2025 is looking increasingly — overwhelmingly — crowded with games. Which makes sense, as 2024 may be remembered as a weird and uneven year for video games. People who play games are sticking with older, enduringly popular games like Grand Theft Auto 5, Fortnite, Counter-Strike, and Minecraft, just as game...
Overwatch 2 bringing back highly coveted Pink Mercy skin for charity
After years of requests from Overwatch fans, Blizzard is bringing back the Pink Mercy skin it released in 2018 as part of the “Mercy for a Cause” charity campaign with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. That skin raised $12.7 million in proceeds six years ago, during its two-week window of...
Metallica is bringing its metal guitar — and a new PvP game mode — to Fortnite Festival
James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo — the members who make up the world-famous band Metallica — are taking to the virtual stage. Starting Thursday, the band is headlining Fortnite Festival. Its arrival brings Metallica tracks that fans can play, specially-themed cosmetic items, and most notably, a...
Animal Crossing’s aquarium experience is going on tour — here’s how it works
Fans of Animal Crossing: New Horizons likely know the tedium and joy that comes with assembling an aquarium of their own and fishing season after season, but the fun doesn’t have to stop in the game. Nintendo announced that the company will be bringing its Animal Crossing: New Horizons aquarium...
The best games like XCOM to play right now
The XCOM franchise is pretty synonymous with turn-based tactics games. It’s a beloved franchise for good reason, and has spawned many, many imitators. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, XCOM is an almost overwhelmingly flattered series. Here are our staff’s favorite XCOM-likes and where to play them. Some...
Cult of the Lamb is getting multiplayer co-op — and a goat
It’s Cult of the Lamb, but make it goat. That’s right, developer Massive Monster is adding two-player multiplayer co-operative play to Cult of the Lamb — with a goat. Announced Friday during Devolver Digital’s Devolver Direct, the free update, called Unholy Alliance, will be released on Aug. 12. In the...
How to watch Summer Game Fest 2024 — and what to expect
Summer Game Fest 2024’s kickoff event streams globally this Friday, promising new game reveals, announcements, and world premiere trailers. Host Geoff Keighley says viewers can expect a two-hour live showcase “featuring updates from the world’s top game development studios.” Confirmed to appear at SGF 2024 are Capcom’s Monster Hunter Wilds,...
Here’s what’s included in Hogwarts Legacy’s free summer update
Hogwarts Legacy is getting a substantial free update this week, more than a year after the game set in the wizarding world of Harry Potter debuted on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. Developer Avalanche Software will release its summer 2024 update on all platforms on June 6...
Nintendo and Lego reveal $300 Great Deku Tree set
Nintendo and Lego’s Great Deku Tree set is a two-in-one homage to two incredible Zelda games: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The $300 kit includes 2,500 pieces that allow you to build a Great Deku Tree scene from either...
The next Minecraft update adds trials chambers, due to arrive June 13
The next Minecraft update is on the way, and it’s called Tricky Trials. Tricky Trials is set to launch on June 13 for both the Bedrock and Java versions of the game, and as you may have guessed from the name, it’s about creating new challenges for the player. There...