Monday gaming news, part two:

Arc Raiders is halting Expeditions until 2027 so it can make 'major improvements' to the system
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-is-halting-expeditions-until-2027-so-it-can-make-major-improvements-to-the-system/
Arc Raiders' upcoming fifth Expedition will be its last for a good while, as developer Embark Studios is going to "pause" them until early 2027 so it can rework the whole thing.

The newly independent Psychonauts dev now earns all the revenue when you buy games it made under Xbox: 'Buying any of our games helps support the studio'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/the-newly-independent-psychonauts-dev-now-earns-all-the-revenue-when-you-buy-games-it-made-under-xbox-buying-any-of-our-games-helps-support-the-studio/
Double Fine has fully transitioned into an independent studio after leaving Xbox earlier this year. The studio now has full publishing rights to the games it made under Microsoft and earns all the revenue when you buy them, CEO Tim Schafer confirmed on the Kinda Funny podcast.
>> The same is true for:

Compulsion Games' buyout is complete, so now Microsoft won't get a cut if you buy South of Midnight
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/compulsion-games-buyout-is-complete-so-now-microsoft-wont-get-a-cut-if-you-buy-south-of-midnight/
South of Midnight was one of 2025's seemingly innumerable highlights—in their 83% review, evergreen writer Andrea Shearon called it "a Deep South delight drenched in superstition and pain." If you've been holding off but nonetheless rooting for the award-winning studio behind it, Compulsion Games, now's a great time to dive in: it's independent again after a lengthy stay under the Xbox Game Studios banner.

The latest cooperative craze is a physics-based fishing simulator where you can launch your catch into the air and no-scope it with a sniper rifle
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/the-latest-cooperative-craze-is-a-physics-based-fishing-simulator-where-you-can-launch-your-catch-into-the-air-and-no-scope-it-with-a-sniper-rifle/
As someone who grew up in the '90s and early '00s when cooperative games were scarce, I'm a big fan of this current era of cheap and cheerful experiences designed to play with your pals. I enjoy the knockabout vibe of games like Peak and R.E.P.O, which acknowledge their disposable nature and focus on being daft fun, rather than trying to engage you for weeks and months at a time as more traditional live service games do.
As such, I'm always interested to see what coop nonsense bubbles up to the surface of Steam's algorithm next, and it appears the catch of the day is How to Fish, a 1-4 player, physics- based fishing simulator where you subdue marine life in the most preposterous ways possible.

The dungeoncrawler where you really can roll to seduce the dragon has been delayed until next year
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-dungeoncrawler-where-you-really-can-roll-to-seduce-the-dragon-has-been-delayed-until-next-year/
The game whose full name I forget and have to copy-paste every time—here goes, it's called Rizz Dungeon: Skeleton Key to My Heart—was scheduled to release on September 17. It's been delayed until next year because developer Snoozy Kazoo's previous games—hang on, let me warm up Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V again—Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion and Turnip Boy Robs a Bank have sold better than expected. Now Snoozy Kazoo can afford to make Rizz Dungeon the game they really wanted it to be from the start.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's first beta patch adds a new map and mode, as Infinity Ward responds to complaints about footstep noise and weapon lethality
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-4s-first-beta-patch-adds-a-new-map-and-mode-as-infinity-ward-responds-to-complaints-about-footstep-noise-and-weapon-lethality/
The beta for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 kicked off in earnest this weekend, with Infinity Ward commencing public testing of what we all hope is a return to form after the disappointment of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. And changes are already being made, with the developers releasing a new patch that makes a couple of mechanical tweaks while also adding a new map and mode.

This newly announced soulslike has a main character inspired by Dark Souls' most heartbreaking boss fight
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/this-newly-announced-soulslike-has-a-main-character-inspired-by-dark-souls-most-heartbreaking-boss-fight/
Honestly, I'm surprised nobody thought of this sooner. Via Kotaku, Stray Dog: Nobody Cares is a soulslike directly inspired by Dark Souls, which asks: "What if you played as Great Grey Wolf Sif?" It's an idea that seems painfully obvious in hindsight, and I can only credit developer Parry Frames Studio for doing the hard work of making it a reality.

EverQuest Legends dev says 'I'm sure we would' add new classes, races 'in the longer-term vision of the game'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/everquest-legends-dev-says-im-sure-we-would-add-new-classes-races-in-the-longer-term-vision-of-the-game/
EverQuest Legends, the EverQuest spinoff that remixes an old-school version of the early MMORPG into a multiclassing, froglok-murdering ARPG minmaxer's paradise, has a lot on the way. In a recent Twitch stream, developers from Daybreak Games and Game Jawn floated some pretty big ideas for the future: perhaps most notably, all-new classes that weren't in the original EverQuest at all.

Nightdive's Thief remaster unearths a 'very very out of date version control repository' with 'the wildest things to say about the code'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/nightdives-thief-remaster-unearths-a-very-very-out-of-date-version-control-repository-with-the-wildest-things-to-say-about-the-code/
It's great that the Nightdive's remasters of various classic games give new players a chance to experience them without having to download a fixpack or remap the controls or whatever, but it's also a wonderful opportunity to learn new things about games we already loved. Each remaster is like an archaeological dig and you never know what it'll uncover.

Paradox commits a classic blunder and accidentally leaks its own post-apocalyptic grand strategy game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/paradox-commits-a-classic-blunder-and-accidentally-leaks-its-own-post-apocalyptic-grand-strategy-game/
As we head into big gaming week™ there are lots of studios with secret projects whirring behind the scenes, waiting to be announced at Gamescom or Opening Night Live. We now know that Paradox is one of said studios, thanks to its own forum filters.
"Paradox Forum website seems to accidentally list the unannounced game's name in the Unreleased Game filters," one eagle-eyed detective pointed out (via DualShockers) on Reddit. In the accompanying screenshot you can see the keyword Afterworld appear beneath Unreleased Games and Prison Architect 2

And here’s the third part of the gaming news:

Lone game dev builds an explorable cyberpunk city almost entirely out of ASCII characters
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/lone-game-dev-builds-an-explorable-cyberpunk-city-almost-entirely-out-of-ascii-characters/
>> It’s not a game, but I thought some of you may be interested in checking it out, even if it’s only to watch the video in the article.

Dishonored was a last-ditch effort by Arkane Studios after years of fruitless contract work, according to the game's co-creator: 'I think we had four months of money left'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/dishonored-was-a-last-ditch-effort-by-arkane-studios-after-years-of-fruitless-contract-work-according-to-the-games-co-creator-i-think-we-had-four-months-of-money-left/

Fallout dev Tim Cain says we should pay more attention to bad games: '[Publishers] often don't learn from failure because they only look at the games that sold well'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fallout-dev-tim-cain-says-we-should-pay-more-attention-to-bad-games-publishers-often-dont-learn-from-failure-because-they-only-look-at-the-games-that-sold-well/

'We didn't have layoffs before, and now all of a sudden we have yearly layoffs': Bethesda artist says 'something has changed' under Microsoft
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/we-didnt-have-layoffs-before-and-now-all-of-a-sudden-we-have-yearly-layoffs-bethesda-artist-says-something-has-changed-under-microsoft/

People are taking the 4.5 RR from the CoD beta and it looks insane in other games. Noise and blurriness seem almost all gone.

Good news for Nvidia users.

ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X20 launches for $1,299 without AR glasses, OLED upgrade costs $300 more than Ally X

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-rog-xbox-ally-x20-launches-for-1299-without-ar-glasses-oled-upgrade-costs-300-more-than-ally-x

ASUS ROG adds three 24.5-inch OLED esports monitors up to 720Hz, new Fast IPS monitor reaches 920Hz

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-rog-adds-three-24-5-inch-oled-esports-monitors-up-to-720hz-new-fast-ips-monitor-reaches-920hz

Intel details Wildcat Lake cost cuts, compute die is 38% smaller than Panther Lake

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-details-wildcat-lake-cost-cuts-compute-die-is-38-smaller-than-panther-lake

Intel details Xe3P GPU architecture, Crescent Island gets up to 480GB memory and 350W PCIe variant

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-details-xe3p-gpu-architecture-crescent-island-gets-up-to-480gb-memory-and-350w-pcie-variant

Windows 11 prepares unified memory controls ahead of NVIDIA RTX Spark PCs

https://videocardz.com/newz/windows-11-prepares-unified-memory-controls-ahead-of-nvidia-rtx-spark-pcs

Raptor 3D-DRAM combines 32GB capacity with over 100 TB/s bandwidth

https://videocardz.com/newz/raptor-3d-dram-combines-32gb-capacity-with-over-100-tb-s-bandwidth

An RTX 4090 Suffering From “Memory Corruption” With 1.5GB Reduced VRAM Is Getting No Warranty Replacement From GIGABYTE; Company Says GPU Boots And Runs Fine

https://wccftech.com/gigabyte-denies-rtx-4090-rma-uncorrectable-vram-errors/

Western Digital Wins Customer’s Heart After Extending SSD Warranty For Free While Also Shipping A 2 TB Drive Instead Of 480 GB SSD

https://wccftech.com/western-digital-extends-ssd-warranty-for-free-while-also-shipping-a-2-tb-drive-instead-of-480-gb/

This is the first look at the inside of Apple's AI servers

https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/08/24/this-is-the-first-look-at-the-inside-of-apples-ai-servers

The Tuesday gaming news, all in one post:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

GOG has launched its Back to School Sale , with over 7500 deals and up to 95% discounts until the 10th of September: https://www.gog.com/en/back-to-school-sale

Steam has one new deal as well as several sales/events:

• The only deal that shows up is the Early Access title Here Comes The Swarm , 30% off until the 7th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3052730/Here_Comes_The_Swarm/
• These are the new sales/events, in launch order:
  • Yuri Game Selection 2026 has upcoming titles and up to 75% discounts: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43093400/sale/yurigameselection2026
  • Pixel Arcadia has lots of upcoming retro-future games, plus two games on sale (the showcase is also at GOG): https://store.steampowered.com/curator/46177234/sale/PixelArcadia
  • Publisher FreeMind shows its upcoming releases and puts its games up to 91% off: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/FreemindPublisherSale2026
  • Publisher MicroProse also brings its upcoming titles an puts its games on sale with up to 80% discounts: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/MicroProsePublisherSale2026
  • Weird Days Job Simulator explores job simulator games with a strange sestting or premise. This showcase is ful of upcoming releases, some demos and games up to 80% off: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/46222062/sale/WeirdDaysJobSimulator-2026
  • IGN Gamescom 2026 is the place to find upcoming titles from this year Gamescom: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/9869/sale/IGNgamescom2026
• And, of course, there are new weeklong deals

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

-Empty as well-

GAMING NEWS

The Witcher 4 is 'targeting' a 2028 release
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-witcher/the-witcher-4-is-targeting-a-2028-release/
We've still got more than a year to wait for The Witcher 4. In a video ahead of this year's Gamescom show, CD Projekt co-CEO Michał Nowakowski spoke a bit about the upcoming Witcher 3 expansion as well as the game's long-awaited sequel.
(...)
"That's the question we're hearing from you all the time," Nowakowski said. "We're not ready to share an exact date, I can tell you this: The Witcher 4 is targeting a 2028 release window."
>> Coming from CDP Red, it doesn’t really mean much.

A game dev spent 40 days in the wilderness to make this new Steam survival game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/a-game-dev-spent-40-days-in-the-wilderness-to-make-this-new-steam-survival-game/
(...) Wordless Forest is an FMV survival game solo developer Dogus Cagrici shot while hiking in the "dense forests and wilderness of four different cities across Turkey for 40 days." It's completely dialogue-free (hence the title) as the character Cagrici plays finds himself alone in the wilds, trying to find his way to safety and put his scrambled memories back together after a head injury.

Nearly 500k players showed up for the Wardogs beta: 'The reaction from the FPS community has been insane'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/nearly-500k-players-showed-up-for-the-wardogs-beta-the-reaction-from-the-fps-community-has-been-insane/
You ever get the feeling that a game is about to make a big splash, but nobody you know is talking about it yet? That's where I've been with Wardogs, the 100-player milsim FPS that I haven't stopped thinking about for weeks. Wardogs has steadily built buzz over the past year, recently eclipsing a million wishlists.
Developer Bulkhead held a closed beta this past weekend for those who pre-ordered the $40 early access release, which reached over 100,000 peak Steam players on Sunday—more simultaneous players than Squad, Hell Let Loose, or Arma has ever seen on PC. In a beta debrief video published today, game director Howard Philpott said nearly 500,000 total players tried Wardogs.

A disturbing '90s point-and-click horror game about waking up in a rundown asylum with no recollection of who you are is getting a glow up in 2026
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/a-disturbing-90s-point-and-click-horror-game-about-waking-up-in-a-rundown-asylum-with-no-recollection-of-who-you-are-is-getting-a-glow-up-in-2026/
1998 was a vintage year for PC gaming: Half-Life, Unreal, StarCraft, Thief and Baldur's Gate all released in lavish oversize retail boxes, and it was just as busy in console land: Ocarina of Time and Banjo-Kazooie released on Nintendo 64, while the original PlayStation enjoyed Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil 2.
Into this crowd of future classics was also Sanitarium, which shuffled onto shelves, probably sheepishly, in April 1998. It's an isometric point-and-click adventure starring Max, an amnesiac who wakes in a bizarre, rundown sanitarium. Lest you think this is a game about exploring a slightly eerie rundown hospital, let me disabuse you of that notion immediately: For fear of spoiling everything, I can only say: this game goes places.
(…)
I bought Sanitarium for a couple of bucks on Steam a while ago, but it turns out there's yet another version of Sanitarium coming, also published by Ziggurat. Sanitarium Enhanced is a new reissue with a range of fairly light-of-touch tweaks and additions including widescreen support during gameplay (not just during cutscenes), controller support, and an extras gallery including behind-the-scenes and cut content.

How to watch Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/gamescom-opening-night-live-2026-how-to-watch/
The official end of the summer isn't back-to-school day. It's not Labor Day. Nope, it's Gamescom Opening Night Live day, the second Geoff Keighley-hosted world premieres showcase of each year that kicks off the gaming trade event in Cologne, Germany which signals the end of the Gregorian Calendar's videogame 'announcements season' and the beginning of traditional 'release season,' to those who observe the old ways. It's live during German hours, though, so here's when to watch Opening Night Live if you hail from some other slice of the globe.

The Yin & Wang of customer support. The first one will never, ever buy another Gibagyte product, while the second one will happily buy another WD drive again, even if he has to spend a little bit more.

Today’s gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

GOG is giving away the 90 minutes The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt concert from the 2016 VGS. It will last 29 more hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/video_game_show_the_witcher_3_wild_hunt_concert_2016

Steam has new deals and sales/events:

• Terminator: Resistance will have an 80% discount until the 1st of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/954740/Terminator_Resistance/
• Psychonauts 2 will be 85% off until September 1st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/607080/Psychonauts_2/
• NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER gets a 75% discount until the 8th of September: ZZ
https://store.steampowered.com/app/633230/NARUTO_TO_BORUTO_SHINOBI_STRIKER/
• Prison Architect is going to be 80% off until the 8th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/233450/Prison_Architect/
• Hacknet will have an 85% discount until September 8: https://store.steampowered.com/app/365450/Hacknet/
• HUMANKIND will be 90% off until the 8th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1124300/HUMANKIND/
• And these are the three new sales/events:
  • Forza Franchise Sale has the 3 games on PC, as well as the DLCs, on sale with up to 60% discounts until the 3rd of September: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/ForzaFranchise2026
  • Gamescom 2026 has its own page with all the upcoming releases, as well as a few games on sale: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/gamescom-2026
  • Courage Cologne 2026 is an indie showcase from Gamescom full of upcoming titles and a couple of games on sale with 10 and 15% off : https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45716300/sale/CourageCologne2026

Fanatical’s new Star Deal is Blue Prince, 44% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/blue-prince

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

INTEL Arc Graphics 32.0.101.8991 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/intel-arc-graphics-32-0-101-8991

HIGHLIGHTS
Intel Game On Driver support on Intel Arc B-series, A-series Graphics GPUs and Intel Core Ultra with built-in Intel Arc GPUs for:

• NBA 2K27

FIXED ISSUES
Intel Core Ultra Series 3 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:

• Geekbench AI Benchmark may experience an application crash.
• Procyon AI Computer Vision Benchmark may experience an application crash.
• Multiple games may experience an application crash when using XeSS Multi-Frame Generation along with CapframeX or Riva Tuner Statistics Server.
• Certain applications utilizing the Intel NPU may encounter unexpected application behavior.

Intel Arc B-Series Graphics Products:

• Geekbench AI Benchmark may experience an application crash.
• Procyon AI Computer Vision Benchmark may experience an application crash.
• Multiple games may experience an application crash when using XeSS Multi-Frame Generation along with CapframeX or Riva Tuner Statistics Server.

Intel Arc A-Series Graphics Products:

• Geekbench AI Benchmark may experience an application crash.
• Procyon AI Computer Vision Benchmark may experience an application crash.
• Multiple games may experience an application crash when using XeSS Multi-Frame Generation along with CapframeX or Riva Tuner Statistics Server.

Intel Core Ultra Series 1 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:

• Geekbench AI Benchmark may experience an application crash.
• Procyon AI Computer Vision Benchmark may experience an application crash.
• Multiple games may experience an application crash when using XeSS Multi-Frame Generation along with CapframeX or Riva Tuner Statistics Server.
• Certain applications utilizing the Intel NPU may encounter unexpected application behavior.

Intel Core Ultra Series 2 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:

• Geekbench AI Benchmark may experience an application crash.
• Procyon AI Computer Vision Benchmark may experience an application crash.
• Multiple games may experience an application crash when using XeSS Multi-Frame Generation along with CapframeX or Riva Tuner Statistics Server.
• Certain applications utilizing the Intel NPU may encounter unexpected application behavior.

Intel Graphics Software Fixed Issues:

• When using the settings, preferences, reset all settings option in Windows 10 the application may experience an intermittent crash. Settings can be reset from individual pages without issue.
• Intel Graphics Software may sometimes experience a single application crash on the first re-arrange of metrics within the select metrics window. Subsequent usage will not be affected by this crash again.
• Overlay through Intel Graphics Software may not be visible after reconnecting the display or when the system is returned from sleep.

>> It’s a Beta driver.

NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready 616.56 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/nvidia-geforce-game-ready-616-56

HIGHLIGHTS
Game Ready for STAR WARS Zero Company
This new Game Ready Driver provides the best gaming experience for the latest new games supporting DLSS and RTX technologies including STAR WARS Zero Company, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, and Hell Let Loose: Vietnam.

FIXED ISSUES
Fixed Gaming Bugs

• DOOM: The Dark Ages & Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: Frame rate may exceed VSYNC when DLSS Frame Generation 3x or higher is used [6061475]
• Outer Worlds: Texture flicker may be observed while playing Outer Worlds after updating to R595 and R610 drivers [6238668]

Fixed General Bugs

• Asus Armory Crate: GameVisual color profiles are not getting applied when using R590 drivers [5860581]
• Chief Architect: 610.47 driver crash on Geforce RTX 4000 series cards [6226227]
• Claude Desktop: Driver incorrectly detects application as a 3D app [6468260]
• Resolves issue that some instances can cause a driver crash with 32-bit DirectX 12 apps [5725350]
• Tycho Tracker: Unable to create individual OpenCL buffers greater than 2GB [6538978]

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Unofficial Native PC Versions of Tekken 3, Mario Kart Wii, and Pokemon Crystal Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/unofficial-native-pc-versions-of-tekken-3-mario-kart-wii-and-pokemon-crystal-released/
Today, we bring you not one, not two, but four unofficial native PC versions of classic console games. So, PC gamers can now enjoy natively on their PC Tekken 3, Mario Kart Wii, Pokemon Crystal, and Extreme G natively on their PCs.
>> Check the article to see the detail and the ROMs you need to run each game. There are also four videos, one for each game.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX HD PC Update 2.0.6 Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/the-legend-of-zelda-links-awakening-dx-hd-pc-update-2-0-6-released/
The team behind the amazing PC version of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX has released a new major update for it. Titled “New Features Have No Limit”, Patch 2.0.6 comes with lots of tweaks and fixes. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX originally came out on Game Boy Color in 1998. So, this PC version offers a fresh take on the beloved classic, combining the essence of the original with cutting-edge enhancements. It supports high resolutions and framerates. The game will also run better than its original Game Boy Color version.
Update 2.0.6 allows the Pixel Grid shader to show on the intro, title screen, sequences, photobook, and ending. It also implements a modern Camera option “Map Discovery Fog” (aka Fog of War) with several configurable settings.
Moreover, it allows players to push stones while blocking, just like in the original version.
Patch 2.0.6 adds a new Classic Camera option, Persistent Item Drops, to force items not to despawn on field change. Items will despawn when changing fields (screen scrolling), just like they did in the original game. The update also fixes a couple of memory leaks involving stale textures and render targets. This may help performance over time.
And that’s not all. The update also fixes a collision issue in Dungeon 7, Floor 3. The wrong collision type was blocking the path to the rooms on the far west side.
It also fixes an issue where Gel could become briefly invincible after splitting from Red Zol. Collision detection has also been slightly reduced. And finally, the update fixes a rare issue that could cause the smoke in Vire’s death animation to freeze.
All in all, this is a major update for everyone who has been playing The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX on PC. If you are one of them, you can get Patch 2.0.6 from here.
>> The article doesn’t have any media.

New Trailers for the RTX Remix Path Tracing Mods of Mirror’s Edge, Fallout 4, Morrowind, and Painkiller
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-trailers-for-the-rtx-remix-path-tracing-mods-of-mirrors-edge-morrowind-and-painkiller/
New trailers have just been released for the RTX Remix Path Tracing Mods of Mirror’s Edge, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and Painkiller. So, if you are a fan of them, you should definitely check them out.

GAMING NEWS

007 First Light Path Tracing Patch Comes on September 15
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/007-first-light-path-tracing-patch-comes-on-september-15/
NVIDIA has announced that the promised Path Tracing Patch for 007 First Light will be released on September 15. Moreover, the game will get support for NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction.

Crimson Desert Update 2.00 Released – Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/crimson-desert-update-2-00-released-full-patch-notes/
Pearl Abyss has just released Title Update 2.00 for Crimson Desert Enhanced and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this first patch for the game’s Enhanced Version brings to the table.
Patch 2.00 adds new cutscenes and story moments to enhance the game’s narrative, along with five new voice languages and one new subtitle and interface language. It also introduces new skills and improvements to the skill system.

Gamescom 2026 Trailers for Metro 2039, NO LAW, ANANTA, EXODUS, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, Gears of War: E-Day, and More
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/gamescom-2026-trailers-for-metro-2039-no-law-ananta-exodus-final-fantasy-7-revelation-gears-of-war-e-day-and-more/
A lot of trailers aired during the ONL Gamescom 2026 event. As such, I’ve decided to collect and share almost all of them in one big article. So, below you can find the trailers for Metro 2039, NO LAW, ANANTA, EXODUS, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, Gears of War: E-Day, Tides of Annihilation, and more.
>> There are 28 videos in the article. Obviously, some of them have their own PCGamer article.

The long, very long second part of the gaming news:

Every announcement from Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026
https://www.pcgamer.com/news/live/gamescom-opening-night-live-2026-live-coverage/
Gamescom Opening Night Live is here! The showcase heralds the changing of gaming seasons with one last deluge of WORLD PREMIEREs before autumn blows in the bracing winds of Game of the Year debates.
The show has ended but you can watch it back right here or just take a stroll through all the trailers down below. You'll find a lot of deeper coverage on the biggest announcements from my fellow PCG writers all throughout Gamescom 2026!
>> It’s a similar article to the DsoG one with all the videos.

Here's how to watch the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2026
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/heres-how-to-watch-the-future-games-show-at-gamescom-2026/
Resident Evil fans rejoice; we're going to get even more screentime with Leon Kennedy and Grace Ashcroft's actors thanks to the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2026 which airs tomorrow, Wednesday August 26 at 10 am PDT/1 pm EDT/6 pm BST.

Total War: Warhammer shows off its spicy new endgames, including a 'rat counter' that tells you how many Skaven still need killing in The Vermintide
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/total-war-warhammer-shows-off-its-spicy-new-endgames-including-a-rat-counter-that-tells-you-how-many-skaven-still-need-killing-in-the-vermintide/
Since the full reveal of Total War: Warhammer's new Lords of the End Times expansion, the content is coming in thick and fast. Last week, Creative Assembly showed off Neferata, the incoming Free-LC lord, alongside the extremely fun-looking rework for the Vampire Counts. This week we're getting more information about the new end game crises.

Ubisoft is making the first singleplayer Rainbow Six in 19 years, and it's a tactics game in the style of XCOM
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/ubisoft-is-making-the-first-singleplayer-rainbow-six-in-19-years-and-its-a-tactics-game-in-the-style-of-xcom/
Ubisoft has identified the peanut butter and jelly in its pantry, and believes they would make a mean sandwich.
Announced at today's Gamescom Opening Night Live show, Rainbow Six Tactics is an XCOM-style tactics game led by the folks behind another turn-based tactical adaptation, the Mario + Rabbids series. It's the first singleplayer Rainbow Six in 19 years and features characters from both Rainbow Six Siege and the Vegas series.

The next game from Hoyoverse sure looks like someone put Elden Ring's clothes on Monster Hunter
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/the-next-game-from-hoyoverse-sure-looks-like-someone-put-elden-rings-clothes-on-monster-hunter/
As the opening reveal of this year's Gamescom Opening Night Live, HoYoverse brought its first official look at Nodusfall—a change of pace for the gacha game behemoth that looks a little bit Elden Ring, a lot bit Monster Hunter, and a whole pile of proper nouns added for good measure.

Exodus is out early next year, and I think I'm finally on board with the general Mass Effect vibes of it all
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/exodus-is-out-early-next-year-and-i-think-im-finally-on-board-with-the-general-mass-effect-vibes-of-it-all/
Exodus is not beating the "boy, that sure looks like Mass Effect" charges, but the more I see of it, the more I mean that as a term of endearment. Archetype Entertainment shared another peek at its sci-fi RPG during this year's Opening Night Live showcase, along with its April 7, 2027 release date.

Battle royale goes grunge: there's a new PUBG game and it's set in the '90s
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/battle-royale-goes-grunge-theres-a-new-pubg-game-and-its-set-in-the-90s/
No one is safe from '90s nostalgia, not even battle royale. A new PUBG game was announced today at Gamescom, and it's gone grunge, according to publisher Krafton.
Maybe more interestingly, PUBG: Ded.net is also a roguelite, with progression across runs. Take a peek at the announcement trailer below, set to Ministry's "Jesus Built My Hotrod" (though that's industrial, not grunge) and then come back for some more details.

Next big D&D game fully revealed with lengthy gameplay trailer
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/the-next-big-d-and-d-game-has-been-revealed/
Baldur's Gate 3 is a tough act to follow. Larian has moved on from the D&D license to return to its own Divinity world, and it remains to be seen what kind of CPRG follow-up Wizards of the Coast can muster.
In the meantime, the next big D&D game doesn't try for the BG3 throne: Developer Invoke is instead, to my eyes, channeling the 2000s boom of immersive sim-ish action games like The Darkness, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and Infamous.
We got our first look at Warlock gameplay at Gamescom's Opening Night Live showcase today. Check it out above.

Atari is taking another shot at reviving RollerCoaster Tycoon
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/atari-is-taking-another-shot-at-reviving-rollercoaster-tycoon/
Last we saw RollerCoaster Tycoon it was in pretty rickety shape. More than a decade after RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, the follow-up—RollerCoaster Tycoon World—was released to nearly universally poor reviews. Even worse, in one of the all-time dick moves in gaming industry history, Atari launched it exactly one day before rival sim Planet Coaster was due to release. Wow.
That nakedly desperate move didn't help the situation: people liked Planet Coaster and didn't like RCTW, and the Tycoon series has been silent since 2016.
But here we are another decade later, and Atari is bringing RollerCoaster Tycoon back yet again—though I'm already feeling more hopeful about it.

Path of Exile 2 is finally getting swords in December, and also the rest of the game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/path-of-exile-2-is-finally-getting-swords-in-december-and-also-the-rest-of-the-game/
It's finally time for the one thing every Path of Exile 2 player has been waiting for: swords. A new class and weapon type is coming to the action RPG later this year—oh, and the full 1.0 release of the game.

Lego is finally fulfilling its destiny by making a city builder
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/lego-is-finally-fulfilling-its-destiny-by-making-a-city-builder/
In retrospect I'm not sure why it's taken Lego so long to get here: it's made Star Wars games, Batman games... heck, it even made a Fortnite game. The first Lego videogame came out way back in 1997! But at least it's finally fulfilling its destiny: The blocks that were made for building are finally being used for a city builder.
Lego Skylines was announced today at Gamescom, and yeah, it looks like the perfect fit. Have a peek at the announcement below.
>> Will this be the game that makes you part Cities: Skylines 2, Zkuq?

The Witcher 3 Remastered announced: another huge free update, and all Witcher 3 owners get the existing expansions free
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-witcher/the-witcher-3-remastered-announced-another-huge-free-update-and-its-coming-soon/
The Witcher 3 got a "Next-Gen Update" back in 2022, and CD Projekt Red is doing it again: The developer announced at Gamescom today that The Witcher 3 Remastered is coming September 29 as a free update for all owners of the RPG.
Aside from graphical updates (of which there are many), The Witcher 3 Remastered makes changes to combat, movement, Roach riding, monster behaviors, the skill tree, and the photo mode.
The kicker: Alongside the update, owners of The Witcher 3 will also get its two expansions, Blood and Wine and Hearts of Stone, free if they don't already own them. For newcomers, the expansions will be bundled with The Witcher 3 Remastered.
>> It also brings Path Tracing.

The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past expansion is out next year, here's the trailer
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-witcher/the-witcher-3-song-of-the-past-expansion-is-out-next-year-heres-the-trailer/
CD Projekt Red showed up to close out Gamescom Opening Night Live with two big announcements: a first look at The Witcher 3's final expansion, Songs of the Past, and a surprise "Remastered" patch coming to the base game on September 29.
If you're just hearing about this now, yes, The Witcher 3 is getting a big expansion 12 years after its release, though we got no firm release date today. To hold us over, we caught a glimpse of the new region that Geralt will explore, Letten, and a weapon type new to the games: the chain whip.

The hardware crisis has hit a new low: We're now using rats for RAM
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/the-hardware-crisis-has-hit-a-new-low-were-now-using-rats-for-ram/
Good news from the near future: Space travel has apparently advanced enough to allow humanity to establish a hotel on the surface of the moon.
Bad news: The RAMpocalypse apparently continues unabated, forcing novel experimentation with alternate forms of computer memory not rendered wholly unaffordable by AI datacenters. Namely, rat computers.
This believable projection of the current miserable state of consumer hardware comes courtesy of Ontos, the next game from Amnesia developer Frictional Games. In the trailer above, a man strapped to a chair with electrodes stuck in his head is a bit freaky, though less so than another guy who's missing everything from his upper teeth down; perhaps humanity in the future is so desperate for localized processing power that we're resorting to shoving DisplayPort cables into our brains, too.

Paradox's next grand strategy game is taking cues from Fallout and Mad Max
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/paradoxs-next-grand-strategy-game-is-taking-cues-from-fallout-and-mad-max/
Paradox Development Studio is taking a break from conquering history and space, setting its sights instead on post-apocalyptic North America. Afterworld will see you take control of a tribe of survivors as you explore and conquer the ruins of the fallen continent. Which you might already know, after yesterday's leak. But now it's official!

Tarae: The Unbound is an 'Eastern dark fantasy' action RPG, and I for one am here for K-Diablo
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/tarae-the-unbound-is-an-eastern-dark-fantasy-action-rpg-and-i-for-one-am-here-for-k-diablo/
It brings me no joy to admit this, but recently I've begun thinking that I'm finally nearing my fill of ARPGs. I've gotten a lot of great years out of clicking a mouse button and exploding full screens of skeletons, but the prospect doesn't quite spark joy like it used to.
Or at least that's what I thought until roughly 45 minutes ago, when I saw the announcement trailer for Tarae: The Unbound that had been slipped into a Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live Montage.

Metro 2039 gameplay trailer looks like bad news for your aging graphics card
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/metro-2039-gameplay-trailer-looks-like-bad-news-for-your-aging-graphics-card/
The latest trailer for Metro 2039 tried to get a scare out of me with its radiation-sickened bugs and monsters jumping at the screen, but the spookiest thing about it is how gosh darn good it looks.

Humankind 2 trailer accused of being 'AI slop,' studio says nope: 'real actors, practical sets, and custom-made props'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/humankind-2-trailer-accused-of-being-ai-slop-studio-says-nope-real-actors-practical-sets-and-custom-made-props/
Humankind 2 was announced today at Gamescom's Opening Night Live showcase, and I have to admit that I was among those who raised an eyebrow at the announcement trailer and wondered: Is this AI generated? A number of commenters speculated that it was. (For instance, under this X post.)
Nope, says the studio.
"The Humankind 2 live-action announcement trailer was filmed at Nu Boyana Film Studios in Sofia using real actors, practical sets, and custom-made props created specifically for the production," developer Amplitude Studios told PC Gamer over email. "We will be sharing behind-the-scenes images from the shoot soon."

Solasta 2 is getting multiplayer and warlocks in its next update
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/solasta-2-is-getting-multiplayer-and-warlocks-in-its-next-update/
While gameplay footage of the upcoming D&D game shows off a solo warlock, if you'd like to play a warlock as a member of a classic party of adventurers then Solasta 2's next update has got your back. Early access update 1 will add the warlock class and two subclasses (the timekeeper and the dreamer), as well as co-op multiplayer.

Ubisoft forgot to make sure the Steam release of Heroes of Might & Magic 3 included the actual game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/ubisoft-forgot-to-make-sure-the-steam-release-of-heroes-of-might-and-magic-3-included-the-actual-game/
The HD rerelease of Heroes of Might & Magic 3 from 2015 used to be the only way to get the strategy classic on Steam, leaving many players frustrated since it lacked the expansions and the random map generator. Ask fans of the series, and they'd tell you to get the original version from GOG instead.
So it should be an easy win for Ubisoft that the series' current owner finally decided to put the original version, complete with its expansions Armageddon's Blade and The Shadow of Death, on Steam at last. Its current user review rating of 80% negative suggests otherwise.
Fork out $10 for it and you'll find an install that's only 23.49 KB big, which gives a "dummy executable" error message when you try to launch it. Because Heroes of Might & Magic 3 on Steam does not come with Heroes of Might & Magic 3. Somebody forgot to include the actual game files with the game.

Apex Legends is getting 'fatal error' crashes with RX 9070 XT GPUs, but there is a workaround
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/graphics-cards/apex-legends-is-getting-fatal-error-crashes-with-rx-9070-xt-gpus-but-there-is-a-workaround/
Apex Legends seems to be having trouble working with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT right now. As relayed by the Apex Legends account ApexCommunityJP on X (machine translated), "We have confirmed an issue causing crashes for players using the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU, and we are currently investigating the cause."
I can confirm on my end that Apex Legends crashes when I try to launch it using a rig with an RX 9070 XT. I get the following game/engine 'fatal error': "The application's device failed due to badly formed commands sent by the application. This is a design-time issue that should be investigated and fixed."
>> It’s unknown if the problem is caused by the AMD driver or the game.

Plus this is the only short format article:

Hideo Kojima wants to 'continue to focus on making games' at 63, even as 'the time I have decreases'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/hideo-kojima-wants-to-continue-to-focus-on-making-games-at-63-even-as-the-time-i-have-decreases/

Very unlikely, but we'll see. I have very mixed feelings about this new game, but I'm leaning towards it probably not being my cup of tea. I'll be following it closely though, in case it does end up becoming something great (for my taste). It definitely could, but I doubt they're going to take it to that direction.