Cooperative pirate survival game Windrose has reached 1 million copies sold less than a week after its Early Access launch for PC. Pocketpair Publishing and Kraken Express announced the sales milestone with an update post on Steam today. It’s an announcement that saw it sail past the marker six days after launching for PC via the Valve platform and Epic Games Store April 14. Reaching 1 million copies is a feat worth celebrating for Kraken as it charts a course through Early Access development, especially as its concurrent player count on Steam alone continues to climb. It’s managed to climb to 200,000 active pirates on Steam alone, with SteambDB recording a peak of 211,177 at the time of this piece’s publication. Thank you! The boar sends its two-tusked regards. Jokes aside, your support has been incredible, and your patience while we work on fixes means the world to us. Moreover, Windrose surpassed 200,000 concurrent players on Steam! Thank you kindly, on behalf of our entire studio. [Hidden Content] — Windrose (@PlayWindrose) April 19, 2026 "Your support for the game is absolutely astonishing, and your patience while we are working on fixes is truly heart-warming," Kraken said. "While we keep working on the game, we read your reviews and comments, watch your videos and streams, and sometimes, honestly, shed a pirate-y tear of happiness, because now when the game is out you share our dream of swashbuckling adventure." Windrose, previously known as Crosswind, debuted to ‘Very Positive’ reviews when it embarked on its Early Access journey last week. Kraken sells it as a "PvE survival adventure in the Age of Piracy," telling fans it will work with them through the development process in the hopes of reaching a 1.0 launch sometime in the next "1.5 to 2.5 years." Players can head out on the sea alone or play with friends via co-op, with the developers estimating the final release will feature "around 50% more content." We said Windrose "made a strong first impression” and praised its “exploration and progression" in our review so far last week. While Windrose charges ahead, you can see our 10 essential ship tips. You can also see our best suggestions for how to quickly farm bells. Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe). View the full article
While it's amazing to live in modern times where video games are probably better than ever, despite what you hear coming out of my mouth, it's always great to look back at those titles that made all of this possible. Metal Slug, alongside other arcade and early gaming franchises, helped drive this industry forward, and it's now getting a reboot. To celebrate its 30-year anniversary, SNK created a flashy new website dedicated to three decades of Metal Slug. And along that nostalgia lane sits an announcement: Metal Gear is being rebooted. Specifically, SNK said it's "reigniting and rebooting the series with a wide range of exciting projects," which are to include "new ventures in gaming." While a little vague, it seems SNK has reevaluated Metal Slug's position in the gaming industry, which could lead, if we read into that announcement a little, to new games in the series. Metal Slug is one of the most iconic side-scrolling shooters from the good ol' days. Screenshot by Destructoid Retro gaming has made a strong resurgence over the last few years, what with so many beat-'em-ups and side-scrollers coming out lately. Of course, there's also the return of boomer shooters, which made it seem like the original Doom came out last week. In such an environment, there's more than enough place for a new Metal Slug title, which would bring us back to a time where we had to spend an ungodly amount of money to make the arcade machine let us have another crack at the stage boss. Metal Slug wasn't on the ice entirely over the last few decades, since it got a new game, Metal Slug Tactics, back in 2023. However, no actual mainline entry came to the series since Metal Slug 7 in 2028, meaning. Outside of remasters and ports, Metal Slug hasn't received the attention it deserves at all, even though Steam numbers indicate hundreds of thousands of copies sold on each PC port. Back when I was a kid, Metal Slug was one of my first exposures to gaming, though on console rather than arcade. My cousins and I would play the hell out of it on the PlayStation 2, going through each of the games innumerable times, trying to beat them without dying (which to us seemed entirely impossible). I recently played through the first three games with a friend, and that reminded me of just how cool the art style and visuals of the Metal Slug series are, not to mention the nostalgic audio and music. But nothing is perfect in 2026, nor can we expect it to be. According to Polygon, some parts of the promotional materials on the 30th-anniversary website seem to be AI-generated, which is par for the course with SNK, which previously faced similar accusations. As Polygon writes, SNK is owned by a Saudi Arabian corporation, and that is enough to make us at least somewhat hesitant to welcome these new projects with arms open too wide. The post Metal Slug celebrates 30-year anniversary with reboot tease appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
The Swan of Utrecht Evolution in FC 26 allows you to upgrade a card of your choice in Ultimate Team in exchange for 60,000 coins. While the upgrades are decent, the requirements of this evolution are pretty stiff. Let's look at the best contenders for this evolution based on the requirements and offered upgrades. Table of contentsFC 26 The Swan of Utrecht Evolution requirementsFC 26 The Swan of Utrecht Evolution upgradesBest players to use in The Swan of Utrecht EvolutionFC 26 The Swan of Utrecht Evolution requirements Here are the requirements of The Swan of Utrecht Evolution in FC 26. Overall: Max 89Pace: Max 91PlayStyle: Max 10PlayStyle+: Max 2Not Rarity: World Tour Silver StarsPosition: STFC 26 The Swan of Utrecht Evolution upgrades The evolution has five levels of upgrades, each with certain conditions to fulfill. Level 1 upgrades Overall: +15|91Ball control: +25|92Dribbling: +20|91Positioning: +25|95Strength: +15|88PlayStyles: Low Driven Shot|8 Level 2 upgrades Acceleration: +15|90Agility: +20|89Balance: +20|89Sprint Speed: +15|91PlayStyles+: Low Driven Shot|2PlayStyles: Finesse Shot Level 3 upgrades Passing: +8|87Finishing: +25|92Heading Acc.: +20|90Shot Power: +25|91PlayStyles+: Finesse Shot|2PlayStyles: Gamechanger Level 4 upgrades Jumping: +15|89Long Shots: +25|89Volleys: +25|93Composure: +25|92PlayStyles: First Touch, Technical|8 Level 5 upgrades Penalties: +25|89Reactions: +25|91Stamina: +15|90Weak Foot: +4|5PlayStyles: Acrobatic|8 Level 1 upgrade requirements Play 2 matches in Squad Battles on min Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO player in game. Level 2 upgrade requirements Play 1 match in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player in game. Level 3 upgrade requirements Play 1 match in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player in game. Level 4 upgrade requirements Play 1 match in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player in game. Level 5 upgrade requirements Play 1 match in Squad Battles on min. Semi-Pro difficulty (or Rush/Rivals/Champions/Live Events) using your active EVO Player in game.Best players to use in The Swan of Utrecht Evolution Here are some of my best recommendations for inclusion in the evolution. Dybala Winter WildcardsRomelu Lukaku Ultimate ScreamLauren James Winter WildcardsMarcus Rashford Ultimate ScreamEndrick Joga BonitoKai Havertz World TourLuis Suarez Time WarpChiesa FC Pro LiveEsposito Future StarsLarsen FC FantasyAubameyang Thunderstruck The post Best players for FC 26 The Swan of Utrecht Evolution appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
Windrose, a co-op pirate adventure game that came out into early access a few days ago, is already one of Steam's most popular titles, having surpassed giants like Crimson Desert and Slay the Spire 2 to claim a spot among Valve's top three most-played games. With a concurrent player peak of 204,000, Windrose lags behind only Valve's own games, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2 at the time of writing, which are almost always the top two spots on the platform. What's surprising about this number isn't that it's an indie game made by a small but dedicated team, but that it launched to a quarter of that number on release day, continuously growing since. Windrose has it all: survival, crafting, exploration, and cannons blasting over the open sea. Image via Windrose Crew Windrose puts you in the boots of a pirate captain who, amid mysterious events, was deprived of their ship and thrown onto a desolate island. Your task, and that of your three or more friends, is to find out what happened and reclaim your former glory as a true king of the seven seas. The game is set during the Golden Age of Piracy, i.e., the early 1700s, and has incredibly immersive naval navigation and combat and simulation that truly makes it feel like you're a sailor from that era. Windrose is also a survival crafting game, which could at least partially explain why it's so popular, as you're tasked with discovering and creating your own pirate cove using deep building and crafting mechanics. Whether it's a small log house by the shore or an elaborate pirate castle built around a mountain, you can make it in Windrose. On top of that, you get and make boats, fight other pirates and strange creatures, and go on adventures across the West Indies either alone or with your own crew (of up to eight members). Ever since I played its exceptional demo, Windrose has kept me interested to no end, and I continue having fun in the game despite its early access model. There is so much content in there that you're going to get updates way before you run out of stuff to do, meaning you can just get stuck in and enjoy and worry not about ever seeing the game over screen. The post Windrose surpasses Crimson Desert and Slay the Spire 2 as players are driven to stranger tides appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
When I spoke to Christoffer Bodegård, developer of the running RPG of the year, Esoteric Ebb (which uses a modified form of D&D 5th Edition rules), I had to ask: Why a Cleric? The ubiquitous fantasy holy healers never feel like protagonist material to me—I'd much rather be a sneaky little *****-**** Rogue. There was a pretty straightforward answer: Clerics are OP, they can do a little bit of everything, and Man vs. God will never not make for primo literary fodder... Read more.View the full article
Windrose, the latest survival-crafter to take Steam by storm, started selling like hot cakes the moment it launched—or, to be era-appropriate, like salt pork and bug-infested hardtack. It's continued to rake in the doubloons since launch, and in less than a week, has "plundered" the 1 million copies sold milestone... Read more.View the full article
With recent behind-the-scenes footage of the Elden Ring movie set leaking online and the highly anticipated 2026 release of Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, it's an exciting time to be a fan. Alex Garland and A24 Films' adaptation of the iconic FromSoft RPG has reportedly begun shooting already, and despite early concerns about a faithful screen adaptation even being possible, the leaked images are extremely promising. View the full article
The next Project Zomboid update is about to make your sandbox adventures more varied, and your multiplayer lobbies a whole lot more terrifying. Developer The Indie Stone has been cooking up fresh overhauls for its zombie game, and says that Project Zomboid build 42.17 is almost ready for release. This latest patch includes a range of balance tweaks designed to further ramp up the realism, some new VHS Tapes to train skills that previously weren't catered to, and slightly more plentiful loot, including easier access to gas. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: International transport tycoon game Worldwide Rush gets multiplayer, and it's an impressive achievement XCOM spiritual successor Warhounds dumps its gen-AI portraits, and I'm breathing a sigh of relief The new Slay the Spire 2 roadmap has no dates: "Exacting deadlines produce sloppy, uninspired work" View the full article
YouTube channel Moore's Law Is Dead recently made new claims about the performance of upcoming next-generation consoles based on supposedly leaked internal documents from AMD. Although most analysts expect the PlayStation 6 to improve ray tracing performance over the PlayStation 5 significantly, its overall impact on game performance remains a... Read Entire Article View the full article
Airborne Kingdom was one of the early pioneers of what I've dubbed the "weird city builder" trend, one that takes the genre out of its realistic, SimCity-esque roots and plonks it on the back of a dinosaur or in a world populated by beavers. In Airborne Kingdom's case, the gimmick was building a flying city, and it executed that well enough to receive a score of 80% in our Airborne Kingdom review... Read more.View the full article
It's been a standout year for Pokémon fans in 2026 so far, with the hugely successful launch of Pokopiataking the world by storm and the exciting announcement of Pokémon Winds and Waves, the next mainline entries in the franchise. Further, GameBoy Advance favorites FireRed and LeafGreen officially received Switch ports on Pokémon Day this year, with the beloved GameCube sensation Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness getting a Switch 2 port as well in March. View the full article
I've been watching Warhounds with keen interest for a while now, and one of my biggest gripes with the upcoming turn-based strategy game has just been tackled by developer Everplay. Citing XCOM and Jagged Alliance as its main inspirations, it boasts all the environmental tactics and squad specialization that you want, with a refreshing focus on careful planning and "honest physics" rather than random rolls. Its Steam Next Fest demo, however, was plagued by the presence of generative AI, and I'm very thankful to see the team responding to feedback. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: AI has the potential to "change the experience" of gaming like the Xbox Kinect, says former Microsoft exec In defense of placeholder assets: why generative AI accidentally appears in so many games [Hidden Content] View the full article
Windrose is sailing with the wind at its back, and the new pirate survival game has proved such a hit that it's even managed to dethrone the longstanding champion of the genre. With the publishing might of Pocketpair behind it (the studio responsible for breakout success Palworld), developer Kraken Express has built a gorgeous PvE experience that's proving extremely popular, growing steadily over its first week. It's now surpassed even the heights of Rust, which has long sat as a staple of the Steam charts. Who knows where the limit is? Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Windrose Fifteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest quest guide How to get a shovel in Windrose How to get gunpowder in Windrose View the full article
Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimates the Mac Mini accounted for roughly 3% of Apple's US Mac unit sales last year. That position has shifted quickly. Read Entire Article View the full article
Final Fantasy 9 is easily one of the most popular games in the entire franchise, widely hailed among fans for its iconic characters and beautiful storytelling. It's near the top of the list when it comes to fan-requested reboots, and recent developments have left many FF9 Remake hopefuls feeling discouraged after a string of leaks suggests the rumored project is "on ice." View the full article
Developer Liquid Swords has just confirmed that the console versions of Samson are currently slated for a Fall 2026 release. While the exact platforms are unconfirmed at this time, it's very likely that Samson's console ports will include PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions at the very least. View the full article
Resident Evil fans think that recently datamined music could point to plans for a Mercenaries mode for Requiem. Mercenaries is a popular action-focused game mode seen in numerous Resident Evil games that challenges players to defeat as many enemies as possible. Notably, the mode was added to Resident Evil 4’s remake as post-launch content. The requiem speculation stems from a selection of unused music tracks uncovered in the game’s files by social media user Syrkov. As noted by other users in the replies, some of the tracks are unusually high tempo for Requiem, and some include ‘ticking’ that potentially points to a time limit. Read More... View the full article
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Cooperative pirate survival game Windrose has reached 1 million copies sold less than a week after its Early Access launch for PC. Pocketpair Publishing and Kraken Express announced the sales milestone with an update post on Steam today. It’s an announcement that saw it sail past the marker six days after launching for PC via the Valve platform and Epic Games Store April 14. Reaching 1 million copies is a feat worth celebrating for Kraken as it charts a course through Early Access development, especially as its concurrent player count on Steam alone continues to climb. It’s managed to climb to 200,000 active pirates on Steam alone, with SteambDB recording a peak of 211,177 at the time of this piece’s publication. Thank you! The boar sends its two-tusked regards. Jokes aside, your support has been incredible, and your patience while we work on fixes means the world to us. Moreover, Windrose surpassed 200,000 concurrent players on Steam! Thank you kindly, on behalf of our entire studio. [Hidden Content] — Windrose (@PlayWindrose) April 19, 2026 "Your support for the game is absolutely astonishing, and your patience while we are working on fixes is truly heart-warming," Kraken said. "While we keep working on the game, we read your reviews and comments, watch your videos and streams, and sometimes, honestly, shed a pirate-y tear of happiness, because now when the game is out you share our dream of swashbuckling adventure." Windrose, previously known as Crosswind, debuted to ‘Very Positive’ reviews when it embarked on its Early Access journey last week. Kraken sells it as a "PvE survival adventure in the Age of Piracy," telling fans it will work with them through the development process in the hopes of reaching a 1.0 launch sometime in the next "1.5 to 2.5 years." Players can head out on the sea alone or play with friends via co-op, with the developers estimating the final release will feature "around 50% more content." We said Windrose "made a strong first impression” and praised its “exploration and progression" in our review so far last week. While Windrose charges ahead, you can see our 10 essential ship tips. You can also see our best suggestions for how to quickly farm bells. Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe). View the full article