Category: Video Gaming

There are more ways than ever for consumers to get their hands on video games, but Xbox Game Pass remains one of the most popular methods. Game Pass is one of the most successful video game subscription services on the market, and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon. The service boasts a library of hundreds of games that players immediately gain access to upon becoming a subscriber. However, Game Pass is continually adding more games all the time, growing the library little by little.

Whether you’re a current Game Pass subscriber or someone interested in subscribing to the service, you’ll likely want to know what future games are arriving in the library. As of right now, several games have official release dates for Game Pass, while other games are confirmed for the service but don’t have a concrete launch date yet. Below, you can see a list of every upcoming Game Pass title we know of in 2025, 2026, and beyond.

September

I Am Your Beast

• Developer: Strange Scaffold
• Game Pass Release Date: September 2, 2025
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC

Nine Sols

• Developer: Red Candle Games
• Game Pass Release Date: September 3, 2025
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S

Hollow Knight: Silksong

• Developer: Team Cherry
• Game Pass Release Date: September 4, 2025
• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1 + 2

Cataclismo

• Developer: Digital Sun
• Game Pass Release Date: September 4, 2025
• Platforms: PC

PAW Patrol World

• Developer: 3DClouds
• Game Pass Release Date: September 10, 2025
• Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC

RoadCraft

• Developer: Saber Interactive
• Game Pass Release Date: September 16, 2025
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

• Developer: Funday Games
• Game Pass Release Date: September 17, 2025
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC

October

Ball X Pit

• Developer: Kenny Sun
• Game Pass Release Date: October 15, 2025
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S

Keeper

• Developer: Double Fine Productions
• Game Pass Release Date: October 17, 2025
• Platforms: PC

Ninja Gaiden 4

• Developer: Team Ninja
• Game Pass Release Date: October 21, 2025
• Platforms: PC

Bounty Star: The Morose Tale of Graveyard Clem

• Developer: DINOGOD
• Game Pass Release Date: October 23, 2025
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault

• Developer: Digital Sun
• Game Pass Release Date: October 23, 2025
• Platforms: PC

The Outer Worlds 2

• Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
• Game Pass Release Date: October 24, 2025
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

November

• Developer: Sports Interactive
• Game Pass Release Date: November 4, 2025
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, iOS, Android

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

• Developer: Treyarch Studios
• Game Pass Release Date: November 14, 2025
• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC

TBD 2025

Buckshot Roulette

• Developer: Mike Klubnika
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

PowerWash Simulator 2

• Developer: FuturLab
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PC

Routine

• Developer: Lunar Software
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Mixtape

• Developer: Beethoven and Dinosaur
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Winter Burrow

• Developer: Pine Creek Games
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Dead Static Drive

• Developer: Reuben Games
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: Xbox One, PC

Little Rocket Lab

• Developer: Teenage Astronauts
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PC

Sleight of Hand

• Developer: RiffRaff Games
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC

Tanuki: Pon’s Summer

• Developer: Denkiworks
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch

Witchbrook

• Developer: Chucklefish
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PC

2026

High On Life 2

• Developer: Squanch Games
• Game Pass Release Date: February 13, 2026
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Aphelion

• Developer: DON’T NOD
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Clockwork Revolution

• Developer: InXile Entertainment
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC

Fable

• Developer: Playground Games
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC

Persona 4 Revival

• Developer: Atlus
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy

• Developer: Asobo Studio
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Outbound

• Developer: Asobo Studio
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

At Fate’s End

• Developer: Thunder Lotus Games
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Vapor World: Over The Mind

• Developer: ALIVE Inc.
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PC

Subnautica 2

• Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC

Replaced

• Developer: Sad Cat STUDIOS Limited
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC

• Developer: WOORE
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf

• Developer: Wishfully
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch

Super Meat Boy 3D

• Developer: Sluggerfly
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PC

There Are No Ghosts At The Grand

• Developer: Friday Sundae
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC

Beasts of Reincarnation

• Developer: Game Freak
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PC

Snap & Grab

• Developer: No Goblin
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Denshattack!

• Developer: Undercoders
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PC

Tropico 7

• Developer: Gaming Minds Studios
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PC

Wildekin

• Developer: Cute Newt
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PC

Beastro

• Developer: Timberline Studio
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PC

Bushiden

• Developer: Pixel Arc Studios
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch

Harmonium The Musical

• Developer: The Odd Gentlemen
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC

Echo Weaver

• Developer: Moonlight Kids
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Sopa

• Developer: StudioBando
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch

Gears of War: E-Day

• Developer: The Coalition
• Game Pass Release Date: TBD
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC

For clarity, there are actually two different versions of Gwent. There’s the one from The Witcher 3 game and a separate video game called Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, which is run by the gaming platform GOG and differs considerably from the original, leveraging online matchup play to let players go head to head. This physical card game is a faithful replication of the original Witcher 3 version, not the GOG version.

What’s in the Box

Just as the protagonist, Geralt, collects cards to play Gwent in the video game, so Gwent: The Legendary Card Game, is a box full of cards. It’s important to note that it contains versions of all the cards from the video game, plus its downloadable content, which amounts to almost 450 cards in total. They’re also very similar to the ones you’ll see on-screen, using the same layout, artwork and iconography.

While this is a little frustrating – some cards have explanatory text, which is very helpful, while others just have icons even though there’s room on them for a description – it does allow you to admire the art. Among the gorgeous polygons on the video game, it’s easy to overlook how good and how varied the card art for Gwent is. Here, it’s front and center, and it’s delightful, full of life and detail, and every card is different, even if they’re functionally identical copies.

Aside from the cards, there’s a tiny punchboard of tokens and a paper play mat to organize your cards during the game. These are both terribly disappointing, flimsy and prone to wear and tear. The play mat doesn’t lie flat easily, and the creases make the cards slide. Among the tokens is a score tracker and it’s often easier just to use that and organize the cards during play yourself.

Rules and How It Plays

Gwent is actually a pretty weird game, although you might not immediately pick that up from scanning the rulebook, which is overly terse and offers little in the way of examples. It’s played over three rounds and the first player to win two wins the whole match. At the start of the first round, you draw 10 cards and – this is the odd and critical bit – that’s all you get for the entire game. You don’t draw any more cards in rounds two or three. Your initial 10 has to last you the whole match, and learning when to dole them out and when to retain them is a central plank of the game’s strategy.

Your play area is divided into three rows, for melee, missile, and siege units. Most cards have a symbol indicating which row they’re played into. Playing a card is often as simple as placing it into its marked row. Such cards generally have a strength value, and you’ll add that value to your growing total of strength in play. This continues until one player passes instead of playing a card, whereupon their opponent can carry on playing cards until they, too, pass. Then, the player with the highest strength total wins the round.

While this sounds simple, it immediately throws down some challenges for the players. In the first round, either player can likely win if they just keep on playing cards, but doing so leaves them less likely to win the other two rounds and thus the game. So, you’re trying to read each other, considering the cards in your hand and deciding when to pass and when to push. There’s a Poker-like element to this, muddied by the fact that there’s no statistics to rely on in terms of predicting what your opponent is holding, which means there’s no real bluff element. In fact, if they’ve built the deck themselves, you might have no information at all. There’s a definite thrill of venturing into the unknown with each decision, but your choices to pass or play are being made in a frustrating vacuum.

To combat this, the game offers various cards with special abilities, which are denoted by an icon on the card rather than text, a minor speedbump to overcome while learning the game. They’re mostly very simple. Tight Bond multiplies the strength of the card by the number of other cards on your side with the same name. Cards with the Spy ability are played into your opponent’s half of the field, adding their strength to their side, but allowing you to draw two new cards in return. A Medic lets you retrieve and play a card from your discard, and so on.

These muddy the waters somewhat. You won’t want to play a Medic on the opening turn, for a simple example, as there probably won’t be any discards available.

In addition to unit cards are various categories of special cards. The easiest to handle are heroes, which behave largely as units do but are immune to special abilities, making them harder to destroy or nullify. Weather cards are played to the side of the board and affect both sides, reducing the strength of all cards (except heroes) in one of the three areas to one. These can produce huge swings, as can some other special cards like Commander’s Horn, which doubles the strength of all cards on its row, or Scorch, which sends the highest-strength cards in the game to the discard pile. These add to the excitement and anticipation of the pass-or-play mechanic and also give some tactical structure to play around. If your opponent is laying down ranged combat cards and you’re holding a Fog weather card that’ll reduce that row to strength 1, you can save your own ranged cards for next round and hope to spring a nasty surprise.

While the full span of card types and powers do make your turn to turn decision making more interesting, and up the stakes considerably given that some of them can be game changing, you’re still very much making decisions in the dark. That Fog card, for instance: the strategy is pretty basic, and isn’t actually all that useful if your opponent only has one ranged card in hand and it’s useless if they also have a Clear Weather card to counter it. You have no way of knowing what’s in their hand or deck. Gwent is an exciting game, but it’s not a particularly strategic one.

It is, however, a deck construction game, and deck construction games mostly draw their strategy from deciding which cards you’re going to include in your deck before you play. There are various rules about what you can include. A legal deck includes a single leader, who offers a special ability you can use one time during play, at least 22 unit cards, and up to 10 special cards like heroes and weather. There are five factions included in the game, each of which has a particular play style and set of powers, and you can only build with cards from your own faction. Nilfgaard, for example, specializes in card draw while the Skellige deck includes berserkers that can be triggered and replaced with much more powerful alternatives. And since you have all the cards from the video game at your disposal, you have a lot of deck-building options.

The trouble is that, however you choose to construct your deck, the game is eternally held back by that sense of randomness. You can put all the work you want into your carefully-curated cards but if your opponent just happens to have a card that counters your best abilities, you’re probably screwed. Or not, if they just happen to play it at the wrong time because they’re as clueless about what you’re holding as you are about their hand. Worse, it seems fairly clear that some cards and factions are better than others. That 10-card limit over the entire game is so brutal that the two extra cards drawn by a spy can be absolutely game-changing. Thus, factions that are good at generating card draws – Northern Realms, Nilfgaard, and Monsters – are better than those that don’t. And within those factions, you’ll generally want to include abilities that draw cards over those that don’t.

In addition, there’s a considerable frustration around tracking the game state. You’re given counters to mark your strength total in tens and ones, which is fiddly to start with. But as soon as you get effects like commander’s horn and tight bond, strength totals can rise and fall explosively, and there’s no way to mark this other than recalculating your total strength with each and every card play. In the original video game this was all done automatically, making it easy, but here’s it’s a right royal pain, especially given the way card effects can pile on card effects, making it easy to miss something and calculate a wrong total.

Where to Buy

It’s that time of the year folks. The weather’s getting colder, the days are getting shorter, and Escape From Tarkov is getting Tweeted and Skeeted about again because of a controversial decision. This time, it’s because the game is coming to Steam, which in and of itself is a perfectly fine, perhaps even smart thing to do. The thing that’s being called into question however, is the answer to a question on the Steam release’s FAQ page about whether or not you’ll have to buy it again.

“To play Escape from Tarkov through Steam, you must purchase any edition of the game on Steam,” the FAQ page explains. “You can then link your existing Battlestate Games account with an active copy of the game to your Steam profile. If the editions differ, it will automatically use the higher edition of the two when launching the game through Steam.”

It then provides an example, noting that if you buy the standard edition on Steam, but your Battlestate Games account has the Unheard Edition, that’s the one you’ll be able to play on Steam. That’s… something? I just can’t see any particular reason you’d want to buy the game again aside from Steam Deck functionality, except the FAQ also notes that “Battlestate Games [have] no plans to support a version of the game for Steam Deck,” so you can throw that reason out of the window. There will be Steam achievements if that’s something you care about?

All of your character progress will carry over to the Steam version of the game as well, once you’ve linked your Battlestate Games account, and you’ll still be playing on the same servers as people who bought the game on its official website.

I have no idea how easy it would be to guarantee every single person who owns the game a copy on Steam as well, but it still feels like an odd choice in general. In any case, after being in early access for close to a decade, the full version of the game launches in a couple months’ time on November 15th.

Blizzard struck gold last year by taking an old World of Warcraft expansion and turning it into a Diablo-style action RPG where you become an unkillable god—a level of power not normally possible in the MMO—and earn a bunch of goodies to bring back to the regular game at the end.

Mists of Pandaria Remix had some hiccups early on, but Blizzard was quick to fix them and let players have their fun for the duration of the event. But when it released the PTR for this year’s Legion Remix event, which was just given an October 7 release date, fans quickly discovered that the fun had been removed.

The controversy surrounding the DLC clans in the upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is finally over. The studio behind the upcoming game has confirmed that it is walking back its plans to lock two clans behind a paywall after receiving lots of “feedback,” aka people yelled at them online for a while.

Last month, Bloodlines 2 devs The Chinese Room and publisher Paradox announced at Gamescom ONL that the long-awaited vampire RPG sequel would finally arrive on PC and consoles in October. After a lengthy and messy development cycle that involved multiple studios and delays, a lot of fans were just happy that Bloodlines 2 was actually, for real, coming out.  But then folks discovered that two of the game’s six vampire clans, which essentially act as your class, were locked behind a $30 paywall. People got mad, a lot of negative headlines were posted, and about a week later, on August 27, the devs announced they were going to make some tweaks to the DLC plans. And now we know what that means: All six clans are included in the base game.

On September 17, in the YouTube description of a new Bloodlines 2 gameplay overview trailer, the executive producer on the game thanked fans for the “frank feedback” about the game’s Premium Edition DLC before confirming that none of the clans would be locked behind a day-one DLC paywall. He also praised the devs for helping create two new story packs that will now be included in the Premium Edition.

“Thanks to our community for the frank feedback on Bloodlines 2 and the Premium Edition,” said Bloodlines 2 executive producer Marco Behrmann. “That feedback made it clear: Lasombra and Toreador belong in the base game, so that is what we are doing. We’d also like to thank The Chinese Room for their quick turnaround on the concepts for the post-launch Story Packs. We’re constantly impressed by their creativity and skill in weaving enticing narrative threads that expand on the main story in Bloodlines 2.”

The two new story packs are: “Loose Cannon“ (Brujah Sheriff Benny’s story) and “The Flower & The Flame” (Toreador Primogen Ysabella’s path). The plan is for this DLC, which replaces the missing paid access to clans, to launch in 2026. And so ends the Bloodlines 2 DLC saga. Hopefully, after all of this and all the years of waiting, the game is worth it all. We’ll find out when Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 launches on Xbox, PS5, and PC on October 21.

Step into the sandals of history’s greatest conqueror with the next chapter of the Chronicles saga – Chronicles: Alexander the Great comes to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on October 14th for Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox, and PlayStation 5! Embark on a sweeping, narrative-driven campaign that traces Alexander the Great’s rise from precocious youth to world-shaking ruler. Chronicles: Alexander the Great is now available for pre-order on Steam, Microsoft Store, and Xbox, plus includes 15% off for a limited time!

Created by our development partner, CaptureAge, Chronicles: Alexander the Great introduces three new civilizations – Macedonians, Thracians, and Puru – in an 18-scenario grand campaign, brought to life through animated mosaic cutscenes, a customizable campaign army, with visual and audio upgrades, and so much more!

Chronicles: Alexander the Great is available for pre-order now on Steam, Microsoft Store, or Xbox with 15% off for a limited time!

*Chronicles: Alexander the Great will be available for purchase on PlayStation 5 at launch day, October 14th.

Included in this DLC

Experience Alexander’s legendary exploits, from his bold teenage ambitions to his triumphant march across Persia, his audacious expedition to South Asia, and his dramatic return journey. Crafted with the well-known Chronicles narrative flair and meticulous historical authenticity, this expansion delivers an immersive campaign experience brimming with drama, strategy, and replayability.

Key Features

• Expansive Grand Campaign: 18 richly detailed scenarios – 16 as Alexander’s Macedonians, plus two unique Thracian and Puru scenarios – to chronicle every pivotal moment of his life. 

• Animated Mosaic Cutscenes: Stunning, artful cinematics bring each chapter to life, blending classical aesthetics with modern animation techniques. 

• Three New Civilizations: Command the disciplined Macedonians, the swift-raiding Thracians, or the elephant-riding Puru, with two new architecture sets for distinctive visual flair. 

• Customizable Campaign Army: As you progress in the campaign, unlock 16 bonus units – including Achaemenid chariots and Puru elephants – and 4 bonus technologies that can be used in future scenarios. Unleash the full might of your expanding empire. 

• Visual & Audio Upgrades: Overhauled siege unit graphics heighten the immersion for which Chronicles is celebrated, while 13 new music tracks for both campaign and skirmish modes provide a thrilling soundtrack for your empire’s rise. 

The Grand Campaign

The Alexander the Great campaign is fully focused on that main character’s life. Five or six scenarios would hardly do justice to his incredible feats! 

In the grand campaign, play as the Macedonians in 16 of the 18 scenarios, with the Puru and Thracians each getting one scenario which intersects with Alexander’s story from a different perspective. 

Across the campaign, unlock new technologies and units – including the Puru, Thracian, Athenian, and Achaemenid unique units – and train them in future scenarios with a customizable campaign army. There are 16 bonus units and 4 bonus technologies which to acquire! Coupled with the Chronicles philosophy of unique level designs and diverse mechanics, experience a deeply varied and highly replayable campaign. 

Three Legendary Civilizations  

Macedonians 

Conquer the world with the highly-drilled Macedonian army. Use the long pikes of their Phalangite infantry to pin the enemy in place, then crush them with the mighty Companion cavalry! Build Fortified Outposts to stage lightning assaults and move your units to the frontlines faster. 

Thracians 

Launch devastating raids with your swift Rhomphaia Warriors, and profit from them with unique technologies that generate gold from combat. A variety of bonuses and technologies turn Thracian skirmishers from neglected trash units to deadly fighters! 

Puru 

Unleash the elephants! The Puru, a powerful Punjab people, can call upon these extraordinary beasts to flatten their foes. Build an army that combines brute force with precise ranged support with archers who wield devastating bamboo longbows.

At its core, Chronicles remains a series dedicated to narrative and historical immersion, primarily with a single-player focus. To build upon this goal and to continue exploring additional possibilities, the Macedonians, Thracians, and Puru civilizations introduced with Chronicles: Alexander the Great will not be available in ranked gameplay.

Pre-Order Chronicles: Alexander the Great Now!

Chronicles: Alexander the Great is available for pre-order now on Steam, Microsoft Store, or Xbox with 15% off for a limited time!

*Chronicles: Alexander the Great will be available for purchase on PlayStation 5 at launch day, October 14th.

There is nothing inherently awful in a game being obscenely long, in fact it can be quite pleasurable to get to know a digital world so intimately. The issue is that I am an “adult” who has to “work” to pay my “bills” and “taxes,” so I don’t always have time for such things. How some of you manage to fit in multiple playthroughs of Persona games will always be an enigma to me. But, as I sit here in my despair, along comes 34EVERLAST, a game designed to be beaten in “as little as 10 minutes,” expressly designed for “busy working adults.”

34EVERLAST, according to its Steam page description, is an action puzzle game about the world ending, which I’m going to be incredibly real with you all for the moment, sounds like a very heavy topic for a game where you can beat it in 10 minutes. However! The way you apparently survive this is by ending the “‘worlds that refuse to die’ that are parallel to this world.” Not any lighter or smaller a concept, potentially compelling though.

Gameplay works twofold. In the first instance, it’s a 3D action game, looking a little bit PlatinumGamesy in nature. You run, fall, and fight through various worlds on the brink of collapse, with what looks like some visual novel stroke manga elements mixed in for the story. There are also some puzzle elements, though how these manifest isn’t quite as clear.

As condensed as it is, conceptually I quite like some of the design choices it claims to make. The Steam page says that if you make it rain in one world, a desert in another might turn into a forest. You can die in boss fights on purpose too, to potentially “gain an advantage against another.” A smally, flashy package, yet one that, if successful, may have a good bit of substance to it.

While I am intrigued by the concept, it does also raise a bigger, perhaps more personally existential question about life. What are the reasons that we have so little time for hobbies we so greatly enjoy? I could probably name a few, but that’d be going into feature territory. I somewhat hope 34EVERLAST takes such a question into consideration in its story, rather than the 10 minute thing just being a bit of a gimmick.

There’s no exact release date for 34EVERLAST just yet, but it was confirmed by publisher Playism that it’s due out sometime in 2026. You can wishlist it on Steam now.

After spending a lot of time playing Yu-Gi-Oh! in my younger years, I must admit that I did end up swaying towards other card games in the years since. But, that’s changed again recently, and I’ve appreciated that Konami is putting in the work to bring new players in (and lapsed players back like myself) to this most unique of card games.

I’ve been loving my reentry into the TCG, with last year seeing the arrival of a Two-Player Starter Set and some 25th Anniversary reprints, alongside the Early Days Collection that offers a fantastic nostalgia hit for digital players. New this year is the 2025 Mega Pack Tin, and Konami kindly sent it over for me to take a look. So, let’s discuss my impressions and then run through what the big chase cards are from this year’s Mega-Pack, even if I had no luck in pulling them!

The 2025 Mega-Pack Tin Is Great For Collectors

Kicking off with the tin itself, it’s about the same size as the Legendary Collection and Two-Player Starter Set that we’ve seen in recent years.

It’s worth stressing that there are three packs inside, so the tin is far from full, but the packs included are Mega-Packs. You can buy them with the tin, or in a Tuck Box instead.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 2025 Mega Pack Bundle

1

These contain 1 Starlight Rare, 1 Prismatic Super Rare, 3 Ultra Rares and 8 Commons for building out your collection, so you’re getting 39 cards in total out of the full sets 450 cards.

It’s a drop in the ocean when you look at it that way, but there are some great reprints on offer from across the game’s long history. Many of which you should be keeping an eye out for.

I’ve always been impressed by Yu-Gi-Oh’s consistent art. Even common cards like Zoma the Earthbound look like a final boss from a video game. Still, as a big fan of dragons in any medium, my favorite has to be the hilariously-named Number 95: Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon.

Given there are cards that run the gamut from the classic Pot of Greed to Destiny Hero – Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer, there’s a huge array of options you could find, whether you’re buying pack bundles or the tin.

If you do get the tin, you’ll also find a trio of card dividers that call to mind classic playing cards with their two-sided designs. There’s one for Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey, with their respective monsters on the opposite side of the card, and the designs are inverted on the other side.

It’s a nice touch, and while it’s a little redundant given how large the tin is considering the number of cards, it feels like a great way to organize your deck.

The 10 Most In-Demand Cards From the 2025 Mega Pack Set

I enjoyed my time opening the 2025 Mega Tin, and while I wasn’t pulling anything super rare, I can still confidently say it’s a fun way to dig for chase cards without breaking the bank. It would definitely make a good stocking filler going into the holiday period as well.

That being said, what’s actually popping off from the new set? For starters, S:P Little Knight is rearing its head… again. Turning games since its release, it’s the one of the most popular pick-ups 2025 tins right now (according to data from our friends at TCGPlayer), and well worth chasing… or even buying standalone if you so choose.

Infinite Impermanence is another standout you’d rather not see played against you; it’s endlessly reprinted yet never cheap, and now back to flex in shinier rarities. Alongside other trap cards Dominus Purge & Impulse, these are demanding medium to high price tags on resale right now, with market values shifting between $20-$34 at the time of publication.

And then the Mulcharmys; Fuwalos already has eight rarities and can still be hard to find even on the secondary market, while Purulia keeps creeping up despite have five printings of its own. Both are in high demand, and both are worth keeping an eye out for when cracking packs.

There’s plenty more to consider in the top ten most popular cards from Yu-Gi-Oh’s 2025 Mega Packs, so ensure you’re also looking out for the likes of Primite Lordly Lode, The Black Goat Laughs, Lacrima the Crimson Tears, Fiendsmith’s Tract, and more.

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.

This article contains contributions from Robert Anderson.

Formula One racing has become massively popular in the US over the last few years–thanks in part to Netflix series like Drive to Survive–and it was only a matter of time before the sport raced onto the big screen. Released earlier this year, F1: The Movie was a blockbuster hit that starred Brad Pitt, and now you can preorder the upcoming 4K steelbook Blu-ray release for $38 ahead of its release on October 7. Preorders for the standard 4K and Blu-ray versions are available as well.

$38 | Releases October 7

For the special features, this Blu-ray release is packed with extra content. Several behind-the-scenes featurettes explore how several major scenes in the movie were constructed, with special attention given to how the F1 car for Sonny’s corporate sponsor, the APXGP, was built. There’s also a featurette that examines the audio design of the movie, a look at several locations like the iconic Silverstone racing circuit, and more.

F1: The Movie Special Features

• Inside the F1: The Movie table read
• The anatomy of a crash
• Getting up to speed
• APXGP innovations
• Making it to Silverstone
• Lewis Hamilton: Producer
• APXGP sets and locations around the world
• APXGP and F1
• How it was filmed
• Sound of Speed

$30 | Releases October 7

The standard 4K Blu-ray release uses one of F1’s movie posters for its cover. One thing to note here is that this version does not come with a standard Blu-ray copy of the movie, but it does come with a digital streaming code. This edition includes the same selection of bonus materials.

$25 | Releases October 7

For the standard Blu-ray release, the 1080p version of F1: The Movie also comes with all of the same special features as the 4K release and a digital streaming code. The cover is also based on one of F1: The Movie’s posters, featuring Pitt front and center while flanked by several other key characters.

$20 | Releases October 7

Finally, the DVD release is a barebones standard definition version of F1: The Movie. The cover is based on another movie poster, giving Pitt the spotlight as he poses in front of his F1 car. No special features are listed for the DVD release.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), F1: The Movie tells the story of former F1 driver Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt). After a big crash in the ’90s saw him walk out on the sport, Hayes has spent three decades as a nomadic racer-for-hire. After his former F1 racing partner, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), offers him the chance to join his F1 team, Hayes takes him up on his offer as he aims to prove to himself that he has what it takes to race competitively at the highest level.

The only problem? Only a handful of races are left in the season, the APXGP team is millions of dollars in debt, and its rookie driver Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) has an attitude that puts him at odds with Hayes’ old-school attitude and skills. Both drivers have to learn to work as a team if they want to finish the season and save APXGP from financial ruin.

At the global box office, F1: The Movie earned an impressive $623 million. Critics praised the movie for its ensemble cast and authenticity, as it was filmed during both the 2023 and 2024 F1 seasons. This meant that many real-life F1 drivers appeared in it, including champions like Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, and Lewis Hamilton. to add even more authenticity to the movie, F1 commentators Martin Brundle and David Croft provided commentary for the film’s races, and these were filmed on real Grand Prix tracks.

Beyond the eye for detail, F1: The Movie also does an excellent job at making you feel what it’s like to be in the driver’s seat. Kosinksi once again teamed up with cinematographer Claudio Miranda to create several stunning shots from behind the wheel, and with the film’s cast also driving the story forward, the risks taken in each race felt all too real. Complementing all of this is the score by famed composer Hans Zimmer, which fits the highly technical nature of modern-day Formula One racing perfectly.

Blu-ray collectors can look forward to several big releases throughout the year. The Mask is getting a Limited Edition 4K Blu-ray on November 11 from Arrow Video, and the company also has new restorations of Spawn , In the Mouth of Madness, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy (4K) arriving throughout the year. Stephen King fans can also preorder an Amazon-exclusive The Long Walk Limited Edition Steelbook for just $35. You can also celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest musicals of all time, Rocky Horror Picture Show, with a new 4K steelbook release launching October 7.

More 4K Steelbook Blu-ray Preorders

The thing that makes Battlefield feel like Battlefield is the enormous scope of its maps and the many ways you’ll fight your way across them. After Battlefield 6’s open beta test, I got another hands-on chance to play the game—this time, on two of its biggest maps and with the game’s full slate of vehicles strafing through combat.

While my first hands-on experience with Battlefield 6 gave a sense of weapons, the return of character classes, and the variety in map design, this look focused completely on Battlefield at its biggest and most explosive. Here’s everything I saw through the four-hour play session, including the return of Operation Firestorm and the new Escalation mode.

New maps, new mode

This hands-on session featured two of Battlefield 6’s biggest All-Out Warfare maps: Mirak Valley and Operation Firestorm. It also featured the new Escalation mode, which makes excellent use of those huge maps, with players fighting spread-out battles in the beginning of a match, only for the area of operation to become smaller to make for more intense skirmishes.

Mirak Valley — Battlefield 6’s largest map at launch is set in Tajikistan, just like the Liberation Peak map. It combines wide-open spaces with a big, burgeoning construction zone in the center and a small village at the far side, supporting both close-quarters infantry gameplay in and around the structures, and plenty of vehicle combat outside of them. Trenches cut through part of the map to allow infantry to move around while keeping their heads down to avoid snipers, although staying out of the sights of tanks is tougher.

Operation Firestorm — Operation Firestorm turns an oil field and refinery into a huge combined-arms battlefield with a mix of wide-open outdoor areas, high smokestacks that are great sniper nests, and lots of interior spaces. What was most notable was the application of Battlefield 6’s new destruction system to this revived Battlefield 3 map. There are plenty of buildings for infantry to fight in and use for cover, but with tanks, fighter jets, and attack helicopters on the prowl, you can never take the safety of four walls for granted.

Escalation — This mode is new for Battlefield 6, combining elements of Conquest and Breakthrough to offer both a wide-open approach to a battle, but with some more strategic aspects. The game starts with capture points littered across the map. When one team holds the majority of capture points, they start to “capture territory,” with a bar filling up on the screen. If the team manages to hold the majority of capture points until the bar fills completely, they score a point. The first team to score three points this way wins, but each time a team scores, one capture point is removed from the map. That forces players closer together, making them fight harder for fewer capture points.

Class training

Choose your class training — When I went hands-on with Battlefield 6 at its multiplayer reveal, I only got to see half of the class “Training” elements that will launch with the game. These are specializations that let you alter a particular class’s focus and role. Each class has two training options.

Assault: Frontliner and Breacher  — The Frontliner training puts focus on damage recovery and a faster capture rate on objectives, while the Breacher training gives you additional grenades and a faster reload for room-clearing weapons like the Incendiary Shotgun and Breaching Launcher.

Support: Combat Medic and Fire Support — Everybody knows Support’s focus on keeping other players alive, but if you don’t like running around with defibrillators to resurrect squaddies as a Combat Medic, you can also go the Fire Support training route. Its focus is on creating defensible positions, providing suppressing fire, and dropping smoke to cover allied movements.

Engineer: Anti-Armor and Combat Engineer — Engineers’ Anti-Armor training gives them an advantage in taking down opposing vehicles, providing extra rockets and dampening the effects of enemy repairs. If you’re not a fan of always carrying a rocket launcher, however, there’s the Combat Engineer training, which can boost the rest of your team’s gear to make it more effective and enhance the repair capabilities of your tools.

Recon: Sniper and Spec Ops — The Sniper training gives Recon players better awareness, spotting targets at a longer range and dropping players with headshots so their teammates can’t revive them. With the Spec Ops training, you’re harder to detect, producing less sound when you move and leaving the In Combat state faster when you’re prone, so your teammates can spawn in on your location more quickly.

Adjustments since the beta

The Battlefield team has taken on a lot of feedback from players since its open beta in August, and we saw some of those adjustments in matches.

Tactical movement with less momentum — In the open beta, players could be pretty quick and pretty bouncy with the new Kinesthetic Combat system. Momentum has been dialed back a bit since then so that players can’t chain so many quick movements together. Moving around maps still feels quick and responsive thanks to lots of options, like sliding, diving, and moving more quickly when you put your weapons away.

A little less sniper dominance — There are some very long sightlines on both Mirak Valley and Operation Firestorm, and snipers were a major force in all the matches I played. That said, both maps have been designed with a wide variety of terrain and structures that provide a lot of cover. Snipers have also been tuned down a bit; they’re still dangerous, but you’re a little less likely to get dropped before you know you’re under fire.

More weapons feel useful — You can also feel the adjustments the Battlefield team has made to some of the weapons. In my first hands-on with the game, some guns didn’t feel especially viable; the light machine gun that’s default for the Support class, for instance, felt like it struggled to secure kills at any range. I’m happy to report that Medics can now secure a few kills as well as lay down covering fire for teammates. And the M87A1 Shotgun that dominated the beta is now a little less terrifying, but still feels great when clearing corners or a trench.

Speedy vehicles — The variety of vehicles in Battlefield 6 makes for some very intense and surprising moments, especially with its destruction system. All ground vehicles now also have a brief boost, which is especially great for dodging fire or getting heavy tanks over treacherous terrain.

Battlefield 6‘s launch is quickly approaching—it hits PS5 on October 10—so you won’t have to wait long to jump into a tank or a helicopter and try some of those new maps, modes, and adjustments for yourself.

We’re thrilled to show you the newest playable characters in our galaxy-spanning adventure: Black Panther and Cosmic Ghost Rider!

Here at Tribute Games, we’ve always loved beat-em ups and it’s been a pleasure to work in that genre for the last couple of years.

We feel extremely lucky to get to do it again in the Marvel Universe.

We’re relishing the challenge of not only repeating what we’ve done before on our previous titles but try to push back the limits of the genre.

In Marvel Cosmic Invasion, one of our biggest features is our playable character roster boasting 15 Super Heroes!

But a deep bench of Marvel’s biggest icons and lesser-known fan favorites were not enough. We wanted to make our playable champions distinct and offer different gameplay opportunities. Following their comic book and animated portrayals, some heroes fly while some are grounded. Some have ranged attacks while others can grab and throw enemies using their mighty strength. Agile characters dodge assaillants effortlessly where sturdier fighters block attacks and parry.

In order to fully engage with this rich lineup, we’ve devised the cosmic swap maneuver. Inspired by the first Captain Marvel’s Quantum Swap ability (from 1968’s Captain Marvel #17, of course) players can switch from two previously chosen Super Heroes from at any time during the battle!

With one push of a button, you can switch from one Marvel hero to another and mix up your offensive against Annihilus’ minions.

If you combine the swap with any of the action buttons, the other half of your titanic tandem can now be summoned for an assist depending on the action! Carefully choosing fighters with different skills is a great way to get the most out of your character combo!

Today, we’re revealing two new characters from our cavalcade of heroes: Black Panther and Cosmic Ghost Rider.

One of our key mission statements in developing Marvel Cosmic Invasion is to make the characters feel like their four-colored counterparts. As such, King T’Challa is a formidable martial artist, with a precise fighting style and a feline agility that allows him to quickly strike the enemy hordes or swiftly avoid their attacks!

The Panther isn’t just a close-quarter combatant! The Wakandan hero can fling vibranium daggers at his opponents. These blades deal delayed sonic damage that will stagger any enemy within range! Players have to be careful: daggers will need a few moments to recharge their sonic payload.

When the insectoid horde gets too much, T’Challa can unleash his special move: the Panther Slash! Using the kinetic energy charged up in his suit, Black Panther can cut across the screen and slice the opposition with his vibranium claws!

From the agile strikes of the Panther, we move onto the biker brawler brawn of the Cosmic Ghost Rider.

Wielding both hellfire and the Power Cosmic, this future version of Frank Castle is a wild, explosive character.

After serving both Mephisto and Galactus, this time-lost Spirit of vengeance deals punishment against the guilty across the cosmos.

Cosmic Ghost Rider is the perfect character for the player who wants to control the battlefield with extra power.

We wanted to bring the unruly energy of CGR to contrast with our other characters: where Black Panther attacks with polished martial strikes, the Rider swings around the flaming chains of cytorak to break up enemy swarms.

Faraway enemies can be easily punished using CGR’s stellar firepower! While finite, these cosmic blasters quickly reload.

Up close, the Rider is a formidable threat, ending his own combo strikes with a massive Penance blast–using his own head as a weapon.

But he’s not all offense: this Rider can use his Power Cosmic bracelets to block and parry any enemy strike.

And of course, what would be a Spirit of Vengeance without his ride? In case of emergency, CGR can call on his Cosmic Cycle to run roughshod over the bad guys.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this showcase on our newly revealed characters.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is set to be released later this year on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.
Annihilus Beware!

Hello, everyone. Yuzo Koshiro of Ancient here. It is with immense excitement that I can finally share some truly fantastic news with you all. On September 18, after years of hard work, my development partner Makoto Wada and I will release our passion project, Earthion, on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

When we first began developing Earthion, it was born from a deep love for the 16-bit era and a desire to revisit one of my favorite consoles ever, the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. I wanted to see what could be achieved on the original hardware with today’s advanced tools and three decades of gained knowledge. The response to the initial prototype was overwhelmingly positive, and it became clear this was a project we had to see through.

We made the conscious decision to build Earthion natively for Sega’s 16-bit hardware, pushing it to the limit with stunning pixel art and a frenetic soundtrack, which I composed using its FM sound chip. We were not simply making a “retro-inspired” game; we were making a true 16-bit title for the modern age.

I’m thrilled that PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 owners will soon be able to enjoy Earthion. Although it hails from a later era of gaming, PlayStation has been home to countless classic shooters that have pushed the boundaries of what was possible across its 30-year history.   PlayStation continues to embrace retro arcade experiences, allowing them to reach new audiences.

In creating Earthion, we drew on a lineage of shmup masterpieces from the 80s and 90s. We took cues from the very best the genre has to offer, creating a game that feels both familiar and fresh.

The care we took in developing for 16-bit hardware has been extended to the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 releases. Working with Limited Run Games, we have gone to great lengths to ensure that the authentic experience is perfectly preserved for modern consoles. For those who want to feel like they are playing on a CRT television, we have included a suite of configurable scanline and screen filters. This allows players to replicate the nostalgic glow and visual fidelity of a classic setup, ensuring that the pixel art is displayed exactly as we intended—without a single detail lost. And of course, Earthion supports PlayStation Trophies for fans who want to put their skills to the test.

Earthion is more than just a game to us; it’s a love letter to the golden age of shmups and the hardware that made them possible. We poured our hearts and souls into every pixel and every sound. We hope that when you get your hands on it on September 18, you feel the passion we have for this genre. Thank you for your support, and we can’t wait for you to experience this intergalactic adventure for yourselves.

If there’s one thing, one single thing, that’s stopped me from going pro in Counter-Strike 2 all these years, it’s the audio on those grenades—fuzzy and low-fi, like it was recorded by the Elephant Six Collective. Atrocious mids, swampy highs, lows with the callous insouciance of a neglectful husband*. I refuse to subject my ears to that.

Well, now I won’t have to, and my CS2 career can finally bloom. In an update earlier today, Valve announced that the game’s ‘nades are almost irresponsibly hi-fi. They “now have unique higher-fidelity sounds for draw, inspect, pin-pull, and throw.” Our long national nightmare is over.

The launch of Diablo 4 Season 10 is almost upon us. Ahead of the new season’s start on September 23, Blizzard hosted a Developer Update livestream, and delivered a packed show all about the upcoming season.

This was really mainly a recap of the season’s 2.4.0. PTR, while giving players unfamiliar with the goings-on a more consolidated way to catch up on everything new coming with Season 10.

Season 10, of course, is Season of Infernal Chaos. It’s the last thing on the Diablo 4 roadmap, published in April. We’ve obviously known the name for a while, but much of what’s coming with the new season itself follows the template set by past ones.

There are new abilities to earn – this time called Chaos Perks, as well as new activities that feed into the grind of earning the new rewards. There’s also a refresh of several endgame activities, most notably Infernal Hordes, which incidentally also affects the Eternal Realm.

Perhaps the most interesting addition is Chaos Armor, a new Unique armor type – available only during the season. Even there, it’s not as exciting as it could’ve been, as the main point is to shuffle the powers of Uniques to slots they don’t currently support.

For example, a powerful Unique piece of chest armor can now appear as gloves, at higher power and with at least one Greater Affix. While you won’t be able to have the same Unique equipped at the same tim (both Chaos and standard), having a named Unique drop in a slot that’s different from the one it was initially designed for frees you up to equip something else (perhaps another Unique) in that original slot.

What you’re basically getting out of the new system is the potential for wild combinations that would’ve previously been impossible to create.

If you’re expecting more major changes to systems like Tempering and Masterworking, you’ll have to wait until Season 11, the PTR of which is expected to take place before the end of the year.

Any other itemisation issues you may have with Diablo 4 will remain unresolved for now, and we have no idea when Blizzard plans to make core changes there. The same goes for the much maligned Reliquary battle pass system, which will remain unchanged in Season 10, too.

If you curious about the specifics, Blizzard published the full set of patch notes for 2.4.0 on the official blog, which you can read at the link.