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Valve has revealed the top Steam Next Fest demos from the June 2024 event, with open world survival sandbox Once Human coming out on top. While the festival is over, some games still have demos available that you can try, so now's the time to download what you missed. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Banana insists there's no scam, splits with controversial dev When is the next Steam *****? First Steam 'players' were clicking bananas for cash, now it's cats View the full article

There are over 100 different Talismans available in Elden Ring, which bestow an incredibly wide range of effects on the Tarnished when equipped. Despite this, however, some are clearly better than others, no matter what a specific Tarnisheds build in Elden Ring might be. This is because while some Talismans have fairly niche effects, others have a far broader appeal, arguably making them the best in the game. View the full article

What is the Elden Ring DLC recommended level? The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is almost here, and if you haven't been gearing up for this day ahead of time, you're going to have to get moving quickly. It's been over two years since Elden Ring launched, prompting many players to replay through the entire RPG game again for this expansion. Don't worry, you don't need to go to all that effort, but you do need to make sure your character is up for the challenge. As long as you've still got your character from the end game, there are only two real prerequisites you need to meet to start the Elden Ring DLC. Here's what we recommend you get your character level to before starting the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Grab Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree for its lowest price at 12% off Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is the best reviewed game of 2024 Elden Ring DLC release date - latest on Shadow of the Erdtree View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Making changes in a sequel is always going to split player opinion. For everyone who likes the new systems more, someone will miss the old method. As BioWare's Dragon Age: The Veilguard moves away from the classic PC-first tactical RPG roots of Dragon Age Origins in favor of a more action-RPG leaning, developer Spiders is taking the opposite approach with Greedfall 2: The Dying World. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Tactical RPG Greedfall 2 is the true successor to Dragon Age Origins View the full article

Murky Divers is a co-op horror game like Lethal Company, but as soon as you hop into the game you’ll quickly realize how strange the keybindings are. Let’s go over the best keybindings to use in Murky Divers and how to change them.Murky Divers: How to change to the best keybindingsThe default keybindings for Murky Divers are strange, to say the least. Instead of the usual WASD, you swim forward with the “Z” key and backward with “S”, which doesn’t make sense. Practically all the keybindings don’t make sense and aren’t intuitive, and you can change them by going into settings and selecting “Change Keybindings”.Screenshot: PC InvasionFrom here, you can see all the available keybindings, which can be pretty confusing if you don’t know how the majority of the controls even work. After spending some time changing the controls, I figured out the best solution to the keybinding problem and found a more int...View the full article

Look, who knows when we’ll see Fallout 5 - there’s an increasingly less-than-zero chance we’ll all be living in a real post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland by the time Bethesda get around to revealing anything, if their deliberately slow approach to The Elder Scrolls 6 (it’s been nearly THIRTEEN years since Skyrim) is much to go by. Still, even without a full sequel, Fallout is all around us - in multiple seasons of a television show, in Fortnite, and now in Call of Duty. Read more View the full article

The developer behind massive Steam hit Banana - an idle game about farming a rotating offering of banana drops - has parted ways with one of its developers after they were allegedly involved in a Bitcoin scam. The game, which is second only to Counter-Strike 2 in concurrent player numbers, is a simple affair but one that has drawn controversy quickly. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Once Human leads the most popular Steam Next Fest demos from June When is the next Steam *****? First Steam 'players' were clicking bananas for cash, now it's cats View the full article

Former Games Workshop video presenters Louise Sugden and Chris "Peachy" Peach are shaking up two of our favorite things for their upcoming actual play show: Dungeons and Dragons and Warhammer 40,000. Titled Heretic Hunt, the series will see the gritty sci-fi lore of Warhammer 40k, paired with the story-driven role-play of DnD. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Best tabletop roleplaying games 2024 One DnD release date and news DnD Tabaxi 5e guide View the full article

Having launched to a massively negative response which has since climbed up somewhat, Pax Dei has already found itself in a strange situation. Now, it’s facing accusations that it’s a mere Unreal Engine asset flip—accusations to which the developers have responded. A negative Steam review posted on June 18, the day of the game’s launch, was a satirical text implying the executives of the studio behind Pax Dei planned for the game to be nothing more than an asset flip built from pre-fabricated Unreal Engine store files. It found the support of thousands of disgruntled players and has led the developers to respond today, on June 19, and claim that the game is in the alpha stage of development and thus lacks a ton of content it will have once the dev cycle is completed. View the full article

The Grandmaster difficulty for Destiny 2‘s Excision mission launched on June 18, challenging 12 players in a way more challenging ****** against The Witness. That didn’t stop a player from completing the entire activity solo hours after its release. Shortly after the weekly reset on June 18, Esoterickk posted an 80-minute video on YouTube in which he completed the Grandmaster Excision by himself. Esoterickk is known for clearing content in Destiny 2 solo, including the recent Dual Destiny mission that requires two players, so it was just a matter of time until The Witness learned the true power of a Guardian. View the full article

Helping you cut down on all those wires, and potentially making way for cheaper low-end VR headsets for streaming, ElectricMaple was announced by Collabora and PlutoVR joining the likes of WiVRn and ALVR. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Intel has finally updated us on its search for the cause of game crashes on Intel CPUs, including the Core i9 14900K. According to the chip maker, a bunch of motherboard BIOS updates will be coming soon to fix one contributing factor, but the company says it's still yet to identify the "root cause" of the game crashes on Intel CPUs. The extreme multi-threaded power and high clock speed of the Core i9 14900K makes it one of the company's best gaming CPU options right now, but there have been many reports of game crashes on Intel CPUs in games based on the Unreal engine recently. This latest announcement from Intel isn't timely either, as the company originally promised to make a statement about the situation in May 2024. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Intel just admitted it still doesn't know why games ****** on its CPUs Nvidia has officially erased Intel from the graphics card market Intel's new chip could seriously threaten AMD and the Steam Deck View the full article

Fallout: Nuevo Mexico made a big impression on senior editor Rich Stanton when he ran across it in 2023: "The mod of my irradiated dreams," he enthused at the time. Sadly, after at least three years of work it looks like the project has run aground, as a message on the official Nuevo Mexico Discord server says development is on hold and the project lead has decided to step back from the whole thing... Read more.View the full article

Riding on the high of the Content Warning and Lethal Company hype, we now have Murky Divers to contend with. However, typically little is explained on how the mechanics work. If you’re left wondering how to even use the ship to reach a ***** site in Murky Waters, here is your guide.How to operate the ship in Murky DiversFirst, you’ll want to head into this game with a few friends—the more, the merrier. Navigation alone is going to be a real chore, as there are a lot of elements at play. Two players are certainly possible, but to operate the ship effectively, I would suggest four players.The goal of Murky Divers is to locate a blue ***** site on the compass and navigate the boat into it. You need to assess the risks involved and then ***** into the site to collect resources. This is done using the four instruments.NavigationTo the left of the large compass on the wall, you will see a green radar machine. This is what you must use to find a ***** site in Mur...View the full article

As you make your way around the early game Pax Dei landscape, you will come across a lot of resources to gather. It is essential you pick up as many of these as possible, as they will unlock many new recipes. Here is where you can find the early game essential to kick-start your game.Where to find Pax Dei resourcesEach of these can be found in certain places. Use this guide to speed up the search. It is always a good idea to pay attention to the map; a lot of what you need is already marked there. Sticks and woodSticks and wood are one of the first items you will want to pick up in Pax Dei. As soon as you have one in your inventory, you will be able to start crafting a whole selection of new tools like a hand axe and weapons.Image: YouTube WaydotSticks can be picked up from the ground. However, they’re a very popular early-game resource in Pax Dei, so they may be hard to find. If you’re in an area that none seem to be spawning, travel further from th...View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

If you were playing Final Fantasy XIV in December 2021, you will remember the launch of its last expansion Endwalker - though not for all the right reasons. The otherwise fantastic cap to the near-decade-long Hydelyn-Zodiark was beset by a barrage of technical problems at launch, as the MMO’s servers buckled under the weight of record numbers of players, leading to hours-long queues to login that would often end in an error that then kicked you back into the ******. As someone that sat there for literal hours watching the numbers tick down, it wasn’t a great time - even if the wait was, ultimately, worth it. Read more View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Organized play in Teamfight Tactics is finally heating up with the last Inkborn Fables Americas Tactician’s Cup tournament, determining who will compete in the Americas Golden Spatula tournament. From the third Tactician’s Trials to the final Cup of Set 11, here are the standings and scores. What were the TFT Set 11 Americas Tacitcian’s Trials 3 standings? Who made the cut? Image via Riot Games The final Inkborn Fables Tactician’s Trials tournament ran from June 15 to 17, with 54 tacticians advancing to the Americas’ third TFT Tactician’s Cup that’s scheduled to take place from June 21 to 23. Trials feature 570 players from NA, Brazil, and LATAM. Only the top 54 from day three advanced. View the full article

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is just two days away, so of course everyone will be hopping on to play it as soon as possible. For some, that means taking leave from work, including Nikiichi Tobita, creator of the Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree manga. Tobita will be placing the project on hold so he can enjoy the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree DLC in peace. As reported by Automaton, Tobita also said that the planned July 19 chapter of the manga would have to be delayed to a later date. The Road to the Erdtree manga is a comedy comic that spins the existing lore and worldbuilding with lots of funny jokes but also provides readers with some fantastic Elden Ring-inspired art. View the full article

A now *****-off developer at Paradox has alleged the team behind its The Sims competitor spent “a month in purgatory” before the studio closed down. Game designer Willem Delventhal took to LinkedIn to say they were “devastated” at the cancellation of Life by You, calling recent events “a real s**t show.” Paradox declined to comment when contacted by IGN. Swedish games company Paradox, best known for Crusader Kings, Cities Skylines, and Stellaris, shut down Berkeley, California-based Tectonic just hours after canceling Life by You in a move that affected the studio’s 24 staff. “This is difficult and drastic news for our colleagues at Tectonic, who’ve worked hard on Life by You’s Early Access release,” Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive, said. “Sadly, with cancellation of their sole project we have to take the tough decision to close down the studio. We are deeply grateful for their hard work in trying to take Paradox into a new genre.” Life by You, which Tectonic had worked on since 2019, initially set an early access release date for September 2023, but it was delayed to May 2024 before Paradox announced an additional delay to June 4. Two weeks before June 4, Paradox delayed the game indefinitely. Delventhal alleged Paradox told Tectonic Life by You wouldn’t launch just two weeks before the June 4 release date, and staff only found out they’d lost their jobs when the studio closure was publicly announced this week. Delventhal said Tectonic tried to save Life by You by finding potential buyers or even going indie, but to no avail. We spent a month in purgatory, and did everything we could to prove to them we were worth launching. “I've known for some time that we might be getting shut down,” Delventhal said. “We were actively working on a hyper-moddable life sim called Life By You. An indie answer to the aging IP that is the Sims but instead focussed heavily on UGC. “And as far as it goes, we were doing extremely well. “I cannot share specific numbers, but I can say that we had an internal metric we were aiming for that had been approved, and that we exceeded that number by a significant portion. We also got a thumbs up a few weeks before launch. “Then two weeks before launch we were told we wouldn't be launching. And just now that we've all lost our jobs. We were only informed of this via a public announcement. “We were not told why. Instead we spent a month in purgatory, and did everything we could to prove to them we were worth launching, including things like finding potential buyers or suggesting cutting ties and going indie. We heard virtually nothing back. “I was warned against writing anything about this experience. That it may hurt my future career or even that legal action could be taken against me. I have chosen to ignore these warnings. “To be honest, I have guesses about what happened. And while I can't conjecture, I'm sure you have guesses too. As a business owner, some of them are understandable, but many of them are not. We were a strong team on a strong project ready to launch to a strong audience. “Really I'd like to be much more ***** and brimstone about it. I'm pretty *******, not gonna lie. But I'm trying to stay kind and respectful. So instead I'll say: this industry has become a place in which you can deliver more than expected, have AA money behind you, and still have the rug pulled two weeks before launch.” When Paradox announced the cancelation of Life by You, Wester issued a statement, below, insisting the game would not “meet our expectations.” “For a long time, we’ve held hopes for Life by You and the potential we saw in it, but it is now clear that the game will not be able to meet our expectations,” Wester said. “A version that we’d be satisfied with is too far away, and therefore we are taking the difficult decision to cancel the release.” It’s tough times for Paradox after a string of high-profile failures. Wester admitted “we’ve performed poorly in recent releases” in his statement, while insisting “we have a very solid financial position and a strong core game portfolio, which keeps us confident about our future.” Last year’s disastrous release of Cities Skylines 2, which developer Colossal Order is still working to address, was just one title that hit Paradox’s bottom line as well as its reputation. In October 2023, Paradox called The Lamplighters League a "big disappointment" as it was forced to record a $22 million write-down. Paradox has also delayed jail sim Prison Architect 2 a number of times, the latest to this September after the discovery of "unexpected issues occurring too often.” The Paradox-published Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has endured a troubled development too, although a release date now looks in sight. The closure of Tectonic is the latest in a string of studio shutdowns and layoffs that have hit the video game industry hard in recent years. Thousands of staff have been impacted by cuts right across the industry, with layoffs at the likes of Microsoft, Sony, and Embracer, to name a few. Just this week Embracer shut down Pieces Interactive after Alone in the Dark ******* to meet sales expectations. Wesley is the *** News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article

The producer for Zenless Zone Zero revealed that HoYoverse's upcoming free-to-play title took direct inspiration from Street Fighter 6. With the release of Zenless Zone Zero on the horizon, HoYoverse fans are gearing up to explore every ***** and cranny of the futuristic city of New Eridu. The highly anticipated action RPG promises to be a thrilling new title for fans of the urban fantasy sci-fi genre, with stylish combat and a vivid post-apocalyptic setting in which humanity is on the brink of extinction. View the full article

The Tracker Alliance is a new faction in Starfield where you can join a rag-tag ground of bounty hunters chasing their marks across the stars. As with all factions in Starfield, the Track Alliance comes with its own storyline that players can complete to receive various endings and rewards. The Vulture is the second major quest in this factions storyline and essential to finish if players want to join the Tracker Alliance. View the full article

When it comes to the ultimate showdown of all-time great fighting games, Marvel vs Capcom 2 might well take my personal bet for being the best of the best. I spent countless hours throwing down with housemates, friends and random passers-by who looked like they were up for a brawl during my teenage years. Yet the arcade classic has - as far as I can tell - never been given a proper PC release before the recent announcement of a new bundle of the comic-book crossover series headed to Steam this year. Read more View the full article

On June 19, a huge patch was supposed to hit Cookie Run: Kingdom‘s live servers that would bring new cookies, a new event, and the fourth episode of the game’s ******-Yeast saga. After a massive response, however, the developers have delayed the update to make some highly requested changes from the player base. A few hours before server maintenance was supposed to drop, Cookie Run developers announced on their official Discord that the massive update was being shifted to a later date after careful consideration of the ongoing discussions within the player base. View the full article

It’s a special day for fans of the iconic tactical first-person shooter Counter-Strike, but the game’s massive player base is really hoping that Valve didn’t forget to get them a gift. Today marks the Counter-Strike‘s 25th birthday, as the game first became available to play as a public beta on June 19, 1999. While the game officially released on Nov. 8, 2000, coinciding with the birth of future prodigy ZywOo, Counter-Strike began to rise in popularity during its beta phase, laying the foundation for a global FPS dynasty. View the full article

You can even stack multiple codes if you want to get ready for the forthcoming onslaught of day-one releases. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Unless you’re flush with cash and time is only conceptual in your world, it may be tough to finance and find the time to enjoy all of the games announced during Microsoft’s recent Xbox Showcase. An Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription can help, though, as it’ll provide day-one access to many of the titles currently in development. Thankfully, CDKeys is now selling one-month subscription codes for $10.19 (about $7 off) and three-month codes for $27.99 (about $23 off), the latter of which is a better deal. CDKeys is a trusted merchant here at The Verge, so don’t feel deterred if you’re unfamiliar with the name. The online retailer specializes in selling heavily discounted key codes for gaming products, whether you’re looking to save on... Continue reading… View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]