The long second part of the gaming news:

Forza Horizon 6 finally returns to the wristband career mode the series has drifted so far away from: 'You'll start out as just a tourist in Japan'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/racing/forza-horizon-6-finally-returns-to-the-wristband-career-mode-the-series-has-drifted-so-far-away-from-youll-start-out-as-just-a-tourist-in-japan/
It's hard not to make driving supercars through city streets or rugged off-road jeeps down muddy mountains fun, so it's basically a given that every Forza Horizon game will at least be a good time. But, reaching an ugly peak in Forza Horizon 5, there's been a frustrating trend to carve away at that feeling of career progression in favour of more freedom.
(...)
This leads me to the one line from Xbox's recent Developer Direct, which finally opened the hood on Forza Horizon 6, that instantly brought me on board: Torben Ellert, design director of FH6, said, "You'll start out as just a tourist in Japan."
Ellert explains that "your first goal is to join the Horizon Festival by completing the Horizon qualifiers. After that, you'll rise through the ranks, unlocking wristbands as you complete races in faster, more exciting cars."

Fable is getting rid of the old games' horrible dog, who I hate
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/fable-is-getting-rid-of-the-old-games-horrible-dog-who-i-hate/
Great news everyone: they're deep-sixing the dog. In a chat with IGN, Playground general manager Ralph Fulton said that, in contrast to the preceding two Fable games, this autumn's Fable reboot won't give you a furry canine companion to venture alongside.

Embark reveals Arc Raiders' next four major monthly updates, which it calls the 'Escalation' phase, teasing new matchmaking, machines, and more, but our second new map is months away
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/embark-reveals-arc-raiders-next-four-major-monthly-updates-which-it-calls-the-escalation-phase-teasing-new-matchmaking-machines-and-our-first-new-map-in-months/
Arc Raiders has already come a long way in the roughly three months since launch, adding a new map, deadly machines, the festive Cold Snap event, and more. With the previous Arc Raiders roadmap running dry at the start of January, however, we've been eagerly anticipating what Embark has planned for 2026, especially given how successful its extraction shooter has been.
Enter Escalation, four themed monthly updates from January to April 2026, which will see everything from new map conditions, projects, and Expeditions, to a brand-new map, small and large Arcs, and an update to our dearest Scrappy. We'll also get new quests, events, items, and other additions throughout the year. You can see the new early 2026 Arc Raiders roadmap below.

Spellcasters Chronicles is getting its second closed beta weekend with more spells, a ranked mode, and better optimisation: 'We want every player to be able to play our game'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/spellcasters-chronicles-is-getting-its-second-closed-beta-weekend-with-more-spells-a-ranked-mode-and-better-optimisation-we-want-every-player-to-be-able-to-play-our-game/
It's all hands on deck for Spellcasters Chronicles' second closed beta test, which will be taking place next weekend, starting on Thursday, January 29. The devs have not only optimised performance, but have also added a ton of new content like a beta ranked system, new spells, creatures, and buildings.

That team-based shooter with phantom horses that debuted at The Game Awards and then promptly disappeared is not actually dead: A showcase featuring 'gameplay deep dive, year one plans, and much more' is coming next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/that-team-based-shooter-with-phantom-horses-that-debuted-at-the-game-awards-and-then-promptly-disappeared-is-not-actually-dead-a-showcase-featuring-gameplay-deep-dive-year-one-plans-and-much-more-is-coming-next-week/
After weeks of determined, frankly kinda weird silence, the Highguard machine has suddenly sputtered to life to promise that all will be revealed on January 26—which, for the record, remains Highguard's release date.
"Tune in on Monday, January 26, at 10am PT for the Highguard Launch Showcase," Wildlight wrote today on X. "Here, we'll share an in-depth look at Highguard direct from the studio, featuring a full gameplay deep dive, year one plans, and much more."

'Came for the combat, stayed to be a factory worker': Anime gacha game players are discovering they were born to be factory builders in Arknights: Endfield
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/came-for-the-combat-stayed-to-be-a-factory-worker-anime-gacha-game-players-are-discovering-they-were-born-to-be-factory-builders-in-arknights-endfield/
At first glance, you might think Arknights: Endfield is another anime gacha game in the style of Genshin Impact. And you'd be mostly correct. It certainly starts out that way. But then you're asked to build a base to mine and process materials, and suddenly you're knee-deep in a factory building game that has nothing to do with collecting anime characters.
This is the trick that Arknights: Endfield is playing on all the people giving it a try now that it's released, and many players are discovering that there's been a factory builder inside them all along.
>> If you’re not tired to ads about this game on YT and want to try it, you way want to know that someone has made a simulator tool fro sharing blueprints (link).

Mass Effect boss Michael Gamble is looking for a production director for the next game in the series: 'They’ll report to me and it’s gonna be awesome'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/mass-effect-boss-michael-gamble-is-looking-for-a-production-director-for-the-next-game-in-the-series-theyll-report-to-me-and-its-gonna-be-awesome/
I'm not entirely confident that Mass Effect 5 will ever see the light of day. Between the Andromeda debacle, the dismantling of BioWare after Dragon Age: The Veilguard missed whatever expectations EA had for it, and the upcoming acquisition of EA by Saudi Arabia, the environment just doesn't seem entirely conducive to another big sexy space adventure.
But the wheels are continuing to turn. The most recent sign of progress comes from Mass Effect executive producer Michael Gamble, who's looking for help getting the new game done. "Hi, I’m hiring a very important senior leadership role," Gamble wrote on X. "They’ll report to me and it’s gonna be awesome."
>> They are now looking for a production director? It will be years before the game launches.

One of Steam's most wishlisted games announces it's launching next week with a song so unhinged you've got to hear it for yourself
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/one-of-steams-most-wishlisted-game-announces-its-launching-next-week-with-a-song-so-unhinged-youve-got-to-hear-it-for-yourself/
Medieval combat sim Half Sword made a big, bloody splash at Next Fest last year when its tech playtest became the most popular demo on Steam. The physics-based melee brawler is equal parts gore and clumsiness as players face off—and try to slash each other's faces off—with wildly-swung swords and axes and spears.
Players loved that tech demo so much the sim quickly rocketed onto Steam's list of top wishlists, where it now sits in slot number 10 alongside big-budget games like Ark 2 and Forza Horizon 6.
Well, sharpen your sword and polish your armor, because Half Sword is ready to spill its guts all over early access: it launches Friday, January 30. That's just next week!

No More Room in Hell 2 will add new ways to play in its upcoming 1.0 launch, one of which 'plays like your favourite classic game modes from the late 2000s'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/no-more-room-in-hell-2-will-add-new-ways-to-play-in-its-upcoming-1-0-launch-one-of-which-plays-like-your-favourite-classic-game-modes-from-the-late-2000s/
Cooperative zombie survival sim No More Room in Hell 2 has witnessed one of the more dramatic early access developments of the last few years. Launching into a hostile reception that resulted in a Mostly Negative rating on Steam, developer Torn Banner has clawed its way back to a Mixed rating through 2025, albeit at the cost of delaying its 1.0 release into this year.
The full version of No More Room in Hell 2 is definitely happening in 2026, however, and Torn Banner recently provided details on what the 1.0 update will bring. Primarily, that's two new modes, a multiplayer survival mode, and a single-player option for survivalist lone wolves.

This side-scrolling metroidvania inspired by Bloodborne just got completely free DLC, and the base game is 50% off until February
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/this-side-scrolling-metroidvania-inspired-by-bloodborne-just-got-completely-free-dlc-and-the-base-game-is-50-percent-off-until-february/
Bloodborne on PC may still be the fevered dream of madmen, though some emulation warlocks have recently made strides bringing the nightmare to gaming's liquid-cooled Mensis cage. In any case, numerous game developers have strived to fill the PC's Yharnam-shaped game with their own derivations of FromSoft's Victorian gothic masterpiece.
Some of these are fun, quirky spinoffs like Nightmare Kart, while others are more serious efforts to replicate Bloodborne's atmosphere. One of these is side-scrolling soulslike The Last Faith, which aims to do for Bloodborne what Blasphemous did for Catholicism and religious dogma, squeezing out its darkest juices into a 2D, metroidvania-shaped glass.
The original game was released back in 2023, but developer Kumi Souls Games just released a new DLC for it. Best of all, it's completely and utterly free. Titled The Last Faith: Awakened Ancients, the DLC so much add a single chunk of new game to play, instead sprinkling fresh, glistening giblets all around the existing experience.

Inscryption-inspired card battler The Killing Stone gets a rad new trailer showing off voice talent from Critical Role and Baldur's Gate 3, and it's out next month
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/inscryption-inspired-card-battler-the-killing-stone-gets-a-rad-new-trailer-showing-off-voice-talent-from-critical-role-and-baldurs-gate-3-and-its-out-next-month/
I was intrigued by deckbuilding card battler The Killing Stone when it was revealed during last year's Gamescom, but I didn't expect to be playing the latest game from former Bioshock bods Question quite so soon. But a new trailer reveals that The Killing Stone will be ready for business next month, and I'm beginning to think it might be one of the early bangers of 2026.

Dinner is served in Star Birds' latest early access update, adding bakeries and restaurants to the Dorfromantik devs' factory management sim: 'Ever fed an alien pizza?'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/dinner-is-served-in-star-birds-latest-early-access-update-adding-bakeries-and-restaurants-to-the-dorfromantik-devs-factory-management-sim-ever-fed-an-alien-pizza/
Factory management sim Star Birds surprised us when it landed on Steam early access late last year. Intrepid explorer Robin Valentine went into Toukana Interactive's latest game expecting a chill, cosy experience similar to Dorfromantik.
But he discovered that its cutesy visuals and gentle onboarding belied a game of serious puzzling depth. (...)
Up to this point, Star Birds' puzzling has been limited to synthetic resource production. Now, though, things are about to get more involved with the addition of organic production chains. Earlier this week, Toukana introduced its Flora & Fauna update to Star Birds, adding alien plants, food production, and a frankly concerning number of tentacles.

Early access multiplayer shooter Out of Action is, ironically, full of action, with cyborg ninjas blasting each other in a mix of Titanfall and Max Payne
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/early-access-multiplayer-shooter-out-of-action-is-ironically-full-of-action-with-cyborg-ninjas-blasting-each-other-in-a-mix-of-titanfall-and-max-payne/
Between games like Dusk, Amid Evil, Prodeus and Ultrakill, indie gaming has long taken over from the big-budget devs in delivering the best single-player shooters (though id Software can still pack a punch when it wants to). But lately, small developers have been beating the mainstream in the multiplayer sphere too.
(...) Now, new indie challenger Doku Games has entered the arena with Out of Action, a PvP FPS that aspires to be the darling of movement kids everywhere.
Out of Action doesn't look all that in screenshots, with generic-looking cyborg ninjas battling in aggressively grey arenas. But it springs to acrobatic life when in motion. Its cyberpunk-ish warriors can shoot-dodge, slide across floors, run along walls, rebound off walls, and perform first-person somersaults in midair. It's enough to make Max Payne motion sick.

Lort devs reluctantly tweak the fantasy roguelike's difficulty after players complain the Risk of Rain 2 successor is too hard: 'You are meant to die and learn how to overcome the challenge'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/lort-devs-reluctantly-tweak-the-fantasy-roguelikes-difficulty-after-players-complain-the-risk-of-rain-2-successor-is-too-hard-you-are-meant-to-die-and-learn-how-to-overcome-the-challenge/
Fantasy roguelike Lort is an unabashed spiritual successor to Risk of Rain 2 that launched earlier this week. In fact, developer Big Distraction says it made the game because it got fed up of waiting for Gearbox to make another Risk of Rain.
If you've played Risk of Rain 2, you'll know that it can be pretty tough, especially if you're heading into its alien wildernesses on your own. Such is the case with Lort. However, it seems some players are unhappy with the game's balancing, and their complaints are primarily why 28% of reviews are negative on Steam.
On Friday, Big Distraction released an update to Lort making some adjustments to its challenge. But they also don't seem entirely happy about it. In a Steam post accompanying the update, Big Distraction addressed the issue of Lort's challenge. While it doesn't quite amount to "git gud", Big Distraction said that players shouldn't come to Lort expecting an easy ride.

'Brutally honest' city builder Microlandia gets brutally honest crime simulation: 'It's a spectrum of consequences that can become a death spiral every single day'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/brutally-honest-city-builder-microlandia-gets-brutally-honest-crime-simulation-its-a-spectrum-of-consequences-that-can-become-a-death-spiral-every-single-day/
Most city-builders are creative toolsets with an optional management sim attached, canvasses for the imagination with a budget you might glance at occasionally. But Microlandia is built different. The city-builder developed by Information Superhighway Games is designed to be "brutally honest". Roads are expensive, traffic jams can cost your citizens their jobs, and uncontrolled rent prices can trigger a homelessness crisis.
One area where Microlandia wasn't quite so forthright, however, was crime. Illegal activity was only simulated in the broadest terms within textureless cityscapes. But that's all changed. Microlandia's recently released update 1.5 makes crime vastly more complicated and, as a consequence, vastly more challenging.

The next Dead by Daylight chapter will feature character designs selected by the community, and voting is already open
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/the-next-dead-by-daylight-chapter-will-feature-character-designs-selected-by-the-community-and-voting-is-already-open/
It's been a big week for democracy in PvP games starting with the word "dead." Thursday, Deadlock reprised its in-game voting table where players can vote on which of the next six heroes will release first. Then on Friday, Dead by Daylight opened up a voting booth of its own where players can select the appearance for the next killer and survivor.
You can cast your vote on the game's website, where a spooky book seemingly bound in flesh contains various art concepts. There are four possible choices for the survivor, each of which has either heterochromia or a single blind eye. The figures are all scarred and grizzled to varying degrees, and they come with flavorful taglines if you expand the image: "Oft underestimated, your particular insights gave you an advantage in the wasteland," one reads.

And here's part three:

Master Chief voice actor says he never wants AI cloning his hunky tones: 'That's where we cross a line… I don't like it, and I would prefer that it not be done'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/master-chief-voice-actor-says-he-never-wants-ai-cloning-his-hunky-tones-thats-where-we-cross-a-line-i-dont-like-it-and-i-would-prefer-that-it-not-be-done/

Palworld developer Pocketpair requires job applicants prove their gamer credentials: 'If the number of Steam games played is 0, we basically pass on them'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/palworld-developer-pocketpair-requires-job-applicants-prove-their-gamer-credentials-if-the-number-of-steam-games-played-is-0-we-basically-pass-on-them/

Minecraft's lead dev says Hytale is 'very polished' but he'd rather just play Minecraft, and Hytale boss says he's 'probably right'—for now
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/minecrafts-lead-dev-says-hytale-is-very-polished-but-hed-rather-just-play-minecraft-and-hytale-boss-says-hes-probably-right-for-now/

More than 40 US Democrats call for a 'thorough investigation' of EA's Saudi-led buyout over risks of layoffs, studio closures, and 'coordinated anti-labor practices'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/more-than-40-us-democrats-call-for-a-thorough-investigation-of-eas-saudi-led-buyout-over-risks-of-layoffs-studio-closures-and-coordinated-anti-labor-practices/

I asked Garry Newman if he really was going to rename s&box as Garry's mod 2 after an overwhelming poll and he joked 'people are d*ckheads'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/i-asked-garry-newman-if-he-really-was-going-to-rename-s-and-box-as-garrys-mod-2-after-an-overwhelming-poll-and-he-joked-people-are-d-ckheads/

Ubisoft shares plummet to lowest price in over 14 years amid its recently announced 'restructuring' centered on cancellations, layoffs, and generative AI
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/ubisoft-shares-plummet-to-lowest-price-in-over-14-years-amid-its-recently-announced-restructuring-centered-on-cancellations-layoffs-and-generative-ai/

Deadlock's new Street Brawl mode is like a better version of the infamous MOBA 'All Random, All Mid,' but I think it could stand to be even more chaotic
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/deadlocks-new-street-brawl-mode-is-like-a-better-version-of-the-infamous-moba-all-random-all-mid-but-i-think-it-could-stand-to-be-even-more-chaotic/

UK judge rules that RuneScape gold is fair game when suing for theft, at least in this case where an ex-developer stole $700,000 worth of it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/uk-judge-rules-that-runescape-gold-is-fair-game-when-suing-for-theft-at-least-in-this-case-where-an-ex-developer-stole-usd700-000-worth-of-it/

Fallout lead Tim Cain worked 70+ hours a week for 2 years to make the classic RPG: 'I'm glad things have changed, that was unsustainable⁠—but it was also absolutely amazing'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fallout/fallout-lead-tim-cain-worked-70-hours-a-week-for-2-years-to-make-the-classic-rpg-im-glad-things-have-changed-that-was-unsustainable-but-it-was-also-absolutely-amazing/

There's been an influx of players applying to the LSPD in GTA roleplay like it's a real police force—except the crimes are fake, the paperwork is real, and everyone appears to be shouting codes they found on Google into their headsets
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/grand-theft-auto/theres-been-an-influx-of-players-applying-to-the-lspd-in-gta-roleplay-like-its-a-real-police-force-except-the-crimes-are-fake-the-paperwork-is-real-and-everyone-appears-to-be-shouting-codes-they-found-on-google-into-their-headsets/

Final count for Stop Killing Games petition verifies 1.3 million of its 1.4 million signatures, well above the minimum to be formally considered by EU politicians
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/final-count-for-stop-killing-games-petition-verifies-1-3-million-of-its-1-4-million-signatures-well-above-the-minimum-to-be-formally-considered-by-eu-politicians/

Former Marathon art director says 'what I could control, I feel really good about' in the face of pre-release animosity: 'You can't take that away from me'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/former-marathon-art-director-says-what-i-could-control-i-feel-really-good-about-in-the-face-of-pre-release-animosity-you-cant-take-that-away-from-me/

Intel has a monster iGPU in its hands... and then goes and does the most stupid thing they could:

Panther Lake's limited number of PCIe lanes means you probably won't see any gaming laptops arriving with the 12-core Xe3 iGPU and a discrete GPU
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/panther-lakes-limited-number-of-pcie-lanes-means-you-probably-wont-see-any-gaming-laptops-arriving-with-the-12-core-xe3-igpu-and-a-discrete-gpu/
You've read my breakdown on the architecture behind Intel's new Panther Lake processors. You've gone through every graphics benchmark that Andy has done with the range-topping Core Ultra X9 388H. Between the two of them, you've now decided that your next gaming laptop is going to be Panther Lake-powered and sport a big GPU from Nvidia, to go with Intel's big Xe3 tile. You're possibly going to be disappointed, then, to know that you're almost certainly not going to see any such lappies coming to market.

The reason why is quite simple: it all comes down to the number of available PCIe lanes in the platform controller tile. Intel has two variants of this chiplet: one with 12 lanes (four are Gen 5, eight are Gen 4) and the other with 20 lanes (eight Gen 4, twelve Gen 5). The important thing, though, is that every Core Ultra 300-series processor that has the big 12-core Xe3 iGPU uses the 12-lane platform controller tile.

Why?!

That's what they should do, which means that they'll likely do the wrong thing.

IF you're having problems with your (likely work) PCs, it's MSoft's fault again:

Microsoft reports 'an issue in which devices are failing to boot' after downloading the latest update
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/windows/microsoft-reports-an-issue-in-which-devices-are-failing-to-boot-after-downloading-the-latest-update/
If you have downloaded January's KB5074109 Windows update and can't seem to get past boot, you aren't alone.

As reported by Windows Latest, Microsoft has updated users in a support document that it is "investigating customer reports of device boot failures following the January 2026 update and later updates."

The document is only accessible by Microsoft 365 business accounts, which does seem to imply that it's business devices that are typically affected by this boot problem. However, so far, there's been no confirmation either way on which devices are affected.

Sony should of done a deal with Intel for a handheld chip, oh well.

Edit: I guess not actually, perhaps whoever finds panther lake exciting should check the prices; $2000+ yikes.

The moment Sony went with AMD for the PS6, they were also locked to AMD for the handheld to keep things simple for the teams developing for both devices.

Considering how price-competitive Intel is... It makes me happy we finally have a 3rd viable contender in the GPU space.
If AMD can't or won't compete with nVidia, then maybe Intel will.

AMD needs to bring updated GPU architectures to the integrated graphics space sooner and more aggressively... Waiting a year or two isn't great, especially with the rapid improvements in upscaling.

Did people really hate the dog? I thought it was actually executed well.

Chip size. RDNA4 is big.

In a laptop it's probably not the end of the world.
8-Gen 4 PCI-E lanes should be sufficient just for the GPU, the rest can be for the SSD/Wifi etc'.
These aren't high-end desktop parts and Intel has shown they aren't stingy with VRAM.

More PCI-E lanes is more power consumption as well.

I would wait on benchmarks to see where the cards fall. Pun intended.

Lame but not the end of the world. The laptop gpus with dgpus will likely not be using a powerful iGPU anyway.

That gpu is also available on lower end laptops that aren't the core i9

Intel Core Ultra X7 358H + 32GB RAM Laptop Around ~$1300 USD

https://www.phoronix.com/news/MSI-Core-Ultra-X7-358H-1299

Now that the link works:

https://store.steampowered.com/category/board_games

I am pretty interested on that i5 with 10XE cores (B370). It's only 2 less XE cores vs the one that's being reviewed. I really hope they put that in a handheld cause even if it's 40% vs 60%, that is still a big increase vs what's out there atm.