Category: IGN

Funcom has confirmed the global release times for Dune: Awakening.

Inspired by Denis Villeneuve and Legendary Entertainment’s blockbuster films, Dune: Awakening is a survival MMO set on the most dangerous planet in the universe, where players can explore Arrakis in an open-world game for the first time ever.

You survive by learning the ways of the Fremen, and expand your potential through combat, the spice, building, and trading. It’s set to release on June 10, 2025, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S after a three-week delay to fix issues identified during its beta testing. Players with a “head start,” however, get to play five days early from June 5.

We had a great time with it, writing in IGN’s Dune: Awakening beta preview: “As a longtime fan of Dune, it also just feels so good to explore and learn more about a world that I’m quite fond of, and Funcom has clearly put a ton of effort into worldbuilding and lore, even despite taking quite a bit of creative liberty by placing Awakening within a parallel reality and canon than the books/movies.”

Last week, Funcom put on a livestream showing off Dune: Awakening’s mid-to-endgame, and a wide tour of the Hagga Basin “to emphasize the size and variety players can expect,” including the “lush O’odham, the forbidding Hagga Rift, the tall spires and imposing rock formations of Jabal Eifrit, to name just a few.” Up until now, even beta players have only seen around 25% of Hagga Basin, so the stream showcased “these huge and diverse landscapes” in all their glory.

“Before even considering the vast dunes and dangers of the Deep Desert, players will experience a full-scale survival game,” Funcom teased.

“They will rise through the ranks of the Atreides or Harkonnen; build powerful strongholds; brave Imperial Testing Stations; craft advanced schematics; explore and harvest in a variety of vehicles, and much, much more.” Furthermore, the “Landsraad feature allows anyone to contribute in the effort to impact their entire faction, whether they prefer PvE or PvP.”

For more, check out details on the MMO’s business model and post-launch plans.

Elden Ring Nightreign is now up to 3.5 million copies sold after five days on sale, with its Steam user review rating improving from ‘mixed’ to ‘mostly positive.’

Elden Ring was a massive hit, selling 30 million since going on sale in 2022, and it seems unlikely that Nightreign will come close to matching that success. For better context, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion sold 5 million copies within three days of its release in 2024.

FromSoftware’s multiplayer spin-off had launched to 2 million sales in just a day, but with a ‘mixed’ rating on Valve’s platform.

Much of the initial negative sentiment revolved around Nightreign’s brutal solo experience, its lack of duos co-op, lack of voice chat, and other archaic mechanics. That age-old multiplayer struggle to find enough friends to make up a coordinated three-player group is very much a part of the Elden Ring Nightreign experience, too.

As explained in IGN’s Elden Ring Nightreign review: “Let’s get the most important caveat out of the way first: if you are hoping to tackle Nightreign entirely solo, and are anything less than a hardcore Elden Ring player that actively seeks out ways to make that already difficult game even more challenging, Nightreign isn’t for you. Yes, there is technically a single-player option, but it is so poorly balanced that I would be shocked if it isn’t patched and adjusted within the first month of release. And this is coming from someone who lives and breathes these types of games.”

But on Monday, FromSoftware released a patch to make solo play much easier, and despite matchmaking problems over the weekend, sentiment has improved.

Last week, producer Yasuhiro Kitao took to social media to comment on Elden Ring Nightreign’s early sales success and to thank players for giving the game a go despite its quirks.

“Nightreign has some peculiar aspects to its game design and is different from our recent titles in various ways,” Kitao said. “Nonetheless, many of you have bravely jumped into this world, and for that we’re immensely grateful.

“As with Demon’s Souls or Sekiro, it may be confounding at first, but just like those games, Nightreign offers its own challenges and experiences. Once you overcome the initial hurdle, it’ll surely provide a sense of accomplishment that’s also its very own.

“We hope you enjoy it.”

So, what happens next? FromSoftware said that in addition to the DLC releasing later this year, new additions will be “gradually implemented,” including enhanced fights against existing Nightlords starting this month (June), as well as Duo Expeditions at a later date.”

The addition of duos will come as some relief to players who have questioned its omission from launch. Elden Ring Nightreign drops players into the shifting lands of Limveld, exploring and fighting for survival either solo or in groups of three. There is no way to play two-player co-op.

In IGN’s interview with Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki, the Nightreign lead developer discussed the choice to lean on solos and trios as the core experience options. When asked why there’s no option for a pair of players to drop in together without a matchmade third player, Ishizaki said it was overlooked.

“The simple answer is that this is simply something that was overlooked during development as just a two-player option, so we’re very sorry about that,” said Ishizaki. “As we said before, we set out to make this a multiplayer co-op game for three players, balanced for three players, so that was the main focus and it’s at the core of Nightreign.

“Of course, I myself as a player understand that and often want times where I’m just playing myself, so this is something that we considered from the start,” Ishizaki continued.

“And so we did put a lot of effort into creating this experience that was playable for solo players in as much as the rules and new systems allowed. So in putting all our efforts into that aspect, we kind of overlooked and neglected the duos aspect, but this is something that we are looking at and considering for post-launch support as well.”

This means that if you’re playing with just your favorite duos partner, you have to accept a random third into your game. Playing trios is very much what Elden Ring Nightreign is built around.

We’ve got plenty of Nightreign tips and tricks to help you take down all the eight Nightlord Bosses, and if you’re wondering how to unlock the two locked Nightfarer Classes, check out How to Unlock the Revenant and How to Unlock the Duchess, plus How to Change Characters.

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.

Zynga has officially shuttered Echtra Games, the development studio behind Torchlight 3, which had been working on an unannounced cross-platform ARPG in the four years since its acquisition.

IGN can confirm the San Francisco-based studio will be shut down by the end of the month. While we don’t have an exact number of individuals impacted, LinkedIn has 61 people who list their current job at the studio.

Zynga has provided the following statement to IGN:

Zynga has made the difficult decision to cease operations at its Echtra studio, ending development on future titles and reducing roles. This decision is part of a strategic realignment of the company’s resources and priorities. We will work closely with impacted employees so they are treated with the utmost respect and consideration as we navigate this difficult process.

Echtra Games was founded by Max Schaefer, one of the co-founders of Torchlight developer Runic Games. Schaefer left Runic after his fellow co-founders similarly departed the studio, and founded Echtra under investor Perfect World to work on a Torchlight MMO. Over time, the game’s vision shifted, eventually becoming Torchlight Frontiers and later Torchlight 3. In 2021, Echtra Games was acquired by Zynga, leaving Torchlight 3 in the hands of Perfect World and starting work on “a new, yet to be announced RPG for cross-platform play” alongside CSR Racing and Star Wars: Hunters developer NaturalMotion.

Unfortunately, Echtra Games’ RPG was never announced or shown. It is unclear precisely why Echtra was shuttered, though its closure comes just three months after Zynga announced it will shut down NaturalMotion-developed Star Wars: Hunters later this year — a decision that was itself announced just nine months after the game launched. Notably, Zynga is a subsidiary of Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Interactive, which slowly dismantled and then sold off its Private Division publishing label earlier this year. The publisher also laid off around 5% of its workforce just over a year ago and canceled multiple projects.

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.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel’s annual World Championship is fast approaching, which means the Road to Worlds campaign is underway. There are free log-in rewards, and you can compete in qualifying events for the opportunity to represent your region at the World Championship in Paris.

If you don’t know about Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, we can give you a quick rundown. It’s a free-to-play digital version of the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game, with more than 10,000 cards and including the evolutions the game has made over its more than 25 years of existence. It’s available across nearly all platforms — iOS, Android, PC, PS4/5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S — and has cross-platform play, letting you Duel players of varying skill levels from all over the world.

If that sounds intimidating, don’t worry. If you’re a new player or haven’t played in a while and need a refresher, there are in-game tutorials that teach you the basics of the game. Once you finish those tutorials, you get a base Deck to get started and can collect new cards as you progress through the game. The game also provides visual cues to let you know when you can execute combos and chain effects or respond to your opponent’s effects, helping make sure you don’t miss anything while you’re learning the game.

You can continue practicing and getting better through Solo Mode, where you play through storylines and learn more about the lore behind the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. As you probably already know, the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise extends across several pieces of media and is a big reason for the international popularity of the TCG. That combined with the competitive nature of the game has also made it popular with professional athletes, which you can see NBA player Grant Williams and professional football players Kris Jenkins and Ryan Hunter discuss in the videos below.

Once you’ve gotten more comfortable with the game, you can move on to face your fellow Duelists. And now’s the time to jump in, since there will be free log-in rewards during the Road to Worlds event that can help you build up your Deck before taking on the qualifying events

From now until July 3, you can get a series of daily rewards for a total of 1,000 gems, a profile icon, and a Red Supernova Dragon Card. You can get additional gems and rewards if you take part in the World Championship Qualifiers, which anyone can enter starting June 3.

The initial qualifying round will last until June 12, with Duelists beginning at a different level depending on what rank they reached in May’s Season 41. But don’t worry, even if you didn’t take part in Season 41, you can still compete in the qualifiers, you’ll just start from Duel Level 1. Winning Duels will see you rise through the ranks, to a max of Duel Level 20. Anyone who reaches Duel Level 20 will then move on to Regionals between June 12–15, where the goal is simply to get as many points as possible by defeating other qualifying Duelists.

The top performers in each region earn an invite to the World Championship in Paris, where they’ll compete for the grand prize. While the qualifying rounds and Championship are all single-player matches, the players who win and move on to Paris will also get the chance to team up with two other Duelists to take on the defending champions from the United States.

There will be hundreds of thousands of Duelists of all skill levels from around the world competing during the Road to Worlds events. With so many active players and easily attainable in-game rewards, there won’t be a better time to start your journey in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. The game is free-to-play and there’s no entrance fee for the qualifying events, so there’s nothing stopping you from building a Deck and giving it a shot.

For more information about Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, including several tutorial videos to help you understand card types and strategies, you can visit the official website. For more details about all the events leading up to the World Championship, you can check out the Road to Worlds page. To keep up with news and updates, you can follow Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel on Twitter and Instagram.

A new, single-player Dungeons & Dragons action adventure is on the way from Stig Asmussen, the director behind Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and God of War 3.

The currently-untitled D&D project was announced today by Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, and is set to launch on PC and unannounced consoles “at a later date.”

Asmussen’s new studio Giant Skull is on development duties for the upcoming D&D project. Founded last year following Asmussen’s departure from Respawn Entertainment, the Los Angeles-based Giant Skull was previously announced as making a new AAA single-player game built using Unreal Engine 5.

“Our talented and experienced team at Giant Skull is built on creativity and curiosity,” Asmussen said in a statement today. “Our goal is to craft a rich new Dungeons & Dragons universe filled with immersive storytelling, heroic combat and exhilarating traversal that players will fully embrace.”

The announcement of Giant Skull’s project adds to a portfolio of games set to be published by Wizards of the Coast over the coming years, after the hugely-successful Baldur’s Gate 3 from Larian, another D&D game, helped raised the profile of the franchise globally.

Another D&D action adventure game is already in development at Invoke Studios, the team behind Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance. Wizards of the Coast is also set to publish Exodus, the promising-looking sci-fi RPG from Archetype Entertainment, a developer founded by a collection of former Mass Effect veterans.

As for the Baldur’s Gate series, it’s expected that another game will eventually materialise, though not from Baldur’s Gate 3 studio Larian, which has now moved on to something new. Instead, Wizards of the Coast is expected to announce plans to continue the franchise with a different developer.

“We’re kind of working out our plans for the future and what we’re going to be doing with that,” Hasbro gaming boss Dan Ayoub told IGN back in March this year. “And actually, in pretty short order, we’re going to have some stuff to talk about around that.”

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

Hard to believe it’s already June. But a new month means a new batch of PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2(!), PC, and even VR games is heading our way. This month sees the release of the next iteration of Nintendo’s incredibly popular hardware, plus a bunch of games (and ports) for launch. And if you’re not into the new hybrid console, you can pick up Death Stranding 2: On the Beach for PS5, plus a bunch of other games. Read on to see release dates for all the biggest games and expansions coming out in May and beyond. Let’s have a look.

If you’re someone who likes to preorder your games, you can click the links on the platform of your choice to make sure it arrives on launch day.

June 2025 – Video Game Release Dates

The big release in June is obviously the Nintendo Switch 2, the Mario company’s first new hardware in seven years. It’s getting a new Mario Kart installment at launch, plus a ton of ports of big games like Cyberpunk, Hitman, Hogwarts, and more. Anyone not planning on spending $450+ on a new console this month can pick up a new Five Nights at Freddy’s, a new Death Stranding, and more.

• Deltarune Ch 1-4 – June 4 – (PS5, Switch, PC) (Switch 2 on June 5)
• Nintendo Switch 2 (Hardware) – June 5 – Buy It
• Arcade Archives 2: Ridge Racer – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Fast Fusion – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Fortnite – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Hitman: World of Assassination Signature Edition – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Hogwarts Legacy – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Mario Kart World – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Sid Meier’s Civilization VII – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Sonic x Shadow Generations – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Split Fiction – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Street Fighter 6: Years 1-2 Fighters Edition – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Survival Kids – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut – June 5 – (Switch 2)
• Dune: Awakening – June 10 – (PS5, Xbox)
• MindsEye – June 10 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Stellar Blade – June 11 – (PC)
• The Alters – June 13 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic – June 13 – (PS5)
• Gex Trilogy – June 16 – (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)
• Soulstone Survivors – June 17 – (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)
• Tron: Catalyst – June 17 – (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)
• Battle Train – June 18 – (Switch, PC)
• Chronicles of the Wolf – June 19 – (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)
• Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army – June 19 – (PS5, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox, PC)
• Rematch – June 19 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Star Overdrive – June 19 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – June 26 – (PS5)
• System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster – June 26 – (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)
• Tamagotchi Plaza – June 27 – (Switch, Switch 2)

July 2025 – Video Game Release Dates

• College Football 26 – July 7 – 10 (depending on edition) – (PS5, XSX)
• Patapon 1+2 Replay – July 11 – (PS5, Switch, PC)
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 – July 11 – (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)
• Donkey Kong Bonanza – July 17 – (Switch 2)
• Shadow Labyrinth – July 18 – (PS5, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox, PC)
• Killing Floor 3 – July 24 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV – July 24 – (Switch 2)
• No Sleep for Kaname Date – July 25 – (Switch, PC)
• Wild Heats S – July 25 – (Switch 2)
• Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game – July 29 – (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)

August 2025 – Video Game Release Dates

• Gradius Origins – August 7 – (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)
• Mafia: The Old Country – August 8 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Madden NFL 25 – August 11 or 14 (depending on edition) – (PS5, Xbox, Switch 2)
• Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar – August 27 – (Switch, Switch 2, PC)
• Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater – August 28 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Lost Soul Aside – August 29 – (PS5, PC)
• Shinobi: Art of Vengeance – August 29 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)

September 2025 – Video Game Release Dates

• Hell Is Us – September 4 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Daemon x Machina: Titanic Scion – September 5 – (Switch 2)
• Terminator 2D: No Fate – September 5 – (PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC)
• Borderlands 4 – September 12 – (PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, PC)
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter – September 19 – (PS5, Switch, PC)
• Marathon – September 23 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)

October 2025 – Video Game Release Dates

• Directive 8020: A Dark Pictures Game – October 2 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Ghost of Yotei – October 2 – (PS5)
• Pokemon Legends: Z-A – October 16 – (Switch, Switch 2)
• Double Dragon Revive – October 23 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)

May 2026 – Video Game Release Dates

• Grand Theft Auto 6 – May 26, 2026 – (PS5, Xbox)

Upcoming Video Games – Release Date TBA

• 33 Immortals – 2025 – (Xbox, PC)
• Anno 117: Pax Romana – 2025 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Arc Raiders – 2025 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• ArcheAge Chronicles – 2025 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Ark 2 – TBA – (PC)
• Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian – 2025 – (PS5, Switch, PC)
• Ballad of Antara – 2025 – (PS5)
• Blackfrost: The Long Dark II – TBA
• Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth – TBA – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Clockwork Revolution – TBA – (Xbox, PC)
• Coffee Talk Tokyo – 2025 – (Switch)
• Contraband – TBA – (Xbox, PC)
• Crimson Desert – 2025 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Digimon Story: Time Stranger – 2025 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Directive 8020: A Dark Pictures Game – 2025 – (PS5)
• Drag & Drive – Summer 2025 – (Switch 2)
• Dreams of Another – 2025 – (PS5)
• The Duskbloods – 2026 – (Switch 2)

• Dying Light: The Beast – Summer 2025 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition – 2025 – (Switch 2)
• The Eternal Life of Goldman – Holiday 2025 – (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)
• Everwild – TBA – (Xbox, PC)
• Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots – 2025 – (PS5, Switch, PC)
• Fable – 2026 – (Xbox, PC)
• Front Mission 3 Remake – TBA – (Switch)
• Frostpunk 1886 – 2027 – (PC)
• Gears of War: E-Day – TBA – (Xbox, PC)
• Hail Macbeth – Q1 2026 – (PC)
• Hello Kitty: Island Adventure – 2025 – (Switch)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong – 2025 – (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)
• Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment – Winter 2025-2026 – (Switch 2)
• Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet – TBA – (PS5)
• John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando – TBA – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Judas – TBA – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Jurassic Park: Survival – TBA – (PS5, Xbox, PC)

• Kirby Air Riders – 2025 – (Switch 2)
• Lies of P: Overture (DLC) – Summer 2025 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Little Devil Inside – TBA – (PS5, Switch, Xbox)
• Little Nightmares 3 – 2025 – (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)
• Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra – 2026
• Marvel Cosmic Invasion – 2025 – (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)
• Marvel’s Blade – TBA – (Xbox, PC)
• Mecha Break – 2025 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – 2025 – (Switch, Switch 2)
• Mio: Memories in Orbit – 2025 – (Switch)
• Mixtape – 2025 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Monument Valley 3 – Summer 2025 – (Switch)
• Moth Kubit – Spring 2025 – (Switch)
• Ninja Gaiden 4 – Fall 2025 – (Xbox, PC)
• OD – TBA – (Xbox)
• Okami 2 – TBA
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword – 2026 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• The Outer Worlds 2 – 2025 – (Xbox, PC)
• Perfect Dark – TBA – (Xbox, PC)
• Phantom Blade 0 – TBA – (PS5)
• Phantom Hellcat – TBA – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero – 2025 – (Switch)
• Pokemon Champions – TBA – (Switch, mobile)
• PowerWash Simulator 2 – 2025 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• The Precinct – 2025 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake – 2026 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Prison Architect 2 – TBA (Xbox, PC)
• Professor Layton and the New World of Steam – 2025 – (Switch, Switch 2)
• Replaced – 2025 – (Xbox, PC)
• Rhythm Heaven Groove – 2026 – (Switch)
• Rift of the Necrodancer – 2025 – (Switch)
• Saros – 2026 – (PS5)
• Screamer – 2026 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope DX – 2025 – (Switch)
• The Sinking City 2 – 2025 – (Xbox, PC)
• Slay the Spire 2 – early access in 2025 – (PC)
• Sleight of Hand – 2025 – (Xbox, PC)
• Sonic Racing CrossWorlds – TBA – (PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC)

• Star Overdrive – 2025 – (Switch)
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake – TBA – (PS5)
• Star Wars Outlaws – 2025 – (Switch 2)
• State of Decay 3 – TBA (Xbox, PC)
• Styx: Blades of Greed – Fall 2025 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Terminator: Survivors – TBA – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Tides of Annihilation – TBA – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream – 2026 – (Switch)
• Turok Origins – TBA – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 – H1 2025 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Venus Vacation Prism – early 2025 – (PS5, PC)
• Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 – 2026 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy – TBA (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Definitive Edition – TBA – (PC)
• Winter Burrow – Early 2025 – (Xbox, PC)
• Witchbrook Winter – 2025 – (Switch, Xbox, PC)
• The Witcher 4 – TBA
• The Wolf Among Us 2 – TBA – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Wolverine – TBA – (PS5)
• Wuchang: Fallen Feathers – 2025 – (PS5, Xbox, PC)
• Yes, Your Grace: Snowfall – TBA – (Switch, Xbox, PC)

For more release date fun, check out our ongoing list of 4K UHD and Blu-ray release dates.

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.

Reports that modders unlocked a secret multiplayer mode in Stellar Blade aren’t quite as they seem, claims the player who first posted a split-screen gameplay video that’s going viral across social media.

While overnight reports popped up that Stellar Blade developer Shift Up had built a defunct multiplayer mode directly into the game, the modder who discovered it and shared a two-player gameplay clip of Stellar Blade in Discord has insisted this is not the case.

“I woke up to everyone posting clips that I shared in a Discord completely out of context, I avoided tweeting these for a reason,” PhantomSomnus wrote on X/Twitter. PhantomSomnus then explained that “split-screen mode is built into Unreal Engine, [Stellar Blade developer] Shift Up did not create it.”

That’s how PhantomSomnus managed to load a second Eve into their game. The split-screen multiplayer in the video was not developed by Shift Up, it was made by PhantomSomnus using Unreal Engine’s native local multiplayer support. “The reason why I set up split-screen was to see if I could get any of it to work, but as you can see I failed,” PhantomSomnus explained in a post on Reddit.

O modder @phantomSomnus encontrou nos arquivos de Stellar Blade referências a multiplayer.
E neste vídeo, com uma 2ª Eve spawnada, a tela surpresamente se divide em duas, como se o jogo estivesse preparado para um modo co-op local (dois controles)#StellarBlade #StellarBladePC https://t.co/QIeiu5lKSI pic.twitter.com/rp7oudcnV2

— Stellar Blade Brasil (@StellarBladeBR) June 1, 2025

“There ARE signs of multiplayer in the game,” PhantomSomnus said, “but they’re online only.” A previous post of theirs includes a screenshot depicting what they found when digging around the demo’s backend. The “old scrapped/unused multiplayer PVP mode,” as Somnus calls it, no longer works, but they did discover “some menus left over.”

Does this mean be any kind of multiplayer update or mod in the future for Stellar Blade? “Very unlikely,” PhantomSomnus said.

The PC version of Stellar Blade launches via Steam on June 11 along with a raft of PC-specific features, including AI upscaling via Nvidia DLSS 4 and AMD FSR 3, an unlocked framerate, Japanese and Chinese voiceover, ultrawide display support, higher resolution environment textures, and DualSense support for haptic feedback and trigger effects. It was originally region locked in 100+ countries, but is now available to pre-order on PC in “over 250 regions.”

IGN’s Stellar Blade review returned a 7/10. We said: “Stellar Blade is great in all of the most important ways for an action game, but dull characters, a lackluster story, and several frustrating elements of its RPG mechanics prevent it from soaring along with the best of the genre.”

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

FromSoftware has released Elden Ring Nightreign patch 1.01.1, the game’s first since launch, and with it made single-player mode a lot easier.

Update 1.01.1, available now across PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S, adds the effect “Automatic Revival Upon Defeat,” which allows revival once per night boss battle to solo expeditions, and increases the amount of runes gained for solo expeditions.

That will come as some relief to players who had found solo mode a brutal experience. As explained in IGN’s Elden Ring Nightreign review: “Let’s get the most important caveat out of the way first: if you are hoping to tackle Nightreign entirely solo, and are anything less than a hardcore Elden Ring player that actively seeks out ways to make that already difficult game even more challenging, Nightreign isn’t for you. Yes, there is technically a single-player option, but it is so poorly balanced that I would be shocked if it isn’t patched and adjusted within the first month of release. And this is coming from someone who lives and breathes these types of games.”

Elsewhere, the update increases the number of high-rarity Relics that can be obtained as a reward when reaching Day 3 during Expeditions, and increases the probability of obtaining high-rarity Relics from Scenic Flat stones purchased at the Small Jar Bazaar. The patch notes, published by Bandai Namco, are in full below.

Over the weekend, FromSoftware acknowledged matchmaking issues on Elden Ring Nightreign, and offered suggestions to players affected. There had already been some negative reaction, mostly due to Nightreign’s lack of duos co-op, lack of voice chat, and other archaic mechanics. That age-old multiplayer struggle to find enough friends to make up a coordinated three-player group is very much a part of the Elden Ring Nightreign experience, too.

Last week, producer Yasuhiro Kitao took to social media to comment on Elden Ring Nightreign’s early sales success (2 million units in its first day). “Nightreign has some peculiar aspects to its game design and is different from our recent titles in various ways,” Kitao said. “Nonetheless, many of you have bravely jumped into this world, and for that we’re immensely grateful.

“As with Demon’s Souls or Sekiro, it may be confounding at first, but just like those games, Nightreign offers its own challenges and experiences. Once you overcome the initial hurdle, it’ll surely provide a sense of accomplishment that’s also its very own.

“We hope you enjoy it.”

We’ve got plenty of Nightreign tips and tricks to help you take down all the eight Nightlord Bosses, and if you’re wondering how to unlock the two locked Nightfarer Classes, check out How to Unlock the Revenant and How to Unlock the Duchess, plus How to Change Characters.

Elden Ring Nightreign update 1.01.1 patch notes:

Single Player Mode-exclusive adjustments

• The effect “Automatic Revival Upon Defeat”, which allows revival once per night boss battle, has been added to solo expeditions.
• The amount of runes gained has been increased for solo expeditions.

General balance adjustments

• Increased the number of high-rarity Relics that can be obtained as a reward when reaching Day 3 during Expeditions.
• Increased the probability of obtaining high-rarity Relics from Scenic Flat stones purchased at the Small Jar Bazaar.

Bug Fixes

• Adjusted camera behavior when activating the Guardian’s Ultimate Art, “Wings of Salvation.”
• Fixed a bug in the Duchess’s Character Skill “Restage” where Status Ailments would not trigger when built up from other players’ attacks.
• Fixed a bug where some attacks of Raider with Greataxe and Great Hammer weapon types had higher damage than intended.
• Fixed a bug where some “Those Who Live in Death “ enemies would revive when defeated with the “Sacred Blade” skill.
• Fixed a bug where the “Bleeding” Status Ailment would not build up when the Skill “Bloody Slash” hit an enemy.
• Fixed a bug where the “Ghostflame Ignition” attack would not occur under certain circumstances.
• Fixed a bug where the status ailment “Frostbite” would not build up when the light wave released by a strong attack hit an enemy while the “Moonlight Greatsword” skill was active.
• Fixed a bug where the speed of arrows fired with the “Mighty Shot” and “Enchanted Shot” skills was slower than expected.
• Fixed a bug where the attack range of the magic spell “Rock Sling” was longer than expected when using it with a staff equipped in the left hand.
• Fixed a bug where the effect of reducing the maximum HP of enemies when the incantation “Black Blade” hit them was not activated.
• Fixed a bug where the Passive Effect “Successive Attacks Negate Damage” would stack when successive attacks were made while the Effect was active.
• Fixed a bug where some Passive Effects were not displaying their effects at the correct values.
• Fixed a bug where the Relic Special Effect “[Guardian] Become the target of enemy aggression when ability is activated” would not activate under certain situations.
• Fixed a bug where certain effects were not being applied to Relics obtained from Expedition Rewards or purchased from the Small Jar Bazaar.
• Fixed a bug where items that could be obtained upon completing a Remembrance in the Remembrance world when the scenario conditions were met could not be obtained when changing characters and concluding a Remembrance.
• Fixed bugs in the behavior and specifications of certain attacks and actions of specific enemies.
• Fixed a bug that caused the game to become unstable under certain conditions during battles with specific enemies.
• Fixed a bug in the graphics rendering during battles with specific enemies.
• Fixed some incorrect information in the staff credits.
• Fixed some text.
• Fixed a bug where some sound effects were not playing correctly.
• Fixed a bug where the “Exit Remembrance” effect was not displayed during a “Wylder” Remembrance on some platforms.
• Fixed a bug where the HUD was not displayed on some platforms.
• Fixed a bug where the game would crash under certain circumstances on some platforms.
• Fixed a bug where Expeditions and reconnecting to sessions would fail under certain circumstances on some platforms.
• Fixed a bug where background music would not play properly under certain circumstances on some platforms.

Steam-only adjustments

• Fixed a bug where some graphics were not rendered correctly when “Low” was selected in “Quality Settings” under “Graphics.”
• Fixed a bug where the Climb up action sometimes failed when using the keyboard.
• Fixed a bug where the Climb up action was difficult to perform when using a gamepad.

The version number of this update shown at the lower right corner of the Title Screen will be as follows:

• App Ver. 1.01.1
• Regulation Ver 1.01.2

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.

Ubisoft’s unannounced but widely-expected Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag remake has been referenced again, this time by a collectible statue maker.

PureArts, which makes figurines and busts of countless video game characters, recently held a livestream showing off a range of new Assassin’s Creed merchandise.

Here, PureArts representatives strongly hinted that the remake would surface in the not-too-distant future, and noted that “there is something going on.”

During the livestream, Assassin’s Creed fans noted the absence of Black Flag hero Edward Kenway from PureArts’ latest range, prompting a presenter to acknowledge the situation and state that the company was holding off launching a new version of Edward Kenway right now for a specific reason (thanks, Insider Gaming).

“Assassin’s Creed fans out there, you should be aware there is something going on with Edward,” the presenter stated.

“Has that been announced?” their co-presenter asked.

“I think so,” the presenter confirmed. (It has not.) “I’m pretty sure I saw rumours about it,” they continued. “No I definitely saw an article about this. So I mean, if you’re not a true Assassin’s Creed fan it’s not my fault… There’s going to be something going on with Edward and our PVC 1/8th scale Edward statue will reflect that accordingly. Am I saying that well?”

Something big is definitely happening regarding the Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Remake. 🏴‍☠️🔥

The people at Pure Arts unveiled a new collection of figures, but the EDWARD one was missing. 🧐

When asked, they said this: 🗣💬

Via @TheRAFITI69#AssassinsCreed #Ubisoft pic.twitter.com/RloVJfWAd5

— Zephryss⛩️ (@TheRealZephryss) March 29, 2025

While Ubisoft is yet to confirm its Black Flag remake officially, multiple reports charting the game’s development have surfaced over the past couple of years. The project is allegedly being worked on by Skull and Bones studio Ubisoft Singapore (remember that Skull and Bones itself started life as a Black Flag spin-off), and will ultimately offer more than just a simple remaster.

Indeed, fans expect the game to boast all of the visual fidelity found in the recent Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as well as expanded wildlife and combat systems.

The suggestion by PureArts that its new Edward statue would “reflect” Black Flag’s launch also suggests the fan-favorite character might get something of a new look. IGN has contacted Ubisoft for more.

With no all-new Assassin’s Creed game set for the end of this year, fans believe the Black Flag remake would be well positioned to arrive in time for the holidays.

In the meantime, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set to continue its first year of post-launch content with the arrival of its first major expansion, Claws of Awaji, likely due this September.

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

Beloved YouTuber Shirley Curry, colloquially known as the Skyrim Grandma, has started playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered — and chat is giving her all the help she needs.

In a video titled ‘Oblivion Remastered #1 Learning’ posted to her 1.3 million subscriber YouTube channel, the 89-year-old began her journey in Bethesda’s recently released remaster having just left the tutorial area.

“Good morning grandkids. This is Oblivion Remastered,” Curry began. “I am out of all that creepy jail and dungeon and sewers and all that mess you have to come through for so long before you ever get to come out of that into the world. This is the first thing that I see.”

Curry is struggling somewhat with Oblivion Remastered, asking for chat’s help on things like how to show her character from a third-person perspective. She spends a lot of her time looking around, exploring, and getting to grips with Oblivion Remastered’s movement, control scheme, and mechanics. And yes, lockpicking is a real problem. But isn’t it for everyone?

Shirley, if you’re reading this, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide to everything you’ll find in Oblivion Remastered, including an expansive Interactive Map, complete Walkthroughs for the Main Questline and every Guild Quest, How to Build the Perfect Character, Things to Do First, every PC Cheat Code, and much more!

A second video, titled ‘Oblivion Remastered #2 Still Learning,’ was also mostly about getting to grips with the game. “I guess you’re gonna have to hear an awful lot of complaining from me,” Curry said while in a cave infested with goblins and giant rats.