It’s been over a year since Microsoft shut down the Xbox 360’s digital store, effectively putting the final nail in the beloved console’s coffin. While it’s a shame that the decades-old console’s marketplace is gone, it doesn’t take away from the Xbox 360’s legacy as a popular, innovative, and weird machine that paved the way for the current era of gaming.
For better and for worse, when Microsoft’s Xbox 360 launched in 2005 it changed video games forever. And now seems like a perfect time to take a look back at the best and worst parts of its run.
This article was originally published on Jul 31, 2024. We’re re-posting it today in honor of the Xbox 360’s 20th anniversary.
Bandai Namco announced its popular action game, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, is now available for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. Owners of the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch versions are able to upgrade to the newly released current-gen version for free.
What is improved in the new One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 release?
The PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 version of One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 features upgraded visuals, as well as additional onscreen enemies.
Although it is now available on current-gen platforms now, Koei Tecmo won’t stop supporting last-gen versions of One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4. The developer confirmed that all versions will “continue to receive updates as new DLC will be released in the future.”
The launch of the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 of One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 coincides with the launch of the game’s latest DLC, Character Pack No. 7. This includes three new playable characters, Rob Lucci from CP0, S-Snake, one of Dr. Vegapunk’s Seraphim, and Jewelry Bonney, captain of the Bonney Pirates and a member of the Worst Generation. It also includes three exclusive outfits. Koei Tecmo will release Character Pack No. 8 in early 2026.
For PS4 and PS5 players who are unfamiliar with One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, here’s a description of the game:
“ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4 is the latest evolution of PIRATE WARRIORS action! Based on the concept of ‘experiencing a real ONE PIECE battlefield,’ buildings will come crashing down during the action and attacks will throw up smoke and dust, placing you in the thick of the ONE PIECE world! Injecting fresh elements that couldn’t be achieved in previous entries has now realized an even more thrilling brand of PIRATE WARRIORS action!”
Our sister site, PlayStation LifeStyle, gave One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 an 8 out of 10.
In the ’90s, over a decade before the release of epic Western adventures like Red Dead Redemption, LucasArts introduced the world to Outlaws. Originally released in 1997, Outlaws was a truly groundbreaking entry in what was widely considered a niche genre at the time.
It was also LucasArts’ first venture into the creation of an original first-person shooter.
From Star Wars to Outlaws
To help set it apart from previous Star Wars-related releases, LucasArts modified the Jedi game engine they’d previously utilized for Star Wars: Dark Forces and enhanced the INSANE animation engine to better optimize it for Outlaws’ cutscenes.
LucasArts also created a compelling Western-style plot and cast of characters for the game, including protagonist James Anderson, a retired U.S. Marshal who sets off on a quest for vengeance after his wife is murdered and his daughter kidnapped by outlaws.
Drawing inspiration from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti Westerns, the outlaws who murder Anderson’s wife aren’t rogue agents wreaking havoc at random. Instead, they’re employed by a corrupt railroad baron, Bob Graham, who seeks to intimidate Anderson into selling his farm so he can build his railroad through it.
Departing from the colder sci-fi settings of titles like Star Wars: Dark Forces, even the grimmest moments in Outlaws are bathed in warmth thanks to its colorful, hand-painted backgrounds and fully animated, voice-acted cutscenes.
A great example of this can be found right at the beginning of the game, with cutscenes showing the happy home life Anderson will soon be robbed of, along with his wife and daughter.
Beyond its visuals and story, a key way in which Outlaws proved itself noteworthy was with its soundtrack.
LucasArts understood music to be an essential part of the Western genre, with Outlaws becoming the first FPS of its kind to feature a fully orchestrated score created by legendary composer Clint Bajakian.
Working with the Original Team
In Nightdive’s recently released Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster, you’ll be able to revisit the game’s iconic soundtrack in its Vault. In addition to behind-the-scenes documents and concept art, the Vault features commentary from Clint Bajakian for each of the score’s 15 tracks.
“The style was to be an original homage to the great spaghetti Western soundtracks of the late Ennio Morricone,” Bajakian explains in his exclusive Vault commentary. “Most all of the score is live recording, making possible the achievement of something real, something truly spaghetti.”
Not only will fans be able to enjoy Clint Bajakian’s insight into the creation of the game’s soundtrack, but Nightdive also conducted a special Deep Dive podcast interview for Outlaws with original level designer Kevin Schmitt.
“I textured most of the levels in Outlaws — you know, the texture artist created it and I put it on the walls,” Schmitt recounts in his Deep Dive interview. “I placed the props, I placed the enemies, I did the scripting, I placed the audio. We wrote a lot of the dialogue; we did everything back then.”
As nice as it is to have these as bonus items with Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster, for Nightdive including members of a game’s original development team wherever possible is considered a key part of the remaster process.
“Involving members of the original development team is important because it’s vital for authenticity, accuracy, and respect for the artists and developers who brought their vision to life,” Kick explains. “Their insight into mechanics, limitations they faced, and design helps our team keep the remasters we develop faithful to the original, not just in look, but in spirit as well.”
Modernizing a Timeless Classic
For Nightdive, maintaining the authenticity of a game’s original experience is one of the studio’s primary goals. The team wants the game to play the way you remember it, with options included in Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster that emphasize this, including the ability to toggle between the game’s original and remastered graphics.
While originally a PC release, Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster will be available on consoles for the first time ever, including Xbox One and Series X|S. On consoles, Outlaws will offer improved gamepad support, including a weapon selection wheel, aim assist, and rumble.
No matter how or where you choose to play it, nearly three decades after its original release, Outlaws continues to remain a defining entry in the Western genre — one that’s well worth revisiting or checking out for the very first time.
When asked why Outlaws continues to resonate with gamers to this day, Kick explains:
“Where most FPS games of its era were about shock and spectacle, Outlaws told a simple, emotional story underscored by a music composition that treated the material with genuine gravity. There simply weren’t many Western-themed games during this time.”
If you’re wondering whether physical editions of Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster will be available for purchase in the future, the answer is almost certainly yes.
“Fans are always asking about a physical edition,” Kuperman notes. “We think that physical editions are important to game preservation. We know that our fans always appreciate that option, so we hope to release physical editions of the game, including the game cart, for our fans to enjoy in the future.”
If you want to saddle up and play the game right here and now, Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster is available digitally on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One!
Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster
Lucasfilm, Disney, Atari, Nightdive Studios
☆☆☆☆☆ 19
★★★★★
$29.99
From the team that brought you STAR WARS™: Dark Forces Remaster comes the return of the 1997 western FPS classic, Outlaws!
Saddle up and ride back into the Wild West with the gunslinging ex-Marshal, James Anderson, and face off against the good, the bad, and the even worse this side of the Mississippi as you work to uncover a twisted plot of greed and corruption. With your trusty six-shooting .45 Revolver, Scoped .44 Rifle, 10-Gauge Shotgun, and good ol’ Sawed-Off 12-Gauge Shotgun, you’ll be packin’ plenty of firepower to take out all manner of outlaw varmints.
Outlaws + Handful of Missions features high-resolution, uncompressed cutscenes and updated visuals for weapons, characters, and enemies, all fully recreated from archived art and stylized to match the original look with full color palettes. Outlaws + Handful of Missions also offers Cross-Play Multiplayer with game modes including Deathmatch, Team Play, Capture the Flag, and Kill The Fool With The Chicken!
This week we have a couple of Crews for you to join in our recurring, “Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass” announcement (looking at you Fortnite and The Crew Motorfest!). So, grab your favorite controller (come on, we all know there’s one you like more than the others), charge up your mouse, and let’s get to the games!
Get Fortnite Crew with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Fortnite Crew is available today with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Included with Ultimate is access to the current Battle Pass, OG Pass, LEGO Pass, and Music Pass. In addition, get 1,000 V-Bucks each month while you’re subscribed.
Fortnite Crew includes a bonus benefit: Rocket Pass Premium in Rocket League! Get the current Rocket League Season’s Rocket Pass Premium, plus future Seasons’ while you’re still subscribed. With Rocket Pass Premium, you’ll unlock the premium track of the Rocket Pass!
Available on day one with Game Pass! Dive deep into this action RPG with roguelike elements and a tale about new beginnings. Live the double life of a fearless adventurer and a crafty merchant. Dive into vibrant dimensions brimming with shiny loot and pesky enemies. Grow your shop, tinker with weapons and gadgets, as well as make your mark among a ragtag community of castaways.
A papercraft adventure game where you’ll meet the many good and not-so-good folks of Limbo, a place where souls with deep regrets are cursed into repeating the same day on a loop.
In a future knocked off its axis by corporate greed and stupidity, you have been made redundant and abandoned on the far edge of space with little gear and no safety net. You must explore every nook and cranny, collect dozens of upgrades, and turn over every mysterious alien rock if you want to get revenge on your former employer and return to Earth.
Beware, monsters are coming! In this tower-survivor rogue-lite on wheels, you gather resources and prepare defenses for an ever-moving city, protecting it from unrelenting hordes, while boosting potential through enhanced player progression. Are you prepared to face an unstoppable army of darkness? Can you reach the Ark?
The Crew Motorfest (Cloud, Console, and PC) – November 20 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
The ultimate car culture festival has settled down in one of the most breathtaking places on Earth: Hawaii. Enjoy a variety of thrilling driving activities and choose how you want to have fun with more than 700 vehicles: cars, motorcycles, and even boats and planes! The best part: The Crew Motorfest has just started its 3rd year of free content updates, bringing new islands to explore, new car customization features, a race creator tool, NASCAR, and even more to the game.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden(Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – November 25 Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
An all-new title crafted by renowned studio Don’t Nod, known for their acclaimed titles such as Life is Strange and Vampyr. Immerse yourself in an intimate narrative action RPG, taking you on an exhilarating journey between life, death, love, and sacrifices.
Kill It With Fire! 2(Cloud, Console, and PC) – November 25 Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Take on the arachnid menace alone or with friends in full campaign co-op. Wage the arachnid war across time and space and exterminate every last spider across the multiverse or jump into Spider Hunt PVP and play as the eight-legged menace for the first time!
Marvel Cosmic Invasion(Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – December 1 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one with Game Pass! A cosmic battle awaits! Choose between 15 Marvel heroes in this frenetic action beat ‘em up to fight against the deadly Annihilation Wave threatening the galaxy. From New York City to the depths of the Negative Zone, the future of the Marvel Universe will be fought for across the stars!
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage(Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – December 2 Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Embark on a new narrative journey by the creators of Life is Strange. Film your summer of 1995 and create memories of a lifetime with your new friends. 27 years later, confront the dark secrets that made you all promise to never speak again after that fateful summer.
In Case You Missed It
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7(Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – Available now Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one with Game Pass! In Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Treyarch and Raven Software are bringing players the biggest Black Ops ever. Squad up with friends or play solo in a thrilling and innovative Co-op Campaign, harness near-future weaponry in a signature Multiplayer experience packed with 16 electrifying 6v6 maps and two 20v20 maps at launch and descend into the next twisted chapter of Round-Based Zombies in the heart of the Dark Aether.
DLC / Game Updates
Halo Infinite – Operation: Infinite – Available today
Operation: Infinite offers a mighty mission packed with armor, progression updates, and more. Earn 2X Career Rank and 2X Spartan Points, claim 200 never-before-seen customizations from The Exchange, challenge yourself in a refreshed slate of Ranked Seasons, and brave a new Husky map just in time for the Halodays.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory – Available today
Valley of Memory is a free Assassin’s Creed Mirage update launching today! Explore AlUla’s deserts and oases, uncover family secrets, and face a ruthless gang of robbers. Enjoy enhanced gameplay with mission replay, smoother parkour, and new customization options.
League of Legends: Play the new Darkin Champion, Zaahen – November 19
Defy death and defeat with Zaahen, the Darkin warlord who ascends in combat to become unstoppable as the battle rages on – even with the odds stacked against him. Instantly unlock League of Legends’ newest top laner with Xbox Game Pass on November 19.
Revenge of the Savage Planet: Bingo Brawl Mode – November 19
Revenge of the Savage Planet adds more modes, more customization, and more ways to play! The core game adds a competitive mode called Bingo Brawl, a bunch of new ways to tweak your experience with Remix Mode, plus suits, Habitat items and more! So much game! So much fun! Grab a friend and play together. What could go wrong?
In-Game Benefits
The First Descendant: Assemble Bundle (Cloud and Xbox Series X|S) – Available now
Gear up with the Assemble Bundle! Express your style with brilliant weapon skins, colorful Descendant paints, dynamic sprays, a stylish back attachment, and daring makeup options. Suit up and get ready to experience thrilling action across a sprawling battlefield!
Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Guardian Pack (Cloud, Console, and PC) – Available today
Keep the secrets of the First Civilization deeply buried in the sand by dressing yourself as a guardian of the old temple. This Pack contains a Costume and a Mount Skin.
Leaving November 30
The following games are leaving the Game Pass library soon, so be sure to jump back in or start fresh before they go! Save up to 20% off your purchase to keep them in your library.
Barbie Project Friendship (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Lords of the Fallen (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Octopath Traveler (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Octopath Traveler II (Cloud, Console, and PC)
SteamWorld Build (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Don’t forget to tune back into Xbox Wire on November 20 for all the updates from the Xbox Partner Preview for even more news. Talk soon!
Note: Games with a ‘Handheld’ designation represent those that are optimized for handheld play.
We don’t know how long this stream will run for, but previous Partner Preview events have lasted around 25 to 30 minutes. As indicated by the name, this stream will highlight third-party publishers. Xbox called out companies like THQ Nordic, Tencent and IO Interactive in the press release that announced the event.
We do know some games that’ll be getting the spotlight this week. Xbox has stated that we’ll be seeing “an exciting first look” at content coming to the James Bond game, 007 First Light. IO Interactive is behind that one and it comes out on March 27.
We got to watch this title in action at Gamescom and called it “Hitman meets action blockbuster.” This is appropriate given that developer IO Interactive was behind many of the Hitman games.
We’ll also be getting an “electrifying extended gameplay trailer” for Tides of Annihilation. This is an upcoming fantasy adventure game made by the Chinese studio Eclipse Glow Games. The platform also promises a “fresh look” at Reanimal, which is a horror adventure from the folks behind Little Nightmares.
Xbox has also promised some “brand-new reveals and Game Pass announcements.” Those Game Pass announcements had better be beefy, considering that recent price hike. We’ll find out on Thursday.
With the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, it’s a timely reminder of the responsibility we share to uphold the integrity of play. We put together this guide on the latest security features and actions players can take to make sure they’re ready to jump into Call of Duty today.
We’re focused on creating environments where competition thrives. At the heart of every great game is a simple promise: everyone deserves an equal shot at victory. Cheating breaks that promise, undermining the excitement and integrity of the experience for players and developers alike. Through close collaboration with game developers, anti-cheat technology providers, and players, we’re committed to protecting fair play and ensuring everyone can enjoy a level playing field.
Why Security Features Matter for Fair Play
Cheat software isn’t like traditional malware that sneaks in unnoticed; it’s installed and run by players who deliberately disable and circumvent built-in protections to gain an unfair edge. That’s why Microsoft’s security features alone can’t stop cheating if someone turns them off. The real value comes when these protections stay enabled by all – they create a trusted state that developers can count on. Using that state, developers can better safeguard their games and their players, by reliably distinguishing systems that are more likely to have cheaters vs. systems that are configured for trust and security.
Cheating has grown increasingly sophisticated, moving from simple memory hacks to exploits that try to compromise a system before it even verifies your PC is in a trusted state through the hardware and Windows boot process. While most modern PCs include essential security features for gaming, Windows 11 takes protection a step further with advanced defenses tailored for players and developers. Working closely with hardware providers and anti-cheat providers, we have established a set of standards for hardware and software security, creating a root of trust. These technologies work together to make your PC ready for gaming, making it harder for cheats to take hold:
Trusted Platform Module (TPM)2.0: Creates a modern, hardware-based secure key storage and root of trust, from which the system and Windows can generate information that can be trusted with cryptographic keys.
Secure Boot: Ensures only trusted software loads during the boot process. So, when it is enabled, developers can have confidence that cheats weren’t inserted into the system early to evade detection by the anti-cheat providers. Plus, it extends the root of trust from the TPM all the way through the hardware initialization process to the time that Windows begins to boot.
Virtualization-based Security (VBS): Provides another layer of protection, strengthening security by creating a secure, isolated environment within your system where it is difficult to run unauthorized code that could interfere with your game or anti-cheat software. Like secure boot, when it is enabled, developers can have greater certainty that cheats are not interfering with fair game play.
Remote Attestation: Provides a well-documented and industry wide approach for remotely validating every important step of both the hardware and Windows boot process by leveraging the TPM and creating cryptographically secure evidence that verifies your PC in a trusted state as it initializes and boots into Windows.
These same technologies sit at the heart of Xbox console security, a proven and trusted model, and we’re excited to see anti-cheat providers leveraging them on Windows 11 today.
How You Can Help Game Developers Build Trusted Communities
We’re working with partners to build the tools and standards that make gaming safer, but players have an important role too. By keeping your firmware and security features up to date, you’re helping developers maintain a trusted environment for everyone. Enabling these protections sends a signal that you value fair play.
That signal matters because developers increasingly rely on these standards when designing multiplayer experiences. When security features stay on, it becomes easier for developers to differentiate genuine gameplay from cheating and keep the community competitive and fun.
Here’s how you can help ensure your PC is ready for secure, fair play:
Keep Windows Up to Date: Make sure to regularly install Windows 11 updates. These updates are delivered automatically through Windows Update and provide essential security enhancements to help safeguard your gaming experience.
Stay Current with Firmware/BIOS Patches: Be proactive about checking for and installing firmware/BIOS updates from your PC manufacturer. Firmware/BIOS patches aren’t always automatic, so reviewing your manufacturer’s support site or tools ensures your device receives the latest protections against emerging threats. We’ve included some links below for many of the top manufacturers to help get you started.
Enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot: Most modern gaming PCs come with these features enabled by default. If you’ve built your own system or use an older device, check your firmware/BIOS settings and manufacturer’s or Windows’ instructions to activate them.
Review Security Requirements: Major titles such as Call of Duty and Valorant provide dedicated pages that outline the necessary protections needed for secure and fair gameplay. Check the official website for your favorite game to find its recommended security requirements before you play to ensure your system complies with the latest standards.
Stay Informed: Follow Microsoft’s official channels for guidance on best practices and the latest news. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and X (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity. We’ll keep you updated so you can focus on playing, not worrying.
Manufacturer Instructions
Additionally, here are a few resources to help:
What’s Next
The fight against cheating is always evolving, and so are the tools we use to protect the gaming community. As new games and anti-cheat solutions adopt modern security technologies, you’ll see more titles requiring features like TPM, Secure Boot, and advanced protections such as VBS.
We’re here to listen to your feedback as we work toward our shared goal of fair play for all. Together, we can build a gaming ecosystem that’s secure, fair, and fun for everyone. See you in-game!
Starting November 18, Fortnite Crew is part of your Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
Valued at $11.99 a month, Fortnite Crew offers monthly rewards and access to Passes across Fortnite – and even Rocket League’s Rocket Pass Premium.
Fortnite also launches for Xbox on PC and becomes an Xbox Play Anywhere title on November 18.
It’s time to drop in, in style. From November 18, Fortnite Crew becomes part of your Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, bringing monthly benefits across Fortnite (and even in Rocket League, too).
Not only that but, on the same day, Fortnite will become available through Xbox on PC for the first time, offering even more ways to play. Fortnite is joining Xbox Play Anywhere, meaning your progress and purchases will seamlessly follow you across Xbox consoles, PC, and supported gaming handhelds.
What’s Included in Fortnite Crew?
Fortnite Crew members get access to monthly rewards across Fortnite, and beyond. That comprises:
Fortnite Crew Pack – A Fortnite Crew-exclusive bundle that includes a new Outfit, plus at least one matching accessory like a Pickaxe, Glider, Wrap, or Emote. The November Crew Pack includes the racer Maxx Speed Outfit!
Battle Pass – Access to claim premium rewards from the Battle Pass as you level up. Including Outfits, Back Blings, and more!
OG Pass – Access to claim premium rewards from theOG Pass as you level up. Including items that are a fusion of new and classic!
LEGO Pass – Access to claim premium rewards from the LEGO Pass as you level up. Including items to use in LEGO Fortnite!
Music Pass – Access to claim premium rewards from the Music Pass as you level up. Including Instruments, Jam Tracks, and more items to use in Fortnite Festival!
1,000 V-Bucks – Each month, you’ll be rewarded 1,000 V-Bucks to put towards Outfits, Emotes, and more in the Fortnite Shop.
Rocket Pass Premium – Your Fortnite Crew membership even offers a benefit outside of Fortnite! You’ll also get access to Rocket Pass Premium in Rocket League.
Rocket Pass Premium is a Bonus Benefit. Bonus Benefits are only guaranteed for the then-current edition of Fortnite Crew. They may be changed from month to month or discontinued.
How Do I Access Fortnite Crew with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate?
As an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, you’ll gain access to Fortnite Crew and begin accruing benefits by logging into Fortnite and Rocket League on Xbox console, Xbox on PC, or a supported gaming handheld.
If you are an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, here are the full details on the Fortnite Crew benefit being added to your subscription.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is for players who want the best of everything – alongside Fortnite Crew, subscribers get access to over 400 games playable on Xbox consoles, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Cloud on supported devices. 75 new day one releases are added per year, including all Xbox-published games. You also get access to EA Play, Ubisoft+ Classics, enhanced Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming quality, Rewards with Xbox, and more.
Anno 117: Pax Romana launches Day 1 on Xbox Series X|S on November 13.
The decisions you make during the Anno 117: Pax Romana campaign will dramatically affect your gameplay and narrative.
Choose between Romanizing your population or allowing them to maintain their Celtic culture.
For the first time in franchise history, Anno is coming to Xbox Series X|S on day 1 when Anno 117: Pax Romana launches on November 13. In Anno 117: Pax Romana, you’ll play as a Roman governor in charge of building a brand-new city in Latium, the heart of the empire. A warm and sunny province, Latium embodies the strength and stability Rome maintained during the Pax Romana, a time of prosperity for the empire. It’s the perfect place for a newly appointed governor to thrive in … at least until a series of events sees a new Emperor take power and subsequently exile you to the marshy shores of Albion where new challenges and tough decisions await.
“Albion is inspired by the Celtic world, and it’s a mystical place,” says Creative Director Manuel Reinher. “It’s a wild place at the border of the Empire. It’s also a place no civilized Roman wants to be and your mission there is to stabilize the province.”
Stabilizing the province will be much easier said than done, as players will have to make choices that impact not only the narrative, but the gameplay in Albion. Progress in Anno 117: Pax Romana is tied to your residents. As you fulfill their needs, you’ll be able to upgrade them to higher tiers, unlocking more advanced buildings and technology. In Latium, this upgrade path is linear, but in Albion you have a choice: allow your residents to maintain their Celtic culture, or Romanize them and make them conform to the empire’s way of life.
This decision will have wide-ranging implications. For starters, Celtic residents have different wants and needs than Romanized residents. They require different production chains that produce different goods to fulfill their needs. Many of their buildings and technologies take advantage of the natural marshy landscape of Albion. Marshes in Anno 117: Pax Romana, are a unique land type. Certain buildings can only be built on top of marshes, while others must be built on solid land. A Celtic population will work symbiotically with the landscape while a Romanized population will drain the marshes and build aqueducts, forcing the land to conform to their wants and needs.
“You’ll also have to deal with the Voada problem,” says Reinher. “She’s the Celtic leader and creates a lot of headaches for Romans. She hates Rome and during your time in Albion, you’ll have to decide if you want to resolve the conflict with her diplomatically or by using military force. If you allow the Celts to worship their gods and protect their holy sites, it will be easier to solve the problem diplomatically.”
Voada will also test your dedication to her cause through specific quests that might ask you to free some captive relatives or work closely with her. However you decide to deal with her, your actions in Albion won’t go unnoticed. Other governors in the world will react to your actions and comment on them. Your relationship with them will also be impacted by how you deal with your residents in Albion.
This amount of narrative and gameplay variation was in response to the linearity of recent Anno games and directly influenced by the historical research Reinher and his team did during development.
“There are examples where Roman governors made room for local identity. And then it was quite clear that this could be a good thing for a game like Anno. In general, we wanted to introduce choices with impact throughout the game. Anno 1800 was quite linear, so now we try to provide more agency for the players but also make the game more flexible.”
Part of that flexibility meant bringing land combat back to Anno. While the franchise is most known as a city-builder where diplomacy is always an option, a game set in the Roman empire needs to feature a robust land and naval combat system. Combat is deeper than ever thanks to modular naval ships, upgradable infantry units, devastating siege weapons, and buildable fortifications. Players have no obligation to play nice with Voada, and while dealing with what Reinher calls the “Voada problem” can mean diplomacy, it can also mean legionnaires, triremes, and siege weapons that decimate her and her people.
Of course, the decision will ultimately be up to you. Will you be a cunning negotiator? A master strategist? A brutal conqueror? Play the campaign multiple times and try them all when Anno 117: Pax Romana launches on Xbox Series X|S on November 13. The game will be available for purchase or playable with a Ubisoft+ Premium membership.
Players should check out the BCX event for exciting new announcements, as well as play the free in-game anniversary event.
Managing Director Zeke Sparkes reflects on the early days of the game, how it’s grown to a community over 125 million players strong, and keeping the community at the core of the game’s vision.
Brawlhalla, the free-to-play platform fighting game, is celebrating its 10th anniversary since launching its open beta in 2015. What started as an indie game with five playable Legends has grown into a pillar of the fighting game community, with 67 playable Legends; a plethora of maps and biomes; crossovers with popular IP such as Star Wars, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Halo, among many others; and over 125 million lifetime players.
Each year, around its anniversary, Brawlhalla celebrates in two ways: an in-game anniversary celebration, and the in-person Brawlhalla World Championship Expo (BCX). BCX 2025 is taking place at the Gateway Center in Atlanta, GA from November 21-23, and will feature world-class competitive Brawlhalla, announcements of what’s coming in 2026, and an expo packed with dev panels, cosplay, and more.
The in-game anniversary event runs now through December 3: a month-long celebration of Brawlhalla featuring new content, community events, rewards, and surprises. The festival introduces a new Legend – a cleric named Lady Vera – as well as the long-awaited Guild feature, which allows players to build community in new and exciting ways. Whether you’re a seasoned competitor or a new player, Brawlhalla’s 10th anniversary is the perfect time to log in, join a Guild, and brawl it out in the arena.
Zeke Sparkes is Brawlhalla’s managing director, and he’s been a developer on the game since its inception. We spoke to him to learn more about Brawlhalla’s beginning, how it’s continued to grow over the past decade, and how the team kept the player community at the core of the game’s vision.
What can you tell us about Brawlhalla’s early days of development and the vision for the game?
It was exciting because we realized pretty early on that we had something that had legs, but we didn’t know how far it could go. So, we poured our hearts into it and built really strong ties with the community early on. We knew, especially being free to play, that we had to be talking and listening and adapting based on what the community was saying. And so, we put ourselves out there and it’s been a wild ride seeing how far we can go.
Has the approach to development changed in the last decade?
I’d say the mentality is still the same. It’s a team that loves the game – everybody is here because they want to be working on Brawlhalla, and we are connected to the community. We’re constantly finding new ways to listen to the community and figure out what we can do to tweak the game, keep people interested and excited, see what things we’re doing that are working well, and what things we’re doing that aren’t working so well that we need to update. We’ve had a constant commitment to that.
Over the years, we’ve gone from launching just on Steam, where we could patch two, three, four, five times a week – really, really fast – to being on every major platform. That adds a layer of logistics we didn’t have early on; we have to plan a bit further ahead. So, the processes changed a little bit, but the heart and mentality are still the same.
As you’ve mentioned, community is a huge part of Brawlhalla, and being connected to the community has been the plan since day one. How did you build that community relationship? Was there any surprising feedback?
One of the first things we did was stream the game on Twitch, even before we really understood what Twitch was or how to do a good stream. We knew that it was going to be important, and it was one of the first times you could get real-time feedback from players as a developer, which was really exciting.
Because of that connection, we had a really big change early on. Originally, the game wasn’t character-focused; you would build an avatar and then spec out exactly how you wanted your character to be based on the weapons we dropped for you during gameplay. The early feedback told us the prototype was cool, the combat’s fun, but characters were missing. That’s when we started to think about pivoting to a character-centric game and started figuring out what archetypes we could add based on what we had made. We started with five Legends and released the 67th this month.
Now, we’ve got a full-on livestream studio with a set and awesome production values and motion graphics, but the core of the experience is still there, where it’s us talking to the community about what we’re doing, what’s going on, seeing how they react to stuff, and listening to the things they want to see in the game. That’s how we keep Brawlhalla moving forward.
Brawlhalla’s World Championship Expo (BCX) is taking place November 21-23 in Atlanta. What can fans expect this year?
That is the place to tune into. You get the best Brawlhalla gameplay in the entire world, and it just gets better every year. It’s incredible – the atmosphere is amazing, and it’s where we make some of our biggest announcements and reveals. We’ve got some really good ones lined up this year (I’m thinking of a couple now that are going to make people go crazy), so make sure you tune in on twitch.tv/Brawlhalla.
Any reflections on the past decade you’d like to share? What’s up next for Brawlhalla?
Lady Vera, our 67th Legend, is out now. She’s a cleric with some really interesting signature moves, and you can do some pretty fun stuff with her. She has a lot of radial skills, so depending on where you are when you do the move, the direction that your opponent goes can change pretty dramatically. So, if you’re creative, this really is a character for you. We’ve also just released phase one of our Guilds feature, which is a long-time player request. You’ll be able to build your community of players around a Guild that works across all different platforms, and that’s just phase one. We’ll continue to add cool, new, engaging mechanisms to Guilds as we move forward. Tune into BCX 2025 for more specifics of what’s to come!
I’d also like to say that building Brawlhalla with this team and with the community has been amazing. Over the past decade, players have shaped this game’s direction, fueled its esports scene, and fostered a welcoming space for brawlers of all backgrounds. The Anniversary Event is as much a celebration of the community as it is of the game itself. It’s exactly what we love to do and we’re so thankful for everybody that’s been on this journey with us whether you’re brand new today or you’ve been playing Brawlhalla since the closed alpha. We’re super excited that there’s a community of people that love the game and love what we’re doing.
Brawlhalla is free to play on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.
Brawlhalla
Ubisoft
☆☆☆☆☆ 1014
★★★★★
An epic platform fighter for up to 8 players online or locally. Try casual free-for-alls, ranked matches, or invite friends to a private room. And it’s free! Play cross-platform with millions of players on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android and Steam! Frequent updates. Over fifty Legends._x000d_
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The Legend Rotation of nine free to play characters changes every week, and you can earn gold to unlock more Legends by playing any online game mode. _x000d_
Includes: Orion Legend unlock, Dark Age Orion Skin, Thumb’s Up Emote, Trident Weapon Skin._x000d_
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Brawhalla will always be 100% free to play with no pay-to-win advantages.
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!
The year is 2035 and the world is on the brink of chaos, ravaged by violent conflict and psychological warfare. David Mason leads an elite team on a covert mission to the sprawling city of Avalon. While there, they discover a sophisticated plot that won’t just plunge the world into chaos, it will pull them into their own haunting pasts. Squad up or go solo in an innovative Co-Op Campaign that redefines the Black Ops experience. Multiplayer explodes out of the gate with 16 electrifying 6v6 maps and two 20v20 maps at launch. Master a cutting-edge arsenal and outmaneuver your enemies with an evolved Omnimovement system.
Monster Hunter Stories is an RPG that takes the world of Monster Hunter and expands upon it in new and exciting ways! No longer are you hunting monsters, but raising them! In this deep story featuring heroes known as Monster Riders, you will live alongside monsters and form lifelong bonds with them.
A new adventure awaits you in this second installment of the turn-based RPG series set in the world of Monster Hunter! Become a Rider and form bonds with friendly monsters known as Monsties to fight alongside them as you take part in an epic story.
Winter Burrow is a cozy woodland survival game. Explore, gather resources, craft tools, knit warm sweaters, bake pies and meet the locals! You play a mouse who returns from the big city to find their childhood home in ruins. To make matters worse, your Aunt (who was supposed to be looking after it) has gone missing. Restore your broken-down childhood burrow to its former glory so you can relax in front of the fireplace.
Experience the premier builder and design the cities of your dreams at the peak of the Roman Empire. Optimize your economy while balancing your people’s needs with the relentless demands of the emperor. Build upon the land that you see, from the beautiful heartland of Latium to the mysterious Celtic wetlands of Albion… where no civilized Roman wants to be.
In this remaster of the beloved action RPG Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, players return to a massive fantasy realm filled with hundreds of quests, dangerous dungeons, and unique combat arts to master. Battle monstrous creatures, uncover ancient secrets, and shape your character through loot, leveling, and deep customization.
Suzerain
Torpor Games
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
Suzerain – November 11 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere / Smart Delivery
Embark on a thrilling story as President Anton Rayne, steering Sordland through a pivotal time. Confront potential border conflicts, deep-seated corruption, and economic turmoil while navigating complex political dynamics in Anton’s first term. As the leader, your choices will shape Sordland’s destiny. How will you lead?
Zumba World – The Lost Marble Island combines classic marble-shooter action with an interactive island adventure! You play as a masked tiki warrior, mouth brimming with vibrant marbles. Dash through a top-down tiki hub—sprinkled with hidden treasure chests and level portals—to choose your next challenge. Once you select a stage, position your warrior at the center of winding jungle paths and launch marbles to match three or more identical orbs. Trigger dazzling chain reactions, clear waves swiftly, and earn up to three stars by preventing any marble from slipping past the ruins’ thresholds.
The newest title in the hyperdimensional football RPG series Inazuma Eleven is finally here! A new story featuring a new protagonist, over 5,400 characters to collect and train, as well as an intense competitive mode; there is no shortage of activities to enjoy!
From the creators of Before Your Eyes. You are Isaac, a 6-month-old baby, developing mysterious psychic powers. What you want most is to be loved and accepted by your family, but a secretive tech corporation wants you for their own.
Brace yourself for the explosive action of Let Them Come: Onslaught, a fast-paced roguelite shooter where survival means adapting, upgrading, and unleashing devastating firepower. Battle relentless alien swarms across procedurally generated stages, unlocking new weapons and stacking brutal upgrades with every run.
Mudness Offroad & Turbo Dash Kart Bundle combines rough terrain challenges with fast-paced kart mayhem for players who crave diversity and action behind the wheel. From muddy trails to colorful circuits, this duo delivers excitement across every turn. This bundle brings together precision driving and playful competition—a true celebration of offroad power and arcade-style speed.
Step into the lavish lighthouse; an opulent façade hiding a sinister secret. Its beacon, once a trusted guiding light, now threatens to unleash untold horrors upon the world. Your mission is clear: identify the ever-seeping anomalies in a bid to shut it down. But the restless entities within will fight back, their desperate whispers echoing through the halls, yearning for their dark truths to be heard. Can you silence the light before its madness consumes all?
Break free from a mysterious time loop! Embark on a journey of self-discovery and resilience. Delve into the enigmatic depths of the small godforsaken town: Rue Valley. Each day feels like an uphill battle against the shadows of your own mind. Along the way, you will encounter a captivating ensemble of characters, each wrestling with their own emotional complexities and revealing hidden depths as you get to know them.
Marbles and Checkers need your help finding their way home after being swept away in a storm. In this ‘90s buddy-platformer there’s a ton of stuff to do and even more to collect! Don’t be fooled by its cute charm! The journey home won’t be an easy one! Windswept is a love letter to a period of gaming where collectathon platformers reigned supreme, trying again was the norm, and players only had a game manual to guide them.
Get frisky with explosives and blast your way through tricky mazelike puzzle stages! Play as Bomb Kitten, a cunning black cat in a red cape, in this old-school action puzzler! Blast through grid-based stages, outsmart enemies, and use bombs to clear paths—but watch for spikes and traps. Collect hidden items, master 50 explosive challenges, and reach the exit ladder to escape these labyrinthine halls!
All aboard! Get ready for a colorful, brain-teasing puzzle experience where your goal is simple but oh-so-addictive: arrange all passengers to fit perfectly on their matching buses. Sounds easy? Think again! In this fun and relaxing puzzle game, you’ll face increasingly tricky challenges as you sort passengers by color and seat them correctly before the buses depart. Each level brings new patterns, tighter spaces, and more passengers to organize — testing your logic, speed, and strategic thinking.
Chorus of Carcosa is a psychological horror game inspired by the classic horror fiction of “The King in Yellow” collection by R. W. Chambers. You play as a sculptor who is forced to abandon his place of comfort one night, when a blood-soaked neighbor knocks on his door.
An addictive and relaxing chain reaction game featuring an exciting upgrade system and a wide variety of achievements. Your goal is simple yet endlessly engaging: pop bubbles, trigger satisfying chain reactions, and collect colorful candies along the way.
Get ready for a heartwarming hexagonal puzzle adventure where clever thinking meets cozy charm. Guide the adorable Chippys, little squirrels with big personalities, as they collect every shiny acorn and make their way safely home. Across 30 hand-crafted levels and three seasonal worlds: Spring, Summer and Autumn, you’ll twist, swap and align tiles to form perfect paths through nature’s maze.
Rio de Janeiro! What begins with a monochrome scene is going to burst with vibrant colours as you uncover more than 900 hidden objects – playful cats, lively streets, sandy beaches, and famous landmarks! A cozy adventure that captures the exuberant spirit of a Brazilian holiday… are you in?
In a land once blessed by divine light, grace has hollowed into silence. The world of Elyndra was once watched over by radiant gods whose touch gave life to all things. But their gifts turned to rot. What was meant to heal began to consume — transforming faith into obsession, worship into madness.
Step into the underworld and rise from street-level nobody to criminal kingpin in Schedule I: Dope Empire, a gritty drug empire simulator set in the decaying city of York Port. Manufacture, distribute, and rule — but every decision carries risk.
Tame monsters! Slay waves of enemy hordes! Explore fantasy lands! Wildkeepers Rising is a whimsical action-RPG roguelite set in a beautiful hand-drawn world that combines the power curve of bullet heaven games with the compulsive fun of a creature collector.
Before Exit: Gas Station is anomaly-detection game with dense atmosphere and some unexpected plot-twists. To reveal all its secrets and fully understand it, you will have to play through the campaign several times. Over 40 story-rich scenarios, packed with unique content, 4 different endings, and 6 mysterious bonus episodes.
The official spin-off to the hit game Legend Bowl takes you from the pros into the college ranks. It’s time to bring back College Football for fans of the sport who’ve been waiting for a College experience for a long time! Are you ready?
Balance the weight of the Gigasword, battling between brain and brawn in this action-puzzle metroidvania where the might of the sword will determine all. As tensions rise in Thoenhart, a city plagued by famine and disease, the humans within set their hopes on a final solution: invade the ancient tower Nestrium, slay the Nocturne, and take the God Crystal, Gnosis, for themselves.
Purrrfect hidden object game for all of us cat lovers! I Love Finding Cats! – Collector’s Edition is a classic Hidden Object game with a great selection of mini-games. Visit beautiful locations from across the globe while you find and collect adorable feline friends! This Collector’s Edition also includes Christmas Bonus levels.
Pure Flow and Adrenaline! Legends BMX is an energetic and exhilarating game made for extreme sports enthusiasts! Ride your BMX through a variety of parks and scenarios designed to let you pull off incredible tricks.
Fight, hack, and survive in a world overrun by hostile machines, where each incursion is a race against death. Lia: Hacking Destiny is a fast-paced action roguelite with intense combat and choices that shape your journey toward freedom.
Intiny proudly presents the official sequel to the Love is All Around series—making a spectacular return! This time, we invite you to step into the treacherous yet enchanting world of ancient martial arts and imperial courts, experiencing an unprecedented, immersive romantic adventure.
Rennsport delivers an authentic racing experience, developed in close collaboration with car manufacturers and professional drivers to ensure all cars look, feel, and drive true to life. Get behind the wheel of fan-favorite GT3s like the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) and Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, or push cutting-edge hypercars like the BMW M Hybrid V8. Every single detail is crafted with meticulous precision, from ultra-realistic physics to lifelike car models and authentic sound down to the exhaust note. Hit the track and get to experience the perfect harmony between driver and machine.
Astro Duel is a fun, frenetic local multiplayer party game for 1 to 6 players! Prepare for a fierce battle: rounds are quick and death is sudden. Blast your friends into space. Run over their helpless bodies for good measure.
Bioprototype, a Roguelike & Skill Customizing Rhapsody! This is an auto-bomber with programming elements. Customize your character skills with visual programming, utilize enemy organs to finish the mutation, and construct the ultimate prototype, one can survive in the endless wave of flesh.
Bioweaver is an RPG with the main content of treasure hunting and character building. You can use basic programming logic to deeply customize your skill sets, and you can also create organs with different attributes and functions with the special crafting system.
Leap into a world of calm precision and clever rhythm in this 2D platformer where every jump changes everything. You play as a brave ninja bunny in training, mastering the art of movement where each leap toggles platforms, spikes, and saws on or off. Timing isn’t just important, it’s everything.
Take to the skies in Chopper Strike, an adrenaline-fueled aerial combat experience. Command a powerful attack helicopter and rain destruction upon enemy forces in high-stakes missions that test your precision, strategy, and firepower.
Prepare yourself for the ultimate adrenaline rush with Clawpunk, a pulse-pounding, melee-focused 2D action game infused with roguelite elements and an array of badass cat characters. Tear through a fully destructible environment, where every smash and bash rewards your reactive and aggressive play style. Aim for the highest score possible by laying to waste everything in your path!
If hell is a state of the soul, these are the steps that will lead you to its gates. Dark Atlas: Infernum is a disturbing first-person story where an esoteric end of the world meets psychological survival horror with a strong narrative component.
Dirt Bike Retro isn’t just another racing game—it’s a full-throttle challenge where only the fastest, fiercest, and most fearless riders survive. Tear across classic dirt bike tracks with a modern twist, leave your opponents in the dust, and push your skills to the absolute limit.
The nightmare continues… and the witch is watching. In Horror Tale 3, the darkest secrets of a cursed neighborhood come to light. As children keep disappearing without a trace, Tom’s search for the truth brings him face-to-face with Wanda — the terrifying witch behind the horror. But she’s not the only surprise waiting in the shadows. New friends, strange allies, and buried secrets emerge as you step into the most intense chapter yet.
Trapped in what seems to be an endless hospital department. Carefully observe your surroundings in each loop to escape the Liminal Department. Explore an ever-changing hallway filled with unusual occurrences. Each loop could have multiple anomalies or none. Some are easy to spot, others are not.
Enjoy beautiful and charming graphics while listening to chill music. Test your skills on 50 creative levels with clever obstacles. Avoid water, walls, magnets, windmills or it’s game over! Warning – In some levels, you will have to show off your cleverness! Oh, and grab the bonus diamonds on the way.
The cult hit Use Your Words has all-new prompts and twice as many mini-games where you compete to write the funniest punchline – we set ‘em up, and you knock ‘em down! Players can use their phones or tablets as controllers, so it’s easy to jump in and seamless to play. And if you can’t think of a punchline, you can use one of our sneaky “Decoy” answers to lay a trap for your opponents… all with beautiful new visuals by artist Andrew Kolb!
Relive the days of past social gaming networks in Videoverse, a decision-based narrative adventure focusing on character development, friendship and love. Will your actions help Videoverse thrive, or will you get caught up in teenage drama, video game fandoms and corporate conspiracies?
Looking for a great headset for your Xbox Series X or S that’s super simple to setup and use? Microsoft’s Xbox Wireless Headset is built specifically for console life, with easy setup, great spatial audio, and easy to use controls. It’s currently marked down to just $105 on Amazon, a $15 discount, and is a great choice for Xbox enthusiasts who spend most of their time gaming from the couch.
Photograph: Brad Bourque
Microsoft
Xbox Wireless Gaming Headset
My favorite thing about the Xbox Wireless Gaming Headset is that how easy it is to connect to your console. It leverages the existing wireless connection from the Xbox Series S/X to pair directly, no need for USB dongles or extra apps. Just press the pairing button on the headset and the console’s sync button, and you’re ready to game.
I also appreciate the big volume knobs that take up the outside surface of both earcups. They’re easy to adjust even in the middle of a battle, with one side changing the volume, and the other setting the balance between game chat and communication audio. The latter is particularly useful for quick adjustments when your friends get a little too rowdy. While I wasn’t overly impressed with the mic’s quality, it sounds good enough for the price point, and more importantly, does a great job filtering out background noise, so your squad doesn’t have to hear your dog barking.
The Xbox Wireless Gaming Headset is equipped with Dolby Atmos, as long as you’re connected to an Xbox Series S or X, and the game you’re playing supports it. It gives a massive boost to spatial audio, which is great for both shooters and immersive games, and you can tweak the settings directly from the Xbox settings menu on your console, or from the Xbox mobile app.
While the Xbox Wireless Gaming Headset is my preferred pick for casual console gamers, there’s a whole world of other gaming headsets out there with different features like ANC or swappable batteries. Make sure to check out our full guide to see if anything else appeals to you, or take advantage of a discount on the Xbox pair to get gaming fast.
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!
The three-time IGF award nominated 1000xResist is a thrilling sci-fi adventure. 1000 years in the future, humanity is all but extinguished and a disease spread by an alien occupation keeps the survivors underground. You are Watcher. You dutifully fulfil your purpose in service of the Allmother, until the day you learn a shocking secret that changes everything.
Farming Simulator 25: Highlands Fishing Edition bundles both the acclaimed main game and the Highlands Fishing Expansion. Enjoy 26 crops, 4 maps, 400+ machines, over 150 real brands and aquaculture in addition to agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry. Build a farm along winding rivers and historic grain elevators in North America, surrounded by ponds in Central Europe, in a lush East Asian landscape filled with rice paddies, or in the Scotland-inspired town of Kinlaig – a lush paradise of rolling green hills and open waters!
New foundations set the stage for you to define your football destiny. Built on the Unity engine, FM26 is the legacy, redefined and where storytelling evolves, placing you at the heart of the beautiful game. A reimagined interface and more immersive matchday experience brings you closer to the action and combine to elevate every decision and match-defining moment. Transform your squad with advanced transfer tools and craft your footballing philosophy like never before with new innovations that deliver unrivalled game-changing tactical realism.
New foundations set the stage for you to shape your football destiny. Built on the Unity engine, FM26 Console places you at the heart of the beautiful game. This is the legacy, redefined. Delivering effortless, instinctive console control, a redesigned user interface combines with the most immersive matchday experience in series history to bring you closer to every match-defining moment.
You’re an egg – and you’ll feel every wobble, roll, and crack. Master the art of egg physics as you navigate challenging climbing environments with a twist. Synchronize your jump with your roll-cycle, and when you’re at the tip, leap for maximum height! Miss a jump, and you could be back at the bottom, dripping yolk.
More than 20 years after its original release, Syberia is reborn in a fully modernized version. Rediscover its iconic locations and unforgettable characters through a stunning visual overhaul, redesigned gameplay, and the same captivating storytelling that made it a classic. Kate Walker, a brilliant lawyer from New York, is sent to a remote village in the French Alps to finalize the sale of an old automaton factory. But what begins as a routine assignment soon turns into an extraordinary journey across Eastern Europe and its snow-covered landscapes.
Carve mountains, traverse seas, and explore untamed new lands as you build grand cities – the ingenuity of the humble mouse is on full display in Whiskerwood as you establish elaborate automation systems to efficiently run complex production chains, all while dealing with the oppressive demands of your cat overlords.
Dark Deity is back! A quarter of a century has passed, as Irving and the Eternal Order carefully rebuilt Verroa to protect it against a future war. Their efforts will be put to the test far too soon as a new threat looms on the horizon. The neighboring Holy Asverellian Empire needs new lands to grow, and the fractious, fragile Verroa seems ripe for the taking. All that stands in its way is the Order and twenty scrappy heroes-to-be.
You are an engineer thrust into the strange and mysterious Void, a world with its own history, rules and future. Build and upgrade your own train, craft powerful weapons, fight various enemies and survive the surreal landscapes of the Void alone or together with friends.
Have you never worked in a bar? No problem – Frank has! Help him serve craft beer to thirsty and picky clients, wash glasses, clean tables and keep everybody happy! Remember to check which beer the bar guests order. Is it the new IPA on tap, that weird pineapple milkshake sour or just a pilsner? Somebody has waited too long and is complaining? Serve popcorn to keep them happy.
The global karaoke party returns with Let’s Sing 2026, your ultimate ticket to fun-filled nights and unforgettable performances. Whether you’re warming up your vocal cords solo, teaming up in duets, or competing with friends, Let’s Sing 2026 delivers an unbeatable playlist, and endless entertainment! Featuring 35/40 chart-topping songs there’s something for everyone — from modern hits to timeless classics.
Get ready for the most exciting fight of your life in Lucha Align, the puzzle game where every piece is a luchador ready for action! Your mission is clear: fit the champions and completely fill the ring to claim victory in style. With 40 levels full of action, each match brings new shapes, new challenges, and even more excitement. From the first training sessions to the ultimate battles, you’ll need strategy, quick thinking and the spirit of a champion to master every grid and earn the special stars.
Master Lemon is a tribute to my polyglot friend who tragically passed away in an accident while pursuing his dream of living in Iceland. Experience his legacy in this narrative adventure. Harness the power of words and creativity to transform reality and save the world.
Biped 2 is the sequel to the exciting game about two charming bipedal robots, Aku and Sila, who have each other’s backs and embark on incredible adventures side by side. Dive into this groovy co-op action-adventure game, full of puzzles, friendship, support and fun!
As a legendary thief, your next assignment lures you into a grand and lavish mansion. There you find a series of puzzle boxes, designed for an unknown purpose. Inspired by the cryptic atmosphere, intricate machinery and smooth controls of the best room escape games, we have created a diverse set of original puzzle levels that will test your resolve and skills to navigate this mysterious and compelling journey. Each level is beautiful, unique and a true delight to explore and figure out.
Cairn puts you in the boots of Daisy, a brave explorer whose mission is to climb an immense, never-ending tower. As you ascend, you encounter strange creatures that grant you the power to manipulate the terrain. This unique ability lets you literally shape the path, leaving your mark on the tower itself. The core of the game is a moral choice: will your alterations help future climbers, or will they just add more chaos to the towering structure?
Dark Quest returns with its fourth installment – a turn-based strategy adventure inspired by the legendary HeroQuest board game. Enter a realm of perilous dungeons, cunning traps, and powerful magic as you lead your party of heroes against the forces of the Dark Sorcerer.
Dead Static Drive is Grand Theft Cthulhu—a survival-horror road trip through a nightmare version of 1980s Americana. Scavenge, fight, and sneak your way across small towns and eerie highways as reality begins to unravel.
Step into the mystical world of Üna, where ancient power stirs and chaos rises. As one of eight dragon-bound champions, battle through monster-infested lands, master unique fighting styles, and transform into awe-inspiring dragons to reclaim balance. Whether you’re flying solo or brawling alongside friends, prepare for a fiery showdown!
Your job as a passionate vet is to examine sick farm animals, make the right diagnosis, treat them accordingly and nurse them back to health. Build up trust with the small and large two- and four-legged friends so that they soon feel better again. Your help is called for on the farm!
Get ready to put your eyes to the test and your heart on full display in Spot the Pup, the ultimate hidden object adventure for dog lovers! Each scene bursts with charm, color, and chaos as you hunt for ten mischievous pups tucked into unexpected places. Whether you’re racing the clock in Challenge Mode or taking a relaxed stroll through Casual Mode, every level promises a delightful mix of discovery, relaxation, and pure puppy joy.
Crash the yokai party in Twilight Parade: Moonlit Mononoke! Play as the uninvited oni twins and their friends in this bullet-hell shooter with vibrant pixel art. Choose from four unique characters, each with distinct abilities and assistants, then blast through 5 chaotic stages across Japan. Dodge enemy swarms, battle massive bosses, and get revenge in style!
Not in the mood to be chased and screamed at by monsters? Tired of jump scares and endless fights for survival? Dollmare is just for you. It’s still a horror game – you’ll get scared, feel uneasy and constantly sense that something is watching you. There’s no telling what might happen … but something definitely will.
Kanjozoku Game & Turbo Dash Kart brings together two radically different racing experiences for those who live for challenge and control. Whether you’re sliding between traffic at night or battling rivals on wild, unpredictable tracks, this collection offers variety, excitement, and pure velocity.
Stranded in the year 10,000, Kent—an average Joe turned clone—must survive, explore, and rebuild civilization with the help of his quirky robot companion. Craft, farm, and automate in this 2D craftervania adventure as you uncover Earth’s secrets and kickstart humanity, one machine at a time.
Saving Princess of Mars is a stylish action platformer featuring puzzles to solve and ton of enemies to eliminate. Our main protagonist is lumberjack Jack from Earth who surprisingly spawns on Mars where he’s trying to save its princess.
Get ready to slide into an enchanted swamp full of magical puzzles! In Toad Slide, a Sokoban-inspired 2D pixel-art puzzle, you control a mystical toad who must move runic stone blocks and place them onto magic circles to restore balance to the swamp. With 30 carefully crafted levels, 15 by day and 15 by night, the game blends clear logic, smooth gameplay and gradually increasing challenges that invite you to think precisely and act strategically.
Unbeatable is an anime-juiced rhythm adventure where you (figuratively) destroy on stage while you (literally) destroy on stage. During rhythm gameplay, you only need two buttons: a button for up and a button for down. Simple to understand! The complicated part is doing it. Try not to get destroyed yourself.
Experience the original Anima: Gate of Memories and its companion story Anima: The Nameless Chronicles — both fully remastered with improved visuals and gameplay. Explore a rich fantasy universe inspired by the Anima Beyond Fantasy tabletop RPG saga, filled with deep lore, fast-paced combat, and branching storylines shaped by your choices. Whether you’re new to the saga or returning, this is the ultimate way to discover the world of Anima.
A Pizza Delivery is a narrative exploration game with puzzle elements focused on connecting with people. Share pizza with charming characters to uncover their stories—and your own. Drive and explore a strange, meditative world filled with secrets. Step into the dreamlike journey of “B”, a pizza delivery rider on her final order of the day. Ride through a surreal world, navigating strange landscapes, sudden shifts in scenery and moments of quiet introspection.
Test your engineering and improvisation skills in a puzzle game where the stakes are as high as they get. It is you who will construct bridges for cars, trucks, buses … and sometimes even monster trucks. Gather your wits and get on with the construction!
Take control of a brave carrot on a mission to protect its territory in this exciting pixel art platformer. Face challenging enemies and obstacles, using powerful punches, double jumps and the Dash to overcome action-packed, precise levels. With fast-paced gameplay, responsive controls, and appealing retro visuals, Carrot Smash delivers a fun and addictive platforming experience from start to finish.
In this game, you follow the protagonist who initially fell from heaven back into the sky. The game is a unique combination of a third-person platformer and a light-hearted exploration game with philosophical storytelling. It is highly stylized and surprises with breathtaking environments, a surreal world full of beauty and grace and a couple of small environmental puzzles that blend perfectly into the peaceful yet stunning environments. Will you be able to make it back into heaven? Find out.
The year is 1981, and as a young officer trainee, you are assigned to work at a border post in the mountainous region of Karikatka. Entry into the Acarist People’s Republic is strictly regulated by the party and your every move is monitored! The situation at the border escalates when your comrade is killed during one of the interventions … Always be ready to intervene in an emergency. Solve crime puzzles, support your comrades and thwart the Blood Fist rebels. Make decisions that will determine the future of Acaristan.
Remember the good old game of hide and seek? Prepare for something a little more extreme! Dive into classic gameplay where you can hide or seek. Count down before setting off to find the Hiders, or blend into the environment, stay silent and outsmart the Seeker to win!
Hop’n’Hoard is an addictive platform game where your goal is to collect all the coins scattered across the level to unlock the exit. But be careful! Deadly traps are everywhere, ready to stop you from completing your mission. You’ll also need to use all your wits to navigate through mysterious portals and create magical boxes under your feet, allowing you to reach places that would otherwise be impossible to climb.
House Fighters: Total Mess is a PvE aerial arcade shooter where toy planes battle in everyday spaces. Weave between furniture, lamps, and engage in fast-paced dogfights in a vibrant, nostalgia-filled world. No complicated controls, just pure, lighthearted aerial chaos.
Ion Shift delivers fast, high-stakes gameplay with precision controls and a unique sandbox-style approach to combat arenas. The campaign progressively challenges the player through evolving level design, tight mechanics, and a focus on player-driven mastery.
This is a casual racing game where the girl Natsuki is forced to join the “Ninja Racing Tournament” to pay off her debt. Include 10 playable girls, 600 Japanese voices, 16 story chapters.
Two sly siblings, one crazy platforming heist- ready to steal everything that shines? Team up with two green-skinned burglar brothers on a quest for glittering gold. Switch between the tall, lanky thief to reach elevated platforms, and his short, stocky accomplice to slip under narrow gaps. Only by using their unique shapes together can you collect every shiny treasure, snag the key, and escape to the exit.
Play as a lighthouse keeper and guide ships safely into the harbor using your radio. Survive the presence of something impossible, and don’t let the shadows consume you! In the aftermath of a global cataclysm, the harbor authorities reactivated an ancient lighthouse, hoping to keep the seas navigable amidst the growing chaos. A lone keeper is dispatched to the forsaken island, tasked with manning the beacon. The fate of passing vessels and the nearby town now rests in his hands. Far away, a wife and daughter wait for his return.
You are R3D, an alien robot trapped in a strange simulation. You don’t know who’s pulling the strings—or why—but something feels off. Every move you make might lead you closer to the truth… or deeper into the deception. How far are you willing to go to break free?
Ready? Go! Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage officially launches today for Xbox Series X|S, marking its triumphant return to the Xbox platform after an almost 20-year absence. A lot has happened with Virtua Fighter over those many years, and the timing couldn’t be more perfect for Xbox players to get back into the ring to compete in what we feel is the most refined Virtua Fighterentry yet.
Not only did we add some long-awaited features that fighting game fans have been asking us for, such as cross-play support, rollback netcode, an expanded training mode, and the return of series antagonist Dural as a downloadable character. But we are also adding a brand-new single-player mode to the game – World Stage!
On that topic, we have asked the Legacy Virtua Fighter Project producer, Seiji Aoki, to talk more about World Stage mode and what it adds to Virtua Fighter 5’s enduring legacy.
“When we originally released Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. earlier this year, a lot of fans who bought the game really wanted to see single-player content get added to the game. The new World Stage mode was created in response to this. In a way, we wanted to prove to fans that we are always listening to them, and to that end, we wanted to make this new release the best Virtua Fighter yet.
“Perhaps the older Virtua Fighter fans may remember that in Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution, a game I worked on, there was this feature called Quest Mode which quickly became a fan favorite. There, you had to fight your way through these arcades inside this city. From there, you would then start to make a name for yourself by competing in local tournaments. The CPU players you faced were based on real-life player data taken from Japanese game centers (or arcades).
“World Stage mode was directly inspired by Quest Mode. Here, you will participate in this huge tournament where you can name your opponents and play against CPUs based on real-life professionals, with real names you may recognize!
“On top of that, the team spent a lot of time packing this new mode with plenty of content so they can stay engaged for a very long time. For example, there is a list of challenges featured in this mode that includes objectives such as climbing through the many ranks, that will unlock in-game items that players will be able to customize their characters with. There are also side tournaments that will feature their own unique rivals you can compete to win exclusive titles you can use online.
“In our eyes, this mode is an easy recommendation both for those new to the franchise and those returning to the game, so the team is really excited to see how players will react to it.
“Features like the World Stage mode and multi-platform cross-play support (a first for the Virtua Fighter franchise) are all thanks to our amazing community which has been supporting us all this time, giving us all this great feedback and comments that allow us to improve upon the game. We would love it if they kept sharing us their thoughts, and we will continue to appreciate their support as always.”
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage 30th Anniversary Edition
SEGA
☆☆☆☆☆ 14
★★★★★
$49.99
Celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first 3D fighting series – this edition includes exclusive costumes, pre-production artwork, soundtracks, and more.
30th Anniversary Edition contains:
“Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage” Base Game
VF 30th Anniversary Swimsuit Costume Set
VF 30th Anniversary Soundtrack Collection
VF Pre-Production Artwork
DLC: Legendary Pack & Yakuza Series Collaboration Pack
VF 30th Anniversary Ranking Titles
The pioneer 3D fighting series continues to evolve as Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage arrives on Xbox Series X|S.
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage takes the gameplay of Virtua Fighter 5 to new heights:
Rollback Netcode and Cross-play support let you take on any challenger, anywhere, across the globe in the most intense battles yet.
A brand-new single-player mode, “World Stage”: Challenge powerful rivals on a solo quest to become the ultimate fighter
Enhanced replay functionality and improved training tools.
PvPvE extraction shooter Arc Raiders is available today for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC as an Xbox Play Anywhere title.
The risk of losing your stuff, the danger of the robots, and the unpredictability of other raiders makes for an overall tense experience.
But thoughtful quality-of-life enhancements and a charming ’70s retrofuturist aesthetic help it go down more easily, inviting in genre-curious players.
My favorite shooters accommodate a wide range of players. I didn’t have the fastest twitch reflexes as a teenager, let alone now nearing 40, so I’ll never do well in a straight battle of headshots and KDR. But I’ve poured hundreds of hours into Overwatch and Helldivers 2 because they reward strategic thinking and offer an interesting range of different playstyles, which in turn produces a more compellingly wide range of stories. They also allow me to play alongside more skilled friends without feeling like anyone is compromising their fun.
Arc Raiders may be the next shooter to pull me in. I played for 3 hours across 3 different maps, both solo and in a squad, in a recent closed preview event of the whole game for journalists and influencers. This upcoming PvPvE extraction shooter is set in a future reminiscent of “The Matrix” – rogue robots called Arc have devastated humanity, driving the survivors to hide deep underground in a last stronghold city, Speranza (“hope”).
As the eponymous raiders, players make runs to different zones on the surface, pillaging the ruins of civilization for usable materials while navigating the threats of both Arc robots and their fellow raiders, then making it safely home with whatever they can carry back to base to sell, scrap, craft, or use on subsequent raids.
It’s chasing the microgenre du jour, extraction shooters, which are built around the same general risk/reward loop of going into a hostile area, completing objectives, and extracting with goodies that will fuel future runs. If you’ve enjoyed the likes of Escape from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown, Arc Raiders is aiming to be your next obsession – and if you haven’t dipped a toe into extraction shooters yet, this is shaping up to be a gorgeous entry point.
Tension Management
As befits the genre, the dominant feeling throughout my time with Arc Raiders was tension. Any encounter going wrong could mean not just the opportunity cost of whatever new spoils we hoped to take home, but also losing all the equipment we brought in with us. That kind of high-stakes resource pressure, where one’s ability to make progress depends on building and maintaining momentum that can be easily lost, is part of the appeal for the genre’s hardcore fans, but also adds a certain prickliness that could deter other prospective players.
Arc Raiders graciously smooths this out with free loadouts that let you jump into a raid with a minimum viable kit and no risk of loss, helping players that might be stuck treading water while they get their bearings in the game. Every raider also has “Scrappy,” a pet rooster that collects a steady drip of basic materials for them while out on raids, ensuring they can always craft basic necessities like bandages and bullets.
Completing objectives during a raid, whether they extract or not, also nets skill points that can be distributed between three different trees. This all allows for a baseline of progression and character growth/specialization, even if players are struggling to survive most of their runs.
The greatest source of tension, however, was from other people. Unlike a conventional PvP competitive shooter, where the constant pressure of other players is the engine driving gameplay, the rate of encounters was much more variable here. Individual raids across my session varied widely based on the map and happenstance. Some were dominated by long, quiet stretches of scavenging through buildings and sneaking past robots, punctuated by a handful of staccato encounters. Other times we found ourselves stumbling from firefight to firefight as robot engagements drew the attention of opportunistic raiders, and vice versa.
Besides never quite being sure exactly when we would encounter other players, another juicy source of tension was whether our fellow raiders would be hostile or friendly. Over my session I experienced a full spectrum of interactions, from being shot on sight to having lighthearted chats, leading sometimes to them giving crucial help later in the match, other times to betrayal. In that way it reminded me of Sea of Thieves, which cultivates a similar sense of vulnerability by pairing the possibility of losing all your new stuff with the black box of strangers’ intentions. Granting that a closed session of journalists and influencers is likely to be as friendly as the game is going to get, I’ll be very curious to see how the player community’s norms develop once the game is released to the wider public.
The Enemy of my Enemy
One element that might help encourage players to work together is the genuine threat posed by the Arc robots. Far from being rote cannon-fodder, the non-human enemies are dynamic and dangerous, keeping us on our toes throughout, even when other human players weren’t in sight. Developer Embark is no doubt helped here by the fact that Arc Raiders started as purely PvE experience before settling into its current extraction form, which means real development time and resources went into making Arc enemies feel like the star of the show, and not just a supporting player.
Part of this that really stood out to me was how, as the developers have discussed previously, the movement and behaviors for the Arc were not traditionally keyframed and hand-crafted by animators, but rather trained through machine learning applied to physics simulations. It’s essentially the same kind of process used by many real-world roboticists to train their creations in the complex task of navigating physical space, like the robot apocalypse abettors at Boston Dynamics.
The Arc were lively and unpredictable. Shooting out an assault drone’s rotor didn’t send it crashing down like I’d hoped, but rather it awkwardly swung down before compensating with the others and swooping back around to continue the fight in a way that felt compellingly organic.
Stray, small Arc were easily manageable in isolation, but add a few more (or just a single large one) and the situation could quickly get out of hand. The genuine threat posed by the Arc will hopefully help keep pressure on players to at least consider temporary alliances and keep the game more socially vibrant and variable.
Yesterday’s Tomorrow, Today!
Arc Raiders needs no help being aesthetically vibrant, however. Following from the graphic design of the logo, the game has a charming ’70s retrofuturism look. This is especially true in the character cosmetics, which were fun and colorful, and had a nice variety of silhouettes – I gave my raider a bright green motorcycle helmet, leather flight jacket, and tight jeans with a stripe up the side. Compared to its peers in the genre, Arc Raiders’ more colorful and playful design sensibility (like unlockable hats for Scrappy – he got a matching little motorcycle helmet) goes a long way to piquing my interest.
It doesn’t approach the full dayglo hyperpop palette of fellow upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon, though, and grounds it with a realistic layer of post-apocalyptic wear and tear. Light and sound do a lot to support immersion as well; stalking our way through flashlight-lit underground tunnels crammed with rusted-out cars while muffled gunfire echoes above, or darting from shadow to shadow of bombed out apartment buildings across a plaza lit brightly by the midday sun, keeping an ear out for the ominous beeps of Arc sentries in the distance. The spaces were evocative, with a pleasing range of environments (residential, industrial, claustrophobic, open, flat, vertical, etc.), both within and between maps, which helped fuel the interesting variety of encounters we had.
Smoothed Edges
Arc Raiders has definitely caught my attention, as I’m always on the lookout for good session-based co-op games that I can use for catching up with friends. The game’s fun visual design, tight core loop, and quality-of-life mechanics have smoothed over some of the extraction shooter’s sharper edges, which may give it a real shot at bringing the genre to a wider audience.
Arc Raiders comes to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC as an Xbox Play Anywhere title today on October 30.
ARC Raiders – Deluxe Edition
Embark Studios
☆☆☆☆☆ 263
★★★★★
*Pre-order the ARC Raiders Deluxe Edition and receive the exclusive Astro Cosmetic Pack including the following cosmetic items:
ARC Raiders Deluxe Edition includes the base game and the following content:
The Wanderer Cosmetic Pack, including the following cosmetic items:
– “Valente” Legendary Outfit
– “Pathfinder” Backpack
– “Blanket Roll” Backpack Attachment
Plus:
Character Cosmetic
Finger Gun Rapid Fire Emote
Scrappy Skin
2 400 Raider Tokens
ARC Raiders – Standard Edition
Embark Studios
☆☆☆☆☆ 277
★★★★★
Pre-order now and get access to ARC Raiders.
Secure your copy of the game as the Standard or Deluxe Edition, and receive the Lucky Duck Bundle pre-order bonus at launch!
The Lucky Duck Bundle contains the exclusive Hatchling Backpack and Golden Rubber Duck Backpack Charm.
ABOUT THIS GAME
SCAVENGE, SURVIVE, THRIVE
In ARC Raiders, gameplay flows between the surface ruled by lethal machines, and the vibrant underground society of Speranza. Craft, repair, and upgrade your gear in the safety of your own workshop, before venturing topside to scavenge the remnants of a devastated but beautiful world. Play solo or in parties up to three, navigating the constant threat of ARC’s machines and the unpredictable choices of fellow survivors. In the end, only you decide what kind of Raider you are – and how far you’ll go to prevail.
EXPLORE AN IMMERSIVE WORLD
Explore four distinct maps at launch, with more to be revealed as the underground society evolves and expands its reach. Each destination carries the weight of a world twice-destroyed, and the scars of conflicts both old and new. Sift through the remnants for valuable loot, and piece together the past as it’s slowly reclaimed by nature. Evolving map conditions ensure that no two runs are the same, with varying weather, enemies, and mechanics adding unpredictability and danger.
STAKE YOUR CLAIM
In a society built on boldness and bravado, it is up to you to stake your claim as a Raider. The loot you scavenge can be sold for coin or crafted into all-new gear, allowing you take on increasingly lethal dangers head-on. Through both victories and hardships, you’ll gain valuable experience; unlocking varied skills that enable all-new ways of play. In addition, you’ll complete quests for Traders with differing motives and agendas; uncovering both the friction and comradery of a community under constant threat of collapse.
BEWARE THE MACHINES
Lethal machines known as ARC rule the surface, ranging from unrelenting drone swarms to mechanical giants that obliterate everything in their path. Their origins remain a mystery, but their ever-present danger is felt with every step you take. Each machine comes with distinct strengths and tactics, forcing you to pinpoint their weak spots and constantly think on your feet. And remember: the noise of battle carries. Other Raiders may be listening; eager to claim what you leave behind.
FORGE YOUR OWN PATH
Raiders survive by kitbashing scavenged materials; using long-lost tech and looted ARC parts to craft weapons, gadgets, and gear. Upgrade your workshop stations and learn blueprints to craft even more advanced items, or improvise quick fixes in the field to get yourself out of a bind. As you make a name for yourself, you’ll be able to measure your skill against other Raiders by taking on Trials; rising through the leaderboards to earn valuable rewards.
QUESTS
In Speranza, everyone has an agenda, and the Traders are no different. They’ll send you topside on missions in exchange for rewards, slowly revealing more about who they are and what they want for Speranza’s future. Complete quests to earn gear, crafting materials, and XP to level up your Raider and unlock new skill points.
SKILL TREE
The ARC Raiders skill tree branches into three paths: Survival, Mobility, and Conditioning. Spend your points to shape your playstyle. Loot faster and move quieter with Survival skills. Outmaneuver your opponents and threats with Mobility. And enhance your Strength and Stamina with Conditioning. Choose how you grow and what your Raider brings to the battle.
BUILD YOUR ARSENAL
Whether you’re preparing to take down specific ARC enemies or fend off rival Raiders, there’s a choice of weaponry for every fight. Cater to your style with a range of firearms including SMGs, rifles and shotguns, as well as more advanced options such as railguns and energy weapons. Grenades, traps, ziplines and deployables offer the tactical depth needed to outsmart your enemies, while augments allow you to tailor your loadout to your preferred playstyle; unlocking dedicated inventory slots and additional gameplay perks.”
It hasn’t been a good year for Xbox so far. Microsoft has released its earnings report for the quarter ending on September 30, and it has revealed that its revenue from the Xbox hardware fell by 30 percent year-over-year. Take note that the revenue decline doesn’t reflect any dip in sales caused by the console’s $20-to-$70 price hike, since that took effect on October 3. Similarly, Microsoft only raised the price for its Game Pass Ultimate subscription from $20 to $30 in October.
Meanwhile, revenue from Xbox content and services remained relatively unchanged from the same period last year. Microsoft says it saw growth from Xbox subscriptions and third-party content, but it was “partially offset” by the decline in first-party gaming content.
The Xbox division was one of the most affected teams when Microsoft started cutting down its global workforce earlier this year, with the company cancelling games that were being developed for the console. Microsoft scrapped the modern reimagining of Perfect Dark, a first-person shooter from the year 2000, and even closed down the Xbox studio working on it. The company also cancelled Everwild, a project that had long been in development by Xbox studio Rare, also in the midst of its mass layoffs.
Overall, Microsoft’s $77.7 billion revenue was 17 percent higher compared to the same period last year, and its operating income was up by 22 percent. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella posted a few highlights about the company’s earnings call on X, mostly focusing on its AI efforts. He said that the company will increase its AI capacity by 80 percent this year and will double its data center footprint over the next two.
Every Wednesday, dive into the Indie Selects Hub—your gateway to a fresh, curated indie collection plus four themed spotlights that rotate weekly! You can always find this collection hub in the Xbox Store and on Xbox.com/IndieSelects.
It’s spooky season, which means scary movies and creepy vibes are in full swing. If you’re not quite ready to face the dark alone, no worries — the ID@Xbox team has handpicked 6 awesome indie games to keep you company.
Some of these are in keeping with the dark vibes of October, but others are far from it – if you’re easily scared, we have some friendlier picks, too. Whether you want to team up with friends for a space raid, enjoy some alone time tending crops, explore strange buildings with even stranger gameplay, or solve wild puzzles in new lands, there’s something here to keep the shadows at bay.
Here’s more on what we’ve got for you this month (in no particular order):
Jump Space (formerly Jump Ship) delivers one of the most thrilling sci-fi co-op experiences I’ve played in a while. This mission-based PvE co-op game puts up to four players in charge of crewing a spaceship with seamless transitions between ship management and on-foot missions. You and your crew head out on roguelike missions traveling across a chosen path gathering resources, engaging in cargo raids, and more – all with the hopes of bringing permanent upgrades back to your base. Aside from taking on quests to progress the narrative, you’ll also be doing side quests for the various vendors in the Hangar to earn credits, spacesuits, and Materia Ingots for upgrades. The gameplay loop is simple yet engaging: explore space, customize your ship and gear, and survive intense deep-space encounters together – and, if you’re lucky, upgrade.
After spending around 12 hours traveling the stars, I really enjoyed what’s here. Each mission is a roguelike journey made up of multiple jumps, where each choice affects future paths and rewards. Strategic route selection is key to optimizing both short-term success and long-term gains for your base. From what I’ve experienced so far, Jump Space truly shines when played with a group, because even in the most desperate situations, smart teamwork and a bit of luck can lead to the most exhilarating, last-second escapes.
Jump Space is still in Game Preview, but it’s already showing incredible promise. If you’re into games like Void Crew or Wildgate, this is an easy recommendation. But even fans of the spacefaring elements in No Man’s Sky or Starfield might be surprised by how much they enjoy it. I’m genuinely excited to see how it evolves over time – Raymond Estrada
Jump Space (Game Preview)
Keepsake Games
☆☆☆☆☆ 239
★★★★★
$19.99
This game is a work in progress. It may or may not change over time or release as a final product. Purchase only if you are comfortable with the current state of the unfinished game.
Jump Space is a mission based co-op PvE for 1-4 players, where you are the crew of a spaceship. Transition seamlessly from crewing the ship to on-foot exploration and space walks. Explore, upgrade, and survive intense encounters in deep space together.
Full details on the latest status of the game, how you can give feedback and report issues can be found at https://jumpspacegame.com
Echoes of the Plum Grove, my comfy farming obsession. Picture this: you wake up, the sun’s shining, and your biggest dilemma is whether to plant carrots or go chat with the quirky neighbor who keeps gifting you turnips. That’s Echoes of the Plum Grove in a nutshell—a charming farming and life-sim game that feels like a warm hug with a side of strategy. It’s all about growing crops, crafting, and building a life in a world that moves at your pace.
From the moment I started, I was hooked. There’s something magical about watching your little farm transform season by season. Sure, winter can sneak up on you (pro tip: stockpile food!), but that’s part of the fun—planning ahead becomes its own cozy challenge. And the townsfolk? They’re full of personality, making every interaction feel like a mini story.
If you’ve played Stardew Valley or a Harvest Moon game, you’ll feel right at home here. But Echoes adds a cool twist: generational gameplay. Your choices echo (pun intended!) through time, which makes every decision feel meaningful. I’ve spent countless hours tending crops, exploring hidden paths, and laughing at unexpected events. It’s the kind of game that makes you lose track of time—in the best way – Jessica Ronnell
Echoes of the Plum Grove
indie.io
☆☆☆☆☆ 16
★★★★★
$19.99
A new life awaits you in Honeywood! After washing onto the island’s shores, you’ll find yourself the newly minted owner to a humble plot of land. Pull up your sleeves, grab your tools, and get to work building a farm that will last not only a lifetime, but span generations!
Echoes of Plum Grove is a casual, cozy farm simulator where your decisions have consequences! What to plant, what to stock for the winter, and who to befriend will shape not only the town of Honeywood, but the island itself.
Detective Dotson is a mystery adventure game set in a vibrant pixelated version of modern India. The story follows a detective uncovering clues to solve various cases, each one revealing new details about the mysterious death of his father. The story is engaging as each case, no matter how small it might look, provides a new piece of the larger puzzle about the mystery of his father’s sudden passing. The game rewards exploration, you gather clues by interacting with the colorful cast of charismatic characters and engage in fun mini games – my favorite being dancing.
Masala Games perfectly captured nuances, vibes, and expressions of the characters and fun environments. The world is inviting and stimulating, I love spending time exploring to discover countless details in the background, from street vendors and people celebrating the Festival of Colors, to the hilarious moment when a guard throws a sandal at trespassers. It’s clear this is a labor of love, the lively soundtrack and top-tier voice acting elevate the experience even further, making the world of Detective Dotson a joy to explore.
There’s also a 60 minute movie available for free on YouTube that serves as prologue to the story. You don’t need to watch it to enjoy the game, but I recommend it if you want to dive deeper into Detective Dotson’s universe.
Overall, Detective Dotson is a charming, engaging experience that combines mystery and humor, with puzzles and mini-games. It’s a game that invites you to linger, explore, and return to catch the little details you missed the first time – Oscar Polanco
Detective Dotson
Masala Games Private Limited
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
$14.99
A cozy mystery game about a detective with Bollywood dreams. It’s the first adventure game set in the colorful streets of India. Engage with adorable 2D characters living in a 3D world. Find clues and solve the evidence board. With each case, a larger mystery unfolds. Play gully cricket, dance at weddings or help a cute grandma find hidden objects. Everything is always at your own pace in Detective Dotson. Enjoy the wholesome vibes but don’t forget to bargain, for everything!
Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion III is a wild mash-up of genres that includes Metroidvania-style progression, Match-3 puzzle “combat”, and visual novel presentation. You’ll make your way through dozens of branching paths as the seemingly cookie-cutter maybe-game hero, J.J. Hardwell, in order explore the eponymous mansion while stumbling upon some seriously goofy, deeply meta story elements that keep this firmly footed in comedy rather than creepy.
Spoiler alert: While this game has a “3” at the end of its title, this isn’t a sequel to any real-world existing game series. That fact alone should tip you off to the fact that the always clever minds behind CRDM3 at Strange Scaffold (I Am Your Beast, Clickolding, etc.) have cooked up a game that continually surprises in a way that I found absolutely compelling and entertaining. Each confrontation in the mansion – be it with a pterodactyl in clown make-up or a foul-mouthed tiny angry dino with a pistol – is solved through Match-3-style puzzle “fights”, each with unique attacks/abilities based on lining up colored gems or other symbols. I can’t say I’ve seen this type of mechanic used in this particular way to such silly, smartly written, and yet challenging effect. I loved every minute of it.
The systems in the game go much deeper than just “Candy Crush but with dinosaurs,” including branching dialogue choices that unlock “traits” which in turn give you access to new areas that you weren’t able to explore before. If you’re on board to dive into a wildly unhinged, hilarious, and very inventive interactive love letter to indie game development (and being “always online”), then look no further than this oddball delight. It may have all the trimmings of being a (fantastic) joke-filled romp on its surface, but ultimately there’s an earnest heart (especially for game creators in a tough, relentless industry) beating beneath all those layers of absurdity.
Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3
Strange Scaffold
☆☆☆☆☆ 4
★★★★★
$19.99
Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is “committing to the bit” so hard that it hurts. It’s a sequel to a game series that doesn’t exist, complete with lore and a fictional development team. It’s a game where match-3 is used not just for combat, but for lockpicking doors, debating robots, and swallowing a bunch of diamonds in front of a notorious gem thief so that he can’t steal them first. It is, all genre elements considered, a match-3 survival horror comedy RPG metroidvania, and it’s rad as hell.
20 years ago, Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion emerged as a smash-hit genre fusion, casting fan-favorite protagonist Jack Briar in a fast-paced puzzle adventure.
8 years ago, Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 was announced on the biggest stage in gaming.
This is what happened next.
Hotel Barcelona feels like a hidden gem from the early 2000s, mixing 2.5D roguelike action with a wild blend of ’90s anime and ’80s horror. You play as Justine, a U.S. Marshal sharing a body with the soul of serial killer Dr. Carnival, on a mission to avenge her father. After a bizarre crash and a run-in with two hitchhikers, she ends up at Hotel Barcelona — a place she can’t leave thanks to a witch’s curse and a bunch of trapped serial killers. To survive, Justine and Dr. Carnival team up for fast-paced, over-the-top combat against waves of killers, bosses, and the witch herself.
I think the story beats are what kept me locked in, especially after an intense interaction between the hotel manager (easily my favorite character) and Dr. Carnival. I desperately needed to understand their connection. Honestly, nearly every character interaction was entertaining, and I found each character charming in their own unique way. As for the actual gameplay, it’s pretty challenging and I found myself dying on the first stage… a lot. However, there are several difficulty options, along with the ability to play co-op with friends to ease things up a bit. There’s a ton of variety such as run modifiers, skill & weapon upgrades, unlockable costumes, mini-games, and a unique Slasher Phantom system – allowing players to follow the steps of their previous run but also leverage their phantom’s attacks to fight enemies if properly strategized.
Hotel Barcelona is an entertaining roguelike, packed with inventive take on combat, some nice narrative touches, and a cast of delightfully unhinged characters. If you’re into horror, you’ll appreciate exploring the hotel and diving into the story — the game wears its weird, grindhouse vibes loud and proud – Deron Mann
HOTEL BARCELONA
CULT Games
☆☆☆☆☆ 30
★★★★★
$29.99
Justine, a rookie U.S. Marshal, thought this was just another routine case.
But when her car crashes in a freak accident at the edge of nowhere, she finds herself trapped in a twisted new world: HOTEL BARCELONA.
Seven serial killers.
One haunted hotel.
And a second personality living inside her head…
Meet Dr. Carnival: murderer, psychopath, devastating ancient monster.
THIS FALL… DEATH HAS A ROOM KEY
In this blood-soaked 2.5D sidescroller straight from your nightmares:
Battle through insane horror-themed floors!
Face killers inspired by the nastiest corners of your local video store!
Every time you die, your past self fights beside you – like a ghost with a grudge!
BLOOD IS POWER
The more you kill, the stronger you become.
But let the blood stop flowing… and you’re next.
CARNIVAL’S AWAKENING
Unleash the brutal power of the serial killer in your mind.
Turn the tide of battle. Become a legend.
Not recommended for:
Individuals with weak stomachs
Fans of quiet indie puzzle games
People afraid of mirrors
Anyone still emotionally recovering from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
There’s something timeless about sitting down to play with someone you care about — a shared laugh, a moment of discovery, that unspoken rhythm of working together. Lego Voyagers, from Light Brick Studio and Annapurna Interactive, captures that feeling perfectly. It’s a quiet, heartfelt co-op adventure that invites two players to journey through breathtaking Lego worlds where imagination and friendship guide every step. With no dialogue or instructions, the story unfolds naturally through play — a gentle reminder that connection doesn’t always need words.
Each puzzle feels like a conversation between two people. You’ll build bridges, balance across floating platforms, and find joy in the smallest details — the sound of a brick clicking into place, the light dancing off translucent pieces, the simple pride of solving something together. Lego Voyagers isn’t just about reaching the end; it’s about slowing down, communicating without speaking, and rediscovering the quiet magic of creating side by side. It’s a story that resonates long after the controller is set down, because it’s really about the people holding them.
Lego Voyagers shines with crisp visuals, soothing sound, and seamless co-op play — locally or online. Thanks to the Friend’s Pass, only one player needs a copy, making it easy to share the experience with anyone you’d like to reconnect with. Short, warm, and beautifully made, this is more than a game — it’s a shared memory waiting to be built – Steven Allen
LEGO® Voyagers
Annapurna Interactive
☆☆☆☆☆ 44
★★★★★
$24.99
From the makers of LEGO® Builder’s Journey comes a new 2-player co-op adventure about friendship and play. When two friends make it their mission to rescue an abandoned spaceship, they embark on a journey beyond their wildest dreams, ultimately learning the value of being connected.
● Experience what it feels like to be a LEGO brick. Tumble, jump, snap together, and build your way through rich brick worlds.
● Unravel a poetic, non verbal narrative, set in beautiful brick built environments, supported by an atmospheric soundtrack.
● Cooperatively solve the game’s many challenges and discover how two bricks are better than one. Play locally on the same screen, or online.
● Invite a friend to join your adventure for free with the Friend’s Pass. As long as one of you owns LEGO Voyagers, you can both play the full co-op experience together.
LEGO Voyagers asks open questions about building friendships, sharing dreams, and giving space.
It reminds us that while playing and being creative is for all shapes and sizes, it’s always better when you share it with a friend.
Combining classic 1930s “rubber hose” animation, explosive gunplay and an unrelenting cartoon world, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is shaping up to be a truly unique treat – but there’s much more to this game than first meets the eye.
Shortly after announcing a March 19, 2026 release date, we were treated to a deep dive into the game at the ID@Xbox Showcase, directly from the developers at Fumi Games in Warsaw, Poland. You can watch the full deep dive below, or read on to find out all the new details we learned along the way:
“More Than Just an Old-school Shooter”
If there’s one thing to take away from today’s documentary, it’s that MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is far more than just a retro shooter in even more retro clothing. While at its core the game is a first-person shooter (more on that later), there are more layers of gameplay than you might think.
For a start, the main character – war veteran-turned-private investigator, Jack Pepper – is not just running and gunning through the whole game. From the beginning, Jack is presented with not just one, but three separate cases to solve, each of which will take him across the city of Mouseburg to unravel their secrets.
Each case requires you to both take down enemies in your way and also to find clues – whether those are physical objects, information learned by talking to NPCs, or even photographs you might take. Clues can then be taken to a classic string-adorned corkboard in Jack Pepper’s office, located in the HUB, where each piece of evidence must be placed in the correct place to unlock new revelations and destinations.
With a range of levels to explore, this game is not just a simple Point A-to-Point B shooter.
The Hub
At the core of all that sleuthing and exploration is the game’s hub world, which is set roughly in the middle of the city of Mouseburg. The hub contains three key locations: Jack’s office, the local pub, and Tammy’s workshop. But there’s more here than just a series of menus. NPCs offer conversations with tidbits and clues, weapons can be upgraded at the workshop, and minigames provide players with more gameplay experiences. Once you’re ready to leave, heading to the next level is as easy as jumping into Jack’s car and driving across the beautiful overworld map of Mouseburg to your next firefight.
Cartoon Combat
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire’s combat draws on classic shooters like DOOM and BioShock, with some added touches to ensure gunplay remains fresh throughout. With a philosophy of “challenging but fun”, you’ll be pitted against waves of enemies and collect an entire arsenal of cartoon weapons, from the expected (like a Tommy Gun) to much more “experimental” firearms (picture a brain in a jar that fires psychic waves, with devastating consequences).
Most guns also come with an upgradable alt-fire mode, requiring you to collect weapon schematics over the course of the game. But beware – enemies will see changes too, with additional types and variants being introduced as you dive deeper into the world.
And to boot, bosses might even throw in whole new mechanics of their own! We even saw a ghost-like creature named the Third Wife, which requires you to weaken her with a flashlight before you can start pumping lead.
Making the Past the Future
And, of course, the cheese in the room – we need to talk about how this game looks. While environments are rendered in 3D, every single character, enemy, UI element and weapon has been painstakingly hand-drawn in 2D and animated to resemble the classic 1930s “rubber hose” animation. The way everything in the world bounces, stretches, and bends is a tribute to that distinctive cartoon art style (even weapons continue to dance and wiggle when Jack remains stationary). As you could imagine, this has taken an enormous amount of work from Fumi Games, reinforcing how much of a labor of love every single frame of this game is for the team.
To add to the challenge, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is entirely in black-and-white, which had to change how Fumi approached traditional game and level design. Whereas most games can use colour to help guide players, Fumi needed to achieve that goal through use of light and animation, giving the entire game a very unique look from a player’s perspective. Even here, we’re seeing a tribute to classic cartoons, with interactable objects dancing in place, waiting for you to find them.
And to complete that tribute to the past, we even learned that Fumi has added customizable audio filters to the game! You can choose to play with more crisp and “clean” music, or add degradation and other filters to help everything sound as if it’s being played from an old-school phonograph cylinder. This attention to detail – and to how players might want to experience the game – is clear across everything Fumi has touched.
Mouse: P.I for Hire comes to Xbox Series X|S on March 19, 2026.
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire
PlaySide
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is an action-packed first-person shooter that draws inspiration from the classic cartoons of the 1930s. Its black and white rubber hose visuals are drawn by hand, frame by frame, delivering a striking vintage aesthetic. Unravel layers of corruption with a thrilling noir-fueled detective story, lively environments to explore, an original big band jazz soundtrack, and a fully-loaded arsenal of cartoon weapons and devastating power-ups.
DEADLY INVESTIGATIONS
Meet Private Investigator Jack Pepper, a former war hero-turned-detective in a world where danger lurks even in the smallest mouse hole. Uncover the truth when a simple missing persons case quickly escalates into a complex web of intrigue, with corruption, kidnapping and murder all on the docket. Investigate the seedy underbelly of Mouseburg, battle heavily armed gangs and crooked cops, and discover clues to reveal the conspiracy buried underneath the surface.
LOCK, LOAD & LAUGH
From crackling machine guns to explosive firepower, each weapon in Pepper’s arsenal is designed to deploy non-stop cartoon chaos. Arm yourself with an array of classic, creatively twisted and experimental firearms, and consume powerful upgrades when you need that extra spinach-loaded punch! Lethal encounters and manic boss battles await in this boomer shooter-inspired, retro-vibed adventure – and the denizens of Mouseburg never go down without a fight.
A CITY OF SECRETS
Explore a diverse city playground, from dark streets to classic film studios, opulent opera buildings, poisonous swamps and underground sewers. With a myriad of cases to solve and collectibles to find, Mouseburg is truly a detective’s delight! Use every tool at your disposal to wall-run, grapple-hook and double-jump through this unrelenting cartoon world.
FEATURES
– Black and white, hand-drawn rubber hose animation, inspired by cartoons of the 1930s
– Fast-paced FPS combat, where constant movement is key
– A thrilling single-player campaign that unravels a complex web of crime and corruption
– Over 20 noir-infused levels, teeming with mice, rats and shrews
– Fully-loaded arsenal of over a dozen unique weapons and equipment – with a cartoon twist
– Devastating consumable power-ups, capable of turning the tide of any battle
– Unlockable movement abilities and Metroidvania-inspired level traversal
– Original jazz soundtrack, featuring a big band orchestral ensemble
The strength of the nation will be measured, President Trump bellowed inside the Capitol Rotunda during his second inaugural, not just by battles won, “but also by the wars that we end.” True to his word, Trump has pursued peace the world over. Ever eager for credit, he keeps a list of every conflict concluded.
Trump mediated Serbia-Kosovo tensions. The president de-escalated border clashes between nuclear-powered India and Pakistan. He negotiated a ceasefire to the war in Gaza. The official list is up to eight.
Even ardent critics have praised those efforts, but now Trump earns the adulation of a different, often overlooked, demographic: the gamers. The president just took credit for ending “the console wars.”
Then the White House posted a picture of the president in cartoon power armor on the South Lawn during an extended back-and-forth over the weekend that drew tens of millions of views online with the beloved video game retailer GameStop.
“It’s one of these moments that you never think could happen, and it does happen in this crazy timeline we live in,” a source familiar with GameStop social media told RealClearPolitics. “But no matter the administration, you’re going to be excited for the White House to acknowledge your brand.”
“MGGA,” the company said in a statement to RCP, an abbreviation for “Make Gaming Great Again” and a play on Trump’s MAGA slogan. “Video games and shitposting,” the company said, “bring us all together.”
It is the latest unexpected development in the second Trump season, the continuation of an unprecedented political-cultural moment. The conflict in question has not led to real bloodshed, but it has divided friend groups across basements and dorm rooms since the turn of the millennium. The often caffeine-addled, sometimes juvenile, combatants: Team Xbox and Team PlayStation. The casus belli? The first-person shooting game “Halo.”
The cartoon super-soldier known as “Master Chief” could only protect humanity from alien threats on an Xbox. And while players without that gaming system were left out of the fun for two decades, keeping the wildly popular sci-fi franchise exclusive was a savvy business decision that generated billions of dollars for Microsoft on the back of Xbox sales. But then that company went and did something unexpected.
They announced that they would re-release un updated version of the original Halo, and for the first time, they would make it available on the Sony PlayStation, Microsoft’s biggest competitor. The news rocked the industry with the New York Times likening the move to “letting Mickey Mouse roam Universal Studios.” In this way the Berlin Wall of video games came down.
Enter GameStop.
“For the past two decades, the global gaming community has been engaged in an ongoing and increasingly petty feud known as The Console Wars. Said conflict originated in the early 2000s with the release of Halo: Combat Evolved as an Xbox-exclusive title. Halo: Campaign Evolved is officially coming to PlayStation in 2026 with cross-platform play,” the retailer, akin to a Blockbuster but for video games, wrote in a tongue-in-cheek press release, declaring its stores would continue to operate as “demilitarized zones.”
Enter the White House.
The Trump rapid response account then shared the Game Stop post, writing “NUMBER 9: President Trump presides over the end of the 20-year Console Wars,” a reference to the very real wars that Trump has helped end or prevent.
Enter GameStop … again.
Gamestop
Sensing an opportunity, the company’s social media team then shared a grainy image of Master Chief shaking Trump’s hand in what appears to be the Oval Office (a good-natured source close to the gaming retailer jokingly cautioned that the photo may be AI-generated). After the White House shared an image of Trump as Master Chief on the South Lawn, complete with an energy sword, from their official account, the GameStop social media team pulled out all the stops.
“I made sure to give Vance a more masculine presence,” a GameStop source involved in the memes told RCP, adding that they hope the VP will find the photo-shop funny “like everyone else.”
A spokesman for Vance did not return RCP’s request for comment. The White House, meanwhile, enjoyed the moment. “Yet another war ended under President Trump’s watch – only one leader is fully committed to giving power to the players and that leader is Donald J. Trump,” said Kush Desai, a spokesman for the president.
All of it may be a fleeting moment in the digital ether, but video game sales in the last decade have outpaced sales in the film, television, and music industries. And while that demographic may not vote on the strength of memes alone, the majority seem to be in on the joke. Just like the White House.
Philip Wegmann is White House correspondent for RealClearPolitics.
After nearly 25 years, there’s one new world for Haloto travel to: the PlayStation 5.
During Friday’s Halo World Championships, developer Halo Studios unveiled Campaign Evolved, a remake of the first game’s single-player story. Like in the original game, players will take on Master Chief after he and his UNSC allies crash-land on a ring world teeming with the alien Covenant and parasitic Flood. Beyond being the first Halo game made in Unreal Engine—reliably used across the industry—this new version features three prequel missions centered on Chief and his friend Sgt. Johnson set before the events of the first game that are said to include new characters, gameplay, and environments.
That’s not the only change on the horizon. In recreating the campaign from scratch, the developers are “modernizing areas that could better match today’s expectations for pacing and clarity,” and specifically namedropping “The Library,” one of the most-disliked levels in the series’ history. That particular mission now has “reevaluated pacing and enhanced environmental storytelling,” said creative director Max Szlagor.
And there’s that whole PS5 thing. Over the years, Microsoft has gradually loosened its grip on first-party Xbox titles being exclusive to its platform, with the Ori games, Gears of War, and more jumping to Sony’s console and the Nintendo Switch.
After Gearsand Forza, Halo was the last holdout of major Xbox franchises, and this won’t be a one-off: studio community lead Brian Jarrard said during the reveal that the series would be on PlayStation “going forward.”
Confirmed: Halo will be on PlayStation “going forward” starting with the Combat Evolved remake. pic.twitter.com/y23v1B3mfV
“[Our] community is super excited to welcome in their friends. This means more Halo for everyone, and it’s a new era,” he continued. To that end, Campaign Evolved will have four-player online co-op between PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S via crossplay when the game launches in 2026.
Master Chief is re-enlisting for a new tour of duty, this time in a whole new setting. Microsoft released the trailer for Halo: Campaign Evolved, a remake of series originator Halo: Combat Evolved — and for the first time ever, for the PlayStation. For decades, the Halo franchise has been a Xbox/PC ‘sclusie. It was one of the last holdouts of the console war, when PlayStation and Xbox fought over who had the sickest graphics and rumbliest packs. And Nintendo was also there. “It’s really a new era—Halo is on PlayStation going forward,” Halo Studios community director Brian Jarrard said on a livestream, per PC Gamer. Halo’s Xbox exclusivity made Master Chief a default mascot for the entire platform. Now he and Sonic will have to split a pint in Tapper and reminisce about how they used to be big shots.
But there is one snag in the HaloxXbox love fest: unlike the OG Halo, there is no multiplayer mode. The anniversary edition of Combat Evolved had online multiplayer capability. And back in the day there was at least LAN. Remember LAN parties? Halo: Campaign Evolved comes to all platforms in 2026.
