Palworld is getting its first-ever official spin-off game from developer Pocketpair, and it’s looking just a little bit cozier than the original game. It’s called Palworld: Palfarm, and as the name implies, you and your gaggle of Pals will be farming, crafting, and living a life on the land together on an adventure that looks far more Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley than Palworld.
Pocketpair announced the game today with a brand new trailer, and a Steam page. These reveal that Palfarm will be a slice-of-life farming and crafting sim set on the Palpagos Islands where familiar Pals will join you to build a dream farm. Alongside growing plants, you can cook with Pals, shop at their stores, give them gifts, and- no, no you can’t eat them. Of course not. Not this time. They’re farming buddies. Not food.
Well, most of them. Some Pals will apparently come raid your farm, and you’ll have to fight them off. And then maybe when they die, they might drop stuff that looks like food. Okay, maybe you can kind of eat Pals in Palfarm too. Don’t think about it too hard.
While Palfarm does seem to be more focused on the cuddlier aspects of life with Pals, including allowing the player to pet Pals and even get married to other humans (with Pals matchmaking and officiating), it’s not without its edges. The trailer includes a look at a black market where you can, yes, get a gun. What would you do with a gun in a cozy game like this? Don’t think about it too hard!!
Notably, the trailer showed off a number of Pals that can join you to help on the farm, including what seems to be one unannounced new Pal, Sekhmet, that’s working with Anubis as a blacksmith. The Steam page also makes it clear that multiplayer will be an option.
Palfarm doesn’t have a release date just yet, and so far only appears to be in development for PC via Steam, though given Palworld’s trajectory it’s possible other platforms are in the cards for later on. Palworld itself is currently still in early access, but Pocketpair has said it’s planning a small update in December, and is working toward a big 1.0 launch sometime next year.
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.
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.
The developers behind Call of Duty 2025 offered a multiplayer breakdown in a new post published on the series’ website today. It comes with information about every last map, weapon, and mode fans can expect in Black Ops 7, both during the beta and at launch, while showing off a sneak peek at what it all looks like in motion with today’s trailer. You can see the Black Ops 7 multiplayer reveal trailer, with Travis Scott and Playboi Carti’s FE!N providing the musical backdrop, below.
Today’s Black Ops 7 multiplayer reveal trailer hits the highlights for those who have about two and a half minutes to spare. While players can be seen darting around corners, sliding and shooting at enemies, and even wall-jumping to reach high-up areas, the footage serves as a reminder that this year’s Call of Duty lets players take advantage of near-future technology. These can be seen in futuristic tools like the Echo Unit hologram decoy as well as Scorestreaks, such as the D.A.W.G. quadruped robot and the remote-controlled Rhino soldier.
Classic Call of Duty Scorestreaks like the RC-XD, UAV, Care Package, and more are back, too, with players now able to unlock Overclock upgrades that can improve their usefulness in unique ways. The UAV, for example, has Overclock options that equip it with a flare for missile defense and lower its score cost, while the Rhino gains access to an improved radar and extended runtime.
Treyarch, of course, still has more up its sleeve, but today’s Black Ops 7 multiplayer reveal really pulls back the curtain on what players can expect when beta early access begins October 2 and at launch. While the beta will only allow access to a limited selection of the content available when Black Ops 7’s November release date arrives, we at least know which of the 18 launch maps players can try out in a few weeks.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Maps, Modes, and More
Black Ops 7 will launch with 16 Core 6v6 maps. Six from that lineup will be included in the beta, with three returning from 2012’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. You can see the full list of Core maps, as well as the two 20v20 Skirmish maps, below.
Core 6v6 Maps
Blackheart (Beta)
Cortex (Beta)
Exposure (Beta)
Imprint (Beta)
The Forge (Beta)
Toshin (Beta)
Colossus
Den
Flagship
Homestead
Paranoia
Retrieval
Scar
Express (Returning from Black Ops 2)
Hijacked (Returning from Black Ops 2)
Raid (Returning from Black Ops 2)
Skirmish Maps
Mission: Edge
Mission: Tide
As per usual, a new Call of Duty means fan-favorite modes have been refreshed, with new modes for players to look forward to, too. Multiplayer mainstays like Team Deathmatch, Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Hardpoint will be available to play during the beta, with Free-For-All, Gunfight, Kill Order, Control, and Search and Destroy following at launch. There are also Face Off versions of many of these modes, giving players an option to experience classic modes while tuning down the chaos thanks to disabled Scorestreaks.
The main new mode given the spotlight today is Overload. Also available during the beta, the multiplayer option will see players tasked with bringing an Overload Device to control zones. It flips respawns on as teams guard their device carrier, suggesting teamwork will be an important element in order to achieve victory.
Black Ops 7 sticks with tradition by offering new and returning modes, but there are even more gameplay-focused changes for longtime fans to learn, too. The three-Perk system, for example, is getting a facelift with a tweak called Hybrid Combat Specialties.
These are activated when pairing Perks from different categories, allowing players to flex their creative muscles by mixing and matching different Perks for unique upgrades. Some examples laid out by Treyarch include the red-and-blue Scout Specialty, which keeps players’ position temporarily concealed after a bullet elimination, as well as the blue-and-green Operative Specialty, which charges Field Upgrades with stealth kills. Treyarch’s Black Ops 7 multiplayer reveal breakdown also includes a first look at a feature that allows friends to share weapon builds with each other with Build Codes, while also granting the ability to access Gunsmith within the Firing Range in Multiplayer itself.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has a release date of November 14, 2025, for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X | S. Those hoping to for a closer look at how Treyarch has updated its formula for this year’s Call of Duty can pre-order to play the early access beta from October 2 – 5, with the open beta following for all from October 5 – 8.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
It’s difficult to say what’s more exciting, a new game with a fresh setting and approach, or one built upon the gleaming DNA of a predecessor. Star Wars: Battle of Hoth certainly owes much of its appeal to Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, but it also bears an obligation to the classic World War II board game Memoir ’44. Publisher Days of Wonder has effectively taken that 20-year-old design and used it as a retrofitted vehicle to facilitate the most iconic Star Wars land battle on film. The results of this experiment are a lithe and approachable board game focused on dramatic action and brisk play.
Pitching this as Memoir ’44 reskinned to Star Wars is accurate. Original designer Richard Borg returns, enlisting the help of Adrien Martinot to adapt the hex-and-miniatures wargame to this beloved sci-fi series. This uses the same back-and-forth system where players take turns playing cards and then activating units. The framework is simple to grasp and it’s effective in establishing constraints, limiting which troops you can maneuver and attack with each turn. This models the chaos and uncertainty of control and command during conflict, but it also forces tough tactical decisions. All in all, it’s a smart system that elicits drama with minimal overhead.
Each player has their own dedicated faction deck. On your turn, you play a single card from your hand which denotes one section of the board. The map is divided into thirds, including the left flank, center, and right flank. In addition to indicating one of these areas, it also lists a certain number of units in that area you can activate. Activated units move and then activate by chucking small pools of dice. It’s exceedingly straightforward and intuitive. What’s delightful is in how it restricts you at inopportune times, such as not allowing you to act on the right flank when your infantry squads are getting pounded and need support. Furthermore, you don’t know what cards your opponent is holding, mimicking a fog of war element, so it’s difficult to gauge where the counterattack and aggression will come from next turn.
This is a scenario-driven game with a hefty 17 total missions. Victory is decided by whoever hits a certain victory point threshold first, with the bulk often coming from destroying opposing units. One quirk of this system is that units do not lose combat effectiveness as they degrade, and a victory point is not scored until they’re entirely vanquished. This abstraction may annoy those seeking realism, but it’s an effective device for stoking drama.
Some of the most interesting moments in the game are when you’re forced to decide whether it’s worth it to play a less efficient card but one which allows you to activate that Snowspeeder squad as it’s hanging on by a thread. If you wait another round or for a more potent option, it may be too late and your unit could be gone. This works both ways, as you will often want to target portions of the battlefield that are weak, especially if you believe your foe will retreat one of their softened units and seek cover. Timing is important.
All in all, it’s a smart system that elicits drama with minimal overhead.
The dice system is smooth. You chuck a certain amount based on your unit and the range to the target. Generally, attackers hit harder the closer they are to the enemy. When rolling, you’re looking for either the symbol of the unit type you are attacking – such as infantry and vehicle – or a universal hit which affects all units. Damage is tracked by removing miniatures, allowing for quick upkeep and only a modicum of maintenance that is mostly frontloaded during setup.
Asymmetry between the factions only just crosses the threshold of meaning. Empire infantry has an extra health, showing their increased numbers in the assault on Hoth. Snowspeeders move fast but they only hit hard if they’re close. Probe droids are difficult to hit but fragile. AT-ATs are menacing, laying down a substantial three die attack up to three hexes away, and also requiring a special confirmation roll when receiving damage to destroy them. This highlights one of the games’ both positive and weak traits in that it’s extraordinarily swingy.
While there is a certain level of decision making, randomness has a large effect on the game’s outcome. The cards you draw and rolls you make are very important. There are precious few ways to mitigate the die rolls, such as seeking cover for defensive bonuses, so much of the experience is determined by the fickleness of luck. This aspect is even more prominent than in Memoir ’44 and its other spinoffs, as the battlefield here is shrunken. While this is a positive in that you are in the action immediately, it’s also a concern in that it limits your ability to maneuver and outposition your foe. Instead, it seems like you’re side-to-side, ready to unload your cannons immediately.
It’s obvious this experience was carefully crafted with intention. The smaller board and limited unit variation allows for a very quick experience with a suggested age range of 8+. Battle of Hoth absolutely is a hit with the younger crowd, and it will succeed at introducing those younglings into the genre of wargaming. This doesn’t mean it’s a failure for those wanting something more robust.
As has become trendy lately, this game includes what feels like a few small expansions. Each side has three leaders that may optionally be included in any scenario. You choose one of your three leader options, such as Han Solo or Vader, and then shuffle their trio of special cards into your activation deck. These add some neat effects and desired variance.
While the scenarios are somewhat diverse, they often feel as though they’re just modified setups of a standard pitched battle. Occasionally you have to control certain positions or focus on different areas of the board, leading to few surprises. However, there is an expanded option which adds a substantial amount of richness to the experience. Included in this base game are two full-blown campaigns which feature branching scenarios based on which side wins, as well as incremental upgrades that influence future sessions. There is also an abbreviated narrative which follows along with the prescribed Hoth storyline. As a method of play, this is actually a pretty neat framework that adds some oomph while not detracting from any of the core systems.
As has become trendy lately, this game includes what feels like a few small expansions.
This penchant for including expanded content is an approach that can be directly correlated to similar behavior found in crowdfunded titles. Tossing in expansion content immediately to add perceived value is a common philosophy now, and we are seeing it occur in direct-to-retail games with increasing frequency. This works particularly well here, as it enhances the game’s replayability and fills out the experience for long-term engagement.
It’s important to note that this is primarily a two-player experience with one person fielding the Rebels and another the Imperials. As it says on the box, it can go up to four players, but this mode of play is unsatisfying and best ignored. It accomplishes this by splitting each side and dividing it between two players. There’s simply not enough there for a meaningful tactical game to emerge, and it ends up feeling more staid and sluggish than the standard duel format. I could see this serving the purpose of teaching a small group of inexperienced gamers, such as young children, but that use-case is limited.
While designer Richard Borg has used the core system of Memoir ’44 across numerous titles from various publishers, there’s an interesting aspect to Days of Wonder taking this classic game and reshaping it with the Star Wars property. It’s a signal of this game transitioning to a younger pop culture focused audience. The infatuation with World War II is primarily found in older generations, with Star Wars existing as a more universal influence. The popularity of this setting is the biggest weight behind the design, and it’s a cultural nod towards something more omnipresent and attractive.
Star Wars: Battle of Hoth is ultimately, exactly what I expected. It’s a solid design built upon a sturdy pre-existing foundation. Care and attention to detail is evident, as the setting comes alive despite the game’s simplicity and high level of abstraction. This will certainly garner a large number of fans, and they should be excited to see that this is listed as the first in the Galactic Battles series. This indicates there will be more titles coming. There are plenty of options such as the battle of Endor, the skirmish on Naboo, and even perhaps heading to space with the large-scale assault on the Death Star II.
The lovely folks at TCGPlayer have provided some Spectacular data on the most popular cards players are buying ahead of the full release this Friday, September 26. Here’s what to look out for when you’re opening your packs this week.
10 – Cosmic Spider-Man
Five color Spidey? Count us in. This Cosmic variant of the wallcrawler is not only a bowl of keyword soup in his own right (he has Flying, First Strike, Trample, Lifelink, and Haste), but he passes those abilities to all of the other Spiders you have when you head into combat.
9 – Carnage, Crimson Chaos
I’m determined to build a deck around Venom and Carnage, and this only makes that desire stronger. Carnage, Crimson Chaos can bounce a card from your graveyard to your side of the field and prime it for an attack, and the idea of using it to bring Agent Venom back is an appealing one.
8 – Hobgoblin, Mantled Marauder
Hobgoblin, Mantled Marauder grows in power when you discard a card, and he’s super affordable as he’s only an Uncommon rarity. Beyond that, though, the artwork here is awesome. Snap it up for under 30 cents.
7 – Scarlet Spider, Ben Reilly
Another Spidey, Ben Reilly can cost as little as two mana with the web-slinging mechanic, which is very nice for a 4/3 with trample. He also has +1 counters for the mana value of whichever card you returned to websling him in.
6 – Peter Parker’s Camera
Copying abilities? Yes, please, especially since Peter Parker’s Camera costs just a single mana to get onto the field. Set it up early, and get that payoff when things kick off – almost like the man himself setting up the camera.
5 – Spider-Punk
Perhaps predictably, Spider-Punk gives your Spiders riot, and has riot, but also has some fun secondary abilities. For one, spells and abilities can’t be countered, but the other means damage can’t be prevented. That’s chaos in cardboard, and we’re here for it. A riot, indeed.
4 – The Soul Stone
Look, The Soul Stone might be the priciest card in the set when all is said and done, but it’s a very fun card to play with. It’s an indestructible artifact that requires you to exile a character to see cards return from your graveyard each turn.
3 – Multiversal Passage
As TCGPlayer points out, this could be a solid pickup for Standard since Multiversal Passage can be any basic land type, and can enter untapped if you’re happy to pay some life.
2 – Electro, Assaulting Battery
Another mono Red option, Electro, Assaulting Battery could be ideal for spellslinger decks since it stores red mana, then adds red mana as you play instants and sorceries. Being able to deal a big hit of damage when he dies is fun, too.
1 – Spectacular Spider-Man (Borderless)
Finally, this Spectacular Spider-Man has an awesome borderless style that won’t break the bank, and you can use it as a Heroic Intervention for a single mana, plus it has Flash. “Have no fear, Spidey is here!” indeed.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.
Techland’s Dying Light: The Beast launched last week and is, sources say, “a good Dying Light game, and a fine open-world zombie game in general, full of crunchy combat and simple but satisfying number-go-up loops”. Being a new videogame, it also has some bugs. The most dramatic of these appear to be problems with its day/night cycle and weather system.
Over a week after beating Hollow Knight: Silksong, I’ve decided that we’re all focusing on the wrong things. Hornet’s fast-paced movement and range of options are breathtaking, sure, and the game can be maddening. But instead of succumbing to the difficulty discourse, instead of falling into a pit of spikes for a 13th time after a pogo-platforming section, let’s all take a deep breath and give in to the truth about Silksong.
Arc Raiders: Learn More, Pre-Order Now, and Join the Upcoming Server Slam Test
Celia LewisNarrative Designer, Embark Studios
Summary
How Arc Raiders blends known and unexpected elements from multiple genres into a new, immersive extraction adventure – launching on October 30, with pre-orders open now.
An introduction to the key gameplay elements of Arc Raiders, particularly risk and reward with your runs topside.
Announcing the Arc Raiders Server Slam, an open pre-launch test from October 17 – 19 on Xbox Series X|S.
Development on Arc Raiders has been underway since the inception of Embark Studios. Like many game projects, this one has gone through several iterations, and some twists and turns. None have been bigger than the decision to evolve the game from being co-op-only into the PvPvE Extraction Adventure game it is today.
This evolution has surfaced what the team consider the best version of the game, combining what players love about extraction shooters—high tension, multiple strategies, and mastery—with the kind of highly crafted, immersive world filled with mysteries that action-adventure gamers crave. It has been rewarding to see players who normally gravitate toward one genre over the other really appreciate Arc Raiders as a whole.
Arc Raiders is set on a lethal future Earth ravaged by a mysterious mechanized threat known as Arc, which ranges from menacing drones to huge, ominous giants. While most survivors stay safe below the surface in the safe confines of Speranza, Raiders are the chosen few who brave the surface in the hunt for valuable resources and loot to return to the colony.
Arc Raiders‘ Tech Test this past May revealed that players truly appreciate the high stakes each mission to the topside brings – and the choices they have to make once they reach the surface. Scavenging for long periods can reap awesome rewards, but the longer a group stays topside, the more likely they will not only come across Arc, but other Raiders as well. While the Arc may present a common foe that requires groups to band together, more often than not, they will be fighting each other for those valuable resources and loot.
These encounters present great choices for any group of Raiders. Hearing an Arc in the distance could lead to significant rewards but also alert other groups to a player’s presence. Hearing an intense firefight in the distance might lead a team to delay its extraction in the hope of mopping up and collecting the spoils. Sometimes, the best course of action after an especially gruelling run may be to lick your wounds and return to Speranza to heal up, gear up, and fight another day.
Another factor to take into consideration is the world itself. Vast and constantly changing, map conditions will shift how each run to the topside plays out, presenting different enemies, activities, mechanics, or challenges. For example, Night Raids will have greater rewards but reduced visibility and ramped-up Arc activity. These will require different tools and weapons—things that players will need to craft in the safety of their Workshop before returning to the field.
Arc Raiders is launching next month, with pre-orders open now, and a small taste of what lies ahead will be available with the Server Slam running October 17-19 on Xbox Series X|S. It’s a great opportunity for players to introduce themselves to the world of ARC Raiders and to help ensure a smooth launch on October 30, 2025 by pushing servers to their limit.
Little remains of the world we know today. The mysterious machines of ARC threaten any possible settlement on the surface and communities are forced below the ground to survive. Most people are content just to see another day.
Others have chosen a bolder path. They are known as Raiders.
ENLIST.RESIST
Enlist as a Raider and thrive in a desolate world. Shape your legacy as you scavenge the lethal surface and build your home in the underground neighborhood of Speranza. But beware of the machines. Beware of Raiders preying on others. Build relationships with traders as you carry out quests and return from the surface with valuable loot. Trade it for gear and crucial upgrades to your den. But nothing worth having is for free.
Borderlands 4 players have discovered a way to skip huge chunks of the map in a technique dubbed “cricket jumping” — but a developer at Gearbox has warned action may have to be taken to patch it out of the game if it starts causing issues.
As demonstrated by streamer Bahroo, Borderlands 4 players can propel themselves across the map by using a glitch at The Prospects’ Ripper Drill site. To do this, you stand on the top of the drill, line yourself up in the direction you want to travel, with your back towards the direction you want to travel, tab out of the game, then fire. Your character hurtles through the air, which, in combination with Borderlands 4’s glide ability, lets you pass over significant areas of the map.
As noted in a social media post, cricket jumping will play a crucial role in Borderlands 4 speedrunning. But will it last? Creative Director Graeme Timmins responded on social media to say “I’ve got my eye on this.”
But it sounds like cricket jumping is here to stay, at least for now.
“My only worry is streaming issues or if this introduces instability,” Timmins continued. “Not out to ruin people’s fun, but can’t have it cause tech issues. For now tho, not going to do anything until proven issues arise.”
I’ve got my eye on this. My only worry is streaming issues or if this introduces instability. Not out to ruin people’s fun, but can’t have it cause tech issues. For now tho, not going to do anything until proven issues arise.
Timmins went on to address a complaint from one Borderlands 4 player at the lack of updates for the console version of the game compared to the PC version, which has seen two post-launch patches.
“Console testing and certification is more involved than pushing out PC builds,” Timmins explained. “It just takes longer with 1st parties making sure we’re sending out good quality patches. It’s coming and we’re doing everything we can to make it happen quickly.”
Borderlands 4 console players are keen for a patch to address some glaring technical problems. Last week, the tech experts at Digital Foundry confirmed a gradual worsening of framerate with continuous playtime, even on PlayStation 5 Pro and Xbox Series X.
As revealed in a new video published to YouTube, Digital Foundry found performance starts dipping after around 30 minutes to an hour, which it called “too intrusive on the overall experience, too regular an interruption.” Even after a completely fresh boot, the game is still prone to framerate drops.
Gearbox development chief Randy Pitchford has acknowledged the problem on social media, promising incoming improvements. As a workaround, Pitchford suggested console players quit Borderlands 4 and restart. Digital Foundry’s Tom Morgan confirmed this does restore performance, but criticized the situation, saying “resetting the game every hour should really not be an expected solution for players.”
Gearbox has said addressing PC performance is a “top priority” for the studio. In the meantime, the studio pointed to a Borderlands 4 Nvidia Optimization guide on Steam, advising players how to optimize their graphics settings for “better performance and framerates” on PC with the Nvidia app, although users report mixed results.
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 is written that when the Sumerian king Gilgamesh first beheld the gleaming ramparts of Uruk‐Haven, many centuries ago, he said unto his architects: “be sure to save up gaps for those long straight ones, and try your best to start a multiplier”. But then Gilgamesh realised that, by means of temporal fluctuations too nonsensical to explain, he was actually looking at the submissions page for Falling Block Jam 2025, the latest Itch.io “make a thing with a theme” festival, which ran from last week till today.
