Earlier this week, we were lucky enough to head to the Nintendo booth at Gamescom and go hands-on with Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition on Switch 2. Bandai Namco didn’t allow any footage to be recorded from our handheld session (and we quickly saw why), but it seems such recording rules are not in place at Canada’s Fan Expo, which kicked off yesterday and was allowing over-the-shoulder recording of the docked demos.
One visitor, MDee14, recorded footage of their entire play session and has quickly shared it online, giving us our first proper look at how this thing runs when the Switch 2 is up on a big screen. Fortunately, it looks better than the handheld offering seems to be.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater contains a secret mode developed by PlatinumGames, the studio behind the likes of Bayonetta and Nier: Automata.
Warning! Spoilers for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and the original Metal Gear Solid 3 follow:
Fans of the original Metal Gear Solid 3, which Konami has remade for this Delta version, may be aware of Snake’s Nightmare. Dubbed Guy Savage by fans, it’s a time-limited third-person hack and slash sequence in which ‘Guy Savage’ cuts his way through a demon-filled hellscape, triggered by saving while Snake is in prison and then reloading.
Guy Savage was in the original Metal Gear Solid 3 on PlayStation 2, but was removed for most of the versions that followed. Now, Guy Savage is back as ‘Guy Savage Delta,’ courtesy of PlatinumGames. Even better, you’re able to unlock the secret mode to replay it via the main menu screen once you’ve beaten the game (or you can trigger it the old-fashioned way).
IGN’s Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater review returned an 8/10. We said: “Between its old-school stealth-action gameplay and engaging spy-thriller story, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater largely succeeds as a faithful, visually impressive remake of the 2004 classic.”
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater launches Aug 28, 2025, across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
For as long as Call of Duty campaigns have existed, so has the option to play them at whichever difficulty suits you best. Whether recruit, normal, hardened, or veteran, long-term COD players know their level. But this year’s entry, Black Ops 7, won’t let you pick.
Black Ops 7 has a campaign that can be played solo or in co-op for up to four players. As part of that, the difficulty scales based on how many are playing, and cannot be adjusted in the settings.
“For the difficulty, it’s baked in,” associate creative director Miles Leslie told IGN in a recent interview. “We’ve built it for solo or four-player squads as well. You cannot pick a difficulty like past games. We’ve baked it in because you have to approach a co-op campaign differently, and we wanted to make sure the missions felt right for solo players — we’re not forgetting about you, we love you — but also because it is a social experience we want to make sure it’s fun, but the right amount of challenging for two, three, and four players as well.”
So, no more veteran-level runs for single-player fans in this year’s Call of Duty. Are you someone who enjoys testing yourself with the toughest challenges COD campaigns have to offer? Are you disappointed by the fact that Black Ops 7 won’t have this option at launch?
Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.
I feel for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. If it was named something like Fang Bastard: The Punching Of The Many, the trailers wouldn’t have so many views, but those who’d watched them would probably be quite jazzed for that new bitey-talky game that looks a bit like Dishonored with more story branching. It isn’t, and they aren’t. Instead, it’s called Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, a name packed with some of the weightiest words in RPGdom.
I don’t pity it, though. Three hours and change into Bloodlines 2, I’ve determined that I’d quite enjoy a Dishonored with more story branching, actually. Not as much as if I could express my roleplaying chops outside of very specific dialogue menus, or if I cared more about the fellow nightcrawlers on the other side of those conversations. But for all the tricky development and heavy heritage, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t enjoyed being The Chinese Room’s version of a souped-up vampire prowling a snowy, bisexual-lit Seattle.
The Season 18 trailer has gone live and it finishes with the Persona 5 theme along with a silhouette of Joker. Atlus has also acknowledged the collaboration, which will go live on 26th August 2025.
Eight years after its initial launch, first-person extraction shooter Escape from Tarkov has a version 1.0 release date: November 15, 2025. That’s over eight years after Escape from Tarkov first entered beta, and 13 years after initial development began.
Developer Battlestate Games announced the release date alongside patch notes for update 0.16.9.0, which serves as an “interim milestone” that brings a significant number of improvements and changes. Meanwhile, the development team is focusing on optimizing the final version of the game.
The main highlight, Battlestate Games said, is synchronization between EFT: Arena and EFT PvE Zone. Its “key feature” is a one-way sync: progress in EFT: Arena will sync with PvE Zone, but progress in PvE Zone will not sync with EFT: Arena.
“This one-way synchronization includes the addition of the trader Ref, the ability to transfer currency, synchronization of Tactical Clothing sets and Battle Pass rewards, along with several other innovations,” Battlestate Games said. “Additionally, improvements have been made to enemy AI systems and in-game audio.
Escape from Tarkov update 0.16.9.0 patch notes:
Changes:
PvE mode synchronization
Added synchronization between Escape from Tarkov: Arena and Escape from Tarkov PvE mode.
The main feature of this synchronization is that it only works one-way (excluding regular tasks), meaning the progress in EFT: Arena syncs with PvE mode, but not the other way around.
Trader Ref
Added Ref to PvE mode with his related tasks and trade offers;
Arena’s task lines in PvP & PvE modes now contain a special label indicating the game mode;
These tasks can be completed simultaneously in both modes.
Item transfer
Added the ability to transfer currency (Roubles, GP coins, Lega Medals) and loot crates to PvE mode;
Items and currency from PvE mode cannot be transferred to EFT: Arena;
Item transfer game mode selection option is available at Ref’s services tab;
Item transfer between Arena and PvP mode remain unchanged;
Item transfer limits are separated between the two EFT game modes, not affecting each other.
Tactical clothing
Obtaining clothing in EFT: Arena unlocks it in both PvP and PvE mode;
Obtaining clothing in PvP mode unlocks it only in EFT: Arena;
Obtaining clothing in PvE mode does not unlock it in PvP mode and EFT: Arena.
BattlePass
Earning rewards in BattlePass now also unlocks them in PvE mode;
The already earned BattlePass rewards, including trade offers and clothing, are also unlocked in PvE mode.
In-game tasks
After completing tasks in EFT: Arena, you receive rewards into your in-game stash and can transfer them to either PvP or PvE mode.
Trader standing
Trader standing increase from EFT: Arena transfers into both PvE and PvP mode:
Completing tasks in PvE mode gives trader standing only in PvE mode;
Completing tasks in PvP mode gives trader standing both in PvP mode and EFT: Arena.
Note: Trader standing in EFT: Arena and PvE mode may differ due to PvE trader standing not transferring to EFT: Arena.
Character experience, skills, and weapon mastery
Experience, skills and mastery leveled in EFT: Arena transfers it to both PvE and PvP mode:
Gaining experience in PvE mode does not transfer it elsewhere;
Gaining experience in PvP mode also transfers it to EFT: Arena.
Note: Experience, skills and mastery in EFT: Arena and PvE mode may differ due to PvE experience not transferring to EFT: Arena.
Character wipes
In the event of a character wipe (global, personal, or Prestige) in PvP or EFT: Arena, only PvP and EFT: Arena progress will be reset:
Progress in tasks related to PvE mode and EFT: Arena will not be reset.
If you perform a character wipe in PvE mode, your progress will be reset only in PvE mode:
Progress in tasks related to PvP mode and EFT: Arena will not be reset;
Progress in tasks related to PvE mode and EFT: Arena will be reset.
AI:
Readjusted the general AI detection system;
Readjusted the AI detection system through smoke;
Improved the AI enemy detection system;
Improved the AI looting patterns;
Improved the AI grenade launcher aiming system;
Improved the AI detection system when the AI is hiding in vegetation;
Several Boss behavior fixes;
Fixed the situations when an AI would drop their NVG to the player;
Fixed the specific situations when the cultists would stop shooting the player;
Fixed the issue with AI PMCs not patrolling the territory on Factory;
Fixed the several situations when Rogues would fire the stationary AGS-17 outside their detection sector;
Fixed the situations when bots were spawning in front of players;
Fixed the situations when a bot group would summon an ally next to the player.
Audio:
Fixed the incorrect volume of certain sounds;
Removed the M67 grenade fuze ignite sound;
Fixed several issues with sound occlusion on Streets of Tarkov and Customs;
Added noise cancelling and microphone sensitivity options for voice chat;
Fixed the issues with short clicks and sound artifacts when using VoIP;
Fixed the issue with players still hearing VoIP after disabling it in the settings;
Added the ability to quick-swap microphones to use in VoIP;
Now, if the user encounters a microphone error, they can enable/disable voice chat to receive incoming voice streams;
Added the ability to adjust VoIP volume.
QoL:
Changed the surgical kit auto-use priority to legs.
Balancing changes
New balancing changes to the Hardcore Wipe mechanics:
Returned access to the Flea Market at level 35 with the ability to place one Found in Raid item at a time;
Reverted the trader prices to the values before the Hardcore Wipe;
Reverted the Scav cooldown to the values before the Hardcore Wipe;
Returned the missing trade offers at Therapist Loyalty Level 4;
Returned the ability to insure items at Prapor and Therapist, and disabled insurance at Fence.
Fixes:
Fixed numerous visual issues, incorrect culling, object ballistics, decals, and lighting across all locations;
Fixed the ability to use gestures while jumping to gain an advantage;
Fixed the character behavior when attempting to equip a grenade while using the bipod;
Fixed the in-raid compass interaction;
Fixed the incorrect Glock 18C recoil when shooting in small bursts;
Fixed the ability to add incompatible attachments on an equipped weapon;
Fixed the issue with max level skills not leveling correctly after using a stimulant;
Fixed several visual issues with Hideout zones;
Fixed the Ammo used and Overall accuracy statistics during local PvE raids;
Fixed the RShG-2 explosion visuals in thermal optics;
Fixed the ability to equip regular and helmet-mounted headsets at the same time;
Fixed the cause of Error 228 when auto-sorting stash in certain cases.
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’s been announced another racing game is joining the Switch 2 library. This time it’s Gear.Club Unlimited 3 for the Nintendo Switch 2 and it’s arriving at some point in “late 2025“.
This game will follow on from the first two games, which were released on the eShop during the original Switch generation.
You no longer have to pay an egregious sum of money to play games at a consistently solid framerate in glorious 4K resolution. Walmart is currently offering the iBuypower Element Pro gaming PC equipped with an AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU for just $1499 with free delivery. This was the best “high-end” gaming PC deal during Prime Day – better than anything I found on Amazon – and it’s still the best deal I’ve seen so far at this price point. The Radeon RX 9070 XT is an outstanding graphics card that can run the latest games (like Battlefield 6) in 4K.
iBuypower Element Pro Radeon RX 9070 XT Gaming PC $1499
The iBuypower gaming PC is generously equipped across the board. It features an AMD Ryzen 9 7900X CPU, Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and 2TB M.2 SSD. The Ryzen 9 7900X processor has a max boost clock of 5.6GHz with 12 cores and 24 threads. This is an excellent CPU for both gaming and multi-tasking and you won’t need to upgrade from it for a long time. It’s cooled by a very robust 360mm all-in-one liquid cooling system and runs off an 850W power supply.
The Radeon RX 9070 XT Received a 10/10 at IGN
We rated the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT a “perfect” 10/10. Even though it costs $150 less than the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, the 9070 XT beats it out in several of the games we tested. In a few benchmarks, the results aren’t even close. The 9070 XT is also comparable in performance to the older $1,000 RX 7900 XTX but with better ray tracing and upscaling performance than its predecessor. It does lose out on VRAM (16GB vs 24GB), but that isn’t really an issue for gaming. By “4K ready” I mean that this gaming PC can run pretty much any game at 4K resolution and at framerates of 60fps or higher. Any video card that’s weaker and you’ll have to compromise in order to get playable framerates.
One side note is that the product photo doesn’t accurately show what you’re getting in terms of components. PC system builders like iBuyPower, Skytech, CyberPowerPC, and ABS use off-the-shelf parts that are available and cost effective at the time. So, for example, although the image shows what appears to be an Asus ROG Strix graphics card, you’ll probably be getting the Asus PRIME card instead. If you want a PC that’s made more assembly-line style with predictable components, your best bet is to stick with bigger PC builders like Dell, Lenovo, or HP.
Hardware Unboxed Benched the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT Graphics Card During the Battlefield 6 Open Beta
The Battlefield 6 beta just finished its two-weekend stint with hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of players signing on to try it out. The initial impressions are mostly positive, including those from our own IGN staff.
For those of you looking to upgrade your rig specifically for this game, Hardware Unboxed tested out a few different Radeon RX 9070 XT configurations in-game. At 4K and with the maximum “Ultra” preset, the RX 9070 XT rig maintained an average of 70-85fps with a 1% low of 67fps. This was tested with both lower-end AMD Ryzen 5 and higher-end AMD Ryzen 7 X3D processors and the performance difference was minimal, especially at higher resolutions (1440p and 4K) where games are typically less CPU limited. What’s also impressive was that the GeForce RTX 5080 equipped PC only averaged about 8%-12% better, even though such a PC would run you over $2,000.
Keep in mind that these tests were not performed on a iBuyPower PC. Instead it is more of an indication of how well a typical RX 9070XT equipped gaming PC would perform in the game.
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. He is also an avid Battlefield gamer and absolutely played the heck out of the BF6 beta with over 200 matches across both weekends. Add him (eksblenny) if you’d like to squad up!
Bungie CEO Pete Parsons is departing the company after 23 years and nearly 10 as CEO. He is succeeded by Justin Truman, currently chief development officer and fellow Bungie veteran.
When I was asked to lead Bungie in 2015, my goal was to grow us into a studio capable of creating and sustaining iconic, generation-spanning entertainment. We’ve been through so much together: we launched a bold new chapter for Destiny, built an enviable, independent live ops organization capable of creating and publishing its own games, and joined the incredible family at Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Today marks the right time for a new beginning. The future of Bungie will be in the hands of a new generation of leaders, and I am thrilled to announce that Justin Truman will be stepping into leadership as Bungie’s new Studio Head.
Parsons has overseen Bungie during many turbulent years, first taking over as CEO in 2016 from Harold Ryan and overseeing its break from Activision in 2019. He was at the helm throughout many of the events catalogued in our 2021 expose of Bungie’s internal work culture. Though those we spoke to reported that Bungie had been toxic and hostile toward women in particular prior to Parsons taking charge, they also told IGN that he was frequently slow or reluctant to take action when issues were reported, or even seemed clueless as to how to reign in problem employees. Parsons apologized at the time, saying, “Our actions or, in some cases, inactions, caused these people pain. I apologize personally and on behalf of everyone at Bungie who I know feel a deep sense of empathy and sadness reading through these accounts.”
Just months after our report, Bungie was acquired by Sony for $3.7 billion, ending the studio’s flirtation with independence. As the acquistion settled in, concerns began to arise about Bungie’s future. Destiny 2 was struggling, and upcoming game Marathon was still years away. In 2023, Bungie laid off roughly 100 individuals and delayed Destiny 2’s The Final Shape DLC, with Parsons taking responsibility for the layoffs. Developers told IGN at the time that the atmosphere at Bungie was “soul-crushing” as fears grew of a total Sony takeover of the company. In 2024, this was followed up with even more layoffs, impacting 220 people this time, despite The Final Shape’s success. 155 people were also integrated from Bungie into Sony at this time. Troubles continued to rock the studio through 2024 and into 2025, with Marathon seeing a delay out of September of this year to an unknown future date.
It’s in this environment – Destiny 2 struggling, Marathon delayed, a smaller staff, and Sony looming, that Parsons departs the company. He leaves it to Justin Truman, who began at Bungie as a developer 15 years ago working on Destiny 1 and who has since worked his way up to chief development officer and now studio head.
When we’re at our best – we create those worlds alongside you, our player community, and build something that matters. Something that’s worth your time, your passion, and your investment in us. Something that I’ve learned, hopefully, overdelivers.
I’ve also been part of these efforts at Bungie when we’ve maybe not been at our best. When we’ve stumbled and realized through listening to our community that we had missed the mark. I know I’ve personally learned a lot over the years, as have all of us here, from those conversations.
I am committed to supporting and working alongside every member of the team here as we continue pouring our hearts and souls into these worlds. Worlds that we love, and that we hope have been worth your time and your passion. Because ultimately those worlds only exist, and thrive, with you in them.
We are hard at work right now doing that – both with Marathon and Destiny. We’re currently heads down, but we’ll have more to show you in both of these worlds later this year.
Per Bungie’s social media post, Parsons is retiring and will seemingly not remain at the studio.
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.
If you’re a fan of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere books, there’s certainly no shortage of written content available. And in recent years, that same universe has started to trickle over into the world of tabletop games. One such experience is a collaboration with Brotherwise Games called Mistborn: The Deckbuilding Game, which is currently discounted on Amazon.
The Mistborn board game pulls from Era 1 of the Mistborn book series. These were some of the first Brandon Sanderson books I ever read and are, in my opinion, the best entrypoint into The Cosmere as a whole. If you’re a fan of both the books and deckbuilding games, I definitely recommend checking out this crossover board game.
Mistborn: The Deckbuilding Game Is on Sale at Amazon
The Mistborn board game was designed by John D. Clair and published by Brotherwise Games. The game itself pulls directly from its source material, and players will have to burn and flare metals as they battle each other or the Lord Ruler throughout play. Like any standard deckbuilding game, everyone will begin with a weaker deck of cards and slowly add new ones to their hand throughout the game. It’s designed for up to four players total, but can also be played solo if you prefer that route.
The current discount on Amazon drops the price down to $39.17, which is the lowest price we’ve ever seen for this game. And while that’s still not exactly cheap, it’s just enough of a discount to make it worth considering.
