The second part of the gaming news:

Balatro's big 1.1 update is delayed to 2026, for a very good reason: 'I'm slow'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/balatros-big-1-1-update-is-delayed-to-2026-for-a-very-good-reason-im-slow/
It's a good thing we have a lot of videogames coming down the pipe to keep us busy for the next few months (at least), because the big Balatro 1.1 update we've been waiting for since last year, that was supposed to come out this year, is going to take until next year to arrive. Balatro creator LocalThunk announced the delay today, and offered a relatable excuse: "I'm slow."

Stalker remasters hit 1.3 as GSC back-ports quick-inventory slots from Call of Prypiat to all 3 games
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/stalker-remasters-hit-1-3-as-gsc-back-ports-quick-inventory-slots-from-call-of-prypiat-to-all-3-games/
I suppose in an ideal world, games would launch and then never need updates at all, but I won't pretend I'm not just a little happy to live in a world where the original Stalker games are getting patches again.
To rectify a few more issues with the remasters of Shadow of Chornobyl, Clear Sky, and Call of Prypiat, GSC has just released a 1.3 patch for the entire remastered trilogy.

'We understand the disappointment': Funcom apologizes for Dune: Awakening DLC's 'building set' that's actually just four pieces
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/we-understand-the-disappointment-funcom-apologizes-for-dune-awakening-dlcs-building-set-thats-actually-just-four-pieces/
In what feels like a common occurrence these days, some new DLC for a game came out and was quickly followed up with an apology from the developer. Paradox did it earlier this week for Crusader Kings 3, and now it's Funcom's turn with Dune: Awakening, which just released its first post-launch DLC, Lost Harvest.
What's the apology for this time? The Dune: Awakening DLC, which costs $12.99, was listed as containing a new storyline, vehicle, cosmetics, and "the Dune Man building set, letting you build bases in the style of those pragmatic and weathered workers of Arrakis."
But that "building set" turns out to be just four new building pieces, which I think anyone would agree hardly qualifies as a set. Players quickly complained, and Funcom issued a response the following day.

Star Citizen fans sigh deeply, rub their foreheads as developer casts doubt on Squadron 42's 2026 release: 'I don't know if we're going to make it'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/star-citizen-fans-sigh-deeply-rub-their-foreheads-as-developer-casts-doubt-on-squadron-42s-2026-release-i-dont-know-if-were-going-to-make-it/
Star Citizen may not be the most famously overdue videogame of all time, but it has to be a top-five contender, especially given that it is now just shy of $865 million (and no, there's not an errant zero in there, that's eight-hundred and sixty-five million smackeroos) raised in crowdfunding. Developer Cloud Imperium Games recently reaffirmed a 2026 launch for Squadron 42, Star Citizen's singleplayer campaign—the one with Gary Oldman, Gillian Anderson, and Mark Hamill—but a more recent developer's comment has sparked doubt among some fans.

Activision says CoD's anti-cheat system is catching more miscreants than ever, and permits itself a chuckle about dolts who 'promptly tell on themselves across social media, asking 'Why did this happen?''
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/activision-says-cods-anti-cheat-system-is-catching-more-miscreants-than-ever-and-permits-itself-a-chuckle-about-dolts-who-promptly-tell-on-themselves-across-social-media-asking-why-did-this-happen/
Activision's anti-cheat team has published an update on Call of Duty and Ricochet, claiming that with Black Ops 6 "we've made real progress." Over the month of August "over 55,000 cheaters were disrupted by Call of Duty's mitigations" and the Ricochet team even allow themselves a bit of a chuckle about how doltish some of these cheaters can be:

As Call of Duty flips a U-turn on goofy skins, Battlefield 6 devs are making their stance clear from the start: 'We're not chasing trends. We're not chasing other products'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/as-call-of-duty-flips-a-u-turn-on-goofy-skins-battlefield-6-devs-are-making-their-stance-clear-from-the-start-were-not-chasing-trends-were-not-chasing-other-products/
The vibe shift on goofy cosmetics in live service games is impossible to ignore at this point. Call of Duty has issued a full reversal on its plans to allow fantastical skins in Black Ops 7 after heavy backlash, and today, Battlefield 6 developers reaffirmed their commitment to not ending up like Fortnite.

Battlefield 6 devs knew 'everything' would leak from playtests but said the risk was worth it to get feedback from players: 'That had to come at any cost'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/battlefield-6-devs-knew-everything-would-leak-from-playtests-but-said-the-risk-was-worth-it-to-get-feedback-from-players-that-had-to-come-at-any-cost/
Game developers, generally speaking, don't like leaks. Infinity Nikki studio Infold, for instance, recently described leaks as "poison to all creation." That's maybe a bit much, but it does capture the broad sentiment: When you're working on something that's meant to be a surprise, and someone blows that surprise, it sucks.
Developers do what they can to prevent leaks, but sometimes there's just no getting around it. Such is the case with Battlefield 6: Technical director Christian Buhl told IGN that Ripple Effect (formerly DICE LA) "did not want leaks," but it did want as much feedback from players as possible—and that meant rolling the dice.
>> One of the benefits: they’re toning down the spoting/ping of enemies.

Battlefield 6 is 'secretly console first,' says half-joking dev who has bravely risked resurrecting 2000s-era console vs PC bitterness
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/battlefield-6-console-first-interview/
Speaking to IGN in a recent interview, Battlefield Studios developers said that Battlefield 6 has been built from the start with console players in mind, going so far as to describe their approach as "secretly console first."
I'd joke that we should keep our torches and pitchforks stowed, because there is some mitigating context to the statement, but haven't seen any PC gamers reaching for their angry mob gear yet anyway. (Well, except for a lone IGN commenter who says, "So BF6 is mainly a console game now? Gross.")
How far we've come! And in context, it does sound like the Battlefield 6 devs aim to correct an imbalance, not to disregard the PC version.
>> At least that allowed them to optimize the game.

Borderlands 4 has a volume slider specifically for muting Claptrap—if you're a coward
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/borderlands-4-has-a-volume-slider-specifically-for-muting-claptrap-if-youre-a-coward/
Borderlands 4 has had a complicated launch. Initial critical response was fairly positive, but some sites—including PC Gamer—didn't receive pre-release code and were unable to offer their own opinions at launch. And once the clock hit go time, early Steam reviews were dominated by reports of performance issues and crashes that we experienced in our own early performance analysis.
While it looks like Borderlands 4 still has a few kinks to hammer out, it does serve up one of the better features we've seen in the series: A chance to finally, mercifully silence Claptrap—and only Claptrap.

Furious Destiny 2 players accuse Bungie of secretly moving a stunning free armor set into the Eververse Store so players have to pay real money for it instead
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/furious-players-accuse-bungie-of-secretly-moving-a-stunning-free-armor-set-into-the-eververse-store-so-players-have-to-pay-real-money-for-it-instead/
Between a systemic overhaul that the playerbase hates, and a list of bugs that frankly beggar belief, Destiny 2 is currently in perhaps the worst shape of its history. Which, if you've been paying attention to the game's ability to self-immolate, is truly something. And yet Bungie still seems determined to find new ways to take Ls.
This time, it's the greed again. The studio stands accused of taking a very cool new armor set, which had been intended to be a reward from the returning Iron Banner activity, and instead placing it inside the Eververse Store where it sells for 1,500 Silver per character—$15 in real money.

This surprisingly great Arthurian Elder Scrolls clone just got a huge update that adds new game plus, extra dungeons, and tons more loot
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/this-surprisingly-great-arthurian-elder-scrolls-clone-just-got-a-huge-update-that-adds-new-game-plus-extra-dungeons-and-tons-more-loot/
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is one of the more surprising successes of 2025. Questline's open-world RPG gives Arthurian legend the Elder Scrolls treatment, letting players explore a decaying, war-torn version of Avalon while guided by the ghost of King Arthur.

This physics platformer about a wiggly worm that travels into space has even got Tim Schafer excited: 'It looks super cute and fun'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/this-physics-platformer-about-a-wiggly-worm-that-travels-into-space-has-even-got-tim-schafer-excited-it-looks-super-cute-and-fun/
"Have you ever wanted to just be a worm for a day?" asks Riley Neville, the creator of the wacky annelid simulator Wirm. To which my response is "Not until now." Crawling through the ground while pushing dirt through my pink and boneless body has, you'll be surprised to hear, never sounded like a fun time. But the adorable trailer for Neville's upcoming physics platformer has got me wondering whether I'm somehow missing out.

A Silksong gumshoe meticulously pixel counted both games to directly compare the size of their worlds, and Pharloom looks twice as big as Hallownest
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/a-silksong-gumshoe-meticulously-pixel-counted-both-games-to-directly-compare-the-size-of-their-worlds-and-pharloom-looks-twice-as-big-as-hallownest/
Reddit user Karmyuh has produced one of the first major works of Silksongology: A direct size comparison of Pharloom and Hallownest, taking into account that Silksong's world has been scaled up to account for the taller Hornet.
>> Meanwhile, someone has already beat every boss without getting hit.

And here’s the expected part three of the Monday gaming news:

Blood Bowl 3 has vampires now, and Eternal League continues improving
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/board-games/blood-bowl-3-has-vampires-now-and-eternal-league-continues-improving/
Blood Bowl 3 has reached Season 10, and with a new season comes a new team, a new community event, a new set of Blood Pass rewards, and the usual round of bug fixes and balance tweaks.
This season's new team are the Vampires, definitely one for veteran players. Their most powerful skill is Hypnotic Gaze, which lets them strip opponents of their tackle zones and prevent them using skills like block and dodge. It works on a 2+, rather than 3+ under the old rules in Blood Bowl 2, though it's modified by -1 for each marking player. Hypnotic Gaze is a great way of bypassing blockers and busting cages, but it's balanced by the Bloodlust rule. Every bloodsucker has to pass a test before they act, and if they fail they bite someone else on your team—which is why the handful of useful vampire players have to be bulked out with a mob of thralls who exist just to be snacked on.

Final Fantasy composer shares concern about 'stagnation' in game music: 'Frankly speaking, there’s less weird things now'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/final-fantasy-composer-shares-concern-about-stagnation-in-game-music-frankly-speaking-theres-less-weird-things-now/
As reported by Automaton, iconic video game composer Nobuo Uematsu, best known for his work on the Final Fantasy series, has recently given his take on the state of videogame music. In an interview with Japanese outlet Real Sound, Uematsu commented on where the industry is now, particularly concern about creative freedom for composers being stifled.

Dying Light: The Beast's release date has been moved forward by one whole day
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/dying-light-the-beasts-release-date-has-been-moved-forward-by-one-whole-day/
A couple of months ago, Techland pushed back the release of first-person zombie kicker Dying Light: The Beast by four weeks "to allow for extra polishing work". I guess that work took less time than they expected, but only slightly less time. After moving the launch back to September 19, it's now been moved forward again. To September 18.

The Danganronpa 2 remaster also includes a remake or maybe a stealth-sequel, honestly it's hard to tell
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/visual-novel/the-danganronpa-2-remaster-also-includes-a-remake-or-maybe-a-stealth-sequel-honestly-its-hard-to-tell/
Nintendo Directs don't often have much of interest to PC gamers, though this September's scattershot barrage of Switch 2 trailers did include the news that Hades 2 is about to leave early access. Which is nice. Buried in the avalanche of Zelda nonsense was something else of potential interest to us, however. Something called Danganronpa 2x2.
While it looks like a simple remaster of Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, the package also includes an alternate storyline the same size as the first one. While the series stalled after the third game, is 2x2 actually going to equal Dangonronpa 4? As the Steam page puts it, "The original setting and cast of characters are back, but a single incident sets off a completely different chain of events! New victims, new culprits, and brand-new tricks await. The new scenario offers the same volume of content as the original, delivering a complete and immersive experience."

X4: Foundations' massive diplomacy update adds an actual embassy room to your HQ, where you can entreat with aliens from across the galaxy and establish yourself as space Machiavelli
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/x4-foundations-massive-diplomacy-update-adds-an-actual-embassy-room-to-your-hq-where-you-can-entreat-with-aliens-from-across-the-galaxy-and-establish-yourself-as-space-machiavelli/
While not as flashy as Star Citizen or as popular as No Man's Sky, X4: Foundations is one of the most comprehensive space sims you can play today. Representing a return to form after the failed experiment that was X: Rebirth, X4 continues the series tradition of offering a preposterously detailed simulation of space—featuring trading, combat, space exploration, and dynamic faction politics—while also letting players build and expand their own interstellar empire.
X4 can be a hugely rewarding experience, provided you can handle its vertiginous learning curve and millions of menus. The space sim has quietly trundled along with a small but dedicated community for years now. But its latest update caught my eye. Patch 8.00 introduces a detailed diplomacy system to the sequel, letting you liaise with the universe's many alien factions, mess with inter-faction relationships to your advantage, and conduct daring espionage operations, essentially adding a slice of Crusader Kings to your adventures through the void.

Inevitably, someone has made a cooperative take on A Game About Digging a Hole, where you play as burly shirtless men whose hands swell up when they flip each other off
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/inevitably-someone-has-made-a-cooperative-take-on-a-game-about-digging-a-hole-where-you-play-as-burly-shirtless-men-whose-hands-swell-up-when-they-flip-each-other-off/
As someone who grew up when true cooperative games were vanishingly rare, the sheer number of games that allow you to play with pals at your side these days is astonishing. Every other game seems to support larking around for up to four people. And in the increasingly unlikely event that a game doesn't have co-op to begin with, chances are someone will make a version of it that does.
Such is the case with Keep Digging, which lifts the premise of DoubleBee's surprise hit A Game About Digging A Hole, er, wholesale, opens up its shovelling shenanigans for up to eight players, then rests its hard hat over its eyes for a wee nap while the cash rolls in.

'Because no one was paying attention we could just put anything into the game,' says the writer responsible for sneaking The Lusty Argonian Maid into Morrowind
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/because-no-one-was-paying-attention-we-could-just-put-anything-into-the-game-says-the-writer-responsible-for-sneaking-the-lusty-argonian-maid-into-morrowind/
Filmdeg Miniatures is a YouTube channel run by Tom Evans that is full of interviews with gaming luminaries. I know it mainly for unearthing Warhammer history on topics like the early editions of Warhammer Fantasy Battle. Evans also covers videogames, most recently in an eight-hour oral history of Morrowind in which he lets a host of the classic weird-fantasy RPG's creators meander up and down memory lane as they discuss how it was made.

You can finally scream at your friends once you've died in REPO thanks to one of the most requested features being added in its upcoming update
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/you-can-finally-scream-at-your-friends-once-youve-died-in-repo-thanks-to-one-of-the-most-requested-features-being-added-in-its-upcoming-update/
REPO's monster update is already promising a significant amount of new content for the co-op horror when it launches on October 30, but one of the most exciting features doesn't have anything to do with the new beasts. As shared in the newest video uploaded on the Semiwork YouTube channel, you'll now be able to speak through your head even once it's been flung off your body. So, I guess it does have something to do with the monsters in the game. Though I swear I've still lost my head because of my friends more than any of the creatures roaming around.

'We are subservient to the players': Battlefield 6 ditched 128-player matches in favour of classic 64 players after it 'didn't catch on' in Battlefield 2042
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/we-are-subservient-to-the-players-battlefield-6-ditched-128-player-matches-in-favour-of-classic-64-players-after-it-didnt-catch-on-in-battlefield-2042/
There's always a silver lining to be found, even when everything seems to go sideways. In the case of Battlefield 2042, the last instalment in the series, Battlefield Studios has been able to look at it and go, 'Yeah, we won't do that again' when it comes to laying the groundwork for Battlefield 6.
Battlefield 2042 isn't looked back on very fondly by players. Its futuristic setting robbed players of the usual gritty and grounded setting of previous Battlefield games, and it took chances on new ideas that didn't land well. One such being 128-player matches.

Who needs Silent Hill? The 'anxiety horror' game I'm most looking forward to is this freakish, grotesque thing about who you let stay at your house in the apocalypse
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/who-needs-silent-hill-the-anxiety-horror-game-im-most-looking-forward-to-is-this-freakish-grotesque-thing-about-who-you-let-stay-at-your-house-in-the-apocalypse/
I'm a trusting soul. When some poor unfortunate raps on my door after the end of the world, I don't have it in me not to let them in. When their teeth are a suspiciously perfect white, I attribute it to a rigorous before-bed hygiene routine. Their red eyes? We're all tired. Their hairless armpits? They must be a swimmer.
And when I wake up the next morning and find one of my other guests has been perfectly trisected into a series of hot, damp bin bags, I reason they must have had an accident using my Kai Shun knife set.
No, I'm Not A Human is a Papers Please-like—in the way that we describe any game that makes 'looking at a guy' a part of its gameplay loop as a Papers Please-like—about making room at the inn in the midst of an apocalyptic solar event. The Sun, finally tired of us, has turned up the temperature to 'kill you instantly' levels in daytime, and people need a place to stay.

Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford's chronic tweeting syndrome strikes again, says 'less than 1% of 1%' of players are filing tickets about performance so clearly the internet's overblowing it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/gearbox-ceo-randy-pitchfords-chronic-tweeting-syndrome-strikes-again-says-less-than-1-percent-of-1-percent-of-players-are-filing-tickets-about-performance-so-clearly-the-internets-overblowing-it/
To what I assume is the eternal dismay of the Gearbox PR department, studio CEO Randy Pitchford has once again been tweeting. What's he up to now? Well, he's applying the ol' scientific method to people's Borderlands 4 performance complaints, pointing out that—if this game is really as stutter-prone as you horrible lot have been making it sound like—how come "less than one percent of one percent" of players are filing customer service tickets about performance woes?
>> More proof that he’s a d*xk and that he can’t keep his mouth shut (or away from social media)

Unfortunately yes, he's always been like that.

I'm surprised with Take-Two, for not stepping in and doing something to stop him from self-boycotting the game givan that it was obvious that something liek this would happen. But I don't know, maybe people inside Gearbox like him?

In any case, if some of you bought the game, have an Nvidia GPU and want to keep playing it, here's something to reduce the stuttering (if you have enough space on your drive):

I fixed Borderlands 4's stuttering issue by upping my shader cache size to 100 GB, which feels like something I shouldn't have to do in a well-optimised game
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/i-fixed-borderlands-4s-stuttering-issue-by-upping-my-shader-cache-size-to-100-gb-which-feels-like-something-i-shouldnt-have-to-do-in-a-well-optimised-game/
Well, it's my own fault, really. Despite writing an article about the reaction to Nvidia's brutal optimised settings charts for Borderlands 4, and being well aware of stuttering issues thanks to Nick's performance testing piece, I jumped into the game this weekend anyway. And, lo and behold, the stuttering was very much there—until I discovered a fix that's virtually eliminated the issue on my machine.

It's not my own discovery, in fact, but that of YouTuber Ki11er Six, who posted a review of the game along with a crucial performance tip a few days ago. On Nvidia graphics cards, it's possible to manually adjust the shader cache size in the Control Panel—which Ki11er Six suggests should be set to 100 GB to prevent stuttering.

By the way, Steam has published the best new releases of August:

https://store.steampowered.com/charts/topnewreleases/august_2025

I hate updating Nvidia drivers. It always tries to force me to install the HD Audio Driver, when I don't really need it and I think it's caused some unwanted behaviour in the past. It's not installed, so don't try to install it when I update my drivers, OK?

Leaked AMD FSR 4 INT8 Files Help Users Turn On FSR 4 On Radeon RX 7000 On Windows; Works on RDNA 2 & RTX 30 Series GPUs Too

https://wccftech.com/leaked-amd-fsr-4-int8-files-helps-users-turn-on-fsr-4-on-rx-7000-on-windows/

MediaTek Tapes Out Flagship SoC Using TSMC’s 2nm Process, Mass Production & Availability By End of 2026

https://wccftech.com/mediatek-tapes-out-flagship-soc-tsmc-2nm-process-production-availability-end-2026/

TSMC’s 2nm Process Is Expected to Witness Massive Demand, Higher Than 3nm, Leading To a Much Faster Production Ramp-Up

https://wccftech.com/tsmc-2nm-process-is-expected-to-witness-massive-demand/

HDD & SSD Prices Are Expected to Skyrocket By Up To 30% as NAND Firms Cash In on AI Mania, Driven By Huge Demand From Data Centers

https://wccftech.com/consumer-hdd-ssd-prices-are-expected-set-to-skyrocket-by-up-to-30/

AOMedia confirms AV2 codec specs will be released by end of this year

https://videocardz.com/newz/aomedia-confirms-av2-codec-specs-will-be-released-by-end-of-this-year

Microsoft expands Xbox PC app with Aggregated Gaming Library today

https://videocardz.com/newz/microsoft-expands-xbox-pc-app-with-aggregated-gaming-library-today

AMDVLK has been discontinued as AMD are throwing their "full support" behind RADV

https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/09/amdvlk-has-been-discontinued-as-amd-are-throwing-their-full-support-behind-radv/

Intel trims full-year expense outlook following Altera stake sale

https://www.reuters.com/business/intel-trims-full-year-expense-outlook-following-altera-stake-sale-2025-09-15/

The Tuesday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

Silksong has sold more than 3.2 million copies on Steam in less than 2 weeks, industry analyst firm estimates
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/silksong-has-sold-more-than-3-2-million-copies-on-steam-in-less-than-2-weeks-industry-analyst-firm-estimates/
September might be packed with game releases, but Silksong set an early watermark for the month by clearing out the release calendar of competitors, claiming a place in all-time peak player count rankings, and—lest we forget—setting Steam entirely on fire. As the dust settles, we're now getting our first estimates for just how many copies Silksong has sold.
In its game discovery newsletter, games industry analyst firm GameDiscoverCo estimates based on available data that Hollow Knight: Silksong has already sold more than 3.2 million copies on Steam. Additionally, GameDiscoverCo reckons it's been downloaded approximately 1.5 million times through Xbox Game Pass, though it's unclear how many of those downloads were distributed between console and PC.
For an indie release from a relatively small production team, that's a phenomenal success, particularly when compared with other Metroidvanias. Silksong's in a genre with no shortage of enthusiasts, but Metroidvanias aren't what we'd typically consider as having mass market appeal.
Comparing Steam sales numbers against other games released this year with the Metroidvania tag, GamesDiscoverCo says "Silksong's dominance is striking." Using GamesDiscoverCo's numbers, Silksong has sold more than 69 times as many copies on Steam as the next-best performing game, Sega's Shinobi: Art of Vengeance.

Those years of Silksong memes were no joke: Even Borderlands 4 can't escape its shadow after their first weekends on Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/those-years-of-silksong-memes-were-no-joke-even-borderlands-4-cant-escape-its-shadow-after-their-first-weekends-on-steam/
The weekend after launch is often when games hit their all-time peak Steam concurrents (at least until a big sale or special update), and Borderlands 4 managed to hit 304,398 on Sunday, according to SteamDB's record keeping.
It's an impressive achievement for Gearbox's $70 co-op shooter, but if it puts Borderlands 4 somewhere in the stratosphere, then Hollow Knight: Silksong must be mingling with the aurora borealis, having hit 587,150 concurrent Steam players on the Saturday after it launched.
Those numbers put Borderlands 4 at #46 on the list of all-time highest Steam concurrent peaks, just below Elden Ring Nightreign, and Silksong all the way up at #17, sandwiched between Apex Legends and Path of Exile 2.

Steam has two new deals and lots of sales/events:

• Fuel Harvest Together is going to be 40% off until the 29th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3441460/Fuel_Harvest_Together
• Lyca will have a 40% discount until the same 29th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3421300/Lyca
• There are new weeklong deals
• And now I’d tell you about the sales/events, but here’s the thing: there are 15 of them (mostly Pre-Autumn Sale and TGS ones)! And I’ll be honest, I like you, guys, but not that much. Therefore, if you want to check them out, go here: https://store.steampowered.com/specials#tab=TopSellers

Humble has four new deals:

• Humble Bundle has the Capcom Retro Revival Pack, featuring 65 games during only 7 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/capcom-retro-revival-pack
• The Humble Store has three new sales:
  • Splinter Cell Spotlight Sale has the games 75% off during 5 days. All the keys are for UbiConnect: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/splinter-cell-spotlight-sale
  • Marvelous / Xseed Publisher Sale features up to 80% discounts until the 29th of September: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/xseed-september-sale
  • Koei Tecmo TGS Sale will have games up to 85% off during 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/koei-tecmo-tgs-sale

Fanatical has a couple of things:

• The September Savers are here with up to 96% discounts: https://www.fanatical.com/en/on-sale
• The Batman: Arkham Collection is back, with 3 games and 88% off during 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/batman-arkham-collection

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

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GAMING NEWS

Panzer Dragoon Zwei: Remake Gets Official PC Requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/panzer-dragoon-zwei-remake-gets-official-pc-requirements
Forever Entertainment has launched the Steam store page for Panzer Dragoon Zwei: Remake, revealing its PC requirements. So, let’s see what PC you’ll need to run this upcoming remake.

Football Manager 26 will have Denuvo, gets PC requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/football-manager-26-will-have-denuvo-gets-pc-requirements
Sports Interactive has launched the Steam store page for Football Manager 26, revealing its PC requirements. Also, from what we can see, this new soccer manager game will be using the Denuvo anti-tamper tech.

Old-school Sci-fi Horror FPS HYPERVIOLENT to be fully released on September 23rd
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/old-school-sci-fi-horror-fps-hyperviolent-to-be-fully-released-on-september-23rd
Fulqrum Publishing has announced that its old-school sci-fi horror FPS, HYPERVIOLENT, will be fully released on September 23rd. The game has been in Early Access since April 2023. This means that it took the devs over two years to reach their final version. To celebrate it, the publisher shared a new trailer that you can find below.

The second part of the Tuesday gaming news:

Nothing is safe from Borderlands 4's 'infinite damage' build that wipes out bosses in less than 10 seconds
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/nothing-is-safe-from-borderlands-4s-infinite-damage-build-that-wipes-out-bosses-in-less-than-10-seconds/
Borderlands 4 players weren't going to let the Diablo players have all the fun with builds that deal so much damage the game can't keep up. It's been less than a week since the co-op FPS came out and we already have a build that goes infinite.
The build, which I discovered through YouTuber NickTew, involves using a particular throwing knife in combination with a passive skill for Vex to overload enemies with critical hits, and if you want to try it, you should probably try it now, as it seems like the kind of thing that's too broken not to be patched out eventually.
>> The article has the video showing the build.

'What a publisher should do is, first of all, make genuine games': Vampire Survivors creator says he started his own publisher because too few 'try and let the developer realize their vision'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/what-a-publisher-should-do-is-first-of-all-make-genuine-games-vampire-survivors-creator-says-he-started-his-own-publisher-because-too-few-try-and-let-the-developer-realize-their-vision/
In 2021, game developer Luca Galante released Vampire Survivors as a diversion from his soul-hollowing day job of working on a mobile gambling game, inadvertently birthing a nascent genre propelled by the force of silly Italian names and millions upon millions of dead bats. In a recent interview with our colleagues at GamesRadar, Galante said the years that followed his unforeseeable success have left him with a blunt assessment of the games industry:
"I see a lot of publishers I don't like," Galante said.

Silksong players are leaving condolences for the family of a late Hollow Knight fan who created a boss for the game before dying of cancer in 2020
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/silksong-seth-boss-fight-act-3/
As Silksong players unlock Act 3 and push deeper into the optional endgame of Hornet's adventure, many of them are now discovering Seth, a boss with a deep backstory even by Team Cherry's standards: he was conceived by 16-year-old Hollow Knight fan Seth Goldman, who died of a rare form of bone cancer called ewing sarcoma in 2020. As players have encountered the fight with Shrine Guardian Seth, they've also discovered his origin, prompting a wave of emotional posts across Reddit, comment sections, and even Goldman's obituary.

I just found out I've been using Silksong's powerful Thread Storm ability wrong this entire time
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/i-just-found-out-ive-been-using-silksongs-powerful-thread-storm-ability-wrong-this-entire-time/
I'm making my way slowly to the end of Act One in Silksong, and one of my mainstays has been Thread Storm, a powerful AOE multihit ability that can be acquired fairly early on. But I've been a fool: despite using the attack in multiple boss fights, I actually haven't been getting as much damage out of it as I could've. Thanks to a PSA video from Jason Mondal on YouTube, I only just learned how to use Thread Storm to its full potential.
>> It could be useful to some of you. This other article about the tools may also be helpful.

Palworld is going quiet as Pocketpair takes an iron to its 'quirks and jank,' with full release planned for 2026
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/palworld-is-going-quiet-as-pocketpair-takes-an-iron-to-its-quirks-and-jank-with-full-release-planned-for-2026/
It's easy to forget amid the enormous success, Nintendo court cases, and that time its dev started a publisher, but Palworld isn't even really out yet. The game's been in early access since its release almost two years ago—1.0 remaining eternally on the horizon.
But that horizon draws nearer. In an update published today to Pocketpair's various social media channels to announce two main things: that it's resolved to put out Palworld's 1.0 version in 2026, and that doing that means there probably won't be any huge updates for the rest of 2025.

You think that is bad? https://www.techpowerup.com/341056/microsoft-to-force-install-copilot-on-most-windows-pcs-this-october#comments

Thanks brexit, lol.

At least I imagine I can ignore Copilot, or at least it shouldn't cause issues, unlike HD Audio Driver (can't recall what exactly it was though). Also, yay for EEA, I guess? Anyway, I'm not trying to defend Microsoft's bad behaviour, but at least it's not likely to affect me in practice. Still looking for a strong enough push to switch to Linux...