It’s time for t he Monday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

In what can only be described as a personal attack on all of us, GOG has launched the Feeling Old Yet? Promo with the caption ”Discover discounts for games released in 2015 and the dread of apssing time”. If that doesn’t put you off, then you’ll be able to enjoy the up to 90% discounts available during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20250519_feeling_old_yet_promo.

Steam

• Blackthorn Arena: Reforged, that has a demo, will be 50% off until the 25th of May: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3168260/Blackthorn_Arena_Reforged/
• Tavern Manager Simulator will have a 35% discount until the 1st of June: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2756770/Tavern_Manager_Simulator/
• And why have one manager game on sale when you can have two? Laundry Store Simulator, that also has a demo, is going to be 40% off until June 1st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3150440/Laundry_Store_Simulator/
• And these are the sales/events:
  • The Digital Dragons 2025 is an indie conference that takes place between the 18th and the 20th of May. There are upcoming titles, demos and games up to 90% off. Most deals will end tomorrow with the event, but not all: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/DigitalDragons2025
  • Critical Hits: The Rogue-adjacent Sale features up to 90% discounts. The length of the deals vary, with some ending later today while others will last until, at least the 30th, although most seem to end around the 23rd: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35370473/sale/Rogue-adjacentSale
  • Publisher 101XP puts its games on sale with up to 75% discounts until the May, the 30th: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37268497/sale/PublisherSale101XP
  • And Developer/Publisher Wales Interactive, that no longer limits itself to FMV games, puts its games up to 90% off until the 30th of May: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/walesinteractivepublishersale

There’s a new Humble Bundle: the T1D Breakthrough Bundle, consisting of games with links to the diabetes community, and featuring 9 items (8 games + 1 DLC) during the next 11 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/tid-breakthrough-games-with-links-to-diabetes-community

Finally, there’s Fanatical with the following:

• The May Madness Sale is here! Check out all the deals here
• There are new 24h Flash Deals:
  • Streamer Life Simulator 2 is 30% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/streamer-life-simulator-2
  • MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics features a 35% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/marvel-vs-capcom-fighting-collection-arcade-classics
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is 77% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-anniversary-edition
• There are three returning bundles:
  • NeuroVoider - Deluxe Edition is back with a 20% discount during 13 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/neurovoider-deluxe-edition
  • The Star Wars Collection will be 80% off during 13 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/star-wars-collection
  • And the Batman: Arkham Collection features an 88% discount during the same 13 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/batman-arkham-collection

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

New Version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Unreal Engine 5.5.4 Fan Remake Released, Featuring Zora’s Domain
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-version-of-the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-unreal-engine-5-5-4-fan-remake-released-featuring-zoras-domain/
YouTube’s ‘CryZENx’ has just released a new demo for his amazing Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake project in Unreal Engine 5. As the title suggests, this new demo lets you experience Zora’s Domain.
This free demo version is locked at 30FPS. Moreover, it only lets you play the Zora Domain area. CryZENx has a 60FPS version of his mod, however, that version is behind a paywall. My guess is that the paid version will also have all of the other chapters that the modder has recreated.
>> The article has an almost 40 minutes video.

New Oblivion Remastered Mod Overhauls Its Combat AI System
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-oblivion-remastered-mod-overhauls-its-combat-ai-system/
Modder ‘Maddensterror02’ has released a pretty cool mod for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. As the title suggests, this mod aims to enhance and redefine the game’s combat AI. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
The Responsive Combat AI Mod enhances combat AI to introduce more engaging fights with more challenging foes. To achieve this, it decreases idle times and increases dodge and attack chances.
Going into more details, the mod lowers idle times between attacks, power attacks, and evasive dodge behaviors. Enemies before would attack and then stand for sometimes seconds at a time, as if they weren’t actually fighting for their lives. Now enemies fight as if their life depends on it. They chain attacks, fast and consistently.
Moreover, enemies and creatures will now more frequently attack, whereas before some enemies had a 20% chance to attack and 30% chance to dodge, still leaving a 50% chance to stand and do nothing for an additional idle time of 3 seconds before rerolling the chances. As such, enemies will utilize power attacks more frequently and make quick use of your stagger to end you swiftly.
The mod also increases block chances. Block chances have been increased 100% mostly across the board, sometimes more. Not to be mistaken to 100% chance, but a 100% increase. For example, a bandit has a 20% chance to block. Now they have a 40% or more chance to block on every roll.
>> In the article you’ll find a roughly 10 minutes video.

New The Witcher 3 Mod Recreates Classic Witcher 1 Skill System
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-the-witcher-3-mod-recreates-classic-witcher-1-skill-system/
Modder ‘Gerwant’ has released a cool new mod for The Witcher 3, which attempts to recreate the classic skill system from the first The Witcher game. This mod is a must-have for longtime fans of the series who fondly remember The Witcher 1 and are seeking a more classic RPG experience in their next Witcher 3 playthrough. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
Going into more details, the mod offers a unique, deeper RPG experience for fans of the series. As the modder noted, it emphasizes strategic character building and brings back the classic feel of the original game.
The mod adds 13 unique talent trees and over 200 new skills to choose from, inspired by the original Witcher 1 system. This is a full remake of the original Bronze/Silver/Gold talent system from The Witcher 1.
One cool thing about this mod is that many of the skills are unlocked from the very start. This means the way you choose to level up Geralt will really affect how strong he is early in the game. You won’t have to wait until later to feel powerful. Instead of just depending on better weapons or armor, your choices in the skill tree will decide how you play. You can create a build that fits your style, whether that’s fighting with swords, using magic, or mixing potions. It also makes each playthrough different, so you can try new things every time you play.
>> There’s a shorter than 2 minutes video in the article.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Just Got an Ultra+ Graphics Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/clair-obscur-expedition-33-just-got-an-ultra-graphics-mod/
Modder ‘Lazorr’ has released an Ultra+ Graphics Mod for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. This mod aims to improve the game’s graphics by tweaking its settings beyond its in-game values. So, let’s take a closer look at its changes.
As the modder noted, the Ultra+ Mod makes the game look even better. It improves lighting, reflections, and shadows. It also fixes problems like textures loading slowly, weird pop-in effects, and ghosting. On top of that, it helps with some visual glitches with DLSS4 and offers advanced graphical customization.
For instance, the mod improves nanite shadow LODs at all shadow settings which makes it a lot more viable to decrease shadow quality to find a balance in visuals and performance. It also adjusts nanite slightly depending on texture quality setting. It can also fix character shadow popping causing spotlight with skin enhancements. Plus, it can reduce noise caused by fog upsample jittering.
Another cool feature in the mod is Transmission. When you turn it on for most lights, it makes things like skin and leaves look more real. Light can shine through them in a more natural way. It also improves how skin reacts to light, making characters look better and more lifelike overall.
This is a pretty cool mod that owners of high-end GPUs can use. Also, the game will run slower with this mod. This is to be expected. After all, the game will now use more demanding graphics settings. So, avoid it if you don’t use a really powerful GPU.
>> The article has no media.

The Skyblivion and Oblivion Remastered romance continues to blossom, as Bethesda invites the modders to its studio for tea and sweetrolls
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-skyblivion-and-oblivion-remastered-romance-continues-to-blossom-as-bethesda-invites-the-modders-to-its-studio-for-tea-and-sweetrolls/
You would think the Skyblivion and Oblivion Remastered teams would be the bitterest of rivals, given how Bethesda surprise dropped a comprehensive makeover of its 2006 RPG on the heads of a team of volunteers, one which had been diligently working on a similar project for years. Yet if anything, the relationship between the two groups of Oblivion overhaulers is turning into a game dev love story.
It all started before Oblivion Remastered had even been revealed, with Skyblivion project lead Rebelzize sending "all love and no hate" to Bethesda as rumours of a remake swirled. Following the reveal, Bethesda responded by handing out game keys of the remastered version to the entire Skyblivion team, while calling the modders' own efforts "very special".
Now, that winged stealth archer Cupid has fluttered behind The Elder Scrolls' very own David and Goliath, striking both with a ranged sneak attack for 3x damage. Bethesda formally invited the Skyblivion team round to its house, and the modders accepted. Moreover, there are pictures to prove it.

GAMING NEWS

MindsEye & Crimson Desert will support NVIDIA DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Gen
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/mindseye-crimson-desert-will-support-nvidia-dlss-4-multi-frame-gen/
NVIDIA has announced that MindsEye and Crimson Desert, two highly anticipated PC games, will support NVIDIA DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Gen. Alongside these two games, we also got two new trailers for LIGHT OF MOTIRAM and WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers (which will also support DLSS 4 MFG).

FBC: Firebreak will support Full Ray Tracing/Path Tracing on PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/fbc-firebreak-will-support-full-ray-tracing-path-tracing-on-pc/
NVIDIA and Remedy have announced that FBC: Firebreak will support Full Ray Tracing/Path Tracing on PC. This means the game will have super realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections. FBC: Firebreak will use the Northlight Engine, which is the same engine used in Alan Wake 2. So it makes sense that this new CONTROL spin-off will also use Path Tracing. And today, we got our first look at it.

Monday gaming news, part two:

The first ever third-party game to come to Steam probably doesn't get the respect it deserves—mostly because no one remembers it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/the-first-ever-third-party-game-to-come-to-steam-probably-doesnt-get-the-respect-it-deserves-mostly-because-no-one-remembers-it/
Steam's newly automated monthly top-seller list now lets you go all the way back to 2004, and it's been a fun way to take a trip down memory lane. And as Jody noted, it's shined a light on one particular oddity: Rag Doll Kung Fu.
Chances are you've never heard of it, but this fighting game has the honour of being the first ever third-party game to come to Steam, back in 2005. That's before the release of The Orange Box, even—back then it was basically just a launcher for Half-Life 2. And then it suddenly had martial arts puppet action too.
>> The article has a link to the game, because it’s still on Steam (and it’s very cheap)

Veteran indie dev says success on Steam these days is impossible to predict: 'Why did Balatro take off? You could write a million f***ing essays and none of them will be definitely right'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/veteran-indie-dev-says-success-on-steam-these-days-is-impossible-to-predict-why-did-balatro-take-off-you-could-write-a-million-f-ing-essays-and-none-of-them-will-be-definitely-right/
Size Five Games' Dan Marshall has been making games for around 20 years, and was one of the early indie adopters of Steam when he released the excellent Time Gentlemen, Please! on the platform back in 2009. He's been around the block, then, and he's seen it change dramatically.
Trying to figure out the secret to blowing up on Steam as an indie is an impossible task. There are so many variables you could obsess over, but at the same time it almost seems random. Yes, the game actually needs to be good, but countless good games get completely overlooked on Steam every single day.

World of Warcraft game director on the woeful patch 11.1.5: 'It's not the experience our players are expecting or deserve'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/world-of-warcraft-game-director-on-the-woeful-patch-11-1-5-its-not-the-experience-our-players-are-expecting-or-deserve/
World of Warcraft's latest patch was riddled with bugs and time-gated content, frustrating players and causing some pundits to pan it as a disaster, with even friendlier streamers noting that the patch process is broken and that Blizzard blew it. (See our full report for the details).
I recently interviewed WoW senior game director Ion Hazzikostas, who said that the 11.1.5 launch did not go as planned and that Blizzard needs to do better. He spoke about the bugs surrounding the new in-game Flame's Radiance events, which launched in the patch.
>> At least the player housing feature that will come with the next expansion looks good.

Fortnite added an AI-powered Darth Vader and—surprise—players immediately tricked him into saying slurs
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/fortnite-added-an-ai-powered-darth-vader-and-surprise-players-immediately-tricked-him-into-saying-slurs/
Star Wars is turning May into a month-long cautionary tale about the dangers of associating your brand with generative AI. First, Lucasfilm's Rob Bredow unveiled a near-universally reviled Star Wars-branded short film of AI-generated animal mashups. And today, Fortnite added a Darth Vader NPC that can speak with players using "conversational AI," which has—regrettably—gone exactly as you'd expect.
Update: At 11:19 am EDT, Epic announced that it had pushed a hotfix to address Vader's unfortunate profanity, saying "this shouldn't happen again."

REPO developer teases the game's 'most powerful weapon' yet, a mountable cannon that will 'turn your cart into a battle tank'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/repo-developer-teases-the-games-most-powerful-weapon-yet-a-mountable-cannon-that-will-turn-your-cart-into-a-battle-tank/
REPO's latest community update video made me laugh so hard that the top half of my head almost fully flapped backward, much like the yapping mouths of the game's own pedal bin-shaped robots. This wasn't due to the video's typically goofy opening, though I did crack a slight smile at the introductory silliness. Rather, it's because presenter and semiwork designer Pontus spends the first half of the update talking about balance, then reveals a new weapon so powerful it risks obliterating the concept of balance from reality.

Take-Two CEO reckons Civilization 7's mixed reception is just history repeating itself: 'Every time we've come out with a new platform iteration of Civilization, there's been some consternation on the part of consumers'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/take-two-ceo-reckons-civilization-7s-mixed-reception-is-just-history-repeating-itself-every-time-weve-come-out-with-a-new-platform-iteration-of-civilization-theres-been-some-consternation-on-the-part-of-consumers/
Civilization 7 has proved one of the more divisive games of 2025 thus far. At present, its Steam rating is split almost precisely down the middle, between players who enjoy its attempt to streamline the experience, and those who believe the changes result in a shallow and predictable turn-based strategy.
It's the most divided response to a new Civilization game that I can personally recall. But according to Strauss Zelnick, boss of Civ 7's publisher Take-Two Interactive, the reaction is nothing new when compared to the great span of the series' history.

You've got to play my dark horse GOTY candidate if you too are a sicko for one of the ultimate RPG gimmicks: a trash level 1 sword that can be forged into a god slayer
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/labyrinth-of-the-demon-king-broken-katana-use/
Labyrinth of the Demon King is a must-play: It's a first-person, survival horror dungeon crawler that feels like an unholy fusion of King's Field, Resident Evil, and Condemned. When you do check it out, though, I've got one big piece of new player advice.

Baldur's Gate 3 has a secret like Diablo's Cow Level I never saw after 460 hours: A magical sheep companion named 'Harvard Willoughby' you summon by killing a comedian and ringing two bells
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/baldurs-gate-3-has-a-secret-like-diablos-cow-level-i-never-saw-after-460-hours-a-magical-sheep-companion-named-harvard-willoughby-you-summon-by-killing-a-comedian-and-ringing-two-bells/
In YouTuber SlimX's accounting of Baldur's Gate 3's behind-the-scenes secrets, he hit me with one that sent my jaw through the floor: You can summon a magical sheep who can cast endgame spells by killing a minor NPC and ringing both of Act 3's bell tower bells.
>> There’s also a rare scenario in Act 3 about zombies, and a unique game over.

Mud-and-blood medieval horror game Blight: Survival gets even muddier in the Marshlands biome
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/mud-and-blood-medieval-horror-game-blight-survival-gets-even-muddier-in-the-marshlands-biome/
We've been following the development of co-op action-horror game Blight: Survival for a good long while now, going back to a gameplay reveal trailer in 2022 that showed filthy knights fighting filthier zombies. A recent sign of life in what might have looked like a fungus-encrusted peasant corpse, the Blight: Survival team recently shared a look at the development of the Marshlands biome in a post with an evocative name: Mud, rot and the weight of a dying world.

After raising over $800 million from its community, Star Citizen's developer delays the release of a new ship upgrade as players baulk at having to pay for it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/after-raising-over-usd800-million-from-its-community-star-citizens-developer-delays-the-release-of-a-new-ship-upgrade-as-players-baulk-at-having-to-pay-for-it/
The only thing more astonishing than Star Citizen's ability to extract funds from its community is the eagerness with which said community has supported it. Across thirteen years, Cloud Imperium Games has raised over $800 million from a convoluted mixture of paid alpha access, subscriptions, merchandising, microtransactions, and selling spaceships that cost hundreds of dollars to players (I suppose you could call these "macrotransactions").
While there have been controversies and backlashes to the game in the past, such as complaints over changes to the roadmap, the community has rarely revolted en masse at the prospect of paying for stuff. But the recent reveal of an upgrade for Star Citizen's ships has finally caused to community to raise a finger and say "hold on a minute…"

And the third part of the Monday gaming news:

'The vibes have never been worse' Bungie's morale is reportedly in 'free fall' following its art theft fiasco
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-vibes-have-never-been-worse-bungies-morale-is-reportedly-in-free-fall-following-its-art-theft-fiasco/
It's safe to say Bungie has not had a great week. On Thursday, the developer of Marathon admitted it had used art designed by independent artist Antireal in its upcoming extraction shooter without compensation or credit. The studio blamed this on a "former Bungie artist" and promised to undertake a "thorough review" of Marathon's assets. But it isn't the first time Bungie has confessed to using other people's art without permission, having done so on at least three previous occasions.
Combined with the less-than-stellar reception Marathon's initial closed alpha received, the general mood surrounding the game and the studio is pretty bleak. Now, it's been claimed the atmosphere within Bungie matches the feelings around it.

This aggressively vaporwave offroad driving game by a car mechanic turned solo dev just got a Steam demo
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/racing/this-aggressively-vaporwave-offroad-driving-game-by-a-car-mechanic-turned-solo-dev-just-got-a-steam-demo/
Adrift is an upcoming "offroad vaporwave racer" that is, clear as daylight, powered by pure vibes, with a retro-inspired palette that may resonate with people who are interested in relatively lo-fi driving games like Art of Rally—games more about the feel of driving than ultra-hi-res landscapes and cars.

One of our most anticipated survival horror stealth games shows off more of its monster juice power-up system, which looks like an unholy cross between Hitman and Mario Odyssey
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/one-of-our-most-anticipated-survival-horror-stealth-games-shows-off-more-of-its-monster-juice-power-up-system-which-looks-like-an-unholy-cross-between-hitman-and-mario-odyssey/
Gloomwood developer Dillon Rogers has released gameplay footage of upcoming tweaks to the game's monster serum transformation system. What's new is that we'll be getting even more chances to use the monster juice, but I just hadn't realized how far reaching the system as a whole really was.

'More darts, more farts': Rust dev makes 'fart darts' for hack week, and you can probably guess what they do
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/more-darts-more-farts-rust-dev-makes-fart-darts-for-hack-week-and-you-can-probably-guess-what-they-do/
Every once in a while the developers at Facepunch, developers of survival game Rust (and also Garry's Mod), have a hack week. They work on silly stuff, goofy ideas, and strange concepts that might not make it into the game. Moonshot ideas, if you will, that are kind of goofy but also kind of brilliant in their own right.
Lo and behold, one developer has delivered a truly inspired concept. They're fart darts. Darts that make you fart.

Sure, why not, the next Dead by Daylight crossover is with Assassin's Creed Shadows
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/sure-why-not-the-next-dead-by-daylight-crossover-is-with-assassins-creed-shadows/
Dead by Daylight has a new collaboration coming up, but probably not one you'd have guessed: It's Assassin's Creed Shadows. The collaboration was announced, along with a date of May 27 for Shadows' next big update, via Assassin's Creed social media accounts.

In its latest update, Enshrouded's terrifying monsters have players asking 'are we the baddies?'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/in-its-latest-update-enshroudeds-terrifying-monsters-have-players-asking-are-we-the-baddies/
Enshrouded's latest update, "Thralls of Twilight," could be its best yet, filling the game with terrifying new monsters and spicing up night-time adventures with new items and vaults.

Cozy castle builder literally hits next level as Tiny Glade announces stairs, its 'biggest and most complicated change' yet
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/cozy-castle-builder-literally-hits-next-level-as-tiny-glade-announces-stairs-its-biggest-and-most-complicated-change-yet/
Cozy sandbox castle builder Tiny Glade has announced that its next update is currently in the works, and a number of new features are being added. As detailed in a post shared to the Steam page, the update has "accumulated quite a few goodies". But, we don't know when exactly this update will be coming. So for now, we just have to stare lovingly at what we've got.

'We are doing our best to resolve most of it': Stellar Blade's PC release will be restricted in 130 countries as the devs fight to have it lifted
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/we-are-doing-our-best-to-resolve-most-of-it-stellar-blades-pc-release-will-be-restricted-in-130-countries-as-the-devs-fight-to-have-it-lifted/
Ahead of Stellar Blade's PC release in June, players have been greeted with the dreaded yet expected message: Some people won't have access to the PC release as it's region-locked in 130 countries.
(...)
This list of countries lines up with PSN availability despite the developers' Shift Up previously saying in a social media post that "PSN connecting is entirely optional and never required."
(...)
Regardless of the reasons behind it, it's still an annoying practice, and one that the developers are going to try to fight against. "We are closely discussing the region lock issue with the publisher, and we are doing our BEST to resolve most of it as soon as possible," Shift Up says in a social media post.
>> The publisher is, unsurprisingly, Sony, so don’t get your hopes up.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is reportedly coming to Nintendo Switch 2 as early as this year, and a 'next-gen update' for other consoles could mean good news for PC players, too
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/red-dead-redemption-2-is-reportedly-coming-to-nintendo-switch-2-as-early-as-this-year-and-a-next-gen-update-for-other-consoles-could-mean-good-news-for-pc-players-too/
Red Dead Redemption 2 could be coming to Nintendo Switch 2, as reported by Gamereactor. According to "sources close to Rockstar" the open-world wild west adventure could come to the new console as early as this year too, adding to the selection of third-party games already announced at the initial Switch 2 direct like Elden Ring, and Cyberpunk 2077.
(...)
But Kara, I hear you ask, what does that have to do with PC Gamer? Well, I'm glad you asked. Aside from the potential Switch 2 release, Red Dead Redemption 2 is also supposedly going to receive a "current-gen" update on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S either alongside the Switch launch or either side of it.
The details of what exactly this update could entail weren't shared, but that might mean a facelift for the PC version as well. I do imagine this update will involve a visual upgrade, given it's been stuck on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions since launch—and if Rockstar's already done the work, then hey, why not give us some shinier textures? As long as I can still ride a horse around Valentine, I'm happy. Unless Rockstar decides you have to pay for the upgrade. But I feel like that's a stretch.

Infinity Nikki devs have published a notice regarding the abysmal 1.5 update: "To all stylists, we offer our deepest apologies"
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/infinity-nikki-devs-have-published-a-notice-regarding-the-abysmal-1-5-update-to-all-stylists-we-offer-our-deepest-apologies/
The launch of Infinity Nikki's 1.5 update didn't exactly go as planned. Crashes and various technical issues have seen the game branded with "mostly negative" reviews on Steam, with some saying that the entire ordeal had put them off playing. However, the devs of the beloved open world adventure game have finally released some updates on what to expect going forward.

By the way, if you're patiend and curious, PCGamer is doing a "live" review of the 5060. And Live means an article that will get updated with results as they get them, not a stream or anything like that:

https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/live/news/nvidia-rtx-5060-review-doing-it-live/

The 5060Ti is about the same price as the 7800XT.

I think I might bite the bullet and jump on the 7800XT.

Welp, it's getting worse for NVidia, absolute debacle:

HU reply video to GN's video:

JayZTwoCents:

Tech YES City made a more general video about NVidia's decline for gamers in favor of AI:

Daniel Owen:

Coreteks also explains how this will backfire on Jensen (and a backhand critique of the entire industry while he's at it):

(Also shows how Jensen had a "please clap" moment during the keynote when he said that the server he was showing off could run Crisis - and no-one reacted to it)

KitGuruTech about the NVidia Keynote, and he's certainly having enough of the bullshit:

Also, Jensen praising the background of the presentation running on a 5060 with raytracing... with 1 our of 10 pixels rendered and the other 9 "AI-guessed". Said background was almost static (just a bit of water and smoke moving slightly), so not much to render there in the first place due to it... 

Also the fact that Jensen is saying "please buy something from me" during the keynote... absolutely baffling!

Also (unless you want to count showing off that 5060 background) not a single mention to gaming during the entire keynote!

NVidia seriously dun fucked it up this time!

The Tuesday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

Only a fool would pass on The Witcher 3 for 90% off during Steam's CD Projekt Red Sale
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/only-a-fool-would-pass-on-the-witcher-3-for-90-percent-off-during-steams-cd-projekt-red-sale/
Most modern RPGs still can't match what The Witcher 3 did 10 years ago. It's a huge game with almost no filler, cool monsters to fight, and sidequests that don't feel like sidequests. It's a tremendous achievement that a lot of us at PC Gamer remember fondly and will be reminiscing about this week for its anniversary. But if you've never touched it, Steam has it available for 90% off during this week's CD Projekt Red Sale.
>> It has also been 90% off at GOG since they launched the same sale last week, but it looks like that wasn’t news-worthy enough-

GOG has two new promos:

• The First Person Perspective Promo has games (not just FPSs) up to 90% off during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20250520_first_person_perspective
• The Platformer Promo features up to 94% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20250520_platformer_promo

Steam

• Zeno Clash will be 80% off until the 26th of May: https://store.steampowered.com/app/22200/Zeno_Clash/
• Expeditions: A MudRunner Game will have a 40% discount until the 2nd of June: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2477340/Expeditions_A_MudRunner_Game/
• Youtubers Life 2 is going to be 70% off until June 2: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1493760/Youtubers_Life_2/
• These are the other sales/events besides the CDPR one:
  • The Nordic Game Conference has a lot of upcoming games, some demos and three games on sale with up to 75% discounts,, but only one of them says when it will end. On the 26th of May: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/NordicGameConference2025
  • The Otome Games Celebration has lots of upcoming games from this genre, a few demos and games up to 75% off until May 26: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/OtomeGamesCelebration
  • The Dreamscape #3 even of indie games has several upcoming games and only one game on sale, 75% off, until the 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45322610/sale/Dreamscape
  • There’s a Harry Potter Sale: the Ministry of Magic Sale, with up to 80% discounts until May 26: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34133273/sale/ministryofmagic25
  • The indie.io Demos To Check Out During June Next Fest 2025 has upcoming games, most of them with demos, and two games on sale, 10 and 20% off, that will end on the 27th and tomorrow, respectively: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/38394018/sale/indie_io-nextfest-june2025
  • The last one is a sale that may start later today, because the Bytewerks Final Sale still has no discounts. It is final because the studio will close on the 5th of June, so it may be one of those “now or never” situations to get a game or DLC from them: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45005219/sale/BytewerkzFinalSale
• And of course, there are new weeklong deals

Fanatical has three new 24h Flash Deals:

• Dragon's Dogma 2 has a 52% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dragons-dogma-2
• High On Life is 60% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/high-on-life
• Ghostrunner 2 gets a 81% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/ghostrunner-2

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready 576.52 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/nvidia-geforce-game-ready-576-52

HIGHLIGHTS

Game Ready for GeForce RTX 5060

• This new Game Ready Driver provides the best gaming experience for the latest new games supporting DLSS 4 technology including F1 25 and Dune: Awakening, as well as the Full Ray Tracing update for NARAKA: BLADEPOINT.

Gaming Technology

• Adds support for GeForce RTX 5060 desktop and laptop GPUs.

FIXED ISSUES

Fixed Gaming Bugs

• [F1 23/F1 24] Game crashes at the end of a race
• [Diablo II Resurrected] Game displays black screen corruption when using DLSS
• [SCUM] Game may crash after updating to R575 drivers
• Shader disk cache will not be created with certain games if OS username contains unicode characters

Fixed General Bugs

• [Lumion 12] Missing certain UI components
• [Varjo XR3] Varjo XR3 HMD is not working on RTX 50 series GPUs

>> I don’t know if the F1 24 crashes are solved or not, but in the PCGamer ongoing review, there’s a video with terrible stuttering.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Red Dead Redemption 2 just got a new mod to improve its graphics
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/red-dead-redemption-2-just-got-a-new-mod-to-improve-its-graphics/
Modder RichardHertz has released a cool new mod for Red Dead Redemption 2 that improves the game’s graphics. This mod makes the game look better by enhancing ambient occlusion (AO), boosting color vibrancy, and turning off the pedestrian light. It also makes textures look sharper and more detailed, along with other small graphic upgrades.
One of the best things about this mod is that it’s compatible with other visual mods. So if you’re already using a popular mod like the Visual Redemption Project, you should be able to use this one too without any problems. That means you can combine them for an even more beautiful Red Dead experience.
To show how much better the game looks with the mod, the creator shared comparison screenshots. These pictures make it easy to see the difference. Thanks to better shading and AO effects, the game environments look more natural and realistic. Shadows are softer and more detailed, making the lighting feel more true-to-life.
Turning off the pedestrian light is also a nice touch. Normally, this light makes characters look like they’re glowing a bit in some lighting. With it turned off, characters look more grounded and realistic, fitting better into the game world.
The best part? This mod is super small—just 2KB. It’s actually just a config file (XML), not a full mod with new assets. But even though it’s tiny, it can still make a difference in how the game looks.

GAMING NEWS

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered Title Update 1.4 Released, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/the-last-of-us-part-2-remastered-title-update-1-4-released-full-patch-notes/
Nixxes has just released Title Update 1.4 for The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.

Doom: The Dark Ages Path Tracing Patch Coming This June
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/doom-the-dark-ages-path-tracing-patch-coming-this-june/
NVIDIA has announced that the highly anticipated Path Tracing Patch for Doom: The Dark Ages will come out in June 2025. This patch will also add support for NVIDIA Ray Reconstruction.

Tuesday gaming news, the second part:

The PC Gaming Show returns June 8 with great hosts, amazing games, and a live on-air PC build and giveaway
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/the-pc-gaming-show-returns-june-8-with-great-hosts-amazing-games-and-a-live-on-air-pc-build-and-giveaway/
We've been doing this PC gaming thing for ages now. Yonks. I was definitely doing it, like, in January even. And yet despite our platform of choice's long and glorious reign, people still look at you funny when you tell them you built your own PC. 'Are you a warlock?' they ask, 'some kind of messenger from a realm beyond our own?'
Yes, but that's besides the point. Building a PC is a cinch these days, which is why we're making it a lynchpin of the upcoming and glorious return of The PC Gaming Show this June 8. We'll be covering ourselves in thermal paste and reseating more RAM than you can shake a stick (of RAM) at in an event that will also feature over 70 games from studios like Ubisoft, 11 Bit, CCP Games, Failbetter, Krafton, and plenty more besides.
The festivities will be presented by PCGS veterans Sean "Day[9]" Plott, Mica Burton, and Frankie Ward, who'll be peeking through their fingers as Verified PC Gaming Experts assemble a beast of a machine we're calling 'The Rig.' Even better, once we've made sure the monster gets past the BIOS screen we'll be shipping it to one lucky winner watching the show. If you love viewing and/or possessing absurdly powerful PC hardware, you can't afford not to tune in.

Kojima says his next espionage game will keep us waiting another '5 or 6 years', but then he might finally get around to directing a movie: 'I’m getting older, and I would prefer to do it while still young'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/kojima-says-his-next-espionage-game-will-keep-us-waiting-another-5-or-6-years-but-then-he-might-finally-get-around-to-directing-a-movie-im-getting-older-and-i-would-prefer-to-do-it-while-still-young/
There is, as ever, a lot going on in the world of Hideo Kojima. In an interview published in a recent issue of French film magazine Le Film Français, Kojima spoke about his ongoing projects (via VGC): There's Death Stranding 2. There's the Death Stranding film adaptation in production at A24. And of course, there's Physint, Kojima's upcoming return to the tactical espionage action that secured his global reputation.
Unfortunately, Kojima told Le Film Français that it'll probably take the better part of a decade before we can play his Metal Gear successor. "Besides Death Stranding 2, there is Physint in development," Kojima said. "That will take me another five or six years."

Haunted looking art director livestreams apology for Marathon theft scandal, but chat is merciless: 'Would write an original comment, but I don't see any good ones to plagarize'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/haunted-looking-art-director-livestreams-apology-for-marathon-theft-scandal-but-chat-is-merciless-would-write-an-original-comment-but-i-dont-see-any-good-ones-to-plagarize/
Last week Bungie was accused of using the designs of an independent artist, Antireal, without her knowledge or permission. It's a pretty cut-and-dry case: elements of Marathon's environment art unquestionably copy iconography from posters designed by Antireal in 2017. It didn't help that several of the game's art team also follow her accounts on social media.
(...)
That mea culpa was followed last Friday by a livestream in which game director Joe Ziegler and art director Joseph Cross directly addressed the controversy, beginning with another prepared apology from Cross before the pair fielded questions. I will say upfront that this is in places uncomfortable viewing: Cross is clearly exhausted and looks miserable throughout. Regardless of how this plagiarism accusation plays out, and how Antireal is compensated, it is obvious these events have taken a considerable personal toll on Bungie's staff.

SAG-AFTRA files unfair labor practice complaint against Epic over Fortnite's AI-powered Darth Vader: 'We must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/sag-aftra-files-unfair-labor-practice-complaint-against-epic-over-fortnites-ai-powered-darth-vader-we-must-protect-our-right-to-bargain-terms-and-conditions-around-uses-of-voice-that-replace-the-work-of-our-members/
Last week, Epic was forced to deploy a hotfix to prevent Fortnite players from tricking its newly-added AI-powered Darth Vader from swearing and saying slurs with James Earl Jones's voice. Today, AI Vader is the source of yet another controversy: SAG-AFTRA has filed unfair labor practice charges against Epic Games, alleging that the Fortnite publisher's use of AI-generated voice constituted "unilateral changes" to terms and conditions of employment covered by union bargaining.

A week after launch, my new favorite gungy, Condemned-style horror-brawler has its first patch and the promise of yokai-punching spiked knuckles on the way
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/a-week-after-launch-my-new-favorite-gungy-condemned-style-horror-brawler-has-its-first-patch-and-the-promise-of-yokai-punching-spiked-knuckles-on-the-way/
Survival horror dungeon crawler Labyrinth of the Demon King is neck-and-neck with Avowed and Oblivion Remastered as my personal game of the year so far, which I absolutely did not expect when I loaded it up on my Steam Deck before a flight (I ended up playing it all five hours). But even more surprising is that its small development team is already promising new additions just a week after launch.

Borderlands is the latest battleground for Steam review bombing, but the justification is extremely flimsy
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/borderlands-is-the-latest-battleground-for-steam-review-bombing-but-the-justification-is-extremely-flimsy/
A rather sensational YouTube video appears to have set off a mild Steam review bombing directed at the Borderlands series.
In March, Borderlands YouTuber Hellfire posted a video called "Take Two Spies on Borderlands Players," and in it they highlight the differences between the game's original end-user licensing agreements and the new one Take-Two applied to it, which it applies to all of its games.
We should all be vigilant about what's in the EULAs we agree to for our games, as they can contain genuinely objectionable stipulations, but it's also true that the internet has a habit of overreacting to normal terms and conditions. Hellfire spends the bulk of the 16-minute video pointing out things that aren't actually as damning as they seem to think they are.

Helldivers 2's new update Heart of Democracy finally adds urban city maps, SEAF redshirts to make you look cool, giant Illuminate sky worms, and civilians to protect from friendly fire
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2s-new-update-heart-of-democracy-finally-adds-urban-city-maps-seaf-redshirts-to-make-you-look-cool-giant-illuminate-sky-worms-and-civilians-to-protect-from-friendly-fire/
Helldiver—bad news, Super Earth is officially under attack. As theorised in a leak last week, the big weapon customisation update wasn't the last we'd see out of Shams Jorjani and his team of professional trouser-browners. An official title update for Helldivers 2, Heart of Democracy, is now here.
With it come fully-urban city maps. These are a step up from the Illuminate townships we've seen before. We're talkin' skyscrapers, we're talkin' streets flooded with civilians, we're talkin' SEAF Redshirts who are just going to be there to make you look good—I mean, er, die in valor for the glory of managed democracy. Yeah.

I accidentally forgot to start the Soviet Union in this excellent free game about the Russian Revolution
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/i-accidentally-forgot-to-start-the-soviet-union-in-this-excellent-free-game-about-the-russian-revolution/
If there's one thing I've learnt from my time with sims like Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, and that one game that gave me the historic opportunity to be the first person to write "Rudolf Hilferding" on this website, it's that I wouldn't cut it in a time of crisis. Material conditions would slam-dunk me into the dustbin of history like Kobe Bryant. I just don't have the mettle that let figures like Napoleon, Alexander, or Caesar steer the ship of state so effortlessly in periods of tumult.
The latest game to remind me of this? Social Democracy: Petrograd 1917, another incredibly me-coded, free, and browser-based gem from the same dev—Autumn Chen—who made the aforementioned Rudolf Hilferding sim. Where Chen's last game had you try (and fail, in my case) to keep the German Social Democratic Party alive and thriving in the chaos of the late Weimar Republic period, Petrograd puts you in charge of one of several competing parties in the months leading up to the Russian Empire's October Revolution in 1917.

GeForce RTX 5060 debuts for desktops and laptops, but proper reviews need to wait

https://videocardz.com/newz/geforce-rtx-5060-debuts-for-desktops-and-laptops-but-proper-reviews-need-to-wait

It is interesting the debacle that has been surrounding the 5060 launch. Nvidia could have just launched it, got bad reviews about 8GB of vram but otherwise a decent card competing against 8GB version from AMD and that would have been it. But now they have quite a lot of bad press thanks to the way they handled the gpu. Is their thinking just... "Well it wouldn't get much attention since it's basically a faster 4060 so how can we get the 5060 more attention? Oh I know, piss off every reviewer! No press is bad press right?" Idk.

NVIDIA quietly fixes Max TGP issue on GeForce RTX 50 Laptop GPUs

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-quietly-fixes-max-tgp-issue-on-geforce-rtx-50-laptop-gpus

Sapphire teases dual-fan Radeon RX 9060 XT GPUs launching tomorrow

https://videocardz.com/newz/sapphire-teases-dual-fan-radeon-rx-9060-xt-gpus-launching-tomorrow

MSI revives classic TWIN FROZR and CYCLONE GeForce graphics cards after over a decade

https://videocardz.com/newz/msi-revives-classic-twin-frozr-and-cyclone-geforce-graphics-cards-after-over-a-decade

Noctua to enter AIO market, presents its first 420/360/240 CPU liquid cooler at Computex

https://videocardz.com/newz/noctua-to-enter-aio-market-presents-its-first-420-360-240-cpu-liquid-cooler-at-computex

ASUS unveils PRO WS power supplies up to 3000W, supporting four GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-unveils-pro-ws-power-supplies-up-to-3000w-supporting-four-geforce-rtx-5090-graphics-cards

This gets me thinking, due to the fact that NVidia withhold drivers for the 5060, will 9060 reviews now come before those of the 5060?