At one point during the development of hit shooter Arc Raiders, Embark Studios wanted to have big boss fights centred around pattern recognition in the same vein as Dark Souls or Monster Hunter, but the imposing robots that stalk the game's maps were far too unpredictable for that to work. Arc Raiders' technical designer Nora Silow said as much in a docuseries about the making of the extraction shooter, which you can watch below. "A lot of design philosophies, especially with enemy design, are really difficult to pull off when you have these types of systems because it's so much about pattern recognition," she said. For those out of the loop, pattern recognition in games is pretty much what the name implies. When you see a Dark Souls boss stretch their weapon in a specific way, let's say, you'll eventually realize they're charging up for a very particular spinning attack, and hopefully, you'll also in time realize how to counter it. Phantom Blade Zero bosses might normally have "Soulslike elements," but on harder difficulties, their AI borrows from fighting games: "He will analyze the situation" Arc Raiders was going to be a cross "between Shadow of the Colossus, Left 4 Dead, and PUBG" according to dev, who says Embark initially had no idea "what kind of game loop we were supposed to have" Tired of making "many, many Battlefield titles," former DICE devs started innovating with upcoming extraction shooter Arc Raiders and help from the past: PS2 classic Shadow of the Colossus "That's what games like Dark Souls, like Monster Hunter kind of rely upon," Silow continued. "And we had this ambition to have boss fights in that same arena of Dark Souls, Monster Hunter, having all of that compelling pattern recognition." But Embark soon realized the Arcs had far too many variables for those more scripted boss encounters to be viable. Pattern recognition works in games because the player knows that certain animations will lead to certain outcomes almost every single time, which doesn't really work if a scarab-y Arc is on a slope at an angle the developers didn't plan for or if there's another player firing from an unexpected angle. Silow puts it succinctly: "You're not gonna have the pattern that you thought." Arc Raiders players exploited the Hidden Bunker so hard that Embark has turned it off entirely

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. A bunch of titles that are arriving very late to make it into game of the year conversations debuted this week, and we learned some new details about upcoming projects, such as a release date for a rad-looking arena shooter called Don't Stop, Girlypop. Marvel Cosmic Invasion is one of the higher-profile indies to hit consoles and PC this week. It's from Tribute Games and publisher Dotemu, the same pair that brought us Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. Cosmic Invasion largely draws from the same playbook: it's also a retro-style side-scrolling beat-'em-up with a look that apes the Marvel animated shows from the '90s. It's an enjoyable enough game, largely thanks to the variety of characters and how differently they play. Captain America is one of my favorites. Each character has a secondary move (often a ranged attack) to go with their basic melee strikes, and Cap's one has no ammo or cooldown. I never grew tired of spamming his shield projectile attack and knocking enemies off the screen. I really enjoyed playing as She-Hulk too. Her secondary move involves grabbing an enemy and throwing them around. She-Hulk can also toss them into the air then leap with McTominay-esque athleticism to deliver a kick and send the baddie crashing into its cohorts. The character swap system (each player chooses two and can switch between them any time) evokes tag fighting games and the co-op features work well too. There isn't a ton of depth to Marvel Cosmic Invasion, unfortunately, but the presentation is spot on. It's out now on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S for $30. It's also on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. It only took 13 years from announcement to release but survival horror title Routine (from Lunar Software and publisher Raw Fury) has emerged on Steam, the Xbox PC app, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox Cloud. It's available on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Routine offers up a slice of liminal space terror with a dash of retro-futurism. Lunar Software based the aesthetic on "how people from the 1980s might envision a believable moon base" with analogue technology. Your mission is to explore the base and try to determine how it got to this state. Lunar wanted Routine to feel as immersive as possible, so there are no waypoint markers and you won't see a heads-up display. Instead, you have a personal data assistant that connects to wireless access points throughout the base and provides you with information about your current goals. Here's another horror title we've been looking forward to for several years. Sleep Awake deals with things that go bump in the night. It's a first-person psychedelic horror game in which a force called The HUSH makes anyone who falls asleep vanish. So, our hero Katja and other residents of the last-known city on Earth try various ways to stay awake, but they’ll inevitably have to deal with the effects of sleep derivation. Sleep Awake is from Eyes Out — a studio formed by Spec Ops: The Line director Cory Davis and Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck — and publisher Blumhouse Games. It's out now on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S for $30. How about another horror game? It's the last one we have this week, I promise. Tingus Goose has been on my radar for a while because it just looks so deeply strange. This is billed as "a cozy body horror idle game" in which you "plant seeds in patients, bounce babies for profit and ascend through surreal worlds toward riches." I'm glad for that description from the game's PR team, because I don't fully know what to make of the trailer. A goose emerges from a human being's torso and grows a giant neck and human fingers stick out of it and… it's all just so strange. But I kinda dig it? Tingus Goose is from SweatyChair and co-publishers Playsaurus and UltraPlayers. It's on Steam for $5.94 until December 8, and it will cost $7 after that. I haven't seen anything that looks quite like Effulgence RPG before. It's a party-based RPG with a 3D ASCII art style. Here, you'll need to take out enemies to acquire better gear. Andrei Fomin released Effulgence RPG in early access on Steam this week for $10. The solo developer is aiming to release the full version of the game in June and to add more content and quality-of-life updates in the meantime. It's not usually the kind of game that I'd normally be drawn toward, but that art style alone is cool enough to make me want to try it. Looking for something a little more relaxing? Log Away is a cozy cabin builder from The-Mark Entertainment. There are several environments to choose from and a variety of decorations at your disposal depending on your interests. You can have a pet too, so that qualifies Log Away as this week's dog game. I've played it a bit and found it to be quite relaxing, a soothing counter punch to the non-stop action of Cosmic Invasion. It's out now on Steam for $10, but if you buy it by December 11 you'll save a dollar and get a Christmas-themed DLC at no extra cost. I adore Sayonara Wild Hearts with every fiber of my being and I appreciated what Simogo did with Lorelai and the Laser Eyes, even if I never stuck with it for long. I haven't played any of the studio's earlier games, though. That's something I'm planning to fix very soon now that the Simogo Legacy Collection is here. The studio reworked all of its first seven mobile games — including Year Walk and Device 6 — and combined them into a collection that's available on Steam, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. It costs $15 though there's a 15 percent discount until December 12. I'm very much looking forward to digging into this over the holidays. I've been very much looking forward to Don’t Stop, Girlypop! for a while. It's a movement-focused arena shooter with a Y2K aesthetic. Think of it as an anti-capitalist, hyperpop riff on games like Doom Eternal. The demo is a lot of fun and I'm glad there's finally a release date for this game from  Funny Fintan Softworks and publisher Kwalee. It's coming to Steam on January 29. Limbot seems like it could be a fun party game. You can play it by yourself, but having three friends join you seems like the optimal way to go. In that case, each of you will take control of one of a cardboard robot's limbs. So you'll have to coordinate to move around this papercraft world effectively and complete precision-based objectives. It sounds like a recipe for an Overcooked-style tiff between friends. This physics-based game from Ionized Studios is coming to Steam, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. It's slated to arrive between April and June next year. Polyperfect's Zlin City: Arch Moderna is a diorama city builder inspired by historical events of the 1930s and '40s and the architecture of Zlin, a town in Czechia (Czech Republic). The developers used 3D printing, photogrammetry and 3D scanning to capture the objects that are used in the game. The result is something that — at least at first glance — looks beautifully textured. There's no confirmed release window for Zlin City: Arch Moderna as yet. It'll be available on Steam.

We've barely even heard whispers about the next BioShock game, aside from that it's been in some form of production for at least six years, and even the game's maybe-cast is unsure about its status. You see, Adriyan Rae, who starred as Hazel in this year's great South of Midnight, tells TheRespawn that she recorded lines for what might have been BioShock 4, but she's not totally confident that's what it was. Asked if South of Midnight was her first game project, Rae says: "I think it was BioShock 4. I don't know. Allegedly. I literally have no idea." One thing she is certain on is that she "worked on it very hard" and was often attending a production studio in San Francisco. BioShock 4 is "going to take the franchise to the next level," which is why publisher Take-Two is "shifting some things around" to make sure it exceeds expectations BioShock 4: Everything we know so far "I don't think it works super well": BioShock creator Ken Levine hasn't been involved in BioShock 4's development, and he's not sure if people would want him to "come in and punch things up" anyway A post shared by The Respawn (@therespawn)A photo posted by on A post shared by The Respawn (@therespawn)A photo posted by on A post shared by The Respawn (@therespawn) A photo posted by on "I had superpowers, I had telekinesis, and I was… getting people and throwing them against walls and stuff," Rae continues, which does, in fairness, sound very BioShock-y. "It was great. But it never came out. And then there were so many NDAs, so I had no way of telling. I probably never even worked on it, who knows?" As Rae points out, BioShock 4 or whatever it ends up being officially called, hasn't even been fully unveiled, so it's unclear if her recorded lines are for a version of the long-awaited shooter that's since been scrapped or if she was working on something that has nothing to do with BioShock. I suppose it'll remain a mystery until a new BioShock does eventually come out. BioShock 4 is "going to take the franchise to the next level," which is why publisher Take-Two is "shifting some things around" to make sure it exceeds expectations.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally available to the public after eight years of waiting, but there is one part of the game that almost no one is happy about: Samus' latest sidekick, Myles MacKenzie. The chatty companion is by far the most controversial aspect of the recent Nintendo release, and people are not shy in speaking out about their annoyance, going as far as to share tips on how to shut him up. If you visit the Metroid subreddit, you will see plenty of threads discussing Samus' new pal, and very few people have anything nice to say. The closest I found to a compliment was someone writing, "I think I kinda like Myles… I’m sorry," before the comments quickly and passionately disagreed. The annoyance surrounds not only the frequency with which Myles opens his mouth, nor his cringe-worthy jokes, but also how he stops you from exploring the world or working out puzzles for yourself. "3 hours in, he is still reminding me to save my game," one user comments. "Anytime I finish a puzzle, he calls to say something must have changed in the environment. Disabling the tutorials setting hasn't done anything. I expect it's just the button prompts that show up when learning a new ability." Metroid Prime 4 continues an unfortunate trend of locking major features behind amiibo, with the new $30 Samus figure a requirement if you want a radio for your bike After 18 years, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a surprisingly magical return to Nintendo's legendary series, and I'm all in on psychic abilities and the power of friendship Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review: "The series' atmosphere has never been better, while being dragged down by a boring overworld and clunky psychic powers" Two hours in, McKenzie is the fucking worst from r/Metroid If you don't mind Myles, you can find threads that believe the hate is overhyped, like one that declares, "I've come to the conclusion that his existence and personality are not big deals." But if you're looking for like-minded souls to feed into your hatred, one of my favorites is the post that reads, "I would pay you $10 for an option to shut him the fuck up and let me play the game." However, there is apparently one way that you can ease the pain. One heavily up-voted comment full of Myles hate reads, "I shut off voice volume completely and instantly felt better. The dialog itself ain't great either, but it lands better through text without the Borderlands tier delivery." Metroid Prime 4 continues an unfortunate trend of locking major features behind amiibo, with the new $30 Samus figure a requirement if you want a radio for your bike

Hytale has courted comparisons to Minecraft ever since its announcement, and it's not hard to see why. Any blocky sandbox game with survivacrafty elements is inevitably going to be compared to Mojang's global behemoth, but Hytale's lead is working to make his game "very different" to Minecraft even though he loves it as much as the rest of us. On the two games' similarities, returning Hytale owner and original creator Simon Collins-Laflamme called Minecraft "one of the greatest game[s] of all time" since it's "perfected many designs that no one appreciates" on social media. With that said, Hytale is apparently walking down a "very very different path" by leaning more into "adventure aspects" and keeping modders front of mind. Collins-Laflamme specifically calls out the game's "fantasy feeling" and emphasis on magic as a key differentiator between the two games. "Another thing is, our crafting is moreso like... Valheim / Terraria instead of grid crafting," he added. "So it's very different and allows us to go in a different direction." Minecraft lead says "I'm looking forward to Hytale" personally, but tells curious fans "there are many Minecraft-like games, so I doubt it will change much for us" Hytale won't be on Steam at launch as devs "do not see the necessity of it" and want to avoid bad reviews from "people that aren't as well-informed" Hytale lead isn't putting his Minecraft competitor on Steam at launch because "everything is wrong" with it, and Palworld lead "totally" understands his hesitance "I have great respect for the people at Mojang, they have created an amazing game and community, our games will be very different," Collins-Laflamme continued. "Minecraft is still one of my favourite game of all time." Hytale's Early Access launches next month on January 13, 2026 following years in development and a brief cancelation at the hands of Riot Games, before Collins-Laflamme quickly reacquired the rights to the game and restarted development using an older build. Hytale won't be on Steam at launch as devs "do not see the necessity of it" and want to avoid bad reviews from "people that aren't as well-informed"

Fans can also pick up the newly released Steelbook and Ultimate Editions of the first movie. Five Nights at Freddy's 2: Limited Edition Steelbook (4K Blu-ray) Five Nights at Freddy's: Limited Edition Steelbook (4K Blu-ray) Five Nights at Freddy's: Ultimate Collector's Edition (4K Blu-ray) $75 | Amazon Exclusive Five Nights at Freddy's 2 just kicked off its opening weekend in theaters, but fans of the franchise can already preorder the sequel on 4K Blu-ray at Amazon, Walmart, and Gruv. The Limited Edition Steelbook is up for preorder for $38 at Amazon and Gruv (and $44.25 at Walmart). If you're interested in adding this to your collection at launch, you may want to secure a preorder. The original Steelbook Edition sold out prior to launch, and a second Steelbook Edition did the same. Preorder Five Nights at Freddy's 2 If you still need to grab a Steelbook Edition of the original, you're in luck: Universal Pictures reprinted last year's version ahead of the sequel's premiere. Five Nights at Freddy's Limited Edition Steelbook launched December 2 and is in stock for $33 (was $35) at Amazon and $30 at Walmart. The reprint released alongside the new Ultimate Collector's Edition, which is exclusive to Amazon and comes with a different steelbook case, a metal poster, and more. Five Nights at Freddy's 2 Limited Edition Steelbook features the four main animatronic characters peeking at the audience from behind the curtain. Naturally, Freddy Fazbear nabbed the front cover, while the back cover showcases Withered Foxy. The interior artwork features Chica on the left and Bonnie on the right. We'll update this story once we learn more about the technical specs of the 4K Blu-ray edition as well as a list of special features. Considering the original film supported HDR10 and two surround sound tracks--Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD 7.1--we'd expect the sequel to at least match those specs. The Steelbook and standard 4K Blu-ray editions also come with a 1080p Blu-ray disc and a voucher for the Movies Anywhere digital edition. The 1080p Blu-ray edition also includes a digital copy. To be fair, the 2023 film didn't earn great reviews from critics either, but that didn't stop it from becoming one of the most successful video game adaptations of all time. Five Nights at Freddy's is Blumhouse's biggest box office hit with $291 million worldwide. Check out the new collectible editions of Five Nights at Freddy's below. Originally exclusive to Walmart, Five Nights at Freddy's Steelbook Edition features cartoon-style character art of Freddy Fazbear, Chica, Foxy, and Bonnie. Don't worry, Chica didn't lose Cupcake; the little animatronic pastry is on the back of the case. The interior artwork is a collection of drawings from the walls of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza in the movie. The 4K Blu-ray disc supports HDR10 and two surround sound formats: Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD 7.1. The voucher for the digital edition is Movies Anywhere, so you can download and watch it on any device. It also comes with a standard Blu-ray disc. Special features include a trio of featurettes: Part of Amazon's Ultimate Collector Series, this edition comes with an IconArt Metal Poster (shown above), an exclusive steelbook case with character art pulled from the film, and a Freddy Fazbear's Pizza Box. You'll also get a numbered certificate of authenticity, and unlike the Steelbook Edition above, this version won't be reprinted. The Ultimate Collector's Edition costs more than double the price of the Steelbook Edition reprint. Latest in Five Nights at Freddy's Five Nights At Freddy's 2 Is So Scary, Matthew Lillard Thought It Would Get An R New Five Nights At Freddy's 2 Trailer Is Very Scary Five Nights At Freddy's Ultimate Guide Version 2.0 Lore Book Launches December 2

If you're a GTA Online player, you just need to do one thing to earn a half million in game currency. Cash is still the ultimate commodity in Grand Theft Auto Online, and Rockstar Games has been known to go out of its way to entice players with in-game currency rewards... sometimes for just logging in. Now, Rockstar is offering $500,000 in game currency to anyone who follows a simple request. To earn the prize, all you have to do is link your Discord account to your Rockstar Games account. Just clicking on this link will take you where you need to be. If you need something to invest all of that cash in, GTA Online's next update--A Safehouse in the Hills--allows players to buy their own missions. A new trailer for that update dropped today, and it revealed the return of Michael De Santa, one of the leading characters from Grand Theft Auto 5. If the footage is any indication, Michael's retirement didn't fully take. Or perhaps he's just very passionate about keeping certain criminal affairs out of his upscale neighborhood. To get one of these mega mansions for yourself, players will have to strike a deal with the Prix Luxury Real Estate company, which promises "sprawling grounds, breathtaking views, and first-rate amenities--including the latest in personal assistance and business service technology." A Safehouse in the Hills will launch on December 10, and players who opt into a Prix Luxury Black Tier VIP from now through December 7 can grab an Ubermacht Revolter sports car at the Luxury Autos showroom. Players can also advance to the Gold Tier membership by finishing all three New Listings missions, which will reward users with a $1 million bonus of in-game cash, as well as a $2 million discount on one of the luxury estates being offered by Prix Luxury. Earlier this fall, Rockstar added GTA Online to its GTA+ membership service. It's still unclear what will happen to the game after Grand Theft Auto 6 is released in November 2026, but at least one video game analyst has argued that GTA Online is the real cash cow of the franchise. Latest in Grand Theft Auto V New GTA 5 DLC Adds Michael -- "Daddy's Back B***hes," Actor Says These Were The Top 15 Most Popular Games Last Week In The US Ex-GTA Boss Dan Houser Likens AI To Mad Cow Disease

Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 artist Joshua Jay claims that top of his wishlist for Fallout 5 is a "more robust settlement building system", alongside a "power armor construction system" and "the ship-building, and like everything that's in Starfield." "Oh, I'd love to see vehicles," Jay says. "I'd love to see more power armor. I loved the camp building and settlement stuff, and, it was called workshop in Fallout 4, and then we called it camp in 76. I'd love more of that." Fallout 5: Everything we know so far, and what we hope to see Obsidian knows that "everyone on the internet" keeps asking for Fallout: New Vegas 2, but its devs are currently happy working on their own IP, and "Xbox has been pretty supportive" too Fallout's TV adaptation is "way more" popular than Todd Howard expected, so the RPG series' devs have had to ensure "the games are ready for all the players who are coming into them" He goes on to point out games with the type of vehicle customization he is referring to. "I think there's a game out there called Crossfire," Jay says [editor's note: we believe he's referring to Crossout]. "That's kinda a post-apocalyptic, Mad Max-y game, like with the shipbuilding, and everything that's in Starfield, I'd love to see something like that." Fallout 76 has vehicles that you can interact with, but nothing that you can actually ride. He goes on to bring his ideas together more succinctly. "I'd like to see a really robust power armor construction system, a more robust building, a robust settlement building system. Cars and trucks and things that go would be cool. Those would be the things I'd love to see." Vehicles are something that Fallout players have wanted for a long time, but given the scarcity of resources, and how the games thrive when you stumble across random storylines, we aren't holding our breath for this addition. Fallout TV show is "holding back" on bringing in some game "creatures, characters, places, and factions" but one producer promises "we'll get there eventually."

Portal shooter Splitgate 2 is coming back with a new name and rebuilt experience after being pulled back to beta earlier this year, developer 1047 Games announced. The free-to-play Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will relaunch on December 17th across platforms including Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC. "After months of community feedback, testing and rebuilding the entire experience, this is Splitgate refocused on what made it special in the first place: classic arena combat without factions, abilities, or extra noise," the developer shared in a blog post, along with a gameplay video. Splitgate 2 originally launched in June, but 1047 Games pulled it back to beta after deciding that the release had been rushed. For the new version, the company said, "we took the best of Splitgate 1 and Splitgate 2" and cut the parts that didn't fit, while refining the ones that did. "in the process, we not only rebuilt the game, we reconnected with the magic of the genre that built this studio in the first place: a return to the Arena." Here are some key changes made: Removed Splitgate 2's factions, abilities, and select equipment so the focus is back on classic arena combat without the extra noise. Rebuilt progression from the ground up so your time in game feels rewarding, with weapon and character cosmetics you can earn simply by playing. We've added a true Classic Arena mode with even starts and new map pickups, recapturing the feel of the original. Fine tuned combat to better match expectations for a modern arena shooter, with more meaningful gunfights and fewer "what just happened" moments. Completely overhauled the ranked system so your rank reflects your actual skill for players who love to climb and compete. Added key systems you have been asking for: Mode Select, Player Stats, Ranked Leaderboards, and Account Levels. Introduced five brand new maps and six fully reworked arenas, bringing the total map pool to 20. Added three new LMG primary weapons and the iconic Power Weapon, the Railgun. 1047 Games was savaged earlier this year by Splitgate players after co-founder Ian Proulx wore a hat at Summer Games Fest stating "Make FPS Great Again." Later, he posted to the studio's X account on Splitgate 2's release date that he was "not here to apologize" and that the hat was "not a political statement," finally admitting that it was all basically a publicity stunt.

The project aims to "herald the next generation of Disney to the world." Entertainment giant Disney is hiring someone to join its Digital Entertainment team to work on an upcoming Star Wars game that has the ambitious goal of being a "groundbreaking game experience that will herald the next generation of Disney to the world." The job ad for an Associate Art Director calls for someone who will work on the "ambitious and exciting new project." "Working with top-class industry talent, this role is perfect for the seasoned visionary leader looking to create something epic--guiding and collaborating with a robust group of creative and production leaders focused around a wonderfully rich and cohesive product that is truly Disney," reads a line from the description. The successful candidate will be the person who "inspires and informs our development teams to deliver the most authentic world-class Star Wars experiences." This person will help "shape the overall visual direction, safeguard IP integrity, and foster creative collaboration across internal and external teams." The person who gets the should will review art and visual design submissions with the aim of "ensuring all assets meet our brand and quality standards." The person will also give feedback and should have a "deep understanding of Star Wars lore." Naturally, this person will also collaborate with the teams at Lucasfilm. The job calls for someone with a lot of experience, including a minimum of seven years in gaming, film, or TV, and someone who has a "broad and deep" understanding of Star Wars. The person should also have "extensive game development experience" on "top-grossing, critically acclaimed AAA games on console and mobile." What's more, the person who gets the job will be asked to travel globally to meet with partners spanning the world over. The job requisition has lots of details about what the person will do and what credentials they should have, but it does not say much of anything about what the game actually is. From the sound of the job ad, the project will be developed externally, which makes sense given Disney doesn't do much internal game development and instead licenses its brands to external teams. While this specific game remains a mystery, we do know about many in-development Star Wars games, including Star Wars Eclipse, a remake of Knights of the Old Republic, a new game from Amy Hennig, Star Wars: Zero Company, and a third Star Wars Jedi game at Respawn. The latest rumor is that Creative Assembly is making a Star Wars Total War game and that it may be revealed at The Game Awards. The frontrunner to become the next Disney CEO, Josh D'Amaro, is a big fan of video games. He shepared the $1.5 billion investment into Epic Games for the upcoming Disney x Fortnite project, and wants to do more with gaming going forward. Disney was at one time a bigger player in the world of video games, as the company had its own dedicated internal gaming division with Disney Interactive Studios. Disney also operated the once-popular Disney Infinity "toys-to-life" brand, but it also shuttered. Today, Disney's efforts in gaming mainly involve licensing its brands to other companies. In 2019, Iger spoke candidly about Disney's struggles making and publishing games internally, admitting, "We haven't been particularly good..."

Capcom has set a showcase dedicated entirely to its big creature-bashing, leather outfit-making action series, focused on Monster Hunter Wilds' new big update coming later this month and next year's turn-based spin-off RPG Monster Hunter Stories 3. A series this – ahem – monstrously big deserves its own show, after all. So far, we already know Wilds' fourth free title update sees the return of the Giant Halberd Dragon Gogmazios for the first time in over a decade. It'll also include new seasonal events, endgame content, weapon tweaks, and performance improvements. Those performance woes, specifically on PC, have been a thorn in Monster Hunter Wilds' side since release, so much so that the new blockbuster is actually being outsold by older Monster Hunter games. Capcom's committed to returning to JRPGs in a big way with Monster Hunter Stories 3: "As Capcom developers, we're able to add our interpretation of what a JRPG is today" Capcom adds full-on MMO mechanics to Monster Hunter Wilds in absurd Final Fantasy 14 collab, brings back Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate icon Gogmazios after 10 long years Capcom wanted to focus more on the RPG aspect for Monster Hunter Stories 3, director pulls a Final Fantasy and says it's set 200 years in the future so don’t worry about playing the first two Just don't go into the showcase expecting any expansions or beefier announcements related to Wilds, as Capcom clarifies it'll "focus solely" on the upcoming update. As for Monster Hunter Stories 3, the JRPG might be carrying the name of the 3DS' cheery spin-offs, but it's also pivoting into slightly darker territory with a story about warring kingdoms. Capcom's committing to return to JRPGs in a big way with the game. After Monster Hunter Wilds' year of performance woes, Capcom says Resident Evil Requiem won't share the same fate: "At present, we do not anticipate similar risks."

The Last of the Druids update will give Path of Exile 2 players a chance to embrace their inner beast. Path of Exile 2 players won't have to wait long for the next update. The Last of the Druids is arriving on December 12, and it's putting more than just the magic of the Druids at your command. Players will soon be able to transform their Druids into a wolf, a bear, or even a dragon-like wyvern. The teaser trailer below demonstrates the powers that each new form has to offer. The Druid's ability to transform is tied to one of three different talismans. As a wolf, players can summon a pack to attack enemies or rip adversaries to shreds with their own teeth and claws. Bears are raw power personified, and they can increase their strength through each roar they make. Becoming a wyvern grants the player the power of flight, as well lightning and fire attacks that can bring any adversary to their knees. Even as a human, Druids have formidable abilities to fall back upon. They can command earth and storm elements, which put thunder and volcano attacks at their fingertips. There will be two paths for Druids to ascend to. As a Shaman, Druid magic and spells are amplified to a staggering degree. The Oracle may be the second ascendancy class for the Druids, but it grants players the foresight to predict enemy movements before they happen. Using those visions of the future in battle sounds like it could be very useful. Some of the other additions coming in the update include a dragon-crafting league mechanic, 30 new support gems, an expanded passive tree with over 250 passive skills, and a new Pinnacle Boss, Atziri. There will also be a free weekend preview for the game running from December 12-15 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. Grinding Gear game director Jonathan Rogers recently acknowledged that Path of Exile 2 will not reach its 1.0 launch in March 2026 as originally planned. Instead, he estimated a late 2026 emergence from early access. Latest in Path of Exile 2 Path Of Exile 2's 1.0 Release Has Been Delayed, Dev Hopes It Won't Slip To 2027 These Are The Top Trending Games Of 2025 The Best Games Like Destiny