Sony has announced its PlayStation Plus monthly lineup of games for September 2025, which includes a Xbox-published title and a hugely popular farming sim.
Further solidifying the friendship between Xbox and PlayStation, next month’s list is headlined by Psychonauts 2, the platform-adventure from Tim Schafer’s Doublefine Studios, which is of course owned by Microsoft. This quirky sequel launched to positive reviews (and no, you don’t need to have played the first).
Next up is Stardew Valley, the charming life and farming simulation which really doesn’t need much introduction. If you don’t yet own a copy or three of this beloved indie game, now’s your chance to see what all the fuss is about. Just don’t expect to do anything else for the next dozen hours, as it gets its hooks into you.
Finally this month, there’s Viewfinder. A mix of photo mode and first-person puzzle game, this well-received indie first launched in 2023 and boggled all our brains with its perspective-warping levels and extremely smart gameplay.
All three games will be available to claim from September 2 onwards. And, as ever, you have just a couple of days left to add August’s PlayStation Plus games to your library. Act now to nab Lies of P, Day Z and My Hero One’s Justice 2, before they leave the subscription service on September 1.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Regardless of what’s been said about the game to date, Resident Evil: Requiem’s director and producer want you to know that the title — scheduled for release in 2026, the series’ 30th anniversary year — has more going on than a simple focus on nostalgia.
It’s perhaps an odd thing to hear, as Capcom itself has highlighted how Resident Evil Requiem will return to the survival horror series’ roots back in Raccoon City, after several games set elsewhere. And it’ll be there, in the crumbling remnants of the series’ past, that Capcom has also promised players will find answers to lingering story threads and open questions from decades ago.
But despite all of this, and despite the huge ongoing speculation over Leon S. Kennedy’s potential presence in the game (something Capcom specifically declined to comment on to IGN), Capcom is keen for Requiem to be seen as more than just a look back into the franchise’s past. Speaking to IGN last week at Gamescom, in a question specifically about the current focus of fan debate, producer Masato Kumazawa made it clear that Requiem would end up being as much about the series’ future, as well as its origins.
“We love checking out the conversations that are happening,” Kumazawa said, “but this isn’t a game which is entirely focused on looking back. And we’re back in Raccoon City, but that’s not the only location in the game,” he revealed.
Indeed, while Requiem’s release has lined up with the Resident Evil series’ 30th anniversary next year, Kumazawa made clear that this was not the project’s initial plan — perhaps suggesting that fans expecting some kind of long-planned grand finale might need to adjust their expectations.
“It’s coming out in the 30th anniversary, but it wasn’t planned that way,” Kumazawa said. “It just ended up with the development was finished and the game is ready to release in 2026, which is the 30th anniversary.
“It wasn’t built in to be an anniversary title that is only backward facing,” he continued. “So there’s a lot more to the game than just the series’ legacy. We didn’t call it Resident Evil 9 after all. There’s a clue in the logo type, but ultimately the name is Resident Evil Requiem.”
When asked by IGN whether Capcom felt the need to cater to fans who want to see familiar things return, Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi said this was “tough to answer without getting into too much we’re not ready to talk about yet.”
“We know that people expect to be surprised or pleasantly surprised whenever they, like you say, they get the connections or they’re happy to see this or that they’re familiar with coming back,” Nakanishi said, without mentioning any character in particular.
“But I’m sure that people will be happy when they see how we’ve managed to blend a fresh approach and a fresh new character with also things that fans will recognize.”
In honor of the 34th anniversary of Mario Kart, which was released in Japan on August 27, 1991, IGN Dealsis giving away a Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World Bundle to one lucky winner! (That’s not all: IGN Deals Twitter/X is ALSO giving away a Mario LEGO set; you can enter until Sept 1).
So… what’s the catch with this Switch 2 giveaway? We want to invite you to be part of our email Deals $quad. So by entering this giveaway, you will be opted into our IGN Deals’ newsletters for the latest and greatest deals sent straight to your inbox each day. Enter for the giveaway, but stick around for the killer curated deals. That’s it! See details on how to enter this sweepstakes below.
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Mario Kart first hit the Super Famicom on August 27, 1992, and to celebrate its anniversary I’m giving away a LEGO Mario Kart set. To enter, make sure you’re following this account and reply #mariokartanniversary for your chance to win. pic.twitter.com/0wxL75Zqgv
We built the Mario Kart LEGO set earlier this year, and it’s truly a build that everyone can love. Casual builders will appreciate its bright primary colors and its chunky parts, while experienced LEGO builders will appreciate the intricacy of the Kart’s construction.
How to Enter: Simply follow IGNDeals on X and reply to our announcement Tweet above with the hashtag “#mariokartanniversary” before September 1st, 2025. Giveaway terms and conditions here.
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No Man’s Sky is expanding once again, this time with the free Voyagers update. Interestingly, developer Hello Games said the tech introduced with this update will be shared with its next game, Light No Fire.
Voyagers adds a long list of features, which chief developer Sean Murray said Hello Games had worked on for some time now. Chief among them is the Corvette Ship Class and the possibility for a multiplayer crew.
But there’s much more to Voyagers, revealed in the list below:
Corvette Ship Class
Assemble Ships
Multiplayer Crew
Mission Radar
Autopilot in Space
Space walking
New missions
StarShip Interiors
New Spacesuit
Sky diving
Graphical Improvements
Varied Cockpits
New Expedition
Voyagers arrives just over nine years after No Man’s Sky’s troubled launch. Sentiment around the game is positive now, of course, following continued, eye-catching support from Hello Games.
Here’s Murray’s note on the Voyagers release:
I can’t believe it’s been just over nine years since No Man’s Sky first launched. No Man’s Sky VOYAGERS is what we’re super busy with right now and is one of our most ambitious updates. It launches today.
I’ve always loved Spaceships! Name a sci-fi film, book or game, and I want to talk to you about the spaceships in it! We know No Man’s Sky players feel the same – they spend countless hours searching the universe for their perfect ship. But what if you could design your own ship? If you could get out of your pilot’s seat mid-flight and walk around? If you could invite your friends on board as crew?
I guess that’s always been the ultimate fantasy for us. An infinite universe to explore with your ship and crew. Something we’ve always wanted to see brought together in one game.
Afterall perhaps the most important character in No Man’s Sky is your space ship. It’s your safe haven on hazardous planets, your companion exploring the stars. Your ship is your way of experiencing the universe, and when we change that, it really changes how the game feels.
We call them Corvettes, huge ships with hulls, wings, landing gear, cockpits, engine parts, thrusters and more – arranged to your own unique sci-fi design.
These ships have real interiors, med-bays, sleeping quarters, war rooms, radars, teleporters. It comes with you everywhere, which totally changes how you play. Decorating it with your friends gives you a space that you share together. Whether it’s a brightly coloured tiny explorer, or a colossal dark metallic war ship, it allows you to show off your own personality.
Adding bigger weapons to your Corvette increases your firepower. Add sleeping quarters and a mission radar, and you are ready to welcome a crew of friends on board. Add a mission radar and you are ready to adventure. A teleporter and you have an away team. Or just a window… and suddenly there are these special moments, watching as the universe flies by outside at warp speed.
Having multiple Corvettes flying over a planet together is incredible, especially when you pop the hatch and spacewalk or skydive from one ship to the other!
By design, Corvettes are encountered a little way into the game and veteran players will be able to unlock them reasonably swiftly. But we wanted to give all players a taste of what they can expect, so the accompanying “Corvette” expedition is specifically designed to get you to the workshop as quickly as possible and to take you on a journey which unlocks some of the parts you’re going to need to build out your sci-fi fantasy.
The team at Hello have been working on Voyagers for a long time. The technical challenges they have had to overcome to make any of this possible have been immense. Almost every part of the game has had to be reworked to accommodate these relative spaces. Having your multiplayer crew walking around, calmly editing your ship, as it travels at warp speeds towards a planet that is being generated as you approach. It’s pretty insane what’s going on behind the scenes to make that work.
Much of the technology we’re introducing with Voyagers is shared with our next game, Light No Fire, which is a truly open world, a shared Earth-sized planet, with real oceans to traverse, needing large boats and crews. We love that we get to share this technology with players early.
The most exciting thing about Voyagers for me is the possibilities it opens in the future for No Man’s Sky, and I can’t wait to see where the team takes it from here.
I can’t believe that in the past 12 months we released Worlds Part I, Worlds Part II, and Voyagers – all huge changes to this game we care about so much.
Many thanks for any support you continue to provide our little game. It really helps us continue to do what we do.
To celebrate our ninth anniversary, we’re also releasing our latest range of No Man’s Sky merchandise, including Gek and Traveller plushies with our friends at YouTooz, a new vinyl soundtrack with new tracks from the game and an exclusive tee, jacket and pin badge collection from Insert Coin.
Our journey continues.
Sean
It’s worth digging into the tiny detail on Light No Fire that Murray offers here. He described Light No Fire as a “truly open world, a shared Earth-sized planet, with real oceans to traverse, needing large boats and crews.” This is the tech we’re seeing in the No Man’s Sky Voyagers update, in spaceship form. There’s no release date yet for Light No Fire.
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.
Atari said it will “reintroduce iconic creations, bringing them to new platforms and renewed publishing frameworks.” They’ll all be re-released under Atari’s own publishing label and be available “on new platforms.”
“Millions of players have experienced these worlds over the years, and this will open the door for long-time players to revisit those memories while inviting new audiences to discover them for the first time,” said Deborah Papiernik, Ubisoft’s VP of new business.
“Atari has a rich gaming legacy and deep appreciation for these classic titles, we’re excited to see how they’ll evolve and connect with players in fresh, meaningful ways.”
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.
Good news, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 fans! Clair Obscur is not just the shortened name for developer Sandfall Interactive’s blockbuster RPG — it’s also the name for an entire franchise.
“Clair Obscur is the franchise name. Expedition 33 is one of the stories that we want to tell in this franchise,” director Guillaume Broche told MrMattyPlays (thanks TheGamer).
“Exactly what it will look like and what the concept will be is still too soon to announce, but what is sure is that this is not the end of the Clair Obscur franchise.”
And if that wasn’t quite obvious enough for you, he also specifically talked about his process for when he “writes sequels,” too, leaving us with little doubt that a follow-up game is on the way. Watch this space.
In IGN’s 9/10 review of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, we described it as a “modern RPG classic,” adding: “In so many ways, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 reminded me of numerous classic and contemporary RPGs I love, but developer Sandfall truly understood why those games are special and made the pieces it borrowed its own.”
Sandfall recently published Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 update 1.4.0, adding key features like a Battle Retry option alongside a host of quality-of-life changes, visual improvements, and bug fixes. However, the studio stopped short of detailing exactly what will be in the next Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 update, simply telling fans that “there is more to come in the future.”
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.
The furore began with the confirmation that Bloodlines 2 would feature four clans: Brujah; Tremere; Banu Haqim; and Ventrue. While this selection provides four different starting options for how you build your protagonist, it’s a more limited offering compared to the cult classic original Bloodlines, which featured seven clans.
Developer The Chinese Room has added a further two clans to Bloodlines 2 (Lasombra and Toreador), but these are currently only available as part of the Shadows and Silk add-on pack, which costs $21.99 as DLC, or included as part of the $89.99 Premium Edition. The standard edition costs $59.99.
This DLC is available from day one, which has created the impression that the “full” roster has been carved up, with only those paying extra getting the complete launch experience. As you’d expect, fans were quick to express their dissatisfaction.
Then, at gamescom 2025, a representative for publisher Paradox told IGN the decision was a “business” informed choice, prompting further outcry. But a post on Discord suggests a significant change may be coming ahead of launch.
As spotted on ResetEra, Paradox community developer DebbieElla addressed the game’s community with the following message:
“We are listening to your feedback about the Lasombra and Toreador clan access, and we’re making adjustments ahead of launch to reflect this.
“We will share more information about what this means as soon as possible.”
What this means is unknown for now, but the hope of course is that Paradox throws in the two clans for launch at no extra cost. Certainly, that would go some way to calming down the fanbase ahead of the game’s release on October 21. But what would that then mean for those who have already paid for the more expensive Premium Edition?
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has suffered a difficult development and a number of high-profile delays, but it is a crucial release for Paradox. The publisher will be keen to give it the best chance possible to succeed, and backtracking on its DLC plans may be the only viable option at this stage. While you wait to find out, check out IGN’s Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 hands-on preview.
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.
It sounds like all change for Call of Duty with the release of Black Ops 7, amid pressure from Battlefield 6 and its commitment to “gritty realism.”
Call of Duty’s foray into goofy skins territory is not a new phenomena, although recent releases have certainly amped up the conversation around them. With the likes of Beavis and Butt-Head and American Dad hitting the game this year shortly after weed-obsessed bundles starring Seth Rogen, some fans have said they’ve had enough of what they call the ‘Fortnite-ification’ of their beloved Call of Duty, and have pleaded with publisher Activision to return to its mil-sim roots.
In a recent interview with DBLTAP, Battlefield 6 design director Shashank Uchil doubled down on EA’s commitment to grounded realism, and even pointed to Call of Duty’s infamous Nicki Minaj skin as something Battlefield 6 doesn’t need.
“It has to be grounded,” he said. “That is what BF3 and BF4 was — it was all soldiers, on the ground. It’s going to be like this,” Uchil said, pointing at the key art featuring soldiers in soldier gear looking out over a wartorn New York City.
He added: “I don’t think it needs Nicki Minaj. Let’s keep it real, keep it grounded.”
With Battlefield 6 set to go up against Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 later this year, Activision has now issued a community update that indicates it’s ready to make significant changes to the types of bundles it releases for the game.
But there’s perhaps even more significant news here: Activision confirmed that Operators, Operator Skins, and Weapons from Black Ops 6 will no longer carry forward into Black Ops 7.
This comes as a big surprise to players who had expected content they’d bought for Black Ops 6 to carry forward, as it has done with previous entries, and given Black Ops 7 directly follows last year’s Black Ops 6. Explaining the decision, Activision said Black Ops 7 “needs to feel authentic to Call of Duty and its setting.”
“That is why Black Ops 6 Operator and Weapon content will not carry forward to Black Ops 7. Double XP tokens and GobbleGums will still carry forward, because we recognize your time and progression are important.”
(This change applies only to Black Ops 7. Call of Duty: Warzone is not affected, and all your Black Ops 6 content stays usable there.)
What impact will this have on Black Ops 7? It means that at launch, at least, you won’t see all those goofy skins running around Multiplayer. It sounds like Multiplayer will look like Black Ops 7, at least at the start of things.
Where will Activision go from here? Its community post suggests it’s ready to tone down the goofiness for Black Ops 7’s entire lifecycle, although it’s worth pointing out we don’t have specifics here.
“We know there’s been a lot of conversation recently about the identity of Call of Duty,” Activision said. “Some of you have said we’ve drifted from what made Call of Duty unique in the first place: immersive, intense, visceral and in many ways grounded. That feedback hits home, and we take it seriously. We hear you.
“Throughout development, Treyarch and Raven’s north star has been to deliver a spiritual successor to Black Ops 2 while taking some big swings. You’ll see it across Black Ops 7’s Multiplayer, Zombies, Co-Op Campaign (including Endgame), and even Dead Ops Arcade 4.
“Over the years, we’ve had a variety of games and experiences that fans have enjoyed from the Modern Warfare series to the Black Ops series and beyond. Today, we wanted to share with you some of the ways we’re approaching things with Black Ops 7.”
Activision went on to say that Black Ops 7 bundles and items “will be crafted to fit the Black Ops identity.” “We hear the feedback,” the mega publisher added. “We need to deliver a better balance toward the immersive, core Call of Duty experience.”
If Activision truly leaves goofy skins behind, then it’s leaving a lot of money on the table. The company wouldn’t release Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and Nicki Minaj skins if they didn’t make loads of money. Perhaps, with the release of Battlefield 6, Activision felt it had reached a tipping point, and it needed to take drastic action to respond.
Whatever the case, reaction is a mix of shock, excitement, and frustration. There’s shock that Activision actually canceled carry forward for Black Ops 7, excitement about getting back to Call of Duty’s roots, but for some a frustration that the time and in many cases money spent earning cosmetic items in recent months die with Black Ops 6.
There’s also a spot of scepticism from some within the Call of Duty community, who suspect Activision may hold the line for Black Ops 7’s first few months of life, but eventually retreat into goofy skin territory once again.
Activision ended its community update by promising more information on all aspects of Black Ops 7 soon. Battlefield 6 comes out October 10, with Black Ops 7 following in November. It’s going to be really interesting to see how this all shakes out.
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.
Dell is offering a competitive price on an Alienware Aurora R16 gaming PC equipped with the excellent Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics card during the Intel Gamer Days Sale. Right now you can configure one starting at just $1,699.99 with free delivery. The RTX 5070 Ti graphics card can run any game at 60fps even in 4K, including the upcoming Battlefield 6.
Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5070 Ti Gaming PC for $1,699.99
Th base configuration is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 265F processor, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB graphics card, 16GB of DDR5-5600MHz RAM, and a 1TB M.2 SSD. The system is powered by a 1000W 80Plus Platinum power supply.
The Core Ultra 7 265F is part of Intel’s newest Arrow Lake-S lineup released earlier this year and boasts a max turbo frequency of 5.3GHz with 20 cores and a 36MB L2 cache. This is a great all-around CPU for gaming, multi-tasking, and general workstation performance. It doesn’t have as many cores as a Core Ultra 9 processor, but that doesn’t matter for gaming since the vast majority of games will not be able to utilize more than 20 cores. The processor is air cooled by a tower heatsink and fan combo, but you can upgrade to 240mm all-in-one liquid cooling for an extra $50.
The RTX 5070 Ti GPU Has Excellent 4K Gaming Performance
Of all the Blackwell cards released thus far, the RTX 5070 Ti offers the best bang for your buck, especially when pitted against the previous generation GPUs. It performs neck-and-neck with the RTX 4080 Super and marginalizes the RTX 5080, which is only about 10%-15% faster but costs 33% more. Like all Blackwell cards, the RTX 5070 Ti supports DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation. This GPU is capable of high framerates in nearly all games, even at 4K resolution. If you plan on using this card for AI, the RTX 5070 Ti may be a better value since it has the same amount of VRAM as the RTX 5080.
This deal is part of the Alienware Intel Gamer Days Sale
Dell is participating in the annual Intel Gamer Days Sale with great discounts on Alienware gaming PCs and laptops featuring Intel Core Ultra processors and Nvidia GeForce Blackwell graphics cards. Check out more great deals here.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
Walmart just dropped the price on a gaming PC equipped with the new Nvidia Blackwell GPU for under $1,000. As part of the Intel Gamer Days Sale, you can pick up the iBuypower Element SE GeForce RTX 5060 gaming PC for just $899 after a $300 off instant discount. Free delivery is included. This PC is sold and shipped by Walmart directly with a delivery date as early as tomorrow, depending on your location. The RTX 5060 graphics card is a good value option for playing the newest (and upcoming) games at 1080p.
iBuypower Element SE RTX 5060 Gaming PC for $899
The iBuypower Element SE gaming PC is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 5 225F processor, GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card, 16GB of DDR5-5200MHz RAM, and a 1TB M.2 SSD. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225F CPU has a max turbo frequency of 4.9GHz and 10 cores. It’s cooled by a 120mm tower heatsink and fan combo along with three additional 120mm RGB fans for system airflow. The Intel Core Ultra 5 is an energy efficient chip that works well for gaming. It doesn’t have as many cores as a Core Ultra 7 or 9 CPU, but most games won’t be able to utilize the extra cores anyway.
The GeForce RTX 5060 GPU is a great choice for 1080p
Compared to the previous generation GPUs, the RTX 5060 performs about 15% better than the RTX 4060. It will run pretty much any game in 1080p at framerates of up to 60fps, although some games might require some settings adjustments. 1440p is a viable option too, although you will see an improvement bumping up to a 5060 Ti at that point. Like all Blackwell GPUs, the RTX 5060 supports DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation, and the performance improvement over the 4060 will be bigger with games that support it, including Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, Doom: The Dark Ages, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and the upcoming Borderlands 4 and Battlefield 6 games.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
