We were late to the party with the last big horse game, Umamusume: Pretty Derby (I confess, I avoided it because I’m not that keen on gacha, though I am not above watching Gold Ship/Michael Jackson crossover memes on the toilet), so I’m getting in on the ground floor with Sha Beast Dressage.
It’s sure to be the next global hit. Who doesn’t want to parade around on a horse that looks like it’s made of ancient Egyptian embalming tools? Who doesn’t want to be trapped in “a perpetual cycle of non-consensual reincarnation” by a god of torture, forced to train up hellbeasts for exhibition to earn your freedom? Who doesn’t want to make the Nuckelavee do a croupade?
Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio are expanding the Yakuza / Like A Dragon franchise on the Switch 2 with the upcoming releases of Kiwami and Kiwami 2, and thanks to updated store pages on the eShop, we now have the file sizes.
Interestingly, neither game comes close to Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut, which takes up a whopping 45.3GB, but if you’re looking to purchase both, then you’ll still need a fair bit of storage.
Former Rockstar boss Dan Houser has explained why the Grand Theft Auto series won’t leave the United States in terms of its setting.
Speaking on the Lex Fridman podcast, Rockstar co-founder and former lead writer Houser said that — GTA London apart — Grand Theft Auto remained firmly rooted in the United States because it leans so heavily on Americana.
“We made a little thing in London 26 years ago — GTA London — for the top-down for PS1. That was pretty cute and fun, as the first mission pack ever for PlayStation 1. I think for a full GTA game, we always decided there was so much Americana inherent in the IP, it would be really hard to make it work in London or anywhere else.
“You know, you needed guns, you needed these larger-than-life characters. It just felt like the game was so much about America, possibly from an outsider’s perspective. But that was so much about what the thing was that it wouldn’t really have worked in the same way elsewhere.”
It’s a trend that’s set to continue with next year’s GTA 6, which is set in the fictional U.S. state of Leonida (a reimagining of Florida). And based on the two GTA 6 trailers we’ve seen so far, that parody of American culture is once again front and center.
It’s an interesting time, then, to wonder if GTA might hop on a plane and venture abroad at some point in the future. But it feels unlikely, not just based on Houser’s comments, but based on the GTA brand — built up over decades at this point — and what the public expects from it. Indeed, such is GTA’s relationship with America over the course of its many video games, that a University of Tennessee history professor will teach a GTA college history class early in 2026.
Professor Tore Olsson recently told IGN: “Video games are great at conjuring fictional worlds, but they also impact players’ thinking about real-world times and places. And just as Red Dead Redemption 2 has shaped folks’ perception of the nineteenth-century American West or Ghost of Tsushima has informed their vision of feudal Japan, millions of people around the globe imagine contemporary America through the lens of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Just think of how many GTA veterans have recognized landmarks in Los Angeles and New York thanks to their hours in Los Santos and Liberty City!”
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.
November is here. The sunny uplands are far behind us. The great gilded procession of Videogaming trundles and cavorts through the deep forest. The bells of the indie jesters are muffled by fog, and the CEOs peer anxiously from their carriages of scarlet and bronze, instructing their guardsmen to beware the union organisers concealed in the undergrowth. Keep watching the trees. Everytime you glance away, they look a little more like placards. Do you see the moths, idly winking on boughs? They are the Maw’s eyes. Those distant, whistling spirals of pine, somehow immobile behind the foreground trunks, in defiance of the rules of perspective? They are the Maw’s lungs. Those squirrels having shouting matches with magpies? Erm. The Maw’s thrombocytes, maybe.
Listen! The crunch of twigs and leaves under hobnailed boots. Approaching torches. It is a refugee party of freshly released PC games. Let us pick the heartiest or strangest from their ranks to bolster our forces, before the shadows close in for good.
Microsoft has confirmed the next batch of games set to leave Xbox Game Pass, and one in particular has caused a degree of frustration with subscribers: Stalker 2.
GSC Game World’s Stalker 2 launched as an Xbox console exclusive last year alongside backing from Microsoft. While it is not an Xbox Game Studios-published video game, Microsoft played a key role in its marketing ahead of its much-delayed release date in November 2024. It even worked with the Ukrainian studio on a 90-minute documentary that revealed the difficulty the developers faced building the game amid Russia’s full-scale invasion.
As confirmed by the Xbox app, Stalker 2 is set to leave Game Pass on November 16, 2025, alongside four other games detailed below.
Games set to leave Xbox Game Pass on November 16, 2025:
It’s Stalker 2’s exit that has caused the most kerfuffle, with some Game Pass subscribers criticizing the move a year after launch, and just ahead of the game’s release on PlayStation 5 on November 20.
“Microsoft backed GSC through all the delays and even the invasion, so it’s surprising they weren’t able to secure a better deal,” said redditor JBishie. “I think it’s a matter of principle: the game was incomplete at launch and is only now starting to resemble a finished product, yet it’s being removed from the service just as the 1.7 update approaches, and with the PS5 release coming up, the timing looks especially poor.”
Indeed, the fact Stalker 2 launched first on Xbox and PC with quite a few problems, which are only now ironed out in time for the PS5 launch, is being highlighted by those who believe the game should remain on Game Pass for a while longer.
“It’s been a year, which is a pretty standard time for non MiS games,” said VickyCriesALot. “I’m not sure why this is such a shock to people like it’s unprecedented. Lmao.”
“Because the game just got to a decent state in that year’s time?” countered davepars77. “It’s going to take another year to get everything sorted, not even talking about DLC yet. It’s been in early access not a finished product so now’s a great time to rip it off the service.”
“I think it’s a really bad precedent that a game stays shorter in Game Pass than we had to wait for it to launch, beyond waiting MONTHS to become properly playable patch after patch,” complained X / Twitter user @ZakkenKloot.
“It’s bad that Stalker is going,” added @Matty_Cs_World. “It was good but basically released very buggy. I don’t like that a premium subscription is just used as a beta testing area for devs. I did want to go back to the game. But I guess that ship has sailed.”
“Xbox has to stop funding unfinished early access games essentially for Game Pass day one titles,” said Minute-Use-8489. “Two games that come to mind Stalker 2 & Payday 3 came out very unfinished and took a year for them to fix and update each game than once their good to play they get removed from Game Pass feels like a scam to the subscribers imo.”
It’s worth noting most of the games on this list are available with a discount of at least 20% until they leave Xbox Game Pass in early November.
It doesn’t help that Microsoft recently sparked a significant backlash by hiking the price of Game Pass. In the case of Ultimate, it went up a whopping 50% to $29.99 a month. That amounts to an extra $120 a year. To justify the price hike, Microsoft upped the number of day one releases per year to 75, and added Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics for the first time ever. There were also upgrades to Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming quality.
As for Stalker 2 on PS5, it launches on Sony’s console with full support for the DualSense controller’s features, including haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. Further technical enhancements for the PS5 Pro are also in development.
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.
Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga made its debut on the Switch in October and this week the team behind it has rolled out a new update, which enhances the overall experience on Switch platforms.
Here are the details about this, courtesy of the developer’s official social media account. As you can see, there are adjustments, fixes and specific updates for Switch, which also includes resolution enhancements, HD rumble support and more.
We’ve rounded up the best deals for Sunday, November 2, below, so don’t miss out on these limited-time offers.
Bleach Rebirth of Souls for $34.99
Bleach Rebirth of Souls was the first major Bleach game release in many years, with Bandai Namco and Tamsoft bringing the iconic series to modern platforms as a fighter. All of the most iconic Bleach characters are here, including Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, and even Coyote Stark. Save $25 off the base game this weekend with this deal at Woot.
Pre-Order Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem officially opened pre-orders late last week ahead of its February 27 release date next year. While a standard edition is available, the more interesting edition is the Resident Evil Generation Pack, which puts together Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil Village, and Resident Evil Requiem in one package for only $89.99. For Nintendo players who never had the chance to experience these games, this is an excellent option.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PC) for $26.99
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is still one of my favorite PlayStation 5 games. Insomniac Games brought endless charm with the entry, with engaging combat and a solid storyline as well. Today, you can score a Steam copy of the game for $26.99 at Amazon. If you’re looking for a platformer and have yet to play Rift Apart, make it your mission to do so this weekend!
Save $10 Off Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater was one of 2025’s most anticipated games for many, as it marks a major return to the MGS franchise for Konami. This weekend, you can save $10 off the release for either PS5 or Xbox Series X. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “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.”
Raidou Remastered for $31.99
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army launched in mid June, and you can save almost 50% off a PS5 copy for this weekend at Woot. This action RPG is a remaster of the 2006 PS2 game, and there are many improvements and new features to discover. For one, UI, visuals, and voice acting have all been tweaked to refine the experience, but you can also discover more than 120 different demons.
NBA 2K26 for $39.99
NBA 2K26 is on sale this weekend for $39.99, just in time for the start of the NBA season. This is even lower than last weekend’s sale! In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Ball Over Everything” is a fitting description for NBA 2K26. The smooth on-court action is better than ever and MyCareer’s excellent started-from-the-bottom journey to the pros story make it so the imperfections are easier to ignore.”
Final Fantasy Physical Switch Pre-Orders
Square Enix announced a few weeks ago that Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII Remastered are heading to Nintendo Switch in the form of a physical pack. While this collection was available outside of North America, this is the first time it sees an official release in the United States. A separate Final Fantasy IX physical release was also announced, following the same pattern. Both physicals are set to drop on December 9, so get your pre-orders in now.
Madden NFL 26 for $39.99
PlayStation 5 copies of Madden NFL 26 are available for $39.99 this weekend at Amazon. This latest entry brings new updates that make a noticeable difference, particularly when compared to entries of the last few years. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “There’s always room for improvement, but it’s hard to overstate what a leap Madden NFL 26 feels like both on and off the field.”
In the magazine business, the back page is where you’d find all the weird goofs that we couldn’t fit in anywhere else. Some may call it “filler”; we prefer “a whole page to make terrible jokes that are tangentially related to the content of the mag”.
We don’t have pages on the internet, but we still love terrible jokes — so welcome to our semi-regular feature, Back Page. The second one this week! You lucky people.
Our picks for the best eShop games on Switch and Switch 2 in October!
Hello, hello, hello! you know what time of the month it is? Oh yes, it’s eShop Selects. And we’ve got some fireworks in here.
Spooky season has passed and many of us are now looking ahead to the ‘H’ season (or perhaps there’s some Turkey in the near future for you for those of you in the US). So it’s time to load up on the best games you can get on the eShop for the chilly months ahead.
Testing, testing. Is the Animalese-to-English translator up and running? It is? Good. Welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl!
Last time, we put Metroid Prime 2: Echoes under the microscope, and it was a pretty close-run contest. The North American / European design just clinched the win, in the end, with 58% of the vote, leaving the Japanese variant with 42%.
