Steam

Valve has announced three new products – a new VR headset called the Steam Frame, a new controller called the Steam Controller and a console-like unit called the Steam Machine. The Steam Frame is a “streaming first” virtual reality headset which can be played wirelessly, similar to the Meta Quest headsets. It also comes with two handheld controllers which also look similar to those for the Quest. The Steam Frame “is a PC” according to Valve and runs SteamOS on a Snapdragon 8 Series Processor with 16GB of RAM. This means that although it’s mainly designed for streaming games from the PC, it will be able to handle some games standalone. Read More... View the full article

UploadVR's Ian Hamilton and David Heaney went hands-on with Steam Frame at Valve HQ. If you missed it, Valve just officially announced Steam Frame, a "streaming-first" standalone VR headset launching in "early 2026". Steam Frame has a lightweight modular design and runs a VR version of Valve's SteamOS, the Linux-based operating system used in Steam Deck, with an evolved version of the Proton compatibility layer that can run almost any Linux, Windows, and Android application, including SteamVR games. Many titles won't perform well on the mobile chipset, though, and Steam Frame has a wireless dongle in the box to leverage the power of your gaming PC – hence Valve's "streaming-first" positioning. The headset does not require or support base stations. It tracks itself and its included controllers using four onboard greyscale tracking cameras, two of which can be used for monochrome passthrough, and it also has eye tracking for foveated streaming. Steam Frame will replace Valve Index on the market, which the company confirmed to UploadVR is no longer in production, and joins Valve's "family" of hardware products, which will also soon include a Steam Machine consolized PC and a new Steam Controller. You can find a full rundown of the design, features, and specifications of Steam Frame in our news article here. This article describes our impressions of using the headset at Valve HQ, where we were invited to a hardware briefing that included hands-on time with the new Steam Controller, Steam Machine, and the Steam Frame headset. Ian's time with Steam Frame was mostly spent in standalone titles on SteamOS, while David's time was entirely in Half-Life: Alyx streamed from a nearby gaming PC using the wireless adapter included in the Steam Frame box. Here's what they thought of their time with Steam Frame. Ian's Impressions: Standalone Use In quick succession I played Ghost Town, Walkabout, Moss 2, and Gorn 2 in the lightweight standalone SteamOS headset, and I also briefly tried some Half-Life: Alyx streaming from a nearby Windows PC. Ghost Town is one of the best VR games of the year and Valve says I played the PC VR version – the version made for x86 processors – completely in standalone through a compatibility layer. Walkabout Mini Golf's build was more fully featured than the one shown during the demo day at Samsung a couple weeks earlier, allowing me to putt with one controller in full VR joined by an iPhone player logged into the same room code via the Pocket Edition of the game. I enjoyed waving at Quill in Moss 2 and, in Gorn 2, I punched barbarians with my fists using the analog sticks to move myself out of the way of their attempts to hit me. Playing mostly seated, they all worked smoothly with Steam Frame running as a standalone personal computer – no streaming from a PC. Portal 2 ran on a large virtual display, as if on a giant Steam Deck, with what seemed like a very high frame rate. That was a really nice, responsive experience. So was stretching out my farm in Stardew Valley to keep an eye on most of the farm at once. Both of these flat games are pretty powerful to see running well directly on such a lightweight device alongside any number of standalone VR games. I opened the Linux desktop, went to Chrome and voice searched for the No Time For Caution scene from Interstellar on YouTube. I kicked off my shoes at Valve HQ (apologizing for doing so) and stretched out horizontally on a couch. I propped up a pillow behind my head and left the controllers on my stomach with the screen stretched across the sky. Matt Damon said "there is a moment" and I watched him blast into the gray of space with my controller drifting off with him. Regressions in controller tracking compared with Valve Index and its SteamVR 2.0 base stations may grate against developers and players who’ve come to expect rock-solid tracking from Steam-based laser systems outside the play area. I tried nothing like Longbow, for example, from Valve's original Lab experience, nor something with lots of physics objects like Boneworks, nor anything with fast motion like Beat Saber. With the controller in my hand, my index finger had some difficulty reaching both the index shoulder and trigger buttons while also keeping my middle finger on the grip button. Grip straps should be sold optionally at launch and there are capacitive sensors along the base of the controller intended to see when the 4th and 5th fingers release. I saw it in action in Half-Life: Alyx, with Alyx’s pinky and ring finger occasionally moving as I released my grip from that part of the controller. It didn’t seem super responsive, but it also wasn't strapped to my hand and the grips of the Index controllers were never particularly responsive either. The input from the 4th and 5th digits hasn’t proved necessary to game developers for half a decade, so I'm not too worried about it being well supported here. Still, we will closely watch what developers say about their feedback on the Steam Frame controllers. IPD adjustment is done via a wheel on the top of the headset and, after I got it set right, I largely forgot the headset's weight as it disappeared split between the rear and front in a remarkable feat of engineering. There’s no battery up front but no adjustment knob at the back — you pull on the soft straps at the side to adjust fitting — with the dual-cell thin battery on the back held behind a cushy foam. In hand, the compute unit feels a bit like I imagine a mainline Apple Vision might, with the rear component of Valve's headset able to collapse inside of the front for more compact travel than any other headset I'd want to use. On head, Steam Frame is a relief compared to all headsets with a battery hanging on the front of your face. The absence of the battery there is easily the most impactful feature of its design. Even though Google and Samsung hang the battery in a pack in Galaxy XR like Vision Pro, I found Steam Frame’s cushy back-mounted battery design to be an enormous relief particularly after spending four days in Android XR’s first headset. Of course, that’s only after a few minutes watching a movie reclined on a couch while missing OLED displays every second, but Steam Frame feels like glasses or perhaps even a sleep mask because of how well spread out its weight feels across the head. A Steam Frame Wireless Adapter comes in the box with each headset intended to manage the link to a nearby PC, including to the planned Steam Machine. We’ll be looking for the Steam Frame-verified label on VR games for Steam in the year ahead, and looking to test what it means to truly pump Steam throughout the home with dedicated Valve-managed wireless connections. There’s a lot of space for developers to play here in SteamOS, jumping off a Steam Machine or Deck and into a Frame. Valve has a lot to accomplish here during a turbulent time in global relations and specifics like cost and availability aren’t finalized. Valve representatives think they can get Half-Life: Alyx running performant in standalone, but they’re not promising it yet and it’s clear there’s still a lot for them to do. David's Impressions: Wireless PC VR My two Steam Frame demo sessions involved streaming Half-Life: Alyx from a nearby gaming PC that had the headset's included wireless adapter connected to a USB port. A hands-on demo can never definitively reveal whether a headset is comfortable to wear for hours, but even in the relatively short time I used Steam Frame it felt significantly lighter and less burdensome than any other fully-featured standalone headset. The visor itself weighs just 185 grams, a remarkable achievement, and the entire unit including the rear battery just 440 grams, meaning the weight is incredibly well distributed across your head. Further, the material Valve is using for the facial interface and rear padding is an evolved version of the ultra-snug fabric used in the Index, which even six years and dozens of aftermarket accessories for other headsets later, I still find feels the softest on my face. While I'm cautious about making sweeping conclusions until I have the headset in my home, my initial impression is that Steam Frame is the most comfortable VR headset yet, for my face at least. When it comes to making Steam Frame an ideal headset for connecting to SteamVR on your PC, Valve is using a combination of both hardware and software cleverness to refine the compressed wireless streaming experience. Steam Frame has two separate wireless radios. One is used as a client, connecting to your home Wi-Fi network on the 5GHz band for the general internet connection of SteamOS. The other is for a 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E hotspot, created by the headset, that SteamVR on your PC automatically connects to via the USB adapter included in the box. It's a dedicated point-to-point connection between Steam Frame and your PC. This gives Valve precise firmware-View the full article

Valve just officially announced Steam Frame, a "streaming-first" standalone VR headset launching in "early 2026". Steam Frame has a lightweight modular design and runs a VR version of Valve's SteamOS, the Linux-based operating system used in Steam Deck, with an evolved version of the Proton compatibility layer that can run almost any Linux, Windows, and Android application, including SteamVR games. Many titles won't perform well on the mobile chipset, though, and Steam Frame has a wireless dongle in the box to leverage the power of your gaming PC – hence Valve's "streaming-first" positioning. The headset does not require or support base stations. It tracks itself and its included controllers using four onboard greyscale tracking cameras, two of which can be used for monochrome passthrough, and it also has eye tracking for foveated streaming. Steam Frame will replace Valve Index on the market, which the company confirmed to UploadVR is no longer in production, and joins Valve's "family" of hardware products, which will also soon include a Steam Machine consolized PC and a new Steam Controller. Myself and my colleague Ian Hamilton went hands-on with Steam Frame at Valve HQ, and you can read our impressions here. This article, on the other hand, provides a full rundown of the design, specifications, and features of Steam Frame, based on the information provided to us by Valve. Lightweight Modular Design Steam Frame will come with a replaceable battery strap, with built-in dual driver speakers and a 21.6 Wh rear battery. The strap itself is fabric and the rear battery unit has soft padding, meaning it can "collapse" against the lenses for portability and naturally deform when your head is resting on a chair, sofa, or bed. There's an optional front-to-back top strap, but it's not attached by default. The core frontbox of Steam Frame weighs just 185 grams, Valve says, while the entire system with the default included facial interface, speakers, strap, and rear battery weighs 440 grams. That makes Steam Frame the lightest fully-featured standalone VR headset to date. Steam Frame is a modular system, and Valve will make the CAD and electrical specifications available to third parties to build custom facial interfaces and headstraps. Someone could, for example, build a rigid strap with an open interface, or a fully soft strap with a tethered battery. Expect a range of accessories. 2K LCDs & Pancake Lenses Steam Frame features dual 2160×2160 LCD panels, meaning it has twice as many pixels as the Valve Index and roughly the same as Meta Quest 3. The panels have a configurable refresh rate between 72Hz and 120Hz, with an "experimental" 144Hz mode, just like the Index. Valve says the multi-element pancake lenses in front of the panels offer "very good sharpness across the full field of view", which the company describes as "slightly less than Index", and "conservatively" 110 degrees horizontal and vertical. Lens separation is manually adjusted via a wheel on the top of the headset, letting wearers adjust for their interpupillary distance (IPD). Wireless PC Adapter With Foveated Streaming Steam Frame does not support DisplayPort or HDMI in. It is not a tethered headset. Instead, Valve is going all-in on compressed wireless streaming, aiming to perfect it with a combination of clever hardware and software. The headset has two separate wireless radios. One is used as a client, connecting to your home Wi-Fi network on the 5GHz band for the general internet connection of SteamOS. The other is for a 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E hotspot, created by the headset, that SteamVR on your PC automatically connects to via the USB adapter included in the box. It's a dedicated point-to-point connection between Steam Frame and your PC. This gives Valve precise firmware-level control over the entire network stack for wireless PC VR, and eliminates the problems you might experience using other standalone headsets for this, such as being bottlenecked by a router that's either too far away, blocked by too many walls, congested by other traffic, or just supplied by your ISP because it was cheap, not because it's any good. Of course, some enthusiasts already have a high-quality Wi-Fi setup for PC VR, with a high-end router or access point in the room where they play. Valve tells us that such people can continue to use their setup instead of the adapter if they really want, but suspects they won't choose to. The other feature Valve has implemented to make the wireless PC VR experience as good as it can possibly be is foveated encoding. Steam Frame has built-in eye tracking, and when you're using PC VR it's always used to encode the video stream in higher resolution where you're currently looking. While this feature has existed as part of Steam Link VR for Quest Pro since the app launched in December 2023, Valve says on Steam Frame the foveated streaming has lower latency and greater precision, thanks to the company controlling the entire rendering stack on the headset side. Linux, Windows & Android Apps Standalone Steam Frame can run Linux, Windows, and Android applications through a combination of compatibility layers and emulation. As with other SteamOS devices such as Steam Deck, Steam Frame can run Linux titles natively as well as Windows applications via Proton, the compatibility layer Valve has been working on for almost a decade now in collaboration with CodeWeavers. But while Steam Deck is an x86 device, the same CPU architecture as a gaming PC, Steam Frame uses the mobile-focused ARM architecture. That supports a huge advantage: Steam Frame can natively run Android APKs, including those you download in the web browser, as long as they don't require Google Play Services. But it also means that Steam Frame can't natively run x86 applications, which the majority of Steam games are. To solve this, Valve has been investing in FEX, an open-source tool for emulating x86 applications on ARM Linux devices that it has integrated into Proton on Steam Frame. The company tells UploadVR that the performance impact here is "shockingly small" – on the order of a few percent. The ability to run x86 Windows applications means that Steam Frame can, in theory, run almost any VR title on Steam. However, the key word here is "run". Steam Frame features a roughly 10-watt chipset originally designed for use in smartphones, and has only a fraction of the power of the gaming PC hardware that most SteamVR titles were designed for. Thus, while you can run visually simplistic and well-optimized titles at relatively low graphics settings, for high-fidelity VR gaming, such as playing Half-Life: Alyx you'll want to leverage your PC. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 + 16GB RAM Steam Frame is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM. Two models will be sold, one with 256GB UFS storage and the other with 1TB, and there's also a microSD card slot for expanded storage. In fact, you can even transfer the microSD card from your Steam Deck or Steam Machine, and your games will automatically be available to play. So just how powerful is Steam Frame's chip? Well, the XR2 Gen 2 series used in pretty much every other non-Apple headset features the Adreno 740 GPU from the 8 Gen 2 smartphone chip, and the 8 Gen 3 is the successor from the year after with the newer Adreno 750. On paper, Steam Frame's Adreno 750 GPU is 25% more powerful than the Adreno 740 in Meta Quest 3, and this difference increases to over 30% when you factor in the fact that Quest 3 slightly underclocks its GPU, while Valve confirmed that Steam Frame does not. Further, the effective performance difference will be even greater in titles that leverage eye-tracked foveated rendering. The CPU, on the other hand, is much more difficult to compare, as the XR2 Gen 2 uses a non-standard core configuration and 2D benchmarks run on headsets don't induce the maximum clockspeed. But based on what we know about the chips, expect Steam Frame to have around 50% improved singlethreaded performance compared to Quest 3 and around 100% greater multithreaded. Essentially, from a standalone performance perspective Steam Frame is notably more powerful than other non-Apple standalone headsets, though still significantly less powerful than a gaming PC. View the full article

The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has issued a legal claim against Grand Theft Auto 6 developer Rockstar Games, after it dismissed a group of staff in what the group claims was an act of union-busting. Earlier this month, Rockstar dismissed over 30 staff across its offices in the *** and Canada for what it called “gross misconduct” related to the alleged leaking of company secrets in a public forum. At the time, the IWGB issued a strongly worded statement calling Rockstar’s actions “a brazen act of ******** union busting” and accusing the company of “a calculated attack on workers organising for a collective voice and to improve their difficult working conditions”. A spokesperson for Rockstar parent Take-Two denied the claims. Read More... View the full article

We're excited to announce three new hardware products joining Steam Deck as part of our hardware family: Steam Controller Steam Machine Steam Frame Set to begin shipping in early 2026, all three devices are designed for players to get even more out of their Steam library. All work together, and all are optimized for Steam while continuing to operate as open platforms. Read all about it on our new Steam Hardware landing page, or click on each product for details. All three products will ship in the same regions we currently ship Steam Deck (US, CA, ***, EU, AU) as well as regions covered by KOMODO (Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan). Check out our new Steam Hardware page, and navigate around to each product site from there. Add to your wishlist, and/or follow our new Steam Hardware blog to stay updated on deep-dive and behind-the-scenes content between now and launch. View the full article

Folded Root, Destiny 2's first Void rocket launcher compatible with the new tier system in The Edge of Fate, is only available for a limited time, so hurry if you're looking to get a god roll. After a brief appearance in September, the rocket launcher returned in the end-of-season Call to Arms event for those who wanted another chance to snatch it. Looking at Folded Root's perk pool, you'll notice a lack of meta traits on its god roll. In fact, this rocket launcher veers heavily from the usual suspects, instead offering some unusual (but still potentially effective) options. Here are our Folded Root god rolls in Destiny 2, with perk data from [Hidden Content],0,0,0&m=0&mw=0. Folded Root PvE god rolls in Destiny 2 With some luck, you can also get the Holofoil version. Screenshot by Destructoid Barrel: Linear Compensator, Mag: Alloy Casing or Impact CasingFirst perk: Cluster BombSecond perk: Frenzy or Lasting ImpressionHonorable mention: Bipod There isn't much room to play with when it comes to the Folded Root god roll. Most weapons have a couple of different options that could make you wonder what to pick, but this Void rocket launcher mostly has one job: chunking bosses or beefier enemies. You can also use it as an ammo-efficient tool to clear adds, especially Majors and Elites. To get the biggest damage out of your Folded Root god roll, aim for Cluster Bomb in the third column. This perk received a buff in Ash & Iron, improving the damage of its submunitions when enhanced. Normally, you'd go for Envious Arsenal, Reconstruction, or Auto-Loading Holster on most rocket launchers. But since the third column doesn't really have any better options, stick with Cluster Bomb and don't worry about leaving anything on the table. You have two natural options to pair with Cluster Bomb: Frenzy and Lasting Impression. Frenzy has been a reliable perk since its addition in 2021's Season of the Chosen, and it's our pick for a Folded Root god roll. It improves your damage and boosts your reload speed, which is extra useful since the rocket launcher doesn't have a reload perk. Lasting Impression (also added in Season of the Chosen) is another option if you're familiar with how to use it. With this perk, rockets detonate after a couple of seconds but deal more damage. That delay may make it a bit cumbersome, so Frenzy is our top choice here. Alternatively, you can also focus your build around Bipod, which is more utility-based rather than targeted at the biggest damage per shot. Bipod increases a weapon's magazine size and reserves at the expense of damage, fire rate, and reload speed, so it commonly appears when you'd like a better ammo economy and more liberal use of your rockets. Cluster Bomb is still king of the third column, but Ambitious Assassin might also work as a temporary substitute since it overflows your magazine based on kills. How to get Folded Root in Destiny 2 Devrim is not in the EDZ for this. Screenshot by Destructoid Folded Root is available as part of the Call to Arms event, which runs until Nov. 25 based on the in-game counter. Grab this weapon by completing one of the six event activities, marked with an event engram in the Portal screen or accessible through the event's Play Now tab. It's unclear if this weapon will be obtainable in Renegades and beyond, though. The post Folded Root god rolls and how to get them in Destiny 2 appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Dispatch characters are so well designed that players became obsessed with a few of them right off the bat, especially when they realized romance was part of this interactive superhero dramedy. While now we know you can make Robert romance Blonde Blazer or Invisigal, Malevola is another hero players have been begging to be able to interact more with. During Destructoid's interview with Dispatch developers Michael Choung (Executive Producer, CEO) and Pierre Shorette (Narrative Director, Executive Producer, CCO), we've asked the question many fans are dying to know, and that even the AdHoc team had been vague about until now: Can you romance Malevola in Dispatch? "Malevola is not a romanceable character in season one," Pierre confirmed to Destructoid on Nov. 10. "You know, we're going to listen to the community quite a bit on this one when it comes to what influences season 2, and we've definitely heard it loud and clear." Malevola's success wasn't planned Pierre explained how Malevola wasn't part of the core cast but gained more space in the first season of Dispatch thanks to the acting of Alanah Pearce. "A lot of the stuff that is those little interactions that folks are reading into with Malevola is stuff that came in late," he said. "So it really wasn't that kind of planned for the entirety of the story. It was more like, 'there's a cool character, Alanah is crushing it. Let's add some bits and bobs here and there." Michael added how the game's deluxe edition includes an expanded story for other characters, including Malevola. A '90s ad inspired Malevola's design Pierre told us he finds it interesting how people interpret Malevola in the game. "I see Malevola as kind of a jock," he noted. "She happens to be like a hot jock, but all jocks are hot. They're all like physical specimens, their bodies are their tools, you know?" The Dispatch devs watch how fans interpret interactions between Robert and Malevola as her having a crush on him. One such scene is when Malevola, Invisigal, and Royd show up at Robert's place and find him in his underwear. Some video compilations on YouTube even describe these scenes as "flirting." [Hidden Content] "For me, it's funny to see something like a nut tap, which I have had happen to me in non-******* ways many times, or being sort of really, really red, as very flirtatious," Pierre said. "Maybe it is, or maybe it isn't. I don't want to say." Still, Malevola's memorable look is intentional. It comes from an equally memorable TV commercial. "Malevola's original design comes from the Cindy Crawford Pepsi ad from the 90s, where she's just in some heels, in a tank top, and some jeans in the desert," Pierre said. That look is so iconic that I still drink Pepsi to this day." [Hidden Content] We know a second season of Dispatch is very likely at this point. If romance options between her and Robert don't come by then, fans who really want to see this interaction could hope Pierre's wish that they can publish a spin-off dating sim of Dispatch eventually comes to life. The post The Dispatch community is thirsting over Malevola, and devs revealed whether you can romance her appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Powerful PC gaming made easy, in a small and mighty package View the full article

Steam Frame is a streaming-first, wireless VR headset + controllers that can handle your whole Steam library. Step into immersive VR, or lean back and enjoy your non-VR catalog. And it supports stand-alone play too. View the full article

Steam Controller has all the inputs to play all the games on Steam, wherever Steam is View the full article

Steam Controller. Steam Machine. Steam Frame. Powered by Steam, optimized for gaming in any form. And just like Steam Deck, all are designed to help players get even more out of their Steam Library. Learn more, or wishlist now. View the full article

CD Projekt is a game industry powerhouse. After 10 years we still can't get enough of The Witcher 3, which reached 50 million copies sold in 2023 and it has the world on tenterhooks in anticipation for The Witcher 4... Read more.View the full article

"It's not about size, it's how you use it," is a rather crass way to describe map design, but I firmly believe it's the reason why many of Battlefield 6's maps have left players unsatisfied. To get big map energy in smaller sandboxes, you need to nail the illusion of space. From what I've seen so far, Battlefield 6's upcoming Eastwood map is going to provide some much-needed breathing room, despite its suburban trappings. Fortunately, the Battlefield team isn't planning to rely on new additions to fix its foibles, and has today reaffirmed that it will make changes where necessary. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Battlefield 6 and Redsec guides, trailers, and latest news Battlefield 6 Season 1 release date and seasonal content Battlefield 6 challenges will now waste far less of your time, as dev thanks players for a "storm of feedback" View the full article

Many of the best survival games lean towards realism, but I've always appreciated those that are prepared to get a little more out there, whether it's the Victorian 'gaslamp fantasy' aesthetic of Nightingale or the gravity-warping sci-fi of Once Human. So Hypetrain Digital's Voidtrain has long been on my watchlist. Set in a surreal, floating space called The Void, it sees you building a full-scale engine and wagons to traverse the world around you. A unique spin on the format with vibes that remind me a little of the mighty Outer Wilds, it's just hit 1.0, and you can grab it at a big discount if you're quick. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Fellowship blends Diablo's combat with the best bits of World of Warcraft, and you already can grab it at a discount My favorite city-builder, Frostpunk, just hit its lowest price ever with all DLC Grab eight amazing Steam Deck games for just $15, and save $249 View the full article

I've looked through Newegg's PC gaming deals in its early ****** Friday *****, and these are the six deals I'd recommend not waiting for.View the full article

Plant, grow and harvest in the farming roguelite deckbuilder Cropdeck, with a demo out now that you definitely need to put on your list to try. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Thomas Andersson and Justin Wiebe explain their design philosophy for the FPSView the full article

They've made "significant progress" on the Borderlands MMOView the full article

Battlefield 6 is set to receive what could be its biggest update yet, including reverted aim assist and additional weapon bloom tweaks, as soon as November 18, as work on Season 1 continues. EA and Battlefield Studios outlined the past, present, and future of its Battlefield 6 and REDSEC post-launch plans in an update posted online today. It comes with a list of headlines for ongoing issues players can expect to see addressed when Season 1’s next chapter, California Resistance, launches November 18, as well as some of the content set to arrive with Winter Offensive come December 9. “For our teams across Battlefield Studios, this is just the start,” a message from the team says. “We’ve been watching, reading, listening, and we’re hard at work on how we will evolve the experiences for you all. We’re focused, fired up, and getting it done because Battlefield has always been at its best when we build it together, as we have done on our journey through Battlefield Labs, our Open Beta, launch and the current Season 1.” BF Studios has teased that the Battlefield 6 California Offensive update will bring a new map, called Eastwood, alongside new weapons and a new mode. We now know the mid-season update will also tackle five key elements across the experience: Weapon dispersion/bloom, lighting adjustments, challenge clarity, Fort Lyndon in Portal, and aim assist. Weapon dispersion and weapon bloom remain one of the hottest topics among Battlefield 6 players online, as they affect each weapon’s accuracy depending on a variety of in-game factors. BF Studios says it’s made a “small tuning pass that reduces how quickly dispersion and recoil build up during sustained fire.” These tweaks apply to all weapons, with most also benefiting from recoil refinements, with the developers hoping players’ weapons “feel smoother and more consistent, especially at longer ranges” going forward. Lighting and visibility changes target soldier visibility, while challenge requirements, something BF Studios already began tackling in a recent update, should be clearer starting with the November 18 update for Battlefield 6. Portal players can also expect to take advantage of more from Fort Lyndon as they continue building out their ideal Battlefield 6 maps and modes. As promised, aim assist settings will also be reverted to fall more in line with what players experienced during the open beta tests a few months back. “We’ve adjusted Aim Assist to make aiming feel smoother and more predictable, helping players build stronger muscle memory,” a message from the team says. “Tuning is now similar to the Open Beta experience. As a result, Infantry Aim Assist and Infantry Aim Assist Slowdown have been reset to match the new values, so try the update before making changes.” Battlefield 6 is set to receive major changes when California Resistance launches November 18, but the December 9 update could also deliver some game-changing adjustments. Vehicle balance tweaks are one thing BF Studios has planned for next month, with fixes for some Breakthrough and Rush maps also on the way. Finally, while no concrete plans are in the pipeline yet, BF Studios has outlined a number of community talking points that it is looking into for Battlefield 6 and REDSEC. These include additional challenge adjustments, UI and menu improvements, player stats, social play, hit registration/netcode, the overall vehicle experience, and, yes, even map sizes. “We have seen your comments about map size and pacing. Battlefield is at its best when maps offer different ways to play and constant action around every corner. Striking that balance is always a priority, and we are committed to a variety of map types across future Seasons. With Eastwood arriving in the California Resistance Update, we will continue monitoring existing maps and modes for targeted adjustments (like what’s planned in Winter Offensive) while also learning from community creations in Portal.” Portal players have famously used the community tools it offers to build not only wacky creations but some of the ******* maps players are looking for, too. IGN recently spoke with creative director Thomas Andersson about the future of Portal, and we learned that BF Studios has more in store when it comes to fleshing out that mode. “There’s always been the plan to add features and add new content as we go to Portal and make that available for people to create new, impressive experiences,” Andersson said. “The stuff they’ve created so far is just mind-blowing, some of it. It’s like, ‘Oh, how do you guys think of this?’ It’s crazy. It’s been a joy to watch, and I think it will keep getting better and better as they get more comfortable with the tools, as we give them even more things to play with.” A number of topical REDSEC elements are also under review, including audio performance, a casual battle royale mode, armor plating, and tank availability. Another option BF Studios is looking into revolves around a solo battle royale experience and how such an option could work for Battlefield 6 and its battle royale offshoot. "We’re just getting started, and there’s more to come," BF Studios' message signs off. "Following the California Resistance Update on November 18, Winter Offensive arrives December 9, with Season 2 launching in early 2026. Thank you for continuing to shape the future of Battlefield with us." For more on Battlefield 6 and what’s to come with Season 1, you can read more from our interview, including more insight into what solos could look like, as well as the team’s response to the recent REDSEC review-bombing campaign. You can also read about the the 1.1.1.5 update, which launched yesterday. 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

November's list of PlayStation Plus Game Catalog titles has been confirmed by Sony and, as expected, it includes a welcome return for Grand Theft Auto 5. Just in case you're one of the few people that doesn't already own Rockstar's open-world epic already, the game is once again part of PlayStation Plus for the month of November. It's a timely addition, too, and almost like publisher Take-Two knew it was about to once again delay Grand Theft Auto 6, which will now launch on November 19, 2026. A bumper month of other additions also includes enjoyably creepy Scottish oil rig horror game Still Wakes the Deep, made by Everybody's Gone to the Rapture studio The ******** Room, and the critically-acclaimed first-person automobile-based survival game Pacific Drive. Also included are brain-teasing first-person puzzler The Talos Principle 2, and delightfully British comedy platformer Thank Goodness You're Here! Both of those are well worth a look. Other titles this month include multiplayer shooter Insurgency: Sandstorm, arcade truck demolisher Monster Jam Showdown, and yet more cars in MotoGP 25. If you're a PlayStation Plus Premium subscriber, you'll also gain access to the Tomb Raider: Anniversary collection, which emulates the PS2 version of the original Tomb Raider title. Here's the full list of everything available: PlayStation Plus November 2025 Games: PlayStation Plus Extra: Grand Theft Auto 5 (PS5, PS4)Pacific Drive (PS5)Still Wakes the Deep (PS5)Insurgency: Sandstorm (PS4, PS5)Thank Goodness You're Here! (PS4, PS5)The Talos Principle 2 (PS5)Monster Jam Showdown (PS4, PS5)MotoGP 25 (PS4, PS5) PlayStation Plus Premium: Tomb Raider Anniversary (PS4, PS5) So, anything take your fancy? Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social View the full article

Who knew that putting a bucket on your head could be such a boon?View the full article

WWE 2K25 has received the fifth and final DLC character pack from its Season Pass. The Saturday Night’s Main Event Pack includes the following five WWE superstars from the ’80s and ’90s: Jesse VenturaMr Wonderful Paul OrndorffTito SantanaJunkyard DogSid Justice Read More... View the full article

It's no secret that Xbox Game Pass still doesn't have the best reputation right now after its recent price hikes, but that doesn't mean there isn't any value left for anyone still subscribed to the monthly service. In addition to the surplus of rotating games to play this month and beyond, features like Xbox Cloud Gaming and remote play are incredibly underrated options that not every Game Pass subscriber takes full advantage of. View the full article

To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Thomas Olsson and Skeleton Crew Studios’ Forestrike adapts this aphorism into a turn-based/real-time Wuxia action hybrid. This strategic martial arts roguelite really makes you feel like a master when you get everything right. I’ve never played anything exactly like Forestrike before, and despite some minor exceptions I take with its endgame, it’s one of my favorite indies this year and a high-value target at its price point. View the full article

Generation Exile is out now in Early AccessView the full article