Last week, we you to share heroic gaming moments using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
lunar9pshares their hero flying on the back of a massive eagle in Dragon’s Dogma II.
themarkplumbshares their hero raising their sword in Echoes of the End.
crimsonashtreeshares Connor being a hero in Detroit Become Human.
PhotoModeColinshares their heroic Space Marine in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marines II.
s_dream44shares Batman overlooking Gotham in Batman: Arkham Knight.
Photomode_Raroshares Cal Kestis in combat in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Prize SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on March 11, 2026
Next week, share some hard-earned loot or in-game prizes using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
Today’s Capcom Spotlight presentation shared details on a mix of titles, including the upcoming releases of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection and Pragmata, as well as news on Street Fighter 6 and Mega Man Dual Override.
The launch trailer for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection gives you a dramatic look at the upcoming turn-based, story-rich, RPG set in the Monster Hunter universe. In this epic adventure, you are the heir to the throne of Azuria, and the leader of a group called the Rangers. While the two countries of Azuria and Vermeil stand on the brink of war, an ecological threat known as the Crystal Encroachment threatens the fabric of the world.
Together with your fellow Rangers and your monsties – monster partners that you’ll form bonds with as a rider – you’ll journey towards unknown lands on a search to uncover the truth. Meet new friends, discover new lands, and bond with iconic monsters from across series history in a sprawling and memorable RPG adventure.
We can’t wait to welcome you to the world of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection when it launches next week, March 13. Riders and Hunters alike with past save data in Monster Hunter Stories, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, Monster Hunter Rise, and Monster Hunter Wilds can receive different bonus outfits for each. And, if you link your Capcom ID account to your PlayStation account, you’ll receive the Catcom Works outfit for Rudy.
Try the demo now, and transfer over your save data to the full game next week.
The long wait for Pragmata is nearly over. Even better, we’re excited to share that the game will now arrive one week earlier than its previously announced launch date. The new launch date is…April 17!
In our latest trailer, we showcased glimpses at never-before-seen locations and enemies, new abilities for Hugh, and a bit more of the mystery surrounding the lunar research station’s rogue AI: IDUS. We also showed how the Shelter – your safe space away from the action – can continue to grow, as well as your helpful new bot assistant in the Shelter, Cabin. Don’t worry, this one is a friend.
Fight as Hugh and Diana together to escape the lunar research station and make it back to Earth. Can they make Diana’s dream of visiting Earth a reality? Pragmata launches on PS5, April 17.
Get familiar with Pragmata’s tactile, hybrid gameplay that mixes shooting and hacking with the free Sketchbook Demo.
Mega Man Dual Override powers up on PS5 and PS4 in 2027. Shortly after we first announced the game at The Game Awards 2025, we kicked off the Robot Master Design Contest. We asked the community to design a Robot Master who has a right arm with immense suction powers, and out of many entries, we’ve narrowed it down to the final six designs.
Download the image
Download the image
Download the image
Download the image
Download the image
Download the image
The development team will now choose one winner that will appear in the final game when it launches, so stay tuned.
While you wait for the launch of Mega Man Dual Override, check out Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, coming to PS5 and PS4 on March 27. The collection includes seven total games:
Mega Man Star Force Pegasus
Mega Man Star Force Leo
Mega Man Star Force Dragon
Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker x Ninja
Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker x Saurian
Mega Man Star Force 3 Black Ace
Mega Man Star Force 3 Red Joker
Experience these games with enhanced graphics and music, new customization features, and new online features like matchmaking across all three titles, Friend, Casual, and Ranked Matches, and improvements to trading functions and the Brother list.
Acknowledge the arrival of the dark devil, Alex, when he makes his entrance on March 17 as the third fighter from Street Fighter 6 Year 3. The Alex Arrives Fighting Pass will also be available with new content across multiple game modes.
Outfit 4 for Dee Jay and Elena also launches on March 17, the same day as Alex.
That’s all from the Capcom Spotlight. Be sure to check out the full presentation on our official Capcom channels for more info on the games above.
Mouse: P.I. For Hire‘s rubber hose cartoon art style brings it a whole lot of absurd, slapstick humor, which pairs perfectly with its “boomer” shooter gameplay. But underpinning it all is a noir detective story that can be dark and adult as well as goofy and comedic, giving Mouse a fascinating depth that goes beyond its toon inspirations.
I recently went hands-on with an early level from Mouse: P.I. For Hire and got a sense of its fast-paced combat, twitchy boss battles, and underlying narrative that mixes noir detective elements and slapstick humor.
In search of a mad scientist
The preview level I played sent protagonist private eye Jack Pepper to the hidden laboratory of Steve Bandel, a magician and friend of Jack’s who also appears to be a mad scientist. Bandel has gone missing, so Jack follows up on a tip to find the secret lab — accessed by taking an elevator hidden in an outhouse in the middle of the woods.
The lab itself is swarming with strange cultists, armed with weapons ranging from tommy guns and pistols to clubs and wooden shields. Like the shooters Mouse draws its inspiration from — games like Doom, BioShock, and Quake — your best defense is to always be moving. Jack can employ a quick dash move when you press R3 or a slide with L3, giving you a momentary burst of speed to dodge incoming attacks, and a double-jump on the X button that can help you take advantage of the verticality of most arenas. When you need a little space, hitting Circle lets you kick enemies to push them back.
Jack’s arsenal gives you a number of options for dealing with enemies, ranging from his fists to a semi-automatic pistol, the tommygun-like “James Gun,” and a powerful double-barrel shotgun. Each one can be upgraded between levels to power them up and add alternate fire modes. You can also fling sticks of dynamite at enemies and find special power-ups within levels, like a hot pepper that adds fire damage to your weapons for a short period.
And not long into your investigation, you uncover something Bandel must have been working on — a new gun called the Devarnisher. This weapon fires turpentine rounds that deal damage to enemies over time, eventually melting the ink right off their bones.
Bot Betty bosses
The level included three different boss fights. Each boss was a robotic version of Betty, Bandel’s former assistant from his magician days. You learn that Bandel attempted to recreate Betty after her death, and as Jack comments, he got a little weird with it. Each version of Betty is more complete than the last, bringing different elements into the fight before they all culminate in the most complete Robo-Betty, the final boss of the level.
Like with fights against other enemies, speed, positioning, and quick reactions are essential when battling Mouse: P.I. For Hire’s bosses. But unlike other fights, the arenas are more constrained, so it’s a lot tougher to get away from enemy attacks.
Jack’s dash is key to survival in tough fights. It can get him clear of the “gamma ray” laser beams wielded by the first Robo-Betty, or the devastating blades attached to the arms of the second.
The final boss fight brings it all together, with a Robo-Betty that’s fast, aggressive, and capable of dishing out cartoon bombs that will chase you around the arena while she tries to get in close and pummel you. Every so often, she’ll activate the gamma ray attack the first Betty employed, forcing you to hide from it behind a glass wall to avoid getting zapped. During that time, you have a chance to find and hit a button on the wall to blast Betty with a laser of your own, briefly disabling her and allowing you to unload on the bot until it’s destroyed.
A serious story in a cartoon world
Between the goofy animations that come with defeating enemies, absurd jokes like a sign marking a “Totally Normal Wall,” and the bounciness of everything from ammo pickups to your own weapons, cartoon-style comedy is baked into every element of Mouse: P.I. For Hire.
The level was also loaded with secrets, which often hide items that give you insights about the city of Mouseburg where the game takes place, and the political strife affecting its residents. To unlock safes and padlocks to find those secrets, you’ll have to use your tail to trip each lock’s tumblers.
The combination of elements creates a fun tone that’s both absurd and thoughtful. The story itself seems to be a complex one, drawing on noir tropes and ideas and bringing a twinge of adult-oriented thinking to the hilarious world. While Jack’s willing to throw out one-liners, he’s also thoughtful about the information and clues he’s coming across.
Searching for clues
Completing the lab earns you a clue about what happened to Bandel, but it’s just a piece of the puzzle. As the level wraps up, we get a look at Mouse’s world map, full of Mouseburg locations that will presumably house other levels.
In the center is Jack’s PI agency, and returning allows you to wander around the block, where you can visit other characters and upgrade your weapons.
In the office, you can put all the clues you uncovered on Jack’s case board, where hopefully, the picture of the case will start to come into focus. The preview build didn’t give much of a sense of how the investigation portion of the game works, but it’s clear from the story that you’ll be talking to a lot of characters to gather information and pick up leads, developing the case over time.
While the preview level I saw was mostly focused on gunplay, it also highlighted how much attention Mouse: P.I. For Hire is dedicating to its story. Between noir-style narration from Jack, journals and clues you’ll find that tell the story of each level, and characters you’ll meet who provide more insights into the politics and intrigue happening in Mouseburg, Mouse: P.I. For Hire looks to be delivering a deep, twisting mystery.
It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, and free-to-play games topped last month’s download charts. February saw nothing but love for zombies and Leon as Resident Evil Requiem topped the US/Canada and Asia PS5 charts.
Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month?
PS5 Games
US/Canada
Asia
Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem
NBA 2K26
Nioh 3
ARC Raiders
It Takes Two
EA SPORTS Madden NFL 26
EA SPORTS FC 26
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Black Myth: Wukong
Grand Theft Auto V
NBA 2K26
REANIMAL
Forza Horizon 5
EA SPORTS FC 26
Resident Evil 4
Minecraft
Split Fiction
God of War Sons of Sparta
REANIMAL
UFC 5
DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined
Nioh 3
Gran Turismo 7
It Takes Two
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties
High On Life 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
EA SPORTS College Football 26
Hogwarts Legacy
NHL 26
Resident Evil Village
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
UFC 5
Forza Horizon 5
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
HELLDIVERS 2
Grand Theft Auto V
Resident Evil 4
Stellar Blade
*Naming of products may differ between regions *Upgrades not included
PS4 Games
US/Canada
Asia
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2
Gang Beasts
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
A Way Out
Overcooked! 2
Resident Evil 6
A Way Out
theHunter: Call of the Wild
Resident Evil 6
RESIDENT EVIL 5
EA SPORTS FC 26
Middle-earth: Shadow of War
It Takes Two
Minecraft
Door Kickers: Action Squad
Grand Theft Auto V
RESIDENT EVIL 5
FOR HONOR
TEKKEN 7
Batman: Arkham Knight
Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Unravel Two
Watch Dogs 2
NBA 2K26
Grand Theft Auto V
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Need for Speed Heat
Resident Evil
Bare Knuckle IV
God of War
Resident Evil: Revelations 2
The Forest
Mortal Kombat 11
Overcooked! 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man Game Of The Year Edition
Mafia: Trilogy
Mafia: Definitive Edition
STAR WARS Battlefront II
God of War
*Naming of products may differ between regions
PS VR2 Games*
US/Canada
Asia
Alien: Rogue Incursion VR
Horizon Call of the Mountain
Pavlov
Alien: Rogue Incursion VR
Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition
Beat Saber
Among Us 3D: VR
Maestro
Beat Saber
Kayak VR: Mirage
Arizona Sunshine 2
Smash Drums
Job Simulator
Arizona Sunshine 2
Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice
Gun Club VR
Horizon Call of the Mountain
Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition
Zero Caliber VR
Drums Rock
*PlayStation Store purchases only. Game upgrades or games bundled with hardware not included
It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, and free-to-play games topped last month’s download charts. February saw nothing but love for zombies and Leon as Resident Evil Requiem topped the US and EU PS5 charts.
Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month?
PS5 Games
US/Canada
EU
Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem
NBA 2K26
EA SPORTS FC 26
ARC Raiders
UFC 5
EA SPORTS Madden NFL 26
Grand Theft Auto V
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Minecraft
Grand Theft Auto V
It Takes Two
REANIMAL
ARC Raiders
EA SPORTS FC 26
REANIMAL
Minecraft
Forza Horizon 5
God of War Sons of Sparta
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
UFC 5
God of War Sons of Sparta
Nioh 3
NBA 2K26
It Takes Two
Nioh 3
High On Life 2
Resident Evil 4
EA SPORTS College Football 26
Among Us
NHL 26
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Gran Turismo 7
Forza Horizon 5
Split Fiction
HELLDIVERS 2
Hogwarts Legacy
Resident Evil 4
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
*Naming of products may differ between regions *Upgrades not included
PS4 Games
US/Canada
EU
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2
Gang Beasts
A Way Out
A Way Out
Gang Beasts
Resident Evil 6
EA SPORTS FC 26
theHunter: Call of the Wild
Unravel Two
RESIDENT EVIL 5
Resident Evil 6
Middle-earth: Shadow of War
Grand Theft Auto V
Minecraft
RESIDENT EVIL 5
Grand Theft Auto V
Minecraft
FOR HONOR
Rayman Legends
Batman: Arkham Knight
Batman: Arkham Knight
Unravel Two
The Forest
NBA 2K26
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Mafia: Trilogy
Resident Evil
It Takes Two
God of War
Middle-earth: Shadow of War
The Forest
STEEP
Overcooked! 2
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Mafia: Trilogy
WRC 7 FIA World Rally Championship
STAR WARS Battlefront II
Overcooked! 2
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2
*Naming of products may differ between regions
PS VR2 Games*
US/Canada
EU
Alien: Rogue Incursion VR
Alien: Rogue Incursion VR
Pavlov
Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition
Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition
Horizon Call of the Mountain
Among Us 3D: VR
Arizona Sunshine 2
Beat Saber
Among Us 3D: VR
Arizona Sunshine 2
Job Simulator
Job Simulator
Beat Saber
Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice
Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice
Horizon Call of the Mountain
Cooking Simulator VR
Zero Caliber VR
Kayak VR: Mirage
*PlayStation Store purchases only. Game upgrades or games bundled with hardware not included
Crimson Desert seems huge — not just in how much there is to do, but simply how enormous its world is. As an open-world RPG, that’s to be expected, but it’s only when you’re standing on a strange island floating in the sky, seeing the whole world stretch out beneath you, that it’s clear just how expansive the world of Pywel really is.
I recently went hands-on with the beginning portion of Crimson Desert and played about four hours, and while I never made it out to the landmarks I could see in the distance, even the area in and around the city where the game begins felt enormous and full of life.
Helping out in Hernand
You play Kliff, a member of a faction called the Greymanes — warriors renowned for their swordsmanship and their reputation for helping others. The early part of the story takes place in a town called Hernand, where you get your first taste of just how big and bustling Crimson Desert is. Even with four hours of playtime, there was so much to do in and around Hernand that I never made it far from town.
Quests in and around Hernand have you helping out various townspeople with their problems. But there are also plenty of activities and encounters to discover on your own. Often, you’ll find spots and buildings that outlaw factions have taken over, and they’ll attack you if you enter their territory. Defeat enough of them, though, and you’ll liberate the place so the townspeople can reclaim it.
Clearing bandits out from different locations unlocks access to new quests and activities, too. When I drove the bandits out of a fish market, fishermen moved back in, and I was able to observe them and learn to fish myself.
One of the cooler aspects of Crimson Desert is how Kliff can learn new skills not just by unlocking them from his character skill tree, but by observing them from other people. That can even happen in combat.
Fast, fluid combat
Fighting in Crimson Desert is a fast-paced, intense affair, with smart enemies who constantly work to surround and overwhelm you. Luckily, you’re a well-trained swordsman with quite a few abilities. Kliff can chain together fast strikes with R1 and slower, more powerful slashes with R2, but he’s also strong enough to grab enemies and throw them when you press Circle and Triangle buttons together.
Crimson Desert doesn’t really contain character classes or builds — unlocking new skills just adds more and more moves to Kliff’s repertoire, which you can use by pressing different combinations of buttons. Your fighting style is more determined by the weapons you choose to use. Kliff starts with a sword and shield, but you can also find weapons like great swords, spears, axes, and more to change how you approach combat.
You can block with L1, and if you time a block correctly as an attack lands, you can parry an enemy’s blow, knocking them briefly off-balance. Holding L1 also lets you lock onto an enemy, but the fluidity of the combat system means you’ll often quickly drop a lock so you’ll be free to attack in all directions.
Fighting stronger opponents can increase your arsenal of abilities. Midway through one early boss battle, a knight attempted to kick Kliff in the chest — and after seeing the move, Kliff learned it, incorporating it into his fighting style. From then on, I could give enemies the boot to send them flying.
The final battle of my preview was by far the toughest I faced, against Kailock, the Hornsplitter, the leader of a local merchant guild who’d been scouring Hernand for Abyss Artifacts. These are magical items that have fallen from the Abyss, a realm of floating islands above Pywel, and they imbue their wielders with strange powers. Kailock’s artifact makes him very fast and agile, while also allowing him to generate waves of magic from his weapon.
Kailock makes it clear it’ll take understanding your opponents’ abilities and using skills like parrying and powerful attacks to defeat them. And thanks to Abyss Artifacts, it seems like you’ll face enemies throughout Crimson Desert with capabilities that rival your own.
A strange, mystical world
Following the early steps of the main quest quickly leads you to the Abyss, a place seemingly powered by some mix of magic and technology, and home to some mystical folks who’ve taken an interest in Kliff.
It’s here that you start to gain special magical abilities that allow you to complete puzzles, explore the world, and gain an edge in combat. These include turning some objects weightless so you can manipulate them, picking up heavy items that would otherwise block your path, and donning a glider that lets you survive falls and cover distances.
The Abyss gives the first taste of Crimson Desert’s puzzles, which often have you fixing and manipulating Abyss technology. It sounds like you’ll solve quite a few puzzles throughout the game — some in the course of the story, and others that you’ll uncover through exploration.
Abyss Artifacts falling to earth seem to be a major driver for the story, and you can find them throughout the game and use them to unlock character upgrades and new abilities. But you’re not the only person hunting them and their power.
Freedom to explore
Beyond a short trip to the Abyss and the wilderness around Hernand, I didn’t get too far into the world of Crimson Desert, but it does seem like there’s going to be plenty of interesting things to find within the world if you’re willing to look for them.
After leaping off an Abyss island to return to the surface, I floated down near Hernand’s castle and found a man hanging from a cliff. I ran over and pulled him up, and he explained that he was trying to climb down to a chest before slipping. It was a momentary encounter, but provided a clue about what I might find below.
With my glider, I was able to jump down to the chest no problem, uncovering some loot that was part of another trading activity. Kliff could also climb back up the cliff with little difficulty. Your ability to climb, glide, swim, and sprint is dictated by a stamina gauge, and you can scale most cliffs and walls with relative ease, so long as the gauge doesn’t run out.
You also have a horse to help you cross the vast distances of Crimson Desert. You can whistle for the horse by pressing down on the D-Pad, summoning it to wherever you are. Between your mount and your glider, you have some decent options for traversing a lot of distance quickly, but you’ll need to earn upgrades to increase their stamina, and thus, their usefulness.
PS5 and PS5 Pro enhancements
With an enormous, gorgeous open world, Crimson Desert can be pretty graphically demanding, and Pearl Abyss will leverage the PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro to help deliver some impressive visuals, particularly at long distances. The PS5’s SSD is key for streaming the huge world, for a start, and developers will make heavy use of the PS5 Pro’s High CPU Frequency Mode to make viewing and moving through the world as seamless as possible.
Pearl Abyss also told me it optimized Crimson Desert for the PS5 through a number of features to help maintain all that detail at its large scale, making use of Geometry Shader Oversubscription and NGG Culling to render lots of elements without losing detail. On PS5 Pro, the recent upgrade to PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) makes it possible for Crimson Desert to hit 4K resolutions at higher frame rates, and its raytracing capabilities make lighting effects more realistic and natural.
The DualSense controller adds a lot to the experience, too, especially when it comes to combat. A big part of fighting in Crimson Desert is the feeling of weight, and you can feel haptics especially when weapons clash as you execute a parry or when you land a powerful hit on an enemy. The adaptive triggers also add intensity to actions like drawing back a bowstring. The DualSense additions work to bring you closer to Kliff and help deliver a lot of information, especially in tense combat situations where enemies can be all around you.
Even after playing for four hours, I only scratched the surface of what’s waiting in Pywel. From vast lands to explore and secrets to discover, to formidable foes to face down and powerful skills to master, Crimson Desert looks to offer a lot for RPG fans who want to lose themselves in a fantastical world.
You can see for yourself just what’s hidden in Crimson Desert when it releases on March 19 on PS5.
Hey Troopers! We’re the team at Auroch Digital, and alongside our partners at Dotemu we’re currently Doing Our Part, by creating the most realistic depiction of war ever made. Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War is releasing on PlayStation 5 on March 16 – officially endorsed by FedDev – and we also have a world first for Starship Troopers fans.
For the first time ever, Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War will let you play as the enemy – the Arachnid Menace. We hope that stepping into the (many) legs of the all-new Assassin Bug will help our Troopers to understand them, and to defeat them as we throw you into fast-paced, ichor-filled combat.
Would you like to know more?
What is Bug Mode?
In Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War’s Bug Mode, you’ll take control of the Arachnids’ new ultimate weapon – The Assassin Bug. As the Assassin Bug, you’ll terrorize Federation Troopers in four expansive training scenarios, as well as a tutorial mission to understand the real danger of the Assassin Bug.
You’ll work to decimate troops and buildings, commanding your Arachnid army and taking advantage of the Assassin Bug’s three attack forms, with each of these bringing their own unique skills and abilities.
The Warrior Form – The default state of the Assassin Bug. An agile form with razor-sharp pincers.
The Hopper Form – A flying Arachnid form, which can identify destructible buildings, as well as track Bug pheromone trails
The Tanker Form – a chargeable form, we designed the Tanker to be able to deal devastating attacks including its distinctive flame spray attack
The Assassin Bug itself has been one of the most complex parts of Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War, and possibly the part which has taken the most time and effort internally to ensure it’s a balanced experience.
In addition, getting the Assassin Bug’s larger form and flying abilities to work within maps designed for a human campaign has been another significant challenge, but one which we believe we’ve lived up to (we’re just Doing Our Part).
Why is Bug Mode?
To fight the Bug, we must understand the Bug – We can ill afford another Klendathu. We’ve been working long and hard alongside the best Federal scientists, spending countless hours analyzing Bug data to truly understand our enemy
As part of our FedDev-approved training experience, in Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War we wanted to deliver something never before seen – something which would allow Mobile Infantry Troopers to truly know how the Bugs feel on the battlefield.
So we teamed up with FedDev to deliver a cutting-edge Bug simulator – giving Troopers a unique insight into the Bug mind as they stick their claws into you and your fellow Troopers (spoiler alert – they love it).
It also provided a great and in-universe way of letting players deliver the elevated carnage that the Assassin Bug has to offer. There’s something so incredibly joyous about charging head-first into a Federation building to blast it into smithereens with the Assassin Bug, and we can’t wait for you to experience it yourself, alongside the Tanker form’s flame spray attack ability.
When is Bug Mode coming?
Bug Mode will be available for all Troopers who pick up Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War. We’ve had an incredible time working with FedDev to create Bug Mode – especially crafting those juicy sound effects and building destruction – and we can’t wait for you to deploy on March 16th.
We’re really excited for you to discover Bug Mode for yourselves, and especially the feeling of commanding your very own Bug army against the Mobile Infantry. This is a never-before-seen experience, and it’s given all of us a real God complex (which is scary considering that the Bugs are meant to be our enemies).
Where to access Bug Mode?
You’ll find Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War Landing on PlayStation 5 – with Bug Mode included from launch. We’re so proud of our S.A.S.S. (you’ll understand that, later) and we can’t wait for Troopers to dive into the Experience.
Bug Mode will be unlocked after completing your first couple of missions, with four expansive areas to play through – as well as our Bug Mode tutorial. Our FedDev-endorsed Bug Mode is designed to help you to understand the Bug, and to defeat the Bug. We’ll keep fighting, and we’ll win.
ILL is a first-person action-horror game coming to PS5 that aims to deliver relentless terror, both when the player is in full control and during the game’s motion-captured cutscenes. I’m Max Verehin, Co-founder of Team Clout, and I’m honored to give the PlayStation community a behind-the-scenes look at the work that goes into creating the cutscenes that complement the game’s immersive, horrific gameplay.
This challenging new phase of development has been intense and unpredictable, but not entirely a leap into the unknown. Our background is deeply embedded in the language of cinema, with team members bringing extensive industry experience from working on major horror projects like the Until Dawn film and It: Welcome to Derry television series. We’ve spent years learning how a monster should move, how shadows should fall, and how a creature needs to command a frame to evoke true fear. Join us to catch a glimpse into our wonderfully engaging and deeply collaborative process.
The kind of horror we want to create
At its core, ILL is grounded, emotionally honest horror. The story unfolds inside a massive research fort overrun by a mysterious force and the Aberrations it creates. The game leans into grotesque realism and intense binaural audio designed to keep players constantly on edge.
But beyond the brutality, our focus is immersion. We want moments to feel frightening, but also human. Characters aren’t just obstacles, they are three-dimensional people with motivations and personal stories that deepen the experience. Similarly, the locations in ILL are spaces designed to feel real, like you’re actually navigating them in person. We’re creating an environment that makes the player’s imagination work against them.
Download the image
Where gameplay changes everything
Our cinematic experience influences how we approach tension, pacing, and character presence. But the interactivity of video games as a medium changes that process. On set, every filming decision came back to one question: how will this feel once the player is in control?
Unlike traditional filmmaking, every scene in ILL connects directly to gameplay. The game stays in first-person, and most performance moments begin and end inside active play without cuts. We can’t rely on cinematic tricks—transitions have to return control naturally to the player, guiding what they do next and how the moment feels from their exact viewpoint.
Some cinematic ideas didn’t survive that test. If a scene disrupted the gameplay flow, we reworked it. It wasn’t an easy process, but one that ultimately made the overall play experience stronger.
Expect the unexpected
Even though we’re making a game about monsters, the performances came from real people, and that changed our expectations fast. Dramatic scenes—those including expressions of fear like screaming, and crying—are physically and emotionally demanding. They drain real energy and real emotion. We quickly adjusted our schedule to match that reality, giving actors more creative breathing room to tackle the heaviest moments earlier in the day.
Some sequences we thought would be simple turned into hours of work, requiring precise choreography and tight synchronization between performers. Capturing believable horror isn’t just about acting: it requires timing, movement, and constant iteration.
Another surprise we encountered: not every scene can be played “into the void,” or without an audience. Sometimes actors need something tangible to react to. At different points, our own producer and supervisor stepped in as stand-ins for enemy creatures so our performers had a real presence in front of them.
And despite the grim material, the set itself wasn’t always heavy. After long days, the exhausted cast would suddenly crack jokes or start singing—small human moments that made the contrast with the final in-game atmosphere even sharper.
Creative collaboration
Working closely with actors became one of the most rewarding parts of the process. Watching performers grow into roles, get more comfortable with their characters—from rehearsals to final takes—changed how we saw certain scenes.
We came in with a clear script, but actors often suggested different deliveries or interpretations. Many came from dramatic or cinematic backgrounds, and their perspective helped shape the emotional tone. Instead of feeling rigid, filming became a genuinely collaborative space where ideas evolved in real time, with contributions from differing points of view.
Acting in an almost empty space
In addition to the challenge of not having real monsters to react to, one of the other hurdles for our performers was to imagine a fully realized environment while standing in a nearly empty space. On set, props are minimal—sometimes nothing more than a stick representing a creature—while actors have to visualize the entire world around them.
To help, we used monitors showing a rough in-engine perspective from the protagonist’s POV, so performers could see their digital models moving in real time. It helped, but it also demanded focus: some actors instinctively glanced at the screens instead of staying fully in character. Directors and staging leads constantly guided performances by describing invisible walls, obstacles, and even threats. One of the game’s monster types, visible below, is just one of many that we need actors to clearly imagine in front of them.
Download the image
In the end, a lot of solutions were invented on the fly: where to stand, how far to turn, how to capture emotion without breaking the technical side of the process. It’s a constant balance between creative intent and practical limits—and that’s where the “magic” happens.
ILL is in development for PlayStation 5, with release information to follow.
Hey, everybody! Tim, Kristen, and I are back this week to talk about the horrors of Racoon City, Reanimal, and trying to conquer your backlog before a wave of new games comes for us all. Along with our various journeys through Greece in God of War Sons of Sparta.
God of War Sons of Sparta The Pit blog — Time to test your Spartan resolve in the roguelike challenge mode. See how to unlock this mode early and take it on solo or with local co-op. missions and objectives.
Life is Strange: Reunion hands-on report — Chloe and Max are back for more time manipulation shenanigans. Check out new features, including the ability to play as both the protagonist and the interactive notebook.
Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.
[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]
Last week, we asked to share well-framed moments from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
parmindernanglashares Atsu framed by the sun in Ghost of Yōtei
artenpixels_shares Ratchet framed by rock formations in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
jobolts_shares Arthur framed by some tree branches in Red Dead Redemption 2
call_me_xaviishares Aloy sitting in a frame-shaped hole overlooking water in Horizon Forbidden West.
EduardoPrxshares Eve framed by a halo of lights and containers in Stellar Blade.
x01.vpshares Rèmi standing in front of a circular light in Hell Us Is
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Heroic SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on March 4, 2026
Next week, we need a hero. Share a heroic character using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
