By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
JEMC on 11 August 2025
Edit Thread

Weekend is over..*sigh*. Here are the Monday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

The Battlefield 6 beta has broken Call of Duty's Steam player count record, surging past half a million concurrents
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-battlefield-6-beta-has-broken-call-of-dutys-steam-player-count-record-surging-past-half-a-million-concurrents/
First spotted by Battlefield Bulletin on Twitter, Battlefield 6's open beta is doing spectacularly well on Steam: Around 500,000 concurrent players at the time of writing, down from a peak of 521,079 according to SteamDB. That puts the BF6 beta at 18th place for peak concurrents in Steam history, two spots ahead of the unified Call of Duty app's peak of 491,670 players in November 2022.
Some caveats on the Call of Duty comparison: Steam concurrents never show the whole picture for multiplatform games, and even on PC, CoD's numbers are complicated by Battle.net and especially Game Pass, which assuredly blunted Black Ops 6's Steam peak last year.
But this is still an insanely impressive showing for an open beta, and more supporting evidence that the recently rather one-sided CoD-Battlefield rivalry could be a real race this year. PCG FPS expert Morgan Park certainly thinks so on quality grounds, while former Blizzard president Mike Ybara seems to be rooting against his former team with prognostications in favor of Battlefield 6.

Valve's superfans are back to break the player concurrent record for Portal, but the challenge may be steeper than anyone has realised
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/valves-superfans-are-back-to-break-the-player-concurrent-record-for-portal-but-the-challenge-may-be-steeper-than-anyone-has-realised/
I assumed that everyone with access to a PC would have played Portal at this point, but it seems this is far from the case, at least if Portal's all-time concurrent players are anything to go by. According to Steam Charts, the record for Steam player concurrents stands at just 3,370 players, which is apparently a quirk of the game launching before Steam kept accurate player records.
Later today, a group of Valve superfans hopes to change this. Valve fansite LambdaGeneration, in association with major Valve YouTubers Noclick and Radiation Hazard, is running an event called #RememberPortal, urging players to band together and push Portal into an all-new dimension of concurrent player counts.
>> The article is from yesterday and the Steam Charts record… hasn’t changed. Mission failed? By the way, Portal's record at steamdb is over twenty thousand players.

Mortal Kombat 1 has cemented itself as the best-selling fighting game of this generation despite ending support after just 20 months: 'We're still committed to refining MK1 to be our most balanced game'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/mortal-kombat-1-has-cemented-itself-as-the-best-selling-fighting-game-of-this-generation-despite-ending-support-after-just-20-months-were-still-committed-to-refining-mk1-to-be-our-most-balanced-game/
Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon promises NetherRealm is "still committed to refining MK1 to be our most balanced game" after surpassing six million sales… despite officially ending major support for it nearly three months ago.
Mortal Kombat 1's most recent sales announcement puts it ahead of both Street Fighter 6—which reported five million sales two months ago—and Tekken 8, which hit a three million sales milestone five months ago.
It makes sense that it's the most popular of the three. Mortal Kombat has always attracted a larger and more casual audience than its competition—not to say there isn't a competitive scene, there certainly is—and has the numbers to back that up. It's still significantly less than previous entry Mortal Kombat 11, however, which managed to shift over 15 million copies by 2022.

More than 2 million people grabbed co-op roguelike Guntouchables when it was free for 24 hours
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/more-than-2-million-people-grabbed-co-op-roguelike-guntouchables-when-it-was-free-for-24-hours/
"Launching free for 24 hours was a huge bet for us," Guntouchable developer Game Swing says, but it certainly got eyes on the game. More than two million people claimed it in a single day.
Guntouchables is a slapstick co-op roguelike that on any other day would have probably passed me by. But I am one of the more than two million folks who picked it up.
Have I played it? No. I am just Scottish and frugal, so of course I snatched up a freebie. Others have actually gone the extra mile and fired the game up.
According to SteamDB, Guntouchables peaked at just over 16,000 concurrent players, which is a lot more than a co-op roguelike from an unknown studio would have enjoyed had it not been free for a day.
>> I’m not Scottish, but I also claimed it and haven’t tried it yet. What about you?

Steam only has one new deal (the others are part of sales that have already been posted). The Early Access title Toy Shire is going to be 30% off until the 17th of August: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2361460/Toy_Shire

We live in a strange world where strange things happen. For example, at the Humble Store we can find the GreenManGaming Publisher Sale, featuring up to 90% discounts during 13 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/green-man-gaming-publisher-sale.

Fanatical has 4 new deals in total:

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

The Steam performance overlay will finally show CPU temps but it will require kernel access to do so
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/the-steam-performance-overlay-will-finally-show-cpu-temps-but-it-will-require-kernel-access-to-do-so/
I'm not usually a fan of different software having their own solutions for just about every problem under the sun, but I tend to give Valve a pass because, well, just about every PC gamer uses Steam. So the more that can be baked into the platform the better, I say. Which is why I say yippee (or something) to even more hardware monitoring goodness being baked into the Steam Performance Monitor.
A recent Steam beta client update announces: "Performance Monitor now supports CPU temperature on Windows and Linux. On Windows this requires a kernel mode driver, and there is an optional to disable if you don't want that. The driver is only installed and running when Performance Monitor is visible at full CPU detail levels and only if you don't disable the driver in the In-Game settings."
>> I’d prefer it to be disabled by default and making the user decide to enable it or not but, then again, I don’t use the overlay.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

GTA 5 Enhanced Edition Just Got Maps from Forza Motorsport 4, Assetto Corsa, and Driv3r
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/gta-5-enhanced-edition-just-got-maps-from-forza-horizon-4-assetto-corsa-and-driv3r
GTA 5 fans, here’s something cool for you. Modder FVMods has shared three awesome new maps you can try in GTA 5 Enhanced Edition. These mods bring locations from other popular games right into GTA 5. So, let’s take a look at them, shall we?
The first map comes from Forza Motorsport 4, allowing you to explore the Fujimi Kaido race track. The second is from Assetto Corsa. Midnight Shuto is a mod of the city of Tokyo with expressways, making it great for racing-themed gameplay. The third map is from the classic game Driv3r, letting you revisit a nostalgic location from the early 2000s.
With these maps, you can race, explore, and enjoy GTA 5 in a whole new way. This is a cool way to make GTA 5 feel more refreshed. From what I can see, these maps do not have any specific missions. So, don’t expect these mods to be DLC-sized expansions. They simply bring the maps I mentioned above to Grand Theft Auto 5. So, make sure to temper your expectations.
>> The article has three videos, one for each map.

TimeyWimey Is a New DLC-Sized Mod for Fallout 4 – First Episode Out
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/timeywimey-is-a-new-dlc-sized-mod-for-fallout-4-first-episode-out
Modder ‘Dorin’ has released the first episode of a DLC-sized fan expansion for Fallout 4, called TimeyWimey. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
This first episode comes with new worldspaces, interiors, a basketball game, and a new power armor. The mod focuses on exploration and storytelling, and not on heavy battles. Plus, it includes a number of easter eggs that players can find.
In total, players can expect six episodes. The modder is now working on the second episode, though there is no ETA on when it will come out.
As with a lot of DLC-sized fan mods, TimeyWimey is not perfect. So, don’t expect to be blown away by its quality. After all, it’s a mod created by a single person. Still, since it adds new free content to the game, it’s something that may interest a lot of Fallout 4 fans.
>> There is an over 3 minutes trailer in the article.

Cyberpunk 2077 just got a fully-featured apartment rent system
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/cyberpunk-2077-just-got-a-fully-featured-apartment-rent-system
Modder ‘Dark Fortune Teller’ has released a cool new mod for Cyberpunk 2077 called Eviction Notice. This mod adds a full apartment rent system, new characters you can meet through text messages, and some light quest content to enjoy.
The goal of this mod is to add more story and challenge without taking over the whole game. In the early game, you’ll feel the pressure of making sure you have enough money to pay rent each week. You might even choose to move out of Megabuilding H10 to save some eddies. You’ll also have to decide how many apartments you want to rent at the same time.
At the start of each rent period (7 days by default), you’ll get a text message from the landlord of each property you currently rent. You’ll be able to pay your rent via text. If you fail to pay your rent on time, you’ll incur late payment fees each day until your rent is paid. The large, up-front cost you paid to rent an apartment in the base game is now the security deposit. You’ll still pay this when renting an apartment. This deposit is refundable if you decide to move out of an apartment. If you are evicted, they hang on to the deposit.
Eviction Notice adds a new landlord for every apartment you rent. Some are real people, and others are soulless chatbots. Each landlord will send you a message when you start renting from them, and at other times – like when rent is due or late. Every landlord has their own personality, and some even have a few surprises for you.
There’s also a Loyalty Quest you can do for Avery Clarke at Glenview Lofts. The quest, called Everything In Its Right Place, starts after you make 2 rent payments to Avery. It’s a very short quest, but if you finish it, you’ll get a monthly rent discount and the option to buy the Glenview Loft apartment forever. This feature is still being worked on, and more Loyalty Quests for other landlords will be added in future updates.
>> There is a short video in the article.

Just Cause 4 Multiplayer Got a Second Gameplay Teaser Trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/just-cause-4-multiplayer-got-a-second-gameplay-teaser-trailer
The modding team behind an upcoming multiplayer mod for Just Cause 4 has shared a new gameplay trailer for it. This trailer will give you a glimpse of what you can expect from it. So, if you are a fan of this series, you should definitely check it out.

GAMING NEWS

PC demo released for the narrative-focused horror indie FPS Shadow Project
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/pc-demo-released-for-the-narrative-focused-horror-indie-fps-shadow-project
As promised, SK Studios has released a free PC demo for its upcoming game Shadow Project. This is a horror first-person shooter inspired by STALKER and Metro, with a strong focus on story. To celebrate, the team also shared a brand-new gameplay trailer. This trailer shows both new features and older elements, but now everything looks much more polished and closer to the final game compared to the first announcement trailer.

EA’s Javelin Has Blocked 330,000 Cheat Attempts in Battlefield 6 in Just Two Days
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/eas-javelin-has-blocked-330000-cheat-attempts-in-battlefield-6-in-just-two-days
EA has shared some new details about the first two days of Early Access for the Open Beta phase of Battlefield 6. According to the team, its Javelin anti-cheat system has already prevented 330,000 attempts to cheat in just two days.

CrossFire: Rainbow is a new first-person horror game by Tencent
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/crossfire-rainbow-is-a-new-first-person-horror-game-by-tencent
SmileGate and Tencent have announced a new first-person horror game in the universe of CrossFire, CrossFire: Rainbow. Developed by Linlangtianshang, this game aims to blend tactical shooting with terrifying supernatural elements.



Please excuse my bad English.

Former gaming PC: i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Current gaming PC: R5-7600, 32GB RAM 6000MT/s (CL30) and a RX 9060XT 16GB

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.