Microsoft has officially rolled out Game Pass Standard, the Netflix-like subscription service’s new middle tier, and with it revealed which games will and won’t be included at the start. Among those missing are Call of Duty:Modern Warfare 3, Diablo IV, and some other notable blockbusters like Starfield.
The Week In Games: What’s Coming Out Beyond Starfield
Announced earlier this summer, Game Pass Standard is $15 a month and includes access to online multiplayer as well as a library of hundreds of games that can be downloaded and played on-demand. The big difference between Game Pass Standard and Game Pass Ultimate, the now $20 a month version, is that the former won’t include certain day-one additions to the library until up to 12 months later or even longer in some cases. The most notable example is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which will only be part of Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass PC when it launches on October 25.
But a list of the existing libraries for each tier also reveals other discrepancies for games that already came to the service. Modern Warfare 3, added last month, is notably absent. As is Diablo IV, added in the spring with a new expansion, Vessel of Hatred, coming October 8. Valorant, Riot Games’ hero shooter that recently came to console, is free-to-play but locks certain characters behind a paywall. The Game Pass version that unlocks them all for free is part of Ultimate but not Standard.
There are some smaller day-and-date games missing as well. Flintlock, the colonial-era Soulslike, came to Game Pass in July but isn’t included in Standard’s library. Neither is Another Crab’s Treasure, the cartoony Soulslike that joined in April. Still Wakes The Deep, the horror walking sim that arrived in June, is also absent. It seems like a lot of recent day-one Game Pass releases, including Microsoft’s own Age of Mythology Retold, won’t be hitting Standard anytime soon, despite arriving on the service before the split was official. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II isn’t there either, nor Starfield which came out over a year ago.
When will we see these games and others make it to the middle tier? That’s the most confusing part of all. For now there doesn’t seem to be one standard approach, with all releases being staggered by the same number of months. Even for Microsoft’s own first-party releases, it seems like their arrival on Standard will happens when it happens. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, for example, might not hit Game Pass Standard until it first arrives on PS5 in the spring.
Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Elden Ring’s first and only expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, features an exciting new storyline with dozens of hours of gameplay to experience—but accessing it isn’t a walk in the park, and data suggests that there are crucial steps many players haven’t yet taken. If you want to see what the challenging new DLC has to offer, you’ll have to find your way to a well-hidden section of the main game and defeat multiple optional bosses, including one of the toughest in the game: Mohg, Lord of Blood. – Billy Givens Read More
Last week, thanks to the Final Fantasy VIIRebirth demo, some old video game discourse returned and overtook social media: The use of yellow paint to mark certain in-game objects or ledges. All it took was a now-viral tweet of Cloud climbing some yellow rocks in the new demo and a comment about how yellow paint was a “virus” and, bam, the debate is raging all over again. Like a comet returning for another scheduled pass by Earth, the yellow paint topic has once again predictably appeared, leading to endless takes, jokes, threads, opinions, and arguments. Why is this topic so incredibly capable of sucking in everyone around it for days or weeks on end? Well, it’s not really because of the paint, but everything the yellow splotches represent. – Zack Zwiezen Read More
As part of Microsoft’s “Updates on the Xbox Business” podcast that aired on February 15th, Phil Spencer outlined Xbox’s future exclusivity goals. The exaggerated rumors about Xbox completely abandoning exclusivity have been dispelled. More specifically, Spencer confirms that Starfield and Indiana Jones are not coming to PS5 just yet.
Starfield Still Xbox Exclusive…For Now
The main topic during the start of the Official Xbox Podcast business conversation was four Xbox exclusives going multiplatform. The interviewer asks, “can we say if any of those titles are Starfield or Indiana Jones?” To which Phil Spencer responds, “they are not Starfield or Indiana Jones.”
This means that at least for the next fiscal year or so, Starfield is not coming to other platforms outside the Xbox family. But Spencer doesn’t outright rule out a future where Starfield and Indiana Jones are on PlayStation. Later in the podcast, Spencer says, “I don’t think we should as an industry ever rule out a game going to any other platform.”
What Are the Four Games Going Multiplatform?
What we do know is that four games will lose their Xbox exclusivity and will come to PS5 and potentially Nintendo consoles. These four games aren’t named specifically, but it’s not hard to narrow down the possibilities based on what was said in the Xbox podcast.
Phil Spencer says, “they’re over a year old,” and that “a couple of the games are community-driven games…first iterations of a franchise.”
So, we know these four games are over a year old and at least two of them are live service multiplayer experiences. To narrow it down further, these games are not part of an ongoing franchise. Here are our guesses as to what these four games are based on the above criteria:
Sea of Thieves
Grounded
Pentiment
Hi-Fi Rush
Xbox’s Future
During the Xbox podcast, Phil Spencer clarified that “there’s really no fundamental change to how we think about exclusivity.” But then, goes on to say,
“I do have a fundamental belief that over the next five or ten years exclusive games, games that are exclusive to one piece of hardware, are going to be a smaller and smaller part of the game industry,”
My takeaway from this Xbox business podcast is that Xbox desperately wants to let go of its exclusivity to bring a wider audience to its studio’s games, but at the same time wants to hold out a little longer. They’re dipping their toes in the waters of multi-platform and testing to see how it pans out with a selection of four games to start. Whether we’ll see Starfield and Indiana Jones on PS5 in the next couple of years is anybody’s guess, but Xbox is certainly shifting their tune on exclusivity from their E3 days.
About the author
Matthew Carmosino
Matthew Carmosino is a freelance writer for Twinfinite. He started gaming in the mid-90s where his love for SquareSoft RPGs like Chrono Trigger changed him forever. Matthew has been working in the game industry for two years covering everything from story-rich RPGs to puzzle-platformers.
Listening to piano music on a rainy day is his idea of a really good time, which probably explains his unnatural tolerance for level-grinding.
Image: Kotaku / Xbox / Thomas Mucha / Lukasz Pawel Szczepanski (Shutterstock)
Over the February 3 weekend, reports from different outlets and insiders claimed that a number of big, Xbox exclusives—like Starfield and Gears of War—could possibly end up on PlayStation 5 in the near future. Once the news spread around the internet, the most Xbox-pilled users and creators began theorizing, denying, mourning, and ranting to those within their Church Of Xbox circle and beyond. Then, Xbox boss Phil Spencer posted a vague statement, seemingly confirming something was happening but the faithful would have to wait until next week to hear what. Perhaps he thought this would calm the masses. It didn’t. Instead, for some devoted Xbox fans, it was confirmation that the brand they worshiped was leaving them behind. And they aren’t taking it well (though some remain pretty chill about the prospect of Starfield coming to PS5). – Zack Zwiezen Read More
In 2019, Capcom blew our minds with a brutal remake of 1998’s Resident Evil 2, this time with a new camera perspective, modern graphics, and the return of two classic horror protagonists: Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield. Starting on January 16, you’ll be able to download this incredible remake as a part of your PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra subscriptions. – Claire Jackson Read More
A new month is nearly here, as well as a new year, and that means updates to the PlayStation Plus catalog. January kicks off 2024 with three new games available for Premium, Extra, and Essential members to download starting on January 2, as well as some goodies if you happen to be a space ninja. – Claire Jackson Read More
Photo: Valve / Kotaku / Roman Samborskyi (Shutterstock)
A Steam user on Christmas Eve had a question: How do you earn just one measly little Steam Point? They were at 68,999 points and wanted to hit 69,000 because, you know, it’s a nice number and all that. However, because of how Steam Points are earned, there seemed no simple way to get that one measly point. But then a Christmas miracle happened. – Zack Zwiezen Read More
You may not have a disembodied, talking head you can consult like Kratos does, but you do have us. This week, we’ll help you make the most out of your Stadia controllers, experience the features Starfield intends to implement in the future, and look back at all the PC gaming you enjoyed in 2023.
Choosing the best ship in Starfield is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. It’s not just your means of fast travel through the Milky Way. It’s everything from your storage locker to your crew’s quarters to the thing that protects you from space pirates. Your ship, in other words, is your home.
It’s nigh impossible to get the single best ship in Starfield early on, thanks to prohibitively expensive sticker prices. Bear in mind, too, that to pilot ships higher than class A, you’ll need to invest points in the Piloting skill (which requires destroying enemy ships, which itself requires a better ship).
Still, in short order, you’ll get plenty of money and skill points in Starfield, which should soon open up your options. Without further ado, these are the best ships in Starfield, including the best class C ship, the best free ship, and the best ship to buy.
Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon
How to get it: Complete the “Mantis” side quest Cost: Free
Fairly early into your playthrough, you will likely pick up a note titled “Secret Outpost!” from a dead Spacer. I found it during the mission “The Old Neighborhood,” while searching for the whereabouts of Vanguard Moara. Head to the Secret Outpost on Denebola I-b, and you’ll begin a quest titled “Mantis.”
Spoilers aside, as it is one of the best side quests in Starfield, you’re rewarded with some immensely powerful armor, along with the Razorleaf — one of the best class A ships in the game for anyone who is a fairly low level. It has a cargo hold with room for 420kg of stuff, so a slight downgrade on the 495 offered by the Frontier, but with almost triple the fuel and 100 higher hull protection, along with more powerful weapons, it’s a no-brainer. Especially since it has a shielded cargo hold with a capacity of 160, essential for smuggling contraband.
Best free ship: Kepler R
How to get it: Complete the “Overdesigned” side quest Cost: Free
After the “Starborn” main mission, linger around Constellation headquarters and talk to Walter. You’ll get the “Overdesigned” side quest, which sends you to the Stroud-Eklund offices to consult the company’s staffers on designing its new spaceship. Instinct would suggest you pick and choose ideas based on what you think would be best in a ship. Don’t do that. Instead, affirm literally everyone’s ideas. That will reward you with the best free ship in the game. (Consult our video walkthrough above for the detailed quest steps to “Overdesigned.”)
If you do it right, you’ll get the Kepler R — a class C ship with truly bonkers stats: six crew, 28 LY jump range, 805 shield power, 3,500 cargo capacity, and some pretty solid weapons to boot. Yes, the Kepler R is ridiculous-looking and, no, it would never in a million years sell on a legitimate spaceship market. But with stats like these and a price point of 0 credits, who cares about aesthetics?
Best class A ship: Wanderwell
Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon
How to get it: Select the Kid Stuff trait Cost: Free
If you chose the Kid Stuff trait, your parents will be alive in the game and you can visit them, in exchange for 2% of your credits every week to support them (though that is capped at 500 each time). Give it enough time and, eventually, your dad will gift you the class A Wanderwell ship that he won while… gambling. Guess that’s what the cash you send home to help the family is going toward!
On the plus side, while it doesn’t have any Shielded Cargo like the Razorleaf, the Wanderwell does have a cargo capacity of 880, making it perfect for carrying all the resources you need to complete side missions. It only comes with two weapons by default rather than the standard three, so you’ll need to fork out a little to get it fully equipped, but with a jump range of 27 LY, it’s the next best upgrade after the Razorleaf.
Best class B ship: Shieldbreaker
Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon
How to get it: Buy from New Atlantis Ship Services Technician Cost: 265,443 credits
This class B bad boy costs a fair whack, but if you’ve prioritized both main story and faction affiliation missions (both of which pay more than most side quests) and sold literally everything you’ve seen, you probably have enough credits in the bank for the Shieldbreaker. Once you turn your attention to side activities, such as destroying the Crimson Fleet and hauling thousands of resources across the galaxy, this ship can do it all.
With a crew size of five and a cargo capacity of 2,280 (none of it shielded though, unfortunately), there’s a lot of room here. Living up to its name, it also has relatively powerful weapons, and comes with laser that automatically target enemy ships.
Best class C ship: Silent Runner
Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon
How to get it: Buy from HopeTech HQ Cost: 390,150 credits
Want to become a full time hauler? Look no further than the Silent Runner, a class C ship that’s essentially the Shieldbreaker’s older brother. While the Shieldbreaker is pretty good in combat, the Silent Runner is all about the cargo, with a whopping 6,060 cargo space. You can upgrade it further with weaponry of course, but this is the one to go for if you want to become a space trucker.
On top of the cargo space, it can grav jump up to 29 LY and has 1,164 hull, which is more than enough to hold off any Crimson Fleet or House Va’ruun members that come a-knocking. It’s also got 300 fuel capacity, which will get you almost anywhere in the charted galaxy.
Best ship for carrying cargo: Vanquisher
Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon
How to get it: Buy from Stroud-Eklund Showroom in Neon Cost: 335,655 credits
The Vanquisher is a solid class C all-rounder, with 4,120 cargo capacity, 1,100 fuel, and 908 hull. Where it especially shines is its missiles, which do 149 damage, along with its 730 shield. It leaves room to be desired (read: upgraded) in the other weapon categories, but when your missiles are dealing that much damage, it doesn’t matter too much. It also may not be the most aesthetically pleasing ship, but at the end of the day, you’ll mainly be looking at the interior anyway.
Best ship for combat: Abyss Trekker
Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon
How to get it: Buy from Ship Services Technician in Paradiso Cost: 347,230 credits
The Abyss Trekker is another class C ship that is by far your best bet if you plan on getting into plenty of dogfights in space. You won’t be carrying much loot with this as it only has 340 cargo capacity, but you will be able to take down any opponents you encounter thanks to the 100 missiles and 170 ballistics stats.
With a shield of 850 and hull of 1,031, it’ll take a lot to get this cyan-white ship out of the skies, but if you do need to get away, it has 950 fuel and can grav jump up to 25 LY.
Best ship to buy: Narwhal
Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon
How to get it: Buy from Taiyo Astroneering in Neon Cost: 432,620 credits
The Narwhal is arguably the best — and certainly one of the most expensive — ship in the entire game. Setting you back more than 400,000 credits, this class C blue beast is incredibly well-rounded and can jump up to 30 LY, so you can go wherever you like. It can have up to seven crew members aboard, has 560 fuel, 2,118 hull, and 1,760 cargo capacity.
As a result, it does the job for hauling lots of materials (though isn’t the best for that), but if you want one ship to do as much as possible rather than switching between ships depending on what the current task is, the Narwhal is for you. Special shout out to its 114 ballistics and 82 missiles too, as they pack a serious punch.
[Ed. note: Spoilers follow for the ending of Starfield.]
Best New Game Plus ship: Starborn Guardian
Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon
How to get it: Start New Game Plus Cost: Free
Minor spoiler warning for New Game Plus here, so if you want to go in without any knowledge at all, you’re safe to stop reading and go for one of the other ships in this guide. However, once you do finish the game, New Game Plus will reward you with the Starborn Guardian, a class A ship that cannot be bought or stolen during your first playthrough.
The Starborn Guardian is one of the fastest pre-made ships in the game, can grav jump up to 30 LY away, and has two unique weapons in the Solar Flare Beam and Gravity Torpedo. With a cargo capacity of 950 and a hull of 649, it’s one of the best ships in the entire game, especially since you earn an upgraded one each time you start new game plus again. Plus it looks incredible — you can’t create anything like this in the ship builder.
The long awaited (official) debut of Grand Theft Auto 6 is nearly upon us, Starfield is shedding like a bad wig, and Coral Island has hunks in every direction.
The Top 10 Most-Played Games On Steam Deck: October 2023 Edition
These are the week’s most interesting perspectives on the wild, wonderful, and sometimes weird world of video game news.
In the weeks following the launch of Skyrim developer Bethesda’s highly anticipated RPG Starfield, the game has caught a bit of attention for its plummeting player numbers on Steam. Its ranking from user reviews has also dropped on Valve’s digital storefront, falling from “Positive” into the pale orange of “Mixed.” Why is one of the biggest RPGs of the last few years seemingly falling out of favor with players so soon? Read More
One of my favorite Black Friday traditions is scrolling through GameStop on my phone and getting a bunch of cool games for cheap. Usually it works out just fine. Last weekend it was a nightmare. It’s hard to convey just how terrible navigating the experience of trying to buy something from GameStop has become in 2023, but I’m going to try. Read More
Wish, the 62nd film released by Walt Disney Animation Studios, is a bad movie. The film is meant to celebrate the studio’s 100th anniversary, but instead, its incoherent story and reliance on millennial cliches for cheap jokes come off like it was fed into an AI generator and spat out onto the big screen. And the music, always a staple in Disney films, has some really lovely parts that are sadly weighed down by terrible lyrics. Read More
Coral Island, the new farming and dating sim by Stairway Games, is the latest example of a game in which pursuing a handsome lad is enough to drag me through something I’m otherwise lukewarm on. I’ve spent chunks of my playtime chopping trees trying to make a real farm out of my designated plot of land. But I do not wish to chop trees, I simply wish to climb Coral Island’s residents like trees. Read More
I don’t have a lot of complaints about Baldur’s Gate 3, but the original ending is probably my biggest issue with Larian Studios’ excellent RPG. Though I was content with the ways the story concluded, its rushed execution left me wanting more, which was even more readily apparent when I tried the game’s “evil” ending and it was about as fleshed out as an intrusive thought. Larian has been adding new content to the ending since launch, including a new scene dedicated to Karlach, but in Patch #5, the studio has created an entirely new epilogue that feels like the debrief the original game was missing. Read More
I assume most of you reading this have played at least a few video game sequels in your life and while you might have enjoyed them all, this week at Kotaku we want to know: What do you think is the best video game sequel of all time? Read More
It’s that time of year again. Today, November 29, Spotify users all over are sharing their year-end “Wrapped” recaps, which try to sum up your past year of musical taste by giving stats and rankings on your most-listened-to artists and songs, alongside a sleek graphic to share on all your socials. I look forward to it every year. But as Spotify Wrapped has practically become an internet holiday, I can’t help but notice that it’s gamified how we listen to music throughout the year. Read More
At long last, the GTA VI rumor mill can slow down. Rockstar Games officially announced the sequel in February 2022, but the studio just confirmed that a trailer for the long-awaited crime sim sequel will arrive on December 5. As we gear up for GTA VI‘s reveal, we at Kotaku have just one question: What do y’all want to see from the game? Read More
Video games make the world a better place. We’ve got honkin’ deals on Xbox Series X, a new genocide-free romance option in Baldur’s Gate 3, and wicked-strong Marvel Snap decks for your perusing pleasure.
Baldur’s Gate 3’s Karlach Actor On Playing The Beloved Barbarian
Here are the tips and deals we found most helpful this week.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, the Ubisoft stealth adventure series’ 2015 entry featuring dual protagonists that’s set in 19th century London, is currently free on PC until December 6. There’s just one twist: You’ll need to get it from Ubisoft Connect launcher (insert horror emoji). Don’t hate the messenger. Read More
Minthara is one of Baldur’s Gate 3’s most interesting companions, but only a select few people tend to see much of the Drow Paladin in their playthrough because recruiting her typically requires you to help her slaughter Tiefling refugees. Despite this, fans have found creative workarounds to recruit her without having to engage in genocide, but in Baldur’s Gate 3’s fifth patch, Larian has implemented a streamlined way to add her to your team. Read More
Baldur’s Gate 3’s Patch #5 is bringing more reasons than ever to go back to Larian Studios’ excellent RPG with new modes and, more importantly, a new epilogue that takes place six months after the main game. Read More
Image: Arika / Bandai Namco Online / Digerati / EA / Gameloft / Secret Location / Ratloop Games / Square Enix / Hi-Rez / Good Luck Games LLC / Gun Media / Polyphony Digital / Warlogics / Sharkmob / Yager Development / Kotaku
We’re still making it through 2023 and a surprising number of games have already been killed off, as devs have announced their impending deaths. Normally, we’d reserve this list for the end-of-the-year round-up, but we’re ringing the death knell early because, with 15 games already lined up for public execution, we need to start paying our respects now. So, let’s get right into it. Read More
Gif: Square Enix / Vertigo Games / Warner Bros. / Ubisoft / Cygames / Nintendo
Well folks, the final 31 days of 2023 are upon us. While I expect you’ll likely have picked out your personal game of the year already, there’s still time for some more games to hit physical and virtual shelves, and maybe one of them will be a nice send-off to a wild year of killer games. Read More
It’s no secret that the Xbox Series X hasn’t been selling great, and this holiday season Microsoft’s “next-gen” console is getting some huge discounts. For a brief period today, Amazon was selling the Starfield machine for as little as $350. Read More
Oh, hi again! We’re in the final month of what is arguably one of the most impressive years in gamingin recent memory. So when you find yourself at the end of the week looking to get some gaming in, how can you possibly choose among the embarrassment of riches that’s been released this year alone? Read More
Amouranth bought an orchard for a cool $17 mill, Bethesda’s attempting to win the hearts and minds of disaffected Starfield players on Steam, and Dan Houser is back! In podcast form!
Diablo IV – Bear Bender Build
Here’s your cheat sheet for the week’s most important stories in gaming.
In a newly released preview of Amazon Prime’s upcoming Fallout TV show, we learned a lot of new details about the world, characters, and story of the highly anticipated live-action adaptation of Bethesda’s popular post-apocalyptic RPG franchise. For example, the show is considered canon with the games. And Walter Goggins still looks good, even as an undead ghoul. Read More
An intense debate ignited November 13, when The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley announced the nominees for this year’s trophy ceremony. While some folks were surprised Pikachu face byStarfield’s absence, most people were shook by one particular title offered up for the “Best Independent Game” category. Now, after a couple weeks of silence, Keighley has tossed his two cents into the discourse. Read More
Reader, if you don’t mind a quick look into my personal neurosis, let me tell you that when I’m really looking forward to something, I get a great deal of anxiety about possibly dying before I get to experience it. I’ve felt this about video games, movies, albums, concerts, and pretty much anything else worth being excited about. Right now, the third live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie is near the top of my list of Things I Must Survive Long Enough To Experience. This isn’t because I think the movie will be great, or even good, it’s because Shadow the Hedgehog, the best character in the franchise, is set to appear as a main character. All those feelings of excitement and existential dread have been roused today, as Paramount has released a picture of the angsty, broody, gun-toting king on set…well, his feet, at least. Read More
The meta-narrative around Starfield just took a very weird turn. Steam reviews for the sprawling sci-fi RPG recently fell to “mixed” on Valve’s storefront, and now Bethesda employees are arguing with players in the comments about why the game isn’t as boring and soulless as some of them claim. Read More
The hardest thing about Destiny 2 is getting any of your friends to play it. Fans of Bungie’s ambitious and imaginative sci-fi shooter have long hoped for a simple on-ramp that would make it easier to get lapsed players and newcomers back into its universe. Destiny 2’s new “Starter Pack” might sound like exactly that. Instead, it’s a pricey bundle of random items that fans can’t stop dunking on. Read More
When Overwatch 2 shifted the hero shooter’s economy away from loot boxes and into a seasonal battle pass, the customizable Mythic Skins unlocked at the end of that pass were framed as the light at the end of the grindy tunnel. Unlike any other Overwatch skin, these would be somewhat customizable, offering a few style and color options for players to make them their own. In the game’s first year, seven of its iconic heroes have gotten one of these Mythic skins, which mostly been well-received. But after Blizzard revealed season eight’s skin for tank character Orisa, players are noticing a downward trend in Mythic Skin quality. Read More
Photo: Absurd Ventures / Kotaku / Patrick McMullan (Getty Images)
Dan Houser, who co-founded Rockstar Games and was the lead writer on multiple Grand Theft Autoand Red Dead Redemption games, has finally revealed what his new studio is working on. If you were expecting a video game…well, you’ll have to keep waiting. Read More
Dragon’s Dogma 2 looks awesome, right? The much anticipated action role-playing game about dragons and pawns came out swinging with a hefty new gameplay showcase on November 28, showing off the impressive character creator and some spectacular combat and officially revealing a March 24, 2024 release date. One thing that isn’t so awesome, however, is the game’s relatively high price tag of $70, which marks the first game from Capcom at this price. Read More
The November 10 launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III reignited the seemingly endless debate about multiplayer matchmaking, with players demanding Activision and Infinity Ward provide details, or even abolish it entirely. This conversation has perpetuated across multiple Call of Duty releases, but the team behind the popular first-person shooter has yet to properly acknowledge it—until now. On November 30, an official statement was shared by popular CoD website CharlieIntel on X (formerly Twitter). Read More
2023 has been a massive year for video games, and we even saw the release of Bethesda’s highly anticipated space exploration RPG, Starfield. It may have had its shortcomings, but it’s hard to deny that it’s still very much a solid game that anyone can enjoy. If you know someone who’s a particularly big fan of the game, though, here are 10 Starfield gift ideas for the holiday season.
Starfield Bomber Jacket
Image Source: Insert Coin Clothing
We’ll start with the big one. This Starfield-themed bomber jacket from Insert Coin Clothing is one of the coolest pieces of Starfield merch you can get right now. It’s worth pointing out that Insert Coin is known for producing quality clothing, and it’s up there with the likes of Fan Gamer, so you don’t have to worry about wear and tear within just a few months of purchase.
The jacket is subtle in its design, so you won’t have to worry about looking tacky when wearing it out either. The patches and flight tag really help to make everything come together, and it’s just a cool-looking piece of apparel overall.
Constellation Edition
Image Source: Bethesda
Sure, your friend or loved one probably already has the game, but do they have the Constellation Edition? This limited edition of the game comes with plenty of goodies, but the highlight here is the cool watch that ships with it.
It’s your basic NATO watch and strap combo, but with a bespoke Starfield watch face and its own intricate designs. It’s currently out of stock on the official Bethesda Gear Store, but with some luck, you can still find it on Amazon and other retailers.
Wave:3 Microphone
Image Source: Elgato
Elgato isn’t just known for making capture cards and stream decks; they also make some decent microphones as well, and the Wave:3 mic is definitely one you should keep an eye on, especially that cool Starfield-themed one.
Decked out in Constellation white and blue, the star map lines on the microphone itself look elegant, and most importantly, it doesn’t look tacky or overly referential to the game. This is a practical gift for someone who spends a lot of time at their computer, and chats online with people all the time.
Starfield External Hard Drive
Image Source: Seagate
Speaking of practical gifts, Seagate also has an awesome-looking Starfield-themed external hard drive. It’s decked out in Constellation white with LED lights at the base, complete with the Constellation logo on the top.
I gotta say, these manufacturers are really on point with their merchandising. Again, the designs are subtle and elegant, and this hard drive will look pretty nice whether it’s sitting on your desktop, or next to your consoles.
Official Xbox Headset
Image Source: Xbox
If your friend or loved one is an Xbox gamer, you may want to consider buying them a new Xbox headset as well. Just as well, there’s a Starfield-themed headset that comes in white and red, and this is the official Xbox headset, so you know you’re getting quality with your purchase.
The headset comes with plenty of useful function buttons and a retractable mic, making it one of the best chatting options for Xbox players.
Starfield Xbox Controller Housing Shell
Image Source: Xbox
If you’d like to go for a cheaper Xbox-related option, there’s the gamepad housing shell as well. This will require some finagling and handiwork, but essentially, you can replace the front shell of your Xbox gamepad and replace it with a Constellation-themed one instead.
It’s a nice touch, it won’t break the bank, and it’ll make your friend or loved one feel extra immersed while they’re playing Starfield on the Xbox.
Constellation LED Wall Art
Image Source: Bethesda
This is one hell of a statement piece, and it’s a fantastic and reasonably priced gift for the ultimate Starfield fan in your life. This Constellation-themed LED wall art looks great on its own when it’s not lit up, but you can bet it’ll look even more awesome when it lights up in the dark.
The neon colors are really striking against a dark background, and it’ll even make for great mood lighting in your room when all the other lights are out.
Retro Constellation Hoodie
Image Source: Bethesda
If you’d like to go for something a little safer, and also comfier than the aforementioned bomber jacket at the top of the list, why not consider the retro Constellation hoodie instead? It’s up for sale on the official Bethesda gear store, and it comes in either navy blue or grey.
Both color options look great, though we’re a little more partial to the blue, as it seems to fit in with the game’s aesthetic just a tiny bit more. It’s a shame that Bethesda hasn’t thought to make hoodies for the different factions in the game, like UC SysDef or the Crimson Fleet, but I suppose the Constellation will have to do for now.
Duvet Cover Set
Image Source: Bethesda
Nothing screams Starfield fan and adult-child like this cool duvet cover set up for sale on the Bethesda store. In fact, we think it’ll go really well with the LED wall art we shouted out just above.
If the Starfield fan in your life really wants to go full immersion and transform their room into a Constellation den, then this duvet set is a no-brainer. It comes with sheets and pillow cases to match, and the lovely navy blue color should make it pretty easy to match with the rest of your furniture as well.
Duffel Bag
Image Source: Bethesda
Rounding out our list is the pretty-looking Constellation duffel bag. Look, duffel bags are great. They’re versatile. You can take them out grocery shopping, to a study date, or to the gym. And what better way to show your love for the game than by carrying a bag with the — you guessed it — Constellation logo stamped in front?
And those are our picks for the best Starfield gift ideas for this holiday season. Are you planning on picking any of these up? Let us know in the comments down below!
About the author
Zhiqing Wan
Zhiqing is the Reviews Editor for Twinfinite, and a History graduate from Singapore. She’s been in the games media industry for nine years, trawling through showfloors, conferences, and spending a ridiculous amount of time making in-depth spreadsheets for min-max-y RPGs. When she’s not singing the praises of Amazon’s Kindle as the greatest technological invention of the past two decades, you can probably find her in a FromSoft rabbit hole.
Image: CD Projekt Red / Bethesda / Blizzard / EA / Lucasfilm / Valve / Kotaku
Valve’s annual autumn sale. Some of the best and biggest PC games, including action-RPG Diablo IV, the fantastic Star Wars game Jedi: Survivor, and Bethesda’s latest, Starfield, are all on sale right now.
The Top 10 Most-Played Games On Steam Deck: October 2023 Edition
This latest fall sale (“autumn,” if you are fancy) runs from November 21 to November 28th. Steam’s autumn sale features a huge list of discounted PC games. Some are older games and others, likeRemannt II and Dredge, are hits from 2023.
Here are some of highlights from this massive sale:
Anno 1800 – $15 (75% off)
Black Desert – $1 (90% off)
Blasphemous – $6 (75% off)
Climbey – $6 (40% off)
Cyberpunk 2077 – $30 (50% off)
Darkest Dungeon – $5 (80% off)
Dead By Daylight – $8 (60% off)
Demon Turf – $15 (50% off)
Diablo IV – $42 (40% off)
Dredge – $19 (25% off)
EA F1 23 – $28 (60% off)
El Paso, Elsewhere – $16 (20% off)
En Garde! – $12 (40% off)
Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition – $10 (75% off)
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade – $35 (33% off)
God of War – $30 (40% off)
Hades – $12.50 (50% off)
Half-Life: Alyx – $20 (66% off)
Halo: The Master Chief Collection – $10 (75% off)
Hexcells Complete Pack – $2.69 (70% off)
Hogwarts Legacy – $36 (40% off)
Horizon Zero Dawn – Complete Edition – $12.50 (75% off)
Lies of P – $48 (20% off)
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered – $36 (40% off)
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales – $30 (40% off)
Ninja Saviors, The: Return of the Warriors – $16 (20% off)
Red Dead Redemption 2 – $20 (67% off)
Remnant II – $35 (30% off)
Rust – $27 (33% off)
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor – $42 (40% off)
Starfield – $56 (20% off)
Stray – $20 (34% off)
Street Fighter VI – $40 (34% off)
System Shock – $28 (30% off)
Tales From Off-Peak City – $5 (50% off)
Tiny Tiny Wonderlands: Chaotic Great Edition – $20 (75% off)
Warhammer 40k: Boltgun – $15 (32% off)
As always with Steam’s big fall sale, the store’s limited-time blowout kicks off nomination season for the Steam Awards. Players can hop over to the official Steam autumn sale store page and then vote for their favorite games in various categories including Game of the Year, the best Steam Deck game, most innovative gameplay, and so on. Valve will announce the winners in January.
If a game you loved this year got snubbed from the Game Awards, now you can (sort of) right that wrong and nominate it for some Steam awards. These are just as good as the Game Awards, right?
After some beta testing, Bethesda has released Starfield’s latest patch for PC and Xbox. This new update adds DLSS support, the ability to eat food you find in the world instantly, some much-needed graphical options, and plenty of bug fixes, too.
The Top 10 Most-Played Games On Steam Deck: October 2023 Edition
Starfield’s 1.8.86 update is now live on Xbox Series X/S and PC. This update was first beta-tested via Steam earlier this month. It appears those tests went well, as Bethesda has now pushed the new update live for everyone. This means that after months of paid mods and community drama, Starfield finally has official DLSS support, letting folks with compatible Nvidia graphics cards use DLSS Super Resolution, Deep Learning Anti-aliasing (DLAA), Nvidia Reflex Low Latency, and DLSS Frame generation. But that’s not all that’s been added in this update.
The new 1.8.86 update also adds the ability to eat food and drink items that you find in the world without having to pick them up first and chow down on them via the inventory screen. It’s a small change, but it should help keep you immersed in the world and spend less time digging through menus. Plus, it will be fun to just run around places and eat every Chunk I see like an out-of-control cartoon character.
This patch also adds brightness and contrast sliders to the massive open-world space RPG. There are some HDR brightness settings, too for platforms that support that. And yes, it’s still wild that in 2023 a big-budget AAA video game from a veteran game studio shipped without brightness and contrast sliders. What a world!
Anyway, here are the full 1.8.86 patch notes for Starfield:
PERFORMANCE AND STABILITY
Addressed a number of memory-related issues and leaks.
Added some GPU performance optimizations, which will be more impactful on higher-end cards.
Improved renderer threading model, improving CPU usage most notably on higher-end systems.
Various stability and performance improvements.
GAMEPLAY
Added the ability to eat the food placed in the world.
Adjusted stealth to be a bit more forgiving.
Fixed an issue where Andreja’s head would stay permanently cloaked.
Fixed an issue that could prevent players from firing their weapons.
Fixed issues where some NPC could be seen not wearing clothes (Note: This issue may resolve itself over time).
Fixed an issue where already in-progress skill challenges could stop progressing after reaching “the Unity” and starting a new game.
Fixed an issue that could temporarily prevent opening the inventory or saving after entering “the Unity”.
PC: Fixed an issue where mouse movement could be choppy.
Fixed a rare issue that could cause the home ship to be lost.
Fixed an issue where the ship services technician might be missing.
Fixed an issue where occasionally the camera could shake incorrectly during Traveling, Grav Jumping, Docking, or Landing transitions.
GRAPHICS
Addressed an issue with how ambient occlusion appeared in ultrawide resolutions.
Optimized initial shader compilation that occurs on start-up.
Added the ability to adjust Brightness and Contrast in the Display Settings menu.
Added the ability to adjust HDR Brightness provided that the system supports it. (Xbox & Windows 11 only).
Addressed a number of materials that could sometimes present an unintended pattern under certain conditions.
Fixed various visual issues related to the new FOV slider options.
Improved the appearance of the eyes on crowd characters.
Addressed a number of minor visual issues related to lighting, shadows, terrain, and vegetation.
PC: Addressed additional visual issues related to DLSS.
QUESTS
All That Money Can Buy: Fixed a rare issue where players couldn’t sit during the negotiation with Musgrove.
Blast Zone: Fixed an issue where the hard rocks that need to be cleared out by players will not appear on Ngodup Tate’s land.
Echoes of the Past: Fixed an issue where the Grylloba Queen could sometimes not be reachable during the objective “Secure the Shuttle Bay”.
Eye of the Storm: Fixed an issue where players’ quest progression could potentially be blocked due to a missing docking prompt.
Grunt Work: Addressed an issue where progress could appear blocked if “Supra et Ultra” was completed while returning to the Lodge during “High Price to Pay”.
No Sudden Moves: Fixed an issue that could prevent the entrance door to the Scow ship from being opened again.
Operation Starseed: Fixed an issue where the key that is needed to exit the facility could sometimes not be present.
Sabotage: Fixed an issue where David Barron could potentially not be found by players.
Short-Sighted: Fixed an issue where players could rarely become control-locked while speaking with Vladimir.
The Heart of Mars: Fixed an issue where players might not be able to mine the “The Heart of Mars”.
On the frontline of the console wars, it’s difficult to find perspective. Whether you’ve already chosen a side and are deep in the trenches, or you’re just trying to figure out if an Xbox Series X (see on Amazon) or PS5 (see on Amazon) makes a better Christmas gift this year, you’d be hard pressed to find a measured, bipartisan take on the internet. Instead, the seemingly endless battle between Microsoft and Sony is littered with fanboys using Starfield ass mods to “dunk” on each other and CEOs arguing over console exclusives and their perceived value.
Thank You, PS Plus, For Making My Backlog Even Bigger
I’m not a console warrior, nor am I a specs girl. I don’t care about framerates or ray tracing all that much; I’m not fussed about the power of processors. I grew up playing PlayStation until my high school boyfriend introduced me to Halo 2, then I bought an Xbox 360 so I could play Halo 3. I currently own a Series S and a PS5, both of which are jammed into a too-small entertainment console in my living room. But there is a distinct delineation between what kind of game I play on each device, and it’s worth discussing: I use my Series S for my competitive shooters, and my PS5 for almost everything else.
Image: 343 Industries
The Xbox comp game
I spend a lot of time playing Overwatch 2 on my Series S, but I also use its rather small storage for Warzone, Apex Legends, and Halo Infinite. These are my core four shooters that I regularly rotate between—I never play those first three on my PS5, even with the console’s extra storage space making it a lot easier to keep (and update) huge games like Call of Duty. There are a few reasons why.
As I mentioned, I got an Xbox so I could play Halo 3, which means I cut my teeth in the FPS world using the heftier Xbox controllers. As such, my hands became molded to them, my fingers grew comfortable with their curves. Even with slight variations in their design since the 360 days (like the controversial d-pad change that removed the disc in the Xbox One controller, or the extra button added with the Series X/S model), Microsoft’s controller has felt ergonomically superior for years.
The setup of the triggers and the joysticks, the way it rumbles, even the sheer heft of its plastic has always made Xbox controllers a more comfortable fit when compared to PlayStation’s DualShock and DualSense, whose symmetrical joysticks give me hand cramps. The size of the PlayStation controllers’ triggers also baffle me, and have historically made my attempts to play anything like Fortnite or Call of Duty rather miserable.
My custom Xbox controller I use every night. Photo: Microsoft / Alyssa Mercante / Kotaku
Then there’s the social aspect—I find it a lot easier to invite people to parties and chirp enemy players on Xbox’s interface. As Twitch streamer Jynxzi often shows during his play sessions, it’s easy in games like Rainbow Six Siege and Overwatch 2 to find a player in your match, navigate to their profile, and send them a friend request or, in Jynxzi’s case, an unhinged voice memo. I use this feature often to reach out to players in Overwatch comp who aren’t talking and (mostly) politely request that they swap a character or heal more when playing as Moira. I don’t find those features as simple on PlayStation.
Of course, my Xbox preference would not exist were it not for Halo 3, the sole reason why I’m a shooter player in the first place. And Halo’s exclusivity to Xbox consoles is a large reason why those same consoles remain my preference for my daily competitive game session. When I have a few bad rounds in Overwatch, I can seamlessly swap to playing some lighthearted matches in Halo Infinite. Everything is right there, at my fingertips.
But aside from Starfield, an Xbox-exclusive RPG that sucked up a good chunk of my time before proving a bore, if there’s a narrative-focused game, I’m playing it on my PS5.
Image: Insomniac Games
The PlayStation prestige
There’s two major reasons why the PS5 is my go-to console for big-budget campaigns: Sony (often exclusively) releases some of the best single player games, and the DualSense’s features make my gaming experience so much better.
The controller’s groundbreaking haptic feedback system does a lot of impressive stuff. It offers different firing modes based on how far down you pull the trigger in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and adds an extra layer to Prowler Stash puzzles in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 by requiring you to apply different pressure on each side. And it feels great when it’s not offering more depth and just, literally, vibing—like when I swing through New York City as Miles Morales or ward off scaries in Alan Wake II. Swiping on the touch pad at its center adds even more layers to a gaming experience, and there’s nothing that delights me more than when a phone call emanates from the built-in speaker. And because Sony knows how powerful its DualSense is, all of the studios working on first-party games make the most of it.
Those first-party titles are, by and large, some of the most polished modern gaming experiences you can get. Whether it’s God of War: Ragnarök or Horizon Forbidden West, Sony’s games are akin to Hollywood blockbusters or fine-tuned supercars—they’re written like ancient epics, acted by icons, and so often without the jankiness that can scar new releases. Whether or not that makes them demonstrably better than other games is not the conversation here, but it is undeniable that they feel like they’re worth $70, especially when you have all the power of the DualSense in your palms.
Of course, the PS5’s storage size is a key element—though I may not care about frames per second, I do love that I can have Skyrim, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Elden Ring, Spider-Man 2, and Alan Wake II stored on there and regularly updated without having to uninstall anything.
Without realizing it, I’ve trained myself to boot up my PS5 when I’m in the mood for a lengthy, relaxed night of gaming that involves scouring worlds for hard-to-find objects or taking on daunting bosses, or power up my Xbox Series S when I want to shoot shit and yell into my headset. The consoles have become intrinsically linked with those different play styles, to such an extreme that, when I tried to play last year’s Call of Duty Modern Warfare II on PS5, I almost immediately shut it off and swapped back to Warzone on my Series S instead.
If you have both consoles, when do you play each and why?
If, while exploring Starfield’s vast, planet-filled galaxy, you’ve felt at times that its size and sheer number of possible destinations may actually be too much for the game’s own good, well, it sounds like some folks who were part of the development team may agree with you. Hindsight is 20/20, after all.
Diablo IV – Bear Bender Build
Starfield has around 1,000 procedurally generated planets to explore. There are definitely some interesting areas to find, but much of that terrain feels largely empty. In an interview with MinnMax (thanks GamesRadar), former Bethesda employee Bruce Nesmith, who worked on Starfield as senior systems designer, talked about the decision to make Starfield’s galaxy so massive, as opposed to smaller and more focused in scope.
In the interview, Nesmith said that player expectations around the size of Bethesda’s open-world games influenced the team to opt for this approach. The argument was made that once the team had successfully established the foundation for the game’s design philosophy in one solar system, replicating those ideas across dozens more wouldn’t add that much to the workload.
“[Game director Todd Howard] pretty much pulled the number 100 for the number of solar systems out of thin air,” Nesmith said, “but the more we went on, the more it was like, ‘OK, so all core activity takes place in these two dozen in the settled systems and the rest of it is open space, but people love our big games. They love that open area to explore, so let’s go ahead and let ‘em have it’.”
Minnmax
Nesmith went on to describe how developing Starfield, like any other game, was about making compromises to the original vision, and that meant more crafted areas came at the expense of player freedom and exploration, such as allowing you to build your own spacecraft and traverse a huge, expansive galaxy. While the space is bigger, Nesmith says this may have come at the expense of more meaningful things to find within it.
“I think some of the exploration stuff didn’t come through as well as it could’ve because they decided to make other choices,” he says. “And never misunderstand this. In every game studio on the face of this planet, they know the choices they’re making. They know the things that are not going to be in there. They know what the players are going to moan about. But you got to make the hard choice.”
Hopefully whatever lessons Bethesda has learned in making Starfield will be implemented in the upcoming Elder Scrolls VI. Given that the series is in a fantasy setting, it’s likely to be somewhat less vast than Starfield, so maybe it can better capture that sense of exploration without it being so full of empty, inconsequential dead space in between all the good stuff.
Making games is hard. Not just on a technical level, but imagine getting a handful of unique personalities into a room, working towards a common goal. Even when everyone is moving in tandem, and something truly remarkable is made, there’s bound to be a few flumps. Let’s take a look at games that are—or were—super glitchy but still a lot of fun to play!
10. Dead Island
Image Source: Techland
Welcome to Dead Island, where zombies can be hulking beasts or tiny creatures of destruction no bigger than a foot. Do you like whacky physics and random collisions? Well, you’ll certainly get your fill here. Witness zombies get toppled like bowling pins by a mere gas canister or sent flying from one well-placed swing. And let’s not forget a fan favorite: limbs that contort and separate on their own!
Okay, we’re done poking fun at the game. Honestly, Dead Island’s myriad of ways to kill zombies is highly concentrated dumb fun, only heightened by the ridiculous bugs you encounter. That fun is then multiplied when you bring in a few buddies!
9. Pokemon Red & Blue
Image Source: Game Freak
There was a time in gaming history when games had to be stable and as bug-free as possible. Developers couldn’t rely on a magical day-one patch. That’s not to say Pokemon Red and Blue were an unstable mess—it certainly wasn’t—but a few bugs squeaked by.
One of the most famous examples was MISSINGNO, a glitch “Pokemon” you could battle and capture. It was really easy to find, too, and if you caught it, well, you could duplicate items in your inventory. So, hello hundreds of Rare Candies or countless Master Balls! It’s a glitch you can still find in the digital versions of Pokemon Red and Blue!
Another great example is leveling your Pokemon past 100. All you had to do was feed it Rare Candies up until it reached level 255. Or how about catching Mew? Through a combination of Fly, a trainer battle, and choosing specific locations, you can get a low-level Mew to appear!
8. Cyberpunk 2077 (On Launch)
Image Source: CD Project RED
What Cyberpunk 2077 is compared to what it was is night and day. It was an incredible mess on launch day, and many weeks after that, it was pretty astonishing to witness. The story was appealing and featured several noteworthy characters like Goro Takemura (my personal favorite), Judy, and Jackie Wells, to name a few.
The gameplay was also solid, though the skill tree had left a lot to desire. If you were lucky, like me, and only experienced graphical glitches and bugs most of the time, Cyberpunk 2077 was still a fun ride from start to finish. Well, assuming you made it to the end. You couldn’t round a corner without seeing a random T-pose, questionable pathing, NPCs who defied the laws of physics, and vehicles with minds of their own.
7. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II
Image Source: Obsidian Entertainment
Despite its numerous bugs, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 is still a great game. Unfortunately, it was rushed, which meant some quests could break, crashes often occurred, and some events and cutscenes failed to trigger. Not to mention, there was a level-up glitch that made you god-like. Finishing the game meant enduring a hellish gauntlet and a lot of saves, but I’d be lying If I said it wasn’t worth it.
Thankfully, it isn’t 2004 anymore, and the community surrounding it has grown. Modders stepped in and made TSLRCM, an unofficial patch that fixes a bunch of bugs and even restores some content that was left out. Of course, if you want a more pure playthrough, there’s also an unofficial TSLRCM Tweak Pack that leaves cut content out. Either way, KOTOR 2 won’t be such a headache to play on modern machines!
6. Bethesda Game Studios
Image Source: Bethesda
If we’re going to discuss glitchy games that are still fun to play, Bethesda gets its own entry. It’s a running gag at this point that stretches back over two decades, from Morrowind to Starfield. Anyone who enjoys Bethesda’s catalog expects it, too. You might get launched into the stratosphere, take damage from walking over a wheel of cheese, or witness NPCs take a nasty right hook to the head while you’re talking.
Luckily, the bugs and glitches are mostly harmless. You can usually work through most of them by saving a lot. It’s tedious, sure, but losing a few minutes of progress is better than an hour, which I’m positive all of us have felt at one point or another. Autosave has saved my playthroughs more times than I care to count, too.
5. Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Image Source: Capcom
If there are any fighting games on the planet that are more broken than Marvel vs. Capcom 2, I’d love to see it. Not some sole developer working on a passion project, but from developers as well-established as Capcom. It’s incredible the community embraced it like they did because underneath all those travesties is still a top-notch fighting game.
For example, there are player-activated game freezes (Ruby Heart, Gambit), infinite juggles (Cable’s Air Hyper Viper Beam), and the ability to spam unblockable attacks (Sentinel). That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Naturally, players exploited them so frequently that it was fair game, even in tournaments. Only a few lines were drawn in the sand, like freezing the game and infinite dead body loops, though the latter is allowed to a finite degree.
4. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Image Source: Bethesda
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind deserves its own entry, just because many of its bugs and glitches are incredibly beneficial. They can be exploited to such a degree that, with a few simple tricks, you can make yourself an all-powerful god, even stronger than Vivec. Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way; it’s what makes Morrowind unique compared to later entries.
Take Alchemy, for example. The strength of your potions is partly determined by your Intelligence. So, you brew an Intelligence potion, chug it, and then brew another even stronger version. After a while, your Intelligence (and other stats) are in the thousands. It’s handy for enchanting gear with ridiculous effects, too.
Then there’s spellcrafting. By adding a secondary target effect, in addition to the buff you want, you’ve created a permanent buff. This trick often gets referred to as the “Soultrap Effect Glitch,” but it’s not Soultrap that’s causing the bug; it’s the Target effect.
3. Mass Effect 3
Image Source: BioWare
To be honest, Mass Effect 3 merely continues the tradition of bugs that started long ago in the franchise’s history. It being the last in a trilogy and having the bugs and glitches it had was icing on the cake. No hate from me, though; I still love them just as much as everyone else.
The kinds of bugs you’ll find in Mass Effect 3 are actually incredibly entertaining. You’ve got NPCs breakdancing after being hit by biotics, allies T-posing, and getting stuck in the air after performing a biotic charge. It’s mostly harmless unless you’re the poor soul who can’t deal damage after migrating your ME2 save file over to ME3.
2. Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing
Image Source: Stellar Stone
Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing is the kind of game—and I use that term loosely—that’s so laughably bad, it’s entertaining. The type of bad that makes movies like The Room a treat to watch. Playing it just makes you ask so many questions, like, Who thought this was okay? How did this get released? Is this some elaborate joke? You won’t get answers to those questions, by the way. Big Rigs remains an enigma throughout.
First off, the opponent you race doesn’t actually move unless you download the only patch ever released, in which case they’ll move but stop just before passing the finish line. That means you can never lose. Lastly, your truck can accelerate at ludicrous speeds… in reverse. Then there are buildings you can pass right through and terrain that clips in and out of existence. If you can get your hands on a copy of Big Rigs, it’s worth experiencing at least once.
1. Goat Simulator
Image Source: Coffee Stain Studios
It’s not every day you see game developers intentionally keep bugs in their game and be entirely open about it, but that’s precisely what Coffee Stain Studios did with Goat Simulator. Why? Well, honestly, because it makes the game a heck of a lot more fun. It was already entertaining, but the glitches just make the experience that much more better. Promise!
Coffee Stain Studios follows one simple rule: if a bug or glitch doesn’t break the game or cause instability, it’s kept in. So, welcome all manner of whacky physics, bring on the stretched-out limbs, the clipping, and bizarre NPC behavior. You’ll be giggling like a madman the entire time!
No doubt there are dozens more examples of fun, glitchy games, but these stuck out to us the most. Several were even high-profile games, like Mass Effect 3, Cyberpunk 2077, and Bethesda’s lineup. Let us know some of your favorites; we all can use a good laugh! It wouldn’t hurt to check out our other lists, like the best game sequels of the past 10 years.
About the author
Brady Klinger-Meyers
Brady is a Freelance Writer at Twinfinite. Though he’s been at the site for only a year, Brady has been covering video games, and the industry itself, for the past three years. He focuses on new releases, Diablo 4, Roblox, and every RPG he can get his hands on. When Brady isn’t focused on gaming, he’s toiling away on another short story.
Bethesda’s newest giant role-playing game Starfield, which hit Xbox’s Game Pass service the day of its release, enjoyed a very loud launch last month.In fact, its developer singled it out as “the biggest Bethesda game launch of all time.” Now new data from consumer analytics company Circana backs up that boast with some numbers.
This Stylish Noir-Punk Side-Scroller Is Like Celeste With Guns
If you look at Circana’s sales data for September, you’ll see that Starfield was the best-selling game in the U.S. that month. “Add-on spending,” like the $35 Premium Edition upgrade many Game Pass members tacked onto their free base game to get into its Early Access, wasn’t accounted for in the data, which makes Starfield taking the number-one dollars earned spot here even more impressive.
Really, Starfield achieved these record sales in spite of Game Pass, which parent company Microsoft reportedly recognizes causes a “decline in base game sales 12 months following their addition [to the service].” Starfield’s next 11 months of sales, then, could be more contentious. There are already signs of its fresh paint chipping.
On Steam’s global Top Sellers chart, the latest Bethesda RPG fell a steep 26 spots from last week’s placement to a miserly ranking of 45, sitting between The Division 2 (#44) and Lies of P (#46), the latter of which also seems to be suffering from dwindling hype. Starfield is performing a bit better on Steam’s U.S.-only chart, lazing around the 27 slot, though it dropped 12 spots from its ranking there last week.
Big releases, especially during this packed October, keep threatening its standing. Mortal Kombat 1 and EA Sports FC 24 are right behind Starfield in September U.S. sales, Circana’s chart indicates. By some wizard magic, Hogwarts Legacy was the U.S.’s fifth bestselling game in September, though its concurrent player count seems to be shrinking ahead of its Switch port’s upcoming November 14 release.
The wizard game’s surface-level magic has carried it pretty far, though—Circana’s analysis positions Hogwarts Legacy as the bestselling game of 2023 so far. And, to Starfield’s credit, its first month was impressive enough to help it creep up to the year’s number-seven spot, right under Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. There are worse places to be.
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