Welcome to the Tuesday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

Gray Zone Warfare's player count jumps by over 1000% following its most recent update: 'Players are coming back'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/gray-zone-warfares-player-count-jumps-by-over-1000-percent-following-its-most-recent-update-players-are-coming-back/
There has been a lot of discussion about player counts in 2026, usually in a negative context. The ill-fated Highguard's dwindling player count was almost treated like a spectator sport, and you'd think some people are willing Marathon to fail the way they obsess over its concurrents.
Among all this, it's edifying to discuss player numbers in a positive way. Military extraction shooter Gray Zone Warfare released its major 'Spearhead' update at the end of March, and it appears to have given the FPS a new lease of life. Following the update, developer Madfinger Games says player numbers have increased by more than 1000%.
"Players are coming back, and they have a lot to say about how the game feels now," Madfinger wrote in a Steam post. "Spearhead has already been described as a new beginning for Gray Zone Warfare."
Madfinger says that, following the update, monthly peak players increased by 1076%, with peak daily active players reaching 126,600 and peak concurrent users at 30,954. It seems the trend has continued since Madfinger posted these stats too. At the time of writing, concurrent players are at 35,275 according to SteamDB after reaching a 24-hour peak of 43,770.
Those are certainly strong numbers. But more important is why the Spearhead update has brought players back. The reasons are myriad, but it boils down to the fact that the changes are many and extensive, touching virtually every aspect of the game.
>> My congratulations to the team.

GOG has a lot of new sales/promos:

• Spring Sale Encore has games up to 90% off during three more days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20260403_spring_sale_encore_promo
• Stealth Promo features up to 93% discounts during 3 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20260403_stealth_promo
• Weekly Deals 1 has games up to 94% off and will last 3 more days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20260403_weekly_deals_1_april
• NSFW Promo has up to 95% discounts and will last 6 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20260403_nsfw_promo
• Indie Games Promo will have games up to 95% off during 6 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20260403_indie_promo
• Weekly Deals 2 has games with up to 90% discounts, and will last 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20260407_weekly_deals_2_april
• Strategy Games Promo has games up to 94% off and will last 9 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20260406_strategy_promo
• Action & Adventure Games Promo features up to 95% discounts and will last 14 days. Or it will if the page works: https://www.gog.com/promo/20260407actionadventurepromo

Steam has new deals and sales/events:

• Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake will be 60% off until the 20th of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2153350/Brothers_A_Tale_of_Two_Sons_Remake/
• Call of Cthulhu will have an 85% discount until the 20th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/399810/Call_of_Cthulhu/
• Steam also has launched 11 sales/events since last Thursday. A bit too many to post them all. You can find them here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/collection/sales/
• And there are also new weeklong deals

At Humble, we find three new deals:

• Humble Bundle has the 2K Tactics & Tycoons Bundle with 12 games to get during 17 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/2k-tactics-tycoons
• Humble Store has two new sales:
  • Handheld Friendly has games up to 90% off and will last 2 more days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/handheld-friendly/
  • Oro Interactive Publisher Sale features up to 50% discounts during 13 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/oro-interactive-publisher-sale/

Fanatical’s new Star Deal is ARC Raiders, 33% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/arc-raiders

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Monster Hunter Stories 3 Just Got a 10GB HD Texture Pack
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/monster-hunter-stories-3-just-got-a-10gb-hd-texture-pack/
Modder ‘1vierock29’ has just released a 10GB HD Texture Pack for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection. This pack will greatly enhance the textures for grass, stones, rocks, floors, and walls. So, make sure to get it if you are currently playing it.
Before continuing, I want to make it crystal clear that this mod will NOT overhaul all of the game’s textures. As I said, it only enhances those I mentioned above.
My guess is that the modder has used AI tools to upscale the original textures. As such, the modded textures retain the art style of the originals but look sharper and more detailed.
>> The article has some screenshots.

Oblivion Remastered Got a Cool Black Panther Companion Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/oblivion-remastered-got-a-cool-black-panther-companion-mod/
Modder ‘AlexPreit’ has released a cool new mod for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered that allows you to have a panther as your companion pet. This is a really cool mod for those who still play the game. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
Sha’dar is a mysterious creature from the Khajiit tales. Players can earn his trust, and he will follow them to fight alongside them.
What’s really cool here is that to get this Black Panther, you’ll have to complete a new quest. The quest starts at Leyawiin. Players will have to visit one of the two taverns in that city and spend some time there.
Another cool feature is a new menu that the modder has added, via which you can interact with your panther. By using this menu, you can tell him to wait or follow you, set up his home, dismiss him, learn a spell to summon him, tell him to sneak all the time, never sneak, or sneak when you sneak.
Furthermore, players can feed the panther. Sha’dar can eat 7 types of meat: Beef, Venison, Boar, Rat, Crab, Human and Daedra heart. Each will give him a major buff that lasts 24 in-game hours. He can eat one meal per day. If you feed him a different meal every day, he will get stronger minor buffs.
>> The article has no media.

Here’s another look at the Diablo Fan Remake in Unreal Engine 5
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/heres-another-look-at-the-diablo-fan-remake-in-unreal-engine-5/
Last month, I shared a cool project that aims to recreate Diablo 2 in first-person using Unreal Engine 5. So, time now to get another look at it as “I Make Games” has shared two new videos for it.
The first video gives us a glimpse at The Forgotten Tower. It also shows off some Ice Blast and Blizzard effects. In the second video, we get to see the Butcher from the first Diablo game.
What’s interesting here is that the YouTuber has removed all of his references to releasing the project to the public. Instead, he now describes it as a fan concept that aims to give people an idea of what a modern take on Diablo in first-person could look like. It’s a bummer we may never get the chance to try it. On the other hand, I understand why the artist has made this change.

Batman: Arkham Knight, Quantum Break and Watch Dogs will soon get DLSS/FSR Mods
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/batman-arkham-knight-quantum-break-and-watch-dogs-will-soon-get-dlss-fsr-mods/
Modder ‘Filippo Tarpini’ has announced that he’s currently working on mods that will add DLSS/FSR to Batman: Arkham Knight, Quantum Break, and Watch Dogs. Thanks to these mods, you will be able to make these games run faster and minimize their aliasing issues.
These DLSS/FSR Mods will be part of the Luma Framework project. For those who did not know, Luma is a modding framework that facilitates improving graphics in DX11 games. It leverages the ReShade Addon system to add or modify rendering passes (and replace shaders (e.g. post processing)) through DirectX hooks.
Luma Framework can add modern graphical features to DX11 games that did not support them. For instance, it can add support for HDR, GTAO, and Bloom. It can also add support for NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR.
>> The article has two screenshots.

The Witcher 3 Online Mod Version 2.0 Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-witcher-3-online-mod-version-2-0-available-for-download/
The modding team behind the Multiplayer Online Mod for The Witcher 3 has released a new major update for it. So, let’s see what this update brings to the table.

First Early Look at Dark Souls With RTX Remix Path Tracing
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/first-early-look-at-dark-souls-with-rtx-remix-path-tracing/
YouTube’s ‘gabdeg’ has been working on an RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod for Dark Souls and has shared a video for it. This video will give us our first look at it. So, if you are a die-hard Dark Souls fan, you should definitely check it out.
As gabdeg noted, this is a very early version of the mod. As such, it does not represent the quality of the final version. The modder is already aware of most of its graphical issues. So, consider this an early look at it.
To achieve these results, gabdeg used the Vibe Reverse Engineering toolset by E-Man. The RTX Remix Mod is also based on xoxor4d’s CodeBase for Remix Compatibility Mods.
As I said, this is a very early version of the RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod. So, expect to see a lot of visual bugs and issues. Still, when it works, Dark Souls can look amazing with Path Tracing.
I should also note that this RTX Remix has nothing in common with the Path Tracing Mod for Dark Souls 2. In Dark Souls 2, we’ll get Path Tracing via DS2LightingEngine. Early tests also suggest that it will not be as demanding as most RTX Remix Mods. After all, it ran with 60FPS at 4K/DLSS Balanced on an NVIDIA RTX 4080.
There is currently no ETA for when this RTX Remix Mod will come out. Since it’s in a very early development stage, you should not expect to be playing it anytime soon. Nevertheless, I’ll be sure to keep you posted.
>> There is an over 15 minutes video in the article.

DLC-Sized Fan Expansion “Retribution REDUX” Released for Fallout: New Vegas
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/dlc-sized-fan-expansion-retribution-redux-released-for-fallout-new-vegas/
The BE Team has released a REDUX version that combines the two DLC-sized fan expansions for Fallout: New Vegas, Retribution 1 and 2. So, let’s see what this new REDUX version brings to the table.
Retribution REDUX has all the features of the original Retribution 1 and 2. They are both fully-voiced medium-sized quest mods where you work as a contractor for the Legion at Cottonwood Cove, eventually earning the insidious title of The Scourge. Across 20 quests, you’ll hunt down escaped slaves, infiltrate NCR bases, clean up raiders, put down do-gooders, collect heads, set up your own chem operation, and much more! Along with this, you’ll find plenty of new NPCs, weapons, armors, factions, and choices to make, which will help define your courier and impact the fate of Cottonwood Cove.
This new REDUX version rebalances the audio for Retribution 1 characters and adjusts enemy health. It also adds missing voice lines for Sextus, Keith, and Cleo. The REDUX update fixes the bug that allowed players to complete “Until It Sleeps” without killing Scully. Additionally, it patches Icarus and Nox’s force-greets so they trigger instantly and are no longer missable. It also adds more henchmen to the fights with Nox and Icarus, making those encounters appropriately challenging.
If you have already played these two mods, this REDUX version may not seem particularly impressive. However, if you haven’t played them, this is the definitive version to get. You can download it from this link.
>> The article has the trailer of the original Retribution 2 mod.

New Crimson Desert Mod reduces LOD pop-in issues & adds grass shadows
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-crimson-desert-mod-reduces-lod-pop-in-issues-adds-grass-shadows/
Modder ‘VAXIStaa’ has released a must-have mod for Crimson Desert, targeting those who have high-end GPUs. This mod will reduce the annoying LOD pop-in issues from which the game suffers. So, this is a mod everyone should be using on PC. At least in my opinion.
Going into more details, the mod improves the LOD pop-ins for vegetation, grass, and rocks by a certain amount “0.5” -> 1.0″. The modder does not suggest using higher values as they can cause issues.
Furthermore, the mod adds 1881 meshes into the “ignoreImposterList.xml”. These objects will keep their high-quality poly form from further away. As such, the game will no longer suffer from the poly change when the distance is changed.
As the modder noted, there are improvements, but pop-ins are not eliminated fully. For instance, the drawing line for shadows (the cascade of shadows) is still an issue and is still present even with this mod. Nevertheless, the game can look way better with it.
>> The article has several gifs.

'There's always the chance s**t hits the fan and we suffer another major setback,' Skyblivion lead says about the possibility of another delay, but 'from what I see internally I am pretty optimistic'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/theres-always-the-chance-s-t-hits-the-fan-and-we-suffer-another-major-setback-skyblivion-lead-says-about-the-possibility-of-another-delay-but-from-what-i-see-internally-i-am-pretty-optimistic/
I wondered, last week, if the new call for aid put forth by the Skyblivion development team was a sign that the long-awaited mega mod—the one recreating The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion in the newer tech of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Special Edition—might be delayed again. It was supposed to be out in 2025 but was pushed into '26 at the last minute, and to me this new update made it sound like there's still an awful lot left to do for a game that's supposed to be out within the next eight months.
Anything's possible, but Skyblivion project lead Rebelzize told me in an email that he remains "pretty optimistic" about things, and that while the development team is "stretched thin," that's been the case for the past decade already.

Fallout: New Vegas for the PS3 mod adds Fallout: New Vegas for the PS3 to Fallout: New Vegas for the PC
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fallout/fallout-new-vegas-for-the-ps3-mod-adds-fallout-new-vegas-for-the-ps3-to-fallout-new-vegas-for-the-pc/
Some mods are utterly transformative: Tweaks to the baseline experience that feel like they were always there, or standalone campaigns worthy of their own retail release. I'm not talking about either of those today. I'm talking about Fallout: New Vegas for the PS3.
Last October, Nexus user Pope74220⁠—presumably not the actual Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Christ⁠—uploaded the original Fallout 3 mod: A perfect Gamebryo engine facsimile of New Vegas' "Greatest Hits" Ultimate Edition box for Sony's PlayStation 3. That's the one that came a year or so after launch with all the DLC, plus a nifty red plastic Blu-ray band. It appears to be an unarmed weapon you can punch people with, and I love how detailed the model is—it's even got the blurb on the back and all the info boxes below.
In January, modder Zhang Yue Zhi brought things full circle, porting Fallout: New Vegas for the PS3 into Fallout: New Vegas for the PC⁠—it even has an added chance of insta-killing any character you hit with it, but only if you're rocking the beloved Wild Wasteland perk. Ivan Perdona on YouTube has a nice video of the New Vegas version in action.
>> There0s an almost 2 minutes video in the article.

Zelda: Twilight Princess PC port inches closer to release with new showcase video—and modders have already added Linkle into the game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/zelda-twilight-princess-pc-port-inches-closer-to-release-with-new-showcase-video-and-modders-have-already-added-linkle-into-the-game/
Hot on the heels of fan-made PC port Jak 3, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will soon have a playable PC release of its own. As with previous ports of Nintendo classics like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Star Fox 64, the Twilight Princess port is based on a decompilation of the original game code—a painstaking reverse-engineering process that results in completely rewritten code that can run natively on PC.
While Twilight Princess's decompilation was complete in late 2025, it's still a lot of work to turn that code into a playable PC port, complete with support for higher resolutions, framerates, and so on. The volunteer developers behind Twilight Princess: Courage Reborn, as the project is named, showed off their latest project in a video on Monday.
The adventure game's long introductory segment which plays out in Link's home village seems to be working quite well and is "completely crashless" according to the video, which offers a few nice details
"The main goal is to get to open source now," says the video in closing. Currently development is contained to the project's Discord server, but as it approaches a beta-level release in the months to come you can expect to see it pop up on Github.
As with prior fan-made decompiled PC ports, Twilight Princess: Courage Reborn does not actually contain any of Nintendo's proprietary assets. The code itself is distinct, and players have to provide their own copy of the original game—ripped from a GameCube disc—to supply the port's executable with all the art and sound assets for that code to bring to life.
>> The video is almost 5 minutes long.

Someone has made a tool to add achievements to non-Steam games on Linux, which feels like a niche in a niche
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/linux/someone-has-made-a-tool-to-add-achievements-to-non-steam-games-on-linux-which-feels-like-a-niche-in-a-niche/
If you are on Linux and are the type to play a game arguably hours too long just to finish off the achievements list, I've found the perfect thing for you / your worst nightmare. Sentinel is a new tool you can download on GitHub that will add an achievements system to your games, even if you play them on a storefront other than Steam.
In fact, the creator "m0rpheus23" on Reddit has shared that its major use is to specifically work with games downloaded outside of Steam. In concept, it's quite a simple bit of software, really. Once downloaded, you simply choose to use the Steam Web API or an external data source (like SteamHunters), and the tool will grab achievement data there.
From here, it monitors Steam saves and cross-references them with data gleaned from the achievement sources and awards the achievement when it thinks you've done so. A GIF is shown off in the GitHub of someone playing Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and unlocking an achievement the moment they shoot an arrow at a fire pit, so it does appear to work in real-time.
This does mean that if you are playing a game that doesn't have achievements online in some form, you won't be able to add them, but most games on Steam have achievements now, so it's a very wide pool of applicable games. Like traditional achievements, you will get notifications on your screen, and it even has tracking for multi-step achievements.
If you use the Steam API, it will also give global percentages, just like you get on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation. It also comes with custom notification sounds, should you prefer more of a ding to a ping.
Notably, Sentinel also doubles as a game tracking tool, combining your library alongside achievement progress. M0rpheus23 notes that it even works with launchers like Heroic, which means it can track your Epic Games Store games, even if you don't want to go through Epic directly.

God of War 3, Gran Turismo 5, Killzone 2, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X, and more running on the latest version of RPCS3
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/god-of-war-3-gran-turismo-5-killzone-2-resident-evil-code-veronica-x-and-more-running-on-the-latest-version-of-rpcs3/
The RPCS3 team has released a new version of its PlayStation 3 emulator. RPCS3 Version 0.0.40 comes with major improvements to the SPUs, something that will significantly improve performance on a wide range of CPUs. So, I’ve decided to share some videos that showcase a number of PS3 games running on this latest version of RPCS3.
>> There are 6 videos in total.

GAMING NEWS

Warren Spector’s Thick As Thieves is now a single-player co-op game
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/warren-spectors-thick-as-thieves-is-now-a-single-player-co-op-game/
In December 2024, we informed you about the new game from Warren Spector, the creator of Deus Ex, Thick As Thieves. Thick As Thieves was announced as a PvPvE game. However, the devs have decided to turn it into a co-op single-player game.

Slay the Spire 2 Beta Patch 0.102.0 Released, Featuring Balance Tweaks and Bug Fixes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/slay-the-spire-2-beta-patch-0-102-0-released-featuring-balance-tweaks-and-bug-fixes/
Mega Crit has released the Beta Patch v0.102.0 for Slay the Spire 2 and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new beta update brings to the table.
>> More Slay the Spire 2 articles, from PCGamer: 1- The team is already cooking on 3 ideas for new game modes (link) ; 2- The co-founder of the studio wasn't bothered by the Steam backlash after the frist patch (link)

Crimson Desert April 4th Update 1.02.00 Released – Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/crimson-desert-april-4th-update-1-02-00-released-patch-notes/
Pearl Abyss has released the April 4th Title Update 1.02.00 for Crimson Desert and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new patch brings to the table. >> More Crimson Desert articles, all from PCGamer: 1- Some players are sending NPCs tumbling to their deaths by weaponizing their insatiable apple cravings (link) ; 2- The game has received FSR SDK 2.2 support (link)

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Update 1.1.10 Gets Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/assassins-creed-shadows-update-1-1-10-gets-full-patch-notes/
Ubisoft has announced that Title Update 1.1.10 for Assassin’s Creed: Shadows will go live tomorrow and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.

I hoped that PCGamer would slow down a bit these days. I was a fool. Get ready for this long part two:

This new climbing game is a bit like Darkest Dungeon on a mountain: Sometimes you have to cut the rope, and not everyone on the team is going to take it well when you do
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/this-new-climbing-game-is-a-bit-like-darkest-dungeon-on-a-mountain-sometimes-you-have-to-cut-the-rope-and-not-everyone-on-the-team-is-going-to-take-it-well-when-you-do/
Climbing games are having something of a moment: Fare like White Knuckle, Peak, and Cairn have all made big splashes (so to speak) and I maintain that Jusant is one of the most sadly overlooked games to come along in recent years. And now we've got Ascenders: Beyond the Peak joining that mix, with its own take on the cliffside life—but it's a whole lot different than the others.

Arc Raiders is a 'Trojan Horse' for demonstrating AI tool usage in game development, according to Nexon, after Embark built two hits at 'a fraction of the cost you’d expect'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-is-a-trojan-horse-for-demonstrating-ai-tool-usage-in-game-development-according-to-nexon-after-embark-built-two-hits-at-a-fraction-of-the-cost-youd-expect/
In a new capital markets briefing from Nexon, Patrick Söderlund, the newly appointed Nexon executive chairman and CEO of Arc Raiders and The Finals developer Embark Studios, spoke extensively about everyone's favourite subject in games right now: AI. More specifically, he talked about how Embark's approach to game development and AI can be deployed across Nexon's teams in some form.
>> Lovely. He also talked about The First Descendant and its failure (link).

Marathon game director says Bungie's rebalancing 'god-like' knife damage, buffing Vandal and Recon shells, and knocking bubble shields down a peg
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/marathon-game-director-says-bungies-rebalancing-god-like-knife-damage-buffing-vandal-and-recon-shells-and-knocking-bubble-shields-down-a-peg/
Amidst yesterday's yearly crop of April Fool's japery, Marathon game director Joe Ziegler broke from seasonal convention on X by sharing an early, fool-free preview of balance adjustments Bungie has planned for upcoming patches in the weeks ahead.
>> But wait! There’s more: 1- Details on Marathon's imminent Recon buff (link) ; 2- The most powerful gun has been nerfed (link) ; 4- (link)

Petit Planet, the upcoming 'cozy galactic life sim' from HoYoVerse, is taking signups for a new beta test happening later this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/petit-planet-the-upcoming-cozy-galactic-life-sim-from-hoyoverse-is-taking-signups-for-a-new-beta-test-happening-later-this-month/
If you're looking for something to do in about three weeks' time, HoYoVerse is now taking signups for a round of closed beta testing for its next game, Petit Planet, that's set to begin on April 21.

Rust is getting hydro power through water wheels that can also be powered by humans: 'Before you ask, yes, you can force handcuffed players into them'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/rust-is-getting-hydro-power-through-water-wheels-that-can-also-be-powered-by-humans-before-you-ask-yes-you-can-force-handcuffed-players-into-them/
Not content with adding one kind of sea power to Rust in February's Naval Update, Facepunch studios has introduced a whole other way to exploit the oceans in its latest patch for the survival game. The Spring Clean update adds a bunch of small but significant changes to the game, but the one that immediately caught my eye was the addition of water wheels.

State of Decay 3 springs back to life to announce alpha tests in May
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/state-of-decay-3-springs-back-to-life-to-announce-alpha-tests-in-may/
Six years after it was announced, and two years after it last came up for air, we have new proof of life for State of Decay 3, the zombie survival shooter in development at Undead Labs. And this time, it's not just a promise that it's still happening, but a call to the community to sign up for alpha playtests happening in May.

Our favorite open world FPS indie gem is getting New Game+, Spider-Man swinging, and wallrunning later this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/our-favorite-open-world-fps-indie-gem-is-getting-new-game-spider-man-swinging-and-wallrunning-later-this-month/
Echo Point Nova is a wonder. Greylock Studio's indie FPS enchanted us in 2024 with its high-flying, hoverboarding, hyperchill gunplay, and—if ziplining onto a cloud with an energy grappling hook to shotgun blast an enemy soldier during a slow-motion backflip somehow left any room for doubt—it secured a permanent place in our hearts with a massive free expansion last August.
Now, the "2007-core" shooter is getting even bigger. In an X post yesterday, Greylock founder Matt Larrabee announced that Echo Point Nova will be receiving yet another meaty update later this month, bringing more replayability and remixed movement styles.

Overwatch's Anran redesign fixes her controversial 'baby face' in Season 2: 'This process has really helped dial in the next set of heroes'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatchs-anran-redesign-fixes-her-controversial-baby-face-in-season-2-this-process-has-really-helped-dial-in-the-next-set-of-heroes/
Following the reveal of Anran's in-game model in Overwatch Reign of Talon Season 1, there were calls from both fans and her voice actress for her model to be redesigned. Simply put, she looked too young and inexperienced compared to her brother Wuyang and her early appearance in his comic. The Overwatch team responded by promising an updated look for Anran, which was planned to arrive later in the season.
It's a bit behind schedule (Mizuki got a surprise jawline buff first), but Blizzard has shared Anran's new look which will arrive when Season 2 launches on Tuesday, April 14. The post reiterates that Anran "didn’t fully land as the fiery and fierce sister of Wuyang that [the team] hoped she would," and shares a video by game director Aaron Keller explaining the changes.

Disney Dreamlight Valley's all-new Star Path feature means rewards never truly disappear for good
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/disney-dreamlight-valleys-all-new-star-path-feature-means-rewards-never-truly-disappear-for-good/
Disney Dreamlight Valley is set to roll out its second update of the year on April 8, Whispers of the Wind. While the main appeal of this update will be the addition of Pocahontas, there's another feature tucked away in the patch notes which is equally as exciting for any player who actively works through each Star Path: Vault Rewards.

And now, the long part three:

MechWarrior studio Piranha Games lays off 30% of its employees
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/mechwarrior-studio-piranha-games-lays-off-30-percent-of-its-employees/

A contributor to GameStop's long-forgotten Steam competitor explains why he thinks Valve came out on top: 'What Steam did better than anybody else was to create a community'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/an-architect-of-gamestops-long-forgotten-steam-competitor-explains-why-he-thinks-valve-came-out-on-top-what-steam-did-better-than-anybody-else-was-to-create-a-community/
>> He also that a Gamestop exec thought that electronic distribution was just a passing phase (link).

Take-Two has seemingly laid off an unspecified portion of its AI team, including its head of AI
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/take-two-has-seemingly-laid-off-an-unspecified-portion-of-its-ai-team-including-its-head-of-artificial-intelligence/

After 36 years at the legendary FPS studio, Raven Software co-founder Brian Raffel is retiring
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/after-36-years-at-the-legendary-fps-studio-raven-software-co-founder-brian-raffel-is-retiring/

Subscription service for indie games gets a rough reception
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/subscription-service-for-indie-games-gets-a-rough-reception/

Warframe community director says 'nothing in our games will be AI-generated, ever'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/warframe-community-director-says-nothing-in-our-games-will-be-ai-generated-ever/

Datamined Elden Ring cutscene gives more clues about DLC villain Miquella's original story
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/datamined-elden-ring-cutscene-gives-more-clues-about-dlc-villain-miquellas-original-story/

'Blockchain-powered' game storefront reportedly shutting down and taking customers' games with it
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/blockchain-powered-game-storefront-reportedly-shutting-down-and-taking-customers-games-with-it/

'There are times when you want to put GTA down and pick up something else,' Samson studio founder says: 'I think there's a space for us there'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/there-are-times-when-you-want-to-put-gta-down-and-pick-up-something-else-samson-studio-founder-says-i-think-theres-a-space-for-us-there/

Star Wars Zero Company writer wants its cast to have real friction: 'It's not a personal fantasy game'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/star-wars-zero-company-writer-wants-its-cast-to-have-real-friction-its-not-a-personal-fantasy-game/
>> The studio founder has also praised Lucasfilm and Respawn for taking a chance on a tactics game (link).

A Japanese indie developer is seeking legal action over alleged missing funds from a crowdfunding campaign, says the funding platform claims the money was 'mistakenly wired to a different client'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/a-japanese-indie-developer-is-seeking-legal-action-over-alleged-missing-funds-from-a-crowdfunding-campaign-says-the-funding-platform-claims-the-money-was-mistakenly-wired-to-a-different-client/

WoW raiders start celebrating world-first Midnight boss kill before watching it come back to life for a secret final phase: 'This cannot be'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/wow-raiders-start-celebrating-world-first-midnight-boss-kill-before-watching-it-come-back-to-life-for-a-secret-final-phase-this-cannot-be/

Papers, Please creator Lucas Pope no longer feels comfortable talking about work-in-progress games: 'the situation just feels different'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/papers-please-creator-lucas-pope-no-longer-feels-comfortable-talking-about-work-in-progress-games-the-situation-just-feels-different/

OG Persona fans beg Atlus for a remake, Atlus says best I can do is a surprise rebrand and a phone case
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/og-persona-fans-beg-atlus-for-a-remake-atlus-says-best-i-can-do-is-a-surprise-rebrand-and-a-phone-case/

The games for Humble Choice April 2026 have been revealed.

• Artisan TD
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Steam key)
• Buddy Simulator 1984
• Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion
• The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria
• Planet of Lana
• The Procession to Calvary
• Until Then

I am shocked that AC Valhalla is a Steam key.

Yeah, a Steam key is a bit odd. But Valhalla being there at all is also strange.

Thanks for sharing.

I bought the AC Valhalla Complete Edition in the Ubi Store a long time ago.

Now I activated the Steam key of the Standard Edition and was surprised that all the extra content is unlocked in the Steam version. Nice!

The 2K Tactics and Tycoon humble bundle is 1,000,000x worth it just for Homeworld remastered, one of the best PC games of all time, but visually improved.

Valve may be building SteamGPT for Steam Support

https://videocardz.com/newz/valve-may-be-building-steamgpt-for-steam-support

RPCS3 posts new 2026 hardware tiers: RTX 2060/RX 5600XT recommended, RTX 4070 and RX 7800XT listed for 4K

https://videocardz.com/newz/rpcs3-posts-new-2026-hardware-tiers-rtx-4070-and-rx-7800-xt-listed-for-4k

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 listed at £830 in the UK, retailer says pricing NDA has lifted

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-9-9950x3d2-listed-at-830-in-the-uk-retailer-says-pricing-nda-has-lifted

Exclusive: Intel to introduce “2L-ILM” socket mechanism for Nova Lake-S, set to improve IHS flatness on enthusiast boards

https://videocardz.com/newz/exclusive-intel-to-introduce-2l-ilm-socket-mechanism-for-nova-lake-s-set-to-improve-ihs-flatness-on-enthusiast-boards

OpenNOW brings an open-source desktop client to GeForce NOW users

https://videocardz.com/newz/opennow-brings-an-open-source-desktop-client-to-geforce-now-users

Apple MacBook Neo rumored to get A19 Pro chip and 12GB RAM next year

https://videocardz.com/newz/apple-macbook-neo-rumored-to-get-a19-pro-chip-and-12gb-ram-next-year

ASUS raises Radeon RX 9070 XT prices by up to 17.5%

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-raises-radeon-rx-9070-xt-prices-by-up-to-17-5

MSI Won’t Be Producing New Motherboards For Arrow Lake Refresh; ASUS To Follow The Same Path

https://wccftech.com/msi-and-asus-wont-be-producing-new-motherboards-for-arrow-lake-refresh/

Intel Pairs Up With Elon Musk on the Grand “TeraFab” Project, Which Plans to Produce Chips at a Volume Significantly Larger Than Any Other Foundry

https://wccftech.com/intel-pairs-up-with-tesla-grand-terafab-project/

ASUS increases Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite laptop prices just hours after reviews go live

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-increases-qualcomm-snapdragon-x2-elite-laptop-prices-just-hours-after-reviews-go-live

Lexar confirms that CFexpress cards run hotter than SD cards in cameras – and says it's an industry-wide challenge

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/cameras/memory-cards/lexar-confirms-that-cfexpress-cards-run-hotter-than-sd-cards-in-cameras-and-says-its-an-industry-wide-challenge

Intel is going all-in on advanced chip packaging

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/intel-is-going-all-in-on-advanced-chip-packaging/

Let’s check the Wednesday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Kerbal Space Program rockets to its highest concurrent player count on Steam in more than 10 years
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/kerbal-space-program-rockets-to-its-highest-concurrent-player-count-on-steam-in-more-than-10-years/
Maybe it's a coincidence and maybe it's not, but as the Artemis 2 spacecraft comes rolling around the moon like Jimmy Kirk and co. heading off to save the whales, the aging reach-for-the-stars simulator Kerbal Space Program is seeing a major uptick in players on Steam—according to SteamDB, achieving the highest concurrent player count the game has seen since it launched into 1.0 more than a decade ago.
Kerbal Space Program debuted in April 2015 and has remained popular despite its age—you can still reliably find at least a few thousand people playing on Steam at any given moment. Over the past two weeks, though, that number has shot way up: Not enough to put it back among the top 100 most played games on Steam, but it's awfully close.
The obvious question is, well, why? And the answer sure seems to be NASA's Artemis 2, which after years of over-promised, under-delivering vanity projects from self-indulgent billionaires has managed to make space exploration cool again.

Steam has four new deals:

• Skin Deep will be 40% off until the 21st of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/301280/Skin_Deep/
• Rivals of Aether II will have a 50% discount until the 21st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2217000/Rivals_of_Aether_II/
• Zoochosis is also going to be 50% off until the 21st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2458560/Zoochosis/
• And The Testament of Sherlock Holmes wil have a 90% discount until… if you thought the 21st again, you were correct!: https://store.steampowered.com/app/205650/The_Testament_of_Sherlock_Holmes/

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

INTEL Arc Graphics 32.0.101.8629 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/intel-arc-graphics-32-0-101-8629

HIGHLIGHTS
Introducing Gaming Support for Intel Arc Pro B70, and Intel Arc Pro B65 Discrete GPUs.

Browsing the Steam Workshop's 50 million mods just got better thanks to a redesign that loads faster and works better on mobile and Steam Deck
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/browsing-the-steam-workshops-50-million-mods-just-got-better-thanks-to-a-redesign-that-loads-faster-and-works-better-on-mobile-and-steam-deck/
Last week, Valve rolled out a refresh for the Steam storefront that made the whole thing look quite a bit nicer than it used to. This week, the Steam Workshop is getting a similar treatment: An update to the UI designed to make browsing Workshop content quicker and easier.
"The Steam Workshop remains a heavily used part of the Steam Community: to date, there are over 3,000 games with Workshop enabled with a combined total of over 50 million items uploaded," Valve wrote, explaining what pushed it to make the changes. "Millions of players regularly subscribe to and vote on items. While we've added features and updated the Workshop over the years, we felt it was time to make some bigger improvements to the overall user experience."
The central issue, apparently, is that while "there are dozens of ways to interact with the user interface" while browsing Workshop content, most of them require a full page reload, which seriously slows things down. To alleviate that, Valve has rewritten the page code to enable quicker updates, and has added a "quick view" option so you can check things out without leaving the browsing page. Like the Steam storefront update last week, the Workshop update also delivers an overall embiggening that makes the front page nicer to look at.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Half-Life: Lemings Mod Will Allow Players to Save All Scientists
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/half-life-lemings-mod-will-allow-players-to-save-all-scientists/
Modder ‘TeamClown’ has released a really cool mod for Half Life that lets you save all of the game’s scientists and security guards. This mod will let you experience this classic FPS in a completely different way. As such, I highly recommend trying it.
A couple of days ago, the modder shared the first public version of it. Version 1.0 will let you contains everything from Unforeseen Consequences up to Apprehension, which is literally almost half the game. Throughout it, you will be able to rescue up to 45 NPCs.
So, consider this a demo as it does not cover the entire game. Still, this is one of the coolest mods I’ve seen for the first Half-Life game. After all, it makes major changes to the gameplay and pacing.
Another cool feature is that the Security Guards can now help you. So, the more you rescue, the easier the game will become. Not only that, but Barneys will be able to pick up more weapons, such as the shotgun, MP5, and hand grenades, while scientists can now pick up Glocks.
You can go ahead and download the mod from this link. To play it, you will need Half-Life: Source.
>> The article has an almost 2 minutes video.

These 'hunger system' mods for Crimson Desert have gotten my hopes up for a full survival conversion
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/these-hunger-system-mods-for-crimson-desert-have-gotten-my-hopes-up-for-a-full-survival-conversion/
I'm a bit late getting into Crimson Desert, so for the past few weeks I've been enviously watching wild videos of players flying, grapplehooking, and riding bears all over the place. It looks like a lot of ridiculous fun.
But when I finally started the game, I found my interests quickly turned in a different direction. One of the first things I saw was a guy standing by a waterfall, fishing. Then I saw a huge, beautiful world spread out in front of me. A few minutes later I was chopping down trees and gathering fruit and cooking simple meals.
None of this made me want to swing around on a grappling hook or ride a bear. It made me want to go camping.
I know I'm not alone in seeing the possibilities of Crimson Desert becoming a full-on survival experience. There's a lot there already to support survival systems, including a few Pearl Abyss created but never activated, which are unlocked in this food risk mod that includes "poison, nausea, or debuffs" for eating bad food. Another mod, called Be Hungry, introduces penalties for skipping meals.
This is what I'm looking for. Cooking in Crimson Desert is fun and eating is beneficial, but I'd like it to be critical to survival, too. Plus, when I make one of those gloppy green "mysterious dishes" while improvising recipes, it'd be cool if there was a chance they made me really, really sick if I ate them. I know the exact ingredients I put into them: they would absolutely make Kliff hurl.
>> The article has three screenshots, but none of them are from the mods.

GAMING NEWS

Gothic 1 Remake Gets Official PC Requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/gothic-1-remake-gets-official-pc-requirements/
THQ Nordic has revealed the official PC system requirements for Gothic 1 Remake. So, let’s see what PC system you’ll need in order to run it.

INDUSTRIA 2 Gets Release Date & Official PC Requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/industria-2-gets-release-date-official-pc-requirements/
Bleakmill has announced that INDUSTRIA 2 will be released on April 15th. To celebrate this announcement, the team has also shared a new trailer that you can find below, as well as the game’s official PC system requirements.

Here’s the full prologue sequence for Forza Horizon 6
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/heres-the-prologue-sequence-for-forza-horizon-6/
Microsoft has released a new gameplay video for Forza Horizon 6, which showcases its entire prologue sequence. As in all Forza Horizon games, the prologue lets you drive numerous vehicles in various races.

The second part of the gaming news:

State of Decay 3 didn't really exist when we saw the reveal trailer: 'The game was in a Word document'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/there-wasnt-really-a-game-or-team-when-undead-labs-made-the-now-5-year-old-state-of-decay-3-reveal-trailer-the-game-was-in-a-word-document/
When we saw State of Decay 3's announcement back in 2020, which centered around the hunt for a zombified deer, we naturally assumed that it hinted at undead wildlife. It became a focal point in the weeks, months, and years since, given the previous games didn't feature any animals at all.
But, in an interview conducted by YouTuber Sunny Games, Undead Labs' Philip Holt revealed that "there really wasn't a game or a game team when [the studio was] working on that trailer, it was so early … The game was in a Word document."

The multiplayer shooter with radioactive attack bears and moose-drawn artillery is closing after less than a year in early access
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-multiplayer-shooter-with-radioactive-attack-bears-and-moose-drawn-artillery-is-closing-after-less-than-a-year-in-early-access/
Remember Striden, the game with the radioactive attack bears and moose artillery? It charmed both PC Gamer editor Tyler Wilde and myself when we saw it in 2024 with its amusingly odd mash-up of Rust, Stalker, and extremely dangerous wildlife. But it wasn't able to draw in a critical mass of players, and less than a year after its early access launch, developer 5 Fortress says it's ending development, closing the game servers, and laying off all employees.

Keith David proves he can make anything sound incredibly cool as he delivers a dramatic reading masterclass in an ad for Starfield's latest DLC
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/keith-david-proves-he-can-make-anything-sound-incredibly-cool-as-he-delivers-a-dramatic-reading-masterclass-in-an-ad-for-starfields-latest-dlc/
Keith David has some big-time sci-fi videogame credits to his name, like Fallout, Halo, Mass Effect, and Destiny 2. But this may be his most impressive role yet: Making me think that Starfield sounds pretty damn cool.
David's dramatic reading in the new "This is Starfield" trailer, marking the long-awaited release of the Free Lanes update and Terran Armada DLC, is genuinely good stuff, leading from a seated 'let's talk' intro to a fist-clenched, finger-pointed, eyes-cast-upward crescendo: "This," he says, with all the dramatic gravitas of a man who's just saved galactic civilization from an extinction event, "is Starfield."

As frustration with Marathon cheaters intensifies, Bungie says improvements to its 'zero-tolerance policy around cheating' are underway: 'This is an area that we will continue to invest in'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/as-frustration-with-marathon-cheaters-intensifies-bungie-says-improvements-to-its-zero-tolerance-policy-around-cheating-are-underway-this-is-an-area-that-we-will-continue-to-invest-in/
Marathon just completed its second full week since the rollout of its Ranked competitive mode, and despite the mind-boggling complexity of its holotag system, its players have been confronting a simple problem: When a game has ranks, players will cheat to climb them.
Since its launch, reports of Ranked cheaters have become so prevalent that some streamers are calling the mode "ruined"—a sentiment echoed by frustrated runners on the Marathon subreddit. Today, Bungie responded to those piling complaints, saying it's already been banning cheaters when it detects them and will be continually refining its tools to do so.

Stop the petition: The Rocketeer mimicking the Vaporizer's alert noise was actually a bug, and it's been fixed in Arc Raiders' latest patch
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-update-1-23-0-patch-notes/
With the launch of Arc Raiders' Flashpoint update last week, the reigning king of evil enemies, the Rocketeer, had its alert sound replaced. It happened to match, of all things, the new Vaporizer enemy, which coincidentally usurped the Rocketeer's crown for being a right pain in the arse to fight.
This change was met with a sizeable backlash as it broke the established rule that each machine has a unique, easily identifiable alert noise while they blast you to smithereens. A petition to revert the noise on Reddit reached over 5,000 upvotes, and there have been waves of posts begging Embark to walk it back: "I am aware of ZERO PEOPLE who are happy that the iconic Rocketeer audio got dropped," one post reads.
No petition needed, as it turns out that this controversial tweak wasn't actually intentional at all. The Arc Raiders 1.23.0 patch notes (which are live now, after a one-day delay yesterday) kick off by fixing the bug that caused the Rocketeers to "use an incorrect combat alert sound," which now belongs wholly to the devil incarnate (the Vaporizer). Welcome back, terrifying Rocketeer dubstep, how I've missed you.

No Man's Sky's latest update is an entire new Pokémon-style creature-collection and battle system that's 'an entire multiplayer game all of its own'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/no-mans-skys-latest-update-is-an-entire-new-pokemon-style-creature-collection-and-battle-system-thats-an-entire-multiplayer-game-all-of-its-own/
I'll just give it to you straight: No Man's Sky is Pokémon now. There's nothing you or I can do about it. Today's update, Xeno Arena, will let you amass a little cadre of vicious alien beasts and pit them against one another in holo-arenas, presumably to the holo-death.

Alien: Isolation's sound designer is working on the next Silent Hill game, creating a 'dynamic score system that evolves as you play'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/alien-isolations-sound-designer-is-working-on-the-next-silent-hill-game-creating-a-dynamic-score-system-that-evolves-as-you-play/
Silent Hill: Townfall recently got its first full-length trailer, which showed more of the series' latest cursed location, St. Amelia. But other than the quiet beachfront and classic foggy streets, fans may have also noticed something else: its music.
The music that accompanies this trailer is sombre, imposing, and composed by Anthony Scott Burns, otherwise known as Pilotpriest. "When I first met with our composer-to-be, we clicked immediately," Jon McKellan, Screen Burn's writer and director says in a blog post. "A true fan of the games, our first conversations were simply hours of excited discussions about the series’ previous soundtracks and experiences, and what we’d love to do with Townfall.