Support Virtual Agent is an AI-powered feature built to help Xbox players more efficiently solve their support-related gaming issues, and it is rolling out to select Xbox Insiders on support.xbox.com today. Support Virtual Agent can quickly access information from support.xbox.com to answer questions relevant to Xbox console and game support issues. Xbox Insiders located in the United States and with English selected as their preferred language can begin previewing the Support Virtual Agent today by visiting support.xbox.com while signed into an account that is registered with the Xbox Insider Program.
We value the feedback from Xbox Insiders for this preview experience and any feedback received will be used to improve the Support Virtual Agent. As you interact with the Support Virtual Agent, you can provide feedback via the “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” button on each of the responses or provide feedback directly via the “Give feedback” button at the bottom of the page.
How to Use Support Virtual Agent
Starting today, Xbox Insiders will see the Support Virtual Agent on the “Contact us” page on support.xbox.com. Sign in with the same account you registered with the Xbox Insider Program, then you’ll see a new option to ask our new Support Virtual Agent a question.
Once you click on “Ask a question,” you will see the Support Virtual Agent launch in a new browser window. You can ask the agent questions via text or voice, and it will answer with relevant information from support.xbox.com. If the Support Virtual Agent cannot solve the issue, you can request to speak with a live support agent as long as it is within Xbox Support’s normal hours of operation.
During this preview, you can also customize your support experience by clicking on the ellipsis menu icon and choosing between two different Support Virtual Agents.
How to Get Xbox Insider Support and Share Your Feedback
If you’re an Xbox Insider looking for support, please join our community on the Xbox Insider subreddit. Official Xbox staff, moderators, and fellow Xbox Insiders are there to help. We recommend adding to threads with the same topic before posting a brand new one. This helps us support you the best we can! Also, you can provide direct feedback to Team Xbox by following the steps here under the “Report a problem online” section.
If you aren’t part of the Xbox Insider Program yet and want to help create the future of Xbox and get early access to new features, join the Program today by downloading the Xbox Insider Hub for Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One or Windows PC.
For more information on the Xbox Insider Program, follow us on Twitter at @XboxInsider.
October had many spooky and epic adventures. What did you enjoy most about last month’s title lineup?
How does it work? At the end of every month, PlayStation Blog will open a poll where you can vote for the best new game released that month. After the polls close we will tally your votes, and announce the winner on our social channels and PlayStation.Blog.
What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? Note: re-released games don’t qualify, but remakes do. We define remakes as ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds such as Resident Evil 4 (2023) and Final Fantasy VII Remake. How are nominees decided? The PlayStation Blog editorial team will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll.
Treyarch and Raven Software have published yet another Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 update, this time targeting a few of the game’s more annoying elements, such as the flashbang screen effect, the Recon Combat Specialty, and the spawn system.
The November 4 update is only the developer’s latest patch seeking to iron out the experience. Although players quickly took to this year’s Call of Duty when its release date arrived a few weeks back, many have made it clear that there are more than a few kinks left to deal with. Today’s update is one of the beefiest yet, as it tackles common issues and more while promising to provide even more specific fixes in the future.
One tool that players of every skill level can’t seem to stand is the flashbang, which has been called out for the lengthy affect it has on players’ screens. On smaller maps like Nuketown, of which there are a few of in Black Ops 6, the flashbang leaves Operators unable to see their screen for long portions of each match. Post update, players will notice that the duration of the effect has been reduced by 20%. Whether it calms complaints remains to be seen, but it’s clear Treyarch is at least listening.
Other common talking points the team sought to address with today’s patch include the spawn system and Recon Combat Specialty. The former is often a point of contention in any Call of Duty entry, so it should be nice to hear that spawn logic has been tuned across “several” Multiplayer maps in Black Ops 6.
Our number one goal is to always provide the safest spawn that we can across all maps and game modes.
“Spawn tuning will be an ongoing process of taking in data, reviewing gameplay and making measured adjustments in the live environment,” a developer note says. “Our number one goal is to always provide the safest spawn that we can across all maps and game modes.”
Recon, meanwhile, has left many concerned thanks to its ability to allow players to see through walls for a short time after respawning. The Perk combination bonus has now had its duration reduced from 2 seconds to 1.5, with Treyarch promising to reduce it even further ahead of Season 1.
These are the highlights for those looking for a less frustrating Multiplayer experience, but a number of weapon balance adjustments found their way into the November 4 Black Ops 6 update, too. Assault rifles like the XM4 and Model L received nerfs to their long-range damage, while more than a few SMGs had their range buffed. Most of the new Black Ops 6 patch focuses on tweaking Multiplayer, but Zombies players will notice that GobbleGum names should now properly update when players switch between tier tabs.
Today’s update follows a November 1 patch that squashed a number of bugs and exploits across the Multiplayer and Zombies modes. Although today’s fix fleshes out the experience even more, the team will surely polish the FPS further in the coming days and weeks.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launched October 25 and will begin its first season of content on November 14. For more on, you can read our reviews for the Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies modes. We gave Multiplayer an 8/10, saying, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 plays it safe but is otherwise exactly what Call of Duty multiplayer should be: fast, fun, and a little on the ridiculous side.”
For everything else revealed in today’s patch, you can see the list of all the changes below. Specific weapon adjustments can be found on the patch notes page here, and make sure to check out ranking of the best guns as well would Black Ops 6 Zombies Guide.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 November 4, 2024 Patch Notes
GLOBAL
Stability
Improved stability when interacting with the Message of the Day.
Improved stability when sending voice communications.
Progression
Completion display will now properly appear when completing Prestige Challenges in both Multiplayer and Zombies.
Operators
Addressed an issue where Bailey wasn’t holding an intended Pistol in the Operator selection menu.
MULTIPLAYER
Maps
Nuketown
Nuketown is now available in Private Matches.
Modes
Addressed an issue where players were spawned in when joining a session in progress instead of spectating before selecting a Loadout. Yes, we saw ourselves in a Killcam before selecting a Loadout too.
Improved stability in Infected game mode.
Spawns
General spawn logic tuning across several maps for improved spawning.
Spawn tuning will be an ongoing process of taking in data, reviewing gameplay and making measured adjustments in the live environment. Our number one goal is to always provide the safest spawn that we can across all maps and game modes.
Loadouts
Addressed an issue where players would automatically equip their previously used Loadout when joining matches already in progress.
Addressed an issue where Players would die at initial spawn when selecting their Loadout.
Weapons
It’s been awesome seeing players discover and share their favorite weapon builds during the first week of launch. Every day we monitor both player feedback and game data to keep tabs on how the weapon meta is evolving and prepare for a comprehensive tuning pass in Season 01.
We have seen the discussions about the relative balance of Assault Rifles and Submachine Guns, and we are making some early, general changes to adjust their effective ranges. For ARs, we are pulling in minimum damage ranges and lessening the impact of headshots at close range. SMGs are receiving damage range increases to improve their mid-range effectiveness.
Shotguns
Last week, we fixed an issue with shotgun Slugs, but we are still working on an additional issue causing this attachment to perform better in hip fire than intended. Slugs are meant to offer an alternate playstyle for shotguns that trades close quarters effectiveness for improved range and precision. We are removing the ability for Slugs to one-hit kill to the body for now and will be revisiting the overall tuning of this attachment in an upcoming update.
Marine SP
Slug attachment Max Damage reduced from 106 to 92.
ASG-89
Slug attachment Max Damage reduced from 106 to 92.
Perks
Recon Combat Specialty
Reduced duration that enemies are highlighted after respawning to 1.5 seconds from 2 seconds. An additional reduction will be coming before Season 01.
Resolved an issue that allowed players to activate Recon Combat Specialty by changing Loadouts.
Dispatcher
Increased Dispatcher Perk score cost for UAV from 500 to 550.
Increased Dispatcher Perk score cost for Counter UAV from 550 to 600.
As we head into Season 1, we are continuing to observe data and feedback for Perks and Combat Specialties in Multiplayer. Currently, Enforcer is the most popular Combat Specialty with Recon in second place. It’s not just about the data though, as your feedback is a critical part of how we approach tuning of the live game. With that said, we are making some spot adjustments today as we as we continue to take a holistic look at our Perks and Combat Specialties moving forward.
Equipment
Flashbang
Reduced Flashbang Tactical screen effect duration by 20%.
Scorestreaks
Increased health of UAV and Counter UAV (rockets to destroy remain unchanged).
Increased initial explosion radius of Napalm Strike.
Reduced the initial entry delay of the LDBR.
Increased the fly-in speed of the Strategic Bomber.
Reduced score cost for Interceptors from 1250 to 1150.
Movement Updates
Adjusted stance change cooldowns to reduce effectiveness of repeated prone to stand movement (enough snaking).
XP Earn Rates
Adjusted Player XP and Weapon XP earn rates for most modes to ensure that players are being rewarded for their match performance as expected wherever they play. These changes include:
Increased Weapon XP earn rates for most modes
Increased Player XP earn rates for the following modes:
Team Deathmatch
Control
Search & Destroy
Gunfight
Slight decrease to Player XP and Weapon XP earned in Face Off modes
Challenges
Addressed an issue where players were able to complete the Nuke Challenge while dying.
UI
Appropriate Perks will now display when viewing the featured player during Best Play.
Known Issues
Gunsmith
We are investigating an issue where any equipped Optic attachment is removed when when entering the Gunsmith in Main Menus.
Players will not notice this issue if entering Gunsmith during a match.
Players can equip Optic attachments, but will need to re-equip them anytime they enter Gunsmith in a Main Menu to adjust attachments or customizations.
In cases where an Optic is locked and equipped via a Blueprint, players will need to reapply the Blueprint to obtain the Optic.
ZOMBIES
UI
GobbleGum names will now properly update when switching between tier tabs.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
Stardew Valley 1.6 is finally out on console and mobile devices following the PC release back in March with the Stardew Valley 1.6.9 update. This adds all previous 1.6 content to PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android, alongside some new stuff.
If you’ve been holding out for the 1.6 release on console and mobile, we’ve got plenty of Stardew Valley 1.6 guides to help you through the new content, such as an explainer on the new Mastery Points system and new crops like Carrots and Broccoli.
Essential Stardew Valley 1.6 Guides
Below, you’ll find IGN guides that we recommend checking out to aid you in your farming adventure.
Mastery Points
The Mastery Points system is a new feature that rewards those who have leveled all five Stardew Valley skills (Fishing, Farming, Combat, Foraging, and Mining) to level 10. Now, when you use a maxed-out skill, you’ll gain EXP in the new Mastery Gauge. Once the Mastery Gauge is full, you’ll get a Mastery Point that can be spent at Mastery Cave in Cindersap Forest.
For more information on Mastery Points and the rewards you can spend them on, head to our Mastery Points guide.
Raccoon Family Quests
In Stardew Valley 1.6, you’ll receive an announcement randomly telling you that a strong windstorm occurred overnight and if you head to Cindersap Forest, you’ll find that there’s now a giant treestump where a tree was. Once you repair the stump, a raccoon will be standing by it the next day, and he’ll have a quest for you. This is actually a chain of quests known as the Raccoon Family Quests.
As you complete the quests, the raccoon’s family will grow. You can accept a new quest from him every seven in-game days, and you’ll get rewards for doing so, as well as new Shop.
Check out our Raccoon Family Quests guide for walkthroughs on all the quests, as well as checkmarks to track your exact progress!
Golden Joja Parrot
Struggling to track down all 130 Golden Walnuts on Ginger Island? The Golden Joja Parrot is here to help—for a price. In the Stardew Valley 1.6 update, you can now pay the Golden Joja Parrot 10,000g to tell you the location of a Golden Walnut. It’s a pricy service, but if you can afford it, it’s very useful.
Of course, we would recommend NOT spending 10,000g (sorry, birdy!) and instead using our All Golden Walnuts guide to track down the 130 Golden Walnuts scattered around Ginger Island. We’ve also got checkmarks so you can check off the ones you’ve found.
New Fish and Resources
A fish, the Goby, has been added in Stardew Valley 1.6, which you can learn more about, including location, season, and selling price, in our Fish guide. Additionally, there are new fishable resources to find, which can be used to craft the Fish Smoker, which is also new. You’ll need the Fish Smoker for a Raccoon Family Quest!
Head to the following guides to learn more about obtaining the new fishable resources:
Alongside a fish, there are also four additional crops for you to grow. You can find out more about how to find the seeds for the new crops and how to grow them in the following guides:
Click on a link above to visit the guides page for that festival. You’ll find out information such as when each festival takes place, attractions, and what you can buy.
Starting a New Game?
If you’re starting a new game for the Stardew Valley 1.6 update on console and mobile, you may need a refresher on the basics, especially if it’s been a long time since you’ve played early-game content or you’re new to Stardew Valley. We recommend the following guides for new playthroughs:
Beginner’s Guide and Tips – Begin here if you’re starting a new playthrough. Our Beginner’s Guide and Tips page lists key things to know, including the best type of farm to choose, what to do in your first week to set yourself up for success, information on the Community Center, and more!
Skills – There are five skills to learn, each with 10 levels to unlock. As you level a skill up, you’ll unlock new rewards, such as crafting recipes and proficiency, and you can even choose between professions. Our Skills page teaches you everything you need to know.
How to Fish– Fishing is one of the five skills in Stardew Valley. Our How to Fish page teaches you how to unlock fishing, how to fish (including mini-game tips), and how to use Bait.
Cooking Recipes – Once you’ve upgraded your house, you unlock a kitchen with a stove and a fridge, which in turn, unlocks cooking. Our Cooking Recipes page lists every recipe in Stardew Valley and how to get them, plus required ingredients, stats, and sell price.
Crafting Recipes – There are a plethora of crafting recipes that you can use to make items to help you out with farming, decorating, combat, and more. Our Crafting Recipes page lists every crafting recipe in Stardew Valley, how to unlock them, and the materials you’ll need.
How to Make Money – Money is an incredibly valuable resource in Stardew Valley. In fact, you can’t do much without it! Our How to Make Money guide lists essential tips for making cash so you can fill up your coinpurse in no time.
Marriage Guide– Every farmer needs a partner, and our Marriage Guide teaches you everything you need to know about marriage in the game, including all 12 eligible bachelors and bachelorettes, how to actually get married, and how to have a baby. If you fall out of love with your partner, we even tell you how to get divorced. You’ll need to increase your villager hearts to get married, which we also have an explainer for.
Video game preservation still has a long way to go, but it’s difficult to imagine a re-release of Human Entertainment’s Clock Tower ten, or even five years ago. Yet thanks to rapidly growing interest in retro gaming and the resulting explosion of compilations and re-releases over the last few years, this curious SNES survival horror is now available worldwide in all its glory.
Originally exclusive to Japan, Clock Tower: Rewind presents the original 1995 game along with an enhanced version of the 1997 ‘First Fear’ PS1 port, adding in new scenarios and minor improvements such as the ability to run upstairs (both versions also include a rewind feature). On top of that, you’ve got a bunch of extras to peruse, including interviews with creator Hifumi Kono, motion comics, scans of the Japanese manual and strategy guide, and more. It’s a generous package that goes a long way to compensating for the game’s relatively short two-to-three-hour runtime (multiple endings included).
Halo 2 celebrates its 20th anniversary this November, and Halo Studios is paying homage to its legacy.
Revisit faithful recreations of iconic Halo 2 multiplayer maps and gameplay in Halo Infinite’s Delta Arena Playlist.
Play the lost E3 2003 Halo 2 demo, featuring content that never made it into the final release of the game in Halo: The Master Chief Collection
It’s almost been 20 years since the release of Halo 2, the legendary sequel that put us behind the eyes of both the Master Chief and the Arbiter for the first time, and propelled online console shooters to brand new heights. Two decades later, the Halo series is still going strong, and we absolutely couldn’t let the milestone pass by without a celebration of such a game-changing title. Grab your Mountain Dew and lock in for the ultimate Halo 2 birthday bash.
To mark the occasion, Halo Infinite sees the release of the Delta Arena, a playlist featuring recreations of some iconic Halo 2 multiplayer maps, complete with the same authentic gameplay inspired by that era. Outside of that, a fully playable version of the iconic Halo 2 demo shown at E3 2003, featuring gameplay that didn’t make it into the final version of the game, will be added to the Steam Workshop as a mod for the Halo: The Master Chief Collection for fans to play for the first time ever.
We also had the opportunity to chat with some core Halo Studios members about the celebrations, share some nostalgic memories, and revisit the importance of this groundbreaking title and the legacy it shoulders like a Brute Gravity Hammer.
“Halo 2 is a major pillar for the franchise that catapulted the series and community to new heights,” says Brian Jarrard, Community Director on Halo. “It was also a master class in games marketing at the time – creating a true worldwide pop culture phenomenon spanning celebrity appearances to musical crossovers and product partnerships to ARGs and cinematics and stories that rivalled Hollywood.
“The gameplay innovations, esports competitions, storytelling, online connectivity, and the overall cultural permeation fostered a new level of global fandom and community that elevated Halo beyond ‘just a game.’ As we look back on twenty years(!) it’s still remarkable how impactful Halo 2 was and how wide sweeping its impacts are even today.”
On Old Turf
Delta Arena launches into Halo Infinite on November 5 and features several modern recreations of classic multiplayer maps from Halo 2, lovingly and faithfully rebuilt in Forge with the help of key Halo community members known as Forgers. You’ll once again be able to hop around the hazy sniping spots of Ascension, duel with Energy Swords along the neon hallways of Midship, or get stuck in close quarters chaos within the structures of Lockout.
“The process began by looking at what had been recreated by the community and seeing what could work in tandem with the modes we were developing internally,” explains Evan Colson, Designer on Halo Infinite. “We ultimately strived to find fan favorites that were faithful to their original designs and that could play well within the Infinite environment. Each of these recreations have been given new life by the extraordinary Forgers behind them.”
Take a peek at some of the new maps below.
Ascension, same name, new look.
Canopy is a leafy new take on Halo 2’s Lockout.
Beaver Canyon is a remake of Beaver Creek, exactly as you remember it.
Serenity, a remake of Halo 2’s Sanctuary.
Boulevard, originally Turf in Halo 2.
Nick Treitman, Producer on Halo Infinite, considers the selection a “healthy mix of maps,” with some adhering effortlessly to their original Halo 2 setting, and others opting for an artistic spin that works to enhance the map’s design, without sacrificing its legacy.
“Beaver Canyon feels exactly how you remember it and Conjurer takes the magical/wizard theme and cranks it to 11,” Treitman adds. “Midship has been one of our most requested maps and after finally getting the Covenant forge objects in game, it was a matter of time before a true-to-H2 version came together.”
Here’s the full list of maps with their original names, plus the updated names they’ll have in the Halo Infinite Delta Playlist:
Here’s the original Halo 2 Midship map, next to the brand new Inquisitor map coming to Halo Infinite.
Of course, it’s not classic Halo without the gameplay, and as such, settings in the Delta Arena Playlist have been adjusted to recreate the feel of Halo 2. With sprint and clamber disabled, a 120% jump height and friendly player collision enabled, you’ll be transported right back to those early online days of play.
“While utilizing custom game settings to recreate Halo 2’s movement is relatively easy, capturing that classic ‘feel’ was a bit harder to nail down,” says Colson. “Considering all the subtle difference between Halo Infinite and Halo 2, a 1:1 recreation was never quite in the cards, but what we did come to was that of an amalgamation between the two, with settings that move like legacy Halo, but plays with elements of the modern sandbox.”
These maps will of course be paired with iconic game modes – Spartans can jump into into rounds of Slayer, Oddball, Capture the Flag and King of the Hill inside the Delta Arena Playlist.
And an extra treat: The starting weapon in the Delta Arena playlist is the MA5K Avenger, a new addition to the Halo Infinite sandbox. Inspired by the Halo 2 SMG of the past and originally displayed 18 years ago on the cover of the novel, Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, the MA5K makes its debut as a playable weapon.
The E3 Demo
Many of us remember that iconic Halo 2 Demo shown at E3 way back in 2003. Not only was it an iconic moment for the gaming industry at the time, it also showcased what was possible not only in the Halo universe, but for the future of Xbox entirely. The demo was groundbreaking, and is fondly remembered by Halo fans today, but the effort to restore it has become a great journey in itself.
“The buzz and hype going into that event was off the charts and the stakes were higher than ever,” says Brian Jarrard, Community Director on Halo. “I have fond memories of so much playtesting and practicing, internal challenges to see who could take out every single enemy in a flawless playthrough.”
Now, for the first time ever, fans will be able step back to 2003 inside a recreation of the demo, playable inside the Halo: The Master Chief Collection via Steam.
“The response to the demo at E3 was electric, and nearly every Halo fan remembers that demo and where they were when they were first blinded by its majesty,” Jarrard adds. “Best of all, none of us ever would have expected that 20+ years later, a group of passionate community modders would bring this demo to life as a full-fledged mission.”
Betcha can’t stick it.
Several snags with technology have kept this demo locked away for many years, however, thanks to the work of the Digsite data archaeology archive and valiant efforts from the wider Halo community, the original assets and files were able to be recovered. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing from there either – the demo was built in a version of the Halo engine that no longer exists, and the assets were not compatible with any other existing versions of Halo 2.
“This put us in a bit of a quandary,” Halo Senior Franchise writer Kenneth Peters tells us. “Even the original executable is difficult to work with, as you need an Xbox developer kit to get it to boot, which is in increasingly short supply even within the studio. But now, in 2024, we have the Digsite-developed tools to analyze and automate up-porting old assets, and the unearthed knowledge to know why Bungie built things the way they did in the demo.”
“Steven Garcia (known to the community as General_101) was vital in getting this scenario stood up and even improved over the original. He was a one-man army and did a significant chunk of the work in developing tools, updating scripts, and even arting the levels. Digsite team members Ludus, Neo Te Aika, Sean T, xScruffyDaSasquatchx, and Killzone then provided finishing touches to replicate the original demo experience and test for bugs. Without them, we would probably have only had a rather unceremonious drop of raw assets and that was it.”
As part of the Digsite partnership between the studio and the modding community, players will be able to go hands-on with the remastered Halo 2 E3 Demo when this free mod releases on Steam Workshop on November 9.
Halo x Forza Celebrations
The celebrations are carrying over to other long-running Xbox franchises too. Halo and Forza have a strong history of partnership – the iconic Warthog vehicle made an appearance in Forza Motorsport 4 back in 2011, made its drivable debut in Forza Horizon 3, and in Forza Horizon 4, players were able to race it around a mission inspired by the environments of the Halo rings.
“The incredible potential of the EventLab tool in Forza Horizon 5 gives us an awesome opportunity to expand on this idea and allow payers to build their own Halo-themed tracks,” explains Corrinne Robinson, Franchise Development Director on Halo. “Our players have spent years creating amazing and inventive things in Forge within Halo and we can’t wait to see what the racing community does with the new toy box of Halo items at their disposal.”
The Halo 2 celebrations kick off on November 5 with the release of the Delta Arena Playlist as part of Halo Infinite – Operation: Great Journey.
Be sure to check out the Halo-themed Eventlab additions when they arrive in Forza Horizon 5 on November 7, and of course, the classic E3 Demo in Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Steam via the Steam Workshop mod when it launches on November 9. Get a good hold on that Covenant bomb Spartan, we’re diving in.
Black Friday is the ultimate season for Xbox deals, whether you’re after classic or newly released games, or upgrades to your setup. This year, major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart are all expected to offer unbeatable prices on everything from controllers to must-play games, and the deals will only ramp up as we get closer to Black Friday itself. So, what can you expect on the Xbox front this year? Here’s our preview of what to keep an eye out for, and stay tuned, as this season’s deals could be worth the wait.
Xbox Series X|S: Black Friday Console Deals
Last year, Xbox Series console bundles dominated the holiday sales, especially at Walmart. While Microsoft initially offered $50 off select Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, many retailers took things further, rolling out even bigger discounts and bundles – like the Diablo 4 Xbox Series X bundle, which dropped to $439 and made a major splash in the sale season.
In recent years, some of the best Xbox Black Friday deals have started surfacing around mid-November, with the biggest discounts dropping in the final days leading up to Black Friday. For fans of digital downloads, the Xbox Store typically joins the fray, offering deep discounts on popular franchises and exclusive digital content.
In 2023, Xbox’s Black Friday sales were announced on November 15, kicking off on November 17. While this year’s offers haven’t been confirmed yet, we expect a similar timeline and range of discounts. For context, here’s a snapshot of last year’s highlights:
Up to 50% off digital games
Up to 65% off select Xbox Game Studios titles
Up to 67% off select PC digital games
$50 off select Xbox Series X and Series S consoles
Up to $25 off select Xbox Wireless Controllers
Free engraving on Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 via Xbox Design Lab
Every Xbox Game I’d Like to See On Sale for Black Friday
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
With its intense third-person combat and rich Warhammer lore, Space Marine 2 has become a must-play for fans of the genre. A Black Friday deal would make it a fantastic gift option for Warhammer enthusiasts, making it a holiday highlight for any fan of brutal action and immersive storytelling.
Resident Evil 4
The remake of Resident Evil 4 is still going strong with an impressive $19.99 price reduction this week. Given its acclaim as one of the best remakes in recent years, an extension or further reduction during Black Friday would be a win for players who haven’t picked it up yet.
Sonic X Shadow Generations
Just released, Sonic X Shadow Generations could also see early Black Friday discounts. Sega has a history of marking down recent titles, as seen with Sonic Frontiers last year. Currently priced at $39.99 on Woot, we might see an additional price cut soon. Leaker billbil_kun has hinted it could reach around €26.99 in Europe, which could translate to a similar discount in the US.
Elden Ring
A standout in gaming, Elden Ring has gained even more depth with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. This popular game has held its value, but Black Friday could be the perfect chance for a deal on the main game or its complete edition. Any discount would make this one of the season’s most tempting offers.
Star Wars Outlaws
Star Wars Outlaws has received a steady stream of updates since launch, improving performance and gameplay. A Black Friday discount would be a great opportunity for newcomers to explore Ubisoft’s expansive Star Wars universe. With updates driven by community feedback, Outlaws is shaping up to be a thrilling experience for fans of open-world sci-fi games, and a sale could make it even more accessible.
Xbox Game Pass Black Friday Deals
It’s a hot question: Will we see any discounts on Xbox Game Pass during the Black Friday sales? It’s a tough one, as we’ve already seen plenty of unreal discounts on Game Pass in recent months, especially at Woot. But, Black Friday offers Microsoft a unique opportunity to ride the Black Ops 6 wave and launch Game Pass subscriber numbers into the stratosphere. Although it’s not for certain, I do anticipate Game Pass getting a discount for Black Friday, and I’m hoping it’ll be something like three months of Ultimate for $30, for example. We’ll just have to wait and see!
Xbox Controllers: $39 or Less for Black Friday?
Xbox Wireless Controllers were a hot item last Black Friday, available at a discounted price of $39, up to $25 off the regular cost. We’ve seen a similar deal recently crop up at Lenovo, but it often quickly sells out and is limited in what colors are available. If this returns for Black Friday, and consistently stays in stock for all color variants, then this will be the best time to buy.
Xbox Expandable Storage SSDs Deals
Xbox SSD expansion cards are consistently one of the most popular deals console gamers are looking for over big sale events. They’re expensive, so everyone who wants one is trying to find it at a reduced price. Looking at recent deals on Xbox-compatible SSDs, we expect to see 1TB cards drop to around $100-125, similar to the recent October Prime Day event.
Plan Your Spending: Set a budget and stick to it. Only buy games or accessories you genuinely intend to use.
Create a Wishlist: Make a list of the items you want to buy and stick to it to avoid impulsive purchases.
Compare Prices: Double-check deals at different retailers to ensure you’re getting the best price.
Act Swiftly: Exceptional deals may sell out quickly, so don’t hesitate to grab them.
Don’t Worry If You Miss Out: If you miss a deal, it might come back on Cyber Monday or during the next Prime Day.
Looking for deals right now? Have a look at our roundup of the best PlayStation deals to see the biggest discounts available today. Or, if you’d like to see what’s caught our eye on other platforms, have a look at our individual roundups of the best Nintendo Switch deals and the best Xbox deals or our overall look at the best video game deals.
When Is Black Friday 2024?
The actual date of Black Friday in 2024 falls on November 29 this year, but the deals season will begin a lot sooner than that. Leading up to the big event, retailers will begin to open deals online. This usually starts in the last week of October, just before Halloween. Each week leading up to the event will slowly roll out more deals, which ultimately leads to Black Friday. Retailers will not reveal their biggest Black Friday deals until the big day, but most general deals will be available well in advance. Walmart, for example, has announced its official sale for November 11 this year.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.
Stardew Valley 1.6 finally hits the console and mobile versions of Eric ‘ConcernedApe’ Barone’s 30 million-selling farm life simulation game today, November 4, and with it update 1.6.9 launches across all platforms.
The Stardew Valley 1.6.9 update for consoles, mobile, and PC rolls out from 10am PST, although the exact time it will be available may vary from platform to platform, Barone tweeted.
Fans do have the Stardew Valley 1.6.9 changelog to run through now (check out the patch notes below). The patch notes are just for 1.6.9, but console and mobile get all the previous 1.6 content as well.
There’s a lot to dig into with 1.6.9, but new content and features include the ability to find a lost item via a new friend who appears in the secret woods, slightly tweaked dialogues, new Easter eggs, and new hidden cheat commands.
Barone had said that following the release of 1.6, console and mobile players can still experience almost everything new with their existing save, “but if you have any interest in starting a new farm it would be ideal to start fresh.”
“Some of the new things, for example, are different in year one than in year two plus,” Barone continued. “Besides, it’s fun to start a new farm right?”
The free 1.6 update, which sparked a fresh 10/10 Stardew Valley review from IGN, launched on PC in March, which means console and mobile players have waited eight months for it to launch on their platforms. Barone initially expected the ports would be released a month later.
Barone has apologized to disgruntled fans and promised not to return to work on his next game, Haunted Chocolatier, until Stardew 1.6 was finalized. Haunted Chocolatier, revealed in 2021, doesn’t have a release window.
Blue grass no longer grows slower than normal grass.
Fruit tree growth is no longer blocked by grass and seed spots.
Pine trees now drop one extra wood when chopped down.
The initiation quest now counts wild slimes killed on the farm.
Thorns ring damage now stacks if you equip two of them, and monsters killed by a thorns ring now drop loot like regular kills.
With the Gatherer skill, the chance to double harvested forage now applies when using an iridium scythe too.
Son of Crimsonfish can now be caught during the night market.
Robin no longer constructs buildings during green rain in year 1.
Placing a bomb and then switching to a weapon no longer applies its enchantments to the bomb damage.
Added some items to shops:
Adventurer’s Guild: Rusty Sword, Femur, Elf Blade, Steel Smallsword, Crystal Dagger, Obsidian Edge, and Work Boots. These unlock after you reach a certain mine level, regardless of whether you found them in a mine chest.
Marnie’s shop: Cow Decal.
Hat mouse: Sports Cap.
Willy’s shop: Advanced Iridium Rod.
Passing trains are now more likely to happen multiple times in the same session, but can no longer appear on consecutive days.
Willy’s shop now opens on spring 2 in the first year even if you didn’t read his letter.
Fixed Queen of Sauce reruns being affected by the recipes needed by unclaimed farmhands in empty cabins.
Fixed being able to receive monster damage while jumping down a mine shaft before the screen fades to black.
Fixed spa not fully recovering energy when a max-energy buff is active.
Fixed sleeping late while exhausted not reducing stamina as intended.
Fixed the catalogue and Furniture Catalogue selling items from themed catalogues like Retro Catalogue.
Fixed exploit where a fish pond with a golden cracker could produce unlimited output. Fish pond output bonuses are now applied once when the output is created.
Fixed exploit where you could cancel cow milking and still get the friendship boost.
Fixed unintended extra chance of spontaneous green rain trees when loading a save in fall.
Fixed skill buffs affecting shop item requirements in 1.6.
Fixed sturdy ring no longer halving debuff times in 1.6.
Fixed lower chance of catching lava eels in caldera after 1.6.
Fixed forage crops harvested from garden pots always being low-quality and providing no XP.
Fixed iridium scythe with forage crops not giving XP or applying the forage level quality boost.
Fixed some weapons never dropping from crates when legacy randomization is enabled.
Quality of life changes
The game now recovers most saves automatically if they’re broken, corrupted, or missing the SaveGameInfo file.
Fish ponds now show the number of roe or other output items to collect.
The wedding event now replays if you exit & reload the day.
The tailoring UI is now a bit more intuitive: slots that can’t accept the held item are now disabled, and you can no longer pick up some items that can’t be tailored.
Colored items like flowers now also sort by color. That avoids items being reordered randomly each time you sort your inventory.
You can now only sell books to the bookseller via the book purchase menu, not the trade-in menu. This reduces the chance of accidentally selling a book when trying to trade it in.
The collections tab now shows artifacts, gems, and minerals once they’re donated to the museum (not as soon as you find it).
Clint now refills your watering can when upgrading it.
Tweaked save process to reduce the chance of corruption.
Anvils no longer accept parrot eggs if you can’t re-roll their level yet.
Improved chatbox commands:
Chat commands are now case-insensitive.
Changed /help format to make room for more commands.
Added /help descriptions for /emote, /mapScreenshot, and /unbanAll.
Added consistent messages when you can’t use a multiplayer-only or host-only command.
Performance optimizations.
Technical changes
Migrated from FAudio to OpenAL, which should improve performance when playing audio.
Updated SDL from 2.0.x to 2.30.4 (used for input and windowing).
Fixed compatibility with newer Windows systems when using some older GPUs.
Gameplay fixes
You can no longer swap a chest’s type if the new type is too small to store its current items.
Fixed NPC issues:
NPCs no longer avoid passable terrain features like flooring and grass when pathfinding.
Fixed kicking Krobus out of the house triggering divorce dialogues.
Fixed Leo following his island schedule after moving to the mainland.
Fixed a Lewis schedule where he would overlap Marnie.
Fixed a Penny resort dialogue when married that was never shown.
Fixed Pierre sometimes showing a closed-on-Wednesday dialogue after his shop hours are extended.
Fixed mom or dad sending duplicate mail if you change gender later.
Fixed some dialogue based on location + heart level only being shown if you have 10 or more hearts with the NPC.
Fixed special NPC gift reaction dialogue sometimes not matching their gift taste (e.g. Willy giving a positive dialogue for triple shot espresso).
Fixed unable to talk to Robin after accepting a house upgrade.
Fixed incorrectly split dialogue in Linus’ first heart event.
Fixed NPCs unable to pathfind through tiles that had a tent at the start of the day.
Fixed NPCs not loading their green rain dialogue if you started the day on the island.
Fixed NPCs saying “…” in 1.6 if they bought an item you sold to a shop but they don’t have a relevant dialogue for it.
Fixed your spouse sometimes saying “…” instead of the intended neutral dialogue.
Fixed your fiancée/spouse reacting to a mermaid’s pendant as if you’re engaged/married to someone else.
Fixed UI issues:
Fixed world map not always showing players at the right spot when they’re inside a constructed building.
Fixed links in credits no longer opening a browser page.
Fixed able to interact with HUD elements like the toolbar when they’re hidden (e.g. when the game is paused).
Fixed issues when resizing the game window:
advanced game options layout being messed up;
collections page losing its selected tab and page;
social page losing its scroll position.
Fixed themed catalogues not having category tabs.
Fixed forge UI destroying any item held by the cursor after unforging.
Fixed museum menu clicks on the OK button sometimes grabbing the artifact behind it instead.
Fixed tailoring menu letting you trash some non-trashable items.
Fixed organize button in inventory UIs letting you put any item in special chests like enrichers.
Fixed issue where phoning Robin to get building prices and then resizing the window would enable the build/demolish/etc options as if you’d visited the shop directly.
Fixed specific items and machines:
Fixed chest color getting reset when you swap chest type.
Fixed crab pots not producing double catches correctly with wild bait.
Fixed crab pots duplicating bait when loaded by a hopper.
Fixed crab pots not applying deluxe bait and wild bait bonuses in some cases.
Fixed fences destroyed on click when surrounded by impassable objects on three sides (above + left + right) instead of four as intended.
Fixed geode crushers incrementing the ‘geodes crushed’ stat when hovering, which allowed unintended RNG manipulation.
Fixed magic quiver trinket sometimes doing nothing if both a valid and invalid target are in range.
Fixed mannequins losing their clothes if they’re moved into storage to make space (e.g. for an event). They now re-equip their previous clothes when they’re put back down.
Fixed tents not blocking item placement.
Fixed watering cans with bottomless enchantment sometimes shown with a half-empty meter. Bottomless watering cans are now always full.
Fixed building upgrades not placing interior items (like the coop incubator) if…
furniture is in the way. The furniture is now moved just like other objects.
an item blocking placement can’t be moved. It’s now moved into the lost & found in that case.
Fixed cases where the Pirate’s Wife quest chain could lock you out:
If you have the quest but lost the required item, you now get a new War Memento overnight.
If the quest was cancelled, you can now talk to Birdie to restart it.
NPCs can no longer mistakenly accept the quest items as gifts or refuse to accept their quest item.
Fixed location/map issues:
Fixed screen viewport at wrong position right after warping on horseback in some cases.
Fixed wilderness farm not pre-building the first cabin in separate-cabins mode.
Fixed grass in Marnie’s cow field never regrowing.
Fixed Willy’s bait barrel missing during night market.
Fixed some missing map tiles which let you walk off-screen.
Fixed able to leave Stardew Valley Fair’s festival area in odd years.
Fixed weed/stone debris spawning on top of placed paths in some cases.
Fixed able to dig up buried treasure from non-diggable tiles in some cases.
Fixed forest fish no longer catchable on the four corners farm.
Fixed bug where using the standard farm’s wallpaper/flooring in farmhouses of another farm type would reset them to that farm’s themed defaults.
Fixed pre-1.6 saves sometimes losing the Dwarvish Translation Guide. The fix is retroactive for affected players.
Fixed pre-1.6 farmhand stats not migrated correctly. The fix is retroactive for affected farmhands.
Fixed pre-1.6 tubs o’ flowers never blooming again if their first day in 1.6 was in fall or winter.
Fixed raccoon bundle accepting anything for preserve items.
Fixed level requirement for farmer titles lowered by one in 1.6.
Fixed fish ponds accepting multiple golden crackers before the first one lands in the water. They now register the first golden cracker immediately (but still delay the visual change until it lands).
Fixed two Desert Festival makeover outfits that applied male shirts to female players.
Fixed strange behavior of shop items with both a stock limit and stack size (e.g. items in several desert festival shops).
Fixed edge cases where viewing a previous year’s secret santa letter in the collections tab would show the current year’s secret santa in the game menu during the Feast of the Winter Star week.
Fixed the throw-item-into-shipping-bin animation drawing the base uncolored sprite for colored items like roe.
Fixed error loading mobile saves on other platforms.
Fixed crash when loading a save file in some rare cases.
Fixed crash when using a tent on Ginger Island during a night event.
Fixed some cat gifts applying fishing bonuses from the main player’s equipped fishing rod.
Fixed movie theater scene failing in some cases when players have previously unequipped trinkets.
Fixed Junimo harvesters losing the item color when dropping a crop on the ground due to their hut being full.
Fixed rare edge case where a Junimo hut output chest has too many item slots.
Multiplayer fixes
Added an /unlinkPlayer [name] chat command, which lets the host player release a farmhand so it can be reclaimed by the next person who connects.
Fixed being able to steal another player’s roommate.
Fixed farmhands able to claim multiple Desert Festival fishing quests per day.
Fixed crash when reconnecting later in the day after leaving a festival.
Fixed host crash if a farmhand disconnects while they’re between locations.
Fixed NPC duplication in multiplayer fish derbies.
Fixed crab pots & farm animals owned by an offline farmhand checking the main player’s professions instead.
Fixed crab pots with no owner checking professions from the main player instead of the player adding bait.
Fixed farmhands sometimes not seing the message when they can’t enter an NPC’s bedroom.
Fixed Marlon’s desert festival quests not displaying the Calico Egg reward to farmhands.
Fixed some multiplayer logic not handling an offline/invalid player correctly.
Fixed some potential ‘null reference exception’ crashes in multiplayer code.
Fixed crab pots with no owner checking the Mariner profession instead of Luremaster for the bait requirement in some cases.
Fixed Willy not sending fishing rod mail to farmhands who join after spring 2.
Fixed ‘waiting for players’ check including disconnecting players.
Fixed trains not playing chugga chugga sounds for farmhands.
Display text and localization fixes
In the credits, replaced the Reddit/Twitter links with a “News & Community” link.
Fixed a huge number of translation issues for non-English players, and added automated tests to keep translations more in sync going forward. For example, this fixes…
dialogue/event changes in 1.6 which weren’t applied in some languages;
missing dialogues and event actions;
missing, outdated, or incorrect translations;
missing event preconditions (e.g. Leah’s 10-heart event could play on a rainy day in some languages);
events playing the wrong music, not being skippable, or placing players or NPCs at the wrong spot;
translations having different dialogue portraits/breaks/etc;
conversation topics not started when something happens;
Renamed “cranberries jelly/juice/wine” to “cranberry jelly/juice/wine”.
Fixed some bad words being produced by the random name generator.
Fixed NPC text signs and some chat/UI messages in multiplayer not always shown in your language.
Fixed flavored items in some chat/UI messages not shown correctly (like “Player put ‘Smoked’ into the potluck soup“).
Fixed various typos in English text.
Fixed special order objectives not re-translated when the language changes. (This fix only applies to new special orders going forward.)
Fixed Robin showing the wrong number of hardwood required for a house upgrade in some languages.
Fixed some languages showing Willy’s back room invite mail as “???” in the collections tab.
Fixed some languages having inconsistent hat hair behavior.
Fixed some languages producing items with a different internal name.
Fixed French players not seeing prismatic effect for Magic Cowboy Hat and Magic Turban.
Fixed French and Japanese showing a ‘needs 5 coal’ message for the dehydrator.
Fixed Russian club coin and slots offset issues.
Fixed Russian Joja movie theater tilesheet not showing up.
Fixed Russian tool tooltips having overlapped names.
Fixed Spanish jukebox showing blank name for ‘Ginger Island’ song.
Fixed buy-ticket messages showing an unformatted price (like 1000g instead of 1,000g).
Cosmetic fixes
Added lights to Marcello’s book stand.
Sam now changes uniform when he enters JojaMart, instead of only when he reaches his work tile.
Fixed many bugs related to light sources (e.g. lights stuck on screen, shown in the wrong location, removed before they should be, etc).
Fixed issues with the golden walnut & Qi gem drop-down display:
Added support for showing both at once (e.g. another player finds a golden walnut while you’re in the Qi gem shop).
Fixed display sometimes stuck on screen permanently.
Fixed display showing the wrong type in some cases.
Fixed display sometimes appearing in multiplayer when the value didn’t change.
Fixed line wrapping for movie concession description tooltips.
Fixed visual glitch during the even-year Spirit’s Eve if you have the Joja movie theater.
Fixed issue with padding on the edge of maximized game windows on Windows.
Fixed a shirt that looked weird.
Fixed tooltip display issues, like an empty space for edible items that don’t recover any stamina/health (like sweet pea and crocus) or an unintended double space in tooltip buff names.
Fixed missing shadows behind some colored items (like wine) in menus.
Fixed texture wrapping issue with Joja door.
Fixed glitched hidden emote animations in NPC profile menu in some cases. NPCs now use always their default sprite in the profile view.
Fixed red slime item sprite drawn one pixel lower than other colors.
Fixed missing pixels in anvil sprite’s outline.
Fixed stray pixel in dried mushroom color mask.
Fixed Krobus showing a gift icon for the void ghost pendant when he can’t accept it.
Fixed the item-received message cutting off part of the item name if it contains a # character (like ‘Tropical Fish #173’).
Fixed the item-received message sometimes showing no count or a wrong count.
Fixed various issues/crashes with gamepad support.
When buying animals or buildings with a gamepad, you can now use the D-pad to move the cursor.
In the community center bundle UI, using gamepad triggers to move to donation slots and back now returns you to the same spot.
Added a small delay before you can cancel a waiting-for-players dialogue using a gamepad, to prevent accidentally closing it immediately after pressing the OK button.
Fixed gamepad issues on the new game screen.
Fixed dresser tabs not selectable with a gamepad.
Changes for modded players
Added a Content/ContentHashes.json file containing the MD5 hash for every vanilla content asset. This can be used by SMAPI and other tools to detect corrupted or modified game files.
When you leave a horse/mount in a temporary location, it now returns home when that location is removed.
Fixed ‘Jewels Of The Sea’ book producing roe for custom fishing catches that normally don’t have roe.
Fixed forage crops outside the farm being removed each week.
Fixed meteorite, strange capsule, and stone owl only appearing in the top-left 64×64 tile area on large custom farm maps.
Fixed pagination in powers tab when mods add more powers.
Fixed edge cases throughout the game code related to items whose stacks can’t be reduced to zero (e.g. tools).
Fixed various errors when custom items have no name.
Fixed error when mods apply audio changes if there’s no audio device available.
Fixed error if there are no movies available due to a mod bug. The game will now log a warning and choose from the full list of movies instead.
Fixed crash if a farm animal is in a broken building or location.
Fixed crash if a smoked fish’s original fish data no longer exists. You now get a delicious smoked Error Item instead.
Fixed crash when custom sounds loaded from a mod’s .ogg files are paused/resumed many times.
Fixed map tilesheet crash in some cases when playing split-screen mode with mods.
Fixed issues when the game’s whichFarm and whichModFarm fields are out of sync.
Fixed ‘light source already exists’ and ‘changing net field parent’ warnings in some cases.
Fixed mod data getting reset on chest type swap.
Fixed berry bushes showing wrong sprite in locations where seeds can be planted in any season.
Fixed stardrop gift reaction dialogue for custom NPCs defaulting to some raw data instead of their loved dialogue.
Fixed able to enter the Adventurer’s Guild back room without meeting the requirement if the door is open after a custom event.
Fixed triggered actions being logged twice.
Changes for mod authors
See the 1.6.9 mod author migration guide for new APIs, dialogue keys, game state queries, debug commands, map properties, C# constants/fields/methods, data fields, and many other technical changes.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
While we’re getting a Gears Of War prequel in Gears Of War: E-Day, this does mean that Gears Of War 6 is yet to be a thing. In a recent episode of IGN’s Podcast Unlocked, former Gears Of War director and current Diablo 4 lead Rod Fergusson revealed what his plans were for Gears 6 when he left. In short, he was going to take the game to space. Righto.
Insomniac has detailed the enhancements coming to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PS5 Pro, saying the mid-gen upgrade enables the “quintessential version of the Spider-Man experience.”
In a new video, below, developers from Sony-owned Insomniac talk about the PS5 Pro enhancements for Spider-Man 2, including much-improved ray tracing (yes, even in the puddles!), detail, and the ability to play at 60 frames per second but with the visual quality normally reserved for fidelity mode on the base PS5.
Senior creative director Bryan Intihar said that Spider-Man 2 running on base PS5 was a “compromise between the creative vision and the technical limitations” Insomniac ran up against when developing the 2023 adventure, which has sold over 11 million copies.
It’s a different story on the more powerful $700 PS5 Pro, as you’d expect. “When players play Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5 Pro, they are playing the quintessential version of the Spider-Man experience on the PlayStation 5,” Intihar insisted.
While Spider-Man 2 may enjoy a jolt in the arm with the release of PS5 Pro on November 7, Insomniac has confirmed it has no plans to release DLC, much to the disappointment of some fans. The announcement came in the same breath that Sony announced a PC version of Spider-Man 2 launches in January — one of the quickest turnarounds from single-player PS5 exclusive to PC from the company so far.
IGN’s Spider-Man 2 review returned an 8/10. We said: “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 delivers Insomniac’s best tale yet, and despite its open world falling short, is a reliably fun superhero power trip.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
