Category: IGN

A new offline mode for Ubisoft’s The Crew 2 is available now, which will allow owners to play the racing MMO offline if desired. The functionality – dubbed Hybrid Mode – has been explained in full on the publisher’s website.

According to Ubisoft, Hybrid Mode gives us the “freedom to choose” how we want to play The Crew 2. That is, online mode (which is “the original experience as it was designed from the start, complete with multiplayer features, leaderboards, summits, and community sharing”) or offline mode (which the publisher describes as “a new experience”).

“Whether you’re looking to preserve your progression for the future or simply enjoy the freedom of playing without a connection, Hybrid Mode ensures The Crew 2 remains accessible for years to come,” explains the publisher.

To transfer progression into offline mode, players can simply select “Export to Offline Save” after a session online. Doing so will create a copy of current progression in the game’s multiplayer world stored locally on a personal PC or console. Ubisoft notes online and offline saves are separate, however, so progress made offline will not carry back over into online saves. Players will be able to re-export online saves to update offline files at any time.

Custom liveries will not transfer to offline saves.

An offline mode for The Crew 2 was announced last year in the wake of the the shutdown of the original game in March 2024. Disappointed players of The Crew (which was not a free-to-play game, but became inaccessible for its owners to play after its shutdown – even solo) were justifiably concerned about The Crew 2 suffering the same fate.

“We heard your concerns about access to The Crew games,” Ubisoft said at the time. “Today, we want to express our commitment to the future of The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest. We can confirm an offline mode to ensure long term access to both titles.”

Ubisoft was subsequently sued after the shutdown, a lawsuit the publisher responded to by insisting that buying a game doesn’t give players “unfettered ownership rights” to it, but rather only a “limited license to access the game.”

Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.

The November 17 release date on Steam and Xbox PC for action RPG Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE is quickly approaching, and to celebrate, it will have a booth at TwitchCon in San Diego this week where players can try out a new demo and win special merch.

Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE lets you step into the world of the massively popular Solo Leveling franchise, centering on protagonist Sung Jinwoo. It’s been built for PC and console (it’s scheduled to release on consoles in 2026) and includes the original story along with new adventures that are exclusive to the game.

If you’re not familiar with the series, it takes place in a world where people with supernatural abilities known as Hunters must protect mankind from a never-ending onslaught of monsters. Usually, Hunters’ abilities and strength level are determined when their powers first manifest. But Jinwoo gets a unique ability: he can level up. So even though he starts off as a low-tier Hunter, he can grow more powerful the more foes he defeats. And now he’s on a personal quest to become the world’s strongest Hunter.

It should be pretty obvious why this premise lends itself to a game, it basically already has RPG progression systems baked in. Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE builds on that base with a skill tree that branches into eight different job advancements. Through the course of the webtoon, Jinwoo transforms into the Ultimate Monarch of Shadows, and now you can experience his evolution for yourself.

As you can see in the video above, Jinwoo can switch between weapons and combine basic attacks with flashy special abilities to build up combos. But you can’t just mindlessly attack, you need to keep an eye on enemies and respond to their strikes and AoE attacks. You can execute perfectly timed parries or dodges to cancel out damage and unleash powerful counterattacks to keep the fast pace flowing and combo meter climbing.

However you defeat enemies, they’ll drop loot that you can use to craft new weapons, including ones pulled directly from the original webtoon, like Kasaka’s Venom Fang and the Demon King’s Daggers. There are several weapon types available, and your combat style will be determined by your weapon and skill tree choices. That makes for a variety of styles, like in the original story, giving you the opportunity to try out different options and figure out what works best for you.

You’ll face off against a ton of enemies and bosses solo, but some are too strong for even a leveled-up Jinwoo to deal with. That’s where multiplayer comes in. You can team up in four-player co-op raids to take on commanders that series veterans will recognize, and you can play as Jinwoo or one of the other available Hunters with their own set of unique skills.

If you’re interested in seeing more, don’t miss TwitchCon, which starts Friday, October 17 and will be open until Sunday, October 19. The Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE booth is open to the public, so any in-person attendees can come by and try out the demo. And there will be some popular streamers playing the game at the booth (iiTzTimmy, RDCGaming, EsfandTV, Agent00, ExtraEmily, and more). The booth will also have activities available, and people who complete them can earn exclusive merch.

If you’re not able to attend in person, no worries. There will also be streamers dropping by the in-booth streaming room to play the demo and share gameplay with their channels. The game releases November 17 on Steam and Xbox PC, with a planned release on consoles next year.

It’s available for pre-order now, and the story, boss raids, and multiplayer content are included. If you want to stay up to date on the latest info, you can check out the official website or follow on Twitter, YouTube, or Discord.

If you’re looking for a Pokémon TCG card to invest in before it gets to over $1,000 raw*, Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat is a solid bet right now.

Originally announced in 2023 with Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, and later given out as a treasure hunt prize on exiting the exhibition, Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat is the infamous 85th promo card in the Pokémon TCG’s Scarlet and Violet series.

Hollow Knight: Silksong post-launch support continues again today with patch version 1.0.28954, now available via the game’s Steam public beta branch.

This update’s key feature is a “basic implementation” of a new Simplified Chinese translation, following an earlier backlash to the game’s initial Chinese language support included at launch that led to a spate of negative Steam reviews, and a subsequent pledge by Silksong developer Team Cherry to improve the feature.

After that blowback, it feels like Silksong developer Team Cherry is taking a cautious approach to the rollout of this fresh translation, with the studio now inviting further feedback from players using the Simplified Chinese translation to provide feedback on its clarity, style and spellings.

Otherwise, Silksong v1.0.28954 includes another list of game fixes — though Team Cherry has said that this list is still a work-in-progress, with more bugs likely set to be squashed before the patch rolls out more widely.

For now, the update is set to improve controller support on Steam, correct instances where Hornet’s plasmified state was being erroneously cleared, and ensure that Styx always hands over rosaries when given the Queen’s Egg.

Silksong remains one of the most-played games on Steam following its huge September 4 release. Here are some essential guides for your journey upwards: the Silksong Interactive Map, how to grind for Rosary Beads, our ever-expanding Walkthrough with boss videos and guides, how to get your first life bar upgrade (first four mask shards), and a great guide to the Simple Keys and the doors they open.

The full patch notes lie below.

Hollow Knight: Silksong update 1.0.28954 patch notes:

• Updated Simplified Chinese translation with a new script for public testing. This is a basic implementation only, to be refined and updated based on player feedback.
• Various localisation fixes implemented across all languages
• Switched to Unity’s Input System to improve overall controller support. This includes rumble features now working for various controllers, and additional controllers being recognised. Some issues may remain. For a full list of supported controllers and features, please visit: https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.inputsystem@1.14/manual/SupportedDevices.html
• Fixed Styx not giving rosaries when delivering the Queen’s Egg
• Fixed Druid’s Eyes sometimes not equipping correctly when first acquired
• Fixed some down attack colliders getting stuck on in rare instances
• Fixed several instances of Hornet’s plasmified state clearing when not intended (eg Bellway travel)
• Fixed issues entering the plasmified state when killing a Winged Lifeseed, rather than using the Plasmium Phial
• Reduced unintentionally long bind time when using Multibinder with the Shaman crest
• Updated Multibinder’s initial bind to clear maggots, per community comments
• Various smaller tweaks and fixes

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

Could Dead Space return now EA has new owners? That’s what Glen Schofield, the creator of the series, is hoping to make a reality. EA apparently isn’t interested in a new sequel, but the veteran game director is optimistic the sci-fi survival horror series isn’t permanently lost in space.

After he delivered the opening keynote address at this week’s Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show in Bangkok, IGN caught up with Schofield and asked him if he thought there was any future for the Dead Space series.

Schofield, who helped create the original Dead Space while working as the executive producer at EA Redwood Shores in 2008, didn’t play a part in the creation of Dead Space 2 in 2011 or Dead Space 3 in 2013, but he did go on to create a spiritual successor in the form of 2022’s The Callisto Protocol while working as the founder and CEO of Striking Distance Studios. It’s clear that he hasn’t completely given up hope that Dead Space will rise like a necromorph again, despite the fact it would appear that publisher Electronic Arts has.

Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human developer Quantic Dream has given fans a brief update on its long-gestating Star Wars Eclipse, as it reveals plans for a separate competitive multiplayer project.

In a blog post published today, Quantic Dream chief David Cage revealed that the company had now decided to operate with multiple internal teams, “after years as a single-project studio” dedicated to single-player narrative-focused games.

Discussing its plans, Cage said Quantic Dream was now creating “something very different, a competitive multiplayer experience” that “may surprise our fans as it is very different from what we have done so far.”

“Of course, development of Star Wars Eclipse continues,” Cage confirmed, “and we are eager to share more with you in the future.”

Announced in 2021 via a flashy cinematic trailer, Star Wars Eclipse has flown under the radar in the years since. Set within the franchise’s High Republic era, Eclipse is expected to integrate Quantic Dreams’ traditional story-based gameplay with an action-adventure game set in the Star Wars universe.

Beyond that, details on what to expect remain thin on the ground, and Quantic Dream has only commented on the project over the past few years to quash rumors of development trouble and delays, amid suggestions that the studio was struggling to hire staff following previous workplace allegations.

“Can I say it still exists? Because it exists,” Quantic Dream marketing boss Lisa Pendse told IGN in 2023, when asked for an update on Star Wars Eclipse. “It’s just not ready. It’s simmering.”

Still, eyebrows were raised in August 2024 when the game’s lead writer Adam Williams announced he’d left Quantic Dream after a decade at the studio. As of now, there’s no word on when Star Wars Eclipse will actually materialize.

“Star Wars Eclipse has not been delayed because Quantic Dream never announced or promised a launch window for the title,” the developer said in 2022. “Recruiting remains active as it works on Star Wars Eclipse, third-party publishing, and unannounced projects.”

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

As the debate over the price of Grand Theft Auto 6 rages on, one developer of the original Saints Row — itself heavily inspired by GTA — has said he hopes Rockstar charges $100 for it, insisting it’s the only game in the world that can get away with it.

Strauss Zelnick, boss of Rockstar parent company Take-Two, is often asked how much Rockstar will charge for what is expected to be the biggest entertainment launch of all time. And each time he’s asked, Zelnick dances around the question, pointing to delivering value for customers.

Adding fuel to the scrutiny is the industry’s recent jump from $70 to $80 for some games. If Nintendo is charging $80 for Nintendo Switch 2 games like Mario Kart World, and Microsoft, as many expect, jumps to $80 for its games from next year after backtracking on doing just that this year, then it’s hard to see GTA 6 priced any cheaper.

Fans often baulk at the idea of forking out $100 for GTA 6. But according to Chris Stockman, the design director of the first Saints Row game, GTA 6 “deserves” to be $100.

In an interview with Esports Insider, Stockman responded to the suggestion that GTA 6 will be the first $100 video game.

“They’re the only ones that can get away with it, Stockman said. “I don’t think it’s a rising tide that floats all boats. I think that there’ll be a tremendous amount of backlash if everyone switched to $100. Not all games are created equal. I think GTA is the only one that can get away with it, and I hope they do. I really hope it’s $100. I think it deserves to be $100.

“The scope and magnitude of this production deserves that price tag, but not everything is treated equally. It would be a disaster if everyone tried to match them.”

Stockman here is saying the sheer scope of GTA 6 will be of a magnitude higher than any video game before it. Certainly it’s rumored to have the largest development budget of all time. Rockstar has barely shown any of the game, so it’s unclear exactly how big and varied an experience it will be. But it seems like a safe bet that barring the worst disaster in video game history, GTA 6 will rewrite the record books when it comes to critical and commercial acclaim.

But is the world ready for the jump to $100? Earlier this year, a $100 GTA 6 was mooted by Epyllion CEO and analyst Matthew Ball in a lengthy presentation on the state of gaming in 2025. Near the end of the presentation, Ball said that “some gamemakers hope GTA 6 will be priced at $80 to $100, breaking the $70 barrier and helping $50 titles to move up to $60, $60 to do $70, $70 to $80 etc.”

“Packaged game prices have never been lower in real terms than they are today — even though budgets are at all-time highs and player growth is stalled,” Ball wrote. “GTA 6 could re-establish packed video game prices after decades of deflation despite rampant cost growth.”

Other analysts have poured cold water on the $100 suggestion though, saying that such is the huge excitement around GTA 6 that there’s simply no need to limit the game’s potential audience by pricing some out of the experience.

Indeed, recently published research claimed that if Rockstar were to go with $100 for GTA 6, it would actually cost the company money, with the revenue “sweet spot” remaining $70.

Price is just one of the many unanswered questions swirling around GTA 6. Another is what Rockstar plans to do with GTA Online. Could the company charge more for access to GTA Online? Will it be a standalone free download? Could Rockstar sell a subscription? Will Rockstar and Take-Two really keep GTA Online available at no additional cost, as before?

Hopefully it won’t be long before we get answers. GTA 6 is due out May 26, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.

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.

The Pokémon world can feel a bit idyllic at times to imagine, especially when you think of the free universal healthcare via magic healing machines provided to all Pokémon at any Pokémon Center. Since the very first games, these Pokémon Centers have been staffed by a roster of completely identical women (skin, hair, eyes, expression, everything!), all known in the anime as Nurse Joy.

But in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, for the first time, working Nurse Joys can be a little different.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces unique Nurse Joys at every Pokémon Center for the first time in a Pokémon game. While the first one you’re likely to encounter looks like a fairly standard Joy, every woman staffing a Center has slightly different features: different skin tones, different eyes, different mouths, and different eyebrows. They’re all still in the same uniform and still sporting the same red loopy pigtails, but they now are giving a lot less pre-1980s Rockette.

This is in keeping with one of the features I’ve really enjoyed about Z-A so far: its character diversity. In past Pokemon games, towns could start to look a little samey, as every character of a single trainer class would have the exact same features copy-pasted. That has started to change in more recent games, but Scarlet and Violet took a bit of a step backward by dressing most of its cast in samey uniforms, again creating the illusion that every character looked the same.

In Z-A, though, not only do NPCs all have different facial features, their outfits can change things up a bit too. You still might see a couple of matching characters here or there, but I’ve spotted athletes sprinting through town in different colored workout gear, and artists with different colored aprons. It’s a small touch, but it adds a lot to the feeling that Lumiose City is actually populated by real people and not a lot of weird clones.

So congrats to every woman who didn’t look exactly like the original Nurse Joy in Pokémon Red and Blue (read: every woman), the job is now open to you, if you want it! Sorry to the gents though, as I still haven’t seen any men in the profession. Hopefully next game we can move into the 21st century on that front.

My review-in-progress of Pokémon Legends: Z-A is now live, if you want to check out my impressions of the first 24 hours, with a full review coming next week.

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.

Nintendo has responded to reports that its servers were recently breached by hacking group Crimson Collective, and has claimed that no development or business information was taken.

In a statement to Japanese newspaper The Sankei Shimbun, Nintendo suggested that any breach had been minimal, and limited to servers simply hosting its websites.

The short statement, below, notably makes no mention of this week’s other major hacking story that has dominated gaming headlines: the continued spread of development details relating to the Pokémon franchise, originating from a confirmed breach of developer Game Freak’s servers last year.

Nintendo had attempted to pursue those responsible for last year’s so-called Teraleak of Pokémon details — which until this week appeared to be confined to information on past projects. But Nintendo does not appear to have had much success in locating the culprit, and this week a further cache of development details that seemingly chart The Pokémon Company’s roadmap of game releases until at least 2030 have hit the internet, timed to hit alongside the launch of Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

Last week, Crimson Collective claimed it had breached Nintendo’s servers, and an image purporting to show a long list of Nintendo development files was widely shared on social media. “We have not confirmed any leak of personal information, and there has been no leak of development or business information,” Nintendo’s statement today reads.

IGN has contacted Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for comment on this week’s further spread of information derived from the Teraleak, but has not heard back.

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

Disney Lorcana’s latest expansion, Whispers in The Well, has been revealed by Ravensburger and is now available to preorder. Amazon has preorders up at the moment for a booster box, the Illumineer’s Trove box, a single booster pack, and two single-player decks: Amber & Emerald and Sapphire & Steel.

All of these are set to be released on November 14 this year as well, so thankfully, you only have about a month to wait before you can get your hands on them. Get your preorders in at the links below before they sell out.

Disney Lorcana Whispers in The Well Expansion Revealed

On top of the expansion, two new Disney Lorcana playmats are releasing on the same day.

One of these is a delightful playmat featuring a design of Mickey Mouse, while the other features Jasmine from Aladdin. At the moment, they are both available to preorder for $19.99 a piece.

If the big booster box has caught your eye, it comes with 24 booster packs that each contain 12 randomized cards. Illumineer’s Trove, on the other hand, comes with 8 booster packs alongside six damage-counter dice, six card dividers, one lore counter, and a card storage box.

If you’re not looking to splash out on these big sets, though, the single booster pack will just set you up with 12 cards. As for the single-player decks, these come with 60 cards (including two foil cards of the characters featured on the front of the package), 11 damage tokens, a bonus booster pack, and a rulebook.

If you’re looking for even more card deals and preorders to drop some cash on, check out our breakdown of the best deals of the day. Yesterday’s write-up featured some great Pokémon TCG discounts and information on where you can preorder the new Magic: The Gathering’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.