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Ever heard of My Summer Car? This aging gem of a game was made by a solo dev with the help of his wife and some friends, and was inspired by his childhood. The game now holds nostalgic meaning to thousands of gamers who enjoyed the punishing experience. If you were around for that, you might not know that a sequel is well on its way. My Winter Car Image via Amistech Games The follow-up to the charming (and supremely infuriating) My Summer Car is called My Winter Car, and we can be sure we'll have more beer-drinking, sausage-eating shenanigans to look forward to. As well as another immensely complicated car to build from scratch. The game is slated for release in December 2025, but at this point, we might well be facing a delay, as the year is almost over. Still, that doesn't mean we might still get it sometime this winter, and to me, it would be the perfect game to fight the winter blues and have another grand time in the beautiful Finnish landscapes. But why am I so eager for this game – Myself and 18,000 other followers? I'll explain. My Summer Car Explained Image via Amistech Games I first came across this game via YouTuber GrayStillPlays, and it looked genuinely hilarious. I picked it up and thought that I'd watched enough videos to know what to do. Boy, was I wrong. You see, this game has a form of permadeath that was really brutal. No matter how far you are, no matter how much work you've done on your car, ******, and it's all over. Yeah, you literally need to start from scratch. And by ******, I don't mean taking a turn at 90 miles per hour and hitting a tree dead on, no. Gently tap a fence at two miles per hour, and it's tickets. The vehicles in this game must have a safety rating of negative 9000 or something. There are also a couple of 'rivals' who speed around the map, largely ignoring road rules. So even if you're being super careful, one of these morons could come speeding around a corner at any time and end your run for you. Don't worry, though; there are many ways to save your progress now. Gone are the days of ultimate brutality, though that option is still there if you prefer. Then there's the insane complexity of actually building up your car. You find it in the garage in pieces, and you have to put it all together again without a manual or help of any kind, really. Make the simple mistake of connecting the battery incorrectly, and that's it, back to the start with your now crispy fried ****. Yeah, this is one game in which looking up a guide really is not a gaming sin. I know I did. The map itself also has so much to discover, and you'll even end up driving a sewage truck and pumping septic tanks for an income at some point, all on a diet of beer and sausages. It's funny, it's challenging, and, most importantly, it's incredibly fun. If you haven't yet, I highly recommend you check out My Summer Car, so you can get as excited as I am about My Winter Car. With the release schedule as slow as it is over the holidays, this would be an absolute Godsend. Ever played My Summer Car, Destructoid? If so, what was your fondest experience? I'd love to hear from you in the comments. The post This obscure little game might just save us from winter depression appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

The first full year of Marvel Rivals was an impressive one in a number of metrics, but according to the developers working on the free-to-play hero shooter, the game is only beginning. Looking back on its first year, Marvel Rivals delivered a lot of content. Whether it's MCU-based skins in partnership with Fantastic Four: First Steps, limited-time events with free rewards, or a shocking amount of new heroes, a tough precedent has been set. But Marvel and NetEase Games are not resting anytime soon. Screenshot by Destructoid "2025 was more of a warm-up ******* for us," Marvel Games executive producer Danny Koo said in an interview with Den of Geek. "Next year, we’re going to have ******* plans. We’re not going to slow down. We’ve already planned more than a year ahead and I can’t wait for our players to see it." In just one year, Marvel Rivals already has the same number of playable characters as another hero shooter, Overwatch 2, after adding 12 to the game in 2025. That number will be surpassed quickly as Deadpool joins the roster in January, followed by Elsa Bloodstone in February, and another new hero every single month for the foreseeable future. This is going to be tough to balance, but I can't deny that this cadence keeps me coming back consistently. And according to publisher NetEase Games' publishing and marketing lead, Yachen Bian, 2026 will include more playable experiences to supplement the characters on offer. "In the next year, we want to provide more game modes," Bian said. "It’s why we have prototypes in the game, like PvE and 18v18. We want to give the players more choices of different game modes beyond the basic gameplay because your fundamental experience might be very different. When you’re fighting against zombies, it’s quite different from fighting against other people." The first year of Rivals already included several new modes like Marvel Zombies PvE mode, a Times Square social space, and even a PvP auto-battler mode, so if there's more in the works, I and many others will likely be continuing to log in and play some games occasionally for a long time to come. [Hidden Content] With 2026 boasting the potential for more PvE experiences, popular and iconic heroes like Deadpool joining the roster, the launch of a new esports model, and further MCU partnerships likely in the pipeline (Spider-Man: Brand New Day launches in August, followed by Avengers: Doomsday in December), maybe they really are just getting started. The post Marvel Rivals’ successful and content-packed first year was just ‘a warm-up,’ executive producer teases appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

About 15 years ago, I was a college student studying journalism and quickly losing my way. I was taking courses on how to become a beat cop writer, calling precincts about petty crimes and writing for newspapers, a dying medium. I had another course writing for broadcast journalism, which is somehow almost an entirely different language from what I had studied in the past. I hated it. I felt totally lost. Image via Activision So, I went to my student advisor and asked for help. She simply asked me what I enjoyed, and to write about what I knew. Well, at the time, all I really knew was Call of Duty because I was playing a whole hell of a lot of it. And so that's where it all started for me. I spent the next year or so working on a 10,000-word magazine piece-style senior project (think of it as a thesis) that propelled me into something way greater than me. I found my senior project on my hard drive, and it honestly holds up pretty well. The theme of the project (titled Answering the Call: Inside a Pop Culture Phenomenon) was CoD's wide reach as a popular game that went outside of the game experience, even all the way back then in 2010. Over the course of the year, I interviewed an esports competitor who became a friend, a journalist whom I looked up to, a couple who met on CoD and ended up getting married, and numerous others. But one of the many things that drew me to the project was an ongoing lawsuit at the time between Activision and Infinity Ward co-founders Vince Zampella and Jason West. And in the process of writing about all of these things, interviewing people, and researching the franchise that I'd already sunk countless hours into, I found my passion and realized that my future was in writing about video games. And now today, many years later and after countless challenges and hardships, on my final working day of the year, I'm celebrating the most rewarding year of my games journalism career at Destructoid. I've had more fun in the past nine months of writing for this website than I thought was possible. But it also comes with great sadness as I and many others are mourning the sudden loss of the great Zampella, one of the CoD franchise's creators and a visionary in the FPS genre. Photo via Getty Zampella passed away in a car accident on Dec. 21, leaving behind a legacy of greatness. Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Titanfall, Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi, Battlefield 6. Legendary gaming moments like "No Russian," General Shepard's betrayal, or the bond between Jack Cooper and his Titan, BT-7274. He was an architect behind it all. But in today's somber reflection, I've realized he was also the architect of my career. He was not only the architect of one of the most successful franchises in history, but of friendships and love stories that will last forever. In his iconic games, he created jobs, worlds, and universes that will survive longer than any of us. Everything I've done this year, including traveling to industry events, reviewing over a dozen games, and interviewing many passionate developers, there's a good chance none of that would have happened without Zampella's work. And that's without even really delving into how deep his impact on gaming itself has been. Call of Duty's massive success over the past 20 years helped shape the industry into what it became. Titanfall 2 is one of my favorite single-player FPS campaigns of all time. Apex Legends was an excellent extension and memorable highlight of the battle royale craze. The Star Wars Jedi games are a critically acclaimed handling of one of the most loved and respected IP ever. And his last title, Battlefield 6, reinvigorated the franchise to become one of the top-selling games of 2025. Image via EA Zampella's impact can't truly be quantified today, just a few days after his untimely passing. For now, we can say that he helped craft modern-day FPS games as we know them. But strictly speaking for myself, although I never had the pleasure of meeting or speaking with him, I'm quickly realizing just how much he and his work have meant to me and millions of others, on so many levels. And so, I would just like to say thank you for all of this. The post If not for Vince Zampella and his work, I would not have found my career in gaming journalism appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Look, not all games can be great. In fact, many of them are not good, and some even fail to be simply okay. If you’re looking for all things good and great, then check out our list of the best-reviewed games of 2025. But this place, sadly, is not where they live. No, this is where I have the job of reminding you of all of the worst games we played this year. The ones that didn’t quite live up to expectations and received a score of five or below from IGN reviewers. Maybe you did enjoy some of these, and to that I say, all the power to you. Let us know in the comments which games featured on this list you did actually love playing. But before you scroll all the way down there, let’s talk about IGN’s worst-reviewed games of 2025. 5 - Mediocre What better way to kick this off than with a welcome tour? A Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, to be exact. A collection of minigames and digital museum displays designed to give you a better idea of the tech powering your new Nintendo console, this one just ended up committing a criminal cardinal sin by Nintendo standards — it just wasn’t fun. Our review described this “interactive brochure” as “a muddled collection of quaint tech demos and boring factoids”. Not exactly the best way to get everyone excited about a new generation of hardware, was it? And it didn’t even come packaged with the console. A standalone purchase isn’t exactly the best way to deliver your new spin on a digital manual. At least the tech being shown off in Welcome Tour is very impressive, though, which sadly couldn’t be said for Kaiserpunk. A city-builder that, unfortunately, suffered from significant performance issues at launch, ranging from “huge, save-killing bugs” to an interface that lacks “fairly basic functionality”, it provided unsolid foundations to build any metropolis on. If a fully-built sci-fi city is more your vibe, then maybe you could be tempted by Steel Seed, an action-platform dripping in neon. But when we tell you that it’s actually a “stealth action game cursed by mediocrity”, then maybe you’ll be less interested. Hence, the five out of ten rating, which stands for “mediocre” here at IGN. Along those lines, if “30 mediocre hours of dodge rolling and sword swinging” sounds appealing, then maybe you want to check out AI Limit. A “soulslike without any soul”, this one just lacked the sort of creativity you’d hope for in what’s become a fairly played-out genre these days. Speaking of souls, Lost Soul Aside was a hotly anticipated PlayStation console exclusive this summer, which sadly didn’t quite live up to the hype. While it did come packed with some exciting combat, unfortunately, “repetitive story, derivative characters, and bland level design” couldn’t support it. Another game that fell foul of repetition was Full Metal Schoolgirl, which you may not instantly see as a negative when considering it's an action roguelike — a genre grounded in attempting the same objectives over and over again — but when you hear that after “a couple runs, you've pretty much seen it all”, that isn’t ideal. Feeling like we’d pretty much seen it all before is exactly why we gave the Battlefield 6 campaign a score of five, too. As our shockingly handsome reviewer said, the single-player offering is a “safe, dull reimagining of what Battlefield once was, rather than a bold reinvention of what it could be”, and I, for one, agree with him. It’s a short string of missions that doesn’t embrace the chaos naturally created in Battlefield 6’s multiplayer, instead feeling like a relic of a bygone age of FPSs. We also gave this year’s Call of Duty ****** Ops 7 campaign a less-than-shiny score, too, but it narrowly misses out on making this list due to us giving it a 6, because it at least tries to do something new, even if it isn’t very successful. Now we head into the remaster, reboot, and reimagining section of proceedings. Yooka-Replayee aimed to bring the 2017 original into the modern day with some tweaks, but while improvements were made, we were of the opinion that “none of its changes do enough to bring it close to the 3D platforming standards of today”. Double Dragon Revive attempted to breathe new life into the classic side-scrolling beat ‘em up, but ended up feeling “less a miraculous resurrection and more like exhuming a shambling corpse”. Similar things could be said for Painkiller, a reboot of People Can Fly’s 2004 cult-favourite, which again fell short, instead playing like a “mediocre resurrection of a classic trying to put a new cover on an old book and hoping it still has some relevance 21 years later”. Shadow Labyrinth did at least attempt to take something incredibly old and do something new with it. Unfortunately, this gritty, Metroidvania reinvention of Pac-Man was deemed to be “largely dull,” with crimes ranging from “annoying checkpointing to the one-note combat”. There is no shortage of checkpoints in racing games. Sorry, that’s the best segue I have for this one. Project Motor Racing is the most recent game we have on our list to score a five or below, as it failed to excite our reviewer, who said that “there are certainly glimpses of a competent racing sim here, but it is drastically unfinished”. On the other end of the racing spectrum was Wreckreation, not in terms of quality, as it also received a five, but in its very “arcadey” approach to action of four wheels. Disappointingly, it just didn’t reach the heights of the likes of its Burnout inspiration. Instead, “overflowing with ambition but ultimately plain and with no style to call its own, Wreckreation feels like a supermarket brand homage to a series of better arcade racers.” Let’s head into fantasy corner now and take a look at those sword-swinging games that just weren’t quite sharp enough this year. Yasha: Legends of the ****** Blade was yet another action roguelite to come out in 2025, but one that didn’t leave much of an impression, thanks to “repetitive levels and a flimsy story”. Blades of Fire took an interesting approach to third-person action by placing an emphasis on creating your own bespoke swords through an involved blacksmithing process, which was admittedly quite good, but its “overly simplistic combat and a mediocre story mean it doesn’t forge a sharp enough edge to put its customizable weapons to good use”. And, finally, rounding out our list of games that received a review score of five from IGN this year, is Game of Thrones: Kingsroad. A microtransaction-riddled interpretation of George R.R. Martin’s world, in which the recreation of HBO’s visual style is admittedly impressively done, it’s unfortunately hampered “by an overly grindy, pay-to-win live service model, and both its combat and homestead management are too tedious to keep things interesting on their own”. 4 - Bad Heading into the games that got a four, which represents “bad” on the IGN review scale, let’s stick with another beloved piece of fantasy literature that struggles to produce good video game adaptations. Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game was an attempt to “cosify” Tolkien’s world and asked the age-old question, “What if Animal Crossing, but Hobbits?”. The answer, sadly, was a resounding “no”, as we described it as “a promising idea that turned out dreadfully boring and extremely buggy”. Arguably, no other game arrived with as heavy a thud as MindsEye did in 2025. The brainchild of former GTA dev, Leslie Benzies, this throwback third-person action-adventure was not only incredibly dull, but borderline broken. Sure, it looked like a blockbuster when viewed from a very specific, narrow angle, but on the whole, it failed to live up to any expectations that may have been held for it. “MindsEye’s flashy graphics and cinematics can’t hide its serious lack of substance and major performance problems”, says our review, and that tells you all you need to know. To round things off, we have a handful of early access games that we gave a score of four to this year. These include Hyper Light Breaker, which we described as a “roguelite that currently feels hyper light on content and the wrong kind of broken”, and La Quimera, an “FPS version of a direct-to-video movie, with dialogue that is both poorly written and badly acted, middling combat, and an unfinished campaign”. Then there was EA’s reboot of Skate, which we called a “faithful facsimile of the incredible feel of the old games, but its mobile game-style progression, dud dialogue, and cutesy art style make its early access debut drastically inferior to the originals in all other ways”. Unfortunately for Hyper Light Breaker, similar responses from both other critics and players eventually led to developer Heart Machine bringing development to a close. As for the other two, they remain developing projects, so let’s hope that these games fix their respective issues and have a better time in 2026 in the run-up to their full launches. And that’s it, all of the games that we at IGN scored a five or four out of ten this year. Believe it or not, nothing actually scored lower, so I’m glad to say there are no twos or threes to report this year. Did you actually love any of the games listed here? Let us know in the comments. For more, check out the best-reviewed games of 2025, and our game of the year awards. Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social. View the full article

Outside of a trip to London in 1997, Grand Theft Auto has always stuck to fictional analogues of American cities for its settings. But there is a reality where Rockstar's hugely successful crime epic is as globetrotting as Assassin's Creed. According to Rockstar North's former technical director Obbe Vermeij, the company toyed with numerous international locations at various moments in its history. And at one point, we very nearly had a Grand Theft Auto set in Japan... Read more.View the full article

CD Projekt Red creative director Igor Sarzyński has just debunked one of the oldest fan theories in Cyberpunk 2077 history. Unlike many of the fan theories surrounding Cyberpunk 2077, this one has nothing to do with the game's narrative or its characters, but instead revolves around something as simple as Cyberpunk 2077's elevators. View the full article

I've thought about Fallout 4 in a lot of different ways since first playing it ten years ago. On its release, I thought it was the weakest Fallout game, lacking the roleplaying depth of its forebears. But a recent replay helped me see its strengths as a survivalist shooter. There's a lot to love about its depiction of post-nuclear Boston if you're willing to overlook the fact that you solve most problems with a gun... Read more.View the full article

Weapons in Jujutsu Zero are hidden behind the Forager NPC found on top of a mountain as you'll see in the video below. They also have a really low drop chance from Special Grade chests you find in the open world. Here's how to get Weapons in Jujutsu Zero. Table of contentsHow to Craft Weapons in Jujutsu ZeroDragon Bone GuideInverted Spear of Heaven GuideHow to Craft Weapons in Jujutsu Zero To craft weapons in Jujutsu Zero you have to talk to the Forager NPC at the top of the mountain as shown in the video above. Weapons also have an abysmally low drop chance from chests you find in the open world. As for the regular obtainment method, my video above will show you how to get to Forager starting from the Fast Travel point near the original village spawn. Simply follow my path to reach Forager and then talk to him. To craft weapons you'll need to: Talk to Forager at the top of the mountain.Be Level 300+.Choose the weapon you want to craft from his dialogue options.Get the materials necessary (See below for each weapon).You can also upgrade weapons by getting additional copies of the same weapon the same as upgrading Cursed Techniques. Image by Destructoid Now that you know the basics of crafting weapons here's all the info you need for each weapon including crafting materials and how to get them. Related: Jujutsu Zero Cursed Technique Tier List Dragon Bone Guide Image by Destructoid Here's everything you need to know about the Dragon Bone weapon in Jujutsu Zero: You need 3 Heavenly Fragments to craft Dragon Bone or you can get it via Special Grade chests in the open world as a small chance drop.Heavenly Fragments can drop from Grade 3-Special chests found in the open world as well as Volcanic (2.1% drop) and Flame crates (1.6% drop) you get from doing Jogo Raids on any difficulty.The Dragon Bone Weapon gives you a +20% ATK increase and +35% Critical Damage increase at max upgrade (Upgrade by getting a copy of the same weapon) as well as CDR% and CR% as a passive.Here are all the moves from the Dragon Bone which you get by increasing its Mastery (Farm the Level 1 mission for Mastery):F (Block): Spin the weapon forward blocking all attacks.R (Slash): Perform an AOE damage slash around you.C (Dash): Perform a slashing dash forward, damaging everything in a line in front of you and moving yourself forward slightly.Inverted Spear of Heaven Guide Image by Destructoid Here's everything you need to know about the Heavenly Spear or Inverted Spear of Heaven weapon in Jujutsu Zero: You need 3 Heavenly Fragments and 3 Cursed Iron to craft the Inverted Spear of Heaven or you can get it via Special Grade chests in the open world as a small chance drop.Heavenly Fragments can drop from Grade 3-Special chests found in the open world as well as Volcanic (2.1% drop) and Flame crates (1.6% drop) you get from doing Jogo Raids on any difficulty.Cursed Iron is currently unobtainable so it cannot be crafted (Seems we can only get it via world chest drops with an abysmally low drop chance).The Inverted Spear of Heaven gives you a +20% ATK increase and +35% Critical Damage increase at max upgrade (Upgrade by getting a copy of the same weapon).Here are all the moves from the ISOH which you get by increasing its Mastery (Farm the Level 1 mission for Mastery):R (Sharp Whirls): Dash forward performing a 5-hit combo of slashes.F (Heavenly Blitz): Dash forward performing a series of teleporting slashes ending with a small AOE smash attack at the point you dashed to.C (Divine Slash): Slash forward and shoot out a line shockwave ranged attack at medium range. That's it for my guide on how to get weapons in Jujutsu Zero. Check out our Jujutsu Zero codes for a bunch of free goodies. The post How to Get Weapons in Jujutsu Zero – Locations & Crafting appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

The Division 2 Y7S3 Mutiny Week 4 Manhunt has finally had its first HVT of the season to hunt, and doing so is necessary if you're looking to complete Scout 4 objectives. Taking down the HVT is pretty much necessary if you're planning to take down the Manhunt target that will appear in the Mutiny finale. This guide will help you complete all the steps that are part of the Scout 4 operations. Table of contentsThe Division 2 Y7S3 Mutiny Week 4 Mannhunt HVT guideComplete a hostage rescueComplete Jefferson PlazaComplete the Major BunglerThe Division 2 Y7S3 Mutiny Week 4 Mannhunt HVT guide Scout 4 operations begin with a specific set of clues that will be visible after you activate it. Here's what the set of hints suggests. "A group of former JTF personnel have been captured. Intel suggests Major Bungler might be involved.""Major Bungler has ordered extra troops to Jefferson Plaza to crack down on defections.""Reports indicate that Major Bungler is in Southwest." While your task is to decode these hints, the following steps will make things easier for you. Image via Ubisoft Complete a hostage rescue The first task of Mutiny Week 4 Manhunt requires you to find an activity marked with a green handcuff symbol. You'll only find this symbol once you take control of every Control Point in a district. Go to the location and clear all hostiles. You'll get a random key drop from an enemy, which will open a door (highlighted once you clear all enemies). Use the key to spare the hostages, and this completes the first objective. Complete Jefferson Plaza Image via Ubisoft The next task is to clear the Jefferson Plaza of any difficulty of your liking. Located in the Southwest part of the DC map, you'll find a stairs leading down to a metro station under the ground. Start the main mission available at this location at any difficulty to get more information about the HVT to take down. If you want to get this done quickly, your best bet is to lower the difficulty. Complete the Major Bungler The last challenge will pit you against Major Bungler. He is the first HVT of the Y7S3 Manhunt campaign, and you can find him in the southwest district. You'll first have to begin the Bounty and withstand three waves of enemies. Major Bungler will then appear, carrying a lot of arsenal. You should target the weapons at first since they can break. This will make the fight easier for you to manage. You can also use your companions to help you clear the reinforcements without having to do it by yourself. Once done, you will receive an audio transmission. This transmission will reveal an interesting story plot that I will not spoil. Completing it will bring you one step closer to completing the seasonal finale. The post The Division 2 Y7S3 Mutiny Week 4 Manhunt HVT: Scout 4 solutions appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Grand Theft Auto 6 is one of the most ambitious open-world projects ever developed, and Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive are certainly making some huge promises. With only limited information about GTA 6 being available, players are left speculating on everything from the gameplay itself to the size/scale of its open world. View the full article

Interview | Uncovering the secrets of Animal Well, Tunic and UFO 50 with the devs themselvesView the full article

PCG recently reported on what our own Jody Macgregor called a "humdinger" of a Fallout: New Vegas discovery: a pre-release build of the game from a month before it went on-*****. The find was made by a new YouTube channel called Games' Past, and is two gigabytes larger than the release version of New Vegas and filled with cut or altered content that the team has been slowly teasing out... Read more.View the full article

Asus is set to reveal the ROG G1000 live on January 5 at 3pm PST as part of its CES 2026 show. Read Entire Article View the full article

There are few controversies in Magic: The Gathering more annoying than the Reserved List, and I imagine there are plenty of WotC workers who wish they weren't constrained by an old promise not to reprint their oldest cards. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: An MTG card that's older than me just jumped up 500% in price Vivi's back on top thanks to the new Final Fantasy MTG scene boxes Magic: The Gathering teases a white version of Liliana, and the story implications are huge View the full article

There are few controversies in Magic: The Gathering more annoying than the Reserved List, and I imagine there are plenty of WotC workers who wish they weren't constrained by an old promise not to reprint their oldest cards. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: An MTG card that's older than me just jumped up 500% in price Vivi's back on top thanks to the new Final Fantasy MTG scene boxes Magic: The Gathering teases a white version of Liliana, and the story implications are huge View the full article

After nearly a decade as one of PC gaming’s most unforgiving and influential survival games, Rust is finally heading to mobile platforms in the form of Rust Mobile. Developed in partnership with Tencent publishing label Level Infinite and Facepunch Studios, Rust Mobile is being positioned not as a straight port, but as a fully standalone, mobile-first reimagining of the franchise’s core survival experience. The excitement is strong, as the game amassed over one million pre-registrations for its closed beta test. .memberful-global-teaser-content p:last-child{ -webkit-mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); } Read This Article Free Get instant access by joining the GB MAX Access tier — it’s free to sign up and unlock premium content.Join Now to Start ReadingAlready a member? Sign in The post Rust Mobile brings the hit brutal survival game to a new audience appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games has told fans that the Mark Hamill-fronted single-player space adventure Squadron 42 is still on track for a 2026 release date — and not to expect “a long, drawn-out marketing campaign” beforehand. Founder and CEO Chris Roberts wrote in a blog post that CIG is focusing on quality and polish as it moves toward an internal beta milestone and, eventually, a full release for Squadron 42 at some point next year. “We’re confident in the direction the game is headed and are fully focused on delivering,” Roberts said. “We know many of you are eager to play, and we’re looking forward to putting it in your hands. We don’t plan on a long, drawn-out marketing campaign as we’ve already done our share of trailers and gameplay previews. When it’s time, you (and the rest of the gaming world) will hear a lot more from us.” All chapters are said to be fully playable from beginning to end, and “we’ve been playing through the game ourselves regularly,” Roberts added. “Squadron 42 is a large game, over 40 hours in length, and it’s becoming increasingly clear how special it will be once the remaining polish, optimization, and bug fixing is complete.” He continued: “a big part of what makes this possible is the technology we’ve built at CIG over many years. The ability to move seamlessly from on foot, into a vehicle you can fly and move around inside, down to a planet or across star systems, all without loading screens, creates a level of immersion that’s very difficult to replicate. That combination of close-up interaction and galactic scale is at the core of what will make Squadron 42 so unique. “Equally important is the quality of the content itself. From writing and performance capture to characters, environments, ships, lighting, sound, cinematics, and design, the level of care across the entire game is something I’m incredibly proud of. Combined with deeply interactive systems, it creates an experience that pulls you into the world and keeps you there.” Roberts, known for creating the Wing Commander series also starring Mark Hamill, showed off a Squadron 42 demo back in 2024. It was heavy on flashy cutscenes, with CGI representations of Hollywood stars such as Gillian Anderson, Henry Cavill, Gary Oldman, and Mark Strong mixed with on-rails turret action in a huge space battle. The demo ended with a first-person shooter segment as the alien enemy boarded the player’s ship. As for Star Citizen itself, Roberts described 2025 as “the Year of Playability” for the space sim. “It was a year when more people played than ever before and spent more time in the ’verse than at any point in our history,” he said. “That momentum did not happen by chance. It came from a focused effort to improve quality of life, performance, and reliability, and to make the gameplay experience more engaging and rewarding to return to.” Star Citizen is reportedly set for a full release sometime in 2027 or 2028, or as Roberts has put it, one or two years after the release of Squadron 42. No firm release window was offered in his latest blog post, but he did say next year will see the developer “continue improving stability and depth in Star Citizen while expanding and connecting core systems that shape how you play, from Engineering to Inventory, Crafting, Social Tools, and other foundational features, alongside expanding the playable universe itself.” Star Citizen is considered one of the most controversial projects in all video games. Over the 13 years since its crowdfunding drive began, Star Citizen has been called many things including a scam by those who wonder whether it will ever properly launch. Its virtual space ships, some of which cost hundreds of dollars, are often the focus of criticism. Roberts is said to have confirmed he's raised just over $1 billion for Star Citizen from players so far. Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article

Lara Croft is one of the most popular and iconic video game characters ever. As such, the nearing 30-year-old character has undergone various visual and spiritual reworks over the years, some more controversial than others. It's time for the definitive ranking of Lara Crofts. 9. Lara Croft in the rebooted Tomb Raider film Image via Embracer The Tomb Raider film starring Alicia Vikander is largely a remake of the first game in the rebooted trilogy, with the third act that inexplicably plays out just like the third act of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Look it up, it's true, but that's not what we're here to talk about. Sadly, the source material greatly prevents the otherwise very talented Vikander from truly shining here, resulting in what was intended to feel like a more naive and inexperienced Lara. Instead, we get an unoriginal action protagonist that feels like a more diluted and less entertaining version of the character. The movie isn't a trainwreck, but it just isn't fun, and nothing sets it apart from the already-bland source material to entertain fans and newcomers alike. 8. Reboot Trilogy Lara Croft Image via Embracer Having outsold the original two Tomb Raider games combined, the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot is the most successful game in the series. Still, does it really mark the highest point in the series? Unlikely. The problem? Lara herself. The ever-confident badass was replaced by a regular twenty-year-old in an origin story that would seemingly show her evolution into the person we know from the old games, but that evolution never came. Reboot Lara is a completely different person, never one seemingly on the path to what people loved, and not a particularly interesting or entertaining one either. Regardless, you can still have a lot of fun with these games, which, despite being very different from anything else in the series, don't fail to deliver when it comes to entertaining action. 6. Last Revelation and Chronicles Lara Crofthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PamoveF61ww In these two games, Lara goes from just shooting at bad guys who are shooting at her to sometimes killing defenseless people in a cruel fashion. Lara had previously struck the perfect balance as the cold hero who'd save the world and turn in a cool profit in the meantime. In these two games, however, the developers tipped the scales towards the less-heroic side a bit too much. The Last Revelation's Lara was also the first to go through a visual change. Specifically, the narrowing of Lara's shoulders resulted in a model that just felt less athletic than in previous games. Strangely enough, this is a change few ever complained about. 7. Netflix Lara Crofthttps://youtu.be/qi7dJ4FBDow The Netflix animated Tomb Raider series had the unenviable task of merging the Lara Croft from the rebooted trilogy and the one we know and love, but it actually did a pretty good job. Whereas the show itself isn't exactly spectacular, Lara is definitely not to blame here. The people behind the show managed to keep the more humane elements implemented by the reboot trilogy, but spiced it up by making the character genuinely fun and funny. 4. Angelina Jolie Lara Croft When Angelina Jolie got cast as Lara Croft, the Internet enjoyed a rare moment when everyone agreed on something. Everyone believed she'd absolutely nail the role, which marked another rare moment. The Internet was right. From personality to physicality, Jolie got everything right and even expanded upon it with a character arc that felt earnest and heartwarming without betraying the character's known coldness. She was so good that most don't even remember that Daniel Craig was also in the first movie. Regardless of how you feel about the movies themselves, Lara is definitely not to blame here. I rewatched the first one not too long ago, and it's actually much better than I remembered. 3. The Angel of Darkness Lara Croft Image by Embracer Though The Angel of Darkness is easily the ****** sheep of the Tomb Raider family, it deserves some love for its portrayal of Lara. This Lara is definitely darker, though not in the almost outright evil way that we see in TLR and Chronicles. This is a more fleshed-out version of the original character who gets thrown into a much darker story. And that part, at least, works. 2. Original Trilogy Lara Croft Image via Aspyr From a historical standpoint, it's ridiculous to compare OG Lara to any other iteration of the character. You could easily say that gaming was one thing before her arrival, another after she showed up, but Lara's impact went way past the gaming sphere. Lara Croft is the epitome of a video game protagonist, a person who doesn't need to say much to convey what she's about, and someone you'd be glad to follow on any adventure. If there's an iteration of Lara Croft you can thank for the "most iconic video game character of all time" distinction, it's this one. 1. Legend trilogy Lara Croft One of Tomb Raider Legend's selling points was the return of Lara creator Toby Gard, for the first time since the original game, and it sure did pay off. Legend does a great job of developing the character via an actual arc, and by having a team she interacts with. And I get it, I understand loving the sense of isolation one got from the original games. Still, the original Lara had no internal monologue and mostly only ever talked to their enemies before shooting them. This is the first game where Lara expresses really loving what she does, and that just feels great. Also, Legend reworked Lara's design in a way that felt modern and still faithful to the original character, and Underworld further improved it, so bonus points for that. The post All Lara Croft iterations, ranked appeared first on Destructoid. 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The official title and release date for the anticipated The Elder Scrolls 6 have allegedly been leaked, but the compilation of information has become a laughing point amongst gamers, as the supposed rumors are tough to believe. There has been some discussion about the game recently, as Bethesda’s Todd Howard provided an update about trees in The Elder Scrolls 6, though talks about its potential release date are still under wraps for now. View the full article

It's no secret that Hogwarts Legacy 2 is currently in development, though there haven't been any official announcements. Multiple leaks and rumors have surfaced in recent months surrounding an unannounced sequel to the popular and cozy 2023 title in the Harry Potter universe. View the full article

Аналитическая компания GameDiscoverCo опубликовала статистику выпуска видеоигр на ключевых консольных платформах за 2025 год. Из нее следует, что экосистема Microsoft единственной показала существенный спад активности разработчиков и издателей по сравнению с предыдущим отчётным периодом. View the full article

Глава Larian Studios Свен Винке дал рекомендации желающим получше подготовиться к выходу следующей части ролевой серии Divinity игрокам. Разработчик объяснил, насколько важно знакомство с предыдущими проектами студии для понимания будущей RPG. View the full article

Журналист Windows Central Джез Корден сообщил, что первая Call of Duty для актуальных платформ Nintendo находится на финальной стадии производства. По его данным, релиз проекта запланирован на 2026 год. View the full article

Издательство Electronic Arts и студия Infinity Ward опубликовали официальные заявления в связи с кончиной Винса Зампеллы — ветерана индустрии, стоявшего у истоков ключевых серий шутеров современности. View the full article

Thankfully, Swen Vincke says the devs are now "excited about what [they're] making"View the full article