Time for the last gaming news round-up of the year:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

The Epic Store gives away Chivalry 2 during the next 24 hours: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/chivalry-2
And tomorrow they’ll give away two unknown games,

Fanatical has these deals:

• The new Star Deal is Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition , 27% off during the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/age-of-empires-iv-anniversary-edition
• The BYO New Year Bundle (2026) features 26 titles to choose from for your 3+, 5+ or 7+ game bundles during 34 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-new-year-bundle
• XX: ZZ

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Grand Theft Auto 4 RTX Remix Update 1.1.5 Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/grand-theft-auto-4-rtx-remix-update-1-1-5-released/
Modder ‘xoxor4d’ has released Update 1.1.5 for his amazing RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod for Grand Theft Auto 4. So, let’s see what this update brings to the table.
For those who did not know, this RTX Remix enables real-time Path Tracing in GTA 4. This is a must-have mod for everyone who has a high-end GPU and wants to replay this classic GTA title.
Update 1.1.5 is a fairly small patch. Its biggest changes include fixes for meshes, glass, and the bergen wood textures. It also improves the metal surfaces on taxis and updates the rain particle effects. On top of that, the update lets you turn off projected light coronas and unhide certain textures. You can do this by editing the “rtx.conf” file.
And that’s it. There are some additional der tweaks, but most of you won’t find them very useful. Still, if you’re currently playing it, I recommend updating to this latest version. You can download it from here.
>> The article has an over 10 minutes video.

GAMING NEWS

First official gameplay trailer for Sword and Fairy 4: Remake
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/first-official-gameplay-trailer-for-sword-and-fairy-4-remake/
In December 2024, SOFTSTAR ENTERTAINMENT revealed a remake of Sword and Fairy 4. And now, a year later, its first official gameplay trailer has been leaked online.

I can tell World of Warcraft's player housing is going well by the amount of Star Wars stuff this one player keeps building
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/i-can-tell-world-of-warcrafts-player-housing-is-going-well-by-the-amount-of-star-wars-stuff-this-one-player-keeps-building/
World of Warcraft finally has player housing and for the last few weeks my social media feeds have been full of people showing off their creations. People are busy making cave systems and palaces that I would never have the patience to put together.
One person is just making Star Wars stuff, because any time you give players the tools to make things, they're always going to make something from Star Wars. This is simply a fact about gamers that we all know is true.

This indie WarioWare-like released a teaser just to show off its 'game over' music, and after hearing it, I can see why
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/this-indie-warioware-like-released-a-teaser-just-to-show-off-its-game-over-music-and-after-hearing-it-i-can-see-why/
There are plenty of upcoming games to be excited about as the new year approaches, and one of my most anticipated games is Mindwave, a madcap indie minigame-fest in the style of WarioWare. There's no release window yet, but a recent Kickstarter update dropped on Dec. 28 alongside a new trailer that had me perplexed at first and sold about 15 seconds in.

Eric Barone makes $125,000 donation to the C# framework Stardew Valley uses, as well as 'an ongoing monthly commitment' in what the team behind it calls an 'extraordinary show of support'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/eric-barone-makes-usd125-000-donation-to-the-c-framework-stardew-valley-uses-as-well-as-an-ongoing-monthly-commitment-in-what-the-team-behind-it-calls-an-extraordinary-show-of-support/
Eric Barone, the developer behind all-time great farming sim Stardew Valley, has had his head down working on the upcoming Haunted Chocolatier since it was announced in 2021. But he's also flirted with a bit of gaming-minded philanthropy, publicly musing about whether he'd save the Minecraft-like Hytale before it was sold back to its original owners; and today, the open-source C# framework MonoGame announced it received a sizable donation from Barone that kicks off a long-term relationship.

And that's it for this year. There'll be no gaming news tomorrow and maybe neither on Friday.

I hope you all have a great and pleasant entry to the new year and that 2026 is filled with awesome gaming experiences for all of us.

Have fun and don't overdo it (I'm looking at you, zero129).

Is there a better way to start the year than with a new competition? Yes, by winning it! But for that, you'll need to enter first:

*** NEW COMPETITION ***

Win an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition graphics card
https://www.club386.com/nvidia-new-year-giveaway/
or https://gleam.io/vI9QL/win-an-nvidia-geforce-rtx-5080-founders-edition-graphics-card

The competition is GLOBAL.

Good luck!

Also, if you're lucky enough to win (congratulations!) but will need a new power supply, maybe check the AsRock ones, It turns out that their thermal sensor "gimmick" actually works and has saved someone's ass GPU from burning (videocardz link)

Ok, guys, these are the two free games at the Epic Store, available during the next 7 days:

• Total War: THREE KINGDOMS https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/total-war-three-kingdoms-d3bb7a
• Wildgate https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/wildgate-standard-edition-b886b5

Next Thursday, they'll give away Bloons TD 6.

It looks like some people were going crazy online with a $5000 RTX 5090 rumor... which actually came from a Korean outlet copying the numbers someone on a tech website forum generated using Google Gemini and adding "industry source" at the end to sound credible.

People can be really gullible sometimes, especially given that many already wanted to burn Nvidia/AI companies at the stake and that fed right into their confirmation bias, but the blame really is with tech media being very amateurish and irresponsible.

Most news outlets are more worried being first to report something than to verify first if it's true/real or fake.

Then again, we're talking about the 5090, that already has models that cost over $3000, and that's without the increased costs of VRAM so, well, it's not too dificult to imagine it selling for those $5000.

I mean, considering the Titan V was $ 3,000 and the Titan RTX was $ 2,500, I could see an argument that the card is underpriced, considering its HPC uses. Just.

$5000 from memory module price hikes alone, though? Yeah, no.

$5000? That's a whole car lol

You know what? Since there aren’t many articles, why not posting them?

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Dispatch sold over 3 million copies in 2025, and only around five percent of players beat the game without romancing anyone
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/dispatch-sold-over-3-million-copies-in-2025-and-only-around-five-percent-of-players-beat-the-game-without-romancing-anyone/
Interactive superhero show Dispatch was a critical success, receiving a healthy 89% in PC Gamer's review, and now we've learned it was a commercial success, too, selling over 3 million copies in 2025.
That figure comes from an animated infographic AdHoc Studio posted on Bluesky earlier today, which is festooned with all sorts of stats (fair warning, it spoils some choices you'll be faced with in-game). According to the studio, players answered 727 million calls, dispatched over 1 billion heroes, and watched an estimated 23 million hours of gameplay on YouTube and Twitch.

Humble Bundle presents the The Carnage Collection, with up to 8 games to get during 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/carnage-collection.

And Fanatical has two new deals:

• The first Star Deal of the year is Atomfall, that will be 49$ off during 48 hours or until they run out of keys: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/atomfall
• The Platinum Collection - Build your own Bundle (January 2026) has 21 games to choose from for your bundles of 3+, 5+ or 7+ games during 33 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/platinum-collection-build-your-own-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Just Got a True Rain Overhaul Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-witcher-3-next-gen-just-got-a-true-rain-overhaul-mod/
Modder ‘Jaxonic’ has released a new cool mod for The Witcher 3 Next-Gen that aims to overhaul its rain system. This is a mod that will please a lot of people who wanted a bit more realistic rain in TW3. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
True Rain completely rebuilds The Witcher 3’s rain system from the ground up using real-time refraction technology. With this mod, every raindrop is now a dynamic lens that bends and reflects light as it falls. There are no static textures or pre-baked cubemaps. Instead, we have pure per-frame light calculation.
Each raindrop will refract light based on its shape, position, and the environment behind it. As such, you will be able to see torchlight scatter through rainfall, or the moon distort through a thousand tiny lenses. We also get clear transparency. Thus, you won’t see the white streaks or the milky haze of the vanilla version. Instead, you’ll now get proper and clear transparency for the rain.
In short, this is a really cool mod for everyone who wants to make The Witcher 3 feel a bit better. If you are one of them, you can go ahead and download the mod from this link. According to the modder, it only works with the Next-Gen version and with the DX12 API. Also, while it’s compatible with lighting and weather overhauls, it’s not compatible with other rain mods.
>> There’s a less than 2 minutes video.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Got an Ultimate Cut Content Restoration Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/baldurs-gate-3-got-an-ultimate-cut-content-restoration-mod/
Modder ‘MaxStrengthWizard’ has released a new mod for Baldur’s Gate 3 that aims to be the ultimate mod that can restore content that was cut from it. This is a must-have for everyone who still plays Baldur’s Gate 3. So, let’s see what it brings to the table.
This mod restores 30 weapons that were cut from the game. It also restores six armors, two shields, five helmets, and six gloves and boots. We also get seven amulets, six rings, and twelve consumables.
Two abilities that were cut from the Vanilla Items have been restored. These are Twilit Shroud (added back to Ring of Twilight) and Regret (added back to Sorrow). There is also an optional file that brings back four Class Abilities and Feats.
Now, the cool thing about this mod is that it makes every single item available through a treasure table. These are the tables that define what a merchant sells, what an NPC drops on death, what a chest has, etc. Moreover, all the magic items in this mod are properly configured for Gale consumption and tagged for Tara’s special merchant list.
>> The article has no media.

Grand Theft Auto: Carcer City Just Got a Teaser Trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/grand-theft-auto-carcer-city-just-got-a-teaser-trailer/
YouTube’s ‘DeadpoolMKD’ has shared a teaser trailer for a new upcoming total conversion mod for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. This mod is called Grand Theft Auto Carcer City, and it will take you to the American heartland.
Grand Theft Auto Carcer City aims to have the biggest and most detailed city ever seen in the 3D-era GTA games. The story follows a former police officer who gets pulled into Carcer City’s dangerous criminal world. The city is falling apart—businesses are closing, important systems are failing, gangs are taking control, and staying alive is never guaranteed.
A demo for Grand Theft Auto Carcer City will come out on March 9th, 2026. This demo will most likely give us a better idea of what this mod is all about. Until then, you can go ahead and watch its teaser trailer. It does not show much, so don’t expect a lot from it.

GAMING NEWS

Betty Boop, Blondie, and a slew of Mickey Mouse cartoons are entering the public domain, so let's hope for something better than bargain bin horror games
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/betty-boop-blondie-and-a-slew-of-mickey-mouse-cartoons-are-entering-the-public-domain-so-lets-hope-for-something-better-than-bargain-bin-horror-games/
Title 17 of the United States Code states that "in the case of an anonymous work, a pseudonymous work, or a work made for hire, the copyright endures for a term of 95 years from the year of its first publication." (Or 120 years after its creation, whichever comes first). After that, it's offered up to the people, who do the diligent work of turning it into various horror games.
The pool of public domain options grows with each New Year's Day, when a fresh batch of copyrights evaporates. There are some caveats, and copyright law is distinct from trademark law; you can read more about that and see a list of notable works entering the public domain this year on the Duke Law website.
This year, the earliest versions of Betty Boop, Blondie, nine Mickey Mouse cartoons, and the first week of the Mickey Mouse comic strip are all entering the public domain. There's also William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying," the 1930 film "All Quiet on the Western Front," and numerous other works of art and pop culture.

'Happy Gloom Year!': The new Gloomwood update is out, and it includes the game's 'largest, most vertical open area' yet
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/happy-gloom-year-the-new-gloomwood-update-is-out-and-it-includes-the-games-largest-most-vertical-open-area-yet/
New Blood immersive sim Gloomwood—Thief with guns, if you're nasty—is still a ways off from full release, but it's already well worth your time even in early access. Every update has adorned the in-progress build with wild new zones and features, from cutting-edge rat AI to player-morphing monster juice. This time around, New Blood is promising the game's biggest explorable area yet, which means it's a great time to try all those spooky new toys.
The Hightown Update comes after a short delay, but dropped just in time for a New Year's Day celebration. The release trailer shows off some of the new areas and a new weapon: a revolver with a rifle stock and a scope slapped on.

Tabletop Simulator announces a free 2.0 update that includes a UI overhaul and a marketplace for paid mods
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/tabletop-simulator-announces-a-free-2-0-update-that-includes-a-ui-overhaul-and-a-marketplace-for-paid-mods/
Tabletop Simulator developer Berserk Games has announced big changes coming this year, with "a series of major updates that we will be releasing for free with the goal of modernizing Tabletop Simulator and setting up the platform for success over the coming decade and beyond."
Version 2.0 of the popular virtual tabletop will include a significant overhaul of the interface, making it easier to play and more Steam Deck-friendly. We'll be able to switch between a "Play Mode" that is "designed to streamline gameplay and make the playing experience less cluttered and confusing" and an "Edit Mode" for "creators and power users who want expansive control over their creative process."

All Genshin Impact 6.3 livestream codes
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/genshin-impact-codes-6-3-livestream/
The Genshin Impact 6.3 livestream codes are finally here, or should I say the Luna IV codes, since we're moving along into the fourth instalment of the special Song of the Welkin Moon story in Nod-Krai. Though these Luna versions have seen us step into Snezhnaya for the first time, we haven't technically hit the 6.0 update yet, which kind of makes sense when you consider Nod-Krai is its own autonomous region.

Baba is News: One of the best puzzle games of the last decade just got a major update seven years after release
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/baba-is-news-one-of-the-best-puzzle-games-of-the-last-decade-just-got-a-major-update-seven-years-after-release/
Baba is You is about as cool as puzzle games get, and PC Gamer contributor Philippa Warr agreed, scoring the game an exceptional 90% back when it released. But like most puzzle games, I binged it once with no plans to return until my withering hippocampus had fully lost all the puzzle solutions. To my elation, 2026 is starting with a delightful surprise: a major update to Baba Is You with all sorts of new words, objects and modding tools.

I'm not saying that they will reach that price, I'm just saying that I won't be surprised if they do.

And it won't be only because of the extra cost of VRAM. Asus and others won't mind adding an extra percentage to the price to get even more money. After all, the MSRP is $2000 but, other than Nvidia's Founders Edition, you'll have a hard time finding one that comes close to that price... or even finding one at all, since they seem to be low on stock.

Well, there was an article the other day about a massive 4TB server memory kit costing more than a sports car, pver $70000, so yeah, that's a fair comparison.

For demo aficionados, Queen's Domain (hint, hint, nudge nudge) is first person Souls-like directly inspired by King's Field, while reminiscing old 90s PC first person RPGs - just played through its demo and really liked it for it aesthetics and level design.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1799840/Queens_Domain/