Larian may be done with major updates to its blockbuster role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3, but it’s still releasing hotfixes. The latest, Hotfix #34, is a juicy one. It adds a native Steam Deck build and should reduce framerate spikes in busy areas such as the Lower City in Act 3 across all platforms.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 3 is infamous for its performance issues. Indeed it was one of the tougher areas to navigate, especially in the months after the game launched and before Larian issued various updates, mainly due to the sheer number of NPCs who mill about on-screen and everything the game has to consider as a result.

In a post on Steam, Larian said the native Steam Deck build means Baldur’s Gate 3 has a more stable framerate, lower loading times, and smoother gameplay on Valve’s handheld. But the work done for this build benefits all players by improving the way the game’s models are streamed across all platforms.

Meanwhile, Hotfix #34 addresses “some rather annoying” instances of crashing on Xbox, Larian said. And as is Larian’s way, it sprinkled the patch notes, below, with some trademark flair. For example:

• Fixed the audio levels for a rat in the Lower City that you, tragically, couldn’t hear squeak when it squoke.
• Reminded Halsin to actually yell when he gains barbarian Rage instead of silently miming it.
• Told one of the imps on the nautiloid to stop looking in the wrong direction.

Baldur’s Gate 3 celebrated its two-year anniversary last month, with Larian boss Swen Vincke discussing how its enormous success paved the way for the studio to work on its hotly-anticipated next game.

The Dungeons & Dragons RPG was a breakout hit in 2023, dominating online conversation and setting sales records. Its wild success was a game-changer for Larian, and the title has continued to perform strongly in the two years since launch, with mods helping to fuel seemingly never-ending interest in the RPG, especially on Steam.

The developer shocked the video game world when it announced plans to make brand new games outside the Dungeons & Dragons universe, rather than follow Baldur’s Gate 3 with DLC or a sequel. It is now hard at work realizing that vision.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Hotfix #34 patch notes:

FIXES

Crashes and Performance

• Fixed a potential crash related to the Slow condition during combat.
• Fixed a potential crash related to using the Find Familiar spell on Scratch and Boo during combat.

Xbox

• Fixed a crash that could occur when suspending and then resuming the game mid-cinematic.
• Fixed a crash when loading a save while playing an Honour Mode game.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the game to hang and become unresponsive when exiting to the Main Menu from an Honour Mode game.
• Selecting View Xbox Live Profile via the Larian Friends list will now correctly show the user’s gamercard.
• Fixed a Cross-Play issue where, if one player had their cross-network privileges blocked on Xbox and was then invited to a multiplayer session by a friend, they wouldn’t get notified of the conflict in their settings telling them why they couldn’t proceed to the lobby.
• Fixed a bug where creating a new game in Honour Mode after having loaded a previous savegame would cause the game to get stuck at 33% or 83% loading.

Gameplay

• Fixed the Hound of Ill Omen and the Accursed Spectre’s HP being affected by difficulty modifiers for enemy characters.
• Fixed a bug causing the Apostle of Myrkul to regain Hit Points every time you load a savegame mid-combat in Tactician and Honour Mode.

Audio

• Fixed a bug causing the sounds that djinn summons make when they follow you to loop continuously, creating an uncharacteristic metallic thrum.
• When you’re on the ground floor of Felogyr’s Fireworks, the smokepowder explosions going off on the floor above will no longer sound like they’re happening right next to you.
• Fixed the audio levels for a rat in the Lower City that you, tragically, couldn’t hear squeak when it squoke.
• Fixed missing SFX when preparing to cast Wind Walk.
• Fixed an issue causing the SFX to play longer than they should when preparing to cast the Way of the Drunken Master’s subclass-specific actions.
• Fixed missing SFX when preparing to cast Booming Blade.
• Fixed the SFX for preparing a Starry Form continuing to play if you cast the spell quickly after selecting it.
• Fixed missing SFX when Astarion taps Woe on the ground during a cinematic.
• Fixed missing SFX in the overhead dialogue between Minthara and the questioners in Moonrise Towers Prison.
• Fixed a sound resource for Photo Mode not being generated correctly.
• Fixed the rattling Moonlantern SFX continuing to play after you unequip it.
• Recovered some missing SFX when casting Speak with Dead on the mind flayer in the Shattered Sanctum.
• Reminded Halsin to actually yell when he gains barbarian Rage instead of silently miming it.
• Fixed the SFX during Vlaakith’s appearance at camp getting cut off prematurely.

Cinematics

• Told one of the imps on the nautiloid to stop looking in the wrong direction.
• Fixed a super-mega-ultra-close-up shot during the dialogue with Raphael at Last Light.
• Removed a static pool of blood hovering mid-air in the cinematic with the gnolls on the Risen Road when playing as a short Dark Urge character.
• Fixed Karlach’s line about Gale being a hero getting cut off prematurely.
• Fixed a bug causing party members to appear as floating torsos (or simply floating hair) when talking to Ketheric’s dog, Squire.

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.

After three days of competition, Q9 has emerged victorious at the 2025 Delta Force Invitational. The inaugural event, held at the Hangzhou Esports Center in China, brought together twelve of the world’s best Delta Force teams. But it was Q9 who ultimately stood above the rest and took home the lion’s share of the $500,000 prize pool.

The Delta Force Invitational featured twelve teams that each qualified through region-specific qualifiers, each bringing their own playstyle and strategies. The teams competing included AKA, FL, FN, GS, Q9, STS, ESG, INK, ISG, LEG, MBA, and MG. Throughout the weekend, fans witnessed everything from carefully executed stealth operations to explosive final pushes.

The tournament began with the Group Stage, where each team competed for a spot in either the Upper or Lower Bracket. FN, Q9, GS, MBA, ESG, and INK secured strong performances that placed them in the Upper Bracket, while FL, AKA, STS, LEG, MG, and ISG found themselves in the Lower Bracket, facing elimination pressure early on.

In the Bracket Stage, the competition intensified. During Upper Bracket Turn 1, Q9 and MBA were the first teams to advance to the Grand Final, while ESG, GS, INK, and FN were pushed down into Upper Bracket Turn 2. Meanwhile, in Lower Bracket Turn 1, FL and LEG were eliminated, while STS and MG headed to the Upper Bracket Turn 2, and ISG and AKA earned one last chance by moving forward into Lower Bracket Turn 2. This set up high-stakes clashes as the brackets narrowed.

During Upper Bracket Turn 2, ESG and FN succeeded in advancing to the Grand Final, while GS, STS, INK, and MG dropped down into Lower Bracket Turn 2 for one last shot at victory. In Lower Bracket Turn 2, the tension peaked. INK and MG battled their way into the Grand Final, while AKA, STS, ISG and GS were eliminated after a hard-fought run.

Ahead of the Grand Final, fans in the Hangzhou Esports Center were treated to a spectacular opening show that brought the game to life. The stage came alive with characters, tanks and battle scenes inspired by Delta Force, immersing the audience in the action before culminating in a performance of the iconic song Dawn, sung by Lithium Done.

Q9 set the tone in Round 1 of the Grand Final with a commanding performance, led by GuoR, who earned MVP honours with 2 kills, 2 assists, and 205 damage. But the competition quickly heated up in Round 2, when INK surged ahead by outpacing everyone in decoding a Mandelbrick. Kilzal was the star of the round, securing 6 kills and carrying his team to victory.

Momentum shifted yet again in Round 3 as Q9 reclaimed dominance, with K1De stepping into the spotlight as MVP. In Round 4, ESG broke through with a show-stopping display, turning the match in their favour. DT proved unstoppable, racking up 5 kills to claim MVP. Round 5 saw Q9 refuse to back down, they seized the last Mandelbrick, with K1De earning his second MVP of the series.

Heading into Round 6, it was all to play for. Q9 secured a prime position early and began decoding the Mandelbrick, forcing the other teams to scramble for an opening. None could break through, and with Q9 completing the decode, they locked in the invitational victory. But the map clock was still ticking, leaving room for a shake-up in the standings, and it was INK who endured the longest, gathering crucial assets to secure second place.

The Delta Force Invitational has proved just how much momentum the game’s competitive scene is building. With their victory, Q9 have laid claim to the top prize in Delta Force esports, but the question is, who will rise next to seize their own moment. The Delta Force Global League Season 3 is set to start next month.

Sony has announced Franchise Rewards, a new program that grants players the ability to buy physical PlayStation merchandise — if you unlock specific in-game trophies by a certain date.

The scheme kicks off with Ghost Rewards, unlocked by earning specific trophies in Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima before December 31, 2025.

If you’ve unlocked the “Mono no Aware” Gold trophy, you’ll be granted the ability to pay $30/€33 for a commemorative T-shirt. Unlock the “Living Legend” Platinum trophy and you can additionally choose to pay $25/€28 for an commemorative pin. You’ll also then need to pay shipping on top, with standard delivery priced at around $13 within the U.S. (or expedited delivery at around $25).

The initial fan response to the scheme has been mixed, with many pointing to its announcement as a lackluster replacement for Sony’s recently-retired PlayStation Stars loyalty program.

“We went from getting points from buying games to buy more games for free, to getting points that give us the honor of giving them more money,” noted PlayStation fan thickwonga413. “Thanks guys.”

“We lost PlayStation Stars for this?” concurred WaveHood1. “Bruh. Give the PS Store cards back.”

Borderlands 4 is rife with overpowered builds that use what developer Gearbox has described as “unintended interactions” to cause massive damage, even to the game’s toughest bosses on the hardest difficulties. The most infamous of these is ‘the knife,’ which Gearbox has said it’s aware of but won’t nerf just yet. Now, there’s another new best boss melting build to add to the list.

YouTuber NickTew, who had led the charge online with his knife build discovery, set out to “nerf proof” their Vex in light of Gearbox’s comments about potentially stamping out knife builds. In doing so, he found a way to cause so much damage from a single clip of a gun’s magazine that Borderlands 4 spat out a “total existence failure” message in the boss health bar — something I had no idea even existed in the game.

In a new video, NickTew had to slow down the gameplay just to be able to show this ‘total existence failure’ message in action, so quickly did the boss’ health disappear.