This REV System adds a strategic layer to each fight, since you can’t simply use powerful REV actions over and over. You need to keep an eye on your REV Meter and balance aggressive offense with well-timed defense to avoid overheating.

For the first time in the series, you’ll also be able to choose between two different control schemes that will determine the button inputs needed to execute each of these moves. Known as Arcade Style and Smart Style, they’re designed to provide options for players experienced with the series as well as newcomers diving in for the first time.

If you’re excited to dive into Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, it’s available to pre-order and wishlist now ahead of its release date of April 24, 2025 on PC, PS4/5, and Xbox Series X/S. Pre-order bonuses include Terry’s classic costume from Fatal Fury 2 and early access to the game on April 21, three days before release.

The base price of $59.99 also includes Season Pass 1 and five DLC characters. We already know who two of those characters will be: Ken and Chun-Li from Street Fighter, the first non-SNK collab characters ever featured in a Fatal Fury game. This marks the continuation of a collaboration between the two franchises after Terry and Mai were featured in Street Fighter 6.

If you’d like to pre-order, you can visit the official website to pick the platform you’d like to play on. Or if you want to join the community, you can follow SNK on Twitter or Discord.

Sonic the Hedgehog Film Writers Reveal the Big the Cat Cameo That Almost Was

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 zipped into theatres this past weekend, and so far we’re having a pretty good time with it. Amid the delight of learning there would be a fourth Sonic the Hedgehog film and finding out that the film’s ending teases yet another new Sonic character for that film, there’s still one major question on everyone’s minds: where is Big the Cat?

Okay, sure, it’s maybe not the most pressing question ever, but we did have a chance to sit down with Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller to ask where everyone’s favorite fisherman kitty has been all this time. And it turns out, they actually did write a cameo for Big the Cat into the second Sonic the Hedgehog film… only for it to be a bit too grim to make it to the final cut.

“In one draft of Sonic 2, we actually, when they’re going through the snowy mountains to the cave, we had a bit, because Sonic 2 was sort of an Indiana Jones,” Casey told us. “Indiana Jones, it’s a trope that at some point a skeleton pops out at you and scares you. So we were going to do that, but with a skeleton of a, I would say, a Big the Cat, not necessarily-“

Miller cuts in here, “Not necessarily the Big the Cat.”

“But we ended up cutting it,” Casey concludes. “It didn’t make any sense.”

Alas, we almost had a… dead Big the Cat in Sonic 2. The two writers said that “Big the Cat” is usually their joke answer when fans ask them who they want to add to the films, though they also informed me they’ve been unsuccessfully trying to get Rouge the Bat in as well for three fims straight.

Keep your eyes here at IGN for our full interview with Casey and Miller coming later this week, as well as all the latest on the Sonic the Hedgehog movies.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Space Marine 2 Modders Put the Axe From Secret Level’s Warhammer 40,000 Episode Into the Game

Space Marine 2 modders have once again answered players’ prayers by putting the axe from Secret Level’s Warhammer 40,000 episode into the game.

The Secret Level Warhammer 40,000 episode, called And They Shall Know No Fear, is a sequel to Space Marine 2 and stars protagonist Titus as he battles alongside his brothers to defeat the forces of Tzeentch. But while Titus appears in the animation as he looks in Space Marine 2, the episode also features a weapon players have yet to see in-game.

It sounds innocuous, but the action scene in which this mystery Power Axe is used steals the show. We see it wielded with brutal efficiency to tear apart cultists and Tzaangors. There’s even a super cool moment in which a Space Marine bashes the helm of the axe in order to shift it into the upright position in his glove.

After the release of Secret Level, Space Marine 2 fans let it be known that they wanted to see developer Saber Interactive and publisher Focus Entertainment add the axe to the game, expanding upon the arsenal of weapons already at their disposal. So far, neither has indicated plans to do so.

Modders, as they so often do, have stepped into the breach. Astartes 2.0, from Space Marine 2 modder Warhammer Workshop, has just released a new update that adds the much-anticipated Power Axe, inspired by Secret Level, to the game, as well as the Chain-Axe and the Space King’s Hate Mace complete with its unique heraldry. (Space King is a fan-made Warhammer 40,000 parody.)

Generally, the Astartes overhaul mod adds loads of new content, including lore-accurate Space Marine classes, reworked combat, and even new missions. Space Marine 2 has a thriving modding scene that makes a significant number of improvements and changes to the record-breaking third-person melee / shooter hybrid. IGN has reported on Space Marine 2’s modding scene a number of times, shining a light on everything from more in-depth customization to a fix for one of the game’s biggest problems.

Officially, Space Marine 2 is now up to Patch 5, although Focus has already talked about what to expect from Patch 6 and 7, both due out in 2025. The Year 1 roadmap for Space Marine 2 includes new content up to Season 4, which is set to kick off at some point in 2025 (we’re currently in Season 2). Space Marine 2 is set for long-term support, and dataminers have uncovered information on cosmetics set to hit the game up to Season 9. IGN has reported on the availability in-game of what looks like a Battle Barge expansion set to hit Space Marine 2 with Season 3.

In September, Saber Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits told IGN how the breakout success of Space Marine 2 had “changed everything” for the company. Eagle-eyed fans have spotted the Space Marine chapter now all-but confirmed to get a cosmetic pack after the Dark Angels, too.

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.

Following Stalker 2’s Success, Developer GSC Game World Contends With ‘This New Reality’

Stalker 2 is a hit. Officially, it’s sold one million copies across PC and Xbox Series X and S, with many more playing on Game Pass. Reports coming out of Ukraine, where developer GSC Game World was originally based before Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in 2022, indicate Stalker 2 is already profitable. There’s even talk of a Netflix series.

But what does this success mean for GSC Game World itself and the future of Stalker 2? IGN interviewed GSC CEO Ievgen Grygorovych and creative director Maria Grygorovych at BAFTA in Piccadilly, London following a screening of War Game: The Making of Stalker 2, to ask if Stalker 2’s big sales were a game-changer for the developer.

Discussing the impact of Stalker 2’s release in English, which is obviously not their first language, Ievgen and Maria talked about how the studio now faces “a new reality” and with it a bigger audience than it’s ever had to contend with. The first steps as part of this new reality will revolve around working to improve Stalker 2 itself, something GSC has already done with multiple patches, but also to expand its plans for continued support.

“You need to think properly because we now have a really big audience and sometimes different parts of this audience want to see different things,” Maria cautioned.

“So we need to live now with this new reality, with a live community and talking with them and try to understand them maybe deeper because we really want to make our relationship good.”

Ievgen went into more detail, saying that while GSC’s plan for the development of future video games remains unchanged, it plans to invest even more in post-launch support of Stalker 2 than it had previously earmarked.

“Around five years ago or maybe six years ago, we had a plan of what we were going to do in the nearest 10, 15 years,” he revealed. “What projects we want to do, how we’re going to look like. And all these years we are slightly updating this plan by just moving the dates forward until we release the game.

“And so six years passed and we still want to do the same games as we planned earlier and nothing changed. The only things that changed is that we didn’t think that we would like to invest much more time in live updates of Stalker 2 after game release, that we would want to add much more things in this game in live updates.”

What does this mean for Stalker 2 and its players, then? Ievgen confirmed that GSC is now in a position to add ideas it was forced to cut from the game before launch because they weren’t ready, and even add new ideas that have sprung up in the wake of Stalker 2’s release.

“We didn’t expect that we would go back to improving Stalker 2 for a lot,” Ievgen explained. “And now we still have the same plan for 10, 15 years of development of other things we want. But also putting much more in development of Stalker 2.

“Because actually I love the world we built. I still find a lot of things that we can make better and we want to make better. And now we have players for whom we can do that, for whom we have to do that. And for me it’s very driving.”

Those same reports coming out of Ukraine suggest Stalker 2 will get at least two expansions and even multiplayer, which may be one of the ideas Ievgen was talking about. The hope, it seems, is that Stalker 2’s success could help put Ukraine on the game development map, as CD Projekt’s The Witcher 2 had done for Poland.

In the shorter term, updates to fix issues with Stalker 2 continue, including a much-needed patch that improved the crucial A-Life 2.0 feature. Previously, GSC explained what went wrong with Stalker 2’s A-Life 2.0.

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.

Dedicated Baldur’s Gate 3 Fan Digs Through Thousands of Lines of Dialogue to Discover Which Characters Agree and Disagree the Most With Each Other

A dedicated Baldur’s Gate 3 fan has searched through thousands of lines of dialogue to discover which characters agree, and disagree, the most with each other.

As reported by The Gamer, Reddit user Tarrasque-Named-John datamined the beloved Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game to calculate which characters — like Astarion, Karlach, Shadowheart, and the entire Baldur’s Gate 3 party — have the most aligning morals.

The fan used the Approving and Disapproving mechanic of Baldur’s Gate 3 to do so. When the player character makes certain decisions, messages such as “Gale Approves” or “Halsin Disapproves” pop up, and Tarrasque-Named-John looked to see which characters approved and disapproved the same decisions the most.

Minsc and Karlach agreed the most, aligning on 97% of all decisions. They’re followed by a few pairs at 96%: Wyll and Halsin, Minsc and Halsin, Jaheira and Halsin, and Karlach and Halsin.

[Dataviz] Which companions agree the most with EACH OTHER?
byu/Tarrasque-Named-John inBaldursGate3

The opposite was revealed too, with Astarion and Wyll emerging as the most disagreeable pair with just 50% alignment. They’re followed by Minthara and Halsin at 51%, and both Wyll and Minthara and Karlach and Astarion at 52%

Tarrasque-Named-John also calculated who would become “best friends” by the end of Baldur’s Gate 3, ignoring percentage and looking directly at the total number of times characters agreed with each other.

Astarion’s bestie would be Lae’zel, and Lae’zel’s would be Astarion. Gale’s would be Karlach, but Karlach’s would be Wyll. Awkward. Wyll’s bestie is therefore Karlach, as is Shadowheart’s. Jaheria’s is Wyll, Minsc’s is Karlach, Minthara’s is Astarion, and finally, Halsin’s is Wyll.

This data is true as of Patch 7, but developer Larian Studios may shake things up a touch with Patch 8, which is due sometime in 2025. Though it may not shake up the morals of each character too much, it is set to add 12 new subclasses to the game alongside loads more.

Baldur’s Gate 3 arrived in 2023 but, incredibly, is even more popular this year than last. This is due in large part to official mod support, which are even available on console and not just PC as standard.

Players downloaded more than 50 million mods via the official mod support tool in less than two months, and this number doesn’t include the thousands made unofficially. Mods released so far include one that adds real-time combat to the otherwise turn-based RPG and another that brought entire new maps to Faerûn, including the highly requested Avernus.

In our 10/10 review of Baldur’s Gate 3, IGN said: “With crunchy, tactical RPG combat, a memorable story with complex characters, highly polished cinematic presentation, and a world that always rewards exploration and creativity, Baldur’s Gate 3 is the new high-water mark for CRPGs.”

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

Following Black Myth: Wukong’s Success, Nintendo Fans Laugh as Switch Gets Wukong Sun: Black Legend

Black Myth: Wukong arrived in 2024 to incredible success and has seemingly spawned some copycats as a result, with Nintendo Switch fans laughing as Wukong Sun: Black Legend hits the platform this week.

Gamers online have called out the $7.99 Wukong Sun: Black Legend as a fairly blatant rip-off of Black Myth: Wukong, which isn’t on Nintendo Switch itself. Not only is the name incredibly similar, but the promotional image could easily be mistaken for that of the actual game.

The similarities practically end there, however, as Wukong Sun: Black Legend is a side-scrolling platformer as opposed to Black Myth: Wukong’s third-person action. It also requires a meagre 338 megabytes of storage space according to the Nintendo eShop page.

It’s description doesn’t allude to this seemingly more limited experience, promising “a chaotic world teeming with powerful monsters,” “supercharged abilities and crazy fighting skills,” and “captivating visuals with unforgettable storytelling.”

“Seriously, this is not even subtle,” one ResetEra user wrote of the similarities between Wukong Sun: Black Legend and Black Myth: Wukong. “Not even trying,” wrote another. “Yeah, this seems like the kind of shovelware cashgrab someone would release,” said a third.

Black Myth: Wukong is based on classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, so Wukong Sun: Black Legend could technically also be based on this source material, but it’s not the first time such an incident has occurred.

A game which looked incredibly similar to PlayStation mega hit The Last of Us, for example, was also released on (and then pulled from) the Nintendo eShop last year. Fans have called out digital storefronts for seemingly have little to no quality control, with PlayStation itself facing a similar issue with a Grand Theft Auto 6 parody earlier in December.

Developers have felt the burden of this too, with Unpacking creative director Wren Brier calling out Nintendo for allowing copycats of their game on the eShop. As reported by Eurogamer, Brier called games such as Unpacking: Deluxe Edition or Unpacking: Chill Music Pack “egregious scams,” as they are in no way linked to their own game.

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

EA Rejected Recent Dead Space 4 Pitch, Original Creators Say

The original creators of much-loved sci-fi horror video game Dead Space say they pitched EA on Dead Space 4 this year, only for the publisher to say it wasn’t interested.

In an interview with Dan Allen Gaming, Glen Schofield, Christopher Stone, and Bret Robbins, three of the leading creatives at the now shuttered original Dead Space developer EA Redwood Shores / Visceral Games, revealed they all joined together to pitch EA on Dead Space 4.

“We tried, actually, the three of us,” Schofield revealed. “Dead Space 4. We’re talking this year.”

Unfortunately for Dead Space fans, EA said it wasn’t interested, with Schofield suggesting projections for how many copies Dead Space 4 would have to sell to make the venture worthwhile were perhaps a key factor in the decision.

“We didn’t go too deep,” Schofield explained. “They just said, ‘We’re not interested right now. We appreciate it blah blah blah, and you know we know who to talk to.’ So we didn’t take it any further. And we respected their opinion. They know their numbers and what they have to ship and all that so yeah.”

Stone added that the video game industry’s high-profile struggles and its subsequent risk aversion has made projects such as Dead Space 4 a particularly hard sell.

“The industry is in a weird place right now,” Stone said. “People are really hesitant to take chances on things. So you got to take it with a grain of salt. Who knows, maybe one day. I think we’d all love to do it.”

“Yeah,” Schofield continued, “we got some ideas.”

“I’d make a Dead Space 4,” Stone declared.

Alas, it sounds like Dead Space 4 is an unlikely prospect, with EA focusing on its enormously successful sports games, The Sims, the revival of Battlefield, and Respawn’s ongoing projects, including the third Star Wars Jedi game. BioWare recently released Dragon Age Veilguard and is working on Mass Effect 5.

EA released the well-received Dead Space remake in 2023, but since then EA hasn’t said anything about a potential Dead Space 4. The last mainline game in the franchise, Dead Space 3, came out over a decade ago, in 2013.

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.

Palworld Closes Out Tumultuous 2024 With Huge Feybreak Update

Palworld has closed out what has been a remarkably eventful year with its huge Feybreak update.

The update, which brings Palworld up to v0.4.11, adds new areas, new pals, new buildings, a hardcore mode, expeditions, research and a lot more. Check out the patch notes, below, for more.

Feybreak arrives as developer Pocketpair works to defend itself in a high-profile patent lawsuit filed by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. After Palworld’s huge launch earlier this year on PC and Xbox, comparisons were made between Palworld’s Pals and Pokémon, with some accusing Pocketpair of “ripping off” Pokémon designs. But rather than file a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company went down the patent route. They want 5 million yen (approx $32,846) each plus late payment damages, as well as an injunction against Palworld that would block its release.

Last month, Pocketpair confirmed the three Japan-based patents, which revolve around catching Pokémon in a virtual field, it is being sued over. Palworld does include a mechanic that involves throwing a ball-like object (called a Pal Sphere) at monsters out in a field to capture them, similar to the mechanic seen in the 2022 Nintendo Switch exclusive Pokémon Legends: Arceus. However, without explanation, Pocketpair recently tweaked how players summon Pals, with observers speculating the change had to do with the patent infringement lawsuit.

Palworld launched on Steam priced $30 and straight into Game Pass on Xbox and PC earlier this year, breaking sales and concurrent player number records in the process. Pocketpair boss Takuro Mizobe has said Palworld’s launch was so big that the developer couldn’t handle the massive profits the game generated. Still, Pocketpair acted swiftly to capitalize on Palworld’s breakout success, signing a deal with Sony to form a new business called Palworld Entertainment that’s tasked with expanding the IP.

Patent experts have said Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s lawsuit against Pocketpair is evidence of the threat posed by Palworld, which has since gone on to launch on PS5, albeit after a short delay in Japan.

All eyes are on the lawsuit to see who will emerge victorious, if it isn’t settled first. Pocketpair has vowed to take on Nintendo and The Pokémon Company in court, however, saying: “We will continue to assert our position in this case through future legal proceedings.”

Through it all, Pocketpair has continued to release major updates for Palworld and Feybreak is just the latest example of that. The developer is even moving forward with crossovers with other huge video games, including the start of a Terraria collaboration with today’s release of Feybreak.

Palworld Feybreak update 0.4.11 patch notes:

▼New Content
・Meowmere from Terraria!
⤷ Meowmere, the first “bullet-firing melee weapon” in Palworld, has been added. This is only a small taste of the Palworld x Terraria collab, and in 2025, even more collaboration content will be released! Enjoy taking a step towards a new adventure alongside the sound of cat meowing!

・New Island – Feybreak
⤷A new island, Feybreak, has appeared! A mysterious island with many challenges, glowing sand and many new Pals!
⤷Conquer the Feybreak Warriors, a new faction that dominates the island with the power of their missile battery camp!

・New Resources – Chromite and Hexolite Quartz!
⤷Chromite is buried underground and can only be found by using Pals or items that can detect metal.
⤷Hexolite Quartz is a rare ore that only exists on Feybreak.

・New Mechanic – Expeditions!
⤷Obtain supplies by sending Pals out on expeditions at the Pal Expedition Station!

・New Mechanic – Research!
⤷By conducting research at the Pal Labor Research Laboratory, you can unlock permanent passives and rewards that increase the productivity of your base!
*Some existing buildings that increase work speed will now be unlocked as research rewards.

・Predator Pals
⤷Vicious Predator Pals will now appear throughout the world. These Pals are extremely difficult to defeat but those strong enough to take them down will earn rare resources in return for their bravery!

・New “Bounty” NPCs
⤷Dangerous criminals have appeared all over the Palpagos Islands. Bring these crooks to justice and cash in the country for rewards.

・New Strongholds and Stronghold Boss: The Attack Chopper
⤷A large and very difficult “Platform Oil Rig” has appeared! Great riches, important supplies and more are stored here. A powerful Attack Chopper guards this rig from any intruders!
⤷A smaller oil rig, the “Barge Oil Rig” has been added for beginners.

・Player level cap raised to 60! New technologies and more await!

・New Raid – Xenolord!
Defeat the dark mechanical dragon that controls the Xeno army!

・Sphere Modules
⤷You can now attach modules to spheres to significantly change their trajectory, such as curving it, which in turn increases the capture rate!

・New Items
⤷Metal Detector – Find chromite buried underground on Feybreak.
⤷Pouches – Increases your inventory size!
⤷Double Jump Boots – Stylish and practical, time to double jump!
⤷Air Dash Boots, – Allows the player to dash while in the air.
⤷Revival Potion – Bring your Pals back to life.
⤷New cooking recipes have been added.

・Hardcore Mode!
⤷The ultimate challenge. Player and Pal death is permanent.
Can be enabled in the world settings.

・Random Pal Mode!
⤷Turn on Random Pal Mode in world settings to randomize Pal spawns!
⤷Randomize by Region – Randomize Pal spawns while maintaining a certain regional range.
⤷Completely Random – All Pal spawns in all regions will be completely randomized! It could be a bit chaotic…

・New Area Discovery Bonus!
⤷Players will earn experience points when they discover a location for the first time.

・Many New Weapons!
⤷Makeshift SMG
⤷Makeshift Assault Rifle
⤷Makeshift Shotgun
⤷Old Revolver
⤷SMG
⤷Semi-Auto Rifle
⤷Semi-Auto Shotgun
⤷Laser Gatling Gun
⤷Plasma Cannon
⤷Compound Bow
⤷Advanced Bow
⤷Katana
⤷Beam Sword
⤷Dark Grenade
⤷Dragon Grenade
⤷Ground Grenade
⤷Grass Grenade
⤷Water Grenade

・New Buildings
⤷Large-Scale Electric Egg Incubator – Hatch up to 10 eggs at the same time.
⤷Guild Chest – Items placed in a guild chest are shared among all guild chests.
⤷Item Retrieval Machine – Search for and take any item from any chest within your base!
⤷Medicine Rack – Pals will take medicine stored to treat their illnesses and injuries.
⤷Flea Market – Sell Pals and items to other players!
⤷Large-Scale Stone Oven and Gigantic Furnace – Multiple Pals can work together to cook and refine at higher speeds!
⤷Skillfruit Orchard – Plant and grow skill fruits!
⤷Gold Coin Assembly Line – Illegally produced coins, now made at home!
⤷Ladders – Players can go up and down without needing to build stairs!
⤷Pure Quartz Mine – Mine an infinite amount in the comfort of your base.
⤷Accumulator – By storing extra electricity, you can keep your facilities running at night while your Pals sleep.

・Elemental Treasure Chests
⤷Rare treasure chests that can only be unlocked by Pals of specific elements have appeared!

▼Player
・Players can now sit on chairs!
・You can now obtain Successful Bounty Tokens by defeating field bosses. These tokens provide permanent passives to the player.
・Player climbing speed has been increased.
・Increased the maximum amount of power that can be enhanced by Lifmunk Effigies from 12 to 14.
・Implemented “Sphere Critical” hits! Throwing a sphere at a Pal’s weak spot (the same weak spot as when attacking a Pal) will temporarily increase the capture rate!
・Experience points gained from crafting and building have been increased. You now also gain experience points for Pals crafting and building even when you aren’t at your base!
・Improved player animations.
・Players will now be invincible for a few seconds after teleporting or entering/exiting dungeons.
・When mounted, Pals now cancel any active skills that are in effect, allowing it to move immediately.

▼Base Related
・A function to replace foundation structures and defensive walls without destroying them has been implemented. Walls already built can be upgraded.
・New foundation structures, “Japanese Style” have been implemented! You can recreate Sakurajima’s Japanese-style architecture at your base. Sliding doors have also been implemented.
・The maximum base level has been increased to 30.
・Pal transportation work has been improved while the player is not in the base.
・In Single-Player and COOP modes you can build much more freely around the world, except in some dungeons.
・The Pal working state set in the monitoring stand is now saved.

▼Pals
・Christmas Skins!
6 Christmas skins have been added for all players!
(※You must own the Pal to equip the skin)
⤷Pudding à la Gumoss
⤷Party Night Depresso
⤷Winter Style Chillet
⤷Winter Style Chillet Ignis
⤷Royal Frostallion
⤷White Shadowbeak

・Redistributing Limited-Time skins to all players!
(※You must own the Pal to equip the skin)
⤷Gold Relaxaurus
⤷Sailor Quivern
⤷Summer Chillet

・New Unique Skills
⤷Vanwyrm – Flame Breath
⤷Vanwyrm Cryst – Tempest Blizzard
⤷Astegon – Firefist Breathstorm
⤷Maraith – Spirit Dash
⤷Verdash – Spinning Roundhouse
⤷Univolt – Lightning Gale
⤷Blazehowl – Volcanic Fang
⤷Ragnahawk – Rush Beak
⤷Beegarde – Needle Spear
⤷Beakon – Lightning Dive
⤷Rayhound – Beckon Lightning
⤷Jormuntide – Slither Slam
⤷Jormuntide Ignis – Magma Serpent
⤷Cryolinx – Blizzard Claw
⤷Wumpo – Snow Bowling
⤷Wumpo Botan – Lawn Bowling

・New Ground Skill
⤷Stone Beat

・New Dark Skill
⤷Poison Shower

・New Dragon Skill
⤷Charge Cannon

・New Tier of Passive Skills
⤷An even higher tier of passives, “rainbow passive skill” has been added! Breed the ultimate Pal!
※ “Swift” has been promoted to a rainbow passive skill, and the chance of obtaining it has decreased.

・Work Suitability Enhancement Books!
⤷By using various technique books, you can permanently increase Pal’s work suitability.

・The limit on strengthening Pals with souls has been lifted! It’s now possible to further develop your Pals.
・If a summoned Pal has three moves that are all on cooldown, it will use the most basic move of its element.
・Enemy Pals will now use every move they know at that level.
・Alpha Pal eggs are no longer all huge but are now each the appropriate size.

▼UI
・Added a filter function to the Technology screen.
・You can now add Pals to your favourites with a single button in the Pal Box UI.
・Improved Pal Box sorting function, making it easier to find the Pal you’re looking for.
・You can now change the font size in the options settings.
・The player’s main HUD no longer becomes hidden over time. (You can revert this setting in the options.)

・Mouse and Keyboard
⤷You can now close any window with the Tab key.
⤷The right Shift key and right Ctrl key can now be registered in the key configuration.

・Controller Pad
⤷Fixed an issue where the player would continue walking if the UI was opened while moving.
⤷Changed the cutscene skip button on controller to Y.

▼Crime
・The charges have been expanded. Serious crimes, such as “Obstructing Public Officials” will increase the player’s criminal level even more.

▼Dedicated Servers
・You can now set “Maximum number of buildings per base” in the world settings.
This allows server administrators to make adjustments to stabilize server performance and maintain a comfortable playing environment.

▼Balance Adjustment
・The weight multiplier for all items can now be changed in world settings.
・Technology unlock levels have been adjusted.
・The selling prices of some Pals have been adjusted.
・Merchant stock and prices have been adjusted.
・The crafting recipes for some ammunition have been adjusted.
・Boss enemies are now immune to stuns and will now become staggered when their stun accumulation value reaches 100.
・Some technologies can now be unlocked by defeating tower bosses.

・Adjusted the work suitability of some Pals:
⤷Blazamut Ryu – Kindling 3 → 4
⤷Selyne – Handiwork 3 → 4
⤷Knocklem – Mining 3 → 4
⤷Cryolinx – Added Transporting

・Legendary Pals are now level 60, and they can learn more powerful skills.
・The recovery amount of Felbat and Lovander’s partner skills has been increased from 6% to 10%

▼Bug Fixes
・Improved base pals so they don’t get stuck as often.
・Reduced the issue of players falling under the ground after fast travel.
・Improved enemy pathing so they don’t get stuck in walls as often.
・Improved the raid algorithm and pathing to ensure that raids reach bases much more often.
・Many many many other minor bug fixes.

▼Other
・New NPCs have been added to various locations.
・Added the “Free Pal Alliance Judicator” to the Free Pal Alliance. He will now appear at their camps.
・Slowed down the work speed animation of base Pals with work speed buffs. (This is a measure to prevent the processing load from increasing too much when the effect is played at high speed. This change does not affect actual work speed.)
・Changed Paldeck to Palpedia to be more in line with other languages.

▼Soundtrack
・3 new songs have been added to the soundtrack. If you have already purchased the game, please update the soundtrack.
*Please note that the soundtrack update may be delayed by about a day.

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.

Daily Deals: Gran Turismo 7, Persona 3 Reload, LEGO Horizon Adventures, 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 22, below:

Gran Turismo 7 for $19.97

Walmart has Gran Turismo 7 available for $19.97 today, and this is a perfect last-minute gift for the racing fan in your life. This is still one of the PlayStation 5’s best games, with hundreds of hours worth of fun at your hands. You can test and drive over 500 cars in total. Plus, you can even play Gran Turismo 7 in VR with PlayStation VR 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.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics for $34.99

Finally, you can score Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics for only $34.99 this weekend at Amazon. That’s even lower than last week’s sale! This collection packs in seven different titles, including the beloved Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. At last, you can play these classic titles on modern platforms.

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven for $39.99

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is arguably the best entry point into the SaGa series at this time. Acting as a full 3D remake of the 1993 release, this game features English and Japanese voiceovers, rearranged music, retooled gameplay, and more. If you’re still unsure about Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, you can check out the free demo across all platforms!

LEGO Horizon Adventures for $39.99

Lego Horizon Adventures is the latest game in the Horizon series, and it marks the first time a Horizon game has been playable on Nintendo Switch. In our review, we wrote, “Lego Horizon Adventures reimagines Horizon Zero Dawn with a playful Lego twist, simplifying the story while keeping the heart of its key moments and characters.”

Alan Wake II for $59.99

Alan Wake II never received a physical release at launch last year, but Remedy has fixed that as of last month with the Alan Wake II Deluxe Edition. This release bundles in Alan Wake II and its two expansions, Night Springs and The Lake House. If you’re a fan of survival horror, this is one of the best games available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Astro Bot for $49.97

Selected as Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024, Astro Bot is on sale this weekend, 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.

Resident Evil 4 for $19.99

Resident Evil 4 was one of the biggest games of 2023, with Capcom recreating one of the highest-praised action titles ever. As Leon S. Kennedy, it’s up to you to travel to Europe and rescue the President’s daughter, Ashley Graham. With the Separate Ways DLC also available, the Resident Evil 4 remake is simply one of the best action games ever. There’s never been a better time to jump in, with this price acting as an all-time low.

Save on ROG Ally at Best Buy

This weekend at Best Buy, you can save on the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme model, where it’s priced at $499.99. This handheld device is perfect for exploring your Steam library on the go, with PC Game Pass support also easily accessible. If you’re planning to travel anytime soon, the ROG Ally will be your best friend.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection for $29.99

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection brought both Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit in one package, with Prosecutor’s Gambit releasing in English for the very first time. This release features updated visuals, new animations, gallery mode, conversation history, and more. You can even switch between the old and new sprites!

DJI Action 2 Dual-Screen

The DJI Action 2 is on sale this weekend at Amazon for $159, and it’s the perfect camera to take with you on your next adventure. With 4K/120 capability, the DJI Action 2 can be attached to all kinds of accessories, including a magnetic headband, lanyard, and more. The camera itself is even waterproof, with support for depths up to 10 meters right out of the box.

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.”

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.”